What is the Apostasy? Gospel Topics - Apostasy
It is a change in the ordinances and covenants that the Lord has revealed to his children contrary to his will.
It is when the philosophy of man is mingled with the revealed word of God - thus creating new erroneous doctrine.
It is when an individual or group rebels against God and either no longer believes in him or no longer obeys him.
It is when priesthood authority/power is not available or is being used in a manner not authorized by God.
It is when the philosophy of man is mingled with the revealed word of God - thus creating new erroneous doctrine.
It is when an individual or group rebels against God and either no longer believes in him or no longer obeys him.
It is when priesthood authority/power is not available or is being used in a manner not authorized by God.
How many apostasies have occurred?
Many apostasies have occurred... during the history of the world there have been many times where the truth has been lost and revealed again through a prophet called and authorized by God.
A few examples of Apostacy in the Old/New Testament
Scriptures foretelling an apostasy after the time of the apostles:
Matt. 24:5, Matt. 24:24, Acts 20:29, 2 Thes. 2:3, 2 Tim. 1:15 2 Pet. 2:1 2 Pet. 3:17 1 Jn. 2:18 Jude 1:4 Rev. 2:2 1 Ne. 13:26 D&C 1:15 JS—H 1:19
and others...
Some have said that there never was an apostasy.
Why would God actually let his church be destroyed and removed from the earth?
Does God force mankind to believe in him? Would he send angels to wicked men to reveal his word to them?
The GOD I love and serve cannot ever force anyone to do anything... it is against his law to do so. When Satan attempted to do this he was coming out in open rebellion against God and in opposition to the Laws of Existence. See D&C 90:29-32 existence requires agency - the ability to act for itself. Thus a central point to the plan of salvation is ability to choose... if his church that was established chose to turn away from him... what is he to do? He cannot force them to obey... he cannot force them to believe. The apostasy was not GOD's choice... it was mans. GOD lives by law and order... he must obey his own laws... and must be righteous and good. God did not abandon mankind - they rebelled/rejected him and he thus withdrew from the wicked until a man exercising sufficient faith and belief was present.
D&C 130:20-21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated-
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
GOD is perfectly just and merciful... he judges all mankind based upon the knowledge and revelation that they have received. We do not believe that those people who lived during a time of apostasy are all dammed and are going to hell forever. Would this be just? Would this be merciful? No... GOD does whatever is possible within the realm of agency to help his children attain to the highest glory and power that they can. In fact modern day revelation reveals that this is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
The people who lived during these ages wherein the gospel authority and power was not available to them due to the wickedness and evil choices of men who lived before them will have the opportunity to learn and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ through the ordinances for the dead. All mankind no matter what age or time period they lived in will have an equal opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. All will say in the end when the judgement of GOD are pronounced that his judgements are just, and his judgements are merciful.
The GOD I love and serve cannot ever force anyone to do anything... it is against his law to do so. When Satan attempted to do this he was coming out in open rebellion against God and in opposition to the Laws of Existence. See D&C 90:29-32 existence requires agency - the ability to act for itself. Thus a central point to the plan of salvation is ability to choose... if his church that was established chose to turn away from him... what is he to do? He cannot force them to obey... he cannot force them to believe. The apostasy was not GOD's choice... it was mans. GOD lives by law and order... he must obey his own laws... and must be righteous and good. God did not abandon mankind - they rebelled/rejected him and he thus withdrew from the wicked until a man exercising sufficient faith and belief was present.
D&C 130:20-21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated-
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
GOD is perfectly just and merciful... he judges all mankind based upon the knowledge and revelation that they have received. We do not believe that those people who lived during a time of apostasy are all dammed and are going to hell forever. Would this be just? Would this be merciful? No... GOD does whatever is possible within the realm of agency to help his children attain to the highest glory and power that they can. In fact modern day revelation reveals that this is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
The people who lived during these ages wherein the gospel authority and power was not available to them due to the wickedness and evil choices of men who lived before them will have the opportunity to learn and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ through the ordinances for the dead. All mankind no matter what age or time period they lived in will have an equal opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. All will say in the end when the judgement of GOD are pronounced that his judgements are just, and his judgements are merciful.
What evidence do we have that an Apostasy actually occurred?
Why was a reformation required?
Lets start at the foundation - the Catholic Church from which all Evangelical, Protestant Religious are rooted.
As a point of note many individuals will fight against the idea that their church is based upon the Catholic Church and is an offshoot from it.
They will claim that their authority does not come from the Catholic church at all but rather that their authority is from the Bible itself. In fact many of them will say that the Catholic Church is the church that is in a state of apostasy and isn't even Christian anymore.
This is and of itself evidence of apostasy! The Catholic church was the remnants of the church formed by the Apostles. That there was authority in the church and that this authority was given to men and passed from man to man is self evident from scripture as well as catholic tradition.
See Topic Priesthood
They will claim that their authority does not come from the Catholic church at all but rather that their authority is from the Bible itself. In fact many of them will say that the Catholic Church is the church that is in a state of apostasy and isn't even Christian anymore.
