[Pastor Ralph]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

[bob.kenda]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

Apostasy means to revolt.
Revolt means to take the other side. So if you revolt you've taken the other side, you would have to revolt again to get to the other side.
Our heart is like the soil. If our heart is hard, the seed can be sewn but because of the hardness it will never take root. If the seed has fallen along the rocks, it would be like grain falling out of the grain trucks (falling on the sides of the road), where there is a little bit of soil and it will spring up because of the little nourishment but it isn't going to last long. Or, like the seed sewn among the thistles is like that same grain truck throwing seed deeper into the bourough pit., seeds falling among the knapweed and all the other noxious weeds (those noxious weeds will take over everything).
Jesus was talking about: it will depend very much on our heart on how we receive the Word.
The point is that in any assembly there are these tares or weeds, in todays vernacular., if we were to rip out all of the wheat and tares it would cause a major split and a major destruction that would injure the legitimate wheat. Jesus is saying, "leave it, I'll tend to that, you can't root that out."

[Commissioned]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy?
Apostasy is a conscious, deliberate and persistent abandonment of the Christian way of salvation.

Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice?
It is impossible because the apostate falling away from the Christian faith and practice has finality.

What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)?
Jesus was showing them that when the Word of God has no place to take root it is soon removed from the place where once deposited. If we do not allow the Word of God to be the standard for our lives then we will find that the Word of God is not the foundation upon which we build our lives and to us will soon will become as a "famine of the Word."

What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?
Jesus is telling us not to be quick to be judges of those in the faith who appear to have gone astray. In due time He will be judge and will remove the weeds from the tares.

[Tabatha]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

Apostasy is turning away from Christ and not looking back. Once they turn away there is a hardness of the heart.
This verse points to the danger of the Hebrew Christians returning to Judaism and thus committing apostasy. Some apply this verse today to superficial believers who renounce their christianity, or to unbelievers who come close to salvation and then turn away. Either way, those who reject christ will not be saved. Christ died once for all. He will not be crucified again. Apart from His cross, there is no other way of salvation. However, the author does not indicate that his readers were in danger of renouncing Christ He is warning against hardness of heart that would make repentance inconceivable for the sinner.

The four types of soil represent different responses to God's message. People respond differently because they are in different states of readiness. Some are hardened, others are shallow. others are contaminated by distracting worries, and some are receptive. How has God's word taken root in peoples lives today. What kind of soil is in Christians lives today.

Jesus gives the meaning of this parable in verses ( 24 -30 ) The parables in this chapter teach us about God and His kingdom. They explain what the kingdom is really like opposed to our expectation of it. The kingdom of Heaven is not a geographic location, But a Spiritual realm where God rules and where we share in His eternal life. We join that Kingdom when we trust in Christ as savior.

The young weeds and the young blades of wheat look the same and can't be distinguished until they are grown and ready for harvest. Weeds ( unbelievers ) wheat ( believers ) must live side by side in this world. God allows unbelievers to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to remain in his field so the surrounding wheat isn't uprooted with them. At the harvest, however, the weeds will be uprooted and thrown away.The wheat will remain and bear fruit. God's Harvest ( judgement of all people is coming. We are to make ourselves ready by making sure that our faith is sincere.

[charisbarak]

Apostasy is the conscious decision to give up God and salvation renouncing and denouncing them.

They could not be restored because their hearts are closed & hardened to God now.

In the parable of the sower, they would be the ones who had accepted salvation but do not have deep roots.

In the parable of the tares, Jesus points out that the weeds & wheat grow up together. At harvest time, the wheat will be harvested because it has fruit--the weeds will be destroyed. So, these persons will seem like Christians, but only God knows for sure......

[Patricia A]

[/color][/size][size=4]Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy?
Apostasy is the total rejection of Christianity by a person having at one time professed the Christian faith.

What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) The soul is the natural soil for the Word of God: one is adapted to the other. It is our duty to sow the good seed everywhere, even if some fails of a good result. The seed the Christian should sow is not his own fancies, but the pure Word of God. It is not the fault of the truth, but of our hard hearts, if we do not bring forth fruit.

