33 Bible Verses about Warnings Against Apostasy

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once for all been enlightened, and have tasted the sweetness of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have realized how good the word of God is and how mighty are the powers of the coming Age, and then fell away-- it is impossible, I say, to keep bringing them back to a new repentance, for, to their own undoing, they are repeatedly crucifying the Son of God afresh and exposing Him to open shame.read more.
For land which has drunk in the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sakes, indeed, it is tilled, has a share in God's blessing. But if it only yields a mass of thorns and briers, it is considered worthless, and is in danger of being cursed, and in the end will be destroyed by fire.

He who has received the seed on the rocky ground is the man who hears the Message and immediately receives it with joy. It has struck no root, however, within him. He continues for a time, but when suffering comes, or persecution, because of the Message, he at once stumbles and falls.

In the same way those who receive the seed on the rocky places are those who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully, but they have no root within them. They last for a time; then, when suffering or persecution comes because of the Message, they are immediately overthrown.

Those on the rock are the people who on hearing the Message receive it joyfully; but they have no root: for a time they believe, but when trial comes they fall away.

At that time one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the High Priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I betray him to you?" So they weighed out to him thirty shekels, and from that moment he was on the look out for an opportunity to betray Him.

But Judas Iscariot, already mentioned as one of the Twelve, went to the High Priests to betray Jesus to them. They gladly listened to his proposal, and promised to give him a sum of money. So he looked out for an opportunity to betray Him.

Then will many stumble and fall, and they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and lead multitudes astray; and because of the prevalent disregard of God's law the love of the great majority will grow cold;

For if we wilfully persist in sin after having received the full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains in reserve any other sacrifice for sins. There remains nothing but a certain awful expectation of judgement, and the fury of a fire which before long will devour the enemies of the truth. Any one who bids defiance to the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.read more.
How much severer punishment, think you, will he be held to deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, has not regarded as holy that Covenant-blood with which he was set free from sin, and has insulted the Spirit from whom comes grace? For we know who it is that has said, "Vengeance belongs to Me: I will pay back;" and again, "The Lord will be His people's judge." It is an awful thing to fall into the hands of the ever-living God.

I marvel that you are so readily leaving Him who called you by the grace of Christ, and are adhering to a different Good News.

Satan, however, entered into Judas (the man called Iscariot) He went and conferred with the High Priests and Commanders as to how he should deliver Him up to them. This gave them great pleasure, and they agreed to pay him.read more.
He accepted their offer, and then looked out for an opportunity to betray Him when the people were not there.

But whoever disowns me before men I also will disown before my Father who is in Heaven.

"Then you will plead, "'We have eaten and drunk in your company and you have taught in our streets.' "But He will reply, "'I tell you that you are no friends of mine. Begone from me, all of you, wrongdoers that you are.'

Let no one in any way deceive you, for that day cannot come without the coming of the apostasy first, and the appearing of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sets himself against,

Every one, however, who has been ashamed of me and of my teachings in this faithless and sinful age, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."

For a time is coming when they will not tolerate wholesome instruction, but, wanting to have their ears tickled, they will find a multitude of teachers to satisfy their own fancies; and will turn away from listening to the truth and will turn aside to fables.

But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

Now the Spirit expressly declares that in later times some will fall away from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons;

If any one does not continue in me, he is like the unfruitful branch which is at once thrown away and then withers up. Such branches they gather up and throw into the fire and they are burned.

They have gone forth from our midst, but they did not really belong to us; for had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they left us that it might be manifest that professed believers do not all belong to us.

"If we patiently endure pain, we shall also share His Kingship; "If we disown Him, He will also disown us;

see to it, brethren, that there is never in any one of you--as perhaps there may be--a sinful and unbelieving heart, manifesting itself in revolt from the ever-living God.

You, therefore, dear friends, having been warned beforehand, must continually be on your guard so as not to be led astray by the false teaching of immoral men nor fall from your own stedfastness.

Thereupon many of His disciples left Him and went away, and no longer associated with Him.

