PM Home Bible Study Group; April 8, 2015
Hebrews 6:4-8
Theme: There are some for whom, after turning away from God’s grace toward them, a renewal to repentance is impossible.
(These notes are adapted from a message preached at Bethany Bible Church on May 23, 2010. All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
In this study, we come to one of the most controversial portions of Hebrews. But the message of this portion—controversial though it may seem to be—is so important that it would be a terrible thing to neglect it.
What is the controversy? Simply put, it seems to teach that a believer can lose his or her salvation. It says;
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned (Hebrews 6:4-8).
It speaks of some for whom, after departing from the grace of God, a renewal to repentance is impossible. But the way it describes them almost makes it almost sound as if they had first been Christians. Many brethren from the Arminian theological tradition look to this passage as a support for their belief that a Christian—once truly saved—can depart from the faith and lose their salvation; and that having departed, there is no second chance. Those of the Calvinistic theological tradition, however, maintain that this is impossible; and argue that this passage requires a much more nuanced interpretation than meets the eye.
When seeking to understand this controversial passage, there are certain considerations that may help:
(1) We can be sure that this passage is not saying something that contradict what the Scriptures clearly say elsewhere. This passage cannot, therefore, be interpreted as saying that a genuinely redeemed person can lose his or her salvation. The Scriptures are clear that our salvation is ultimately the work of the Lord; saying that “whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son . . . Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30). Jesus Himself said;
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
What’s more, those who have—by God’s grace—genuinely trusted in Jesus, and are truly saved, are also sealed in that saved condition by “the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Ephesians 1:13-14); so that the God who saved us is “able to keep” us “from stumbling”; and “to present” us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). This is often called “the doctrine of the security of the believer”. But it’s important to remember that “security” (on God’s part) is not the same thing as “perseverance” (on our part). According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints flows from the doctrine of election; and teaches that “They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved” (Chapter 17; paragraph 1). If someone fails to persevere to the end and does indeed fall away from the faith, it would not be because they had lost their salvation; but it was rather an indication that they were not of God’s elect and never had a salvation to lose in the first place. But for those who are truly saved, the Bible teaches that they are kept by their Savior and cannot be ultimately lost.
(2) The Bible warns that there are some who make a profession of believing—but who are, in fact, not in a saving relationship with Christ at all. Such people, tragically, are self-deceived about their condition. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23). The decisive factor is not whether or not someone makes a profession to have a relationship with Jesus, but rather whether or not they actually are united to Christ by faith and follow forward in a life of obedience. Paul once wrote to the members of the Corinthian church; “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5). This would mean those who seem to lose a salvation they once claimed to have were, in actual fact, mere ‘professing Christians’ who ceased claiming a relationship that they were never truly in.
(3) The Bible speaks of some unbelievers who slip so far into rebellion against God’s grace that there is no further hope for them. This is a truly dreadful reality in Scripture. There were those in Jesus day who so resisted Him in His earthly ministry that they dared to accuse Him of doing His miracles by the power of the devil. They crossed a bridge too far. Jesus warned; “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—(Mark 3:28-29). Their dreadful sin of blasphemy was a result of a heart so hardened that it had decisively shut itself off from God’s redeeming grace. The apostle John wrote that if we see a brother sinning a sin “which does not lead to death”, we should pray for them and seek to restore them. He warns however, “There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16-17).
(4) The passage before us is not about believers losing their salvation, but about believers moving on to growth. That’s what true believers do—as this passage is meant to teach us; they move forward and grow. The context, in this case, is key to rightly interpreting this passage. In the passage that preceded this one, the writer of Hebrews was urging his brothers and sisters to move on to maturity in their spiritual understanding. He wanted to talk to them about the deep things of Christ; but—because of laziness, or perhaps because of the fear of persecution—they had become dull in their understanding. He told them,
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits (Hebrews 6:1-3).
Note how our passage begins in verse 4—that is, with the word “For . . .” This makes the passage before us a consequence of that appeal to move forward. He would not be saying that the readers of his letter were in danger of losing their salvation; because, in the passage that follows after, he stresses the opposite. He says, “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner” (v. 9). This means that the type of people that the writer is speaking of in our passage is not the same as the type of Christians he is urging to “move on to maturity”. He is saying that there are some who will not move on to maturity in the matters of salvation—no matter how much we accommodate them or appeal to them—because they are not in a saved condition into which they can move forward; and, in fact, they no longer even want to be in one. When he says, “And this we will do if God so permits”, he is saying that we should not waste any more time of delay in waiting for those to move forward who never will. This section then—verses 4-8—is best seen as a parenthetical affirmation in the midst of a greater call to growth.
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And it is a very serious “affirmation”. It’s one in which the writer of Hebrews—in the power of the Holy Spirit—says that there are some who turn away from God’s grace—even after having made an outward appearance of ‘repentance’—for whom a renewal to repentance is impossible.
Note how the writer tells us . . .
I. WHAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD’S GRACE ONCE WAS (vv. 4-5).
A. He writes that they were “once enlightened”. This would not speak of a truly saving grace in their hearts; but rather, strictly, of an awakening of the mind to the truth of the gospel. Their eyes were opened to the truth; and they understood with clarity who Jesus is and what He had done on the cross. Just “knowing” doesn’t save, however. Paul warned in Romans 1:20-21; “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
B. More than just having been enlightened, they “have tasted the heavenly gift”. They came close enough to the grace of God for it to have made an appeal to their hearts concerning the good things that God has in store for those who love and trust Him. Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” They experienced the first half of that verse from the psalms, but—sadly—they did not go on to experience the second half.
