AWOL
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Are you …
I. Advancing or Abandoning? (Hebrews 6:1-3)
I. Advancing or Abandoning? (Hebrews 6:1-3)
The Foundation
The Foundation
The six “elementary teachings” seem to cover the conversion, life, death, and eternity of the Christian.
Repentance
Recognition of our sin problem and turning from “dead works”—unbelief.
Faith in God
Faith—the moment of conversion
Washings/Baptism
Most likely referring to washings for purification and cleansing in the OT.
9 … Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
For the Christian, spiritual baptism happens at the moment of conversion and is further symbolized through physical baptism.
Laying on of Hands
Most likely referring to both the need for a sacrifice and the transfer of sins to the sacrifice.
Jesus Christ is the sacrifice “offered once-for-all” who “became sin”
Resurrection
There will be a resurrection of the dead, evidenced by Christ’s exultation as the “first fruits”.
Judgment
Everyone will stand before God in judgment.
None of the six are explicitly Christian or Jewish, highlighting the continued view of a singular plan and people of God throughout Scripture.
Advancing Toward Maturity
Advancing Toward Maturity
The language here does not mean one “unhitches” from the elementary/basic foundation.
Instead, the foundation was laid to be built upon.
Using the NIV and NASB, we gain a picture of what this entails.
Hebrews 6:1 NIV Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity
Hebrews 6:1 NASB Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity
Christians must be both taken forward by the Holy Spirit and press on themselves.
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Are you a …
II. Witness or Waverer? (Hebrews 6:4-5)
II. Witness or Waverer? (Hebrews 6:4-5)
Once Been Enlightened
Once Been Enlightened
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Tasted the Heavenly Gift
Tasted the Heavenly Gift
Tasted — to become acquainted with by experience
15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Been Made Partakers of the Holy Spirit
Been Made Partakers of the Holy Spirit
16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
Tasted the Good Word
Tasted the Good Word
13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.
Tasted the Powers of the Age to Come
Tasted the Powers of the Age to Come
24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” 28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” 29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
Who is Being Described?
Who is Being Described?
The author of Hebrews cannot be describing any group other than Christians.
The identifier partakers of the Holy Spirit alone makes clear the author is referring to believers.
Taken together, these five characteristics are a profoundly beautiful summary of the Christian life.
“If this passage were found in Romans 8, we would all hail it as the greatest description of Christian blessings in the entire Bible.”
Grant Osbourne, qtd. by Gareth Cockerill in The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2012), 271.
Are you an …
III. Overcomer or Outcast? (Hebrews 6:6-8)
III. Overcomer or Outcast? (Hebrews 6:6-8)
Have Fallen Away
Have Fallen Away
Not a hypothetical; a genuine reality.
The KJV translates this section “if they have fallen away”. This is not conditional. The author is not describing the genuinely converted who might fall; he is describing the genuinely converted who have fallen.
The Greek simply states: “Those who have been … have tasted … have been made … and have tasted … and have fallen away.
5 Primary Views
5 Primary Views
Scholars from all perspectives are virtually in unanimous agreement that verses 4-5 are speaking of genuine Christian believers, so the question becomes what does “have fallen away” mean?
Hypothetical
Teaches the author writes this only as a hypothetical, even though it is impossible.
If hypothetical and impossible, the warning loses all force, credibility, and meaning.
More importantly, it is virtually impossible to take the phrase “have fallen away” as a conditional statement.
Test of Genuineness
Teaches those outlined are not really believers, and that the evidence of their false nature will be their “falling away”.
This view fails because the five characteristics can only refer to Christians.
Means of Salvation
Teaches that God uses the warning as a means of ensuring Christians persevere, even though they cannot fall away.
This view fails not only because the warnings lose their force, but because it effectively makes God a liar.
Like a teacher who decides all his students will pass the class, but then tells them if they do not study, they might fail the class (even though he will pass them regardless).
Loss of Rewards
Teaches that what is in view is not the “loss” of salvation, but the loss of heavenly rewards ( 1 Cor. 3:12-15).
Even though Scripture very clearly teaches there are “heavenly rewards,” this view fails because it is imposing a view that is foreign to the text.
Apostasy
Apostasy
Apostasy
The three views above (i.e., Test of Genuineness, Means of Salvation, & Loss of Rewards) all operate off the same assumption: eternal security. However, eternal security (OSAS) is not biblical.
Those who hold this view will often say things such as, “Salvation is a gift; you can’t lose what you never earned.”
While this statement sounds nice and catchy, it is what we would call a non sequitur—it doesn’t follow.
Just because I am given a gift, does not mean I am required or forced to keep it.
The only view that fits not only the context of Hebrews, but also the context of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, is apostasy—a conscious forfeiting and rejection of salvation.
Some critique using the word apostasy to describe the action or apostate to describe the condition.
Apostasy—an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize
Apostasy is not assumed, it is the natural course that
Hebrews is not the only book that teaches this:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 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. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 20:15—”And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”—ensures this verse cannot be taken any other way.
Impossible to be Renewed
Impossible to be Renewed
This “falling away” is a definitive moment of conscious rejection or forfeiture of Christ.
They have severed themselves from what Christ accomplished “once for all” (Heb. 9:12).
They cannot be renewed to repentance because they no longer view repentance as necessary.
They have re-crucified and continue to re-crucify Jesus with a lifestyle that lives in conscious and willing rebellion against the Father.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Three truths:
Those who are “impossible to renew” God alone knows (Heb. 6:3), so we should always be seeking to bring those who strayed back to the truth.
19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
This does not mean every time you sin your eternity is thrown into question.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
Apostates do not seek repentance. They will be characterized by an unconcerned persistence in disobedience and rebellion.
In other words, it is a good thing to be anxious after reading a passage or hearing a message like this.
Rain on the Field
Rain on the Field
When someone farms, it is natural to expect the harvest will be “useful.”
There is only one field in this analogy, similar to the Parable of the Sower.
The rain falls, and the ground brings forth:
Useful vegetation that receives a blessing.
Worthless vegetation that is cursed and ultimately burned.
Burning means eternal judgment.
1 Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. 2 He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones. 3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? 5 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. 6 “I will lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.” 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
Are you a …
IV. Laborer or Laggard? (Hebrews 6:9-12)
IV. Laborer or Laggard? (Hebrews 6:9-12)
Convinced
Convinced
Although the author has spoken in this way—which affirms the genuineness of the warning—he is confident in his recipients.
Beloved—lit. dear friends
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Romans 8:28–39 (NASB95)
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You will notice there is one thing missing from this list: you.
Paul is definitively saying no external thing can take your salvation from you. In other words, you cannot lose (accidentally) your salvation, but you can—just as the wilderness generation did—consciously reject it.
Why is the author convinced?
God is not unjust.
In other words, God is faithful.
Their lifestyles evidence the fact that they are not like those who have abandoned the faith.
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Exhortation
Exhortation
Do not allow yourselves to become complacent.
Be diligent.
Do not allow yourselves to become sluggish.
Be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.
God is eternally faithful (Heb. 6:13-20)
