THE TRUE MEANING OF “APOSTASY”
According to God's Word
[See blog with graphics at: http://livingwatersforum.com/apostate.htm]
I feel that this is a topic of utmost importance for all of us Jehovah’s Witnesses to consider at this time. Pointing to someone and labeling them “apostate” has been coming up more often, it seems, recently on a congregational level. We have been forced to examine this issue and really understand what the bible is teaching about apostasy. This is because many of us have been wrongly accused or labeled as being an “apostate” even for questioning things that should concern us about our faith. I could even go as far as to say that this is RELIGIOUS ABUSE and is occurring in one case after another, right now within the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
One of the reasons that this is an issue we need to be absolutely sure about is that the consequences for being an “apostate” are so severe. They are life changing and could possibly cause a person a huge loss, devastating to be sure. To put it plainly, it could ruin your life. Some of the possible things a person could loose would include his closest friends, the entire congregation, perhaps his job, maybe relationships with members of his family would be forever taken away, including this persons’ mother, father, brothers, sisters, children, wife or husband, in-laws. You could loose your home, your good reputation in the community, neighbors may even hear about this person being called an “apostate” and thrown out of the local Kingdom Hall. It could leave a person totally and completely standing alone, with nobody speaking to him or even looking at him when in public. How tragic!
So, out of love for our brothers and sisters, I believe that we should be careful before we label anyone as an “apostate” based only on what somebody else says or based on man-made traditions or rules. I feel that we should know exactly why we are calling someone an apostate. We should know that this person has deviated from Jehovah’s laws before we call him an apostate and shun him for it. There could be instances where someone found out that WTBTS did something wrong and so would not go along with them because it conflicted with God’s laws…and WTBTS called them apostate. So is this someone we want to shun? Maybe they were right to “obey God’s laws rather than mans”! We need to go open our bibles and see for ourselves what Jehovah says is apostate. We could compare this with what the “society” says is apostate, and then we will get a clear picture of what is going on. Then we may be able to see whether or not we think there is some underlying motive behind the increased frequency of this most serious accusation.
The Watchtower Society has made it clear that the most loathsome, the most despicable character, the one to be “hated” by all Christians, is an “apostate.” To the Watchtower Society, an “apostate” is the absolute worse thing a person can be. So, let’s get a little background on this particular word that has stirred up so many in the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Word “Apostasy”
The term apostasy is taken from the Greek expression “apostasia”. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, this word means:“a defection from truth; a falling away, to forsake [truth].”
The Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines “apostasia” as:
“a falling away, defection, apostasy in the Bible namely from true religion.”
The Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words describes “apostasia” as:
“a defection, revolt, apostasy, used in the New Testament of religious apostasy.”
IMPORTANT POINT: The word “apostasia” [which translates apostasy] is only used twice in the New Testament or Greek Scriptures. The Greek expression “apostasia” is found at:
Acts 21:21, where a charge was brought against Paul of being such, and
1 Thessalonians 2:3, where the coming “man of lawlessness” is discussed.
Therefore, the word is quite unique in its usage and very specific in its meaning within the Greek text.
In Hebrew, there is no exact equivalent for the word “apostasia”, however, the word showbab, is a close rendering and has been translated as “apostasy” in some translations of the Bible. In fact, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, showbab can actually mean “apostate, i.e. idolatrous, backsliding forwardly, turn away”.
Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies defines showbab as being:
“rebellious, backsliding”.
Therefore, it is clear that true “apostasy”, in either the Hebrew or the Greek text, really means a complete defection from true religion or Divine Truth. However, have you ever investigated just how the Watchtower Society defines “apostasy”? If you haven’t, you may find the following discussion quite disturbing. Let’s notice the following.
An “Apostate” – According to the Watchtower Society
According to the publication Insight On The Scriptures, volume I, page 127 par. 2, the Watchtower Society makes the following points regarding those considered to be apostate:1. “…While still making profession of faith in God’s Word, apostates may forsake his service by treating lightly the preaching and teaching work that he assigned to followers of Jesus Christ.”
In other words, one who takes “lightly” the “preaching” work as defined by the Watchtower Society, namely the door-to-door ministry, and ceases to engage in such is to be classified as an “apostate”. See THE REPORT Chapter 5 on the lack of scriptural support for the “door-to-door” ministry.
2. Also, an “apostate” may claim to be serving God but rejects representatives from His “visible organization”, again, namely that of the Watchtower Society. – Matthew 24:45-51.
In other words, an “apostate” is anyone who does not strictly obey what the Watchtower Society says. Sound familiar? But, there’s more!
