HEBREWS 6: 4–6, 13–20
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
ETERNAL SECURITY?
Verses 4–8 of Hebrews 6 is one of the more difficult passages in the N.T. These verses have prompted significant theological debate over the years. Churches have divided over the question of the security of the believer.
It’s often called “eternal security” and tends to put people into one of two camps: one camp says, “once saved, always saved” and the other camp uses the language of “losing one’s salvation.”
Someone who has experienced salvation
Verses 4–8 start with, “It is impossible.” The question is, “who is it referring to?” When you read the commentaries and consult scholars, you’ll find that there are about 5 different views on what the author is saying.
I won’t take the time to explore various views, but it’s worth looking at what’s here and hopefully coming to an understanding of the passage.
The writer describes the individual as having experienced salvation. There are five descriptors of people:
They have once been enlightened (verse 4)
The light of gospel truth has shone into their lives. This is someone who heard the gospel and received it.
They have tasted the heavenly gift (verse 4)
It’s a person who didn’t just know about Jesus. They tasted. They took it in. They experienced Jesus for themselves.
They have shared in the Holy Spirit (verse 4)
They have shared in and become partakers of the work of God’s Spirit.
They have tasted the goodness of the Word of God (verse 5)
This is one who didn’t just read the word of God, but they experienced the delight that comes when God’s word comes alive in your heart and mind.
They have tasted of the powers of the coming age (verse 5)
It’s a person who has experienced God’s power. Their experience of God not dry and/or academic.
From the description, I conclude that this is a person who has had a genuine experience of salvation.
Some hold to the idea that the writer is describing someone who has never been saved. They make the point that it’s possible that someone goes to a church and by all appearances is a Christian but has never made a genuine commitment to Christ.
It means that for a person who has had a true experience of salvation, if they fall away, it’s impossible for them to be brought back to repentance.
FALLING VS FALLING AWAY
The key to understanding this is the definition of “falling away.” There is a big difference between falling and falling away.
In our humanness, all of us who have experienced salvation have fallen or are going to fall, and likely it’ll be more than once or twice.
But when I fall—when I sin—I decide. Will I get up, draw on God’s grace, repent, make amends and move on OR will I decide that I’m not going to get up?
Proverbs 24:16 says, “though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” He goes on in that verse to say, “but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”
When you value your salvation, you’re going to fall, but you’ll get up and do what you need to do to keep going. Falling does not mean falling away.
Peter and Judas
I think of the experience of two of Jesus’ disciples, Peter and Judas. Both fell. Peter denied Christ 3 times. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Both were sorry.
Peter fell; Judas fell away. Both had faith, but the faith that saves is the faith that endures to the end.
When the writer is describing someone who has had a genuine salvation experience but falls away, repentance and a return to faith are impossible not because God won’t accept them back. It’s because they refuse to come back.
Genuine faith is a faith that endures. Salvation is secure for those who keep trusting in Jesus to the very end. It’s the posture of believing in Christ and getting back up every time I fall.
Genuine Faith
In verses 9–12 he describes what an enduring, persevering Christian life looks like. When someone has genuine faith in Jesus, it’s going to show.
The writer sums up what genuine saving faith looks like; an active, ongoing posture of service, and a faith that never quits believing in Jesus. Genuine faith is shown or demonstrated by my faithfulness to the end.
In verses 12–20, the writer reminds us that our God is faithful—that He keeps all He has promised to us. You can trust Him.
Perhaps you need that reminder today. Often, we fall away because we have forgotten how faithful God is, or we come to believe that God won’t come through or that He isn’t trustworthy.
ABRAHAM’S STORY
It’s noteworthy that the writer uses the example of God’s dealings with Abraham. Abraham’s story unfolds in the pages of Genesis. It begins in Genesis 12 when God calls Abram to leave his family to go settle in the land God would lead him to.
The Call of Abram
The call of Abram comes with a promise that God would make of him a great nation. For the next 25 years, Abram’s faith in God’s promise is tested. There are times when Abraham messes up—when he takes matters into his own hands—when he trusts himself rather than God. His story lets us know that he went through seasons when he floundered in his faith.
At 100 years of age, the promise of an offspring comes to pass. His wife gives birth to their first son.
One of the greatest detractors from faith is impatience. But we learn a couple of things about God from Abraham’s story:
There is often a gap between when God makes a promise and when that promise is fulfilled.
God always keeps His promise.
It’s often in the gap between God’s promise given and God’s promise fulfilled that God does His good work of growing our faith and our character.
There is something valuable that happens in me when I’m faithful to God in the waiting. God will deliver on His promises and timing is an important aspect of faith and trusting in God.
The Oath with Abram
Verse 17 refers to the oath God makes to Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham is waiting and trusting but he’s wondering about the fact that after years he still has no child with Sarah.
God has Abraham bring some animals. He kills them and cuts them in half with a path between the pieces. As darkness falls, a smoking pot and a blazing torch appear and pass between these animal pieces.
In those days when two parties made a contract, they would cut an animal in half and both parties would walk between the animal parts and repeat the terms of the agreement or covenant.
Both parties were saying that they were serious about their commitment and if the agreement was broken, they were saying “let this same bloodshed be poured out on my animals and me.”
And God walks through the animal parts without requiring Abraham to do the same. God was saying to Abraham, “I will keep my promises.” He did it without requiring Abraham to do the same. God was assuring Abraham that he would keep his promise. And He does.
What That Means for Us
And for us, God does it through the shedding of His Son’s blood. Look at verse 19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul.” God is faithful. God is trustworthy. You can anchor your soul to that when everything is shifting, and the currents want to carry you away.
There is nothing more solid than the promises of a faithful God. Jesus secured it by His death on the cross.
Like Abraham, I’ll fail, and I’ll fall, but I’m going to get up and in due time I’ll come into the fullness of God’s salvation.
I’m going to fall but I’ve made the decision that I’ll never fall away.
— Notes from Pastor Marvin Wojda’s sermon on May 15th, 2021
CLICK HERE to watch the Hebrews 6 sermon on YouTube.