Church of Christ Magazine

NEW ARTICLE

Apostasy – A Clear and Ever-Present Danger

The sectarian notion that it is impossible for a child of God to so sin as to be lost eternally is widely believed by a host of sincere people. But the idea is fallacious. It was first vocalized in the Garden of Eden by Satan, who lied to Eve by telling her that disobedience to God would not result in death (Genesis 3:4; cf. John 8:44). Human history has demonstrated the devastating consequences of believing that error. In later ages, the dogma of the impossibility of apostasy was popularized by John Calvin (1509-64). It is, however, without biblical support.

The Potential of Apostasy

That apostasy from the true faith is possible may be demonstrated in several ways.

(1) An individual disciple may depart from the truth. Simon, a sorcerer of Samaria, heard the gospel of Christ, believed it, and was immersed, just as others in that region had been (Acts 8:12-13). When he observed that the apostles had the ability to confer miraculous gifts, he was intrigued by the prospect of possessing this power for himself; and so he sought to bribe the apostles into bestowing the gift upon him. He was seriously in error on this matter, both in disposition (v. 21) and in the act itself. Accordingly, Peter sternly rebuked the wayward disciple, warning him that he could “perish” (v. 20), which is the equivalent of being lost (cf. Luke 13:3). The apostle urged Simon to pray that he might obtain forgiveness (v. 22).

(2) The Scriptures indicate that a congregation of God’s people may fall away from the faith. On his third missionary journey, Paul came to the city of Ephesus (ca. A.D. 52). There he taught the gospel and baptized a dozen
men. The members of that congregation had been saved by grace through faith when they were immersed into Christ (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9; 5:25-26; Acts 19:5; cf. 2:38). Paul labored in this great city some three years, and the church prospered (Acts 19:8, 10; 20:31).

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EDITOR’S CHOICE

In Christ – Neither Male nor Female

The notion has long been prevalent in sectarian circles (and is growing in the church of the Lord) that there are no sexual distinctions to be observed in Christ. The claim is made that Paul, in Galatians 3:28, abolished sexual differences so that men and women may function in identical capacities in public church activity—preaching, leading prayers, perhaps even serving as elders, etc. Such a theory is at variance with the New Testament for the following reasons.

First, it ignores the context of Galatians 3:28. In this portion of Scripture, the apostle is dealing with sexual equality in the matter of salvation; but, as Professor Colin Brown observes, Paul’s statement

is not a call to abolish all earthly relationships. Rather, it puts earthly relationships in the perspective of salvation history. As Paul goes on to say, “And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29; cf. also Romans 10:2). All who are in Christ have the same salvation status before God; but they do not necessarily have the same function (1976, 570).

The fact that Paul later instructs servants to be obedient to their masters (Ephesians 6:5ff), in spite of the fact that Galatians 3:28 says there is “neither bond nor free” in Christ, is in itself a refutation of the theory under consideration.

Second, Paul himself was unaware that his teaching abolished sexual roles, for when he wrote 1 Timothy, which was penned later than Galatians, he limited the public service of women.

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