Apostasy

If you have followed me by listening or reading over the years, you know I believe in understanding what words mean.  To truly define them is to understand what the word means to express.

With that in mind I am going to follow-up on 2 recent blog posts, and I am going to tie them to the word apostasy.  Now for me to do so it is imperative to know what the word means.  I am using the Merriman-Webster Dictionary to define apostasy-

-an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith

-abandonment of a previous loyalty 

You have certainly heard the word, and I know recently I have seen and heard some speak to apostasy.  Apostasy is the act and the word for one who has acted in an apostate manner.  Again, using the Merriman-Webster Dictionary to define apostate-

-one who commits apostasy

You might be asking how important this is to know?  It is an excellent question and here is the reason.  In the last blog entitled Someone said, “you cannot be a Christian if you…”.  I remarked on these 3 things someone might say are reasons they are a Christian-

-I go to church when I can. 

-I believe in the Bible as the word of God. 

-I pray a lot because I have heard prayer helps. 

If you missed it, then go to ElbertNasworthy.com/blog now and take a look.  It will certainly help provide context for what I am sharing today.  I have a real concern that there are people who say they are Christian but by Biblical truth they are not.  We know historically our nation was born with Biblical truths and resembling Christian values but not all then or are now Christian. 

A religion is defined in the Merriman-Webster Dictionary as-

-an organized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

-religious beliefs, observances, and social practices found within a given cultural context

-commitment or devotion to a god or gods, a system of beliefs, or religious observance: the service and worship of a god, of multiple gods, or of the supernatural

Using Webster-Merrian we can see that Christianity is a religion but it much more than that because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.   Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14-

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 

Jesus’ death was the result of men who had perfected a manner of causing the death of a human being.  They were very good at their job.  Guards were placed at Jesus tomb because the Jewish leaders and the Romans were afraid that someone would steal His body in order to make the prophecy be real. Remember the rise of Messiah was prophecy and although not widely accepted it was known and in some ways a concern to those in charge.

Yet three days later He appears to many and then over the course of 40 days many more. History records and is known to have been true because of the testimony of those with who saw Him.  He appeared to Mary Magdalene, various other women, two unnamed disciples, Peter, and the rest of the remaining eleven apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:6-8 says-

⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 

⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 

⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

The resurrection is proof of who Jesus is and that He did provide God’s only manner of redemption for mankind.

-Buddha did not rise from the dead.

-Muhammad did not rise from the dead.

-Confucius did not rise from the dead.

-Krishna did not rise from the dead.

-Only Jesus physically rose.  He has conquered death.

In John 14:6 Jesus said-

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Many virtues of the Christian faith are found in other religions.  Yet, Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship.  Judaism and Islam, hold to the belief in a supreme God thus they are referred to as theistic religions. Non-theistic religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, focus on metaphysical thought patterns and spiritual “energies.”   All are similar in concept being that man can reach a higher power or state of being through his own efforts. In most religions, as one source said, man is the aggressor and the deity is the beneficiary of man’s efforts, sacrifices, or good deeds. Paradise, nirvana, or some higher state of being is man’s reward for his strict adherence to whatever tenets that religion prescribes.

We can conclude that indeed Christianity is a religion, but it is much more than a religion, it is a relationship.  In Christianity, God is the aggressor and man is the beneficiary, as we saw earlier stated in Romans 8:3-

 ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 

Grace is the basis for the relationship between God and man and is the foundation of Christianity and the antithesis of religion.  Look at how Scripture expresses grace-

Ephesians 2:8

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Acts 20:24

²⁴ But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Ephesians 4:7

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 

Grace is ‘God’s riches at Christ expense’. 

So, you see it might be something a person could do, be an apostate, while thinking they are right with God.  It becomes a cloud over the eyes and the mind of a person.  We see this all around us today.   The truths of God’s Word are being abused, and the reality of Christ death are being marginalized in order to gain a temporal victory.  Yet, in the end it will lead to total separation from God for eternity.

I was reminded by the Spirit of Jesus words as recorded in the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ.  To each of the 7 churches He says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.”

As a Christian we are the church and should listen to what the Spirit says to us in Scripture.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.”

In God’s Grace,

Elbert Nasworthy

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