Is it possible to return to the faith?

[Tranquility999]

So basically I was raised Christian, fell out pretty quickly when I turned 12, got baptized when I was 13 and remained Christian for around two weeks and have had brief moments of faith ever since. I've recently become interested in the faith again, it's like every time I fall out I get a stronger and stronger drawing to the faith, like a moth a flame, or a strong desire to return which just gets stronger. So my question is, should I decide to return, what happens? Should I then get rebaptised after a few months To make sure I'm serious about it time? Or can I even be forgiven at this point, I ask that because Hebrews 6:4-6 hints that that may no longer be possible. Thank you for reading, I'll probably have a lot more questions over the next few days and I'll be sure to read and respond to those as soon as I can!

PS: what are those gifts from the spirit Christians are supposed to receive upon baptism I've been hearing about? Would these be lost if one left the faith? Could they be restored if so? Does the Bible even mention the these?

 

[redleghunter]

So basically I was raised Christian, fell out pretty quickly when I turned 12, got baptized when I was 13 and remained Christian for around two weeks and have had brief moments of faith ever since. I've recently become interested in the faith again, it's like every time I fall out I get a stronger and stronger drawing to the faith, like a moth a flame, or a strong desire to return which just gets stronger. So my question is, should I decide to return, what happens? Should I then get rebaptised after a few months To make sure I'm serious about it time? Or can I even be forgiven at this point, I ask that because Hebrews 6:4-6 hints that that may no longer be possible. Thank you for reading, I'll probably have a lot more questions over the next few days and I'll be sure to read and respond to those as soon as I can!

PS: what are those gifts from the spirit Christians are supposed to receive upon baptism I've been hearing about? Would these be lost if one left the faith? Could they be restored if so? Does the Bible even mention the these?

The best advice I can give is to have a nice sit down with a pastor.

You'll get plenty of advice here but most of it will send you back to square one. You have some very deep questions a trained pastor is best to walk you through.

Hope this helps and I will pray for you.

God Bless.

 

[Tranquility999]

The best advice I can give is to have a nice sit down with a pastor.

You'll get plenty of advice here but most of it will send you back to square one. You have some very deep questions a trained pastor is best to walk you through.

Hope this helps and I will pray for you.

God Bless.

Thanks for the advice, hopefully I'll get some good answers here but I will probably do that as well!

 

[PapaZoom]

The best advice I can give is to have a nice sit down with a pastor.

You'll get plenty of advice here but most of it will send you back to square one. You have some very deep questions a trained pastor is best to walk you through.

Hope this helps and I will pray for you.

God Bless.

Good advice. This is not the place (IMO) for advice of this kind. You need to connect with a person face to face and get some mentoring. A pastor is a great place to start.

 

[Tranquility999]

Good advice. This is not the place (IMO) for advice of this kind. You need to connect with a person face to face and get some mentoring. A pastor is a great place to start.

Thank you!

 

[redleghunter]

Thanks for the advice, hopefully I'll get some good answers here but I will probably do that as well!

You might want to consider having a conversation with a chaplain here at CF.

Here's the link.


http://www.christianforums.com/forums/ask-a-chaplain.792/

 

[ToBeLoved]

So basically I was raised Christian, fell out pretty quickly when I turned 12, got baptized when I was 13 and remained Christian for around two weeks and have had brief moments of faith ever since. I've recently become interested in the faith again, it's like every time I fall out I get a stronger and stronger drawing to the faith, like a moth a flame, or a strong desire to return which just gets stronger. So my question is, should I decide to return, what happens? Should I then get rebaptised after a few months To make sure I'm serious about it time? Or can I even be forgiven at this point, I ask that because Hebrews 6:4-6 hints that that may no longer be possible. Thank you for reading, I'll probably have a lot more questions over the next few days and I'll be sure to read and respond to those as soon as I can!

