Convinced of Better Things
This morning I wanna start with a word of clarification about something I said last week. I had commented that here in Chapter 6, in today’s passage, we find the strongest, most uncomfortable warning passage in the New Testament. And then later, after the sermon, Pastor David Mathis told me that he thinks the warning passage in Hebrews Chapter 10 is actually stronger and more uncomfortable — and so there you go. We have that to look forward to.
But today we are focusing on Chapter 6, verses 4–9 and these are sobering words.
Today’s sermon is going to be a little different than normal, and at some points it might feel more like a Bible study than a sermon because my goal is that we really understand this text. I don’t want this to be a puzzle to us, but I want us to really track with what the writer of Hebrews is saying. Let’s go ahead and get straight to it in verse 4. You just heard it read, but I want us to hear it again. This is the main warning, verses 4–6:
“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, [those five things are describing a category of person, and it’s this person of whom it is impossible — verse 6 —] 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.”
These verses tell us there is a category of person of whom it is impossible to restore to repentance. That’s the main point here, and that gets our attention.
And what really grabs us in verse 4 is that word “impossible.” There is a category of person of whom it is impossible to restore.
Two Immediate Questions
And when we hear that, two questions immediately pop up. We think: 1) Is that right? and 2) Is that me?
These are the honest human questions of, first — Is this passage really saying what it sounds like it’s saying? And then, if it is saying what it sounds like, could I be someone in the category it’s describing?
These two questions are all we’re looking at today, and that first question is really about what exactly is this warning. We’re gonna see it when we slow down and dig into these verses, but before we do that, I want to start by suggesting an approach for how we come to difficult passages in the Bible.
Holding Both Together
This passage in Hebrews 6 has historically and widely been considered a “difficult passage” — and what makes it difficult is how we read and understand these verses in light of the rest of the Bible’s teaching. What do you do if you read a verse in the Bible that seems to be at odds with other verses in the Bible?
The classic approach is to let the clearer passages in the Bible shed light on the more obscure passages.
In this case, for example, verses 4–6 says there is category of person who irreversibly falls away from God, and the issue is whether this person was ever a real Christian. Can a genuine Christian ‘lose’ their salvation? And that’s the tension here because of clear passages in the New Testament that tell us a Christian’s salvation in Jesus is secure. I’m thinking of passages like John 10:27 when Jesus says,
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Jesus tells us that he has us and he’s never letting go.
And then of course there’s the epic passage of Romans Chapter 8 when Paul tells us emphatically that there is absolutely nothing in all creation that is able to separate us “from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are secure in God. God will hold us fast — and we’re supposed to live in that comfort.
All that is true, and so we bring that truth to this passage. We don’t sideline those clear passages. We don’t try to forget about them, but we hold them as we read these words and we think: “Whatever this passage is saying, it can’t ultimately contradict this.” And what happens is that as we hold the truths of clear passages while we carefully read the words of obscure passages, it will eventually highlight the particular points of question.
What Is This Warning?
First we’re asking: “What exactly is this warning?” and that means we need to look closely at how this category of person is described in verses 4–6.
And the first thing to notice is the grammar. The writer of Hebrews is using the third person. He’s not telling these readers that “you” have done this or that “you” are this person, but he is speaking of “those.” It is like a category. Like a case-study. He says “in the case of those …” and then he lists five things that characterize the “those.” Listen to them again:
Those who have once been enlightened
have tasted the heavenly gift
have shared in the Holy Spirit
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come
have fallen away
Those five things are a package. Those five things altogether form the description of the person of whom it is impossible to restore to repentance.
And that should clarify something right away. The question is not whether a person can fall away. They certainly can and they do in this case — and we talked about this in the very first sermon of this series; apostasy is a possibility, and that’s a reality for those people here — the question here, as I already mentioned, is if those who fall away were genuine Christians.