This is and of itself evidence of apostasy! The Catholic church was the remnants of the church formed by the Apostles. That there was authority in the church and that this authority was given to men and passed from man to man is self evident from scripture as well as catholic tradition.
See Topic Priesthood
The catholic church itself claims that there were problems - and issues with what was occurring:
Catholic Encyclopedia - Causes of the Reformation - An Apostasy Occurred
Gradually a regrettable worldliness manifested itself in many high ecclesiastics. Their chief object — to guide man to his eternal goal — claimed too seldom their attention, and worldly activities became in too many cases the chief interest. Political power, material possessions, privileged position in public life, the defense of ancient historical rights, earthly interests of various kinds were only too often the chief aim of many of the higher clergy.
Pastoral solicitude, the specifically religious and ecclesiastical aim, fell largely into the background, notwithstanding various spirited and successful attempts to rectify the existing evils. Many members of cathedral chapters and other benefice ecclesiastics were chiefly concerned with their income and how to increase it, especially by uniting several prebends(even episcopal sees) in the hands of one person, who thus enjoyed a larger income and greater power. Luxury prevailed widely among the higher clergy, while the lower clergy were often oppressed.
The great applause which Luther received on his first appearance, both in humanistic circles and among some theologians and some of the earnest-minded laity, was due to the dissatisfaction with the existing abuses. His own erroneous views and the influence of a portion of his followers very soon drove Luther into rebellion against ecclesiastical authority as such, and eventually led him into open apostasy and schism.
Pastoral solicitude, the specifically religious and ecclesiastical aim, fell largely into the background, notwithstanding various spirited and successful attempts to rectify the existing evils. Many members of cathedral chapters and other benefice ecclesiastics were chiefly concerned with their income and how to increase it, especially by uniting several prebends(even episcopal sees) in the hands of one person, who thus enjoyed a larger income and greater power. Luxury prevailed widely among the higher clergy, while the lower clergy were often oppressed.
The great applause which Luther received on his first appearance, both in humanistic circles and among some theologians and some of the earnest-minded laity, was due to the dissatisfaction with the existing abuses. His own erroneous views and the influence of a portion of his followers very soon drove Luther into rebellion against ecclesiastical authority as such, and eventually led him into open apostasy and schism.
REFORMATION, PROTESTANT. The term Reformation refers in general to the major religious changes that swept across Europe during the 1500s, transforming worship, politics, society, and basic cultural patterns. One key dimension was the Protestant Reformation, the movement that began in 1517 with Martin Luther's critique of doctrinal principles and church actions in Germany and that led to the establishment of new official churches—the Lutheran, the Reformed or Calvinist, and the Anglican. These were separate from the Latin Catholic Church in organization and different from it in theology. Many other dissident groups and individuals, collectively known as the Radical Reformation, also emerged during the turmoil of the 1520s and 1530s, building communities despite frequent persecution. Ongoing efforts to reform the old church took on new urgency in response to these challenges, leading to a distinct Catholic Reformation. The Protestant Reformation affected patterns of change in Europe through Protestant theology's shifting theological emphases, through Protestant piety's emphasis on reading and knowledge, and through new alignments between organized churches and politics.
Luthers statement concerning why reformation was required: A Reading of his Sermon - Before the Diet of Worms The Transcript
"I can not submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is as clear as noonday that they have fallen into error and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it can not be right for a Christian to speak against his country. I stand here and can say no more. God help me. Amen."
It would seem that he believed the Church had fallen into error did he not... thus he believed they had apostized from the truth?
What of the differences in essential doctrines taught?
Catholic Encyclopedia - Calvinism:
In Protestantism, the theology developed and advanced by J. Calvin. It was further developed by his followers and became the foundation of the Reformed church and Presbyterianism. As shaped by Calvin's successor at Geneva, Theodore Beza (1519-1605), Calvinism emphasizes the doctrine of predestination, holding that God extends grace and grants salvation only to the chosen, or elect. It stresses the literal truth of the Bible, and it views the church as a Christian community in which Christ is head and all members are equal under him. It therefore rejects the episcopal form of church government in favor of an organization in which church officers are elected. Calvinism was the basis of theocracies in Geneva and Puritan New England (see Puritanism), and it strongly influenced the Presbyterian church in Scotland.
Basically, Calvinism is known by an acronym: T.U.L.I.P.
Luthers statement concerning why reformation was required: A Reading of his Sermon - Before the Diet of Worms The Transcript
"I can not submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is as clear as noonday that they have fallen into error and even into glaring inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it can not be right for a Christian to speak against his country. I stand here and can say no more. God help me. Amen."
It would seem that he believed the Church had fallen into error did he not... thus he believed they had apostized from the truth?
What of the differences in essential doctrines taught?
