HEBREWS 4-6

The Structure of Hebrews 4:14-6:20

A. Jesus our High Priest (4:14-15)

    B. Our Confidence to Receive Mercy (4:16-5:3)

        C. Christ Suffered and was Exalted by God (quotes) (5:4-8)             CONFIDENCE

            D. The Source of Salvation for Those Who Obey (5:9-10)

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                 E. Spiritual Immaturity (5:11-6:3)

                E'. Apostasy (6:4-8)                                                                     APOSTASY

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            D'. The Works of Salvation (6:9-12)

        C'. Abraham Endured and Received Blessings from God (quote) (6:13-15)

    B'. Our Sure Anchor of Hope (6:16-19)                                                     HOPE

A'. Jesus, a High Priest Forever (6:20)

The author has thus taken a message of warning (E and E') and surrounded it with a message of comfort: a sugar-coated pill.

4:14-5:3

v. 14 heavens = sky, not Heaven.

This discussion begins with the confidence we have in Christ as our high priest. But since this is the subject of another lesson, we won't dwell on it now.

5:4-10

v. 5 This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7, which scholars label as an enthronement psalm.

v. 6 This is a quote from the ubiquitous Psalm 110:4. The Hebrew original and the Greek Septuagint agree on the wording. However, the later Jewish Targum (commentary) renders it, “The LORD has sworn and will not relent: 'You are appointed as chief for the world to come, on account of the merit that you have been a righteous king.'” This last phrase is a rough translation of the Hebrew name Melchizedek. Again, there will be more concerning this king in a subsequent lesson. It is enough to say at this time that both the Dead Sea writings and 2 Enoch treat him as a heavenly creature, perhaps an angel, who will right all wrongs in the Last Days.

v. 7 is traditionally interpreted to refer to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

5:11-6:3

vv. 11-14 See I Corinthians 3:1-2 for a close parallel.

6:1 dead works = works that lead to death, i.e. sins.

“Perfection” is better translated “maturity.”

Summary: This section sets the stage for the next verses on apostasy. Due to the audience's lack of spiritual maturity, they are vulnerable to turning to false doctrines.

vv. 1-3 may refer either to basic Christian teachings, or to strictly OT ideas and practices.

v. 2 The plural “baptisms” indicates that it refers to ritual Jewish washings, not Christian baptism.

We will skip over 6:4-8 for now and save these verses for last.

6:9-12

The author assures his audience that they are not among this number, no matter how bad their condition may be. This is the beginning of the second “confidence” section and is the only time the author calls his audience “beloved.”

6:13-20

v. 18 indicates that Christians inherit the hope given to Abraham. This is similar to Paul's teaching that we believers are all sons of Abraham, even though not through the flesh.

The two things mentioned are perhaps God's promise and his oath.

vv. 19-20 introduce the theme of the next section.

Now let's attempt to tackle Hebrews 6:4-8. This passage contains two difficult, and related, concepts: the unforgiveable sin and the possibility of apostasy.

First, we should be reminded that the same literary arrangement pictured in the figure above is also found in the parallel section, Hebrews 10:19-12:2. In both cases, the rare subject of apostasy is discussed, but it is bracketed by two units stressing the confidence in Christ we have in our salvation. The fact that there is no true middle section to the chiasm of Figure 2 means that the important stress falls on the outer sections, not the ones toward the center. One co-teacher of mine years ago summarized the situation on the blackboard this way:

“Can we lose our salvation?” no yes

Nevertheless, the possibility of “losing one's salvation” is definitely present in a way that is almost unique to the New Testament. One passage sometimes cited is I John 5:16-17. It may refer to apostasy, or may refer to sins that lead to physical death. And, of course, there is the so-called Unforgivable Sin mentioned by Jesus in Mark 3:22-30. In that particular case, the sin seems to be the result of receiving undeniable proofs of Jesus' claims through miraculous acts of the Holy Spirit but still refusing to believe. In that case, there are no other proofs God can give that would convince those people so they will always remain in their sin. The Hebrews 6 passage (and parallel discussion in Hebrews 10:26-39) stresses the same general idea: if one has already tasted the truth but turns his back on it, there is nothing else that will convince him to return in the future.

For those who are staunch believers in “Once saved, always saved” this is usually not an acceptable interpretation. They get around it in various ways. One is simply to say that the person was obviously not a Christian to start with. This approach seems, however, to fly in the face of the detailed description of such people as we find in Hebrews 6:4-5. But there may be evidence elsewhere that their approach has some validity. In Acts 8:9-24 we learn of Simon the Magician who “believed and was baptized.” However, when he tried to purchase the ability to give people the gift of the Holy Spirit, Peter replied, “I see that you are still in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” In other words, mere attestation of belief is no guarantee that one has actually been saved from sin. F. F. Bruce says, “A credible profession of faith must be accepted as genuine, but ultimately it is only the Lord who knows those who are His.”

