Books

Focus On The Fundamentals Of The Faith

By W. Douglass Harris

Apostasies

Throughout the centuries since its establishment, the Lord’s church has been plagued with apostasies. Warnings were given by the New Testament writers that they would develop (Acts 20:29-31; 1 Timothy 4:1-3), and inspiration informs us that the seeds of such had already been planted before the last apostle died (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Definite marks of these apostasies were specified by the inspired writers (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

History has confirmed the fulfillment of these prophecies, and that they come in cycles. It is regrettable that they come, but inspired writers assured us they would come. They may be allowed by providence to indicate who the true children of God are and are not (1 John 3:10), and to make it manifest that those who depart from the faith “went out from us” because they were not of us (1 John 2:19).

Apostasy defined: Our English word “apostasy” is Anglicized Greek — the Greek word from which it is anglicized occurs twice in the Greek New Testament (Cf. Acts 21:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:3). It literally means “a standing away from”; that is, a falling away from, a defection, or an abandonment of faith. It is described by Paul as a “falling away from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). It is denounced in scathing terms in the little missive of Jude (verse 6), and Paul warned there would be such in this present age (1 Timothy 4:1). So, the apostasies we are discussing here are the departures from the first century church that have occurred through the centuries and the need to guard against becoming a part of them.

Early apostasy: As Paul warned the elders at Ephesus the leaven of apostasy had started to work by the end of the first century. The first departure from the apostolic pattern came in the eldership of the church, when one elder in a congregation was appointed as the presiding elder and later was given the title of “presiding bishop”. Later the appointment of a bishop over a district of churches was developed. This departure was continued until a universal bishop (pope) claiming to be Peter’s successor was recognized in A. D. 606. “The corruption of the government of the church naturally led to the corruption of everything connected with Christianity. A departure from the divine government in one thing opens the way for other departures” (J. W. Shepherd).

Beginning with the second century many strange and false doctrines were introduced into the apostate church. These included and history records: (1) use of Holy Water (A. D. 120) — said to be sanctified and made holy when blessed by a priest; (2) distinction between “clergy” and “laity” (A. D. 150); (3) penance (A. D. 157) — the infliction of punishment to make amends for sin as evidence of penitence; (4) Latin mass (A. D. 397) — which has now been modified to some extent; (5) worship of images of saints and martyrs (a gradual development) — a violation of the second commandment of the decalogue; (6) Extreme Unction (A. D. 588) — anointing the bodies of those thought to be dying to assure them safe entrance into heaven; (7) belief in purgatory (A. D. 593) — an imaginary intermediate state where the wicked can be purged of their sins; (8) the use of instrumental music in worship (8th century). These are still not used by the Greek Catholic Church; (9) transubstantiation (A. D. 1000) — the claim that by the prayer of a pope or priest the bread and the fruit of the vine in the Lord’s Supper become the literal flesh and blood of Christ; (10) celibacy (A. D. 1015) — popes, priests and nuns forbidden to marry; (11) selling of indulgencies (A. D. 1190) — a cancelling of the temporal punishment due for sin after it has been forgiven; (12) auricular confession (A. D. 1215) — forgiveness of sins granted after confession into the ears of a priest; (13) sprinkling for baptism (earliest account third century).

By the time of the Dark Ages (A. D. 476-1000), the church of the first century had gone into complete apostasy and lost its identity.

Another development of this apostasy was the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church. The effects of this apostasy are evident in the religious world until this day.

Reformation movement: In protest of the tyranny and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, certain men such as Martin Luther (1483-1546), William Tyndale (1484-1536), Ulrich Zwingle (1484-1564), and John Calvin (1509-1564) attempted to reform the Roman Church, which resulted in the emergence of the major protestant churches of the present day. The Reformation Movement failed in not going all the way back to Jerusalem for the scriptural pattern for the church. It did restore the Bible to the masses, but it was restoration that was needed, and not reformation of an unauthorized church.

Restoration movement: In the later part of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, simultaneous efforts were started by religious leaders in different areas of the United States to look back of Protestantism and Catholicism to the first century for a scriptural pattern and restore the church as it existed then. Early leaders were James O’Kelly in North Carolina (1794), Dr. Abner Jones in Vermont (1800), Barton W. Stone in Kentucky (1801), Thomas and Alexander Campbell in Virginia (early 1800s), and many others. Their plea was to speak where the Scriptures speak and to be silent in all matters of doctrine and practice. Their plea swept across the religious world like a wind-driven prairie fire. New Testament churches sprang up throughout the USA for the next fifty years.

Apostasy in the restoration movement:

In the middle of the nineteenth century, major departures from the New Testament pattern began to be introduced, such as the use of mechanical instruments of music and a missionary society to do the work God assigned to local congregations. These unscriptural innovations wreaked havoc in the ranks of a formerly united movement. To bring these innovations in, the advocates had to abandon the word of God. Papers were started to promote these innovations and others to oppose them. For the next half century (1850-1900) these issues were hotly debated and the church suffered division and broken fellowship until 1906, when the US Census Bureau recognized two separate bodies — the churches of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The digression and apostasy has continued until there is very little resemblance to the church pictured in the New Testament.

Present trends toward apostasy:

As in previous apostasies, because of dissatisfaction with God’s ways the seeds of apostasy have already been sown. There is a renewed clamor for change from “change agents”; a rejection of divine and pattern authority by espousing a so-called “new hermeneutic”. Even now some in churches of Christ are advocating the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship, saying that the silence of the Scriptures do not prohibit them; a movement is under way to give women a greater, but unscriptural, role in worship, which they try to justify by contending that 1 Corinthians 14:34,35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14 were reflections of the culture then existing and not applicable today. Instead of Paul’s basing his arguments on culture, he referred to the creation in both passages and the roles given man and woman by God.

Some churches have already been divided and others have been disturbed. Liberal papers are being published whose theological stance would destroy the distinctiveness of the Lord’s church. The battle lines have already been drawn and the struggle to prevent a full-fledged apostasy is being waged. In the words of a late gospel preacher, “We can read the signs and we are human, but we are Christians and soldiers of the cross as well. Our Lord and His cause are at stake. The church is going through radical change because of radical liberalism; therefore, we must become more militant in our stand for truth and right. Our enemies are powerful and deep-seated. We may lose numerous battles, but with God as our helper we will win the war. May God help us, for in His name we pray and fight! Take courage, brethren, and press on!”