What is the meaning of Hebrews 6

[Abiding]

2 great answers is enuf.

 

[Stephen63]

Hebrews 6:4-6 [SUP]4 [/SUP]For it is impossible for those
1. who were once enlightened, truthfully fully revealed to them
2. and have tasted of the heavenly gift, gift of salvation
3. and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, born of the Spirit
4.[SUP] 5 [/SUP]And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, walked in true faith
[SUP]
6 [/SUP]If they shall fall away, apostacise, fall into apostasy
to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Anyone who has partaken of the Holy Spirit is a saved individual. You cannot partake of the Holy Spirit any other way. You cannot taste the powers of the world to come without being saved.

To fall away is to completely reject Christ. That sounds impossible, but it isn't. Many reject him every day for another Jesus, another gospel, another God. That is total rejection.

The church needs to really understand this Scripture, because in these last days there will be a great falling away.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 [SUP]3 [/SUP]Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Luke 8:13[SUP]13[/SUP] They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
2 Peter 3:17[SUP]17[/SUP] Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

 

[Widdekind]

so, if someone once was receiving Holy Spirit, from God in heaven, because they had acknowledged & accepted Jesus as Christ; then if they afterwards apostasize, then they are rejecting Holy Spirit

so, those who reject Holy Spirit cannot be brought back under the influences thereof; if by some means someone refuses to be influenced, and actually succeeds, then they are no longer manipulatable, by Holy Spirit

In Heb. 6:4-8, the writer describes both the prior and latter states of those who had "FALLEN AWAY."

I. Prior state These had
A. Been enlightened.
B. Had tasted the heavenly gift. (The word for tasted is γευσαμένους which means to experience. This is the same word that is used in Heb. 2:9 saying Jesus "tasted" death for everyone.
C. Been made partakers of the Holy Spirit.
D. Tasted the good word of God.

II.. Present state. They have "fallen away." From what then have they fallen?
A. An enlightend state.
B. The experience of the heavenly gift.
C. The partaking or sharing of the Holy Spirit.
D. The good word of God.
E. Crucified Christ all over again. Like those of Heb. 10:26-31, these have "trampled under foot the Son of God and regarded as unclean the blood of
the covenant by which he WAS sanctified" (passed tense). In other words these now regard the blood that had once sanctified them as nothing more than the peverbial hog slaughtere on the altar.

III. The impossible delima - It is now impossible to renew the again to repentance. Why? Because they have fallen away from the very thing that brought
them to repentance in the first place which was the word of God. It is now impossible to restore them to repentance. One cannot be REnewed AGAIN to a state they have never occupied. Thus, having once been saved and then having fallen away, they cannot be brought because they will no longer repent. This is of course representing the extreem case.

IV. Their fate. Like the ground that yields thistles and thorns, they are cursed and end up being burned. Just like those of 10:26-31, whose fate is to fall
into the hands of a vengfull God who says, "I will repay."
A. The writer is not saying that they claimed to have tasted, but presents a statement of fact - "They had tasted." But you are right in saying that they returned to the law. These has left the law in response to the gospel. Now that they are rejecting the cross and going bact to the law. This is the foundation they were "laying again."
B. I am assuming that you are using the KJV or the NIV. Am I correct? The UBS does not show this to be a Question. There is no "if" in the Greek. it simply says, παραπεσόντας - literally "having fallen away". This is a statement of fact based on actual cases, not a what if scenario.
C. Under the law, sin was not forgiven on the basis of those sacrifices, but on the basis of what those sacrifices represented - the cross. Lev. chapters 4 and 5 show us that they were indeed forgiven under the law. But it was not by the law. Even David understood this. "How blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sins are covered...to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity," Psalms 32:1-2. But he also knew that those sacrifices were not the avenue through which forgiveness came. "Thou doest not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it it." Psalms 51:1-2.
D. The inability to renew again is not linked to a supposition of "IF" they were to fall away. The impossibility is linked to the fact that after having been saved they have rejected the cross, not the old sacrifices, and in so doing have shamed Christ openly.
E. The writer does not say they cannot be 'saved' again. He says that cannot be brought back to repentance again. I am sure you would agree however, that this would render them unable to be saved since there is no longer repentance.
F. He is not comparing the crucifying of Christ again to the repetitious offering of O.T. sacrifice. To those who have rejected and fallen away, they are considering Christ worthy of the crucifiction. Thery are rejecting him and his sacrifice. Like those of 10:29, they are considering the blood of Christ "BY WHICH THEY HAD BEEN SANCTIFIED" and unclean thing, and have insulted the Spirit of grace.
G. The writer's point is that these had been sanctified - made holy - something that all of the sacrifices of the O.T. combined could never do. In verse 29, he even draws a contrast between the one's he speaking of and those who died under the law for rejecting Moses. those who rejected the blood after having been cleansed by it are worther of greater punishment. Verse 30 shows their fate.

