(You may want to read the whole passages first.)
This study seems to be a deviation from the writer’s theme, which continues in our next study. Instead he addresses a topic which obviously worried him. We will look at:
Hebrews 5:11-14, Hebrews 6:1-12, and also Hebrews 10:26-31
We will start by reading Hebrews 5:11
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.
Understanding the deep things of God is not easy, nor is a life of holiness very attractive to those who like to keep one foot in the world. Why bother?
Do we no longer try to understand?
Now read Hebrews 5:12-14
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
The Hebrew Christians had been quite settled in their religious way of life – centred on the Temple, and the customs and practices that had been passed down over hundreds of years.
This book has so far covered their attitude to Angels, Moses, and will shortly look at the High Priest – all of which they revered.
They lived a life basically revolving round the things that they did and the way they behaved outwardly. But they were ‘not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.’ So the writer now turns his attention to their hearts and how being a Christian meant their whole lifestyle had to change from within.
And of course, this book is for us too.
We are being told to ‘grow up’ in our Christian faith, and learn what it means to ‘be holy, because I am holy’ (1 Peter 1:16), rather than sheltering behind others who seem to be more righteous in our eyes
Now read Hebrews 6:1-3.
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
We need to move on from the things we now do to the people we must now become.
This study now takes an unexpected turn – Can we lose our salvation?
What follows is very difficult and we must concentrate.
We need to read two passages now.
Hebrews 6:4-8
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Hebrews 10:26-31
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This is hard. And at first reading it suggests that we can drift so far away from God that we can loose our salvation.
I don’t believe that’s true. Let me explain (taken from study John15e):
Display the first two circles.
Look at the two circles.
When we are saved, and give our lives to Jesus, we become one with Christ - 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us ‘It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus’
But at the same time Christ comes to live in us by his Holy Spirit.
Galatians 2:20 says ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.’
We need to point out right at the start that the passages in our Hebrews study cannot be talking about those who backslide; I think you’d agree that Christians may backslide at some point in their lives, to a greater or lesser degree. It may even result in their being put out of the church. Hopefully later they are then fully restored, perhaps moving much closer to Jesus as a result.
Display the next two pictures.
What happens when we backslide?
Here we are still in Christ but now it’s as if we are very small and far away. As if we have moved far from his heart, and have turned our back on him.
And in the next picture we see that Christ in us is now reduced to a dot and pushed to the edge.
Christ is still in us – perhaps squeezed into a corner and forgotten.
Does Jesus ignore us while we are ignoring him? Are we actually far from his heart? No. In fact he may need to do something drastic in order to draw us back. Look at Hebrews 12:5-6
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
The prodigal son was allowed to suffer as a result of his backsliding in order to bring him to his senses. Even Jonah would agree that being swallowed by a big fish was better than being left to drown. Christ’s continued aim is the restoration of sinners.
But the two passages we are looking at in Hebrews do not speak of restoration so I don’t think they refer to backsliders.
No, I believe they speak of a very rare occurrence when a true believer turns his back on Christ, not casually, not carelessly but specifically and deliberately.
A person who deliberately tells Jesus:
‘I want no more of you – I know the consequences, nevertheless that is the way I choose to go’.
Display the last pair of pictures
Someone I know told me she had a Christian friend who said ‘I’ve decided that I want no more of the Christian life. The pleasures of the world are too enjoyable. I realise this means that I will go to hell but that is the decision I’ve made’
If that is a true decision, and you tell Jesus that he is no longer welcome, he will not insist that he remains.
But what about other passages in the Bible?
John 6:37-40
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 17:24
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
From God’s side we are all safe and secure from any outside threat – we are in Christ and nothing and nobody can shake that absolute security. Jesus says ‘I will never drive away’ ‘I shall lose none’, and Paul confirms that ‘nothing can separate us’. Once we are in Christ nothing and nobody can take us out, and Christ himself will not expel us.
But we can choose to apostatise, and Christ never forces anyone against their will. And the passages we read also suggest that if a person has made a conscious decision to walk away, Christ may not draw them back again.
That’s as far as I want to go. I don’t find it helpful to spend any more time considering if I could possibly deliberately give up my salvation.
I am convinced that Jesus will not allow me out of his grasp and even if I drift away from his heart he will draw me back to full communion with him again. And my eternal destiny is secure – bought with the blood of Christ and spoken by the word of God.
Look at these last two passages.
Colossians 2:13-14
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
And Jesus says in John 6:47
47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
Whether you accept that a Christian can loose their salvation or not, that is ultimately up to God and not us. We should spend our time not wondering if a person could be lost, but rather in doing our best to restore them.
Let's return to the passage in Hebrews 6 where we started.
Read Hebrews 6:7-10
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case – the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Here the writer wants to encourage those who may have been concerned that they may have lost their salvation.
True, if your christian life continues to show no evidence of Christ's work within you, you are definitely heading the wrong way.
But 'God is not unjust' and for our part we need to be diligent!
Read Hebrews 6:11-12
11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Now read Hebrews 6:13-17
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
The writer now wants to encourage us that God's promises to Abraham also apply to his heirs – us – and they are unshakeable.
Read Hebrews 6:18-20
18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek.
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love
'Will your anchor hold' - Priscilla J. Owens
