“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:
No comments:
Post a Comment