What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?
Christ sows only good seed. His word makes men better. If they are wicked it is due to other influences. We must avoid spiritual slumber. It is while we sleep that the enemy does his work. The enemy is always sowing tares whenever opportunity offers. Sometimes by tempting men to evil; sometimes by introducing trouble into the church; sometimes by whispering slanders to destroy the good names of those who are doing a good work. In the field we will always find some tares here. If we would escape from evil doers we must needs get out of the world. We must leave the final separation to the Lord. He will gather the wheat into his garner; the tares and the chaff will be burned with an unquenchable fire. We must show that we are wheat instead of tares by bearing the right kind of fruit. "By their fruits ye shall know them."[color="#800080"]

[Stan]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

Apostasy in the dictionary means:the desertion of a post, the giving up of a state of life; he who voluntarily embraces a definite state of life cannot leave it, therefore, without becoming an apostate.

I believe that this is refering to persons who completely reject the word of God and His saving Grace and turn away to the ways of the world and completely reject that there is a God who made them. They are stuck in their every day life and believe that there is no life after death and refuse to see that only God could have form them and this earth out of nothing.

19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

There can be no bettter answere than the on Jesus gave His disciple in answer to this quesion.

There seed came up but the cares of this life were more important than a real and lasting relationship with the Lord God and His one and only Son Jesus Christ creator of all things.

[s8nfighter]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

An apostasy is a falling away or turning away from a belief. In order to turn away from one must have first tasted and then made a decision. From a practical standpoint, because men are practical, we would judge the apostate and not allow him to come back into the Christian faith. But I am thankful that God is not practical. Who in their right mind would start out on a 40 year trip without proper provisions, who in thier right mind would attempt to cross a sea without a boat, who in thier right mind would step into a raging river and expect to survive. who in thier right mind would walk on water, who in thier right mind would through a feast for a son that left and spent their inheiritance, who in thier right mind would think that anyone would forgive the sins of the world? No I am thankful that God is not practical or the sins of the father would still be counted against me and the old saying the apple does not fall far from the tree would still prove to be true.
In the Parable of the Sower, the sower is the Holy Spirit and the seeds are the fruits of the Holy Spirit (22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.) The point that Jesus was making is that in order for these fruits to take hold there must be a softening of the heart and a love of God and also of His creation. Who can say they love God and hate His creation? Recently I have heard more and more sermons defending the truth of the resurection than at any other time. I wonder, if there was more evidence of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, would it be necessary to defend the bible as much?
Jesus is saying in the Parable of the Weeds that Satan will find the church a good place to do his work from because of the immaturity of some of the believers.

[PATJOE]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

Apostasy is rejection of a religious belief that was originally accepted as truth. In the case of a Christian who rejects Christ after knowing Him, they join with the crowd that crucified Him. I think it is impossible to restore this person because their rejection is viewed as a final deed and deliberate and not reversible.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus was making the point that those who accepted Him, with anything less than genuine belief in Him and full acceptance of their salvation by the grace of God, was compared to infertile ground, wayside, stony areas, where the seed, even if it rooted would not be nurtured and would wither and waste.

In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Jesus refers to Himself as the man who sowed good seed. When the tares appeared among the wheat, refers to Satan's attempt to corrupt the truth and claim unbelievers. The tares are left in place until the wheat is ripe. At this point the tares are bundled for burning (at the final day, the unbelievers will be lost) and the mature wheat is gathered (believers) for the barn (heaven). This represents the believers who will enter the gates of heaven at the resurrection.

[masika]

Apostasy is an abandoment of what one has professed; a total desertion, or departure from one's faith or religion.
It is very hard to restore some one who has deserted his faith, because you may not know want made him/her to desert. It is only the Holy Spirit that can turn that heart back to the first faith.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus is encouraging Spiritual "Farmers"- those who teach, preach, and seek to lead others to the Lord.
Do not be discouraged if you do not always see results as you faithfuly teach the word.
People respond differently on the word of God because they are in different states of readiness.
Jesus' point on the Parable of the Tares and Weeds, is that weeds (Unbelievers) and Wheat (Believers) must live side by side in this world. God allows anbelievers to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to ramain in his field so that the surrounding wheat is not uprooted with them. At the harvest, however, the weeds will be uprooted and thrown away. God's harvest (Judgement) of all people is coming. We are to make ourselves ready by making sure that our faith is sincere.

