 Apostasy by Pastor Paul Michael Raymond "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of Knowledge: But fools despise Wisdom and Instruction." Proverbs 1:7 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor of thirst for water, but of hearing the Word of the LORD." Amos 8:11 In
the
Community
of
Christendom,
we
face
an
epidemic
of
incredible
proportions.
This
malady
is
both
spiritual
and
practical.
It
stems
from
the
first
and
gives
evidence
in
the
last.
The
healthy
visible
Church
is
all
but
lost.
Oh
yes,
there
exist
churches
upon
just
about
every
street
corner,
yet,
for
the
most
part,
they
are
whited
tombs.
They
have
the
appearance
of
life,
but
inwardly
are
filled
with
dead
men’s
bones.
In
the
churches
today
there
is
much
talk
of
Righteousness
and
Justice,
but
these
are
but
vague
concepts,
which
when
tested
in
the
realm
of
life,
are
found
to
be
void
of
wisdom
and
practical
application.
It
is
true
that
among
many
of
the
visible
churches
gross
heresy
and
error
exist,
but
these
particular
problems
are
beyond
the
scope
of
this
discussion,
and
it
is
not
my
desire
to
address
them
at
this
time. Question:
What
is
Apostasy?
Apostasy
is
the
falling
away
or
departure
from
Truth.
It
may
be
viewed
as
the
abandonment
or
total
desertion
of
the
Christian
profession
and
practice.
By
definition
an
apostate
is
a
traitor
and
false
witness.
Apostasy,
therefore,
is
only
found
within
those
churches
who
have
held
the
Truth
of
the
Gospel,
yet
no
longer
manifest
the
purity
of
profession
or
practice.
Thus
they
have
changed
the
Truth
of
God
for
a
lie
and
have
exchanged
the
Glory
of
God
for
the
foolishness
of
men. Churches
which
have
never
known
truth
cannot
fall
away
into
perdition.
They
are
already
in
perdition
and
were,
ever
since
their
inception.
This
narrows
the
scope
to
"faithful"
(Reformed)
churches
by
eliminating
the
many
who
hold
another
gospel
other
than
Salvation
by
Grace
Alone.
It
is
my
purpose
to
address
only
those
visible
congregations
who
have
been
given
the
Truth
of
the
doctrines
of
Grace
by
God,
so
as
to
have
only
the
Word
of
God
as
their
Standard.
Therefore,
when
we
examine
these
churches,
we
must
sadly
conclude
(although
doctrinally
faithful)
that
they
too,
are
void
of
practical
efficacy. One
sure
proof
of
this
lies
in
the
church’s
toleration
of
the
blatant
decadence
and
corruption
in
the
nation
around
us,
let
alone
within
its
own
walls.
One
of
the
distinguishing
characteristics
of
the
True
Church
is
its
diligence
to
address
sin
and
chasten
those
who
are
in
blatant
opposition
against
God
and
His
precepts.
Whether
that
sin
is
manifested
in
the
home,
the
church
or
the
nation
,the
mark
of
the
True
Church
is
to
exercise
diligent
authority
in
order
to
bring
the
sin
to
its
demise.
This
Commission
of
Authority,
by
the
Church,
through
its
Elders
and
Deacons,
extends
into
both
the
Christian
Community
as
well
as
the
national
community.
As
Moses,
Aaron,
Nathan
and
Elijah
give
us
the
precedence,
so
must
we
then
conform
to
their
example. A Careful
Examination When
we
carefully
examine
the
community
of
these
churches,
we
immediately
observe
that
there
is
a
loss
of
presence
and
power.
Faithful
pastors
are
despised
and
their
authority
rejected.
Many
members
of
the
church
begin
to
follow
an
autonomous
agenda
twisting
the
scriptures
to
solidify
their
warped
argument.
There
is
little
talk
of
excommunication,
as
if
this
Biblical
Precept,
itself
was
sinful
or
barbaric.
Faithful
practicing
of
Church
discipline
is
rather
a
marked
evidence
of
the
True
Church
and
not
a
departure
from
it.
Contemporary
Church
members
mock
the
legitimate
Ecclesiastical
Authority
and
have
no
fear
of
the
discipline
of
the
church.
Excommunication
is
an
antiquated
joke.
In
response,
the
churches
have
taken
an
unprecedented
position
of
silence,
and
sinful
toleration
of
sin
and
rebellion,
both
within
their
own
walls
and
within
the
community
around
them.
Counsel
meetings
are
regarded
as
a
waste
of
time
and
unimportant,
despite
the
Scriptural
mandates
and
examples
in
Holy
Scripture. Because
of
this
terrible
neglect
of
responsibility
and
submission
to
legitimate
Godly
rule,
the
church
is
suffering
the
chastening
hand
of
God.
