Hidden In Him

On 3/20/2018 at 7:57 AM, Melissa7 said:

I have always been concerned about the meaning of the above scriptures. My understanding of it is that if a person was once saved, but then later loses their faith or falls away from God, they will be unable (not allowed) to repent and come back to God.

If a person keeps falling down often, and then prays again for salvation several times over a time period, is this what is meant by "crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace?"

I recently re-dedicated my life to the Lord (again) after 15 years away. It's verses like the ones above that cause me distress; thinking that God won't accept me back.

But then, I've never felt truly "enlightened", or some of the other descriptions used. Perhaps I was never truly saved to begin with? But that doesn't make sense since I've had spiritual experiences in the past, that only could've come from the Holy Spirit.

I'm confused by these few verses. I would be grateful to anyone who could explain them in an easy-to-understand way.

Greetings, Melissa! 

I think the misunderstanding of this passage comes from the rendering of “impossible” for the Greek word Ἀδύνατον, which should more properly be translated as “unrealizable” (Liddell-Scott, P.25). The passage has to do with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and how if the "rain" of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon a believer yet produces only "thorns and thistles" (Hebrews 6:7-8), then they "crucify unto themselves the Son of God again.” In other words, they kill off the work of the Holy Spirit within themselves, which thereby makes it impossible for them to repent, for which reason they are "near to a curse." What he’s saying is that if someone quenches the Spirit of God from their life entirely then they have no power left to “realize” repentance in turning from sin. The reason is because the Holy Spirit was sent to empower us to do this. This is confirmed by verse 7, where he says that any spiritual ground that produced good fruit would receive even more blessing from God (in the form of spiritual “light” and “rain”), whereas any ground that produced only thorns and thistles would not receive any more such blessings.

In other words, he means “impossible,” not in the sense that God would never take them back, but in the sense that by quenching the Holy Spirit they extinguish the very power He provides to repent from sin and produce good fruit.

You are apparently still seeking the Holy Spirit’s empowerment in your life, so you are not someone he would have been referring to here.

Hope that encourages you.

On 3/18/2018 at 12:39 PM, MMAlex said:

17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother

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These are some controversial passages which atheists and Jehova Witnesses will turn to. How do you defend these if you believe Jesus is God and that we are saved though Grace but not works? God Bless

Greetings, Alex!

The strongest description of New Testament grace that I have ever read personally came from a Messianic Jew, and his answer was that the grace of God (including the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) is bestowed upon us so that we might be empowered to walk in obedience. Seen from this perspective, the grace of God is not in conflict with such verses. Old Testament saint or New, Jew or Gentile, He calls us all to walk in obedience to Him. But His mercy is also new every morning, should we slip. He only asks that we get up and start striving for obedience once more, and lean upon His empowerment to fulfill His will in our lives. 

As for the rich man, he was under Old Testament law as a Jew at the time, so obedience to God for him involved keeping the Jewish law. In the New Covenant, the question simply becomes how much of that law is still required of New Testament believers, Jew or Gentile. I must confess I have no idea what atheists and Jehovahs Witnesses make of Jesus' words here, but those who are distant from God place all sorts of requirements upon men that are NOT of importance to Him, while neglecting to teach them the things that truly are. This has been that pattern of religious leaders who are distant from God for millennium now (Matthew 15:9-14).