Warning against Falling Away, Which Soon Leads to Apostasy

He moved his discussion away from that dialogue, to engage them in the dangers of failing to pursue spiritual maturity through a dedication to studying Scripture

Christians should practice spiritual discipline

mainly studying the Word of God

prayer

worship

service

and fellowship

However, this is not a recipe for spiritual maturity

Nor is it a recipe to avoid evil in our lives

The writer moves into a discussion on moving on toward spiritual maturity in chapter 6

The Peril of Falling Away Hebrews 6:1-12

Hebrews 6:1–12 (ESV)

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. 9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Discussion Questions

What are the six things mentioned as elementary principles of Christ?

What can we do to move ourselves beyond the elementary principles?

What five blessings were experienced by some who had fallen away?

What is Apostasy?

Summary of the Foundational Principles Hebrews 6:1-3

Hebrews 6:1–3 ESV

The writer tells his audience that they should be willing to leave the elementary teaching behind

The Greek word used here is different from the one used 5:12

This word here means “the beginning of something”

The writer wants his audience to see that they must leave behind the beginning things they learned about Christ

These are the things that every Christian learns at the outset of their walk of faith

We are to build upon these things in years to come for they are just the beginning

What are these things that are the foundational teachings about Christ?

Repentance from dead works - understanding how one becomes a Christian

faith toward God

instructions about baptisms - understanding baptism and entrance to the Church

laying on of hands

resurrection of the dead - understanding the second coming

eternal judgement

The writer is not saying that we are to abandon these basic doctrines of Christ, but that we build upon it

There are some in churches today that are trying to redefine these things

These folks have not moved on toward maturity

instead they have become lazy in hearing Scripture

they are regressing toward bad thinking, bad theology, and bad behavior

The central concern for Christian lives is pressing on to maturity

There is a real and present danger for anyone who fails to mature in this way

Now the writer moves into the warning of what may transpire for those who fail to press on to maturity

Warning against Apostasy Hebrews 6:4-8

Hebrews 6:4–8 ESV

4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Verse 4 begins the writer’s warning of apostacy

It is important to understand what is and is not an apostate

An Apostate is not:

just a non-Christian

just a struggling Christian

An apostate is

Someone who seemed to be a believer, was part of Christ’s visible church, participated in the community of faith, and then later rejects Christ, turns away from sound teaching, and leaves the church.

one who was once inside the church

The writer is declaring that the greatness of the sin of apostasy is crucifying the Son of God a fresh and putting him to open shame

The consequence of falling away is becoming so hardened that repentance is impossible

The main character in Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian encounters a man that depicts the state of one that has fallen away and become so hardened that repentance is impossible

This man is described as in an iron cage that cannot be removed by himself or any man

He tells Christian that: “I neglected to watch and be sober. I loosened the restraints that kept my lusts in check. I sinned against the light of the Word and the goodness of God. I have grieved the Spirit and He is gone. I flirted with temptation and the Devil came to me. I have provoked God to anger, and He has left me. I have so hardened my heart that I cannot repent.”

This is exactly what the writer of Hebrews has warned his readers so far

And the man states, like many stuck in their sin and hardened their hearts, they believe that “God has denied me repentance”

With regards to the interpretation of this passage, there are many commentators that want to force this passage to say something that the original language does not say

I believe that the true interpretation is:

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:4–6

that a warning is given of the danger of a Christian moving from a position of true faith and life to the extent of becoming disqualified for further service (1 Cor. 9:27) and for inheriting millennial glory.

The reference to “those who” describes persons whom the writer affirmed cannot possibly be brought back to a state of repentance

The description of individuals “who have once been enlightened” naturally refers to the conversion experience

The verb “enlightened” is used by the writer only one other time in Hebrews 10:32, where it is referenced to true Christian experience

In calling the people “who have tasted the heavenly gift”, he is employing a familiar concept which is related to initial conversion; however, some commentators want to see this word “tasted” as less than full participation

But the writer used this word in Hebrews 2:9, to describe Jesus’ experience of death

Consequently, we see that the language fits true Christians

Now turning our attention to the expression “if they fall away”

The Greek word is in fact a part of the construction to which the preceding descriptive phrases belong

Zane C. Hodges suggests a more accurate translation: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted ... who have shared … who have tasted … and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance”

We know that the words “fall away” cannot refer to loss of eternal life which, as the Gospel of John makes perfectly clear, is the inalienable possession of those who trust Christ for it

Yet the writer is speaking about those that have defected from the faith, withdrawal from their Christian profession

The writer expresses the reason for this inability to be brought back to repentance when he states “because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again”

When first trusting Christ, the new believer acknowledged that His crucifixion had been the result of man’s sinful rejection of the Savior

By withdrawing from their Christian confession, they reaffirm the view of Jesus’ enemies that He deserved to die on a cross

Since the readers were Jews, their apostasy would be like stepping backward to Judaism, expressing solidarity with those who wanted Jesus to put on the cross

The suggestion is a deep hardening of their hearts against all efforts to win them back to a Christian commitment

The writer makes use of an illustration from nature in vs. 7-8 to drive his point home to the reader

He compares the spiritual privileges he laid out in vs. 4-5 to a heavenly rain descending on the life of a Christian

The spiritual privileges which were experienced by some who had fallen are:

once enlightened

tasted the heavenly gift

partakers of the Holy Spirit

tasted the good Word of God

tasted the powers of the age to come

He mentions that their effect should be a “crop useful to those for whom it is farmed”

this may be a reference perhaps to the way other Christians benefit from the lives of fruitful believers

this also points to when a Christian life is productive and grows in maturity, God blesses it

but the unproductive Christian life ultimately (“in the end”) falls under the severe condemnation of God and is subject to His blazing wrath and judgement (Heb. 10:27)

