Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, since on their own they are crucifying again the Son of God and are holding him up to contempt.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, July 23, 2019
by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff
I don’t like today’s daily devotional reading.
Like, not at all.
Essentially what it states is those who had received baptism and become a part of the community and later had fallen away could NOT find repentance again.
Do you believe this? Not me.
And it certainly doesn’t depict the way my gracious God operates, either.
So, what to make of it? I think fist it would be important to understand the context in which it was written. Maybe there were certain circumstances in the community that the author of Hebrews wanted to specifically address.
But the other side of it is the small bit of truth that exists—after all, once you have become part of a community and then fallen away it IS more difficult to get back into the swing of things and once again count yourselves as a active member of a faith community.
But there is still a side of me that rejects this passage from scripture. I don’t believe anything is impossible for God. I believe God can move the hearts of any one of us, no matter how far we have fallen.
But maybe that’s the point . . . for us, it’s impossible. For God?
Anything.
Show me the real danger of falling away from you, O God. More importantly, show me the wonders of staying by your side. Amen.
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