Hebrews 5:7-6:12

⁷During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ¹⁰and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. ¹²In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

¹Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, ²instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³And God permitting, we will do so.

⁴It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, ⁶if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

⁷Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. ⁸But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

⁹Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation. ¹⁰God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. ¹²We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Hebrews 6 is a very difficult and controversial passage.  Many people point to it as a passage that teaches that a genuine Christian can lose his salvation.  Many people have a variety of explanations.  I have wrestled with this passage myself for many years, having different conclusions at various times.  I think that the important first question we need to tackle is whether these people were genuinely saved in the first place.  If they were not really saved, then at least we know that we are not talking about real Christians losing their salvation.  (And by the way, if this passage was talking about losing salvation, it would also mean that once you lose it that you can never get it back again.)

THE BIG QUESTION: Were the people that Hebrews 6 talks about saved?

You can build a good case that they WERE saved. 

• It says that they were “enlightened.”  (photizo)  Hebrews 10:32 also shows that being enlightened is something that is true of Christians.
• The author uses the word “once” (hapax) which often means “once and for all.”  “Hapax” often refers to something that is done once and never repeated.  For example, the word is used that way in Hebrews 9:26-28.
• The author says that they “tasted” the heavenly gift, the goodness of God’s word, and the powers of the age to come.  Surely “tasted” does not mean that they “merely sampled” these things without actually experiencing them.  In Hebrews 2:9 it says that Jesus “tasted death for everyone.”  He surely didn’t just “sample” death without really experiencing it.  He truly died!
• The author says that these people were partakers, or sharers (metochos) with the Holy Spirit.
• Finally, these people must have already repented because it says that it is impossible, if they fall away, for them to be brought back to repentance.  If they are brought back to repentance, they must have repented already.

However, I think you can build an even better case that these people were NOT NECESSARILY saved. 

• The word “enlightened” is used 11 times in the New Testament.  It is not a technical term for people who are certainly saved.  Several times it refers to the literal lighting of a lamp such as Luke 11:36.  All Christians are enlightened, but not everyone who is enlightened is a Christian.
• The word “once” (hapax) CAN mean “once and for all, never to be repeated” but it doesn’t always have to mean this.  For example, this same word is used in Hebrews 9:7 where it talks about the Aaronic high priest entering the holy of holies once a year.  This was something that had to be repeated every year.  The context is what tells you if it is repeated or not.  For example, in Hebrews 7:27 it is clear that Jesus’ sacrifice is a once-and-for-all sacrifice, never to be repeated.  This is clear from the context.
• The word “tasted” (geuomai) does mean a real experience, but we need to remember that having an experience is NOT the same thing as being saved.  Unfortunately, many people have all kinds of powerful experiences of God without being saved.  Also, we need to remember that tasting is a temporary action that may, or may not, be permanent.  It is a real experience, but not necessarily a lasting experience.  The example of Jesus in Hebrews 2:9 is a good example of this.  He tasted death for everyone.  He really had an experience of death, but He didn’t stay dead!  The bottom line is that we can’t be sure that these people were true saved just because they had a powerful experience of the things of God.  Teens can go on youth group trips and have powerful experiences, and not be saved.  Many people go to church every Sunday and experience powerful things, but if they don’t trust in Christ as their Savior, they are not saved.  John 16:8 talks about the Holy Spirit convicting the whole world of sin.  (Yet the whole world is not saved, although they are all convicted to a degree.)  Matthew 7:22-23 talks about people who even case out demons in the name of Jesus, but who were not saved.  Powerful experiences don’t equal salvation.
• The word for “partaker” has a range of meaning.  It can mean simply “associate” or “companion.”  It does not necessarily mean that someone is saved.  Therefore, as Wayne Grudem states, “to become a ‘partaker’ of the Holy Spirit means to be associated in some way with the work of the Holy Spirit and to share in some of the benefits the Holy Spirit gives.”
• Just because these people had once repented does not mean that they were saved.  The word for repentance literally means a “change of mind.”  Someone can have a change of mind that doesn’t lead to salvation.  For example, Matthew 27:3 states that Judas repented after he betrayed Christ.  However, the Bible also clearly states that Judas was not, and would not, be saved.  (John 6:70-71; 13:27; Acts 1:16-20; Matthew 27:5.)  Also, 2 Corinthians 7:10 specifically refers to “a repentance that leads to salvation.”  This supports the idea that there is also types of repentance that do not lead to salvation.

