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Hebrews 6:4-6 is a section that many use to say you can lose your salvation. But it is not talking about losing salvation. Salvation cannot be lost. You have to understand that these were Hebrew/Jewish people who were following along with the believers and partaking in the teachings along with the believers. But they never were saved so there was no salvation to be lost.
Think about it this way. There are many people who pack our churches every Sunday. But not all who go to church are saved individuals. A person has to receive Christ and be born of His Spirit in order to be saved. Now, those individuals in the church who have never received Christ, they may look and act like believers, and yet be void of the indwelling Spirit in their lives.
You and I might think they are saved because they go to church and speak the lingo, and might even say amen on occasion but still never received Christ. So after many years of going to church, they had enough and walked away forever. Did they lose their salvation? No, they were never saved, to begin with.
That is the same thing we see in Hebrews chapter 6. Those Hebrew people were in with the crown and partaking of the same things the believers were partaking of, but they did not take that next step of surrendering their life to Christ. They were being enlightened to the truth, but an enlightened person does not mean they are a saved person. A person can be enlightened to the truth, and still, never receive Christ. They didn't surrender because of the persecution that they would have to go through if they denounced Judaism and received Christ as their Messiah.
So instead of surrendering their life to Christ, they turned away and went back into Judaism. It was much easier for them to do that than surrender to Christ. But they were never saved, so there was no salvation to be lost!
This sounds like someone who is a true believer "4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
I have worried about this scripture alot and how can someone be a partaker of the Holy Ghost and the powers of the world to come without being a true believer? I mean enlightened and tasting the Word of God could be people who are exposed to the truth but if they are partakers of the Holy Ghost doesn't that mean the Holy Spirit is in them?
Some of them (Hebrew people) were considering going back into the old religious system of the Old Testament.
3) There were also Hebrew unbelievers. These were those who were at these meetings, those who were in the crowd that just did not believe.
So if I understand these three groups, I can better understand some of the scriptures that are being presented. There are sections of scriptures to each one of these three groups in the book of Hebrews.
Now, all that to say this:
Hebrews 6:4-6 does not worry me at all. My relationship with Jesus Christ can never be broken. My fellowship with Him can be broken but never my relationship. A true believer, a person who is born of God's Spirit, cannot commit apostasy.
What I see in those three verses is the writer talking to those in group 1 and explaining to them the outcome of those in group 2 if they should walk away.
Now those in the 3rd group were non-believers who were following along but were never going to believe. They were probably there to watch and accuse those in group 2 who decided to identify with those in group 1 which would in turn cause them to be persecuted.
So what I see in Hebrews 6:4-6 is a group of people (Hebrew people) who were faced with a decision. Do I leave Judaism and receive Christ as my Savior. Or, do I walk away and go back into Judaism because of what it would cost me to surrender my life to Christ. For a Jewish person, this was a very difficult decision.
What the writer is saying is that after they have come to a full understanding of salvation through Christ, if they do not take the next step in turning from Judaism and surrendering their life to Him, but instead walk away because of what it would cost them, it is impossible for them to find salvation any other way.
If we were to put ourselves in the same position that these Jews were faced with, which of these three groups would we identify ourselves with?
I'll have to respond in a couple of posts. I believe this is important as some use this section of scripture to show that our salvation can be lost.
When I approach any book of the bible, I first have to understand who the book was written to and why it was written. Hebrews was written to the Hebrews, Jewish people. The letter was written to Hebrew Christians. But at the same time, as I go through the book, I see three different classes of people. So I have to understand it from a Jewish standpoint.
The Purpose of the Letter was to warn against apostasy during persecution. It's when believers suffer that believers consider to stop following Christ, or consider compromising in their walk with the Lord when things get tough. Now when I say believer, I also think this can be broken down into two classes, those who are saved, and those who are unsaved.
Now in order for me to understand the various passages and the various sections of Hebrews, I have to understand these three groups to whom it was written.
1) To Hebrew believers. (Saved believers)
2) To Hebrews who have an intellectual understanding of Christ but have not been saved, and they are considering going back to the religious system of Judaism because of the persecution for identifying with Hebrew believers. So these are Hebrews who understand what's being taught, and they intellectually agree with it, but they have never received Christ.
Chapter 10 tells us that after they identified with the Hebrew believers and they went home, their possessions were stolen. Their fellow Jews were kicking them out of the temples. And it would cause some of them to lose their jobs. Their friends would disown them.
So you can imagine a Jewish person, right at that place where they understand and they agree with it, but they haven't received Christ. But they have this persecution going on and they say "If I go all the way with this thing, this is what's going to happen. Everybody is going to disown me.
