Departure (or Apostasy)

Paul, in his two letters to Timothy, uses a Greek word with telling effect. We have the word in English as “apostasy”; it is often translated “departure.” In 1 Timothy 1:20, he tells us of two leaders who left the faith, who apostatized, Hymenaeus and Alexander. Paul then declares in 1 Timothy 4:1 that many shall depart, and the word he uses is apostesontai. Then, in 2 Timothy 2:19 Paul declares, “[L]et every one that nameth the name of Christ depart [aposteto] from iniquity.” What Paul is telling us is that life is growth; it is movement in one direction or another. Our lives are either marked by an apostasy or departure from sin, or they are an apostasy or departure from Christ. We do not stand still. The life of faith is more than words: it is growth. Time is a constant movement and departure. We can no more stand still in Christ (or against Christ) than we can remain at the age of thirty-nine forever. God has created a world of time and change, and we must therefore be forever growing in terms of His law and Word. The refusal to grow is death." --R. J. Rushdoony Taken from A Word In Season: Daily Messages on the Faith for All of Life, Volume 4, p. 39.