Apostasy in Christianity

Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles, became an apostate.^[1]

Apostasy in Christianity is the repudiation of Christ and the central teachings of Christianity by someone who formerly was a Christian (Christ-follower).^[2] The term apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia ("ἀποστασία") meaning "rebellion", "state of apostasy", "abandonment", or "defection".^[3] It has been described as "a willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christianity. Apostasy is the rejection of Christ by one who has been a Christian. …"^[4] "Apostasy is a theological category describing those who have voluntarily and consciously abandoned their faith in the God of the covenant, who manifests himself most completely in Jesus Christ."^[5] "Apostasy is the antonym of conversion; it is deconversion."^[1]

B. J. Oropeza, who has written one of the most exhaustive studies on the phenomenon of apostasy in the New Testament (3 Volumes, 793 pages),^[6] "uncovered several factors that result in apostasy."^[7] Some of these factors overlap, and some Christian communities were "susceptible to more than one of these."^[7] The first major factor in a believer committing apostasy (i.e., becoming an unbeliever) is "unbelief."^[7] Other factors potentially leading to apostasy include: "persecution," "general suffering and hardship," "false teachings and factions,"^[8] "malaise,"^[9] "indifference and negligence towards the things of God" (specifically, "the command to love one's neighbors"),^[10] and engaging in sinful acts ("vice-doing") or assimilating to the ungodly attitudes and actions reflected in a non-Christian culture.^[11]

^ ^a ^b Paul W. Barnett, Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments, "Apostasy," 73.
^ B. J. Oropeza, Churches under Siege of Persecution and Assimilation: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 3: The General Epistles and Revelation. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2012: 236.
^ Walter Bauder, "Fall, Fall Away," The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNTT), 1:606.
^ Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Greek and Latin Theological Terms: Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology, 41. "Apostasy is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer (Heb. 10:26–29; …)(Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary: Completely Revised and Updated Edition by Ronald F. Youngblood (Editor) [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995], 91). The Tyndale Bible Dictionary defines apostasy as a "Turning against God, as evidenced by abandonment and repudiation of former beliefs. The term generally refers to a deliberate renouncing of the faith by a once sincere believer …" ("Apostasy," Walter A. Elwell and Philip W. Comfort, editors, 95). Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: "People who commit apostasy abandon their faith and repudiate their former beliefs. … Apostasy is a complete and final rejection of God" ("Apostasy," Eugene E. Carpenter & Philip W. Comfort, 227). The Dictionary of Christian Theology (edited by Alan Richardson) says apostasy "means the deliberate disavowal of belief in Christ made by a formerly believing Christian" ("Apostasy," R.P.C. Hanson; The Westminster Press, 1969, 12). Baker's Dictionary of Theology (editor in chief Everett F. Harrison) "Cremer states that apostasia is used in the absolute sense of 'passing over to unbelief,' thus a dissolution of the 'union with God subsisting through faith in Christ'" ("Apostasy," Robert Winston Ross [Baker Book House, 1976], 57).
^ Scot McKnight, Dictionary of Theological Interpretation of the Bible, "Apostasy," 58. "[Apostasy] is the deliberate denial, expressed by outward acts, of the Christian faith . … The passages of Scripture on which the treatment of this form of apostasy is based on are Heb. 3:12; 6:4–9; 10:16–29; 2 Pet. 2:15–21; 2 John 9–11; Luke 12:9" (E. Friedberg [contributor] The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge [New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1908], 1:239).
^ Oropeza: Churches under Siege of Persecution and Assimilation: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 3: The General Epistles and Revelation. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2012. Jews, Gentiles, and the Opponents of Paul: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 2: The Pauline Letters. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2012. In the Footsteps of Judas and Other Defectors: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 1: Gospels, Acts, and Johannine Letters. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:236.
^ Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:237–239.
^ Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:239. Malaise in this context refers to a loss of "zeal" for the things of God. The Christian community in the book of Hebrews is a good example of spiritual malaise manifesting itself in "discouragement" (likely due to persecution); "reluctance in hearing the spoken messages by [its] leaders;" failure to accept "exhortations from fellow believers"; and a refusal "to fellowship with God's people anymore" (Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:239).
^ Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:239–240.
^ Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:240–241. Paul W. Barnett notes four reasons for apostasy in the book of Acts, Hebrews, the General Epistles (i.e., James, 1, 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3 John, Jude), and in the book of Revelation, as: (1) Moral or Spiritual Failure; (2) Persecution; (3) False Teaching; (4) Self-Choice (Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments, "Apostasy," 75).

