I see you still want to follow law. The sad part is the very thing Hebrews was trying to say you can not see.
we can take if three ways,
if and they might
if, and they might not
if but they can't
what is the if concerning? falling away.
If, (and they might, they might not, or they can't) fall away..
The author is talking to people trying to return to law. what does the law say? It says obey command, If you sin, must do something to have that sin forgiven, returning to that is like saying if you sin, you fall away, The author is rebutting this false gospel. He even tells us why it is in errort. Because for one who lost salvation to be renewed, Christ would have to die again for the sin he forgot to pay for in the first place. Saying one can fall away puts Christ to open shame, and we know this by what he says next.
For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned
paying carefull to the wording, we see this
but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned
near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
see also 1 cor 3: 6 - 15 the same type of story, about "bearing fruit, and recieving reward, and not bearing fruit, and having our reward "burned,. yet being saved, even though as through by fire.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
so we see here that paul planted the seed, Apollos watered the seed, But God caused the growth. the one who did the work is nothing.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
as we see, if we do the work God wants, we will be rewarded.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. if any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will )receive a reward.
so at this judgment, if our work endured ( if it is good ) we recieve reward,
If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire
yet if we remained stagnant, and our work is burnt, we suffer loss ( no reward) yet we will still be saved even though as through by fire.
this in contrast to Hebrews, near to being cursed whose end ( reward ) is to be burned.
we can also look at the begining of hebrews,
vs 1 - 2 : Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
in other words, do not remain stagnant, A person that just goes through the motions, and wants to remain in a "baby "state, move on to maturity. why?? so you can not only help build the foundation paul spoke of in Corinthians., but you can lay up reward stored for you in heaven, failure to do so will not cause you to fall away, for if you could fall away, you could never be saved again, but you will lose reward, and be left standing with nothing to show.
now who wants to do this at then end?? I know I do not.
