What's new
By:
Filters
Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

A Christian who backslid

Falling away = still believing in Christ, but persisting in sin (not repenting, not confessing, thinking that they are in the right position before God though they keep sinning)
 
Nordica said:
Falling away = still believing in Christ, but persisting in sin (not repenting, not confessing, thinking that they are in the right position before God though they keep sinning)
Click to expand...
The problem I see with this is it makes being in Christ conditional on your works. I suggest unconfessed, habitual sin cuts you off from Christ when, and only when, that sin is the result of not believing in Christ anymore.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
The problem I see with this is it makes being in Christ conditional on your works. I suggest unconfessed, habitual sin cuts you off from Christ when, and only when, that sin is the result of not believing in Christ anymore.
Click to expand...

Hmm, let me bring you one situation. We had a guy in a leadership team who slept with a girl and she got pregnant. This guy repented, but he doesn't take responsibility for the girl and the child, finds excuses to not get married... But this is the obvious thing for everybody that he should get married now the child is in the picture. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, as it is said in Matt. 3:8
The guy doesn't listen to the pastor, my husband or me, but still posts on FB every day quotes from the Bible, though it is obvious for everybody that he started to fall away :sad
 
Nordica said:
Hmm, let me bring you one situation. We had a guy in a leadership team who slept with a girl and she got pregnant. This guy repented, but he doesn't take responsibility for the girl and the child, finds excuses to not get married... But this is the obvious thing for everybody that he should get married now the child is in the picture. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, as it is said in Matt. 3:8
The guy doesn't listen to the pastor, my husband or me, but still posts on FB every day quotes from the Bible, though it is obvious for everybody that he started to fall away :sad
Click to expand...
I suggest to you that he has probably already fallen away from faith in Christ, not just fell away from obedience to Christ. Not because he sinned, but because he's demonstrating a 'I don't care' attitude about the forgiveness of Christ after the fact. If he persists in this attitude, as evidenced by his continued defiance, that is when we will KNOW for a fact that he has fallen away. But the falling away itself has prolly already happened. God knows when he's beyond hope of recovery.
 
Nordica said:
Hmm, let me bring you one situation. We had a guy in a leadership team who slept with a girl and she got pregnant. This guy repented, but he doesn't take responsibility for the girl and the child, finds excuses to not get married... But this is the obvious thing for everybody that he should get married now the child is in the picture. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, as it is said in Matt. 3:8
The guy doesn't listen to the pastor, my husband or me, but still posts on FB every day quotes from the Bible, though it is obvious for everybody that he started to fall away :sad
Click to expand...
What are his true reasons for his actions? Not the reasons everyone thinks they are, and maybe not the ones he says they are in order to try to satisfy or calm those who are judging him. What are the true reasons in his heart? That is what God will look at. I can think of a number of reasons he and his girlfriend both may be doing what they are doing. Maybe they aren't "right" reasons, but I'll bet they believe they are right, or they wouldn't be doing them.

Is this truly the kind of "falling away" that will mean he or she spend eternity in hell over it? If so, I'm afraid I too am condemned to hell and the blood of Christ is useless. You see, I've also done things that some other Christians feel are sinful. But because I don't see it the same way I haven't changed my ways just to satisfy the other Christians. Even though I believe I am right, they do not, so this would mean Christ is powerless to save me and I will spend eternity in hell. I hope this isn't true.
 
Scripturally, I see 'falling away' as a change of mind about trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and hence a loss of God's acceptance of you on that basis. But falling away includes a subtler form of that abandonment of trust in Christ as seen in a contempt for the forgiveness of God they have received in Christ. Those who cherish and rely on Christ's forgiveness don't treat it like garbage thinking they can take it or leave it. That's a form of mistrust and unbelief in that forgiveness.
 
Obadiah said:
What are his true reasons for his actions? Not the reasons everyone thinks they are, and maybe not the ones he says they are in order to try to satisfy or calm those who are judging him. What are the true reasons in his heart? That is what God will look at. I can think of a number of reasons he and his girlfriend both may be doing what they are doing. Maybe they aren't "right" reasons, but I'll bet they believe they are right, or they wouldn't be doing them.

Is this truly the kind of "falling away" that will mean he or she spend eternity in hell over it? If so, I'm afraid I too am condemned to hell and the blood of Christ is useless. You see, I've also done things that some other Christians feel are sinful. But because I don't see it the same way I haven't changed my ways just to satisfy the other Christians. Even though I believe I am right, they do not, so this would mean Christ is powerless to save me and I will spend eternity in hell. I hope this isn't true.
Click to expand...
what if it wasn't his child? what if he did take care of the child but didn't see the reason to marry the girl. having sex with a girl and making a child isn't a good reason to marry. what if you lusted for her and cant see her as your wife?
 
