Apostasy

aphéŒsteµmi [to fall away], apostaséŒa [apostasy], dichostaséŒa [dissension]

aphéŒsteµmi. Transitive “to remove” either spatially or within a relationship, “to win over,” “to seduce,” middle “to remove oneself,” “to resign,” “desist,” “fall away.” Only the personal use is important theologically, and in the LXX{LXX Septuagint} the term becomes almost a technical one for religious apostasy (Dt. 32:15; Jer. 3:14; Is. 30:1), usually from God or the Lord, and leading to idolatry and immorality.

In the NT{NT New Testament} this sense occurs in Acts 5:37; 15:38; 19:9. Decline from God is the meaning in Heb. 3:12. In 1 Tim. 4:1 apostasy involves capitulation to heretical beliefs as an eschatological phenomenon. An absolute use is found in Lk. 8:13 and cf.{cf. confer, compare} Rev. 3:8.

apostaséŒa. Based on apostaŒteµs (politically a “rebel,” religiously an “apostate”), this term signifies the state (not the act) of apostasy. Paul is accused of apostasy against the law in Acts 21:21. Eschatological apostasy is the issue in 2 Th. 2:3, either with or prior to the man of lawlessness. Resting on Jewish tradition, this will be the decline of Christians into error and sin in the last days (cf.{cf. confer, compare} Mt. 24:11-12).

dichostaséŒa. This word for “division” or “dissension” is used for objective disunity in the church in Rom. 16:17, in some readings of 1 Cor. 3:3, and in Gal.

APOSTASYAPOSTASY. In classical Gk.{Gk. Greek} apostasia is a technical term for political revolt or defection. In lxx{lxx Septuagint (Gk. version of OT)} it always relates to rebellion against God (Jos. 22:22; 2 Ch. 29:19), originally instigated by Satan, the apostate dragon of Jb. 26:13.

There are two NT{NT New Testament} instances of the Gk.{Gk. Greek} word. Acts 21:21 records that Paul was maliciously accused of teaching the Jews to forsake Moses by abandoning circumcision and other traditional observances. 2 Thes. 2:3 describes the great apostasy of prophecy, alongside or prior to the revelation of the man of lawlessness (cf.{cf. confer (Lat.), compare} Mt. 24:10-12). The allusion is neither to the political nor to the religious infidelity of the Jews, but is entirely eschatological in character and refers to ‘the final catastrophic revolt against the authority of God which in apocalyptic writings is a sign of the end of the world’ (E. J. Bicknell, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, 1932, p. 74). It may be regarded as the earthly counterpart of the heavenly rebellion in Rev. 12:7-9.

Apostasy is a continual danger to the church, and the NT{NT New Testament} contains repeated warnings against it (cf.{cf. confer (Lat.), compare} 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Pet. 3:17). Its nature is made clear: falling ‘from the faith’ (1 Tim. 4:1) and ‘from the living God’ (Heb. 3:12). It increases in times of special trial (Mt. 24:9-10; Lk. 8:13) and is encouraged by false teachers (Mt. 24:11; Gal. 2:4), who seduce believers from the purity of the Word with ‘another gospel’ (Gal. 1:6-8; cf.{cf. confer (Lat.), compare} 2 Tim. 4:3-4; 2 Pet. 2:1-2; Jude 3-4). The impossibility of restoration after deliberate apostasy is solemnly urged (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26).