[JustJeff]

Apostacy is abandoning the faith and the doctrine from which it is built upon. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2:20-22 of the disaster that will fall upon those who return to their worldly ways. Once a person does go back to their old nature a number of things that occur make it impossible to return to the Lord:
1. People who have turned away from the faith develope ill feelings toward God, who they often blame for their failures in being unable to go through the fire and grow spiritually.
2. Many simply cannot or are unwilling to crucify the flesh and once entangled back in a sinful lifestyle they simply do not want to give it up.
3. Shame. Often quitters are to ashamed to live up to their error and too proud to rejoin the flock.
4. False doctrine causes many to fail because it is false and does not work. As a result people often turn to other religions or, cults.
In the two parables Jesus is declaring that there are still other reasons why we lose so many, namely, the devil, always at work amongst us, the above mention fire or persecution and worldly desires. Then there are the tares. Those whose only intention is to destroy the body of Christ by causing gossip, backbiting, slander and accusations to bring about strife. As the church grows their motives soon become obvious and the Lord moves them out.

[sahala p.s.]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

Apostasy is, as characterized by A.M. Stibbs, nothing less than a conscious, deliberate and persistent abandonment of the Christian way of salvation.

It is impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice because it is very difficult for those who have shared the convenant privileges of the people of God, and then deliberately renounce them, to reclaim for the faith.

The Point Jesus was making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) is there are four possible types of a person's response to the God's word that he or she receive, one of them is of receiving God's word with joy but then falling away because of trouble or persecution. So Jesus is telling that there is possible for a person that have received his word and enjoyed his goodness to commit apostacy.

Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30) is that there are two types of people that live together in this world, that is, the sons of God, who receive His word and do His commands, and the sons of the devil, who receive the devil's word and do evil.

[PCHRIS]

One dictionary explains apostasy as this: a renunciation or abandonment of a former loyalty [as to a religion].

Why they turn away, only they know; they may come up with different reasons when challenged but who knows what will happen. God's ways are not our ways and He will be the final judge for these people. We need ourselves to be prepared for that time and continually to be in the faith.

Parable of the sower depicts 4 different frames of the heart; the good soil [heart] has been turned over, properly prepared to receive the seed [Word]. With the others they haven't received the seed properly and letting other things [worldly, carnal] get in the way or they have received the seed thinking they will receive an easy [life enhancment] life but when trials, temptations hit they are so quick to blame everyone else and the seed [Word] dies out.

Parable of the wheat and tares depicts we as Christians have to live in this world with unbeleivers, we are to live IN the world but not to be OF the world. When Christ returns thats when the wheat will be sorted from the tares.
We are called to be the salt of the earth and lights in this ever darkening world, let's us all be in the faith and be obedient to Him. Praise His Holy Name.

[Craig]

Apostasy is the conscious, deliberate and persistent turning away from, or abandonment of the Christian faith. Most common among people who turn away from the faith is the tendency to develop a hardened heart toward God and the inability to repent before God. In my experience, I have found people who have turned away Jesus maintain a head knowledge of the Bible, but don't practice a vigorous, real Christianity. There is no Lordship of Jesus Christ in their life. They maintain that their knowledge of all things Biblical is enough to enter Heaven. However, James Chapter 2 tells us that that does't cut it with God.

The Parable of the Sower gives us the insight that unless we, after receiving the gospel, focus on the Word of God, prayer, fellowship with the brethren and be sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, satan can displace Jesus in our hearts with the world. Ulimately destroying us. Jesus' point in the Parable of the Tares is that He will send His angels to weed out everything in His kingdom that causes sin and all who do evil at the end of this age.

[STEPHEN ROSS]

Apostosy is a deliberate turning away,from belief and living contrary to Gods word. It is a perilious situation to be in as the heart becomes so hardened towards God that it is very difficult for such a person to come back from such a state. I n the parable of the sower Jesus was talking about the different ground and the state of our hearts to recieve the Word of God in our lives. Our hearts must be softened and receptive to the workings of God.if we are to go on and produce fruit for God. Only God knows what is in our Hearts and therefore influencing our lives, the Holy spirit will remove the weeds and tares out of our lives if we co-operate with His workings.

