11 Of whom we have many things to say, which are hard to be uttered, because ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when as concerning the time ye ought to be teachers, yet have ye need again that we teach you what are the first principles of the word of God: and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For everyone that useth milk, is inexpert in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of age, which through long custom have their wits exercised, to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:11-14 (1599 Geneva Bible)
Apostasy: [Middle English apostasie, from Old French, from Late Latin apostasia, defection, from Late Greek apostasi, from Greek apostasis, revolt, from aphistanai, aposta-, to revolt : apo-, apo- + histanai, to stand, place; see st- in Indo-European roots.]
Noun pl -sies abandonment of one’s religious faith, political party, or cause [Greek apostasis desertion] from:Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006
I heard another definition today for the word “apostasy.” This definition says that a good way to understand apostasy and what causes one to abandon his or her religious faith is “to forget.” In the history of civilization, the battle between intellectual honesty and intellectual barbarity is one that has cycled back and forth for a millennia. When intellectual honesty is on top, truth is seen as succinct and knowable and authoritative. When intellectual barbarity is on top, truth is seen as relative and completely unknowable. In case you weren’t sure, we are now in an intellectual barbarian stage in the early 21st Century.
The move from intellectual honesty to intellectual barbarity takes place as successive generations “forget” the truth or the fact that truth is truth regardless of variableness in culture or mores. The Church is not immune my brethren. Look at what has happened to it over the last several centuries culminating in our time with relativism on the throne of men’s hearts rather than a love for the truth. In a time of intellectual barbarity, since relativism is seen as the only reality, the Church becomes infected with this deadly disease.
Justin Martyr, in his many Apologies, was able in his time to point to the personal holiness of the people of God and use that point to show the difference between Christians and everyone else. However, with a divorce rate in the Church equal to that of the culture, that would be a hard point to make in our day. I read not long ago of a pastor in Dallas being caught in a sting attempting to hook up with a 13 year old girl for sex. This is just a fruit of the growing apostasy in the 21st Century Church.
Apostasy doesn’t happen all at once. The church is continually under attack from without and within no matter what intellectual cycle it is in. The Protestant Reformation is good example. Foxx’s Book of Martyrs shows how large the number was of Christians who paid with their lives because they knew the truth and would not recant. I wonder how many of today’s Christians would be likely to take that stand.
What is the process of the Church moving into Apostasy? In the early 20th Century the Princeton University Seminary was dying. It had a wonderful history being lead by Charles Hodge and Benjamin Warfield, but those men were gone. The new leadership was determined to liberalize and modernize it from top to bottom. Along with this, the denomination behind it went the same way. That, of course, was The Presbyterian Church USA. It is, without a doubt, one of the most liberal denominations. It’s members actually pray to a goddess named Sophia. God did raise up men like J. Gresham Machen who would not give in to the pressure to conform to the new form of his old denomination. He is credited with starting the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.
In any case, the move from orthodoxy to apostasy occurs over time and starts at the top. The leadership, usually adjusting their theology in order to “stay in step” with society, begins by conforming their beliefs and churches and ministries down in order to “stay relevant.” Once doctrine is dummied down, personal holiness is next. Another tragic example of this happened as J.P. Boyce and John Broadus began the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. One of their star students and later professors of theology was C.H. Toy. However, he traveled to Europe to study with the new liberal theologians there who where championing “Critical Analysis” of the Bible. Toy returned to Kentucky with his faith in tatters. It wasn’t long before the leadership at the seminary were forced to deal with his apostasy. When he was asked to give an account of his false teachings, his reply was that he no longer believed in Biblical Inerrancy. They did not renew his contract. Dr. Toy moved to Harvard and taught at the seminary there. Later in life he had abandoned all of his formerly held beliefs in the deity of Christ, the resurrection, the authority of scripture, and the necessity of the Gospel.
Yes, it begins at the top, but the visible church is full of unbelievers who have “once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come.” (Hebrews 6:4-5) However, they were not genuine and prove it by falling away into some form of apostasy. Some apostates turn completely away. Others are religious, so they find their home in the apostate churches that are everywhere right now.
These apostates were “enlightened” and yet fell away. This means they had received biblical instruction in God’s truth. They perceived it to be true through their intellect, however, we know that that is not the same thing as regeneration. As we see in the following verse, the true light enlightens everyone, but we know that only a few actually believe. (Matthew 7:13-14)
9 This was that true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9 (1599 Geneva Bible) <Continue reading post>