Can someone commit apostasy? It’s an important question facing the church in light of our entry into a post-Christian world, one where increasing numbers are claiming to have once been Christians and now claim to be “nothing.” This rise of the nones raises not only cultural questions but also theological ones. How should we view a newly minted “none”? There are real divisions within the Christian faith on the matter. Some Christians will say: “Never! You can’t commit apostasy. Once saved, always saved.”
Others will say, “Well, it kind of happened in the Bible.”
Then others will chime in and say: “That’s right—and I know of people who have done it. You should meet my Uncle Fred!”
First, let’s define apostasy. Apostasy is when someone knowingly refutes something they previously believed in, were committed to, and were involved with. In regard to the Christian faith, it’s coming to Christ as Leader and Forgiver, and then later, abandoning and denying that faith.
And yes, it’s recorded as happening in the Bible. For example, this is from Paul’s first mentoring letter to Timothy in the New Testament: “For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples” (I Timothy 1:19-20, NLT).
That’s pretty straight up. They purposefully shipwrecked their faith. And the reality of doing this was so strong that there are repeated warnings against it in the Bible. Such as: “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12, NLT). And: “But you, friends, are well warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers” (II Peter 3:17, NLT).
And then there’s this warning, the direst of all:
“For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened — those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come — and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6, NLT)
Intriguingly, Jesus said apostasy is going to become more and more common as the end of time nears:
“Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, ‘Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?’
“Jesus told them, ‘Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah.” They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
“‘Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me….’” (Matthew 24:3-10, NLT)
So, can someone commit apostasy? The answer, biblically, would seem to be “yes.” Now, some may want to push back on that and say, “Well, they never really believed.”
Okay... but they said they did.
But what about election? How can someone God-elected reject that election? Wouldn’t that go against the sovereignty of God? Yes, it would if that is how you define election. If you believe election is the idea that God decreed on the front end of things, “Bob is in, and Mary is out,” then yes, true apostasy would be impossible.
Yet anyone versed in theology knows that this is far from the only understanding of election. Outside of Calvinist thinking, there is the idea that election is more corporate in nature. It’s about whether Bob and Mary accepted the predetermined means of salvation through Christ and became part of what God has elected for salvation, which is a people saved through Christ. If Bob and Mary do, then they become part of what God predestined. So God has predestined that a specific group of people will be saved—but it’s a people, it’s a grouping. The identity of that group is simply those who believe in Jesus.
If you would like to hear a fuller engagement of Calvinism and what my views entail, click HERE to go to the Church & Culture Podcast where I was queried on the matter.
But here are the questions most people are really asking: “Can this happen to me? Can I lose my salvation? Can it be taken from me?” And the answer is “no.” You cannot lose your salvation that way; you cannot have it taken from you against your will. You don’t have to worry from day to day whether you are still saved.
“But I’ve had some rough patches of late.”
Well, stand in line—you aren’t alone. All of us feel like our faith development is sometimes like taking three steps forward, then two steps back. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, the nearest thing we have to normalcy is an undulating pattern of ups and downs, peaks and valleys. He even called it the “law of undulation.”
But not every valley is apostasy, and not every spiritual setback is a denial of the faith. Apostasy is purposefully renouncing your faith. That is not the same as, to use the old word, “backsliding.”
So, if you’ve heard the line “once saved, always saved,” it’s true. But you need to watch where you put the emphasis. It’s not “ONCE saved, always saved,” which is essentially saying: “Phew! I prayed the prayer; I’m set for life, and now it doesn’t matter how I live from here on out because I’ve got it all covered. Fire insurance is in hand!” As if from that moment on it doesn’t matter what you do, how you live, or what you choose.
No, it’s “Once SAVED, always saved.”
The emphasis matters.
The final verdict on anyone’s salvation is when their final breath is taken. No one can take your salvation away from you against your will, but you can freely surrender it yourself. The final verdict on your life is when your life is over. This is why there is so much in the Bible about remaining steadfast and faithful to the end. About persevering to the end.
So lament the rise of the nones and work at reaching out to them. And pray that for them, their current state of mind is a season,
... and not a final determination.
James Emery White
Photo Courtesy: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PeopleImages
Published Date: September 12, 2024
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.