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How can I come back from being apostate? (Hebrews 6)

Sam91

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Hosea and Gomer?
 
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Mountainmanbob

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At one time I was doing pretty well and teaching a Friday night bible class at Calvary Chapel for 18 months. And then I started doing some deliberate sin. I told myself one night after the Bible class while heading out to sin with some lady that God would not leave me in charge of that Bible class for long and that it would probably not be a pretty thing Once God got hold of me. I was correct as I killed that bible study and it no longer existed after that. The thought of my sin back then has crossed my mind for the last 20 years. I have repented and realize today its best once sin is seen in our lives to turn and run -- repent as we run away and don't look back.
M-Bob
 
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Basil the Great

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Can you expand on the last paragraph? Why you think that would prove beneficial to show love and mercy?
Curtis - Showing love and mercy to others has at least three benefits. (1) It helps others in need. (2) One would hope and expect that it would change the heart and soul of the one showing love and mercy. (3) It would seem that acts of love and mercy would lead God to conclude that our confession is real and not fake, and that therefore God would be more likely to forgive us for our sins.
 
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Sabertooth

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I'm short on time, so I can't look it up right now, but there is a story about one of the prophets. His wife was being a continuous harlot but he took her back in the end. It was an example of God with Israel lived out.
That was the prophet, Hosea.
 
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Neostarwcc

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Hello Curtis. I think both of your interpretations of Hebrews 6 are flawed as people have pointed out elsewhere in this thread. I know of several people who have left the Christian faith who have later gone back to it. So it is not too late for you to leave your lifestyle of sin and come back to God. It's been done several times before. So what is the correct interpretation of Hebrews 6? I'm the wrong person to ask but I believe that it is possible for ex Christians to become Christians again. I also still believe that ex Christians can be saved because once a person is born again that new birth cannot be undone. Scripture makes that clear. But I do believe that it breaks Jesus's heart when people leave the faith. Hope this helped.
 
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Halbhh

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Isn't this resolved by seeing/realizing that once true conversion in the heart happens, the person will willingly die for Christ?

In other words, those that didn't willingly die for Him hadn't yet converted fully in the heart yet, usually.

Therefore, they had not already been fully there, and so would be coming to Him for the first time -- in real spirit and in truth -- regardless of any appearances otherwise.

Therefore of course Hebrews 6 does not apply to such individuals.
 
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Halbhh

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Modern churches are full of people that think they fully came to Christ, because as far as they understood they have, according to what they learned in their church.

But....they didn't yet. Because they did not totally truly confess and repent in full in their hearts, which of course isn't something an 8 yr old or 12 yr old can do really (but it's also not something many 18 yr olds do, nor many 20 yr olds!).

They only think they have often enough. I'm talking from personal experience.

I only truly repented fully in my 40s. That means I fully entered being truly His at that time, in my 40s. Not when I imagined I was earlier.

So, what passage does apply to this whole journey into my 40s?....

This one -- Luke 15 ESV
 
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HTacianas

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For it not to apply to those who are fully Christian is to say that we don't know how a person becomes a Christian. A person can only be made a "partaker of the Holy Spirit" during their conversion. Once that is completed that person becomes a Christian.
 
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Samaritan Woman

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Curtis697 -



It seems that you are pulling Hebrews 6:4-6 out of context which is quite common. To begin with, it is assumed by most scholars that the letter's recipients were Jewish Christians and/or Gentile Christians who were being drawn back into the practices and requirements of the Mosaic Law by the Judaizers which were nullified by Jesus' death and resurrection. Consider Hebrews 6:1-2 which precludes the warning of verses 4-6 -

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

In other words, it can be inferred these immature believers were disregarding the basic doctrines of the faith in lieu of the Judaizer's false teachings .

While verse 6 does use the word “repentance”, it is often assumed to mean “salvation” thus inducing fear within those Christians leading a rebellious lifestyle that they have lost their salvation. However, “repentance” in the Greek has nothing to do with that; rather it means a “reversal of mind; abhorrence of one's past sins”. Additionally, consider Hebrews 6:7-8



For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on 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.

This passage is similar to I Corinthians 3:11-5 in which Paul was addressing immature, carnal believers:

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Often people assume from passages like these that “burned” and “fire” means hell and lost salvation. However, they reflect the numerous teachings of Jesus regarding rewards for earthly works done on behalf of Him. If a believer remains carnal and immature, he/she will not be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ but will still remain saved. I consider you currently in that state but you don't have to remain there!
 
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Halbhh

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Good point, and indeed, churches have both those that truly are there, and many that are not, and it's about conversion in the heart (in the inner thoughts none can know but God), the true surrender in full, involving not just lip confession, but real confession like the Prodigal did, choosing not just with lips and intellectual choosing like choosing product A over alternative products (or that is the wording I use, and perhaps another would help). Here's another way of saying this -- Luke chapter 15.
 
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Sabertooth

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For it not to apply to those who are fully Christian is to say that we don't know how a person becomes a Christian.
Even for myself [BC], there was a time when I thought that since I affirmed the Bible, I was saved. I later found out differently.

