Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
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Welcome/Thanks for ordination-prayers/Prayer
Open to Heb 6:4-8...
Explain context - middle of the third warning (Heb 5.11-6:12)
5.11-6.3 - shames the audience
6.4-8 - illustrates the danger
6.9-12 - encourages and exhorts
Now, why is this passage difficult or controversial?
Because of the questions it can pose...
Does it teach that believers can fall away from the faith?
Is the author speaking strictly of backslidden believers who lose rewards but not their salvation?
Is he writing to those who have, are currently, or are close to experiencing this?
Is this actually talking about whether or not those who have sinned after being baptized and receiving communion can be re-baptized?
How can anything be impossible for God? Especially, as it relates to a person desiring to be restored through repentance?
Some of the issues arise by reading into the text our own pre-conceived theological presuppositions…
Some arise because we ignore what Scripture teaches elsewhere...
And some arise because we don’t stick to the text… or we treat the passage as if it exists within a vacuum...
Before we look at the passage itself… let us consider some big picture items of Hebrews that will help us understand our passage...
(1st) Audience - Believers…
Not non-believers
Not an intentional mixed bag… that is… x amount profess faith, x amount openly deny faith
The audience here, all of them, profess to believe… though of course that does not mean they all actually believe... every church, every local body, to some degree is a mixed bag… wheat/tares, sheep/goats...
The author writes and speaks to those who profess faith and as far as they are concerned of themselves… they believe in Jesus Christ as Savior...
(2nd) The use of the 3rd person… notice how the warning starts with the 1st person plural (we/us) and second person plural (you all)`… all the other warnings do that as well...
Then with our text, he switches to 3rd person… indicating he’s not talking about his audience specifically…
After this illustration he switches back in v. 9 to the first and second person
(3rd) The other warnings...
All of them point essentially to the same consequence that fits the purpose of the letter… and we’ll see how this theme helps understand our passage as we get to it… but for now let’s do a quick review of the five warnings
Heb 2.1-4 - Pay attention - if we neglect the greater message.. the greater salvation… than the message of old?
How shall we escape?
Consequence - Judgment…
Heb 3.12-4:13 - Don’t harden your heart to His voice… as those in the wilderness...
Consequence - You will not enter into the promised rest - judgment
Heb 5.11-6:12 - Don’t be sluggish in hearing… consequence… we’ll talk about that…
Heb 10:26-31 - If we keep sinning in light of the Good News… having put our trust in Christ… how much worse will our punishment be compared to those in the Old Covenant?
Consequence - Judgment…
Heb 12:25-29 - Don’t refuse the One who is speaking -
Consequence - If they (OT) did not escape, having been warned on earth, how will we escape having been warned from heaven? - Judgment
All judgments being eternal… (a basic of our faith, Heb 6.2) - not simply a lost of rewards...
With the stage set… let us read our passage Heb 6.4-8
Let’s look at the first phrase - “For it is impossible”...
Impossible to do what?
You have to keep going until you find the infinitival phrase found in v. 6…
Where the author says… to restore them again to repentance...
That is what’s impossible… everything in between describes to whom the statement “For it is impossible to restore them again to repentance” applies...
So, let’s look at who these people are...
Those who have...
Been enlighten…
Have tasted the heavenly gift...
Have shared in the Holy Spirit...
Have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to came...
Then have fallen away… (note, KJV makes this last participle conditional by putting an “if” in it… but it is joined with the previous participles clearly in the Greek by the repeated use of the Greek conjunction ‘kai’)
Also, all these participles, being connected via conjunctions, are also unified by being bracketed within the infinitval clause
The question for us remains however — Are these false converts?
Are they believer who lose their salvation or do lost of rewards?
Or is the author referencing the wilderness generation?
Been enlightened (Ex 13.21) “once” = a decisive event
Heb 10.32 - enlightened - refers to conversion
2 Cor 4.4-6 - Paul speaks of non-believers as not being enlightened
Have tasted the heavenly gift (manna?)
Tasted here is a reference to experience… not actual eating
Heb 2.9 - taste = full experience not partial
So, what gift did they experience?
Gift of the Spirit, Acts 2.38
Gift of righteousness Ro 5.17
Have shared in the Holy Spirit
Just as taste represented a full experience… this sharing is a full-sharing… a full participation
A full sharing - Heb 3.1, 3.14
Jesus shared flesh and blood Heb 2.14
Having tasted the goodness of the Word of God (the revelation of Christ)
And the powers of the age to come
Which may be a reference to the signs and wonders mentioned back in Heb 2.4… or more likely, and more simply, the experienced life of a regenerate person with the indwelling Spirit...
Then fell away (παραπίπτω)
Only time in the NT this word is used
Used in Ezekiel (LXX) five times...
But in each instance refers to being faithless/to transgress/to sin
Even in extra-biblical usage it means a variety of things relating to falling aside… making a mistake… to fail...
In no other instance does it mean straight up apostasy as we understand apostasy...
However… though… falling away… is falling away..
And in this letter what is falling away?
Well Heb 3.12, 4.11 help us with that...
Since… (essentially, this is what’s happening (when one falls away))
They are crucifying again the Son
To their own harm - Heb 10.26-27
Those who turn against Christ will face a fiery judgment
and holding Him up to contempt (disgraces Christ) (Heb 10.29)
Hebrews is clear that he dies only once Heb 7.27, 9.12, 27-28, 10.10
So, how is it then impossible for someone to not be restored via repentance?
They’ve essentially gone too far… their hearts are too hard...
Maybe you say… but aren’t these believers?
To whom the author is writing?
Yes...
And… believers.. those who are saved… will not perish… ever..
Jn 6.37-44, Jn 10.28-29
Rom 8.28-39, 1 Cor 1.8-9, Eph 1.13-14, Phil 1.6, 1 Th 5.23-24, 1 Peter 1.5, Jude 24-25...
Then why speak of falling away if falling away (understood as apostasy) is not possible for the believer?
Our God is a God of both means and ends.
We pray to an all sovereign God who knows our needs before we ask...
We evangelize and make disciples, but it is God who causes them to be born again
Our sin has been forgiven… yet we still confess and repent…
The warnings of Scripture are part of the means that God uses to ensure we remain faithful to the end…
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