[STEPHEN ROSS]

Apostosy is a deliberate turning away,from belief and living contrary to Gods word. It is a perilious situation to be in as the heart becomes so hardened towards God that it is very difficult for such a person to come back from such a state. I n the parable of the sower Jesus was talking about the different ground and the state of our hearts to recieve the Word of God in our lives. Our hearts must be softened and receptive to the workings of God.if we are to go on and produce fruit for God. Only God knows what is in our Hearts and therefore influencing our lives, the Holy spirit will remove the weeds and tares out of our lives if we co-operate with His workings.

[June]

Apostasy is failure to keep our commitments to God and to fall away from His Word.
They are crucifying Christ all over again and submitting Him to public disgrace. It is impossible for them to truly repent.
That seeds need fertile soil for them to grow. The Word also needs a receptive heart to flourish. Need to be grounded in the Word and know that you know that you know.
Like being a Christian and dabbling in things that are not of Christ but of the world. Allowing sin without repentance to abide.

[Nancy D.]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

Apostasy is to turn away from the Lord after you have stood in His presence and heard Him speak and have been exposed to His truth in unbelief.
The heart is hardened to the truth if it turns away from it, and cannot repent for it does not believe the Truth.

Jesus was speaking of the different types of souls where the Word has been planted, and the different reasons there was no fruit bearing visual due to the lack of nurishment for growth except for the one illustraion of "good soil" where the fruits flourished in different degrees and amounts....due to their abilities to see, hear and understand and receive His word.

[Lisa Rupert]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy?
Apostasy is knowing the truth about Christ but making a concoius decision not to follow it, to turn away from the Lord.

Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice?
It is impossible because when you drift you drift farther and farther away, causing you heart to be hardened to the truth. Because you are void from the word of God when you stray away from Christ.

What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)?
When the word of God can not be rooted it can not yield fruit.

What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?
The weeds (non believers) and the wheat (believers) will grow together but the weed will be removed during God's judgement or the harvest.

[Ms CJ]

Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice? What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)? What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

What is apostasy?

It is a falling away of faith.

This is different from false belief, or error, which is the result of ignorance.

It is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer.



Why is it impossible from a practical standpoint to restore apostates to Christian faith and practice?

Those who have shared the covenant privileges of the people of God, and then deliberately renounce them, are the most difficult persons of all to reclaim for the faith."

"... To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." (6:6)

To turn away from their Savior to the Judaism that rejected Jesus and his salvation places them in the same company as those who crucified Him and subjected Him to the public disgrace of crucifixion.



What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)?

Here Jesus is saying that the word of God is like soil in our life and if we do not cover up our seeds that are sown in us then there is no depth of the word for us and the seeds that were sown will be eat up by the enemies of our soul.

How can a root take hold if the soil is not deep enough to hold the root? Again the word is the soil that buries the seeds planted in our lives and as the word grows with in us the root of the word will grow and becomes stronger to sustain the fruit that is brought forth.

Jesus is saying, that the sins in our lives are like thorns and until these sins are dealt with and no longer in our lives they will choke out the effective part of God's word and we will continue to bare no fruit.


What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)?

The point Jesus is making here is that when a farmer plant a crop, the seeds he plants will come up along side weeds and these weeds will at times wrap their roots around the root of the plant and there is no way to harvest this plants with a harvest of weeds.

We are the plants and when Jesus came an harvested us up along with us came the weeds in our lives and these weeds are our sins and there was no way He could gather us up with out the weeds. So, as we are handled by the Holy Spirit to make us a good crop, He is gently pulling the roots of the weeds (sins) from the root of our life.

Same with others that are new and come into the kingdom and we see lots of weeds (sins) around them or we even see some that are mature in the Lord, but yet there are still lots of weeds to be seen around those. We have to know that the what the Holy Spirit is doing for us and our weeds, He is doing for them and their weeds. So, we must not focus on what we see in them, but what He is seeing in us.