001.28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
APOSTATES
1 John 2:19 The first of those “perilous times” announced to take place in “the last days”—i.e. the Christian dispensation—had begun. Those “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof... ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” had appeared in John’s day; men of whom it had to be said: “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (2 Timothy 3:5-8). The Spirit’s prediction in 1 Timothy 4:1 was likewise receiving a fulfillment: “in the latter times [i.e. the present era] some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” Impostors and heretics were rising apace: antichrist had already begun to show himself in the false teachers and seducers who were his forerunners. It was therefore necessary for the apostle to make reference to a very great evil which had broken out among some of the congregations of the saints, for these apostates had formerly been numbered among and had enjoyed fellowship with them. As Jude also declared, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4), by coming out in their true colours as the opposers of His Christ.
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” The opening word of our present verse at once makes it apparent that it is closely related to the preceding one, for the “they” has its antecedent in the “many antichrists” of 1 John 2:18. There John reminded the newly converted that they had heard antichrist should come, and that many of his tribe were even then in existence, whereby they might know that the last period of the world’s history had already dawned. It must be “the last time,” for God has nothing further to reveal, and therefore it is naught but His longsuffering which prolongs this final hour. Since it be the concluding season for mankind, no higher privileges will ever be vouchsafed to those on earth, and no other means of grace appointed by God than those which are now in existence: hence the urgent force of that exhortation, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).
It was most needful that the saints should take notice of what the apostle had alluded to. First, to prevent them from being carried away with the error of the wicked, and thereby fall from their own steadfastness. The only safeguard against that was to continue cleaving unto the Lord, and maintain fellowship with Him by walking in separation from the world.
It is when the heart departs from its anchorage that it is liable to be “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.” When the soul is not at rest, the mind cannot be: instead, it is ever seeking some fresh object to afford it satisfaction. It is the unstable who are always on the wing after some new opinion. King Saul forsook the Lord before he turned to the witch of Endor, as those mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:1, departed from the Faith ere they gave heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. A tender conscience is slow and cautious in receiving the Truth, and for that reason holds tenaciously to the same when assured it has it. A tender conscience examines carefully and weighs prayerfully whatever is presented to the mind. Not so a conscience which is seared by the world and put to sleep: with such there is no waiting on God for light, but an independence of mind which leans unto its own understanding, and a consequent running after novelties and an espousing of error.
“They went out from us.” Those antichrists were not men who had from the beginning been open antagonists to the Truth, but, instead, professing Christians. They were not those who took their rise from among the rejecters of the Gospel, but rather were such as had avowed their belief in and acceptance of the same. Formerly they had walked with the Lord’s people, and then had deserted them. The Greek is even more emphatic: “From among us they went out:” originally, they were members of Christian assemblies. The word rendered “us” (hemon) occurs again in 1 John 1:3; 1 John 3:16, 1 John 3:20 (rendered “our”), 1 John 3:21; 1 John 4:6; 1 John 5:14-15. The statement that they went out signifies more than a local and corporeal departure, namely one in affection and doctrine. It was far more than their forsaking of any particular church for a season, and then walking irregularly: they became leaders of heretical sects contrary to the glory of Christ and the doctrine of His apostles, denying that the Son of God had come in the flesh. They were therefore apostates from the Faith, repudiators of the Gospel, though most of them still claimed to be “Christians,” yea, peculiarly enlightened and eminent ones. Our present verse makes still more evident the propriety of the whole passage being addressed more specifically to the spiritual babes, for though all of God’s children need to take the same to heart, the younger ones especially so, since they were the ones most liable to be stumbled by the defection of these apostates. It is always a very disturbing and distressing thing for any of God’s people to see some of those whom they regarded as their fellow Christians apostatizing, the more so when such were members of their own local assemblies. Particularly is that the case with the recently converted. In the glow of his first love and newly found joy, his zeal longs to see his unsaved loved ones brought into the fold. But to behold some of those with whom he was in communion forsaking the church is a severe shock to him, and should some of the preachers he had sat under prove to be traitors and set themselves up in opposition to the Truth, that is indeed a shattering blow. Inexperienced as he is, yet unacquainted with the fickleness of human nature and the prevalence of hypocrisy, he little expects to find those whom he considered to be quite orthodox suddenly becoming thoroughly heterodox. By thus going out, those men renounced all subjection to the headship of Christ over His churches. Thereby they proclaimed themselves as hypocrites, devoid of any love to Him and His Word. It was a terrible thing to do: they were guilty of the fatal sin of apostasy. They started up new sects, drew away many disciples after them, and corrupted the worship of God. In so doing they disrupted the unity of the Faith, producing disorder in Christendom. Now, says the apostle (for such was the scope and design of his words here), be not shaken by this sad sight, for, first, you were forewarned that “antichrist should come,” and therefore instead of being perplexed and staggered by what you are now witnessing it should strengthen your faith. Second, as I have told you, the appearing of these many antichrists furnishes proof that “the last time” has come. Third, it was a word of warning for them to take heed unto themselves, to keep their hearts with all diligence, and to close their ears unto the horrible doctrines which were being propagated by these false prophets. Finally, there was, as he went on to state, a needs be why God permitted this tragic occurrence—that the line should be drawn between the genuine and the spurious, the latter being exposed for what they really were.
