For it is impossible for those who were
once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, 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.
Hebrews 6:4-6
Men and women can and often do fall away and return to the habits that they previously were led into deception. When those who have fallen away notice that they have fallen away often deceive themselves into thinking that changes, even small changes will fix the problem. Furthermore, they believe that those changes no matter how small makes them Christian. People who are attempting fix their problems, or habits, that are leading them into old habits go to great lengths to fix the problem. How? The find a "church" that they can feel something happening, something that is spectacular, those things that make people feel godly. The preacher speaks of wonderful things that are happening around the world, healing, even the raising of the dead, all without facts, rather simple anecdotes, but they sound good, something a person wants, as if this is Christianity at work. They become involved in such doctrines that have a "ring" of truth and do things, as some have done at the Bethel School of the Supernatural: i.e., running through tunnels of fire, laying on tombstone to receive some power from the dead, going about attempting to pray for strangers, to bring to them some hope, albeit hope that is not true hope (they do no care as it makes them feel as though they are fixing the problem), so goes the one looking for a way to feel as though they are now Christian and acceptable to God. These seekers are of those who have tasted the truth, come to know something about the Holy Spirit, have come to know about the gift of God, that is Jesus Christ the Savior, and have some knowledge about the power of God only to fall away. In what way have they fallen away? By following doctrines that are not of God, only man-made doctrines that teach practices that are not of God for God never gave to us those practices. They fall away into means that make them feel self-satisfied, to feel godly, only to become cultural by false sense of the truth. Over and over they crucify Jesus Christ never coming to the truth to the standards God set forth for His children.
The opening Scripture is so often misused, misunderstood and teaches that a person can loose their salvation. This is not what God inspired the writer to write for this must be taken in context (as with all Scripture) and what is being said is that those who continue to crucify Jesus Christ will not come to repentance. People who are attempting to fix their problem are more like Esau who with tears and a desire for the inheritance would not come to repentance. Those tears were false tears, Esau wanted what he wanted not what God desired for him. Peter wrote to give us a hope: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2Peter 3:9). Jesus gave us this: "Now after that John was put to prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). What is to be believed? The Gospel, not some man-made gospel, not some man-made doctrine, only the Gospel. What is the Gospel? It is Jesus Christ come to pay your debt of sin, the debt of death that came upon the earth by the first pair sinning against God. Repentance is not recognizing our faults, our habits that are not of God, no, repentance is knowing that we cannot do anything about our problem of sin outside of God, and that we have sinned against a Holy God, and we fall to our knees asking God to forgive us and then with this repentance we return to the truth of God that by His goodness we were led to repentance but if our heart remain hard only accepting what a man/woman has said and not examining what is taught by the pure word of God then you will be stored up to face the wrath of God: "...or despised thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longs suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up into thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:4-5). Here is the crux of the matter: "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2Corinthians 2:9-10).
Authentic Faith demands much of us inasmuch as that demand stands in contradiction to the world. To allow things of this world to enter into your Church is to stand in contradiction to God. What things? Women as preachers, homosexuals allowed to be leaders, allowing same-sex marriage, to allow or excuse abortion, to accept those who abuse our laws: i.e., smoking or taking unlicensed (there is a form of this drug that can be prescribed by doctors) marijuana, or other illegal drugs. This is what the world believes is good. This is not what God sees as good. The world believes that this is right goals. Wilberforce wrote: "The path they are now pursuing is not the one made possible by the work of Christ and will not lead them to the life they are desiring nor the peace for which the crave" (William Wilberforce: Real Christianity: Regal publishers, 1797).
What path are you on? The one that leads to true repentance, or the one that makes you feel good?
They that forsake the law praise the wicked:
but such as keep the law contend with them.
Evil men understand not judgment: but they
that seek the LORD understand all things.
Proverbs 28:4-5
God's road is narrow but safe
Richard L. Crumb
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