The term apostasy originated from the Greek word apostasia. Apostasia means defection from truth, falling away, forsake. The word apostasy does not appear in the English version of the Bible, but its Greek origin apostasia is used twice in the Greek version of the New Testament; Acts 21:21 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
Apostasy is to forsake
And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Acts 21:21
In Acts 21:21, according to Luke, when Paul returned from his missionary expedition, the elders of the church in Jerusalem told him that the Jews were informed that he, Paul, had gone about teaching the Jews elsewhere to forsake Prophet Moses. The word which was rendered as forsake in the English Bible was the Greek word apostasia.
Who was Moses to the Jew? Moses was a prophet of God through whom God gave the Law – the ordinances, the statutes, and the commandments by which the Jews worship God. In fact, the Jewish system of worship, Judaism, is founded on the Law. The Jews and their leaders, being dependant on the Law of Moses to relate to God, duly count themselves as disciples of Moses. At the time the accusation of ‘teaching apostasy against Moses’ was leveled against Paul, Moses was not alive; he was long dead. All that represented Moses at the time was the Law. Forsake Moses, figuratively, means to abandon the Law – the statutes, the commandments, the customs, and the ordinances – that were given through Moses by God.
The use of apostasia in Acts 21:21, which was rendered as forsake, creates a contrast between apostasy and discipleship. Discipleship is to follow a teacher or to adhere to his inspired Scriptures or teachings. Apostasy is the very opposite. Concerning Acts 21:21, apostasy is to cease to follow or forsake any man of God, no more adhering to his inspired Scriptures or teachings.
Prophet Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. were prophets to whom the Lord spoke and through whom also the Lord spoke to the people. Their teachings and prophecies were well documented and handed down to us as Scriptures. If a believer forsakes these prophets; that is to say, forsake their teachings and the Scriptures God gave them, that person has not just forsaken these holy men but has forsaken the God who sent them. Therefore forsaking Moses or any of the prophets translates to forsaking God – the God who sent them or the God in whose name they came; for so the Bible teaches:
- He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. Luke 10:16
- He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. Matthew 10:40
- And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 1 Samuel 8:7
- Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:8
If it were true that Paul had taught the Jews to forsake Moses, then he would have actually been teaching them to apostatize against God Himself.
Apostasy is falling away
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
The second instance where apostasia was used in the Bible is in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The apostle Paul while foretelling the end times and the coming of the anti-Christ mentioned in his speech, “… for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, …”
The Greek word that was rendered as falling away was apostasia – the root word for apostasy. Therefore apostasy is also a falling away.
What is falling away?
The literal meaning of falling away is captured in the imagery of what is spoken of by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:24, saying,
“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:’’
If a flower falls away, it is no longer part of the plant; it has dropped and fallen to the ground. In the context of this biblical imagery, the literal meaning of falling away is this – falling away is the situation where one is no longer part of something. In the context of 1 Peter 1:24, falling away means abandoning, disaffiliating, separating, or alienating oneself from Christ Jesus or from the body of Christ. Hence apostasy is abandoning, disaffiliating, separating, or alienating oneself from Christ Jesus or from the body of Christ.
Apostasy is a defection from the truth
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. John 4:24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23)
There is no other alternative to this; if you really seek to worship God, then you have only one choice; that is to believe and practice true doctrines. And even after having believed in the truth from the start, if, at any point in time, you deviate from the truth into false doctrines, before God, you have apostatized – no more a true worshipper of God. In this dispensation, God is worshiped in truth and in spirit; and it is only those who worship Him in truth and in spirit who shall be counted before God as true Christians. These verses of Scripture denounce certain ministries, pastors, prophets, and professing Christians who teach, embrace, and practice false doctrines as apostates. To appear before God as a true worshipper, you have to believe and practice the right doctrines.
Apostasy is like a divorce or a broken relationship
To what can we liken to apostasy? It is like divorce – the dissolution of a marriage relationship between a husband and a wife. Once the man and the woman sign the divorce papers, they have consented to dissolve their marriage and part ways. Therefore, they have divorced from each other; the woman would henceforth not regard the man as her husband; nor would the man, henceforth, regard the woman as his wife.
Apostasy happens much like a divorce. In Christianity, the Christian is regarded as a child of God and God is a Father to the Christian. Therefore, a Christian and God have such a healthy relationship – a father-son relationship. If that is the case, then the questions are
- what happens to the father-son relation, when a Christian forsakes God?
- How does God respond when a Christian forsakes or denies Him?
When a Christian apostatizes, that is, forsakes God, God will also forsake him, and if he denies God, God will also deny him in response. It is written in the Bible:
- And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2
- And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 1 Chronicles 28:9
- And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 1 Samuel 15:26
- For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 1 Samuel 15:23
- And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. 2 Chronicles 24:20
Apostasy is not just about a Christian forsaking God; there is more to it. Actually, God also forsakes the Christian who has forsaken Him. When it happens like that, obviously, the father-son relationship between the two parties, God and the Christian, is broken and they become separated, such that he does not regard God as his God anymore, neither does God acknowledge him as His child. With regard to this, every apostate undergoes two experiences; that is, while he forsakes God, God also forsakes him in response; hence, a broken relationship.
In light of this truth, all the idolatrous practices of old committed by the Israelites and all the instances where they wandered away from the commandments of God given by Moses are labeled as apostasy, for at any point in time when they forsook God, God also forsook them – apostasy. Whichever way apostasy is defined, eventually, it is a re-separation or a broken relationship between a believer and God – much like a divorce.
Other terms used in the Bible to express apostasy
As we have already said, the term apostasy was coined recently in the Christian era. In the Bible, these phrases and words are used to express:
- Turn away, Numbers 14:43, Deuteronomy 7:4, Deuteronomy 30:17, etc.
- Fall away, Isa 1:28, Jer 17:13, 2Ch 29:6, etc.
- Play the harlot, Jeremiah 2:20, Jeremiah 3:6, Ezekiel 23:5, etc.
- Play the whore, Eze 16:28
- Walk after other gods, Jer 13:10, Jer 7:9, Jer 7:6, etc.
- Serve other gods, De 11:16, De 13:6, 1Ki 9:6, etc.
- Whoredom, Eze 43:7, Eze 43:9, Ho 1:2, etc.
- Adultery, Jer 3:8, Jer 3:9, Eze 23:37
- Deny, Re 2:13, Jos 24:27, 2Ti 2:12, etc.
- etc.
Conclusion
- Apostasy or apostasia means to fall away, to forsake or defect from the truth.
- Apostasy is to forsake the one true God and or the Holy Scriptures He has given.
- Apostasy is to abandon Christ or the body of Christ or the Christian faith.
- It is to stray from the truth.
- Finally, apostasy is a broken relationship between God and a one-time believer; or it is a spiritual re-separation between a one-time believer and God.