What About Hebrews 6?
“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” (v. 4–6a).
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Hebrews 6
Hebrews 6 is one of the most difficult passages of
Scripture to understand, mainly because we don’t know who wrote the
book or the circumstances surrounding its writing. If we knew, for
instance, that the author was writing to people who had fallen in
among the Judaizers like those in Galatia, he would be making an
argument against salvation by the law. For someone to turn again to
the law would be to reject everything he had received under the
Gospel. The grace he had received in the Spirit would have no
meaning. And not only that, once he returned to the law, there
would be no redemption left for him; what the Cross could not do
for him, the law certainly could not do. This may be what the
writer meant by saying such a person would crucify again for
himself the Son of God and put Him to open shame. By turning to the
law, he would make a sham of the Cross, and no redemption would be
available under a works Gospel.
This is a possible interpretation of the text. However, the writer
also could be referring to apostates, to those who were members of
the visible church but fell away from the faith and, thus, proved
they never were part of the true church,
as 1
John 2:19 says. If this is the right
interpretation, we need to deal with the language of verses 4 and 5
in connection with an unbeliever. Let’s see if this can
be done.
First, the text describes these apostates as those who have
understood the Gospel and believed it to be true, which is possible
for an unbeliever. Second, they have tasted the heavenly gift. This
could mean partaking of the Lord’s Supper, something else an
unbeliever can do. Third, they have become partakers of the Holy
Spirit. This could mean they have some experience with the gifts of
the Spirit, which can occur in unbelievers, or they were simply
part of the Christian community living in the Spirit’s presence.
Fourth, they have witnessed the signs and wonders that accompanied
the Gospel, another action that is possible for unbelievers. Last,
it says that they could not be renewed to repentance, implying that
they once had repented. We know from the case of Esau that a person
can have false repentance. If Hebrews 6 is talking
about an apostate, then he will become so hardened in his sin that
he has no hope of salvation—a sober reminder to examine ourselves
to see whether we are in the faith.
Coram Deo
Hebrews 10:26 says that a person who sins
willfully cannot be brought back to salvation. ReadNumbers
15:30–31. Hebrews must be read in light of the law. The willful
sin here is a denial of the faith, a presumptive trampling of the
Gospel of Christ. Those who do this are like those in Hebrews 6.
Warn anyone you know in this situation.
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