An apostate - someone who commits apostasy - is a person who has made a commitment to follow Jesus but then turns their back on Him. Jesus warns us in the parable of the sower that there will be some who believe at first, but later fall away (Luke 8:13). Examples of those who turned back from following Jesus are Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19-20) and Demas (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:10).