Church
officials,
as
well
as
members,
have
optioned
for
the
pursuit
of
comforts
rather
than
the
pursuit
of
Holiness.
They
dishonor
both
Christ’s
Kingdom
and
His
Law.
There
has
been
a
"choking
out"
of
the
saints
by
the
cares
and
temptations
of
this
world.
The
Divine
office
of
each
church
member
as
Priest
and
King
is
no
longer
internalized.
There
is
merely
an
outward
conformity
to
Biblical
standards
without
the
inward
transformation
of
heart,
mind,
and
life. Instead
of
Christianity
being
at
the
center
of
the
lives
of
the
professing
Christian,
it
is
an
added
ornament
of
religion.
Thus,
these
self
deceived
"play
church",
with
little
more
than
head-knowledge,
never
lifting
one
finger
in
self
sacrifice
to
serve
the
Living
Christ.
The
Commission
of
the
church
by
the
Lord
Jesus,
therefore,
is
hid
under
a
bushel.
The
City
which
has
been
commissioned
to
set
itself
upon
a
hill,
has
fallen
into
the
carnal
ease
of
Moab
and
has
settled
upon
its
lees.
Instead
of
treading
upon
serpents
and
scorpions,
the
church
has
been
trodden
under
foot
by
the
wickedness
of
men
and
the
philosophies
of
humanism.
Consequently,
the
church
has
lost
its
savor,
and
the
Gospel
no
longer
is
preached
with
the
conviction
and
power
to
engage
the
culture. Today,
Christianity
is
set
forth
in
a
vacuum
and
not
as
a
true
commission
from
God
in
the
real
world.
Escapism,
isolationism
and
neutrality
are
the
doctrines
of
the
day,
thereby
becoming
the
practice
of
the
church
as
a
whole.
The
visible
church
wags
the
head
at
sins
in
the
community
and
nation,
yet
is
unwilling
to
do
something
about
it.
Even
when
sin
is
present
in
the
walls
of
the
church,
the
community
of
saints
do
little,
if
anything,
to
bring
that
sin
to
account
and
reconciliation
of
the
sinner. Amidst
the
pious
singing
of
Sabbath-
morning
hymns,
slander
and
whisperings
are
common
place,
and
everyone
is
patiently
awaiting
the
Rapture.
The
external
church
has
fallen
into
the
sleep
of
denial
and
complacency,
forgetting
that
God
is
Holy,
and
that
He
is
a
God
who
never
sleeps
nor
tolerates
disobedience.
The
execution
of
Biblical
Ethics
and
Practical
Truths
are
no
longer
regarded
as
important
because
it
deprives
the
individual
of
worldly
comforts
and
social
ease.
Contrary
to
the
Scriptures,
calling
both
the
church
and
the
individual
to
"take
up
the
cross
of
affliction
and
service",
the
pressures
of
the
wicked
majority
scream
to
be
pacified
at
all
costs.
"Speak
no
more
in
that
Name"
say
they.
"Cause
the
Holy
One
of
Israel
to
cease
before
our
eyes."
"We
will
have
no
king
but
Caesar!" Personal
Apostasy There
are
two
overall
problems
facing
the
visible
church.
One
places
the
brunt
of
the
problem
upon
the
members
while
the
other
places
blame
upon
the
pastors.
It
seems
as
if
there
is
a
secret
conspiracy
of
those
in
the
church.
Subconsciously
church
folk
have
silently
agreed
to
tolerate
only
a
portion
from
the
charge
of
the
Gospel’s
call
to
war.
When
that
toleration
is
brought
to
the
limit
by
a
faithful
pastor,
the
individual
either
moves
to
a
new
church,
where
they
can
hide
from
the
challenge
of
the
Truth,
or
begins
to
rebel
against
pastoral
authority.
Instead
of
using
the
Divine
institution
of
God’s
visible
church
as
a
platform
to
speak
out
against
all
atrocities
against
Righteousness,
the
professors
of
religion
use
the
church
to
hide
in,
like
Adam
among
the
trees,
in
the
Garden
of
God.
The
ultimate
consent
is
to
have
no
king
but
self.
Thus
there
is
an
action
of
rebellion
against
faithful
preachers
in
the
attempt
to
thrust
them
from
the
ministration
of
God’s
Word. Like
Jesus
being
brought
to
the
brow
of
the
hill,
so
too
are
men
of
God
being
brought
to
the
slaughter
by
those
of
their
own
church
household.
These
sons
of
Achan
strive
to
live
their
lives
in
comfort
and
ease
among
the
"goodly
Babylonian
garments",
in
the
hope
of
being
transported,
without
affliction,
to
glory.
