The Bible describes apostasy as a falling away from faith, indicating those who were part of the faith community but turned away.
Apostasy is a critical theme in Scripture, particularly highlighted in Hebrews 6:4-6, where it states that it is impossible for those who have been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift, if they fall away, to be renewed again to repentance. This emphasizes the grave danger of turning away from Christ after having received knowledge of Him. Likewise, 1 John 2:19 states that those who went out from us were not truly part of us, reinforcing the idea that true believers will persevere in faith while false believers may fall away. The essence of apostasy lies in the distinction between mere profession of faith and genuine conversion wrought by God.
Scripture References:
Hebrews 6:4-6, 1 John 2:19, Galatians 5:4, 2 Peter 2:20-22, Hebrews 6:1-9, John 6:60-66, 2 Timothy 2:17, 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Hebrews 10:26-39
Commentary