Are You Falling Away?
Whenever I hear the “news” of someone falling away from Christianity, I felt saddened. Saddened, distressed, and filled with some disappointment. This is especially true when I get to know more and more about Christianity, and the character of this God that we are dealing with. When I hear “falling away”, the book of Hebrews quickly rings in my head. Especially what has been written in Hebrews 6:4-6 – those who have already tasted the heavenly gift and be partakers of the Holy Spirit, if they turn their back against God, there is no more restoration and forgiveness. It is the consuming-fire God that we are going to face on the Judgement Day, and it is like crucifying Jesus again if we deny what we have also received and experienced…
It is even more saddened when it is closer to home. A while ago, maybe 5 or 6 years ago, I would tell other people that my father is a Christian. However, I am not that certain now – or at least I will not say that he is an evangelical Christian. Too liberal I’ll say – to a point that some other people might define it as “falling away”. My heart hurts and my conscience denies when I realise that my father might not be a Christian… It is not that my father has changed over the past few years, but instead my understanding of fundamental Christianity changes as my knowledge of the Bible matures. According to my dad, he used to be very active in the church and youth group when he was in high school and university. He even told me that he was considering going to the theological college in Taiwan, but changed to do medicine because of the family objection. But what made the change? I am truly not sure. Maybe it is my mum, who is not a Christian (but my grandma on my mother’s side has been a faithful Christian, and that has always been encouraging). Who else knows but God?! From what I have remembered, he has never had a zeal for the gospel. He might be able to memorise and quote a few verses, and he might be the one who brought me to church in the first place (and I felt very thankful for that), but until now I still feel saddened to see how my dad has fallen away from what he has used to believe. And from my own experience it has been very hard to help the fallen Christians to get back to have right relationship with God again. I should trust God who is sovereign, but at the same time, maybe it is really like what Hebrews 6:4 has said, that it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened…
But the real reason for me to write this blog entry is that someone I know in church has shown the sign of falling away. Bible is no longer convincing, and “faith” does not find its definition in that person’s dictionary. You can see that person’s struggle from the priorities of her life, and Jesus has fallen in popularity in that person’s heart. It saddens me. Really really depresses me. I don’t know how to minister this person to stop this sliding slope, but to God I prayed that no one will be snatched away from His hand.
And I also need to constantly remind myself about my own relationship with God, and trust him that he will help us to last ’til the end. It is time to lift up my drooping hand and strengthen my weak knee, and make straight path to the end…
Updated on 24 June 2003 at 5:30pm: Coming back to what I have written yesterday, and I am still seeking solution to a disturbed mind. Real life examples have been entangling my mind to think the way the Bible wants me to think. Even though you might be active in the church and fellowship group when you are at the university, how can you be sure that you will be as faithful 30 years down the road? And you might be doing FOCUS Team, leading a Bible study group, coming to church half an hour early, following up each each individual new comers – will you still have the same kind of zeal when you are 40 or 50 years old? My dad is an example. Talking to Ian Cordery, a faithful Christian coming to IUC, who is retired from teaching at uni, and he has a few similar stories that he has experienced in his walk with God. Can you be sure? Unfortunately, the reality bites. The correct answer is no. You cannot be sure whether you can still be God’s faithful servant in 20 or 30 years. You cannot even be sure whether you will still follow Jesus as your lord and saviour, from the examples of possibly millions of Christians falling away…
And I guess that is what we have expected anyway. A saved sinner is still a sinner, and a sinner will not seek God by his/her own will. By our own effort we can never make ourself right with God. We can’t even build the first step of the relationship with God, why then should we expect that we can maintain it?
And only in Jesus we can stand – there is simply no other way. Trust in him that his blood is sufficient as a redeeming sacrifice that saves you – that might be the first step to become a Christian. But trust does not stop here, and faith should not be just on the first sight. Have faith in him that he will not only save you, but also protect you from the persecutions and preserve you from the temptations. We know that there is a high possibility that we will fall away if we are looking after ourselves, but in him, who is our lord, saviour and high priest, will carry us to the end.
Lord, please help me not to trust on my own ability to stand firm in this age, but have faith in you only. Amen.
Comments
I am a fallen Christian. I tasted the wonderfulness of God and then suddenly Satan had this trap set up for me and I fell into it. I shut the door for about 8 months now. I haven’t been able to go to church because of the guilt. I have hated what I have been doing. I am ready to get up again!! I miss the living water! I want to fight the good fight again. I think maybe this is a big lesson in my life, that maybe this will help me be more aware of Satan’s attacks. Pray for me! I need God’s strength to do this. Pray for everyone that you know that has fallen, because trust me when you know what being happy really means, you will want it back.
Its good that you realised you have fallen Rebecca, and its even better that you want to get up again! You just need to trust in God again, and ask Him to help you to get back on your feet.
I too have fallen away. I feel so confused and unmotivated about everything. I’am trying so hard to find a way back. I don’t have anyone to talk to. I feel bad that noone in our church has even called to see were we are. Please pray for me and my husband who has fallen away awhile ago.
i believe im at the forefront of understanding that scripture hebrews 6;4-6, i have a complicated story and basically was set free and felt enlightened but only days later i fell and nded up diagnosed with mental illness, i just read the proverbs 2;16-19 and in particular verse 18 ‘entering her house leads to death, it is the road to hell’, well since i fell into satans trap i have felt like death is a betta option from this life of hell. Im trying to recover and know that what is impossible for man is possible for God, but is crucifying the Lord all over again and being enlightened for the second time possible for God to do?
