Jesus:The Anchor of my Soul - The Possibility of Apostasy
Introduction/Controversy:
These are troublesome verses in at least two senses. First, the apparent suggestion that some who fall away from Christ are so beyond repentance that their recovery is impossible may seem to us harsh, pessimistic and unfeeling. Second, they have been the occasion for centuries of theological controversy—is it possible for one who has been truly converted to lose his or her salvation? How we read these verses in relation to the first concern is likely to influence our understanding of God’s compassion and/or our judgments regarding others. How we read them in relation to the second affects our view of the essential nature of the New Covenant which our writer is soon to describe. It is of the utmost importance, then, that in considering these verses we restrict our observations to what is clearly and expressly stated in the text and refrain from ungrounded speculation. Taken as a whole, four significant truths are expressed in these verses.
These are troublesome verses in at least two senses. First, the apparent suggestion that some who fall away from Christ are so beyond repentance that their recovery is impossible may seem to us harsh, pessimistic and unfeeling. Second, they have been the occasion for centuries of theological controversy—is it possible for one who has been truly converted to lose his or her salvation? How we read these verses in relation to the first concern is likely to influence our understanding of God’s compassion and/or our judgments regarding others. How we read them in relation to the second affects our view of the essential nature of the New Covenant which our writer is soon to describe. It is of the utmost importance, then, that in considering these verses we restrict our observations to what is clearly and expressly stated in the text and refrain from ungrounded speculation. Taken as a whole, four significant truths are expressed in these verses.
These are troublesome verses in at least two senses. First, the apparent suggestion that some who fall away from Christ are so beyond repentance that their recovery is impossible may seem to us harsh, pessimistic and unfeeling. Second, they have been the occasion for centuries of theological controversy—is it possible for one who has been truly converted to lose his or her salvation? How we read these verses in relation to the first concern is likely to influence our understanding of God’s compassion and/or our judgments regarding others. How we read them in relation to the second affects our view of the essential nature of the New Covenant which our writer is soon to describe. It is of the utmost importance, then, that in considering these verses we restrict our observations to what is clearly and expressly stated in the text and refrain from ungrounded speculation. Taken as a whole, four significant truths are expressed in these verses.