Hebrews 6:4-6 (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.
When is repentance impossible?
Such a troubling Scripture passage! I must confess that I have frequently labored over it, as it accurately describes someone I know well!
Before we start, let's take a moment to consider some context!
The core message of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus Christ over all things and all beings. In the midst of temptation, in the midst of adversity, the refrain of the Hebrew writer is to have our eyes fixed on Christ; to live by faith; to run the race that has been set before us. There is a clear and profound awareness, on the part of the author, of redemptive history. The author conveys a profound narrative of salvation history, enriched by numerous quotations from the Old Testament, interpretations of historical events, and contemplations on saints such as Moses and Melchizedek, culminating in the figure of Jesus Christ. All of this serves to stress a singular idea: Jesus Christ is superior. Jesus Christ is a more superior prophet than Moses. Jesus Christ is a more superior High Priest than Melchizedek. Jesus Christ is more superior to the old covenant sacrificial system. Through Christ, God has brought about the long-awaited new covenant.
Another significant theme in Hebrews is the peril of apostasy, which is a falling away from the faith. Perhaps more than any New Testament writer, Hebrews addresses the dangers of failing to persevere to the end. The writer describes the Christian life as a race than requires endurance. While the writer urges believers to persevere, it is not as a method to gain acceptance with God. We are comforted by the glorious truth that Jesus Christ has offered Himself as a sacrifice that fully pays for our sins and guarantees our acceptance (Hebrews 9:1 - 10:18). And yet, we are often reminded that we are to live our lives in such a way that brings honor to God. Therefore, endurance is really not an option. We must persevere. And to do so we, we look to Jesus Christ, "the author and perfector of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) This will require, on our part, strenuous and earnest labor as we journey toward the finish line, imitating "those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Hebrews 6:11-12) Our calling is to focus on Jesus and endure the storms that threaten to overwhelm us.
WHAT IS APOSTASY? HOW CAN I RECOGIZE IT?
The majority of our translations will have Hebrews 5:11 - 6:12 under the heading of "Warning Against Apostasy." Apostasy comes from the Greek word "apostasia." This refers to the defying of an established system or authority, often in the form of rebellion, or to fall away from faith. And, as in the first century Chruch, apostasy threatens the church today. Typically, it doesn't occur instantly, and there's seldom any pomp or ceremony involved. As an example, consider the 4th century Christian priest, Arius. He accused the Archbishop of Alexandria of subscribing to "Sabellianism", which is a teaching that emphasized the oneness of God but was opposed to the Trinity. Sabellianism taught that there are no distinctions between God as "persons", that instead God, at different times and for different purposes, would manifest as Jesus or the Holy Spirit, or Himself. An alternative term for this concept is "modalism." The Trinity, on the other hand, is understood as one God manifested in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with each person being unique yet wholly God. Arius was determined in highlighting the oneness of God, yet he himself would reject the Trinity, introducing what seemed to be a minor distinction between God the Father and God the Son.
He argued that Jesus was not "of the same essence" (in Greek; homoousios) as God but was rather "of similar essence" (in Greek; homoiousios). Can you spot the difference between those who words? Have you ever heard the phrase, "one iota of a difference"? A single letter altered the entire concept. The Bible frequently cautions us about these individuals and these dangerous ideas. When it comes to apostasy, it is important that we understand two things: first of all, how to recognize the one "iota", and secondly why the teaching is so deadly. To effectively identify and address it, we must begin by understanding the forms and traits that define its doctrines and those who teach them (which will likely be addressed more in the second part of this subject). Apostasy begins gradually with a slight deviation. It begins with a deviation from the fundamental and true doctrines of Scripture, which have been steadfastly maintained, and towards heretical teachings that claims to be "the real" doctrine. Phrases that may serve as "clues" include: "We need to reconsider our approach to interpreting Scripture," or "That interpretation is no longer applicable to our time." Straying from the firmly held truths of the Bible will inevitably result in the abandonment of faith in Jesus, or even worse, a reshaping of Jesus to align with our present-day interpretations. Rather than being transformed into HIS IMAGE, the aim of "progressive theology" is to transform HIM into our image. Read that sentence again!