An even better parallel to this Hebrews passage is Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13. The seed that fell on rocky ground which sprang up quickly but then withered and died is said to represent “the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.”

One problem with the “once saved, always saved” defenders arises with the language they use. They generally say that it is impossible to lose one's salvation (as one would accidentally lose a set of car keys) or that you can't fall from grace (as one would trip and fall while walking). This sort of damnation through some trivial action of a believer is not at all what the Hebrews passages are talking about. True apostasy is also not mere backsliding or failing to advance in one's spiritual life; it means totally and irrevocably turning your back on what you once believed and now deny.

Because this is such a drastic move on the part of a former believer, some say that it is, in fact, impossible. Therefore they look at Hebrews passages such as 6:4-6 as a purely hypothetical example that the author throws out to show how absurd it would be if it were to happen, which of course it can't. The problem with this solution is that it is hard to believe that the author of Hebrews would spend so much time discussing something that can't even happen. Was the author just trying to scare his audience into paying attention to his teachings. If so, why does he say to his audience in 6:9 that he is confident that in their particular case he is confident such a fate will not happen? And by the way, that is a lot different from saying that it cannot happen in other cases.

According to a number of Bible scholars, one basic misunderstanding often taught from the pulpit is that salvation is a one-time event in a believer's life. This idea, however, is not reflected in the many passages in Paul's letters where he talks about salvation being a process or a race in which the important point is not how one begins, but how one finishes. In that sense, whether one is saved or not can only be properly judged by the final result.

One strong passage often quoted in favor of the “once saved, always saved” position is Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Notice that the picture Paul gives is one of two parties, the believer and God. Paul states that nothing can come between these two parties and obviously God is not going to cause a break, but the passage says nothing regarding any possible actions of the believers themselves that could cause such a separation. It is that, admittedly remote, possibility that the author of Hebrews is addressing.

The problem with most of us is that we start by stressing the Biblical passages that seem to support our own views and then are forced to ignore or explain away the passages that run counter to our preconceived ideas. The Bible often presents us with a tension that we have to maintain between apparently contradictory ideas to try to better grasp the truth. This is more of an Eastern than Western way of thinking so it is sometimes hard for us to grapple with it.

Another approach to simply denying what seems to be taught in Hebrews is illustrated in Charles Ryrie's Basic Theology. He feels that if we really believed what is taught there, we would all go around constantly worrying whether we had done enough good works or had strong enough faith to warrant salvation. Therefore from a practical point of view alone we should reject such teaching. In addition, he interestingly holds the point of view that Hebrews 6 is talking about true believers who, however, do not advance in their Christian life. The penalty for such people, he believes, is going to be harsh but will fall short of actual damnation. It will consist of “loss of present witness and future rewards” in heaven.

By contrast, George Eldon Ladd, in A Theology of the New Testament takes the Hebrews passages at face value in teaching that apostasy of believers can and does occur and leads to eternal damnation. The evangelical commentaries I have read come to the same general conclusion although some offer alternative explanations or extenuating circumstances:

In verse 4, what is impossible for man is still possible with God. (F. F. Bruce)

“Hebrews was written in a time of persecution when apostasy is viewed as the supreme sin...It was never meant to be erected into doctrine...What it is meant to show is the terrible seriousness of choosing existence instead of loyalty to Christ.” (Barclay)

It was to be taken in the sense of difficult almost to the point of impossibility. (Erasmus)

Hebrews 6:4-6 should be translated “For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have etc. etc....as long as they continue to fall away...” (Delitzsch) [This view has been criticized on grammatical and logical grounds by several commentators.]

One view of the situation can certainly be renounced. Some leaders in the early church took a very hard line regarding apostasy. For example, a common teaching from Tertullian's time was that any purposeful sin committed after baptism permanently disqualified one from salvation. This was why Emperor Constantine refused to get baptized until he was almost on his deathbed. A similar view is held today in a few denominations: one can be forgiven for subsequent sins but only if specifically asking for forgiveness. If one dies with unconfessed sins, they are damned. Other views appear to fall into one of the below categories:

Minimal consequences for apostasy, blatant disobedience or heresy. By contrast most evangelical teachings today minimize the dire consequences for apostasy seemingly taught in these verses by explaining that it only means that the Christian will remain in an immature state and thereby lose the earthly benefits of Christian belief, service and fellowship. In addition, they may lose some heavenly rewards, but not the Heavenly Reward. I Corinthians 9:24-27 is cited to support this last view, but it is not at all evident that this is what is being talked about. Also see Philippians 3:11-14. This view seems to do an injustice to the very strong language found in Hebrews.

That person was never more than a nominal Christian in the first place. However, in the Acts example of Simon Magus, note that he had repented, been enlightened, tasted of the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come before falling awayl away. Note that he had even received the Holy Spirit. Others point out that each phrase can possibly be interpreted as applying to a professing Christian. For example, “tasting” is interpreted as “having a small taste of.” But note that “tasting” in Hebrews 3:9 refers to the fullness of experience. This interpretation is confirmed by word studies on the Greek word for “taste.”

