For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. Hebrews 6:4-6
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Luke 12:10
These are some of the most controversial scriptures in the New Testament. And it is my personal opinion they are related. There are many scholars on either side of the fence on this one. One side says that a person who ‘falls away’ never really was a Christian, and the other side says that one can actually fall away and decide to blaspheme the Holy Spirit’s work in their own lives.
I tend to ponder and ask questions when I come up on scriptures like these. Did the angels who fell with ‘the Satan’— were they always bad? Does God ‘lock us’ in and take away our will and choice when we make the decision to ‘follow Him’? At what point does our ‘will’ and choices never matter anymore? Can we still deny the Holy Spirit within us — even though He is there whispering in our minds and souls? Can we still tell Him “No!”? At what point is our salvation assured.. really? Those ARE worthy questions to think about. What exactly is the status of my relationship with Him? Would He still call me His friend… right now? Am I still having conversations with Him? Am I still listening to His Voice? Am I still seeking Him out — in the situations of my life currently?
So many scholars want to tamp down the fears of Christians over this issue …when I see the ‘fear of God’ as just the ‘beginning of wisdom’. This is a thorny issue to consider. I think of Peter the night before the crucifixion denying Jesus three times. Peter even began to swear and curse at that time just before the rooster crowed. (Mark 14:71) Yet…. Peter still became the apostle of the Lord and suffered and died for Jesus.
The devotional on becoming ‘locked in’ in our thinking — where we are so certain of our ‘pride’ and ‘right thinking’ that goes totally against the Truth within the scriptures and God’s laws, can have God sending that ‘strong delusion’ to people needs to also be considered in our questioning. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12) Where exactly do we stand before Him, right now, this present moment? What is His interpretation of the parable of the ten virgins? (Matthew 25) I think the warning Jesus gave at the end of that parable is appropriate to ponder deeply.. especially in today’s times.
What most people are thinking about when they face these questions …are the fears of ‘unresolved and hidden sin’ in their lives. This is where the relationship with the Holy Spirit is SO vitally important. He is the One to convict our hearts of sin that needs to be dealt with that is deep within our souls. It is our willingness to listen to Him to resolve those issues, and the process will require real repentance. If you are actually seeking real repentance … then I believe there is still ‘hope’ for you to restore the relationship with Him. But you must be honest with Him and yourself. There is no lying with God, you may be able to deceive yourself but you won’t deceive God. Have you asked the Holy Spirit if there are things you need to deal with — deep within your soul? These are the helpful questions to ask yourself and the Holy Spirit. Don’t become so prideful in your thinking and lifestyle that you firmly refuse to repent, or refuse to listen to His Voice in your mind and soul. That’s a very dangerous place to be in.
I don’t think the situation of ‘salvation’ is as binary and simple as we think it is. What do I mean by that? I think relationship in general is a much more complex thing than we think it is. I think it is also multi-dimensional, and has aspects far beyond what we actually understand. I think our spiritual ‘new birth’ is also a precious thing and isn’t as cemented as we think it is — but more like our lives which require growth, maturity, and wisdom over time. Relationships grow in intimacy and familiarity over time. They can get deeper and closer or go the other way depending on the attitudes and choices of the individuals. So our relationship with the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are also dynamic and moving in a direction .. of our personal choosing.
What are you choosing today?
1 thought on “Important Questions. Difficult Scriptures.”
This is an important question to consider simply because it begins to expose where we are living independent of or fully submitted to Holy Spirit. Have we gone on autopilot, or are we continuously looking towards Jesus, allowing Holy Spirit to deal with us in deep levels. These questions really are necessary to keep us conscious of His presence in our lives so that we stay on the narrow pathway that leads to life.