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NASB | Luke 8:13 "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 8:13 "Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith]. |
Subject: What does it mean to "fall away"? |
Bible Note: Thanks again for the follow up answer. Not trying to beat a dead horse here, just wanting to make certain I fully understand what you're saying because quite frankly, these are very serious verses that have always scared the heck out of me! I have a very dear friend who was saved at a young age. This person "fell away" or "backslid", whatever term you choose to use. I prefer to say that she lost fellowship with God for a time. This person later gave her life back to Jesus, repented, and now leads a stellar life in the Lord. No doubt in my mind that this person is now saved. If I'm following your line of reasoning correctly you're saying the person wasn't saved in the first place. I think the verse you gave me in Luke certainly seems to back that up but then I am left with the reality that I see from my experiences with my friend. I guarantee that the person in question would argue your viewpoint in that I have heard her testify many times of how the Sweet Holy Spirit wooed her back to her right standing with Christ and how the mercy and grace of our Lord and Saviour brought her where she is today. I am most certainly not a Bible scholar but that tends to bring the "once saved, always saved" discussion to my mind. Let me say that this is another point that I can't quite reconcile in my mind and is a can of worms that I'm not trying to open. I am reminded again at this point that we are told as Christians that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is faithful and just to forgive if we ask for that forgiveness. I am still leaning towards the idea that this "if they shall fall away" is truly the unpardonable sin since it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Wow! That is scary! I've heard others argue that this is referring to Jews who believed in Jesus and then turned away from their belief in Him, going back to their old religious ways which kind of makes sense to me if you take into context the first few verses of Hebrews 6. Again, you will please forgive me for my unscholarly ways in this forum. Thank you for your comments. The verses in Luke truly did shed a new light on this subject for me as I never thought to associate them with this passage in Hebrews. |