Hebrews verse fear

[Blaise N]

Hi everyone,


I’d like to ask a question that scares me.


For the longest time,about since mid November,I’ve been scared senseless about Hebrews 6:4-6.As many people know I’m scared of apostasy.


And what is even scarier and more worrisome is the fact that if it’s meaning it doesn’t apply to Christians then I’d find apostasy not so bad and not fear it,but that worries me that I’d be ok with apostasy.
But I guess it has to do with the constant fear “I’ve somehow fallen away and I can still return” I’ve never committed apostasy,and don’t want to.


Recently I’ve been bombarded with many many intrusive thoughts about everything in the ocd/Christian dictionary, such as “bowing to Satan,tempted to draw devil symbols,tempted to leave the lord,intrusive thoughts about blaspheming Jesus,thoughts of liking apostasy,thoughts condemning me like I’m already an apostate,and others.

I have no reason to leave Jesus and I don’t want to,I can’t find anything in this world I want more than Jesus,no matter how deep I dig,I don’t want anything in this world other than him.

Can someone provide some insight?

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hi everyone,


I’d like to ask a question that scares me.


For the longest time,about since mid November,I’ve been scared senseless about Hebrews 6:4-6.As many people know I’m scared of apostasy.


And what is even scarier and more worrisome is the fact that if it’s meaning it doesn’t apply to Christians then I’d find apostasy not so bad and not fear it,but that worries me that I’d be ok with apostasy.
But I guess it has to do with the constant fear “I’ve somehow fallen away and I can still return” I’ve never committed apostasy,and don’t want to.


Recently I’ve been bombarded with many many intrusive thoughts about everything in the ocd/Christian dictionary, such as “bowing to Satan,tempted to draw devil symbols,tempted to leave the lord,intrusive thoughts about blaspheming Jesus,thoughts of liking apostasy,thoughts condemning me like I’m already an apostate,and others.

I have no reason to leave Jesus and I don’t want to,I can’t find anything in this world I want more than Jesus,no matter how deep I dig,I don’t want anything in this world other than him.

Can someone provide some insight?

Yes, Hebrews 6 refers to Christians, that they can fall away from the faith. But it does not prevent a Christain who may have walked away from the LORD from returning. As James says:

Jas 5:19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

The reason I say this is the scripture says, the person who has fallen away, has crucified Christ again. But the cross covers a lifetime of sins. If the cross covers a whole lifetime of sins, the only way a person could crucify Christ again is to have died in the sins they were committing.

Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Heb 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;

You have to ask yourself is the cross available to a living man, yes or no. According to Hebrews 9:27-28 yes it is available. While we are willing to repent God is there for us, regardless of what we have done in the past:

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

[atpollard]

Can someone provide some insight?

The basic message of Hebrews 6:4-6 is a warning for the OT following Jews that had learned about the NT covenant of Christ and decided they prefer the OT covenant.

At its core, it is speaking about a decision to reject Jesus as your Savior and to make a choice to not place your trust in Christ and His work. Instead, such a person has decided to place their trust in the LAW and in themselves.

If you reject the blood of Christ, what offering will you then hold up to God to take HIS place?

Two important notes.
First, this is not a momentary lapse of good sense … this is a settled position. The person described has made up their mind, burned their bridges behind them, and will not be turned back. In such a case, there will be no “second savior” to come along and die for them. As the first 5 chapters have discussed, they have rejected such a great High Priest and such a more excellent sacrifice.
Second, note the NEXT verse beginning with “BUT”. This is also a hypothetical case. One cannot accept Christ and then reject Christ. Salvation is not a robe that one slips on and off as the mood strikes. Salvation is a “chosen by God” thing. Salvation is a “gift of saved by grace through faith while we were still dead” thing. Salvation is a “sealed with the Holy Spirit which is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” thing. Salvation is a “remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” thing. Salvation is a “born from above” thing.

Salvation is a transformation from the inside out and top to bottom that changes … EVERYTHING. God does it. The Son will lose none … the Spirit will guide … the Father foreknew and drew. God finishes what He starts.

May God lead you to all the answers that you need.

Shalom (means “peace and well being”)

 

[atpollard]

.

