Doesn’t the prodigal son passage contradict the part in the Bible where it says that those who’ve fallen cannot be brought back? It’s confusing me.<\/p>\n\t
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame<\/em>” (Hebrews 6:4-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Satan whispers in many people’s ears, “See, God has rejected you. He doesn’t want you back.” But it is a twisting of what this passage says.<\/p>\n
Who is this verse written about?<\/strong>\u00a0It is talking about people who once had salvation but decided to throw it away for cheap, temporary, worldly thrills.<\/p>\n
Who is this verse written to?<\/strong>\u00a0Is it written to the person who fell away or to those who try to bring them back? Read it carefully. It is written to people who long for the sinner’s return. God is telling the faithful that they can’t\u00a0make<\/em>\u00a0the sinner come back. The faithful have little to offer the sinner that the sinner doesn’t already know. The faithful can remind the sinner of the truth, but they can’t tell the fallen something new that will suddenly make him realize to the depth of his soul that he needs to return. It is impossible for faithful to bring the fallen to renewal.<\/p>\n
In the story of the prodigal son, his father longed for his return. I’m sure he didn’t want him to leave and he knew his son was making a huge mistake. Yet, it wasn’t until the\u00a0son<\/em>\u00a0realized he needed to return that the son returned.<\/p>\n
When someone has never heard the truth, I can teach him and he might change his ways to follow after the Lord. But if someone already knows the truth and decides to return to sin, there isn’t something new I can teach him to make him realize the error of his ways. I can talk to him. I can encourage him. But the reality is that he must realize that he needs to come back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Doesn’t the prodigal son passage contradict the part in the Bible where it says that those who’ve fallen cannot be brought back? It’s confusing me. Answer: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[1571,50],"class_list":["post-24753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-forgiveness","tag-repentance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32087,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-a-christian-sins-is-he-no-longer-part-of-the-family-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":24753,"position":0},"title":"If a Christian sins, is he no longer part of the family of God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If a Christian struggles with sin in his life and broke a promise he couldn't keep, is he not part of the family of God anymore? Is it possible to sin to such an extent that there's no way back home -- basically you lose your salvation? Is there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53495,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-parable-of-the-prodigal-son-solely-about-gods-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":24753,"position":1},"title":"Is the Parable of the Prodigal Son solely about God’s grace?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Could you please speak on the parable of the prodigal son? I had a family member who has been in Christ's church her whole life saying that repentance has nothing to do with this parable. She focuses solely on the father's loving compassion as being the whole point of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67416,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/your-taste-buds\/","url_meta":{"origin":24753,"position":2},"title":"Your Taste Buds","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Frank Jamerson The word taste is used in many different ways. It may refer to sampling (I'll taste your dessert), preference (that house fits my taste), ability to recognize (she has a taste for men's clothes), or to experience (he had a taste of freedom). The context in which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/taste-300x200.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8993,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-left-the-lord-but-now-that-i-returned-will-god-accept-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":24753,"position":3},"title":"I left the Lord, but now that I returned, will God accept me?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was baptized as a teen. I really didn't change the way I acted or lived (drinking, partying, etc.). I went to college and lived a very immoral life (drinking, fornication, etc.). In my mid 20's I realized that I was wrong (pierced to the heart), and repented and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33159,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-burdened-because-i-read-that-when-you-commit-sins-you-have-no-way-of-entering-the-kingdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":24753,"position":4},"title":"I’m burdened because I read that when you commit sins, you have no way of entering the Kingdom","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a member of the Church of Christ and have been all my life (70 years).\u00a0 I was baptized, I think, when I was sixteen and really did not know the importance of it.\u00a0 I never regularly attended church as a child or a young adult.\u00a0 I would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60363,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-handle-a-daughter-who-decided-to-become-a-lesbian\/","url_meta":{"origin":24753,"position":5},"title":"How do I handle a daughter who decided to become a lesbian?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Brother, I have been a member of the Lord's church since I was a teenager. 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