There was a man of the name of Ananias who, with his wife Sapphira, sold some property but, with her full knowledge and consent, dishonestly kept back part of the price which he received for it, though he brought the rest and gave it to the Apostles. "Ananias," said Peter, "why has Satan taken possession of your heart, that you should try to deceive the Holy Spirit and dishonestly keep back part of the price paid you for this land?read more.
While it remained unsold, was not the land your own? And when sold, was it not at your own disposal? How is it that you have cherished this design in your heart? It is not to men you have told this lie, but to God." Upon hearing these words Ananias fell down dead, and all who heard the words were awe-struck. The younger men, however, rose, and wrapping the body up, carried it out and buried it. About three hours had passed, when his wife came in, knowing nothing of what had happened. Peter at once questioned her. "Tell me," he said, "whether you sold the land for so much." "Yes," she replied, "for so much." "How was it," replied Peter, "that you two agreed to try an experiment upon the Spirit of the Lord? The men who have buried your husband are already at the door, and they will carry you out." Instantly she fell down dead at his feet, and the young men came in and found her dead. So they carried her out and buried her by her husband's side. This incident struck terror into the whole Church, and into the hearts of all who heard of it.

holding fast to faith and a clear conscience, which some have cast aside and have made shipwreck of their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

They profess to know God; but in their actions they disown Him, and are detestable and disobedient men, and for any good work are utterly useless.

For Demas has deserted me--loving, as he does, the present age--and has gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be teachers of falsehood among you also, who will cunningly introduce fatal divisions, disowning even the Sovereign Lord who has redeemed them, and bringing on themselves swift destruction. And in their immoral ways they will have many eager disciples, through whom religion will be brought into disrepute. Thirsting for riches, they will trade on you with their canting talk. From of old their judgement has been working itself out, and their destruction has not been slumbering.

and especially those who are abandoned to sensuality--craving, as they do, for polluted things, and scorning control. Fool-hardy and self-willed, they do not tremble when speaking evil of glorious beings; while angels, though greater than they in might and power, do not bring any insulting accusation against such in the presence of the Lord. But these men, like brute beasts, created (with their natural instincts)read more.
being doomed to receive a requital for their guilt. They reckon it pleasure to feast daintily in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, while feeding luxuriously at their love-feasts, and banqueting with you. Their very eyes are full of adultery--being eyes which never cease from sin. These men set traps to catch unstedfast souls, their own hearts being well trained in greed. They are fore-doomed to God's curse! Forsaking the straight road, they have gone astray, having eagerly followed in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was bent on securing the wages of unrighteousness.

For if, after escaping from the pollutions of the world through a full knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, people are once more entangled in these pollutions and are overcome, their last state has become worse than their first. For it would have been better for them not to have fully known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandments in which they were instructed. Their case is that described in the true proverb, "A dog returns to what he has vomited," and also in the other proverb, "The sow has washed itself and now goes back to roll in its filth."

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed--men spoken of in ancient writings as pre-destined to this condemnation--ungodly men, who pervert the grace of our God into an excuse for immorality, and disown Jesus Christ, our only Sovereign and Lord.

Yet in just the same way these dreamers also pollute the body, while they set authority at naught and speak evil of dignities. But Michael the Archangel, when contending with the Devil and arguing with him about the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce judgement on him in abusive terms, but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you." Yet these men are abusive in matters of which they know nothing, and in things which, like the brutes, they understand instinctively--in all these they corrupt themselves.read more.
Alas for them; for they have followed in the steps of Cain; for the sake of gain they have rushed on headlong in the evil ways of Balaam; and have perished in rebellion like that of Korah! These men--sunken rocks! --are those who share the pleasure of your love-feasts, unrestrained by fear while caring only for themselves; clouds without water, driven away by the winds; trees that cast their fruit, barren, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom is reserved dense darkness of age-long duration. It was also about these that Enoch, who belonged to the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "The Lord has come, attended by myriads of His people, to execute judgement upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly deeds which in their ungodliness they have committed, and of all the hard words which they, ungodly sinners as they are, have spoken against Him." These men are murmurers, ever bemoaning their lot. Their lives are guided by their evil passions, and their mouths are full of big, boastful words, while they treat individual men with admiring reverence for the sake of the advantage they can gain.

Yet I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and by her teaching leads astray My servants, so that they commit fornication and eat what has been sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent, but she is determined not to repent of her fornication. I tell you that I am about to cast her upon a bed of sickness, and I will severely afflict those who commit adultery with her, unless they repent of conduct such as hers.