Hebrews 6
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Permalink Reply by Jason Claus on -
1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3And this will we do, if God permit.
4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6If 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.
7For 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:
8But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
1. Once #1536-Hapax, Once for all
2. Enlightened #5461-Photizo, shedrays, brightened up, illuminated, bring light in the sense of rendering evident. (used of believers and unbelievers)
3. Tasted of the heavenly gift- They had tasted the spiritual character of the truth. A person may put the pot on the stove and throw in the ingredients for soup. As the meat and vegetables begin to simmer, he may put in the spoon and taste to see what it is like. Like the unbeliever escaping the pollution of the world, but their is a big difference between tasting the soup and filling the bowl to get full.
4. Partakers of the Holy Ghost #3353-Metochos, participating, going along with. The question is how is the person partaking or going along with the Holy Spirit. In what function is he participating. The answer is found in the initial work of the Holy Spirit. The only work the Holy Spirit has in an unbelievers world; to convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. (John 16:7-11). To be a partaker of the Holy Spirit is not to be a posseser of the Holy Spirit, neither is tasting of the
gift being a posseser of the gift. To recognize the truth in Christ is not to be a Christian. At this point in time a person can still draw back from repentance God so graciously offered.
5. Tasted the good word of God and, and the powers of the world to come- Many had heard the Gospel and seen the miracles wrought by Christ and His Apostles to authenticate the message and the messanger (Hebrews 2:3,4)...They had tasted of the world to come
If they shall fall away (Parapesuntas-literally to stumble down to not get up) to renew them again unto repentance- This is probably the most important area to really pay attention to. What does it actually say is impossible to do again. Renew them unto repentance right. It doesn't say renew them unto salvation. This is because salvation is not in view here. Every thing we have been dealing with is a warning to an unsaved individual who has halted short of final salvation in Christ. God has brought him to the true understanding of who he and His Son are, yet the individual hypotetically has decided for what ever reason to not place his faith to where his enlightenment has lead him, faith in Christ. The reason they no longer are offered repentance (remember repentance is a gift Acts 5:30-31, as well as various other passages) is because after receiving such an enlightenment and rejecting it God considered it the same as recrucifying Christ "afresh, and putting him to an open shame. Those that repudate Christ prove they had never been saved, and they sear their conscience concerning Him so that the initial work of repentance can never again be wrought in their heart. Like the Pharisees and Pharaoh, they hardned their hearts beyond the possibility of a conviction.
This person is like the spies of Kadesh Barnea (Deut. 1:19-26) who saw the land and had the very fruit of it in their hands, and yet turned back with fear, not having faith in God.
...For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dresseth, receiveth blessings from God: But that which beareth thorns is rejected and is nigh (agcho-at hand, ready) unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
The earth is seen as the individual. The fruit reveal the state and true nature of the soil (matthew 13:18-23). Whether or not the seed was eaten up by the devil, it fell on stoney hearts, worries and fears of this world choke the seed from growth or fruit was bore is the determining factor. Fruit not root in view
That is what is meant by v.9 " But beloved we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak."
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Permalink Reply by Jere on -
Thank you for presenting this exegetical outline of Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6:1-8 is one of the most controversial and debated passages in the New Testament. Many books, essays, commentaries and articles have been written about its meaning and significance.
Verses 4-8, in particular, have been interpreted in many different ways, depending on one’s belief system, especially with respect to eternal security and apostasy. Key to understanding any biblical writings is identifying the audience, the context, and the topic to get at the author's original intended meaning. I am interested in your views and those of others regarding the following.
1) Intended Audience -- Were they directed to Jewish believers who had been exposed to Christian teachings but had not adopted (or rejected) them or to new Jewish converts to Christianity considering returning to their former ritualistic ways? Were they saved or unsaved?
2) The Topic -- Is Hebrews 6 addressing salvation; the nature, quality and superiority of faith in Jesus Christ; or something else?
3) Eternal Security -- These passages are often cited as clear proof by proponents of eternal security that we cannot lose our salvation. If we could, then the absurdity of this is that Christ would have to be crucified again and again. On the other hand, those that reject eternal security just as strongly claim the opposite. They find evidence here that Christians call fall away from or lose their faith and consequently their salvation. One or the other can be correct, but not both as they contradict each other.
4) Relationship to Other Scriptures -- One of the basic rules for sound biblical exegesis is that Scripture is to be interpreted in light of Scripture. I am curious what (if any) connections you might make between Hebrews 6 and (any or all of) the following:
a) The apostasy described in 2 Thessalonians 2.
b) Judas--the apostle who betrayed Jesus.
c) The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9).
d) 1 Timothy 4:1- But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
e) 2 Peter 2:21 - For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
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Hebrews 6:4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God ; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
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