Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
January 30, 1958
NUMBER 38, PAGE 8-9b

Impossibility Of Apostasy Is "Foolish Preaching," No. II.

James E. Cooper, Campbellsville, Ky.

Although the doctrine is preached from some pulpits, let me warn you that it had its origin with Satan himself. In the Garden of Eden, God had given Adam and Eve the fruit of every tree in the garden save that of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God said, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:16-17). But, when the Serpent was enticing the woman, he told her, "Ye shall not surely die." God had said, "Ye will," but the Devil said they would not. Yes, Satan was preaching the impossibility of apostasy. He was telling the woman that she could not so sin as to die. He was preaching the impossibility of apostasy, but Adam and Eve could fall, and they did fall!

In the book of Job we find another instance of where Satan proclaimed the impossibility of apostasy. In Job 1:6-8, we find God honoring his servant Job before Satan, "Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil." Satan had a ready answer to explain why Job was such a godly man. In verses 9 and 11 he claimed that God had fixed Job so he couldn't fall. He said that God had put a hedge about him. "Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face." This is another clear-cut case of Satan's preaching that a child of God cannot fall. He claimed that God had fixed Job so he couldn't fall. He claimed that God had so blessed Job that it would he impossible for the Devil to persuade him to forsake God. He suggested that if God would take away those manifold blessings Job would forsake God and renounce him to his face. Hence, he suggested that God remove what hp thought kept Job from falling. To this suggestion God gave his consent. In verse 12 we find. "And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power: only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah."

Beginning in Job 1:13 we find how Satan afflicted Job's possessions and his family First, the message came that the Sabeans had captured his oxen and asses and had killed his servants with the sword, with only one escaping to tell Job. Next, a- servant came with the sad news that fire had fallen from heaven and killed the sheep and the servants, only one escaped. Next, another came and reported that the Chaldeans had come in three bands and captured the camels and killed Job's servants with only one escaping. Finally one came and reported that a storm had blown down the house on Job's children and killed them. Thus, in rapid succession the servants of Job came to him to tell him of the great calamity that had befallen him. A lesser man would have cursed God, and denounced him to his face, as the Devil had suggested Job would do. But Job "arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job. 1:20).

Satan returned to God with the excuse for his failure that Job was so fixed that he could not fall. God said, "Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." Satan's reply was "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face." And Jehovah said to Satan, "Behold, he is in thy hand, only spare his life."

Satan went forth and smote Job with boils from the top of his head to the sole of his feet. He was so afflicted that he took the pieces of a broken potsherd to scrape the boils in order to give himself a little relief. He was so afflicted that even his wife came to him and said, "Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God and die." Job's reply was, "Thou speaketh as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." Following this the book of Job describes how Job's three friends came and criticized him, telling him that his suffering was because of sinfulness.

Yes, here was Satan preaching the impossibility of apostasy. He thought God had so fixed Job that he could not fall. Then, he had what he thought kept Job from falling removed. Still Job didn't fall. Those who believe the impossibility of apostasy think this story is illustrating their side of the picture. They think Job actually couldn't fall. They believe Satan was actually preaching the truth. But, Job could have fallen, else no sense attack-ins to the story. (1) God knew that Job could fall, but he also knew that he wouldn't. (2) Job's wife knew that he could fall. Job's wife encouraged Job to curse God and die. Surely she would not have tried to get Job to do something that was impossible for him to do! (3) Then, the three friends argued with Job that his suffering came as a result of sin. They knew that he could sin, and believed that he had sinned, and his suffering was just the consequence of his immorality. (4) We see, too, that Job himself knew that he could fall, but refused to do so. He remained steadfast in his loyalty to God, and refused to renounce him. (5) Finally, the Devil knew that Job could fall, for he tried to get him to fall.

Those who preach the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy are following the Devil, and are not following God. Friend, don't you think it would be far better to believe God, and teach what he teaches, rather than what the Devil teaches?

But. I find still another example of the Devil preaching the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy. In Matthew, chapter four, we find Jesus on the mount of temptation. Satan first tried to get Jesus to provide for his own hunger by turning stones into bread. When that failed, he took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said unto him, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up. lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Here is the Devil trying to convince Jesus that he could not fall. He even quoted Scripture that he thought would convince Jesus that he could not fall. His argument is this: "Now you are God's Son and he will protect you. Go ahead and jump; you can't fall! Don't you know that God won't let you dash your foot against a stone? He'll keep you from falling; you can't fall!"

Yes. Satan is the author of the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy. Foolish preaching, then, is preaching a doctrine that was begun by the Devil. It is contrary to the "foolishness of preaching" mentioned in 1 Cor. 1:21.

From three examples, found in the Bible, we have shown that Satan is the author of the theory of the impossibility of apostasy. If you believe that doctrine, you believe that the Devil was preaching the truth. If you support that doctrine, even though you disbelieve it, you are supporting a doctrine of the Devil. If you are supporting a church that preaches this doctrine, you are supporting a doctrine of the Devil. If I were a member of a religious institution that was preaching a doctrine of the devil. I'd leave it and quit supporting it with my money. Let me encourage you to forsake every false way; turn to God, and serve him diligently.

(more to follow)