Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

APOSTASY

The act of “standing away,” “rebellion,” or “separation” (Gk. apostasía, perhaps derived from aphístēmi, “to stand away from,” “rebel,” “separate,” or “fall away from”). A related term is apostatḗs, “a rebel” or “apostate” (cf. textual variation on Jas. 2:11).

In the LXX these terms refer to various kinds of relational separation, including political separation and rebellion (e.g., 2 Chr. 21:8; Tob. 1:4; 2 Macc. 5:8; 1 Esdr. 2:23) or religious abandonment, rebellion, or separation from God or the covenant (e.g., Deut. 32:15; Josh. 22:18-19, 22; 2 Chr. 33:19; Isa. 30:1; Jer. 2:19; 1 Macc. 2:19).

Acts 21:21 refers to the view of some Jerusalem Christians that Paul taught a rejection of Moses’ law. The noun also appears as an apocalyptic reference to a rebellion at the end of the age (2 Thess. 2:3). Two specific theological uses of the verb that are problematic are a warning to avoid having an evil heart that “turns away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12), which recalls the historical analogy of the ancient Israelites’ rebellion against God (Num. 14:26-45; Ps. 95:7-11), and a reference to those who “renounce the faith” in the latter days (1 Tim. 4:1). Similar uses of the verb appear in Luke 8:13; Acts 15:38; 19:9; Rev. 3:8.

According to Heb. 6:6 (parapesóntas), some individuals “commit apostasy” (RSV) or “have fallen away” (NRSV). This may imply the denial of the faith during persecution.

Bennie R. Crockett, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

APOSTASY

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)