Heb 4:
1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
2For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
a3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
Heb 6:
1Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,
a and of faith in God,
2instruction about cleansing rites,
b the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
3And God permitting, we will do so.
4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6and who have fallen c away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
7Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
8But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Let the explanations come.
OHH, this does not mean that and that does not mean this. And this has 5 categories whereas that has 2 meanings.
So why did you stop reading in verse 8 and not continue to read
verse 9?
But, beloved, we are
confident of better things concerning YOU, yes,
things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. Apparently your biased view point would not allow it.
I've heard three different interpretations for Hebrews 6:4-6 (hypothetical view, lost salvation view, never truly saved view) but am not convinced that it teaches a really "saved" person really "lost their salvation."
NOWHERE does the Bible use the words "lose or lost salvation." According to the hypothetical interpretation, the key word in the passage is IF (verse 6). In this case, the writer of Hebrews would be setting up a hypothetical statement: "IF a Christian were to fall away.." The point being made is that it would be impossible (IF a Christian falls away) to renew them again to repentance.
In regards to the words that you
bolded: once been enlightened - The word enlightened means to bring to light, to shed light upon or to cause light to shine upon some object, in the sense of illuminating it. John 1:9 describes Jesus, the "true Light," giving light "to every man"; but this cannot mean the light of salvation, because not every man is saved.
This light either leads to the complete acceptance of Jesus Christ or produces condemnation in those who reject such light.
In regards to
shared in the Holy Ghost, one who shares with someone else as an associate in an enterprise or undertaking. It speaks of those who are participators in something. Business partner, companion. Participating in. Accomplice in. Comrade. Metochos is used elsewhere in Hebrews in the context of believers (Hebrews 3:14 - "For we have become partakers of Christ") and thus the statement have shared in the Holy Spirit seems at first glance to be support that true believers are being addressed, yet there are other ministries of the Holy Spirit that precede the indwelling and sealing of believers. It's plausible to envision an individual becoming a sharer in the Spirit (His pre-salvation ministry, convicting of sin, righteousness and judgment to come) by responding for a time to His drawing power intended to bring sinners to Christ (which can be resisted without receiving salvation). The translation "shared" implies something done in company with others and before obtaining salvation, all believers shared in the convicting ministry of the Spirit Who drew them to Christ. *
Note that the writer of Hebrews does not state that these individuals were "indwelled by the Holy Spirit" or "sealed by the Holy Spirit" or "received the Spirit's pledge (guarantee) of future inheritance." (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30)
In regards to
tasted of the heavenly gift and the goodness of the word of God, they had tasted in such a way as to give them a distinct impression of it, yet they still turned away. Inherent in the idea of tasting is the fact that one might or might not decide to accept what is tasted. For example, the same Greek word (geuomai) is used in Matthew 27:34 to say that those crucifying Jesus "offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall;
but when he tasted it, he would not drink it." *Do we taste into one Spirit or drink into one Spirit? (1 Corinthians 12:13).
In regards to
have fallen away, I find it interesting that the term "fall away" was used by the Lord Jesus of His 11 disciples at the time of His arrest. The disciples deserted Jesus as was predicted and Peter obviously denied Jesus three times. They were said to
"fall away." Matthew 26:31 - Then Jesus said to them, "You will all
fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.' 32 "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." 33 But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may
fall away because of You, I will never
fall away." Obviously, this was not a loss of salvation. For a
righteous man may fall seven times AND rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. (Proverbs 24:16) Those who would fall away permanently demonstrate a defect in faith.
In regards to
brought back to repentance, this does not specify whether the previous repentance was merely outward or genuine repentance that was accompanied by saving faith. To permanently fall away would demonstrate a defect in repentance.
In Hebrews 6:7-8, we read - 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; but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. In this agricultural metaphor, we can see that those who receive final judgment are compared to land that bears no vegetation or useful fruit, but rather bears thorns and thistles. In other metaphors in scripture we can see that
good fruit is a sign of true spiritual life and fruitfulness is a sign of false believers (for example - Matthew 3:8-10; 7:15-20; 12:33-35), we already have an indication that the author is speaking of people whose evidence of their spiritual condition (the fruit they bear) is lacking, suggesting that the author is talking about people who are not genuine Christians. *Verse 9 sums it up for me. The writer is speaking to those truly saved (calls them BELOVED). He says that
even though he speaks like this concerning THOSE types of people, He is convinced of better things concerning YOU. Things that ACCOMPANY SALVATION. Thorns and briars and falling away do not accompany salvation.
It's generally stated by those who believe that salvation can be lost, it can also be gained back again, yet that would not be the case in Hebrews 6:4-6 if the writer of Hebrews was teaching a loss of salvation. Now if the writer of Hebrews was truly teaching that a really "saved" person really "lost their salvation," then why didn't he simply say, "For it is impossible for those who were once
born again or saved, if they fall away, to
renew them again to salvation? Why is it that we
never find the words "lose or lost salvation" in the Bible? *That would certainly settle the issue for me.
