Thoughts From Hebrews 6

 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 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.   Hebrews 6:4-6

             Deconversion stories have been around for a while. In the New Testament you have Judas and Demas (2 Tim. 4:10), but lately, because of social media we are able to view them in real time. Chuck Templeton, a young evangelist that was Billy Graham's side kick and cofounder of Youth For Christ is a pre-internet famous deconversion. Billy Graham’s shadow: Chuck Templeton and the crisis of American religion – Friends of Justice In fact, one of Lee Strobel's "Case for..." books was dedicated to and aimed at bringing him back to the faith which was unsuccessful.

          Bob Dylan, B.J.Thomas, Marty sampson, KMax, Gungor, Vicky Beeching, Jennifer Knapp, and that is just in the Christian Music world. My dad started a florishing church in the Milwaukee suburbs with a man who later left his wife and family and told my dad, "John, I can't believe how many years of my life I wasted doing this Jesus thing." Have you ever known a deconversion story that turned into a reconversion story? I've never heard of one. I wonder if that is what this passage is talking about? Was the author warning these new converts to Christianity not to deconvert to works based religion at the risk of losing their salvation?

     I recently heard a message by a pastor in Knoxville who said that he doesn't believe a person can lose their salvation but he believes a person can give up their salvation. In other words if a person says "I no longer want to be a Christian", God releases him of his vows. I've always believed a person can't lose their salvation because of the overwhelming verses supporting this plus the fact that it leads to works based salvation. However, you can't deny that there are a number of verses that people who believe you can lose your salvation can use to support their position. I wonder if the view that you can't lose it but you can willingly give it away is the correct view? This passage would certainly support this.

         If the latter view is true there are several conclusions

           1. You can't come back because Christ can't die for your sins a second time. Therefore if someone reconverts you have to argue that they were never saved the first time. This allows us to go after the defectors begging them to come back knowing it might still be possible

          2. This would solidify the view that you can't lose your salvation. My Church of God friends who believe this have youth conventions where hundreds of kids get saved every year. This is because in the past year they have committed many sins and have lost their salvation and need to be re-saved. If these verses in Hebrews 6 are true, then their reconversion is impossible.

        So what is the takeaway? Get to know Jesus and His Word better and better. Study the objections to the faith and find answers so you will be intellectually convinced. Flee from areas of temptation. Work out your salvation falling deeper in love with Jesus so that you will answer like Peter in John 6:68 "Lord to whom else would we go?"