The Nature And Causes Of Apostasy – Part 3

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Hilltop Bible Church

The Privileges of the Apostate

By John Fast

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. – Hebrews 6:4-6 (NASB)

Ideas have a way of outliving the people who initiated them and taking on a life of their own that continues long after the life and name of the one who introduced them are forgotten. Such are the ideas and teachings introduced by Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), a name that outside of the ivory towers of academia has long been forgotten, yet whose ideas about the nature of Christianity have become the life blood of the mass of modern evangelicalism. Read more »

Categories: Cambuslang | Comments Off on The Nature And Causes Of Apostasy – Part 3

The Nature And Causes Of Apostasy – Part 2

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Hilltop Bible Church

The Privileges of the Apostate

By John Fast

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. – Hebrews 6:4-6 (NASB)

In the last study I began examining the passage of Scripture, Hebrews 6:4-6, that will serve as the foundation for this series of studies into the nature and causes of apostasy. In this passage the author of Hebrews attributed five privileges to those who had apostatized from true Christianity, two of which we examined in the last study, namely, they “have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift”. Read more »

Categories: Cambuslang | Comments Off on The Nature And Causes Of Apostasy – Part 2

The Nature And Causes Of Apostasy – Part 1

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Hilltop Bible Church

THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY – Part 1

By John Fast

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. – Hebrews 6:4-6 (NASB)

The danger of comparing our own times with those of the past is a real one. Wise King Solomon warned of this hazard when under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote, “Do not say, ‘Why is it that the former days were better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this” (Eccl 7:10). The Exodus generation romanticized their past life of slavery in Egypt, even imagining that it was preferable to being led and cared for by God in the wilderness (Ex 16:3; Num 11:5). Read more »

Categories: Cambuslang | Comments Off on The Nature And Causes Of Apostasy – Part 1

Living In Dangerous Times – Part 20

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Hilltop Bible Church

Encouragement for Perseverance

By John Fast

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” – 2 Timothy 3:1

As I commence working on this final study in ‘Living in Dangerous Times’, three days have passed since the devastating tornadoes ripped through my home state of Tennessee in the early hours of March 2, 2020, claiming the lives of twenty-four people and leaving hundreds without a home or possessions. All who have seen the horrible destruction firsthand have commented that had this tornado struck during the daytime instead of shortly after midnight, the loss of life would have been much, much greater. Read more »

Categories: Cambuslang | Comments Off on Living In Dangerous Times – Part 20

Living In Dangerous Times – Part 19

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Hilltop Bible Church

Unprepared for Dangerous Times

By John Fast

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” – 2 Timothy 3:1

There can be no denying that we live in perilous times. Our age is characterized by all the marks which the Bible declares make a season dangerous, including the proliferation of myths and illusions which lead the mind astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. One great illusion is the idea, fanatically propagated today, that the problems faced by contemporary evangelicalism are due to the unique nature of modern society. Read more »

Categories: Cambuslang | Comments Off on Living In Dangerous Times – Part 19