can you fall away and come back?

[worshipjunkie]

Are you still in college?

Look for a good church. With your previous Wicca involvement, Vineyard or Assembly of God would be good choices.

Ironically, yes, I'm still in college. I dropped out in 2001 when my son was born, and I'm coming back to college now; I've only got a couple of terms left.

I'm attending an Open Bible church; if you don't know about them they're very similar to Foursquare or Assembly of God. The thought has crossed my mind to talk to the pastor about my previous involvement.

 

[Strong in Him]

You're right. I let my focus slip. I need to turn my eyes back where they belong and get them off myself. And I know you're right about my being concerned is a sign in itself.

A little thing about me though; I wasn't raised as a Christian. My parents were New Age Christians (the term I can think of the closest to their belief) and they didn't raise me religious at all, but somehow, from 8 or so, I knew I had to seek out God. When I was nine I realized one day I would die and that added to the pull to God. I started going to church with a friend, someone at the church gave me a Bible, I started reading it, I was asking tons of questions, but my heart was gradually getting softened and one day I asked Jesus into my heart the best I knew how. From there I was a fervent Christian until about a year before I actually left, where I gradually became more lukewarm. I even went to a term at Bible college when I was 17 (I graduated early).

I share this only to clarify why I believe I was saved then.

Ok.
I wasn't quite sure; some people use the term "Christian" when they mean that they went to church. Sounds like you were saved then but, for whatever reason, you turned away.
The thing is that you seem to want to repent and turn back to the Lord now.

 

[fhansen]

I was reading Hebrews and I had to stop, it was upsetting me so much. I'm sure you're all familiar with the verse:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
(Hebrews 6:4-6, NKJV)

The most straightforward explanation seems to be that if you are a Christian, and you fall away, you can't come back. But I was a Christian from age 10 or so (don't remember exact date) until I was 18. Then I left the faith. It wasn't out of weakness or deception. It was flat out rebellion and maliciousness. And I was gone, with a brief exception of a few months, for a long time. I just recently came back and rededicated my life to Christ.

Or did I? I'm trying to tell myself if I can believe and repent that the above condemnation doesn't apply to me, but I can't help but worry I'm running the race in vain and I'm not truly saved. I'm interested to hear people's opinions on those who leave and come back.

The ancient Churches always taught that one could fall away, later have a change of heart and repent and return to the fold. So whatever Heb 6 says it should be read in the light of that understanding .

 

[sea5763]

When I read that passage my interpretation is that it is impossible to bring them to repentance once they truly fall away, meaning that if they have truly fallen away then they won’t repent because for those that have fallen away repentance is impossible.

The disciples abandoned Christ at the cross during their first round of persecution, but when He rose from the dead they came back and He accepted them except for Judas.

 

[mark kennedy]

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. (Hebrews 6:4-6)
​

Conceivably you could, in the sense of the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15). If the word of God is chocked out or otherwise does not mature and bear fruit that is effectively losing salvation. The Wesleyans call the prevenient grace, which could conceivably explain why some look like they are converted yet fall away from the faith.

 

[W2L]

We all need mercy.

 

[Sabertooth]

I'm attending an Open Bible church; if you don't know about them they're very similar to Foursquare...

I've heard good things about Foursquare, but there doesn't seem to be many of those. I've heard that Chuck Smith (Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, CA) got his start at Foursquare.

This is the first I have ever heard of OBC.

 

[worshipjunkie]

I've heard good things about Foursquare, but there doesn't seem to be many of those. I've heard that Chuck Smith (Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, CA) got his start at Foursquare.

This is the first I have ever heard of OBC.

We have an absolutely huge Foursquare church with several shoot offs in our town. Incidentally one of my best friends in Idaho attends a Foursquare church, and they live in a small town in a more isolated part of the state.
Here's the Open Bible website (technical name for the denomination is Open Bible Standard churches). I believe they are originally a split off of Foursquare. Open Bible Churches . I went to one when I was a teen, and I went to a term at their Bible college, so when I was looking for a church and saw they were close to home, I figured it would make the process of walking in somewhere new a little less nerve wracking since I knew approximately what to expect.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

sure you can and the good news is God takes us back every time.

 

[Tayla]

I'm interested to hear people's opinions on those who leave and come back.

