Apostasy, warnings against personal

Personal apostasy described

Hebrews 6:4–8 LEB

For it is impossible concerning those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and become sharers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age, and having fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, because they have crucified again for themselves the Son of God and held him up to contempt. For ground that drinks the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth vegetation usable to those people for whose sake it is also cultivated, shares a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to a curse, whose end is for burning.

See also Mt 13:20–21; Mt 24:10–12; Ga 1:6; Ga 5:4; 2 Th 2:3; 2 Ti 4:3–4; 1 Ti 4:1; 1 Jn 2:19; 1 Jn 5:16

Warnings against personal apostasy

Hebrews 10:26–31 LEB

For if we keep on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that is about to consume the adversaries. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think the person will be considered worthy of who treats with disdain the Son of God and who considers ordinary the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy and who insults the Spirit of grace? For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

See also Mt 10:33; Jn 15:6; 2 Ti 2:12; Heb 3:12; 2 Pe 3:17

OT examples of personal apostasy

Dt 13:1–11 an unfruitful prophet or relative

King Saul:

1 Sa 15:11; 1 Sa 15:28; 1 Sa 16:14; 2 Sa 7:15

2 Ch 26:16–21 King Uzziah; 2 Ch 28:19–27 King Ahaz

NT examples of personal apostasy

Mt 26:14–16 Judas; Lk 13:26–27; Jn 6:66; Ac 5:1–11 Ananias and Sapphira; 1 Ti 1:19–20 Hymenaeus and Alexander; Tt 1:16; 2 Ti 4:10 Demas; 2 Pe 2:1–3; 2 Pe 2:10–15; 2 Pe 2:20–22; Jud 4; Jud 8–16; Re 2:20–22 Jezebel