The
directives
of
the
True
Church
exercises
too
much
authority
and
requires
too
much
obedience
for
these
Pharisees
of
self
righteousness
and
good
self
opinions.
And
for
all
this
the
church
lies
desolate.
Because
sloth
rules
the
day,
whenever
the
boldness
of
the
Spirit
of
God
moves
a
pastor
to
assault
the
household
of
wickedness,
they
are
labeled
heretics
and
tyrants.
When
the
anger
of
God
becomes
rage
and
manifests
itself
through
the
preacher
against
the
wickedness
of
His
people,
the
make-believing
Christian
charges
the
pastor
with
contention,
severity
and
debate.
They
are
not
afraid
to
openly
and
vehemently
assault
the
Lord’s
anointed.
Little
do
they
realize
that
this
rebuke
was
from
the
LORD.
Knowledge
is
taken
for
grace
and
personal
piety
is
mistaken
for
active
service
unto
the
Lord.
"Happy
sermons"
are
exalted
and
the
smooth
things
of
humanistic
religion
is
applauded.
The
result
finds
the
church
as
nothing
more
than
a
community
social
club
of
cowardly,
lying
hypocrites,
with
Christianity
as
its
external
banner.
And
when
these
"sons
of
Korah"
find
themselves
under
the
scrutiny
of
God
and
the
Faithful
preaching
of
His
Word,
they
divert
attention
to
trivial
matters,
"straining
a
gnat
to
swallow
a
camel".
Infighting
among
church
members
is
often
purposefully
applied
in
order
to
take
the
focus
from
the
Covenant
Commission
from
being
realized. We
are
living
in
a
day
where
the
honor
of
the
Gospel
and
the
duty
it
entrusts
to
the
Christian
is
lightly
esteemed.
It
is
a
day
where
success
is
measured
in
monetary
wealth
and
worldly
possessions,
rather
than
treasures
of
Godly
character
and
sacrificial
service.
Even
in
the
area
of
education,
the
Community
of
Christians
has
made
it
a
graven
image,
worshiping
statanistic
education
principles
rather
than
the
principles
set
forth
in
Holy
Scripture. Christian
Home
Education
has
been
largely
perverted
by
Christian
parents,
who
are
training
their
Covenant
Children
to
"be
somebody"
in
the
world
of
business,
art,
or
science,
when
they
ought
to
train
them
to
be
Christians.
To
these
educators,
Biblical
logic
and
Biblical
thinking
is
secondary
to
the
world’s
arts
and
sciences. There
is
a
large
population
of
Home-schooling
parents
who
have
entirely
missed
the
Biblical
ideology
behind
Home
Education,
and
are
simply
living
their
lives
through
their
children,
so
as
to
be
a
success,
according
to
the
world’s
standards.
These
parents
have
missed
the
mark,
and
sadly,
so
will
their
children.
It
is
painfully
obvious
that
the
Standard
of
Biblical
Reality
is
simply
a
vague
notion
of
right
and
wrong
in
the
minds
of
so
many
so-called
Christian
folk.
Applied
Theology
is
a
forgotten
virtue
and
any
reminder
of
it
is
viewed
with
contempt. And
what
of
the
marriage
institution
and
the
family
unit?
Are
professing
Christian
men
living
in
accordance
with
Holy
Writ
in
the
matters
of
marriage?
Is
there
a
spirit
of
benevolence
toward
their
wives?
Is
there
an
open
line
of
communication,
prayer
and
devotion
one
toward
another.
Do
men
labor
to
love
their
wives
even
as
Christ
has
loved
His
Church
and
gave
Himself
for
her?
Have
the
church
leaders
emphasized
these
areas
of
Truth?
Has
there
been
a
focus
upon
the
family
to
have
the
basic
precepts
of
Scripture
applied? In
my
years
of
pastoring,
I
have
seen
the
destruction
of
marriages
initiated
by
so
called
"knowledgeable
Christian
Men".
These
men
thought
themselves
to
be
something
because
of
their
good
works
or
their
astute
knowledge
of
God’s
Word.
Yet,
when
in
the
privacy
of
their
own
homes,
they
acted
as
poorly,
if
not
worse
than,
the
un-churched
with
no
regard
to
Biblical
Commandments.
Furthermore,
whenever
pastoral
counsel
was
offered,
these
men
became
enraged
and
unruly
even
to
the
point
of
slander
and
hatred
against
the
shepherds
of
the
people. And
what
of
the
wives?
Are
they
living
in
piety
and
humble
submission
to
the
oracles
of
God?
Or
are
they
about
the
things
of
this
world?
Is
their
focus
on
the
future
of
their
inheritance
or
on
what
they
can
have
today.