Hi guys,
I’m also fallen away Christian. I got saved when I was 15 but two year later i fell away. I really tasted how good God was, but two year later I got sick and somehow I started to lose my faith until i finally gave up under the pressure of a depression and went back to the world. Fifteen years later one day I remembered the wonderful miracle God chose to show me after I got saved (I was healed back then) and decided that I cannot ignore the truth and pretend nothing has happened. I can’t say that I’m now with God, and I also don’t know how the Hebrew’s verses apply in my case, but at least I have hope. I’m trying to give up all deliberate sin, in hope that God will come and show me mercy.
To all of you, i can only say one thing – remember His goodness and try to stop sinning. God has said that he’ll show himself to everyone earnestly seeking Him. Don’t forget the parable of the prodigal son too – I was told that it applies for christians too, as the son new the face of his father before he left (before being born again, sinners haven’t seen God).
Drop me a line if you need to talk!
deckland gmail com
Easy to lose faith in a world that cares little for the Word of God and where there is so little teaching and understanding of the Christian faith. And then there’s the question, which Christian faith? It’s hard to tell with over 30,000 denominations and little unity.
I say go back to the roots and learn the Early Christian Fathers and the then one Roman Catholic Church up to 1100. Please read my booket which can be found at my website or at http://lanternofchrist.freeforums.org
Hi,
Your reflection is so touching…I am in that position now, God is talkign to me everyday to wake up but is seems that is so hard for me.I love God, but since I changed city and church I am not the same anymore, every time I promisse I want sin I find myself sinning against God again and again. And when I know how much i hurt Jesus when I dont obey Him…I feel ashamed to go back and pray and talk to Him…And this is where I always loose my relationship with God.
So I dont know if there is any hope for me again…What do I miss in my life?
I, too, have fallen away badly…playing with is never to be taken lightly, because I thought that God will forgive me, He will take me back…and now, it is soooo hard to come back…so many chains, so much confusion. I wish I never did what I did…it’s too late now!!!!!!!!
Turning my back on the Lord was the stupidest thing I could ever done in my whole life…everything else doesn’t matter-if I fail school, if I get sick, if I hunger…nothing matters and nothing is more painful than knowing I am so far away from God…
Pride is what kept me far away from God, and what made me fall into great sin…I thought I am spiritual, and I will be strong…I trusted my own spiritual strenght…and now, when I want to turn back to God, pride is like a high wall in front of me…Satan was prideful and look what happened to him….
I wish God will break this wall, and make me humble so that I may seek His face…otherwise…I don’t know what else to do.
The people that find this blog find it because they are already in trouble..I wish they would find it earlier…………
I think it is important to distinguishing between ‘falling away’ and ‘stumbling’. Hebrews 6 speaks of those fallen away no longer possible to repent. I believe that if someone genuinely is repentant, and seeking God in humble, contrite submission, then they have not yet fallen away. The truly fallen away will be so spiritually dead as to never even take steps to return to God.
James 5:19-20 tells us that one who wanders from the truth can be (if they are willing) brought back, saving him from death and covering a multitude of sins.
Although Hebrew 6 is a terrifying passage, it seems to me to be a warning to those who are still willing to turn back to God to do so before they go so far that they give up forever.
As long as our hearts are convicted of sin and we recognise Jesus as the only way, we should seek Him!
I also fell away from the word of God, thank you everyone for showing me i wasnt the only one to feel the way i do. I want to thank Ryan for the scripture from James 5:19, it gives us hope that our efforts to return to the Lord are not for nothing. Lets keep striving to reach Him my brothers and sisters.
Hi Scott,
I stumbled on to your website and found it quite moving. I was pushed away at 15 from Christianity by my father who was a minister. He quenched what God was doing in my life and also my 2 brother’s lives. It was a real tragedy for sure. I have spent 20 years in the Word searching for the reason why Christians fall away and have found the answer. It is sanctification. Though we have been forgiven we must feed our spirits daily that keeps us praying in the spirit and then we also hear His voice. I am actually going to write a book on this matter because it is such a serious matter.
As I read all the comments,it saddens me to see so many people are slowly falling away.I too have done it and seen so many that once walked holy before GOD now have gone back into their old ways.2nd peter 2-20 speaks of this very thing.Their is hope though.Right now your hearts have not been so hardened that you can’t come back to GOD.But if you keep playing with sin and continue to be disobedient,then your in grave danger.Obey God whatever the cost.The bible says we will have these trials and temptations.We are commanded to overcome,persevere,endure,continue until the very end to the saving of our souls.We have not yet resisted sin to the sheding of our own blood.If it comes to that,then do it.God through Jesus and the power of the HOLY SPIRIT has given you everything you need to make it..Praise God ! !
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Playground is the personal weblog of Scott Yang, a Chinese-Australian Christian who works as a software developer in Sydney Australia.
You blog is quite a witness! I wish I had an answer to your questions, but ther are no easy answers. Most people who get into religion end up moving to theologies that are easy, explainable, and appeal to human reason. The parable of the Seed (Matthew 13) comes to mind. I cannot say what God has in store for them, but stive to hold onto pure gospel, forensic justification, and other key evangalical doctrines. I’m a life long conservative LC-MS Lutheran. When it comes to others, about all you can do is pray for them, followed by coaxing and cajoling. Faith is an individual thing as is a persons doctrine. Only God can see into a persons heart to know what they truly believe. Hang in there!