PS: what are those gifts from the spirit Christians are supposed to receive upon baptism I've been hearing about? Would these be lost if one left the faith? Could they be restored if so? Does the Bible even mention the these?

Remember that Hebrews was written to the Old Testament Hebrews. I think that this has something to do with the Pharisee's in Matthew 23 who saw the miracles Jesus did and attributed them to Satan.

This is not a run of the mill sin verse, this is a specific situation when Jesus was alive.

But talk with the CF Chaplin,.

 

[ViaCrucis]

So basically I was raised Christian, fell out pretty quickly when I turned 12, got baptized when I was 13 and remained Christian for around two weeks and have had brief moments of faith ever since. I've recently become interested in the faith again, it's like every time I fall out I get a stronger and stronger drawing to the faith, like a moth a flame, or a strong desire to return which just gets stronger. So my question is, should I decide to return, what happens? Should I then get rebaptised after a few months To make sure I'm serious about it time? Or can I even be forgiven at this point, I ask that because Hebrews 6:4-6 hints that that may no longer be possible. Thank you for reading, I'll probably have a lot more questions over the next few days and I'll be sure to read and respond to those as soon as I can!

PS: what are those gifts from the spirit Christians are supposed to receive upon baptism I've been hearing about? Would these be lost if one left the faith? Could they be restored if so? Does the Bible even mention the these?

In a traditional Christian understanding once baptized, always baptized. There is no such thing as "re-baptism". Returning to the faith simply means repentance and returning to the faith. And by repentance I don't mean that merely because you'd be someone coming back; repentance is simply part of the Christian life. For Lutherans (as just one example) we are called to regular, daily repentance, constant repentance--that we might regularly remind ourselves of our baptism, and look toward our hope and faith in Christ to continue to refresh us.

The principal gift of Baptism is the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)--and since Baptism is irrevocable then the gift of God is irrevocable. Scripture does speak of various gifts of the Spirit, these are various callings, ministries, or things which the Spirit gives the Church for the good of the Church--such as preaching, the pastorate, teaching, etc. There's also tongues, but that's an entirely different and also highly contentious discussion in Christian circles both concerning what the gift of tongues (also called glossolalia) even is, let alone whether this particular gift is still for the Church today. More important here is God's solemn gift of Himself, the offering of God in Christ by His death and resurrection which is for you in the Gospel, which by your baptism you were united to Him by grace, and have the Holy Spirit alive in you creating faith in you, calling you to repentance, and who reminds you that you belong to Christ, and that if you are Christ's you are God's own beloved child. That's the chief and most important gift: the gracious gift of God's own self, to you, to save you and bring you through life, death, and judgment into the eternal life of the world to come.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Sketcher]

You can absolutely come back. But remember, part of it is a commitment for life to walk with Jesus. It's not something you just do to hedge your bets in case it's true.

 

[crossnote]

So basically I was raised Christian, fell out pretty quickly when I turned 12, got baptized when I was 13 and remained Christian for around two weeks and have had brief moments of faith ever since. I've recently become interested in the faith again, it's like every time I fall out I get a stronger and stronger drawing to the faith, like a moth a flame, or a strong desire to return which just gets stronger. So my question is, should I decide to return, what happens? Should I then get rebaptised after a few months To make sure I'm serious about it time? Or can I even be forgiven at this point, I ask that because Hebrews 6:4-6 hints that that may no longer be possible. Thank you for reading, I'll probably have a lot more questions over the next few days and I'll be sure to read and respond to those as soon as I can!

PS: what are those gifts from the spirit Christians are supposed to receive upon baptism I've been hearing about? Would these be lost if one left the faith? Could they be restored if so? Does the Bible even mention the these?

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Mat 18:21-22)

If the Lord expects us His children to forgive each other innumerably how much more will our Heavenly Father forgive us? If you have been born again, God does not abort His children, neither do we get born-unborn-born-unborn ad infinitum ad nauseum.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10)

As far as losing gifts (including eternal life)...