“They went out from us.” There have always been such. Even Moses had to say, “Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods” (Deuteronomy 13:13). There were false prophets in Israel as well as true ones, as Jehoshaphat discovered (1 Kings 22:6-7). Through Jeremiah the Lord said, “Hearken not unto the words of the prophets ... for they... prophesy a lie in My name” (Jeremiah 27:14-15). Ezekiel was told to “prophesy against the prophets of Israel” and to pronounce a “woe” upon them (Ezekiel 13:2-3).
Zephaniah declared, “her prophets are light and treacherous” (Zephaniah 3:4). At the beginning of His ministry the Lord Jesus gave warning, “Beware of false prophets” (Matthew 7:15). The church at Jerusalem found it necessary to send word to the Gentiles, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain men which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts 15:24): The carnality and unbelief of men’s hearts always assure a welcome unto those who speak smooth things in order to win disciples. In his second epistle, Peter announced, “there shall be false prophets among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,” adding “and many shall follow their pernicious ways: by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:1-2).
“But they were not of us.” John is very definite in repudiating these apostates, careful to point out that they were never anything more than nominal Christians. They had professed faith in the Gospel, had been baptized, received into fellowship with the Lord’s people, and been admitted to His table; some of them had, perhaps, been church officers. John first informs us whence these antichrists sprang, and then he disowns them, denying that they were living branches of the Vine. They originated in Christian assemblies, but forsook the same. It was that which made them the more dangerous, for they knew the better how to sow their pernicious errors, and deceive the unwary. They were falsehearted professors who had cast off the sacred privileges of communion with the regenerate, and acknowledged no obligations to them. They pretended to have greater light, calling themselves Gnostics, or knowing ones. But the apostle here gives the lie to their proud boast, and then states a reason for and an explanation of their conduct: “they were not of us”—they were never of one heart and soul with God’s people, for such love the Truth above everything on earth, and abhor whatever detracts from it. “They were not of us.” It was very necessary to make this clear, for apparently the Church had produced these vipers and nurtured them in her bosom: John therefore denies that they ever belonged to Christ—“as chaff, though mixed with wheat on the same floor, cannot yet be deemed wheat” (Calvin). They had not obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which had been delivered unto them: so far from being all that they seemed, they were but wolves in sheep’s clothing. So it has been ever since. Almost all the heresies which have plagued the churches throughout the centuries originated from persons who were once in good standing in the assemblies. When some old error is revived, it is generally by those who were disaffected to the saints and apostatized from the Truth. Though for a season associated with believers, yet they were never united to them in spirit. As it was in the days of our Lord, “many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him” (John 6:66)—they were but nominal “disciples,” for John 6:64 tells us they were of those “that believe not.” Paul warned the Ephesian saints, “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30); and also lamented, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10).
Strange as it may appear to those who closely examine our present text, it is one of the verses appealed to by those who deny the eternal security of the regenerate. Arminians quote it in proof of their contention that it is not only possible for those who have been saved by Divine grace to fall away and be lost, but that many such have actually done so. But certainly there is nothing here to support their erroneous theory, but that which directly refutes it. Instead of furnishing an example of real Christians falling from grace, it is evident that the characters which are here in view never had any grace.
Though their names had been registered upon an earthly church roll, they were never written in the Lamb’s book of life.
They may have had much head knowledge and zeal, but they were destitute of true piety. First, the apostle expressly declared “they were not of us,” and then he added “for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” Instead of belonging to the company of God’s elect, they were reprobates. This is the case with all who repudiate the Truth and become teachers of error—they were never genuinely converted. It is a fundamental article of the Faith that no regenerate soul is ever suffered finally to apostatize: the honour of God is concerned in the preservation of such, the efficacy of Christ’s redemption secures it, the sufficiency of the Spirit’s indwelling and operations effects it. A sound expositor always feels himself to be on the safest ground when he is able to interpret Scripture by Scripture: that is when he can locate another passage which is more or less parallel with the one before him, which uses different language but treats of the same subject. If he knows his Bible, he will naturally turn to Jude, for the distinctive theme of that epistle is “apostasy,” the second half of it describing in detail the character of the false prophets in this “last time.”
Now our present text and Jude 1:19 are a case in point, for the one throws light upon the other, the latter affirming: “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” The first clause corresponds with John’s “they went out from us.” It was not a brief lapse or temporary break in fellowship from the Church which is here in view, but an entire and total forsaking of the same, an unwillingness to be amenable any longer to its doctrine and discipline, and that because of worldly ends and the affectation of vainglory. The second half of the verse amplifies John’s “but they were not of us:” they were ‘sensual’—the Greek word being rendered “natural” in 1 Corinthians 2:14—unregenerate; “having not the Spirit” and therefore without any inward restraint upon their carnality, pride, and avarice—unsaved, abandoned by God.