Arius is a prime example. A heretical teaching when embraced becomes a heretical belief that pollutes all aspects of a person's faith, at which point the goal of the evil one is accomplished. A complete falling away from Christianity. This is happening today. Consider the United Methodist Church (From Unity to Division: The United Methodist Church Split Explained (youtube.com) This video is worth your time! Such woke and "progressive" (I've never liked that term. I'd call it "regressive") ideologies have infiltrated nearly all aspects of Church life and nearly every corner of American Christianity. In 2010, a study was done by Daniel Dennett and Linda LeScola entitled "Preachers Who Are Not Believers." Their work chronicles five different preachers who over time were presented with false ideologies and eventually accepted these heretical teachings. Eventually, they had completely fallen away from the faith. The unfortunate reality is that these preachers continued to hold their roles as pastors, guiding a congregation that remained unaware of their leader's spiritual condition.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF APOSTASY AND APOSTATES
This section will be expanded upon later. But for now, in the book of Jude, he outlines how to recognize apostasy. Jude urges believers to "contend for the faith" (Jude 1:3). The Greek word "contend" is "epagōnizesthai" (try saying that!) and it is translated to "contend earnestly", or to struggle for; to agonize for. The word implies that there will be a struggle, and it will be a continuous struggle (Come, Lord Jesus, come!) After this, Jude says that "for certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:4) In one sentence, Jude provides three characteristics. First, apostasy is often subtle. The phrase "crept in unnoticed," as used by Jude, depicts the cunning of individuals who subtly influence and distort the thinking of others through persuasive arguments. False ideas often start in subtle, undetectable ways. They don't announce themselves at your doorstep, declaring, "I am a harmful idea, and I will erode your beliefs."
A.W. Tozer wrote, "So skilled is error at imitating truth, that the two are constantly being mistaken for each another. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which brother is Cain and which is Abel." The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:13-14) In other words, there is nothing outward that distinguishes them. They may not initially use overtly dramatic words of clear and apparent heresy. Instead of outright denying the truth, they will subtly distort it so that it will align with their own agenda. The most grievous kind of evil is the distortion of truth. In times when the truth is frequently twisted, it becomes essential that we remain vigilant; empowered by the Holy Spirit to maintain keen discernment, ensuring that what is presented to us is of rather than that of Cain. Jude sums them up in two words; "ungodly people" and their actions with a singular motive, to "pervert the grace of God into sensuality." (Jude 1:4) In essence, they treat grace as a permit for sinning; they endorse rather than change. It is the path of least resistance. Then Jude concludes with the result - "they deny Christ." Again, while some may not reject certain aspects of Jesus, they often reinterpret Him to align with their own ideologies. Which, in my opinion, is just as bad as denying Him.
Ultimately, the definitive sign is that one will gradually stray and separate from God's Word and His righteousness. In 1 John 2:19, John says, "they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." Interestingly, John does not refer to them as apostates; he actually calls them "antichrists." Individuals who profess to be leaders and teachers yet stray from the truth are, in essence, opposing Christ, for Christ is the truth. Every New Testament book, except Philemon, contains warnings of false teachings. Ideas have consequences. And these ideas have eternal consequences. Recall that when Satan approached Adam and Eve, he did not bear tangible weapons. Instead, he sowed an idea. It was this very idea that led to the downfall of them and all of humanity. Fortunately, there is a remedy.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION THAT REPENTANCE IS IMPOSSIBLE?
Finally, to the question. Hebrews 6:4-5 says, 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, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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." The verse is describing the apostate. Having a mind enlightened, tasting the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, refers to a salvation experience. So, the idea here is that someone was saved and has walked away from it. (In other article, I will tackle the issue of eternal security. But as a highlight, I do not believe we can lose our salvation in the sense that we misplace it. But I do believe we can trade it, or forfeit it, just as Esau traded in his birthright.) The text is referring to someone who has, despite these rich experiences, has fallen away (Hebrews 6:6) This individual has turned their back on these great realities and goes after other things. When a person who knows Christ as Savior chooses to turn back to what Christ saved them from, they are saying in essence that these things are worth more than Christ. Consider the Prodigal Son. In a sense, he turned apostate. He chose the world over his father's house. To that son, the world offered something better.
The conclusion for such a person is, "repentance is impossible." To say that repentance is impossible, does not mean that repentance is no longer available. The writer will use Esau as an example. In Hebrews 12:16-17, we read "see to it that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." Do not make the mistake and think that Esau genuinely repented but God rejected His request. God will never, never, never reject genuine repentance, as evidenced by the Parable of the Prodigal Son. He returned to his father. He was willing to accept being a servant in the father's house. This is an example of genuine repentance. He returned to the father and the father accepted him back and he restored his rights and privileges as a son. While Esau cried out for repentance, he would not submit to God on God's terms, therefore "he found no change to repent." Esau is the tyle that Hebrews 6:4 has in mind. For the apostate, who genuine wishes to repent, that door is always open. The door of repentance and forgiveness will not close until Christ comes back. Until then, it is open. It is available. Repentance is only impossible for those who do not wish to come back to the father's house. So long as an apostate wishes to remain apostate, repentance will be impossible for them.
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