Hebrews 6:4-6 is a section that many use to say you can lose your salvation. But it is not talking about losing salvation. Salvation cannot be lost. You have to understand that these were Hebrew/Jewish people who were following along with the believers and partaking in the teachings along with the believers. But they never were saved so there was no salvation to be lost.
Think about it this way. There are many people who pack our churches every Sunday. But not all who go to church are saved individuals. A person has to receive Christ and be born of His Spirit in order to be saved. Now, those individuals in the church who have never received Christ, they may look and act like believers, and yet be void of the indwelling Spirit in their lives.
You and I might think they are saved because they go to church and speak the lingo, and might even say amen on occasion but still never received Christ. So after many years of going to church, they had enough and walked away forever. Did they lose their salvation? No, they were never saved, to begin with.
That is the same thing we see in Hebrews chapter 6. Those Hebrew people were in with the crown and partaking of the same things the believers were partaking of, but they did not take that next step of surrendering their life to Christ. They were being enlightened to the truth, but an enlightened person does not mean they are a saved person. A person can be enlightened to the truth, and still, never receive Christ. They didn't surrender because of the persecution that they would have to go through if they denounced Judaism and received Christ as their Messiah.
So instead of surrendering their life to Christ, they turned away and went back into Judaism. It was much easier for them to do that than surrender to Christ. But they were never saved, so there was no salvation to be lost!
This sounds like someone who is a true believer "4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
I have worried about this scripture alot and how can someone be a partaker of the Holy Ghost and the powers of the world to come without being a true believer? I mean enlightened and tasting the Word of God could be people who are exposed to the truth but if they are partakers of the Holy Ghost doesn't that mean the Holy Spirit is in them?
Some of them (Hebrew people) were considering going back into the old religious system of the Old Testament.
3) There were also Hebrew unbelievers. These were those who were at these meetings, those who were in the crowd that just did not believe.
So if I understand these three groups, I can better understand some of the scriptures that are being presented. There are sections of scriptures to each one of these three groups in the book of Hebrews.
Now, all that to say this:
Hebrews 6:4-6 does not worry me at all. My relationship with Jesus Christ can never be broken. My fellowship with Him can be broken but never my relationship. A true believer, a person who is born of God's Spirit, cannot commit apostasy.
What I see in those three verses is the writer talking to those in group 1 and explaining to them the outcome of those in group 2 if they should walk away.
Now those in the 3rd group were non-believers who were following along but were never going to believe. They were probably there to watch and accuse those in group 2 who decided to identify with those in group 1 which would in turn cause them to be persecuted.
So what I see in Hebrews 6:4-6 is a group of people (Hebrew people) who were faced with a decision. Do I leave Judaism and receive Christ as my Savior. Or, do I walk away and go back into Judaism because of what it would cost me to surrender my life to Christ. For a Jewish person, this was a very difficult decision.
What the writer is saying is that after they have come to a full understanding of salvation through Christ, if they do not take the next step in turning from Judaism and surrendering their life to Him, but instead walk away because of what it would cost them, it is impossible for them to find salvation any other way.
If we were to put ourselves in the same position that these Jews were faced with, which of these three groups would we identify ourselves with?
Lex,
I'll have to respond in a couple of posts. I believe this is important as some use this section of scripture to show that our salvation can be lost.
When I approach any book of the bible, I first have to understand who the book was written to and why it was written. Hebrews was written to the Hebrews, Jewish people. The letter was written to Hebrew Christians. But at the same time, as I go through the book, I see three different classes of people. So I have to understand it from a Jewish standpoint.
The Purpose of the Letter was to warn against apostasy during persecution. It's when believers suffer that believers consider to stop following Christ, or consider compromising in their walk with the Lord when things get tough. Now when I say believer, I also think this can be broken down into two classes, those who are saved, and those who are unsaved.
Now in order for me to understand the various passages and the various sections of Hebrews, I have to understand these three groups to whom it was written.
1) To Hebrew believers. (Saved believers)
2) To Hebrews who have an intellectual understanding of Christ but have not been saved, and they are considering going back to the religious system of Judaism because of the persecution for identifying with Hebrew believers. So these are Hebrews who understand what's being taught, and they intellectually agree with it, but they have never received Christ.
Chapter 10 tells us that after they identified with the Hebrew believers and they went home, their possessions were stolen. Their fellow Jews were kicking them out of the temples. And it would cause some of them to lose their jobs. Their friends would disown them.
So you can imagine a Jewish person, right at that place where they understand and they agree with it, but they haven't received Christ. But they have this persecution going on and they say "If I go all the way with this thing, this is what's going to happen. Everybody is going to disown me.
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