Are
they
consumed
with
murmuring
and
whispering?
Or
are
they
about
the
things
that
become
sound
doctrine? Ultimately,
all
these
individual
and
family
sins
seep
into
the
Community
of
the
Church
and
bring
havoc.
The
principle
here
is
painfully
simple
and
I
pray
very
obvious.
Personal
sins
will
become
marital
sins,
which
will
result
in
family
sins,
which
will
escalate
into
ecclesiastical
sins.
If
an
individual
is
out
of
order
in
his
heart,
he
is
out
of
order
in
his
home,
there
fore
he
will
be
out
of
order
in
the
church.
Ultimately,
it
is
destruction. God’s
Chastisement God
is
not
silent
in
these
matters.
Whatsoever
a
man
sows,
that
shall
he
reap.
If
one
labors
to
sow
to
the
flesh,
of
the
flesh
he
shall
reap. God
is
presently
bringing
disciplinary
sanctions
upon
the
church
and
still
we
have
not
harkened
to
the
Word
of
God
nor
have
we
understood
the
time
in
which
we
live. The
visible
church
sits
as
the
Whore
of
Babylon,
thinking
herself
rich,
wise
and
clothed,
yet
she
is
poor,
ignorant
and
naked.
Those
in
the
church
can
also
be
likened
to
the
Pharisee
that
thanks
God
that
he
is
not
like
every
other
man,
especially
those
sinners
"out
there",
yet
is
found
to
be
despised
in
God’s
eyes.
This
good
opinion
of
self
is
a
smoke
in
the
nose
of
the
Almighty
and
an
offence
to
His
Sovereign
Power. The
reason
for
all
the
decay
falls
squarely
upon
the
Church
and
its
members.
Each
and
every
individual
is
to
be
held
accountable
for
the
irresponsibility
they
have
practiced
over
so
many
years.
We
must
be
about
the
Father’s
business
in
the
Church
and
in
the
nation.
We
must
cease
from
endless
debate
on
theological
frames
and
notions,
and
focus
upon
Christian
response
in
the
"real
world".
We
must
also
cease
from
investigating
the
many
specs
in
our
brethren’s
eye,
and
remove
the
beam
which
is
in
our
own.
Only
then
will
we
function
with
Gospel
Mercy,
Wisdom
and
Power.
The
time
has
come
to
expose
these
sins
for
what
they
are,
and
to
take
deliberate
and
direct
action
for
the
Kingdom
of
Christ.
If
we
dare
do
less
than
this,
we
will
be
laying
the
foundations
of
destruction
for
our
children
and
the
generations
to
come. APOSTASY Part II God’s Law: The Rule Of
Conduct "Do
we
make
void
the
Law
through
faith?
God
forbid;
yea
we
establish
the
Law"
Romans
3:31 In an effort to clearly and properly understand the great problem of apostasy, we must first dissect it into its various categories and components. We must labor to understand the various aspects and forms it takes by identifying and researching the errors associated with it. Once this is established, not only can we address the problem of apostasy more directly, but we can apply directives for its remedy more profitably. Categories
of
Apostasy Apostasy does not exist in a vacuum, nor does it remain contained in the area where it begins. It is all encompassing and aggressive in its nature and scope. Consider the fundamental categories of apostasy: Personal apostasy, marital apostasy, family apostasy, ecclesiastical apostasy, and civil apostasy. Each of these areas must be addressed, one by one, in order to fully understand the problem, and to begin to formulate the directives needed to combat and be completely cleansed from this desertion of Truth. Within the confines of each of these categories God has expressly given commandment and direction concerning them. None of these areas of life stand alone. They are interactive with one another. They influence one another either positively or negatively. Moreover, each of these areas of life are instituted by God. The individual is God ordained. The marital relationship is a divine institution, as is the entire family. The church is established by God, and not man. So, too, is the civil authority an established institution by Divine mandate. Thus, it must follow that, because each of these categories is God ordained, they must be subject to both God and His Law. They are accountable, as well as responsible, to God’s Law. For each of these groups there is a prescribed order. This order is given especially for the group to function beneficially for their own sake, and also for sake of the other group. When these areas function according to the Will of God, His Law, God is glorified. When they rebel, God is blasphemed and His Law despised. Basic to every area of life, God has decreed how one ought to live. We call this the Moral Law. Once there is a digression from, or a rebellion against these absolute precepts of God‘s Law, there is apostasy. Because most of us live within the confines of one or more of these relational categories, we must either conform to the Biblical Standard or disregard it. We can either conform to the order prescribed by God, or pervert it. When there is order there is peace. When there is disorder, there is unrest and misery. This sets forth a principle dynamic. Simply stated, whether we follow or disregard the Biblical Standard of behavior, ther |