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. [But] Even the demons believe—and tremble!" James 2:19 NKJV

It takes more than just believing that the Bible is true and that God exists. You need to let Him save you...!
 
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Gr8Grace

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Bingo! Always a pleasure to read posts from folks who know bible doctrine.
Wonderful post.
 
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Foxfyre

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I pray that the Holy Spirit gives me the right words to say to you.

Hebrews 6 is harsh and seems absolute, but given the eloquence of the whole work, I think if we could talk with the author now, he would say that his intent was not to discourage repentance or infer that God's love is beyond anybody's reach. Seeing how his manuscript is interpreted by some now, he would have included a qualifier that it is impossible for we mortals to restore the faith of the one who falls away, but with God, all things are possible. That is the message of the entire New Testament and much of the Old. I know far too many who have fallen away and found their way back. At one time, in a way, I was one of them.

The message of Hebrews is that we should not expect to escape the consequences of our sin, i.e. the harm that we do to ourselves and others. The reason the world is in the mess it is in is a result of sin--sins of commission, sins of omission, sins intended, sins we didn't know we had committed. All have sinned and fallen short. And none of us have the wisdom, ability, or power to undo all that. But we don't have to stay mired in it either. Metaphorically, Jesus is always holding out His hand to us. When we hold on, here and there we get glimpses of the truth that 'all things are possible with God.' When we let go, we are going to make a lot more mistakes.

I think the fact that you made your post indicates you want a path back to God. Just take it my friend. Give all your anger, hate, fear, feelings of inability, feelings that you are not in control, to Him without reservation and without putting any specifications on how or when He will act or what it will look/feel like when He does. Ask Him to help you repent.

And then stand back and see what is possible with God.
 
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Mountainmanbob

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"How many times should we forgive?" they asked Jesus.
"7x70" He answered.
If Jesus asks us to forgive eachother, each time they repent, then why would He himself not do the same?

To date I have never found any good reason to question my Lord regarding anyting.

For God is God and I am but a little simple man.

Finding that it is best to stay humble.

M-Bob
 
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ToBeLoved

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I think you need to rethink everything. I think you need to completely start over and get under some good teaching.

As I'm reading your post, I am seeing that you relate a lot to what you 'feel' and 'experience'.

You seem to be very caught up in what you think are visions, callings, annointing, ect. This is very worry some because it seems from reading this paragaph below in italics (from your OP post)

God called me to bible college in 2013, and I obeyed Him and went. There, I was heavily trained in Bible Theology, as well as ministry. I received hands-on experience with how to be used by the Holy Ghost as a vessel. I preached to people, was persecuted, had demons manifest around me, laid hands on the sick and saw miraculous healings, ect. (even saw a broken bone snap back into play with a loud, "pop" sound.)

The problem was that It was never truly about the Lord to me. I wanted to marry a girl that went to the college with me. She was an idol to me, and I never truly put God before her. I would only serve God with her in mind as the end result. It was never about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm not so sure that you were heavily trained in the Bible theology, because you seem to have way more questions than answers and you spent two years there according to your OP post.

From your own words, I would venture to say you probably went to either a Pentecostal or Charismatic type (gifts of the spirit) of Bible College and I would say it hasn't served you well if you stayed there two years and are as lost as you are today.

Trying to be what you think God wants you to be is very different from walking with God each day and trusting Him daily to show up in your life. Sounds to me like you were walking a road that you 'thought' you should walk and were doing what you thought you should do.

So, I have some questions for you.

* Why do you think it is good when you were in Bible College that you had, in your own words, "Demons manifest around me"? That's not a normal thing to have happen, it doesn't seem odd to you? What was that experience like?

* What type of miraculous healings did you participate in and see?

* Are you sure or do you think you ever really committed yourself to Christ? Because if you never committed yourself to Christ, Hebrews 6 does not relate to you.
 
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ToBeLoved

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I was going to bring up this point too. Hebrews is a book that was written mostly to believers who came from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant in Christ. It goes back and explains a lot of Old Testament and Old Covenant concepts and then tries to create what I like to think of as a ‘bridge’ of understanding.
 
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Curtis697

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When I would minister at certain times, actually, before i even got the chance to mention Jesus.. this guy actually started getting angry and said to me, "i don't want anything to do with your Jesus. " and proceded to punch me in the face. Hence why i say demons manifested.

I have an example of that one.

I mentioned in my writing that it was never truly about the lord at any point
 
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ToBeLoved

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Maybe my idea of 'having demons manifest around me' is different than yours, but I wouldn't call this a demonic experience.

The guy probably wanted you to not talk to him and prevented you doing so by punching you in the face.

I view demons as coming from the spiritual realm in that a demon is not human or that a demon has taken over a human's body and is controlling it.

I would rather be punched in the face by a human being, than have demons manifest around me, so I don't think that went so bad. Although it is not fun getting punched in the face by any means.

Unless you have another example, I doubt that demons have manifest around you. And I would be glad to let this one go.
 
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