Apostasy is not a word common in our everyday conversation, nor does it belong to the business world. Nevertheless, it has been a very real and common occurrence in religious circles through the ages. The result of man’s natural tendency to seek an easy way through life, it offers a form of escape from difficult choices.
Simply defined, apostasy is “desertion of one’s faith, religion, party or principles.” To join a political party and accept the principles of the party and then turn from it is apostasy. To make a profession of faith in God and embrace a certain doctrine and then forsake that belief is apostasy.
Apostasies can occur in either the secular or the religious world. In this study we will be concerned with apostasy as it has affected God’s true Church from the time God first began His work with humankind. When He called the first workers into His vineyard, He gave them His law. The command was: Obey and live; disobey and die. The reward: “A blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 11:27-28). Those He addressed were left free to choose their course of action and their destiny—whether to obey and receive a blessing, or disobey and receive eternal death.
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Author: Megiddo Press
Keywords: apostasy, apostate, apostate church, apostate christianity, falling away, false doctrine, false teaching, false teacher, false teachers, man of sin, antichrist, church of roman, Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic, mystery of lawlessness, son of perdition, Great Apostasy
Bible reference(s): Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, Luke 18:8 , Acts 20:29-30, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:3, Tit. 1:10-14, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7
Source: Apostasy: Departing from the Faith
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.