Since sin entered the world, man has ever needed instruction as to what constitutes true Christian doctrine and acceptable worship of God. Philosophy and reason have proved insufficient to direct man in reaching truth and in knowing how to worship God acceptably. Greek and Roman culture, art, and literature left the individual in ignorance as to true worship. The people could not find God, nor learn to know Him, with all their philosophy and fine-spun reasoning. Their governments left them helpless and hopeless. They could restrain the criminal, punish crime, and tell how to worship man-made deities; but they could not teach about the invisible Godhead, nor tell how to worship Him acceptably.
Man must have a revelation from God in order to know God. He is a Being of such infinite qualities that man, left to himself, has never known what constitutes acceptable worship since the day that Cain brought an unacceptable offering to the Lord, and by so doing brought upon himself and his offspring an additional curse. But God has revealed Himself again and again to His people to teach them His law and truth.
When Pilate asked Christ, "What is truth?" he asked the very question raised by all intelligent creatures who have not accepted the revelation of God given through the Holy Scriptures. But even with an accredited revelation of God and His will, the Holy Scriptures, theories have been built up and the teachings of men have been so injected into the interpretation of the written Word that to find the truth is often difficult. Christ commanded, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me." Those who seek for truth with humility will find it; and the truth, when found, will make them free.
But there have always been those who once professed to know the truth, but later have lost their faith, and become apostates to the teachings which they once professed to believe. The Standard Dictionary defines an apostate as "one who has forsaken the church, sect, party, profession, or opinion to which he before adhered." Using this definition as our meaning of apostate in this discussion, there have been apostates in every religious denomination. It is not strange that there should be such in these days of unrest and unbelief.
One characteristic is common to most apostates, and that is a desire to destroy the faith of those who believe what they themselves once professed. Seldom do apostates launch out into heathen lands to bring people to Christ. They are content to let the heathen perish while they spend all their energy sowing discord and confusion among their former brethren. Generally it has been the practice of apostates to attack and betray the brotherhood with whom they once fellowshiped and worshiped.
The apostle Paul tasted the bitterness of heart that comes to true men of God when one of their number departs from the faith. In prison, and waiting for his death warrant to be executed, in a letter to Timothy he wrote:
"Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica." "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." 2 Tim. 4:10, 14, 15.
And John wrote of one who, loving "the preeminence," did not receive the disciple.
The writers of the New Testament recognized that some would leave the faith that they once professed; in fact, apostasy was already developing, not because of open enemies, like the priests and Pharisees, but among their own professed believers.
Christ had the saddest of all experiences. Judas Iscariot, one of the chosen twelve, had followed his Master for three years or more, and occupied a responsible place among the twelve. He was strong, self-reliant, and determined. But under temptation, Judas decided to betray his Lord. During the prolonged meeting of Christ with His disciples on the last Passover evening, when Christ portrayed His betrayal and death, Judas deliberately left the company of Christ and the disciples, and bargained to betray his Master for a paltry sum of money. No disloyalty of an apostate ever exceeded this.
The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 makes plain that not all who receive the good seed bear fruit to the glory of God. Some good seed is wasted because of the nature of the soil on which it falls. There are wayside hearers, stony-ground hearers, and thorny-ground hearers, none of whom are sanctified by the truth. Only good ground brings forth good fruit.
From the very beginning of our own work there have been those who have departed from the faith. Various reasons have been ascribed by these men. Hardly two give the same reason. Some have declared that they would never attack the people with whom they once had Christian fellowship. Yet only a few who have gone out from us have been willing to carry on their own work without attacking the doctrines which they once preached and believed. Apostates are not all alike in temperament, but most of them seem impelled to wage a warfare against the people of God.
It is not so much to be wondered at, perhaps, that an apostate seeks to destroy his former faith, as it is that among the believers there are ever willing ears who listen to an apostate as if he were an angel of light. He usually thinks he has new light. But how strange that professed people of God, in full church fellowship, willingly listen to the teachings of those whose effort is not to build up the church of Christ, to increase faith, and to excite to godliness, but to destroy in the hearts of true Christians faith in those doctrines and practices in which they themselves once believed!
Why will Christians, and sometimes Christian workers, go to apostates for light? Can a man whose light has really gone out give forth the true light that will illuminate the soul? He may confuse and dim the light already shining in another's heart, but how can he do otherwise than fill the mind with unbelief when his own mind is actually darkened? Many a light which once shone brightly has become a body of darkness. Years ago we were told:
"True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliance will then go out in darkness. Those who have assumed the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will then appear in the shame of their own nakedness."—"Prophets and Kings." p. 188.
Then, too, the very emissaries of Satan become professed channels of light and truth. Of such Paul wrote:
"Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Cor. 11:13, 14.
We must not forget that Christ said: "Every plant, which My heavenly Father bath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Matt. 15:13, 14.
Apostates from the truth, with their false teachings, cannot build for eternity. They can destroy faith in the individual; they can destroy the soul; but they cannot give the true light that saves the soul. All false teachings will be rooted up. Truth lasts forever.
Let none worry about the prosperity of those who reject the truth. Even when the wicked are in the majority and on the throne, truth still lives. Everyone should heed the charge of Christ concerning blind leaders: "Let them alone." Certainly this does not mean to run after them as if they were true men of God, chosen to do His will. "Let them alone."
Every Christian is to seek for truth from the word of God. We are commanded to search the Scriptures. But we are not to take apostates as our teachers. The word of God is to be our guide. Apostates from the truth cannot lead into the truth. They are blind. If any of us as workers follow them, they will lead us to ruin. "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Do not have anything to do with them; do not seek light from blind men who have rejected the light. They may transform themselves into angels of light, assume great meekness, and manifest great zeal, but it is not a transformation accomplished and wrought by the Holy Spirit. It is self-illumination, not illumination from the Holy Spirit, and must leave the soul in darkness.
Why will any of God's people draw water out of strange cisterns? Why will any worker suppose an apostate has light that he must seek? Does a rejection of spiritual gifts constitute such a person a source of light? Why seek truth from those who forsake truth? Why expect men who reject light and the truth to be able to impart light? Why go to men who deny the Spirit of prophecy and the light God has given His remnant church, hoping that such teachers can give faith and hope for eternal life? "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20.
I. H. E.