Those who ultimately fall away in verse 6 have experienced four amazing things stated in verses 4 and 5 — and because the Bible clearly says that Christians are secure — do the things stated in verses 4 and 5 mean that the “those” were genuine Christians?
That is the question. And the answer is no.
Those described in verses 4–6 are not genuine Christians, despite the very special things said about them, and I want to give you three reasons why. This is going to take a minute, so hang in there. This is the passage. Here are three reasons Hebrews 6:4-6 is not referring to genuine Christians.
Three Reasons Verses 4–6 Is Not About Genuine Christians
1) The context has already established that it’s possible to experience the miraculous work of God and still not believe.
Remember Hebrews 3 and 4. It’s important to keep putting this entire letter into perspective. We looked at Hebrews 3 and 4 few weeks ago as we’ve been preaching through this book, but for this first audience, Hebrews 3 and 4 was five minutes ago. Remember that this letter was written as a word of exhortation. It was read aloud in one sitting, and that takes about 45 minutes — so when you’re hearing Hebrews 6 you literally just heard Hebrews 3 and 4. It’s still echoing off the walls. It’s on the front of your mind.
And Hebrews 3 and 4 gives us the cautionary tale of Israel’s unbelief. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that the Israelites who were rescued from Egypt — the “exodus generation” — did not enter the Promised Land because they failed to believe.
The whole point for why the writer of Hebrews refers back to that part of Israel’s history is to show that someone can have first-hand experiences of God’s work and still end up having an evil, unbelieving heart that leads them to fall away from the living God. That’s what happened for an entire generation of the people of Israel. The writer of Hebrews tells that story and says, “Don’t be like them!” Don’t be so close and then walk away! In other words, in the positive, he’s saying endure as a real Christian — be God’s house, share in Christ — which is not to be like unbelieving Israel.
That is Hebrews 3 and 4, and it’s in our minds as we read Hebrews 6.
2) Along with this context, the description of this person in verses 4–6 is alluding to the unbelieving exodus generation.
Now this might not be immediately obvious, but if we have Hebrews 3 and 4 in mind and we’re familiar with the Old Testament like this first audience would have been, we’d notice that each of these things mentioned in verses 4–6 were true of Israel back in that exodus generation.
Let’s start with that first thing mentioned — “those who have once been enlightened.”
The image here is light. Simply put, to be enlightened is to have the lights turned on. Imagine what it’s like to walk in a room that’s pitch dark. What’s the first thing you do? If the room is dark, you try to find the switch. Because you can’t see. But when the lights come on you can see. You’ve been enlightened. You’re now aware of what’s in the room. You’re informed about where to go. That’s the idea here.
And that’s like what the people of Israel experienced after the exodus with the pillar of fire that led them (see Exodus 13:21). The fire was how God enlightened the people on the way they should go (that’s how Nehemiah 9:21 and Psalm 105:39 talk about it). God rescued the people from Israel and ‘turned the lights on.’ That’s first.
Next, verse 4, this category of person has “tasted the heavenly gift.”
The heavenly gift is an allusion to God’s provision of manna. For all the people who came through the exodus, God provided manna for them to eat as a gift from heaven. God freely rained bread down from heaven, and everybody tasted it. Everybody benefited.
Also, third, they “shared in the Holy Spirit.”
And of everything mentioned in these verses, this is the hardest to understand. It’s causes the most consternation. What do these words mean “shared in the Holy Spirit”?
I remember years ago right after I started seminary I was having a conversation with a pastor of a church in North Carolina. And this church was from the Pentecostal Free Will Baptist denomination. And you’ve probably never heard of that denomination before. We don’t have those around here, but where I grew up there are lots of PFWBs, and in a conversation with this brother he told me that the reason he could not be a Calvinist, the reason he was an Arminian was mainly because of this one clause in this one verse, Hebrews 6:4. He kept saying “They shared in the Holy Spirit! They shared in the Holy Spirit!”
