Posts Tagged ‘falling away’
The Beginning of Apostasy
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, January-March 2023 As we noticed in “Early Persecution,” the early Christians openly faced severe persecution for the cause of Christ. While many abandoned their faith in order to avoid these persecutions, there were others who remained faithful even to the point of death. Because of this, the enemies of…
Read MoreIs Peter saying that the backsliding cannot be forgiven?
Question: Greetings! I have a question concerning II Peter 2:20. Is it teaching that backsliding cannot be forgiven or is the “overcome” part speaking of someone who has completely fallen away and, in this case, they were overcome through the deception of these false teachers? Thank you! Answer: “For speaking out arrogant words of vanity…
Read MoreOn Drifting Away from the Faith
by Terry Wane Benton If we surveyed churches that declined in attendance because of COVID, we may find an alarming number of brethren who fell or are in process of drifting further away. I remember thinking a long time ago that should persecution arise in our country, and it was viewed as a crime to…
Read MoreDrifting Away
by Matthew W. Bassford Hebrews 2:1 contains one of the most sobering warnings in the entire Bible: “For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.” A couple of verses later, the writer uses a rhetorical question to make the point that…
Read MoreWould We Recognize Trends Which Point to an Apostasy?
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, March 2001 Salmagundi I have been attending churches of Christ for more than fifty years. I have been preaching the gospel for more than forty of them. I do not think it presumptuous to suggest that I know what I am talking about. The things that point to apostasy are not…
Read MoreThe Chains of the Past
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Chains-of-the-Past.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11 I. In Charles Dickens’ story “A Christmas Story,” Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his partner who is wear chains of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses. When asked what the chains meant, “I wear the chain I forged in life,” replied the…
Read MoreIs a Christian who teaches error still a brother in Christ?
Question: A big fire started after our morning services this morning! One of our members here adamantly disagreed with me when I mentioned that when a brother sins by teaching doctrinal error, he must repent, and if he refuses to repent he is “a brother in error.” Until he does repent, we are no longer…
Read MoreThe Pattern for Personal Apostasy
by Dee Bowman It seems to me that even evil follows a predictable pattern. I have seen one or two persons, on rare occasions, suddenly and unexpectedly bolt from the faith and forsake God – seemingly all in one motion. However, this has certainly been the exception and not the rule. Most people who leave…
Read MoreI feel like I’m close to leaving the faith
Question: For the past few months, I have been drifting away from God. Yesterday I actually was very close to leaving the faith. Yesterday, I was researching Matthew 24:34. I felt that this was finally a good reason to reject the Bible and live my life as an agnostic rather than as a Christian. Then…
Read MoreMy relationship with God has always been a roller coaster
Question: Hello and thank you for reading, I am a 25-year-old man. I was born in a Christian family, my father being a pastor. My relationship with God has always been a roller coaster. There have been times when my faith has been strong and my will was aligned with God’s. I would even speak…
Read MoreCan we really return after backsliding?
Question: Hello, I was reading your articles. Thank you. I will get straight to my questions: If we live life wrong after knowing the truth, can we sincerely stop and replant our seed in good ground and not be choked by the weeds again? What if we are worried that we are a tare and…
Read MoreI’ve returned to a life of sin and I feel so depressed
Question: I am a 34-year-old male. I am married and have one son. I am living abroad and alone for my work. I have been living in sexual sins and not living a holy life for many years, even before my marriage and after. My spiritual life was bad most of my life. But two…
Read MoreIs Salvation Assured?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IsSalvationAssured.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:15-25 I. During the Reformation, a man named John Calvin came up with a system of belief that has impacted a large portion of the denominational world. A. The ideas were not original with Calvin. He based his work on many that preceded him. B. What Calvin did was…
Read MoreWhy Israel Fell
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/WhyIsraelFell.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 I. The prophet Isaiah told the people that the Messiah was coming. A. He would bring righteousness to all the nations and remove the burdens of sin B. He would establish a new government, one that would last forever C. The people of Israel foolishly thought that the Messiah would…
Read MoreDrifting
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 I. J.D. Tant, a preacher in Texas back in the late 1800’s, often ended his articles with the warning, “Brethren, we are drifting.” A. Such seems to be the tendency of man. B. We forget the past and just assume that what is currently done has always been that way…
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