DEVOTION – DAY 199

Hebrews 6:4-6 “Warning Against Falling Away”

 

Heb.6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss, they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.

 

The Bible promises eternal salvation to those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Although God’s promise of salvation is eternally secure for genuine believers, Heb.6:4-6 gives us a warning as follows: 1) It is possible for false “Christians” to lose their salvation 2) The writer of Hebrews wanted to warn immature Christians that they should progress in spiritual maturity or they will face God’s discipline or judgment 3) It is a warning for those Christians who commit apostacy – the act of turning their backs on Christianity.

 

We know someone who was born into a Christian family. He considered himself to be a Christian because he had always followed his parents to church as he was growing up. But, he had never made a personal commitment to follow the Lord Jesus or to submit to His lordship in his life. He had simply lived by the borrowed faith of his parents. When he left home to live on his own, he stopped going to church and today, he lives as an unbeliever.

 

We know someone who was invited to a gospel service. There was an altar call after the message and she felt pressured by those who invited her to go up to the altar to be prayed over and receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. After the service, looking back, she felt uncomfortable about what she had done. She declined all invitations to go to church and she continued to live as a free thinker.

 

We know someone who was a Christian. However, he fell in love with a woman from another faith. In order to marry her, he converted to her faith. Today, he and has family belongs to a faith that is not Christian. We also know a man who converted to Christianity in order to marry his Christian girlfriend. But once he married her, he dropped all pretense and returned back to worshipping his own religion.

 

All these people are examples of people that Heb.6:4-6 warn about the possibility of losing a person’s salvation. Their faith may not be genuine and they may be judged by the Lord one day that despite having one foot in Christianity, they had turned their backs to the Lord Jesus.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, help us to remain faithful to you always. May we never be distracted by things of this world that may draw us away from you. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. Can you recall you came to become a Christian? What prompted your decision? Share.
  2. What are some reasons why people turn their backs on the Lord Jesus? Discuss.
  3. For those who leave their Christian faith for other religions, what will be the consequence of their actions?
  4. How can you help ascertain of your own children have the saving faith in the Lord Jesus? Discuss.