If someone is filled with the Holy Ghost and turns back on God in anger, transgresses, and falls back into a life of sin, do they have to be baptized again?

Sincerely,
Double Take

Dear Double Take,

We are only commanded to be baptized once because baptism is a burial with Christ (Rom 6:3-4).  After baptism, we must learn to walk in our new life.  You don’t need to be baptized again, but you do need to confess your sins to God (1 Jn 1:9) and repent of them (Acts 8:22).  When a member of the Corinthian church fell away and later repented, the church was simply told to once again embrace him as a brother (2 Cor 2:6-8).  There are no cases in the New Testament of re-baptism for those who have fallen away.

What is blasphemy?  I really don't understand it and would like an explanation.

Sincerely,
Boggled About Blasphemy

Dear Boggled About Blasphemy,

All cursing is corrupt speech, but using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt speech and blasphemy.  Eph 4:29 tells us to avoid all corrupt speech.  We need to avoid any and all language that sounds filthy or derogatory – this would include all swear words.  However, using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt and irreverent.  God tells us to revere Him (Heb 12:28).  All sin will equally send you to hell (Rom 6:23), but there is an attitude of disrespect behind using the Lord’s name in vain that is especially troublesome.  The word ‘blasphemy’ means ‘to speak evil of’; any language that speaks poorly of God is blasphemy.  When we use God’s name as a cuss word or exclamatory term, we demote Him in our minds from the lofty position He deserves.  All our speech needs to be both clean and reverent, so God’s name is spoken well of amongst His people (1 Tim 6:1).

(This question is a follow-up to “Missing The Spirit”.)

Will the Holy Spirit ever come to him [the man that fell away]?  Will God ever come back to him if he truly repents?

Sincerely,
Yea Or Nay?

Dear Yea Or Nay,

Repentance is always available… even after someone has fallen away.  Jesus told Peter that we are to model our forgiveness after God's, and God's forgiveness is infinite to the repentant (Matt 18:21-35).  Furthermore, when someone fell away in the Corinthian church and later repented, Paul said that the church should accept that person back with open arms (2 Cor 2:6-8).  There is always opportunity to repent and come back as long as we are still living.

Will the Holy Spirit of God ever leave a born-again christian?  I have read several people saying ‘yes’ and several people saying ‘no’.

Sincerely,
Yea Or Nay?

Dear Yea Or Nay,

The Holy Spirit no longer abides with us when we fall away.  It is possible for a christian to lose their salvation.  Heb 2:1-3 says we can “drift” away from the truth and “neglect” our salvation.  If after becoming christians we return to a willful life of sin, we will lose our salvation (Heb 10:26-27).  Heb 6:4-6 points out that returning to a sinful life is an act of rebellion that re-crucifies Christ.  Yes, a christian can fall away.

I have a friend who asked me a question.  He asked me about 2 Thess 2:11.  He wanted to know why God would send a "strong delusion" to man.  He feels it is God allowing Satan to cover the eyes of man.  I told him it was most likely because man is so obsessed with evil; it’s God's way of rubbing their nose in it.  I told him that when man desires evil, that's what he gets (evil).  Could you explain this whole thing to me so that I can give him the answer he seeks?

Sincerely,
Friendly Counsel

Dear Friendly Counsel,

2 Thess 2:11 is referring to only a certain group of people – those who refuse salvation because they are unwilling to love the truth (2 Thess 2:10).  What your friend is concerned about it is that God would somehow allow Satan to keep people from having the freedom to see the truth, but that isn’t what this verse is referring to.  Jhn 3:16 makes it clear that God sent His Son so that everyone would have the freedom to choose salvation, and Ezek 18:23 shows that God doesn’t desire any of the wicked to perish.  The strong delusion referred to in 2 Thess 2:11 is the same as the seared conscience mentioned in 1 Tim 4:2.  When people refuse salvation and refuse to see the truth, they will naturally become more and more wicked because they will make bad choices.  They will sear their own conscience and become deluded with evil.  If we are honest, we draw closer to the truth; if we are dishonest, we move farther from it.