There is much to commend in this view of faith. All these points can, and are, easily supported by scripture quotations.
Reading through all these things is a useful reminder that becoming a follower of Jesus is not like joining the Boy Scouts or the local golf club. There we, or our parents, pay the joining fee and we are in. It is all our doing. But when we become followers of Jesus we are not the sole partakers in what happens. God has a part to play. In fact he has the major part to play. In particular we receive from him the gift of the Holy Spirit. Once we have received that gift can we back out of the arrangement? No, of course not says TULIP. But the verses in front of us in Hebrews say something different.
There is no easy way to reconcile the two. The easy, but rather unsatisfactory, way out is to say the one who is falling away was never really a Christian believer in the first place, but was just imitating the activities of those who are. But that doesn’t really fit. Our writer talks about a person being enlightened, tasting the heavenly gift (presumably meaning experiencing the power and joy of heavenly love), sharing in the Holy Spirit, becoming excited by reading the Bible and looking forward to the eventual life in the kingdom. These two things simply do not fit.
How you resolve this tension will depend almost entirely on your background and the sort of church you are in. I will say just this:the TULIP type approach gives us great confidence in the Lord and encouragement on our way; what our writer says is a strong warning against the perils of turning away from faith once embarked on the great journey it offers. Both points of view are found in scripture and we must heed both.
Issues - Christians and culture
Psalm On Demand - Psalm 1
Issues Facing Christians Today - Chocolate Christianity!
Wednesday Wisdom 1 - Proverbs 1
Issues Facing Christians Today - Individualism
Psalm On Demand - Psalm 83
Issues Facing Christians Today - Government
Bible Reading - Psalms 41 to 45
Bible Reading - Psalms 1 to 5
Bible Reading - Psalm 117
Christian Response to Mormonism 4
Bible Reading - Psalm 141
Christian Response to Mormonism 3
Bible Reading - Psalm 139
Christian Response to Mormonism 2
Bible Reading - Psalm 36
Christian Response to Mormonism 1
Issues Facing Christians Today - Worship
Bible Reading - Psalm 65
No Longer A Baby - 8. Jesus’ Relationship With The Christian
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