Can Saints Apostatize? by Eld. S. Osborn.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 13, 1879

Can Saints Apostatize?

By Eld. S. Osborn.

ELD. S. OSBORN.

(Continued.)

Take the case of Ahithophel, in 2 Sam. 16:23: “And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle [word] of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.” This proves his standing with God and his people. Now for his apostasy and death. Chap. 17:23: “And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died.” This man was a priest. Chap. 15:12. He was David’s counselor, and because he sinned in that he turned away from David, God’s anointed, to Absalom, God, at the request of David, left him; and he was so grieved because his counsel was not taken, that he took his own life. Who will say that he is not a lost man?

One more individual case is found in 1 Kings 13:1. The record says: “Behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel.” The context shows that the object of his coming was to cry against the sin of Jeroboam. Notice that he is here called a man of God. What stronger testimony do we want of his entire acceptance with God? He had a charge from the Lord, which was, “Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.” But he was induced to disobey, by a lie told by an old apostate prophet. Verse 18. Here he finally apostatized, and was slain by a lion on his way home. Verse 24. These instances will satisfy any one who is honest, so far as individual cases are concerned.

Now let us take a general case, in Ex. 15. Moses and the children of Israel sang a song setting forth their condition before the Lord. The second verse says, “The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my Father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

In verses 16 and 17, the expressions, “till thy [God’s] people pass over,” and “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance,” show their acceptance with God, or, in other words, that they were converted. Notice, too, how he rained bread from heaven to feed them. And more, their names were all written in Heaven. Read again Ex. 32:31–33, already quoted. Now hear Paul’s comment upon it. 1 Cor. 10:2–4. They “were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Does genuine conversion require more than is here expressed? I think not.

Now notice their apostasy, mentioned in verses 5–12. “But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” In verses 5–11, he speaks of their deplorable condition, and exhorts us not to follow their example. Read carefully: “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” The 11th verse is almost a repetition of the 6th, but its application to us is a little more forcible, as we live so near the close of time. But notice the apostle’s caution in verse 12: “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Says the objector, “There is no danger.” But Paul thinks there is great danger. These scriptures show that we are subject to the same danger of falling as were the Hebrews.

This is further illustrated in the fourth chapter of Hebrews, as follows: “Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” Verse 6: “Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it [the gospel] was first preached entered not in because of unbelief.” Verse 9 says, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” And verse 11 exhorts, “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Still it is urged by some that there is no danger of a final fall.

Again, the identity and condition of the Jews and Gentiles, and the possibility of their falling, is fully sustained by Jeremiah and Paul. In Jer. 11:16, the Lord, addressing the Jewish church, says: “The Lord called thy name, a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit; with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.”

Paul takes this up in Rom. 11:17, where Jeremiah left off: “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree, boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.” That is as much as to say they will give no honor to the parent stalk. The wild olive tree (which represents the Gentiles) is able in its own mind not only to nourish itself, but the parent stalk also. Oh, how unnatural, yet how true! Talk to them concerning the fall of the Jews, and they will disclaim all dependence upon that church for salvation. How boastful and independent the pretended churches of Christ are in our day. This is what Paul endeavors to correct. He continues, “Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off that I might be graffed in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. [Caution] Be not high-minded, but fear. [Reason] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” What stronger language can be used to show the apostasy of some. And we are in greater danger than were the Jews; for they were the natural branches, and we are the unnatural ones.

Verse 22, it seems to me, establishes this point beyond cavil. It reads, “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, [condition] if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou shalt be cut off.” If this does not prove apostasy, language cannot be framed to do it.

But a dying man will catch at a straw; thus they appeal to verse 26 for help. It reads as follows: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” Objectors know that in order to get help from this text they must show that this embraces the entire stock of Abraham. But this will not do, for the text places it on condition of being turned from ungodliness. Let Paul explain himself. Rom. 9:6: “For they are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children.” Well, who are the seed, or Israel? Paul says: “They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God.” This defines the true Israel.

John 15:1–12: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean (truly converted) through the word which I have spoken unto you. Notice the condition. ‘Abide in me

me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ Says the objector, If a man is truly converted, he will abide in the vine. If this is so, how vain the reasoning of Christ! Look at the figure. He takes a natural vine and branches to represent the church and its members. Now take a walk in Mr. ——’s vineyard. You will notice, on some of the vines, dead branches, that do not bear fruit. When the husbandman comes along, he will pare them off, and cast them out to be burned. These branches were once alive, and perhaps bore fruit. But branches sometimes die on the vine; and in such cases there is no bringing them to life again. Now if this figure is worth anything, it proves the final apostasy of some.

The same idea is continued in verse 6: “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” This illustration shows beyond doubt that man can apostatize. We may know whether we are apostatizing or not. The test is found in verse 8: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” Verse 9 exhorts us to continue in Christ’s love. Verse 10 tells us that we may abide in Christ’s love, by keeping his commandments. Verse 12 tells us what one of these commandments is; “it is to love one another as I have loved you.”

Now look at the several points made; viz., first, Christ is the vine (compared to a natural vine); secondly, the disciples are the branches (compared to the natural branches); thirdly, some of the natural branches will wither and die, and it will be necessary to cut them off (so will it be with the branches of the church); and fourthly, when the branches wither and die on the stalk, there is no restoring them to life again. This is so plain and natural that every one can see it if they will. I might rest the whole argument on this text, and consider the case fully made out; but as there are so many others having a bearing on this point, I ask the attention of the reader while I present a few more.

In Jude 6, it is said that some of the angels kept not their first estate. If angels, who were created so much higher and so much more perfect than man, could apostatize, why not man? 2 Pet. 2:15 says: “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray.” Verse 20 is decisive: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” He says further, “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb. The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

Notice the points made in the foregoing: 1. Even angels have fallen; 2. The persons mentioned had been converted, for they are spoken of as having escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ, and as having forsaken the right way; 3. The latter end is worse with them than the beginning; 4. It had been better for them never to have known the right way, than to turn from it.

(Concluded next week.)