“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.” Hebrews 6:4-6
People ask about this passage so often that I’ve noticed that the moderator sometimes places that question on the bottom of the stack. I suppose he grows weary listening to the same answers again and again.
Are these verses saying that a believer can be saved one day and lost the next? Does it mean that a Christian who backslides can never be restored? We can understand why there is confusion over the text when we consider some of the teachings on the subject. Often we preachers make the text more difficult instead of bringing clarity. So perhaps this will help.
First of all, let me say that this is one of those passages that requires us to understand the context. The author has been challenging his readers to grow as Christians. At the end of Chapter Five he told them that they needed to go beyond spiritual milk and start to chew on some spiritual steaks. When they needed to go on to sound theology, when they should be studying Melchizedek, for example, they were constantly reviewing the basics of Christianity.
In the first three verses of Chapter Six, he challenged them to move beyond the basic teachings (faith, repentance, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, final judgment), and experience some growth. Then these verses were added to explain why spiritual growth is important. So keep in mind that the correct interpretation must relate to the issue of growth in the Christian life.
First, notice that verse four is clearly describing salvation in specific terms. The theory that this describes people who are almost, but not quite saved doesn’t fit with this description. Those who are “enlightened” have been given the ability to understand and believe the gospel, in contrast to the lost who are in “darkness”. (See 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4.) Heavenly gifts are bestowed on God’s people. Only the saved partake of the Holy Spirit. The lost can read the Bible, but it’s the Holy Spirit who brings Scripture to life. The power of the kingdom of God is only available to the people of God.
Yes, the author could have simply said, “those who are saved,” but he chose to emphasize some of the amazing things salvation means. Every Christian has had a taste of these things, but why settle for a taste, we might ask, when we can have the whole pizza? Christian maturity makes it possible to enjoy these things and much more to the fullest extent possible.
Likewise, “fall away”, doesn’t mean to backslide. The Greek word means to defect or change sides. It means that one who once was truly saved is now truly lost. And of course, that’s one of those issues that have divided Christians for many years. So many teachers make eternal security, or the lack thereof, the point of emphasis in this passage, incorrectly in my opinion. This is a passage that shows a cause and effect relationship. If A happens, then B is the result.
Taken in context, the point of emphasis is not on the words, “if he falls away.” The emphasis is on the result, that once a person falls, it is impossible “to renew him again to repentance.” Some insist that a Christian can truly be lost. I would insist that the author is describing a hypothetical situation. But the interpretation is the same for both points of view. To put it simply, a person can only be saved once. That’s the second reason why it’s important to move beyond the basic principles. They will never lead Christians to another salvation.
So we need to continual grow spiritually, because we can only be saved once. Why? Because if we fall away,
1. Repentance is impossible.
2. There will be no second cross.
3. Christ will not be disgraced by you.
Here’s a way to illustrate this principle. For some of us the Christian life has been like walking on a pier that leads out into a vast ocean. We have light for the next step but aren’t sure what is ahead. But then we look behind and realize that there is no way back, we can only go forward. It’s time to move on:
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Egypt's Place in Biblical Prophecy
People have been rioting in the streets and three hundred have died in the chaotic violence. The president is gone. The military has dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution. What’s next for Egypt, and does it have a place in Biblical prophecy? We were thinking about this at First Baptist last Sunday evening.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Egypt is mentioned quite a bit in prophecy, especially when you consider the long connection between Egypt and the Jews. It goes back to Abraham and his trip to Egypt to escape a famine. Joseph spent years in Egypt, found favor with Pharaoh and saved the entire family by bringing them down from Canaan. Four hundred years later the family was there, and the 70 who came down had grown to 2.5 million. Even Jesus was there for a time to escape Herod and to fulfill Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I have called my son”.
And yes, the Bible does indicate that Egypt has a place in prophecy. Today I’ll call your attention to Isaiah 19, one of several places we could turn. This chapter interests me because its prophecies show us Egypt near the time of the Lord’s Second Coming. I’m not making predictions about when these things will take place, but it does seem that recent events have a least set in motion the things read about here.
First, Isaiah reminds everyone that God is in control of Egypt when he shows us the Lord riding into the country on a cloud. (19:1) “Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence.” The ancient Egyptians worshipped gods and goddesses of their own imagination, but today most Egyptians worship one idol, Allah. When Muhammad lived in Mecca 360 idols were worshipped, and one of those was al-ilah, the moon god. The name was shortened to Allah and became the only god of Islam. And that god will be no more help than Ra, Isis or any of the other Egyptian gods of the past, because the Lord reigns.
Next we can expect chaotic violence and perhaps even civil war. Isaiah 19:2,3 reads, "I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.”
We can certainly observe this kind of discord, chaos and violence today, and can expect in more in the days to come. With a void of substantive civil leadership, there will be “spiritual” advisors who will step in to offer wisdom that will lead to even further disorder. People will commit to a religious worldview of idolatry, mysticism, useless idolatry, false gods and the occult.