“For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” There was not need for the supplementary “no doubt” of the translators, in fact it tends to weaken the apostle’s positive announcement. In those words he was supplying proof of his assertion in the foregoing clause. The force of his argument may be stated thus: the regenerate are endowed with a spirit of perseverance and run the race that is set before them, therefore those who quit the race and become apostates could never have been renewed in their hearts. It is the solemn engagement of God’s everlasting covenant that He would put His fear into the hearts of His people, promising “they shall not depart from Me” (Jeremiah 32:40)—from faith to infidelity, from Christ to Belial. Thus it is that steadfastness, loyalty and endurance are among the surest marks of the new birth. Said our Lord, “If ye continue in My word, then are ye [not “shall become such” because of so doing] My disciples indeed” (John 8:31, and cf. 1 Corinthians 15:2; Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14). Those who have been Divinely quickened will most assuredly remain true to the faith and persevere in holiness to the end of their earthly course. Such may indeed experience many a “fall,” (but they “shall not be utterly cast down”—Psalms 37:24). The new birth is a being made partaker of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), and while that is far from signifying that they are deified, it does mean “such moral qualities as may be imparted to the creature” (Manton). That which is received at regeneration is sometimes called “the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18), because it is a vital principle of action; sometimes the “image of God” (Colossians 3:10), because they bear a likeness to Him. One of the “moral qualities” which is imparted to the Christian is that of stability. We read in the Psalms that “the goodness of God endureth continually” (Psalms 52:1), that “the glory of the Lord shall endure forever” (Psalms 104:31), that “His righteousness endureth forever” (Psalms 111:3), and that “His mercy endureth for ever” (Psalms 136:1). As Christ declared, “they shall never perish” (John 10:28). Such a thing is impossible, for they were “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). Thus it is that constancy characterizes them: “and now abideth faith, hope, charity” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Those graces may indeed wax and wane, but be quenched they shall not. God’s children are deeply rooted trees, and not chaff which the wind blows away.
“They would have continued with us.” Those words were written for the encouragement of believers who feel their own weakness and have no confidence in the flesh; and not to provide a pillow for the presumptuous, nor for slothful fatalists.
While they show that no Christian will fall from grace and be lost, yet they do not ignore his responsibility. They include within their scope not only the faithfulness of God in renewing their inner man day by day, but also the discharge of their duty in the use of means. The same power that made them Christians keeps them, yet “through faith” (1 Peter 1:5)—through the exercise and cultivation of faith, and of all other graces, and not independently thereof. Remember that it is only by cleaving firmly to the words of God’s lips that we can keep ourselves from the paths of the destroyer (Psalms 17:4): then heed the injunction “Prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and give not place to “itching ears.” It is not sufficient for us to shun the hearing or reading of false teaching; we also need to be constantly on our guard against inward defection, mortifying our lusts, and taking heed to the first decay of our love. It is much cause for thankfulness when we can truly say, “I have stuck unto Thy testimonies” (Psalms 119:31).
“But they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” In this clause John states the reason why God had suffered the presence of antichrists, therefore it would probably be more perspicuous to supply “But [this occurred] that they might be made manifest,” for the “they went out” was already definitely stated. Such characters are raised up by God to disturb the peace of the churches in order that the true may be distinguished from the false. Error serves as a flail to separate the wheat from the chaff. “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (1 Corinthians 11:19). Let some plausible and popular preacher come forward with an old error decked out in new clothes, and empty professors will at once flock to his standard; but not so those who are established in the Truth. Thus, by means of false prophets, God purges His garner, and makes it appear who are the ones who hold the Truth in sincerity. The genuine gold endures every test to which it is subjected. Those who turn away from orthodoxy to heterodoxy must not be regarded as real Christians. Had these men been truly one with God’s people in a personal experience of His saving grace, nothing could have induced them to apostatize. As God Himself raised up these antichrists for His own wise reasons, so He also caused them to forsake the assemblies of the saints—to make it evident that they were but formal members, and of a totally different family from His own children. Previously they had every appearance of being the genuine article, but by their defection and opposition to Christ they were now revealed as counterfeits. He who searches the heart and tries the reins was determined to give definite proof that they were unregenerate men. Let them boast as loudly as they pleased of being among the Lord’s beloved ones, their conduct gave the lie to such a claim; they never had any root in Christ, but were merely external and temporary followers. Those whom God gives up unto strong delusion to believe a lie are such as never truly received His Truth in the love of it, for none of His people are ever suffered to deny the Faith after their conversion. Since they never “knew the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:6), He left them to the pride and corruptions of their hearts and the wiles of Satan, to be deceived into the espousing and propagating of fatal heresies; and though they drew many professing Christians after them, their divisions served a useful and necessary purpose, inasmuch as they made manifest those who were the friends and those who were the enemies of Christ.