[autogenerated1-1] Paul W. Barnett, Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments, "Apostasy," 73.

[2] B. J. Oropeza, Churches under Siege of Persecution and Assimilation: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 3: The General Epistles and Revelation. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2012: 236.

[3] Walter Bauder, "Fall, Fall Away," The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNTT), 1:606.

[4] Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Greek and Latin Theological Terms: Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology, 41. "Apostasy is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer (Heb. 10:26–29; …)(Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary: Completely Revised and Updated Edition by Ronald F. Youngblood (Editor) [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995], 91). The Tyndale Bible Dictionary defines apostasy as a "Turning against God, as evidenced by abandonment and repudiation of former beliefs. The term generally refers to a deliberate renouncing of the faith by a once sincere believer …" ("Apostasy," Walter A. Elwell and Philip W. Comfort, editors, 95). Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: "People who commit apostasy abandon their faith and repudiate their former beliefs. … Apostasy is a complete and final rejection of God" ("Apostasy," Eugene E. Carpenter & Philip W. Comfort, 227). The Dictionary of Christian Theology (edited by Alan Richardson) says apostasy "means the deliberate disavowal of belief in Christ made by a formerly believing Christian" ("Apostasy," R.P.C. Hanson; The Westminster Press, 1969, 12). Baker's Dictionary of Theology (editor in chief Everett F. Harrison) "Cremer states that apostasia is used in the absolute sense of 'passing over to unbelief,' thus a dissolution of the 'union with God subsisting through faith in Christ'" ("Apostasy," Robert Winston Ross [Baker Book House, 1976], 57).

[5] Scot McKnight, Dictionary of Theological Interpretation of the Bible, "Apostasy," 58. "[Apostasy] is the deliberate denial, expressed by outward acts, of the Christian faith . … The passages of Scripture on which the treatment of this form of apostasy is based on are Heb. 3:12; 6:4–9; 10:16–29; 2 Pet. 2:15–21; 2 John 9–11; Luke 12:9" (E. Friedberg [contributor] The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge [New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1908], 1:239).

[6] Oropeza: Churches under Siege of Persecution and Assimilation: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 3: The General Epistles and Revelation. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2012. Jews, Gentiles, and the Opponents of Paul: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 2: The Pauline Letters. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2012. In the Footsteps of Judas and Other Defectors: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities. Volume 1: Gospels, Acts, and Johannine Letters. Eugene: Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2011.

[auto-7] Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:236.

[8] Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:237–239.

[9] Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:239. Malaise in this context refers to a loss of "zeal" for the things of God. The Christian community in the book of Hebrews is a good example of spiritual malaise manifesting itself in "discouragement" (likely due to persecution); "reluctance in hearing the spoken messages by [its] leaders;" failure to accept "exhortations from fellow believers"; and a refusal "to fellowship with God's people anymore" (Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:239).

[10] Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:239–240.

[11] Oropeza, Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, 3:240–241. Paul W. Barnett notes four reasons for apostasy in the book of Acts, Hebrews, the General Epistles (i.e., James, 1, 2 Peter, 1, 2, 3 John, Jude), and in the book of Revelation, as: (1) Moral or Spiritual Failure; (2) Persecution; (3) False Teaching; (4) Self-Choice (Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments, "Apostasy," 75).

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