3. And finally, “apostates” often seek to make others their followers. (2 Peter 2;1,3)
The article concludes the matter by making the following bold statement:
4. “Such ones willfully abandoning the Christian congregation thereby become part of the ANTICHRIST.”
So, under the Watchtower Society’s present understanding of matters, any individual or group of individuals who have voluntarily left the organization could properly, yes scripturally be called “apostates” and given additionally the infamous title “antichrist”! Weighty charges, indeed, wouldn’t you say???
How The Bible Defines An “Apostate”
Can these ideas of apostasy measure up with the explanation the Bible gives on the matter? Well, as we did at the beginning, let us define the word apostasy again. We know that according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance this word denotes a defection from truth, or the true religion. So, with this important point well in mind, let us examine the two instances where apostasy is mentioned in the Bible in order to grasp exactly what this word should mean to true Christians. Acts 21:21 is the first instance in which we read of an accused “apostasia,” where the Jews in Paul’s day felt that he had apostatized from the perceived true faith, that is Judaism. The account reads:
“But they have heard it rumored about you that you have been teaching all the Jews among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them neither to circumcise their children nor to walk in the [solemn] customs.
Now, after considering this account, the question is: Was Paul really an “apostate”? “Why, no!” you say. “Paul taught the truth.” That’s right. Paul did not teach an apostasy from Judaism, but he taught the actual fulfillment of Judaism and the Mosaic Law, Jesus Christ the promised Messiah. We remember, the definition of the Greek word apostasia is a straying away from TRUE doctrine. Paul taught only the “true doctrine.’ Therefore, although Paul was labeled as an “apostate,” he certainly was not guilty of this in the true sense of the word. Christ said that he came to “fulfill the Law, not to destroy it” – that is the “law of Moses.” (Matthew 5:17) Similarly, to say that Paul was guilty of “apostasy from Moses” was to say that Jesus himself was the original “apostate,” because Paul was merely following in the footsteps of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 11:1) And certainly, Jesus was no “apostate”, teaching an “apostasy away from Moses.”
But, of course, one could only know that if he took the time to examine what Jesus as well as Paul taught the people. Now, there is a lesson to be learned from this account. What is it? This: One should not so quickly label a person an “apostate” without first getting all the facts at hand! Think about it!
Now, let’s read 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This is the second and only other actual use of the word “apostasy” in the Greek text. It says:
“Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it [day of Jehovah], will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.”
We read here that BEFORE the “day of Jehovah” (New World Translation) comes there will be, yes MUST be, an “apostasy” [apostasia] or defection from the true faith.” Commenting upon this situation, Bible scholars say:
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 apostasia is used in the absolute sense as AN EVENT of the last days alongside or prior to the appearance of the man of lawlessness. Here a Jewish tradition is adopted which speaks of complete apostasy from God and His Torah shortly before the appearance of the Messiah. This is applied to the apostasy of Christians from their faith to error and unrighteousness in the LAST DAYS. Again, we have the situation of Luke 8:13.” TDNT Volume I page 513.
Also, commenting on Matthew 19:28, Vines Expository makes this revealing statement on the subject of “apostasy” and the Christian congregation. It states:
“In Matthew 19:28 the word is used, in the Lord’s discourse, in the wider sense, of the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21, RV) when, as a result of the second advent of Christ, Jehovah “sets His King upon His holy hill of Zion” (Ps. 2:6), and Israel, now in APOSTASY, is restored to its destined status, in the recognition and under the benign sovereignty of its Messiah.” – page 518 par. 1.
Did you notice that each Bible scholar associated the true “apostasy” with the Christian congregation? And this is just before Christ’s coming for inspection! Therefore, the word Apostasy is a term that applies to a special time in the last days or the “time of the end”. (Daniel 11:32) It is the time when God’s people, that’s right, Jehovah’s people, the Congregation as a whole would “fall away” or apostatize from true faith, therefore necessitating a “regeneration” or restoration of True Worship, worldwide!
2 Thessalonians 2:3 clearly shows that true Christians should be on the watch or in expectation of a complete separation from the truth by God’s people. However, this particular “apostasy” does not involve a single individual in one congregation or another, but involves the whole congregation of Christians today, worldwide. Think about it!
Therefore, it would be highly questionable to refer to any single person as an “apostate” at this time, since the Bible clearly shows that the Great Apostasy is a defection from truth by the CONGREAGATION AS A WHOLE, and NOT by various individuals of God’s people. No, but the “APOSTASY” is indeed a future event, involving complete and unequaled separation from truth by the “temple” of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses! Think about it! – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12.
End of article
[Excerpts of the above were taken from the book THE "REPORT," copyrighted 1994.]
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