C. They even “have become partakers of the Holy Spirit”. We should, of course, understand that this doesn’t mean that they were “sealed” by the Holy Spirit. Rather, it means that they came close enough to the Holy Spirit to become partakers of His blessed gifts, but did not respond sufficiently to submit to His call to truly repent and believe. They would have been like Simon the sorcerer; who saw the power of the Holy Spirit on display through the apostles; and yet dared to offer to by that power for his own use. Peter told him; “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (Acts 8:20-23). Someone can partake of the blessedness of the Holy Spirit; and yet still “have neither part nor portion” in the matter of salvation.
D. The writer goes on to say that they “have tasted of the good word of God”. The word for “tasted” here is the same one used with regard to having “tasted the heavenly gift”. It suggests a “sampling”, but not a full internalizing. The prophet Jeremiah once wrote; “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). To merely “taste” God’s words is not the same thing as having “ate” them—that is, to allow them to sink in deep and become a part of us; to let them “abide” in us (Colossians 3:16). Some people can hear the word of God, know it, understand it, and even celebrate the fact that they heard it—yes, even preach it and teach it!—and yet, still walk away from it unchanged by it.
E. The writer goes on to say that in the same respect as having tasted the good word of God—and perhaps because of having done so—they have also tasted “the powers of the age to come”. This is a very serious thing indeed! They not only know of the glories of heavenly life promised to those who faithfully follow the Lord Jesus—promises clearly put forth in His word, but also the judgment promised to those who reject Him and will not follow Him. What a horrible thing it will be on the day of judgment to hear the Lord of glory say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”—and to have known in advance that He would!
The writer says that these things were “once” true of the people of whom he speaks. They had, at one time, had these things characterize their relationship to the grace of God. But note next . . .
II. WHAT THEIR REACTION TO GOD’S GRACE CAME TO BE (v. 6).
A. First, note how we’re told that “they fall away”. The word here is one that is made from the joining together of the Greek word for “from” (para) and “fall” (piptō). Thus parapiptō means “to fall from” or “to make a defection from” something. The context suggest, however, that this was not an ‘accidental’ falling—a mere ‘stumbling’ out of the way. Such a stumbling can easily be forgiven and repented of. The case of these individuals is not ‘accidental’. To have experienced such depth of the grace of God in such an up-close way—perhaps to even have walked in the benefit and the blessedness of that grace for a time—and then to “fall from” it, would be to have made a deliberate choice of apostasy.
B. The dreadful character of this “falling away” is shown in the fact that “they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame”. They basically say, “I have come to understand the nature of Jesus’ sacrifice, I’ve heard the Holy Spirit’s call, I’ve been enlightened to the truth of God’s word—I see the glories of heaven, and perceive the blessedness of the saints. I even went along with it all for a while. But now—because the way of righteousness is tough, or because the appeal of this world is strong, or because I love my sinful independence so much—I say no. I turn from it. I could not have known the way of truth more clearly; but I don’t want it any more.” In doing this, they basically trample the grace of God under their feet. They “crucify again for themselves” the Son of God in that they reject Him as their Lord and—in effect—nail Him once again to the cross. They “put Him to an open shame” in that they said they would follow Him; and then turned away from Him and despised Him. Those of us who have worked with or tried to reach people know that there is no one harder to win back to the cross than someone who had once professed a faith in it and then rejected it. No one mocks the gospel more than someone who once confessed a faith in it and then turned away from it.
Finally, note . . .
III. WHAT THEIR RESISTANCE TO GOD’S GRACE NOW MEANS (vv. 4, 6-8).
A. In verse 4, the writer said something is “impossible”. And now he makes clear what that great impossibility is; that “it is impossible for those . . . to renew them again to repentance”. Some Bible teachers understand this to be speaking in a strictly human sense. Nothing, of course, is impossible for God. We have only to look at the amazing conversion of Saul of Tarsus to know how far His grace can reach! But because this is talking about the call for the true believer to move on to maturity, it may make sense to understand the “impossibility” to be a reference to our own efforts with such a person. If they had partaken of so much of God’s grace, in so close a manner, and with such depth—and then still willingly “fall away” when the pressure gets tough—then there’s nothing more we can do for them. You can’t really “renew” them to repentance; because they had already heard everything—and have self-consciously rejected it. Let’s not let ourselves be delayed in our own growth in Christ because of them. Let’s move forward; and—with genuine sadness—leave behind those hard-hearted individuals who deliberately fall away to the consequences of their choice. But it may also be speaking of a profound condition of such hard-heartedness that God’s grace can no longer penetrate their heart. May we put it this way?—that it truly is impossible for even God Himself to “renew to repentance” those who show themselves to have not been chosen by Him for salvation?
B. The writer of Hebrews closes with an analogy that illustrates why it is time to move on.
a. He writes, “For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God . . .” It is God who gives the rain, and who prepares the land for produce. And it is a fit illustration of the heart. When God gives the good blessings of His grace on someone, and they hear and respond in faith, and they trust and follow Jesus and produce good fruit, they are blessed. They are like the soil that the Lord Jesus spoke of; “these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 3:20).
b. He goes on, however, to say, “but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Because the writer is writing to Jewish Christians, many scholars believe that his words here are a reference to Isaiah 5:1-7:
Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help (Isaiah 5:1-7).
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
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So; even though this is a very sobering and serious passage, it’s one that is necessary for us to learn from. And it’s one that makes better sense when taken in it’s context, and interpreted in the light of other clear passages of Scripture.
And we can draw two vital applications from this “great impossibility”. First, from what our passage says, we need to make sure we are never among those who fall away. As the writer will say later in the Book of Hebrews; “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice or sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26-27). And second, from the context itself, let’s not allow ourselves to be delayed in our own maturity in the faith by those who will not go forward. As the writer appealed earlier; “let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God” (6:1). The best argument we can offer toward those deliberately fall away from the faith is for ourselves to faithfully go forward and grow in it.