Next a ruthless dictator will rise to power. Yes, these people have had many dictators in the past, but this man seems to stand above the rest. Isaiah 19:4 tells us, “The Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them." There are several other prophetic passages that seem to describe the same leader, called the King of the South in Daniel 11. Ezekiel 38 describes this leader using a coalition of nations from the North, South, East and West of Israel to conspire together to kill the Jews, but they will be supernaturally defeated.
This will be the beginning of disaster for Egypt because Isaiah 19:5 says that the Nile River will dry up, resulting in a massive series of ecological, economic and agricultural crises. Did you know that the Nile has already begun to dry up? NASA satellites track water levels around the world and they have reported that this has been going on for years now. Farmers in Egypt are struggling to find places to water their cattle and even wild animals are moving into populated areas to find water along the Nile.
These are all signs that things are being prepared for the Lord’s return. We know this because of the way Isaiah 19 ends, which is the best and most amazing prophecy of all. (See Isaiah 19:18-25.) After the Second Coming, Egypt will turn to the Lord! That transformation is seen in four future, remarkable events; Egyptian cities will begin to speak the Hebrew language; an altar is built, on which offerings are given to Jehovah. God will hear the cries of the Egyptian people and will deliver them; a sacred superhighway will be built—linking Egypt, Israel and Assyria—guaranteeing the unity and safety of all three countries!
No one else would predict this, but this chapter that begins with the Lord sweeping in on a cloud to demonstrate His sovereignty ends with the words, “Blessed is Egypt my people.”
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Egypt is mentioned quite a bit in prophecy, especially when you consider the long connection between Egypt and the Jews. It goes back to Abraham and his trip to Egypt to escape a famine. Joseph spent years in Egypt, found favor with Pharaoh and saved the entire family by bringing them down from Canaan. Four hundred years later the family was there, and the 70 who came down had grown to 2.5 million. Even Jesus was there for a time to escape Herod and to fulfill Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I have called my son”.
And yes, the Bible does indicate that Egypt has a place in prophecy. Today I’ll call your attention to Isaiah 19, one of several places we could turn. This chapter interests me because its prophecies show us Egypt near the time of the Lord’s Second Coming. I’m not making predictions about when these things will take place, but it does seem that recent events have a least set in motion the things read about here.
First, Isaiah reminds everyone that God is in control of Egypt when he shows us the Lord riding into the country on a cloud. (19:1) “Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence.” The ancient Egyptians worshipped gods and goddesses of their own imagination, but today most Egyptians worship one idol, Allah. When Muhammad lived in Mecca 360 idols were worshipped, and one of those was al-ilah, the moon god. The name was shortened to Allah and became the only god of Islam. And that god will be no more help than Ra, Isis or any of the other Egyptian gods of the past, because the Lord reigns.
Next we can expect chaotic violence and perhaps even civil war. Isaiah 19:2,3 reads, "I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.”
We can certainly observe this kind of discord, chaos and violence today, and can expect in more in the days to come. With a void of substantive civil leadership, there will be “spiritual” advisors who will step in to offer wisdom that will lead to even further disorder. People will commit to a religious worldview of idolatry, mysticism, useless idolatry, false gods and the occult.
Next a ruthless dictator will rise to power. Yes, these people have had many dictators in the past, but this man seems to stand above the rest. Isaiah 19:4 tells us, “The Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them." There are several other prophetic passages that seem to describe the same leader, called the King of the South in Daniel 11. Ezekiel 38 describes this leader using a coalition of nations from the North, South, East and West of Israel to conspire together to kill the Jews, but they will be supernaturally defeated.
This will be the beginning of disaster for Egypt because Isaiah 19:5 says that the Nile River will dry up, resulting in a massive series of ecological, economic and agricultural crises. Did you know that the Nile has already begun to dry up? NASA satellites track water levels around the world and they have reported that this has been going on for years now. Farmers in Egypt are struggling to find places to water their cattle and even wild animals are moving into populated areas to find water along the Nile.
These are all signs that things are being prepared for the Lord’s return. We know this because of the way Isaiah 19 ends, which is the best and most amazing prophecy of all. (See Isaiah 19:18-25.) After the Second Coming, Egypt will turn to the Lord! That transformation is seen in four future, remarkable events; Egyptian cities will begin to speak the Hebrew language; an altar is built, on which offerings are given to Jehovah. God will hear the cries of the Egyptian people and will deliver them; a sacred superhighway will be built—linking Egypt, Israel and Assyria—guaranteeing the unity and safety of all three countries!
No one else would predict this, but this chapter that begins with the Lord sweeping in on a cloud to demonstrate His sovereignty ends with the words, “Blessed is Egypt my people.”
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Does an atheist reflect the image of God?
A caller recently wanted to know about the image of God and how it is reflected in the human race. The Bible tells us that Christians are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, but what about those who don’t believe? He wanted to know if the image of God is present in an atheist. To answer that question, we need to go back to the Genesis account of creation.