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
(Rom 11:29)

He may take you out of service temporarily, but will always restore the repentant soul.

 

[aiki]

So basically I was raised Christian, fell out pretty quickly when I turned 12, got baptized when I was 13 and remained Christian for around two weeks and have had brief moments of faith ever since.

So, what do you think "being a Christian" means, exactly? What you describe here is not characteristic of a genuine disciple of Christ.

I've recently become interested in the faith again

What about the faith interests you?

So my question is, should I decide to return, what happens?

To what do you think you are returning? Depending upon your answer, what you should expect may vary widely.

Should I then get rebaptised after a few months To make sure I'm serious about it time?

Baptism doesn't make you "serious" about being a disciple of Christ; it is symbolic of the fact that you already are serious. Baptism is also the means by which you outwardly identify with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection (see Romans 6:1-11). Being baptized is not how you become a Christian, though it is an important act of obedience that every new disciple of Christ ought to perform.

Or can I even be forgiven at this point, I ask that because Hebrews 6:4-6 hints that that may no longer be possible.

If you had "fallen away" in the sense Hebrews 6:4-6 intends, you would not now be considering a return to following Jesus. Those who have truly "fallen away" have no interest whatever in knowing Christ or submitting themselves to God.

PS: what are those gifts from the spirit Christians are supposed to receive upon baptism I've been hearing about?

Baptism does not obtain for you gifts from God. At the moment of your conversion, God imparts to you a particular spiritual gifting that you are to use to the benefit of the Church, the Body of Christ, of which every genuine disciple of Christ is a member. Tongues is the least of all the gifts and is, I believe, no longer imparted to believers. The other sensational "gifts" with which some branches of "Christianity" have become obsessed are not something about which you need be concerned. Seek instead to be manifesting the fruit of God's Spirit in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, self-control. These are the greater gifts God imparts to us.

Selah.

 

[VanillaSunflowers]

I think when you feel a calling to return to the path Jesus carved upon this planet that it should tell you, Jesus has never forgotten your name. He's asking you to come home again where no one can pluck you out of his hand. You can leap out of his hand thinking you're done with Christianity, but that's just an identity label attached to something far more than just a faith name. It is an innate relationship people of Christ have with the knowledge of the truth of our creator,His deliverer, His messenger to the world.
And only those who's heart and mind are open to the resonance, the harmony of the truth of God within Christ, (truth of God in Christ), hear the call to seek what compels them to look for something beyond this flesh. This world and all its promises, and luxuries, and even pitfalls.
Those who aren't familiar with that compelling voice, feeling, whatever communication God uses to reach those whom he knows will answer, call it delusion and all manner of names including, irrationality. Because, they say, there is no such thing as God.

What a heartbreaking tragedy that is. To live as if there is no thing greater than self that loves you.

But you don't have that problem. You've walked in your own way, toward your own beliefs, thinking to leave Christ and all that comes with him behind.
But an omniscient Father would have known that would happen. Just like in human families, kids are raised in the ideas their parents have for right behavior and with guidance toward a future the parents foresee as positive for their precious child. And yet when that child grows older they start to feel that flow of self-knowledge that often times seems to supersede their parents understanding. And they go off on their own and explore where their own emotions and decisions will take them.

It is a growing process. Yours is no different in matters of going off on your own and leaving the Father. But really, being he's eternal and everywhere all the time, you can't go anywhere where God does not exist.

Is it possible to return? My dear, God knew you before you were in your mothers womb. He's calling you back with all that you feel now so yes, he's telling you, it is possible to return. You can't leave an omnipresent Father. (hugs you) God give you insight.

 

[Trichakra]

The best advice I can give is to have a nice sit down with a pastor.

You'll get plenty of advice here but most of it will send you back to square one. You have some very deep questions a trained pastor is best to walk you through.

Hope this helps and I will pray for you.

God Bless.

Good advice.