Nordica said:
We had a guy in a leadership team who slept with a girl and she got pregnant. This guy repented, but he doesn't take responsibility for the girl and the child, finds excuses to not get married...
Click to expand...
What of the girl has she repented? I assume she has.
Do you think it would be good for her if he married her now, not wanting to? Would it be good for her to live with a man who will despise her. Will it be good for the child to see this attitude between his/her parents? What picture of marriage will the child have?
As mere men, none of you know what the Lord has in store for either of them. So pray that the Lord's will be done, rather than determining what that is.
It could be the Lord has a plan to bring this young man around to where is his heart is ready to be a husband and father. It obviously isn't ready now. Time, patience, and prayer. Nagging of men does not change hearts. Love does wonders.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
Scripturally, I see 'falling away' as a change of mind about trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and hence a loss of God's acceptance of you on that basis. But falling away includes a subtler form of that abandonment of trust in Christ as seen in a contempt for the forgiveness of God they have received in Christ. Those who cherish and rely on Christ's forgiveness don't treat it like garbage thinking they can take it or leave it. That's a form of mistrust and unbelief in that forgiveness.
Click to expand...
Which it does not sound like that is the attitude of the young man mentioned. It sounds to me like because he doesn't want to marry the girl who sinned with him, you all have decided he is not trusting that God has forgiven him for his sin. :confused2 What makes you think that God wants this girl subject to Leah's pain?
 
Obadiah said:
What are his true reasons for his actions? Not the reasons everyone thinks they are, and maybe not the ones he says they are in order to try to satisfy or calm those who are judging him. What are the true reasons in his heart? That is what God will look at. I can think of a number of reasons he and his girlfriend both may be doing what they are doing. Maybe they aren't "right" reasons, but I'll bet they believe they are right, or they wouldn't be doing them.
Is this truly the kind of "falling away" that will mean he or she spend eternity in hell over it? If so, I'm afraid I too am condemned to hell and the blood of Christ is useless. You see, I've also done things that some other Christians feel are sinful. But because I don't see it the same way I haven't changed my ways just to satisfy the other Christians. Even though I believe I am right, they do not, so this would mean Christ is powerless to save me and I will spend eternity in hell. I hope this isn't true.
Click to expand...

Well, I am not sure about US Christians, but in my culture (and in this guy's culture), people get married (even unbelievers) if they expect a child together. He was a leader, and leaders should always set example, and leaders always have more responsibility before God.
I am not in the power to decide who will be in hell and who won't; but this guy broke the girl's heart, sent her away and let her deal with everything on her own... :sad He hurt her, his future child, her parents, his parents, pastor, me, my husband, her and his friends, making the future of the fellowship questionable as young people saw a strong leader in him, and now they are heartbroken and shattered. So, sin creates mess.... And I doubt that God is happy with the fact that this guy does little to make things right. This is a very dangerous situation. If we look at David, for example, he repented, tried to make things right, but still he reaped big consequences for his sin.
 
Nordica said:
Well, I am not sure about US Christians, but in my culture (and in this guy's culture), people get married (even unbelievers) if they expect a child together. He was a leader, and leaders should always set example, and leaders always have more responsibility before God.
I am not in the power to decide who will be in hell and who won't; but this guy broke the girl's heart, sent her away and let her deal with everything on her own... :sad He hurt her, his future child, her parents, his parents, pastor, me, my husband, her and his friends, making the future of the fellowship questionable as young people saw a strong leader in him, and now they are heartbroken and shattered. So, sin creates mess.... And I doubt that God is happy with the fact that this guy does little to make things right. This is a very dangerous situation. If we look at David, for example, he repented, tried to make things right, but still he reaped big consequences for his sin.
Click to expand...
This illustrates well why Jesus tells us it's how 'brothers' respond to correction that determines if we are to regard them as a brother, or not.
 
Deborah13 said:
Which it does not sound like that is the attitude of the young man mentioned. It sounds to me like because he doesn't want to marry the girl who sinned with him, you all have decided he is not trusting that God has forgiven him for his sin. :confused2 What makes you think that God wants this girl subject to Leah's pain?
Click to expand...
I was afraid this would be a problem.
I purposely left all the 'what if's' out of my first post to avoid mass confusion about this subject. For simplicity sake I'm going on the pure and simple fact that Nordica is describing him as not sorry for his sin. Whether that's actually true or not, we have no idea. But for argument sake about this subject let's assume he is not sorry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top