Impossible Renewal

For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,  and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,  and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. Hebrews 6:4-6

This scripture is a picture of apostasy; the withdrawal from faith and trust in God. In my opinion, it is more likely someone who has pretended to be someone they are not, and may have even been used by God in the process. The person then turns rebelling and revolting against God, who they previously declared and served. I don’t believe that this is a picture of someone who has backsliden in their faith.

I know that I have been someone who has questioned my faith. I walked away from God twice in my life. Even though I walked away, I knew that God was still God. I never questioned that God was God. I just did not know what to do with my own feelings and emotions. The first time I walked away was as a teenager. I didn’t know what to do with the hypocrisy that I saw in the church. The second time I walked away was after the death of my father. Again I didn’t know that to do with how I was feeling. I didn’t know what to make of the faith movement when I clearly believed and yet my dad still died of cancer. I was mad at God and felt like my prayers were not enough, my faith was not enough.

I didn’t have anyone who reached out to me to help me work through those thoughts and feelings. I believe it is still a disservice that the church does, not pursuing actively those who walk away, more than just a few follow-ups. I feel like it someone had sat down and talked me though how I was feeling, that my journey away from God would have been much shorter. Instead, I was left waiting on a God I believed in but didn’t really know to help bring me to an understanding or at least to a point in my life where I knew He was my only answer.

God was faithful both times I walked away. I was not an apostate. I knew my walking away was wrong. Looking back, I think I walked away more from organized religion than God. The end result was the same, but even when I was mad at Him, I still knew He loved me and held the healing to my wounded heart and confused thoughts. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that I needed God or that I needed to get back into fellowship with other believers, my heart knew it. There is a part of me that wanted someone to do that though, to really walk with me though those tough spots.

An apostate to me, will seek more validation from man than from God. They don’t want to hear what God has to say because they were never interested in Him to begin with. They were putting on a show for man and using God’s name to build their name. Any glory given to God was not intentional, but for show.

So when the passage uses the word impossible in this passage it is Strong’s G102 – adynatos ‘what the law could not do.’ The law can not sacrifice Christ again. So when someone goes through the motions, pretending to be a Christian when they know they are not. When they experience the power of God in and through their life, heard God’s Word, felt His Spirit and yet fall away, how can the law sacrifice Christ again? It can not, it is impossible. I think it is religion at it’s worst. I don’t know who said it to give credit but “it is professing faith, but never possessing it.”

Jesus warned of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. We have to know the Shepherd and hear His voice, because He knows His sheep. He knows when there is a deceiver planted by the enemy around us. If we are questioning if we are an apostate, probably we are not. I believe they know who they really are. If we are not taking time to ask God, but are asking others , we have to stop and look at where our faith is.

Prayer – Lord, thank you for drawing me back to You. I pray for those who are pretending in their faith. Lord, I pray that the blinders would be removed before it is too late for them.