Yesterday, one of the members of a Facebook Group to which I belong, responded to someone else's posting of Hebrews 6:4-8 which reads "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold Him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned."
Now those are scary words! They appear to be saying that I could, conceivably, lose the salvation that is mine in the Lord Jesus. This brother was certainly concerned, and he voiced that concern. I have responded to him already, but then thought that it might be helpful to share my thoughts with a wider audience.
I responded in the form of a letter, but I shall just give the main text here - and maybe add a little (I didn't want a comment to be too long!).
1. Apostasy is a genuine problem. The author of Hebrews is not dealing with any hypothetical situation. He is addressing people who were experiencing personal problems. However, as the Lord Himself, He is not out to condemn, but to encourage. (see John 3:17).
2. You should note that this warning passage presents us with a particular situation. It is a rule of the interpretation of the Bible to discover, first, what a passage meant to the original readers. In this case, the main purpose was to urge Jewish disciples of Jesus (remember, Hebrews is so named because it was written to Hebrews!) – what, today, we might refer to as “Messianic Jews”. – not to allow themselves, under the pressure of persecution, to leave the distinctive aspects of their new faith, and slip back into the purely Jewish claim that Jesus was a blasphemer, a fraud, a charlatan, who deserved to die as He did. The writer was not dealing with the sincere believer who is depressed about his spiritual failure. Sanctification is a lifelong process, and John makes clear that anyone who claims to be sinless is far from the truth: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (I John 1:8-10|). I made up a little plaque for my study. It reads: "In this life I shall never be sinless but, by God's grace, I may sin less." My wife and I were recently counselling a young woman who had fallen into sexual sin. I pointed out to her that, by Jesus’ standards, I am a serial adulterer (and murderer!).
3. There is a warning, for us, in this passage. You should note that the words “crucify” and “put” (v.6) are, in the original Greek language, present participles. That means that we should really translate “while they are crucifying” and “while they are putting Him to an open shame”. It is, if you like, while we are acting in this way, that we cannot be brought to repentance. If we stop – then repentance is possible! We depend, for our salvation, not on our love for the Father, but on His great love for us!
4. Finally, we must remember to compare scripture with scripture. Our God does not contradict Himself! It is all too easy to take a passage, out of context, and build a doctrine on it! For example, I sometimes shock friends by informing them that I have become an atheist! I shock them further by telling them that I am doing so because the Bible confirms it! Three times, I read the clear, simple words: “There is no God”! So, if I believe the Bible, I have no option other than to be an atheist! Of course, if I read those particular words in context, I discover that it is “The fool [who] has said in his heart ‘There is no God’” (see Pss. 14:1; 53:1; and note 10:4). So, we must not let the enemy confuse us. The N.T. is full of assurances for the child of God. Even in Hebrews, the author is “sure of better things” (6:9) and, as one who served at every rank in the Boys’ Brigade apart from Sergeant and Captain, I cannot forget 6:19-20: "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek."!
If you are being attacked by the enemy, I trust that this will be of help to you.
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