Warning and Assurance

Introduction

Hebrews 5:11–6:12 NIV

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore 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,  and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites,  the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen 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. Land 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. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Hard passage

A Dangerous Situation (5:11-6:3)

Hebrews 5:11–6:3 NIV

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 1 Therefore 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, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.

The church isn’t building on their foundation through maturity

They should be developing their ability to distinguish good from evil, but they haven’t even grasped the foundational reality of who Jesus is and how God relates to his people

They aren’t even trying to understand

Two characteristics of a foundation

A Foundation Isn’t Enough

Hebrews 5:11–14 NIV

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

A Foundation Is Essential

Hebrews 6:1–3 NIV

1 Therefore 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, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.

A Deadly Warning (6:4-6:8)

Hebrews 6:4–8 NIV

4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen 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. 7 Land 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. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Why is it important to keep building on the foundation?

Because the cost of leaving Christ behind is so high.

Warning passages

Hebrews 2:1–4 “1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

Hebrews 3:12–14 “12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”

Hebrews 4:1 “1 Therefore, 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.”

Hebrews 10:26–29 “26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

What does this mean?

Option 1: Once we are saved we can abandon Christ and become unsaved

This rightly emphasizes the serious warning, but wrongly ignores the other testimony of Scripture which provides security in Jesus

Romans 8:29–30 “29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

Romans 8:35–39 “35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 6:37– “37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

John 10:28–30 “28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.””

Philippians 1:6 “6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Option 2: These verses refer to losing rewards in heaven or living a less fulfilled life

This rightly emphasizes the testimony of other Scripture which provides security in Jesus, but wrongly softens these serious warnings

Hebrews 2:1–3 “1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.”

Hebrews 4:1 “1 Therefore, 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.”

Hebrews 6:8 “8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.”

Hebrews 10:26–27 “26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

Option 3: Believers must and will continue to believe

Drifting away and abandoning Jesus results in eternal damnation, but believers will not because Jesus holds them in his hand.

Belonging to and believing in Jesus works upon our will and affections in such a way that we will not and in fact cannot let him go.

If we are truly his sheep, we will not let him go because he holds on to us.

This rightly emphasizes the seriousness of failing to hold on to Jesus while holding to the hope that he will hold us

There are some who profess faith in Jesus but ultimately do not believe, even though they proclaim and even experience something that looks like true faith but isn’t

Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:18–23 “18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 1. 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 2. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 3. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 4. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.””

False disciples

Matthew 7:21–23 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

So why the warnings?

The warnings are one of the means that God uses to stir our hearts to hold on to Jesus

Ultimately, he is the one who is holding our affections, but he does that by acting upon our wills

An example

Acts 27:22–25 “22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

Acts 27:26 “26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.””

God offers salvation to Paul. The means which God uses to grant that salvation is grounding the ship.

This passage can cause us to fear and even lead to hopelessness, but AH doesn’t end here.

A Divine Hope (6:9-12)

Hebrews 6:9–12 NIV

9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

AH is convinced of better things. They must and will work out their faith to the end and inherit the promises.

Consider this passage in context

Hebrews is at its core about the exclusivity and superiority of Jesus. This text is one where he puts that authority and exclusivity to work.

Conclusion

Warning and Promise

We need both warning and promise

Sodium and chlorine

If we over-emphasize the warning we end up with:

Works salvation

Spiritual OCD

If we over-emphasize the assurance we end up with:

False hope

How do I know I’m going to heaven?

Is it a moment in my life or the moment of Christ’s death?

Spoil your dinner with junk

Hypocrisy

Application

For those who love someone who has left the faith

Look to Jesus.

Do not put your faith in a profession they made long ago which has not born fruit, put your hope in the Son of God who was given for you.

The God who sent his only begotten son cares about and can save your child.

For those who have not placed their faith in Jesus

Turn from your own attempts to justify and satisfy yourself and look to Jesus.

For those who are struggling with their faith

Turn away from the mirror and to your Savior.

Eternal security v. assurance of salvation