 

[Tolworth John]

Recently I’ve been bombarded with many many intrusive thoughts about everything in the ocd/Christian dictionary

Always try hard to agree with all obsessive thoughts — never analyze, question, or argue with them. The questions they raise are not real questions, and there are no real answers to them. Try not to get too detailed when agreeing — simply say the thoughts are true and real.

The above is from the site 25 tips for successful treating your OCD.
I've posted this for you before, but you do not seem to pay attention to advice that can help you.

P.ease note if you cannot follow the advice you might need medication to calm your mind down.

It is your OCD intrusive thoughts that are causing you distress.

[FONT=Sensibility, Georgia, Cambria, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Only Christians worry about sin, that you are worried shows you are a Christian.

Look up what Jesus said about his protecting his vulnerable lambs.[/FONT]

 

[atpollard]

Only Christians worry about sin, that you are worried shows you are a Christian.

Look up what Jesus said about his protecting his vulnerable lambs.

What he said!
Amen.

 

[Blaise N]

Always try hard to agree with all obsessive thoughts — never analyze, question, or argue with them. The questions they raise are not real questions, and there are no real answers to them. Try not to get too detailed when agreeing — simply say the thoughts are true and real.

The above is from the site 25 tips for successful treating your OCD.
I've posted this for you before, but you do not seem to pay attention to advice that can help you.

P.ease note if you cannot follow the advice you might need medication to calm your mind down.

It is your OCD intrusive thoughts that are causing you distress.

[FONT=Sensibility, Georgia, Cambria, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Only Christians worry about sin, that you are worried shows you are a Christian.

Look up what Jesus said about his protecting his vulnerable lambs.[/FONT]

Thank you John,Ill take this advice to heart and seal it in my mind to help

 

[Mari17]

Always try hard to agree with all obsessive thoughts — never analyze, question, or argue with them. The questions they raise are not real questions, and there are no real answers to them. Try not to get too detailed when agreeing — simply say the thoughts are true and real.

The above is from the site 25 tips for successful treating your OCD.
I've posted this for you before, but you do not seem to pay attention to advice that can help you.

P.ease note if you cannot follow the advice you might need medication to calm your mind down.

It is your OCD intrusive thoughts that are causing you distress.

[FONT=Sensibility, Georgia, Cambria, Times New Roman, Times, serif]Only Christians worry about sin, that you are worried shows you are a Christian.

Look up what Jesus said about his protecting his vulnerable lambs.[/FONT]

I'd like to add a bit of clarification to this. Although I agree with the general idea, I do think some of the issues OCD raises ARE real questions or doubts, such as the one that Blaise posed about Hebrews, which many Christians without OCD are also confused about. The problem is when those of us with OCD become fixated on such a question and are unable to rest until we figure out an answer "for sure" (which is of course not possible with many questions in life). The problem that people with OCD have is basically a thought processing problem. It usually revolves around an exaggerated fear (e.g. "Maybe I'm not really a Christian!" "Maybe I've fallen away!") etc. Then, in the frantic quest to ease the anxiety caused by such an exaggerated fear, the person with OCD begins hyper-analyzing things (such as these verses) to try to figure out for sure if he/she is saved. It's almost like the person is focusing too much on the details, and not on the big picture. For example, someone with a germ obsession has an exaggerated core fear (e.g. "Maybe I'll pass a sickness to someone, they'll die, and it will be my fault"). With such an intense fear, the person feels that they must be SURE that their hands are clean. But of course, it's impossible to know that your hands are 100% germ-free. Thus the person engages in repeated handwashing, feeling that if they don't get off every miniscule possibility of a germ on their hands, they could cause someone to die. The reasoning process of a person with OCD, where it pertains to their obsessive topic, is quite distorted, but the person is unable to see that when they're obsessing. That's why it really doesn't help to address the obsession with logical arguments. The problem is not really about the question or concern; the problem is an excessive amount of doubt and worry. So effective treatment for OCD involves addressing the distorted ways of thinking, and not the questions raised by the topic itself. These strategies, as Tolworth John pointed out, include ignoring the anxiety and the seemingly urgent questions raised by the OCD, and treating them with a nonchalant attitude (which can include pretending to agree with them), while also refusing to do the compulsions it's trying to force us to do, such as ruminating, researching compulsively, or asking for reassurance.

I hope this helps provide a little more perspective on the way OCD works, and how to manage it. This article provides a good overview of OCD and its treatment as well.