The use of the metaphor “burned”, reflects the practice of a farmer burning a field to destroy a bad growth making it ready to be cultivated again

The writer did not totally despair of those who took a backward step

Even though all efforts to recall such people to Christian faith are futile

But the impossibility does not apply in an absolute sense to God

In fact, Paul believed that those who “have shipwrecked their faith” could profit by the retributive experiences to which they were exposed as a result (1 Tim. 1:19-20)

Yet, the writer of Hebrews’ main concern was to warn against a course of action which leads to such catastrophic divine judgement

Fulfill your responsibility to follow God diligently Hebrews 6:9-12

Hebrews 6:9–12 ESV

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

After such a solemn warning, he moves to words of encouragement to his readers

“of better things” is an expression of hope

“things that belong to salvation” is expressing the experience of victory and inheritance-rest they will be allowed to enter

he encourages them to keep all that they had done for their fellow Christians and assuring that God would help them in need

The writer lets them know that if they would only diligently hold onto the good course

they would guarantee the hope which is awarded those who persevere

warns them to no longer be lazy which had marked their immaturity

their real goal is the inheritance which is set before them

The writer moves on to conclude his discussion with a clear and full account of the assured truth of the promises of God

These are all confirmed by the oath of God, and they are all founded in the eternal counsel of God, and therefore may be depended upon

Anchor for our Soul Hebrews 6:13-20

Hebrews 6:13–20 ESV

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Discussion Questions

What promise did God make to Abraham?

How long did Abraham wait to see God’s promise fulfilled?

How do you feel about the fact that God’s purposes are unchangeable?

What words which convey security are mentioned in v.19?

What are we doing today in terms of waiting patiently on the Lord?

God’s promises are sure Hebrews 6:13-18

Hebrews 6:13–18 ESV

Sometimes we struggle with doubt that the promises of God will not come true

To help us, the writer provides us with a recap of Abraham’s story

He cites a portion of Genesis 22:17 to show his readers that sometimes it can be hard to trust God and believe the truth

We need to remind ourselves that God cannot lie, and His promises are true for those who believe

We need to fight against our tendency to doubt God’s promises

C.H. Spurgeon speaks of doubt this way:

“You might imagine, however, from the doctrine of certain teachers that the gospel is “Whoever doubts shall be saved,” and that nothing could be more useful or honorable than for a man’s mind to hang in perpetual suspense, sure of nothing, confident of the truth of no one, not even of God Himself! Shame upon professed ministers of Christ that are laboring after the repute of being intellectual and philosophical by scattering doubts on all sides! The doctrine of the blessedness of doubt is as opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ as darkness is to light, or Satan to Christ Himself; it is invented as a quietus to the consciences of those proud men who refuse to yield their minds to the rule of God.”

God’s goodness toward us, albeit undeserved, is shown specifically:

in the promises of immeasurable blessings

in giving assurance of their reliableness

in the experience of their fulfilment

But the writer makes it clear that only they who wait in faith attain to what God has promised to them in His grace

Our response to God’s compassion and faithfulness must be one of faith and steadfastness

In vs. 16-18, the writer shows us God’s reassurance, by God’s oath which He swore by Himself

swearing is when the truth of one’s testimony is backed up by a higher authority

there is no one with a higher authority than God, so He swears by Himself

The oath that God takes is an act of grace - it gives extra assurance to those doubting

God’s character in vs. 17-18, show that:

He is unchangeable

and it is impossible for Him to lie

and our ability to trust in God’s promises is directly connected to our beliefs about God’s nature

Abraham was able to be obedient because he trusted God’s character: “He considered that God was able to even raise him (Isaac) from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19)

We have a sure hope in Christ our High Priest Hebrews 6:19-20

Hebrews 6:19–20 ESV

19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

These concluding verses of chapter 6 provide encouragement to the readers

The writer instructed his audience that their response was to hold fast

we are to wait with patience just like Abraham

Abraham was given great promises but did not receive them right away

patience is the evidence of a heart that trusts the promise of God

remember the example of the opposite of patiently trusting God found in King Saul (1 Sam. 13:8-15)

The writer also encourages his audience letting them know to look forward with hope

considering these truths, we should “hold fast to the hope set before us”

instead of looking around at our problems,

or inward at ourselves

we need to look forward to the day we will be with Christ

Believers can, with steadfast faith, be certain of eternal life

The purposes of God are in part without condition, and are thus surely to come to pass

However, we must hold fast on to the faith and trust we have in Christ

These attributes of faith are:

in the feeling of our deficiency in every good, and our extreme need for Jesus and His help and counsel

laying hold of the blessedness that has been obtained through Christ

and holding fast to the blessedness once obtained through Christ

The hope of the Christian is limitless and reaches outward into eternity and inward into the sanctuary of God

Our hope is in Christ Jesus and His entrance into the sanctuary is the promise of our own future entrance into it

Homework Questions

What are some reasons that we struggle with believing God?

Do you know people in your life that have apostatized? How’d that impact your life?

Are there times when you doubt? If so, what should you do?

How can we learn to be patient?

Honestly appraise your spiritual maturity. In what ways are you still like a toddler and need to grow? In what ways do your areas of immaturity make you vulnerable to attack?

Develop a plan for the coming year for spiritual growth. What are some concrete steps you can make to move beyond the ABCs of the Christian faith?

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