The image of God is what makes the human race unique. A person who doesn’t accept the reliability of the Bible can still know something about God by simply considering what he knows best - himself. Because there are qualities in man that can’t be observed anywhere else in universe it’s not unreasonable to consider the possibility that those qualities came from outside the universe. That’s what the Bible teaches us in the story of creation.
Adam and Eve were the last creatures God made, and the first to be created in His image. In other words, they were made to resemble God in some way. Because God is a spirit we can say that His image is reflected in the spirit of man that sets him apart from the animals. It’s the spirit of man that makes it possible for him to have fellowship with his Maker. And it’s the spirit that bears God’s likeness.
Like God, man has the intellectual ability to reason and choose. When someone creates a new computer program, writes a book, composes a new song or names a child, he is reflecting (on a small scale) the intellectual ability and freedom of God. He’s providing evidence for the image of God.
Sometimes we say that Adam and Eve were created innocent, but the moral reality is deeper than that. They were created holy and righteous. That’s why God saw this couple and proclaimed that they were “very good”. And that’s why even the most committed atheist will speak of good and evil or feel guilty. When he does, he demonstrates the reality of God’s image in his own sense of morality.
The human race was created with the capacity, like God’s nature, for love. When Adam was created God knew he would need Eve because it was, “not good that man should be alone.” When someone marries, makes a new friend or acts against his own self interest for the benefit of another we can see God’s nature in that person.
You know the rest of the story, however. God’s image was distorted by sin. Adam used his ability to choose to reject God’s command. His righteous nature was lost by an unrighteous act. His love for God and his wife were replaced with selfishness. On every level, God’s image was marred and he passed that depravity on to all his descendents. So what we see is that even someone who doesn’t believe reflects elements of God’s image, and at the same time shows that image corrupted by a sinful nature.
You saw both man’s greatness and his depravity graphically demonstrated on September 11, 2001. You may wonder how can anyone could be so consumed with evil and hate that he would use his last moments on earth to bring death and destruction to people he had never met? And you may wonder how someone could risk his own life by charging into a burning building to rescue strangers? The only clear and cogent answer you will find is in Genesis where it explains how God’s likeness and man’s sinfulness can exist in the same creatures.
That’s why people today, even those who don’t believe in God, reflect the greatness that comes with His image and at the same time the capacity for the worst acts of evil in our fallen nature.
The good news of the gospel is that when God saves a person, He begins a work of restoration. He creates a new nature in the Christian that changes him from glory to glory until the disfigured image of God is replaced by a true likeness.
“Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24
The image of God is what makes the human race unique. A person who doesn’t accept the reliability of the Bible can still know something about God by simply considering what he knows best - himself. Because there are qualities in man that can’t be observed anywhere else in universe it’s not unreasonable to consider the possibility that those qualities came from outside the universe. That’s what the Bible teaches us in the story of creation.
Adam and Eve were the last creatures God made, and the first to be created in His image. In other words, they were made to resemble God in some way. Because God is a spirit we can say that His image is reflected in the spirit of man that sets him apart from the animals. It’s the spirit of man that makes it possible for him to have fellowship with his Maker. And it’s the spirit that bears God’s likeness.
Like God, man has the intellectual ability to reason and choose. When someone creates a new computer program, writes a book, composes a new song or names a child, he is reflecting (on a small scale) the intellectual ability and freedom of God. He’s providing evidence for the image of God.
Sometimes we say that Adam and Eve were created innocent, but the moral reality is deeper than that. They were created holy and righteous. That’s why God saw this couple and proclaimed that they were “very good”. And that’s why even the most committed atheist will speak of good and evil or feel guilty. When he does, he demonstrates the reality of God’s image in his own sense of morality.
The human race was created with the capacity, like God’s nature, for love. When Adam was created God knew he would need Eve because it was, “not good that man should be alone.” When someone marries, makes a new friend or acts against his own self interest for the benefit of another we can see God’s nature in that person.
You know the rest of the story, however. God’s image was distorted by sin. Adam used his ability to choose to reject God’s command. His righteous nature was lost by an unrighteous act. His love for God and his wife were replaced with selfishness. On every level, God’s image was marred and he passed that depravity on to all his descendents. So what we see is that even someone who doesn’t believe reflects elements of God’s image, and at the same time shows that image corrupted by a sinful nature.
You saw both man’s greatness and his depravity graphically demonstrated on September 11, 2001. You may wonder how can anyone could be so consumed with evil and hate that he would use his last moments on earth to bring death and destruction to people he had never met? And you may wonder how someone could risk his own life by charging into a burning building to rescue strangers? The only clear and cogent answer you will find is in Genesis where it explains how God’s likeness and man’s sinfulness can exist in the same creatures.
That’s why people today, even those who don’t believe in God, reflect the greatness that comes with His image and at the same time the capacity for the worst acts of evil in our fallen nature.
The good news of the gospel is that when God saves a person, He begins a work of restoration. He creates a new nature in the Christian that changes him from glory to glory until the disfigured image of God is replaced by a true likeness.
“Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24
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