 

[Widdekind]

can you prove that claim ?

Hebrews was written to a specific audience; but it applies generally. Those who accept the Holy Spirit, and then reject the same, are "calloused" against the HS, and are no longer influenceable by HS. Were they to return into a Church, they would not be guided by Holy Spirit, which they themselves had rejected.

Eternal sin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Accepting Jesus as the sacrifice to expiate sins is claimed to be a one-time offer; extended until rejected, and then never re-offered.

we all would want to believe that back-sliders can be re-Graced. But where in the NT are you drawing that impression from? If not true, then all those allowed back into the Church, have been "wolves in sheep clothing", Cyber-Dyne Systems T-1000 HKs masquerading through the trenches, hiding under their Christian-clothed rubberized over-fleshing.

Hebrews was written to Jews who had relied on the law all of their life.
They had come to trust in Jesus.
Some were reverting back to trusting in the law.

These verses aren't talking about run of the mill backsliding.
These are meant for people who were going from reliance on Jesus back to reliance on Mosaic law.

Verses like these read without consideration for context can be used to make it look like there is no grace for the back slider.

There is grace for the back slider.

 

[oldhermit]

so, if someone once was receiving Holy Spirit, from God in heaven, because they had acknowledged & accepted Jesus as Christ; then if they afterwards apostasize, then they are rejecting Holy Spirit

so, those who reject Holy Spirit cannot be brought back under the influences thereof; if by some means someone refuses to be influenced, and actually succeeds, then they are no longer manipulatable, by Holy Spirit

Now you are beginning to understand.

 

[Widdekind]

Now you are beginning to understand.

the implication would be, rejectors are Rejected; if ever they were allowed back into some Church, then that Church would be Deceived, and so no longer under God's Holy Spirit themselves, since the Rightly Guided are watchful (1 John 5).

And, since "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt 7, Sermon on the Mount), then you'd expect such fake never-really-re-repented persons, to bear bad fruit, which was not Christ-like. Et vice versa, if you saw such un-Christ-like-ness, then you could infer that they really weren't Christians in the first place. That does seem like common sense, but that the same is seen in Scripture seems potentially important.

 

[tono77]

"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."

Where this persons in the passage baptized in the Holy Spirit, or were people who have seen the miracles ,what does it mean by partakers?

 

[john832]

So does this scripture is not talking of true christians then? it seems is speaking of people who heard the word, and saw miracles , but then willingly went back to the their own self righteousness , and stop their walk in the Lord.

Heb 6:4 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,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 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.
Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Both passages speak to the same situation, one who has been given the Holy Spirit and then turns back to a life of wilfull sin. Done and done.

 

[tono77]

So it really sounds like someone who were truly saved and the fall away into sin living.

 

[enoch1nine]

Sorry Enoch, but it is a warning to believers. It is warning that the things in verse 6 could well happen.

Ch 1 & 2, intro to letter in a very detailed "name of Christ" section.
Ch 3, addressing the audience
"Wherefore," which means "based on what I just said"
"holy brethren," not just brothers, holy brothers
"partakers of the heavenly calling" more than just believing in Jesus, "partakers"

More of the same language throughout the book.

I personally think it's for followers.