While most consider apostasy as a person once believing something then turning away, in a sense, all non Christians are apostates, let me explain myself, first examine this verse:
Hebrews 10:38-39 (King James Version)
38Now
the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39But
we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Side note: (You have to look at the scriptures I put in my previous post to get a fuller understanding of apostasy, but that is not exactly my goal here.)
Ok, now Look at the above verses: it says that the just, or justified, that is "just as if I'd" never sinned people who by faith have believed in Christ for the free gift of salvation, live by faith, that is they BELIEVE. What do they believe? Jesus' words, which shall condemn or save a person at the Judgement:
John 12:48
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
And what were these word that shall judge us?:
John 3:16,18 (Jesus' own words)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned alreadybecause he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Now, looking at the verses from Hebrews, it says we are NOT of them that draw back unto perdition,
but of them that BELIEVE to the saving of the soul.
So, I ask, have folks heard or read Jesus' words? (they just read them), have folks 'drawn back' in unbelief, they have not believed? Then according to Jesus' own words, that would make them 'condemned already', and in a very real sense, apostates, and Jesus' words will judge them at the judgement. His words are that if folks believe IN HIM they have eternal life, and if folks do not believe, they are condemned already, BECAUSE they have not believed. They die in their sins, not believing Jesus' words and not accepting Jesus' payment for all their sins, they must pay for them themselves in Hell, forever.