Hebrews 4:6 says it is impossible, not improbable or unlikely, implying those in this category who fall away from the faith will never return to it. Does this allow for some who might have a deathbed conversion?
If they choose to not perfect their life of faith to its full potential, here is why — it's impossible for someone who refuses to do so, who chooses to remain a babe. They've heard the elementary teachings time and time again.

Hebrews 6:6: The will can't be turned once it sets course on a direction. Perhaps it's stated as impossible because the writer has never seen any contrary examples. Usually when a Christian apostasies, it is permanent.
They become bored by it due to disinterest. The message fails to excite them long term. Their interest fades and they go through the motions, perhaps abandoning the faith altogether. In rejecting the gospel they again crucify Jesus in that, rather than receiving the benefits of it in faith, they participate in it as did the people who shouted, "crucify him". Some of those were once disciples but they lost interest and ended up shouting.

 

[Neostarwcc]

There was a point in my life where I "joined" Christianity just to see what it was all about. I fell away pretty quickly and it wasn't until years later that Christ found me and permanently adopted me into his family.

You're good because scripture says that like me you never had the holy spirit or you never would have fallen away. Hebrews 6:4-6 is simply stating that its impossible for a born again believer to leave the faith and IF it were possible it would be impossible I suggest reading the KJV when reading this verse it makes the verse a lot clearer.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

QUOTE="worshipjunkie, post: 73552007, member: 415874"]I was reading Hebrews and I had to stop, it was upsetting me so much. I'm sure you're all familiar with the verse:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
(Hebrews 6:4-6, NKJV)

The most straightforward explanation seems to be that if you are a Christian, and you fall away, you can't come back. But I was a Christian from age 10 or so (don't remember exact date) until I was 18. Then I left the faith. It wasn't out of weakness or deception. It was flat out rebellion and maliciousness. And I was gone, with a brief exception of a few months, for a long time. I just recently came back and rededicated my life to Christ.

Or did I? I'm trying to tell myself if I can believe and repent that the above condemnation doesn't apply to me, but I can't help but worry I'm running the race in vain and I'm not truly saved. I'm interested to hear people's opinions on those who leave and come back.[/QUOTE
========================================
Don't go by opinions. Always go by God's Word.

Notice it is not written "if someone is a "Christian" and falls away...."

Especially pertinent TODAY.

 

[Jonathan Fojt]

I was reading Hebrews and I had to stop, it was upsetting me so much. I'm sure you're all familiar with the verse:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
(Hebrews 6:4-6, NKJV)

Growing up I was genuinely saved, the experiences I've had with God in my teens were so profoundly deep and I felt his presence in almost every aspect of life. I would pray and fast out of a deep love for God and the ecstasy of being in his presence was better than anything this world has to offer. My dad passed away about 2.5 years ago and I really started to question things. I really started to put my faith up against the evidence against biblical truth presented by the modern scientific community. At some point I genuinely believed that the Holy Spirit experience I was having must have just been a self induced micro dose of DMT, a substance we all carry in the pineal gland in our brains. Freud tries to explain the subjective experience as the feeling of eternal vastness, a remnant of our consciousness from our first year of life when we did not understand that we were a separate entity from our mothers. We essentially had no ego. The reason I am saying this isn't to cause doubt in God, but to really look at why this thinking is flawed and deceptive.
With that said I was curious about other spiritual practices, at this point I had come to believe that the experience of the Holy Spirit was a chemical function in the brain and therefore probably obtainable through eastern religious practices and meditation. They speak of the death of ego as part of enlightenment so to me it logically made sense... So I figured I would meditate and deal with my pride and self centered nature and that would fix my painfully dead heart. Well it didn't, meditation is something completely different. You focus on opening your chakras or energies and once that's done your entire body vibrates and it felt like my body was moving though I was sitting still. But the fire I knew growing up wasn't there... I just came to the realization that I need Jesus again today. I've been petitioning God to take me back for hours but I'm terribly afraid that I've blown it. I don't feel anything. I'm terrified that I might have to spend all of eternity without Him. That my hell might be worse than someone who's never known Jesus.
I'm heart broken and I would definitely appreciate prayer.
I hope this will keep someone from making the same mistakes I did.