Therefore, the description of these people does not show that they are saved.  Although the things that are listed are things that are true of genuine Christians, they are also things that may be true of people that have been heavily involved with church and Christianity, but who are not truly born-again themselves.

Wayne Grudem concludes, “The author is simply saying that if someone has a sorrow for sin and a decision to forsake that sin, and then comes to understand the gospel and experience various blessings of the Holy Spirit’s work (no doubt in fellowship with the church), and then turns away, it will not be possible to restore such a person again to a place of sorrow for sin- there will be a hardness of heart incompatible with repentance.”  (Page 150 in “Still Sovereign” edited by Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware.  See Wayne Grudem’s chapter in this book for an excellent detailed discussion of Hebrews 6 and other warning passages in Hebrews.)

Although the terms in Hebrews 6:4-6 could be used of Christians, or those who are not necessarily Christians, I believe that the context and the flow of thought in Hebrews shows that these people were NOT authentic born-again Christians.  The flow of thought in Hebrews points to this as the best explanation.  We clearly saw in the other passages that the author was concerned that some of his hearers might fail to enter God’s rest if they do not combine the message preached to them with faith.  In the other warning passages as well, especially 2:1-4 that we shall not escape if we ignore such as great salvation.  This also fits with some of the clues that indicate that Hebrews was written to “second-generation Christians.”  It is all too common for some children of believers not to become believers themselves, but only to go through the motions.  (Of all the other warning passages, Hebrews 10:26-31 is the one that seems to involve believers because it refers to the blood of the covenant that “sanctified him.”  However, I have become convinced by the flow of thought in Hebrews that this passage is also a warning to religious but unbelieving people.  I will explain my reasons when we get to Hebrews 10.  It will only make sense once we have studied Hebrews 7-10.)   

As our discussion above (and Wayne Grudem’s chapter in “Still Sovereign”) shows, the description of the apostates (those who fall away) in Hebrews 6 does not give a clear indication that these people are truly saved.  If the writer had said something that could ONLY be true of authentic Christians, such as they being born-again, or regenerate, then we would know for certain.  But as it is, he chooses descriptions that may be true for either believers or unbelievers.  God did many of powerful things in their lives, but they had not yet believed unto salvation.  Remember the lesson from Hebrews 4.  The Israelites who came out of Egypt experienced many powerful works of God… and yet they did not enter God’s rest because they did not combine it with faith (Heb. 4:1-3.)  They “heard His voice” but they hardened their hearts (Heb. 3:7-8,15; 4:7.)  Merely having the Word of God preached to you over and over again does not mean that you are saved!  We tend to assume that people are saved if they have gone to youth group or church for a long time, but often times it isn’t true.

By the way, it is important to remember that from our point of view we can never know when someone has permanently hardened their heart to God.  Don’t let Satan make you think that you have no hope of returning to God.  If you are concerned about this, it is probably a good indication that you have NOT permanently hardened your heart!  Also, we must remember not to judge other people as permanently hardened.  Only God knows the heart.  We need to look at every person as someone that God might still change.  Keep praying for them and doing your part to help them come to Christ.  The Holy Spirit has broken through to some of the hardest hearts out there! 

One of the important applications from Hebrews 6 is for people who have been involved with church or youth group for a long time, especially those who have grown up in the church.  Just because you have grown up in the church does not mean that you are saved!  Just because your parents might have sent you to Christian school doesn’t mean that you are a Christian.  Just because you have had powerful experiences of God does not mean that you are saved!  Unless you have entered God’s rest by placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone as your personal savior from the wrath of God that you deserve because of your sin and guilt, you are still dead in your sin.  Don’t let your heart be hardened!  If you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.

But there is also a strong message for believers here.  Hebrews 6:9 shows that the author was saying all of this as an application to people he believed were authentic believers.  The example of false-Christians who fall away should be a warning to true Christians as well.  The message is this: We need to keep pressing on toward maturity!  We can’t stay baby Christians forever.  When God communicates truth to us, we better not harden our hearts against it.  Instead, it needs to have its intended results in our lives.  That is why the author wrote, “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.  But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.  In the end it will be burned.”  (Hebrews 6:7-8)

Backsliding is not a legitimate option for Christians.  Stagnation is not even an option for Christians.  We need to press on closer to maturity day by day.  Do not harden your heart against God’s Word as it falls on you.  Be diligent to have it change you!  

-Nate Archer

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