And they did. That’s what the text says. But we should not assume that this “sharing” is the same thing as being indwelled by the Holy Spirit, or being sealed with the Holy Spirit. I think we should read this “sharing” in light of those first two things we read in verse 4.
In the same way that all the Israelites benefited from the pillar of fire that enlightened their journey, and in the same way that they all ate the gift-bread that God gave from heaven, in that same way they all shared in the benefits of the Holy Spirit. It was God by his Spirit who enacted each of the blessings that the entire exodus generation experienced. Every person in that generation shared in those benefits.
And fourthly, part of that sharing includes, verse 5, tasting “the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come.”
I’m persuaded that this sentence is alluding to the actual promises of God that the people of Israel heard. Twice in the Book of Joshua, Joshua refers to the “good promises that Yahweh made” (Joshua 21:45; 23:15). Everyone in that generation heard the promised destiny of Israel. They heard God’s word that they’re going to the Promised Land, and they had all seen God’s word accompanied by great signs and wonders. The power of God had been on display for everyone to see.
And then, fifthly and finally, the “those” here, this category of person who has experienced all of these wonderful things, they fall away.
Ultimately, even despite all that they’ve seen, they do not believe. This person ends up doing just what the writer warns against in Hebrews 3:12. They have an evil, unbelieving heart that leads them to fall away from the living God.
So in summary, this package of five things mentioned in verses 4–6 is alluding to the unbelieving exodus generation, which means the writer of Hebrews is continuing the cautionary tale of Hebrews 3 and 4. Israel’s amazing experience and unbelief is a category of person. Someone could be so close. They could be around and even benefit from the sincere work of God, and still walk away from all of it. The experiences of verses 4 and 5 do not mean that they are genuine Christians; and verse 6 proves that they are not genuine Christians.
And the most important reason we know this is because…
3) The key evidence of genuine Christians is not mentioned in this list.
That key evidence is faith. And nothing is said here about faith. Nothing is here about trusting in Jesus. It’s important that in Hebrews 3, in verses 6 and 14, when the writer affirms for these readers that they are real Christians, what does he say? Look back at Hebrews 3:6. The writer is telling these readers how they are not like unbelieving Israel. He says:
Hebrews 3:6,
“And we are his house [God’s house], if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”
The way that these Christians are different from unbelieving Israel is not a fundamental difference of experience. Maybe these Christians have even prophesied or cast out demons or done many mighty works (see Matthew 7:21–23). But what makes them different is that they believe.
Hebrews 3:14,
“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”
Church, the mark of the genuine Christian is faith — and it’s not just initial, partial, ‘I’m interested’-faith, but it’s enduring faith. It’s perseverance. And that’s no where on this list in verses 4–6. The exhortation to these readers over and over again is to hold fast, to endure in faith, to cling to Jesus, which is to be precisely different from this category of person in Hebrews 6 verses 4–6.
And it’s this category — this person who has been so close, who has seen so much — when they turn away from Jesus in unbelief, it’s impossible to restore them to repentance.
Their apostasy is as if, verse 6, they are “crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”
Now what does this mean?
Well this is obviously not literal. They are not physically re-crucifying Jesus, but the point is that the unbelief of their hearts is reenacting the unbelief of those who crucified Jesus. To walk away from Jesus, even after all they’ve experienced, is to put themselves in the position of those who crucified him — and now we can’t help but think about Judas.
Think About Judas
When it comes to falling away, we have the sad example of the exodus generation in the Old Testament, which is what the writer of Hebrews has been referring to, but we also have some sad examples in the New Testament, and foremost of those examples is Judas.
And we always think about Judas this time of year, on Holy Week, because as we rehearse the events that led to the cross, the turning point, the event that kicked into the motion the crucifixion of Jesus, was Judas’s betrayal.
That was such a significant event that we do a special worship service every year to mourn the moment. That’s what the Maundy Thursday service is. Come join us this Thursday night at 7:30. The point is that we want to feel afresh how shocking it was. Have you ever really thought about Judas?
