A Word of Caution
Should you read these pages?
If you know that you are quick to follow the opinions of others, then the information may confuse you. If you sincerely seek truth, you will benefit from it.
All the facts you find here are carefully researched and verified. All biblical considerations are prayerfully derived from an intense desire to understand past, present, and future things as clearly and truly as possible.
This understanding can only be given by God's Holy Spirit, and so we consider our reflections only approximations. If we make errors in thinking, judgment, and interpretation, feel free to correct us using the Bible. We need each other to find out the real truth!
The Bible, however, warns us strongly against apostates – against "[men who] will rise up from among yourselves and speak perverse things" (Acts 20:30).
The goal of such people coincides with Satan's goal: To deprive the followers of Jesus of the prize of victory through deception. Even the whole nation of Israel was apostate at times (Jeremiah 23:11, 15).
What is apostasy from a biblical perspective? And how can you recognize true apostates?
CHECKLIST: How Do You Identify Apostates?
By Their Argumentation:
Are the basic truths of the Bible denied or twisted by disregarding the context of a biblical passage?
Or are their biblical arguments comprehensible and in harmony with the basic theme of the Bible?
"These very [men] have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened; and they undermine the faith of some." (2. Tim 2:18)
By Their Way of Expression:
Does it sound disrespectful, contemptuous, hateful? Are generalizations used?
Or is it respectful, factual and self-critical? Is it differentiated and specified?
By Their Motivation:
An apostate's main motive is to "draw away disciples after himself" (Acts 20:30), that is, to find admirers who flatter their ego.
Is the author making himself the center of attention?
Does he give the impression that he has mastered the truth?
Or does he focus on our wonderful God YHWH and our Savior Jesus? Does he also allow other views to be valid besides his own?
By Their Behavior:
Our Lord Jesus warned against "false prophets, who come to us in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
Ask yourself: Do you feel oppressed or "treated unkindly," even with words? (Acts 20:29)
Or do you sense the loving component typical of Christ's disposition? Do you observe the genuine, active interest in the welfare of their fellow man? (Ezekiel chapter 34; Jeremiah chapter 23)
Life-Saving Curiosity
The Bible encourages us to "exercise our perceptive faculty by use" and "push forward to maturity." A certain amount of spiritual curiosity and testing is clearly commended and is common to us and the angels. It can even be life-saving. (Hebrews 5:14; Hebrews 6:1; 1 Peter 1:12)
Equipped with these biblically based discernment tools, it remains the personal responsibility of every sincere Christian to proceed prayerfully and reasonably, viz:
Please always think for yourself,
compare all statements made
with the Holy Scripture
and pray for God's spirit
of truth and clarity.
Do you believe in the power
of God's Holy Spirit?
Then He will bless you in the process.
Now, we hope you enjoy reading and consolidating an unshakable faith that is based on correctness as much as possible!