In God's eyes that person was never saved. This is almost a truism. See Romans 8:30 and Jesus' statement to the lost “I never knew you.” Ultimately, only God knows who will persevere to the end and thus be saved. Separating the wheat from the tares when both look identical at the start. Unfortunately, that view does not help us in our own assurance. But it does discourage us from attempting to judge the ultimate fate of others.

Apostasy can occur, but it is very unlikely. This is an attractive stance to take. However, it seems to fly in the face of the strong emphasis on apostasy in the NT where at least 30 other passages warn against it. Some of the pertinent scriptures cited to support one or the other view are discussed below.

John 6:37-40

God does will that no man be lost. However, not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Also, who are those whom God has given to Christ?

John 10:28-29

Same question as above. It also talks about someone coming between Christ and ourselves. Ryrie says that lack of “no one else” means that the person himself cannot snatch himself out of Christ's hand. That is a grammatically indefensible interpretation of these verses.

Romans 6:23

This simply teaches that all of us sinners deserve eternal death, and if any are saved, it is strictly due to God's grace extended to us. It does not talk about how we appropriate that grace or whether we can refuse the gift now or give it back later.

Romans 8:38-39

Again, this talks about something or someone coming between us and God, not about our own actions. However, commentators quote “life” as covering that situation. But that implication is really not that obvious. Also, all the terms may refer to authorities (mainly supernatural).

I Corinthians 3:11-15

This does not address the situation where a person builds upon another foundation than Christ.

Ephesians 1:13

The seal is usually understood as a sign of ownership or a guarantee. But in its context, it may refer to the obvious gifts of Holy Spirit given to Gentiles as a sign to the Jews that God had extended his grace to them. Almost all commentators feel that the event being talked about is water baptism.

Ephesians 1:14

“Pledge” = first installment, down payment, or taste of future grace, not necessarily a promise.

“Toward redemption” indicates they are not redeemed yet.

Ephesians 2:8

Note that both God's grace and our faith are part of the process of salvation. The traditional evangelical understanding is that even our own faith (or lack of faith) is out of our control. However, the pronoun “that” in the verse (neuter) cannot at all refer to faith (feminine). It probably refers to the whole process of salvation originating with God. Also, “faith(fulness)” in this verse may be that of God, Christ or the believer – it is ambiguous.

Ephesians 4:30

Some commentators feel that this is a reference to possible apostasy.

Philippians 1:6

Good work may refer specifically to the monetary support the church has given Paul (similar use of words in 2 Corinthians 8:6) and, by extension, other good work in the future. This is probably not at all a statement regarding their future salvation. Even if it does refer to salvation, it is not a doctrinal statement referring to all Christians, but only an expression of confidence in the continuing faith of the Philippian church based on their past behavior.

Hebrews 4:14

This could actually be used to prove the possibility of apostasy rather than being an argument against it.

I Peter 1:3-5

Protected by God and through faith stress both God's and believer's activities. “Without faith, God's keeping power would be theoretical only.” (Mounce) “Yet the human condition, both of continuance in the enjoyment ot this divine protection and of ultimate possession of this divinely prepared salvation, is equally recognized as having its necessary place.” (Tyndale Commentaries) Verse 7 mentions the testing of the genuineness of faith through trials.

Paul's attitude toward his own ultimate salvation is also instructive. He expresses his hesitation regarding his own ultimate salvation in I Corinthians 9:24-27 (the possibility of being disqualified from the race after saving others) and Philippians 3:11-14 where he says “if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead...not that I have already attained that goal but I press on to make it my own.” These verses, of course, can't be taken to mean that he has serious doubts as to whether he is saved. But his attitude of humility and complete dependance on God's grace should be taken more to heart by most of us.

Matthew 24:9-13 Many will fall away..but the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Matthew 25:31-46 Separation of sheep and goats. Note that even the goats call Jesus “Lord.”

Luke 8:11-15 Parable of the sower and the seed. Damnation for those whom (1) hear the word but do not believe, (2) receive the word with joy but only believe a little while, and (3) those whose fruit does not mature.

Galatians 1:6-8 Many will desert the true gospel due to false teachers... “let that one be accursed.”

I Timothy 4:1-3 In the latter times, some will renounce the faith.

II Timothy 4:3-4 The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine...they will wander away to myths.

II Peter 2:1-2 There will be false teachers among you...who will even deny the Master...Many will follow their licentious ways.

II Peter 3:17 Beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability.

Two Doctrinal Statements

Baptist Faith and Message Statement of 1963

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the cause of Christ, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Anabaptist Beliefs

“This [Matthew 24:13] strongly implies that some will begin who will not endure...and shall not be saved despite having been earlier redeemed.”