He was not just enlightened; he saw the Light of the World.
He didn’t just taste the heavenly bread, he had countless dinners with the Bread of Life.
He didn’t just ‘share’ in benefits of the Holy Spirit, but for three years he was in a small group with the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.
He didn’t merely taste the goodness of the word and the powers to come, but he was a first-hand witness to the Word-made-flesh perform miracle after miracle after miracle. He saw Jesus command the ocean. He saw Jesus call back a man from the dead.
And for a little stack of cash, he turned away from it all.
Judas Happens Today
Look, Judas happened. And Judas still happens today.
And you know it does because we all probably know of someone who at one time seemed to have genuine faith in Jesus but now they don’t — and it’s always a hard circumstance or it’s somebody else’s fault, but the fact of the matter is that they were once close to Jesus but now they have rejected him, and that is why they are not restored to repentance.
The impossibility of their repentance does not mean that they come to Jesus and Jesus rejects them, but it means that they do not come to Jesus at all.
Jesus does not reject anyone who comes to him in faith! He says, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden!” — even if that heaviness is your sin and failure and hypocrisy, even if you’ve been a Pharisee and you’ve been faking it this whole time — come to Jesus and there is repentance! There is rest and life in him. But for this person in verses 4–6 they have rejected Jesus. They want nothing to do with him, and that’s why it’s impossible to restore them.
The land is bad. The soil is hard. That’s verses 7 and 8. And there are just two ways to go here, and this reminds us of the parable of the sower that Jesus tells in Luke 8. And is the summarizing illustration of what the writer’s been saying. Either it’s good soil and faith, which leads to blessing. Or it’s bad soil and unbelief, which leads to destruction.
So what exactly is the warning then? It’s to not be the bad soil. It’s to not be like “those” described in verses 4–6 who are so close and yet walk away.
And now the second question is But what if I am? What if I will be? How do I know that I will not fall away?
How Do I Know That I Will Not Fall Away?
This is an important topic, and it’s the focus of these next verses which we’re going to look at for next week’s Easter sermon, but notice right away what the writer of Hebrews says in verse 9.
Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things— things that belong to salvation.
In the Greek, the word order is different. The very first word is the word translated “we feel sure” — it means We’re certain! We’re convinced! That’s the first thing he says. After these weighty words, after describing this category of person and where it leads, he says immediately: But we’re certain in your case, beloved, of better things! He’s says Hey, I’m confident that your story won’t be like theirs.
And we’ll see the details of this next week, but for now I just want to bring you back to the tone. Remember the writer of Hebrews is speaking like a good coach. He’s being honest. The warning is real. But he ‘believes in his team.’ He’s hopeful about these readers, about us.
The Hope of Perseverance
And we’re called to live in such hope. We soberly heed warnings, but that doesn’t mean we live wringing our hands in doubt and suspicion about ourselves or others. There’s a way to think about perseverance as if it means the genuineness of our salvation is always on trial and that we’ll never really know if we’re genuine until the very end. That’s not the way it should be. That kind of suspicion is not of Christ and it creates a church culture that is less than the mutual encouragement we’re called to in this book. The church is not supposed to be a community that’s always assuming one of us is Judas.
It’s important to understand that our perseverance is not what finally makes us saved, but it’s what we do because we are saved, and it’s the manifestation of that.
Perseverance is the fruit of our new birth in the past — and our new birth in the past was real! We don’t look back at when we first received the gospel and think “Yeah, we’ll see.” But we look back and we say, That’s when the old became new! That’s when I died and was raised with Christ! That’s when I became a Christian!
And the most relevant evidence that it was real, that we are Christians, is that we believe right now.
Right now Jesus is my treasure. I love him! And we’re here together today and we love him. We cling to Jesus. Today we have not hardened our hearts. Today we live in his rest. We surrender to his word. We delight in his grace.
And that’s what brings us to the Table.
