Fallen Away

Dear Mike,
Can you explain Hebrews 6:4-6? I had once fallen away from the church but have since returned. Can I be forgiven?

A: The passage from Hebrews describes a person who has not only fallen away from church attendance but also denied the Spirit, the cross of Jesus as well as the Lord Himself and gone back to the world and a sinful life.

And even if all of this were your case, the Bible says that the only "unforgivable" sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Matt.12:31-32) and by your actions of having been back at church, you can't have committed that offense because those who do have hearts that have become so hard against Christ that they can't repent even if they wanted to.

I encourage you to fully accept God's forgiveness for having fallen away from church attendance (which is a true sin - Hebrews 10:25) and focus on the present time where God calls on you to become a holy man/woman of God (1 Peter 1:15-16). And as you are doing this from day to day with a thankful heart, remain faithful until the end, for the Lord has told us that, "Those who remain faithful until the end will be saved." Matthew 24:13.