Catholic Encyclopedia - Calvinism:
In Protestantism, the theology developed and advanced by J. Calvin. It was further developed by his followers and became the foundation of the Reformed church and Presbyterianism. As shaped by Calvin's successor at Geneva, Theodore Beza (1519-1605), Calvinism emphasizes the doctrine of predestination, holding that God extends grace and grants salvation only to the chosen, or elect. It stresses the literal truth of the Bible, and it views the church as a Christian community in which Christ is head and all members are equal under him. It therefore rejects the episcopal form of church government in favor of an organization in which church officers are elected. Calvinism was the basis of theocracies in Geneva and Puritan New England (see Puritanism), and it strongly influenced the Presbyterian church in Scotland.
Basically, Calvinism is known by an acronym: T.U.L.I.P.
Total depravity (Original Sin)
Man’s heart is evil (Mark 7:21-23) and sick Jer. 17:9). Man is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:20). He does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12). He cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). He is at enmity with God (Eph. 2:15). And, is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3). The Calvinist asks the question, "In light of the scriptures that declare man’s true nature as being utterly lost and incapable, how is it possible for anyone to choose or desire God?" The answer is, "He cannot. Therefore God must predestine."
Unconditional election (God's Election)
God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21).
Calvinism also maintains that because of our fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but God’s will (John 1:12-13); God grants that we believe (Phil. 1:29); faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29); God appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48); and God predestines (Eph. 1:1-11; Rom. 8:29; 9:9-23).
Limited atonement (Particular Redemption)
Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many'; John 10:11, 15 which say that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, per Matt. 25:32-33); John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world; Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people; and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all).
Irresistible grace (Effectual Calling)
When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted. This call is by the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts and minds of the elect to bring them to repentance and regeneration whereby they willingly and freely come to God. Some of the verses used in support of this teaching are Romans 9:16 where it says that "it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy"; Philippians 2:12-13 where God is said to be the one working salvation in the individual; John 6:28-29 where faith is declared to be the work of God; Acts 13:48 where God appoints people to believe; and John 1:12-13 where being born again is not by man’s will, but by God’s.
“All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out," (John 6:37).
Perseverance of the Saints
You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life; Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.
Arminianism:
This doctrine is also based upon the same basic premises as Calvanism but with some different interpretations.
Free will or Human ability
Although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God graciously enables every sinner to repent and believe, but He does not interfere with man’s freedom. Each sinner possesses a free will, and his eternal destiny depends on how he uses it. Man’s freedom consists of his ability to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with God’s Spirit and be regenerated or resist God’s grace and perish. The lost sinner needs the Spirit’s assistance, but he does not have to be regenerated by the Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man’s act and precedes the new birth. Faith is the sinner’s gift to God; it is man’s contribution to salvation.
Conditional Election
God’s choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world was based upon His foreseeing that they would respond to His call. He selected only those whom He knew would of themselves freely believe the gospel. Election therefore was determined by or conditioned upon what man would do. The faith which God foresaw and upon which He based His choice was not given to the sinner by God (it was not created by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit) but resulted solely from man’s will. It was left entirely up to man as to who would believe and therefore as to who would be elected unto salvation. God chose those whom He knew would, of their own free will, choose Christ. Thus the sinner’s choice of Christ, not God’s choice of the sinner, is the ultimate cause of salvation.
Universal Redemption
Christ’s redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved. His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that they believe, but it did not actually put away anyone’s sins. Christ’s redemption becomes effective only if man chooses to accept it.
The Holy Spirit can be resisted
The Spirit calls inwardly all those who are called outwardly by the gospel invitation; He does all that He can to bring every sinner to salvation. But inasmuch as man is free, he can successfully resist the Spirit’s call. The Spirit cannot regenerate the sinner until he believes; faith (which is man’s contribution) precedes and makes possible the new birth. Thus, man’s free will limits the Spirit in the application of Christ’s saving work. The Holy Spirit can only draw to Christ those who allow Him to have His way with them. Until the sinner responds, the Spirit cannot give life. God’s grace, therefore, is not invincible; it can be, and often is, resisted and thwarted by man.
Falling from grace
Those who believe and are truly saved can lose their salvation by failing to keep up their faith. etc. All Arminian, have not been agreed on this point; some have held that believers are eternally secure in Christ — that once a sinner is regenerated. he can never be lost.
Why are there so many denominations of Christians that teach many differing doctrines?
Many of which they believe are essential for salvation. Others are plainly taught by the Bible and yet they reject them, or are plainly refuted by the Bible and the accept them.
Namely:
The nature of Works in Salvation.
The possibility that Man may fall from grace after being saved.
The requirement of baptism for salvation... its method of performance (sprinkle, immersion etc)
The belief that confession alone saves, and once saved always saved.
And many others...
What of the scripture one faith, one lord, one baptism?
What of the capability to ask the leadership of the church for answers to doctrinal questions as so plainly taught in the Bible?
These questions are valid real questions asked in sincerity... what of them? If there never has been an apostasy... what is the answer to these questions?
Does God like confusion? Did he allow confusion in the church of the Apostles during New Testament times? The answer to both is No... So why now is it ok?
Apostasies have occurred many times during the history of the earth. This is not a foreign concept but rather a normal one. Whenever a group of individuals knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ, having his priesthood, having ordinance revealed to them, rejects the doctrine, priesthood and ordinances an apostasy has occurred.