am i lost???

[bigJerm]

maybe somebody can help me out.....ive recently recommitted my life to the Lord as of a year ago.....i was or thought i was a christian or at least knew the gospel from around age 13 until 16 and i ended up getting on drugs and falling completely away into complete sin and rebellion.....satanic tattoos....all sorts of drugs and sin...and i chased my flesh for 2 decades......im always getting hung up on hebrews 6:4-6r in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." (Hebrews 6:4-8)

i mean i apostasized in the worst way and have lived the most sinful life i could.........am i just repenting and professing Jesus in vain???....am i lost and dont know it??????

 

[TrustingmyLord]

I looked up that passage and I must say, it frightened me! If you are still lost, then many of us are! (I fell alway for many years as well.)

But no. I do not believe so. We must not just take those verses alone and make this assumption. Lets look elsewhere in the Bible.

I am looking for a verse and having trouble finding it. I KNOW its there. I have it highlighted in a certain Bible, but that one is in the truck and its raining outside...
Its in the new testament. It talks about how a person will be greatly blessed if they can help someone come back to God.

Then look at Peter. He denied Christ!
Thomas doubted, they were both forgiven.

Best one to look at is Saul/Paul. He has been a servant of God for practically his whole life. Very devout. Then this Jesus comes along and Paul feels he is right in KILLING all of these believers. He slaughtered people, Christians! As he said, of sinners, I am the worst of all. Yet he was forgiven and used greatly by God.

God forgives you and me, just like he did Paul. He is a gracious and merciful God abounding in grace. He has wiped the slate clean for us. He really has!

 

[hizlamb]

I looked up that passage and I must say, it frightened me! If you are still lost, then many of us are! (I fell alway for many years as well.)

Ditto on that one! It sure makes one think..but that can be a profitable thing

Amen to the rest of yer post

God bless you

 

[Trying2BaFaithfulServant]

Luke 15... the whole chapter, but particularly 11-32.

As much as I respect Paul, I believe Jesus' words above his.

 

[Sketcher]

You want to come back, so I would say not.

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." - John 6:37

Welcome back. Stay with Him.

 

[PowderedGold]

Perhaps falling away is a permanent thing, spiritually speaking. You did a lot of sinning, but since you have returned to the faith, then you were never truly fallen away. Perhaps Paul is speaking about people who have fallen away and will never return. Perhaps.

 

[TrustingmyLord]

Just a side note here... but I believe the writer of Hebrews is unknown. I do not believe it was Paul.

 

[Trying2BaFaithfulServant]

Just a side note here... but I believe the writer of Hebrews is unknown. I do not believe it was Paul.

My Bible starts the book with "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews"

 

[PowderedGold]

I have a lot of difficulty with Paul. It seems to me like Saul never quite lightened up.

 

[Sketcher]

I have a lot of difficulty with Paul. It seems to me like Saul never quite lightened up.

I'd say going from torturing and killing people to outright pacifism is quite a lightening up.

 

[TrustingmyLord]

My Bible starts the book with "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews"

Yes, I have seen this, but google it, you will see, it was never fully agreed upon. In most all of Pauls other writings he identifies himself. This one is written in a style and phrasing that is very different from all of Pauls other writings. People have speculated, but no one knows for sure.

 

[Trying2BaFaithfulServant]

Yes, I have seen this, but google it, you will see, it was never fully agreed upon. In most all of Pauls other writings he identifies himself. This one is written in a style and phrasing that is very different from all of Pauls other writings. People have speculated, but no one knows for sure.

All right, I'll check it out. Thanks, Trusting.

 

[PowderedGold]

I'd say going from torturing and killing people to outright pacifism is quite a lightening up.

Touche.

 

[bigJerm]

ahhhh the the lost sheep parable....and this verse tooAnd Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible..... maybe it means its impossible to bring them to repentance apart from an act of God............the bible...afflicts the comfortable...and comforts the afflicted.......wed be lost without it

 

[bigJerm]

Paul would seem to be the author since he talks about timothy in jail at the end of the book......who else could it have been???

 

[TrustingmyLord]

Well, you have a point. I am not claiming I know who wrote Hebrews, just that I knew it wasnt certain.
I am pretty familliar with Pauls writings and somehow it just doesnt "sound" like Paul's writing. I should look up more about it and read it more.

Sorry to have taken this all off topic here. Didnt mean to.

I was thinking, David is a good one to look at. He screwed up ALOT, yet God always took him back. He was so far from perfect, yet he is called "a man after God's own heart."

 

[bigJerm]

yeah youre right about david....didnt he join up with the enemy philitines for like 8 years....and he was a man after Gods own heart.....its amazing God doesnt just incinerate the whole planet.......its like he entered and lived among the world of ignorant slugs to save them.....baffling

 

[TrustingmyLord]

Its amazing God doesnt just incinerate the whole planet.......its like he entered and lived among the world of ignorant slugs to save them.....baffling

It just goes to show how totally amazing he is. The patience, love, mercy. So much more than we goofy people have. When you think about it its pretty unbelievable.

 

[heymikey80]

maybe somebody can help me out.....ive recently recommitted my life to the Lord as of a year ago.....i was or thought i was a christian or at least knew the gospel from around age 13 until 16 and i ended up getting on drugs and falling completely away into complete sin and rebellion.....satanic tattoos....all sorts of drugs and sin...and i chased my flesh for 2 decades......im always getting hung up on hebrews 6:4-6r in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." (Hebrews 6:4-8)

i mean i apostasized in the worst way and have lived the most sinful life i could.........am i just repenting and professing Jesus in vain???....am i lost and dont know it??????

Can I help you leave your obsession with Hebrews 6? I would absolutely love to. But it's going to take a minor rethink on what Hebrews 6 is written about.

Hebrews 6 is not obsessed with individual salvation or how it works. Hebrews 6 is written to a little church that is under persecution. So start there. The Apostle (who is so Pauline it just hurts -- maybe Apollos?) is writing to a church. Don't miss that, it's important.

Hebrews 6 is practical. It's also concrete. The Apostle is talking about real people who've walked away from the church, the fellowship, the Spirit partnering with them.

But what's the Apostle focused on? He's focused on this church. He's telling this church not to pursue such people. He's telling them that their ministry is exhausted when it comes to these people. They have no other cards to play with these people.

Hence the "bring to repentance" is what the church is trying to bring out of these people.

Are they all ultimately and finally unsaved? No. He's not saying that -- though he may want the church to think that way, and it may be generally true about apostates. But instead the Apostle is emphasizing this church's ministry can't bring them back -- and shouldn't go pursuing them. Their apostasy has done damage to the Gospel of Christ's Crucifixion. The church can't chase them, and drag Christ through this twice.

Still, it's a good rule of thumb generally that apostates don't return. Praise our Father that you and I have come back! I'll be forever humbled by that -- it's His sacrifice that brought us back.

 

[TrustingmyLord]

Wow,heymikey80, thanks so much for sharing all that!