READING TIME: 3-4 MINUTES
Sept 16, 2019
David, can you explain the warning passage in Hebrews 6:1-8?
Since this is such a difficult passage, I plan to answer this in parts. First of all, this is one of several passages in the NT which appear to teach that eternal security can be lost. The keywords are “appear to teach,” because, in reality, the NT teaches that eternal security can NEVER be lost!
Before I answer this question on Hebrews 6, I will share several tips (from an earlier post; April 2, 2019) on how to interpret passages that seem to teach eternal security can be lost.
First, they must be interpreted in accord with the context that considers the spiritual state of the readers and the purpose of the author (For example, a simple study of the contexts surrounding difficult passages like Galatians 5:4 or Hebrews 6:4-6 shows that the author is addressing believers to motivate them to Christian maturity).
Second, they must be consistent with the overarching plan of God to bless us eternally by His grace (Rom 4:16; Eph 1:3-14).
Third, they must harmonize with the consistent teaching of justification by grace through faith alone apart from works or any other merit (For example, the teaching of justification by faith not works in Romans 3– 4 is so clear that it should govern our interpretation of the more difficult passage about “faith without works is dead” in James 2:14-26).
Fourth, some of these passages are referring to a loss of reward, not loss of eternal life (for example, 1 Cor 3:11-15; 9:24-27).
Fifth, some of these passages refer to God’s discipline of believers in this life (for example, Pss. 32:3- 4; 51:7-13; 1 Cor 11:30).
Sixth, some of these passages relate to the conditions and consequences of discipleship, not salvation from hell (for example, Luke 9:23-26; 14:26; John 15:6).
Too often Christians will read these questionable passages through the interpretive lens of saved/ unsaved or heaven/ hell. You can see that other options render a more accurate and meaningful interpretation.
Overview of Hebrews 6:1-8
Before I go into detail (in later posts) about the meaning of Hebrews 6, I will give an overview of it.
Hebrews 6:1-8 is a reference to true believers who fail to grow in their experience of God’s blessing, similar to what happened to the children of Israel when they failed to believe God’s promise of possessing the promised land (Num 13). As a result, they indeed remained chosen by God as a covenant people, but they missed out on God’s blessing. The phrase “if they fall away” in Heb 6:6 is a reference to the failure on the part of the readers to move on to maturity (like the spiritually mature men and women of faith did in Heb 11). In the readers’ situation, this would involve trusting God as they were being persecuted for their faith. As a result of this persecution, they were tempted to temporarily “abandon” their faith and seek shelter in Judaism until the storm of persecution had passed. One result of this lack of faith was a failure to enjoy the benefits of the faith/rest life. The phrase “it is impossible. . . to renew them to repentance” refers to those who would lose many blessings that only those who walk by faith enjoy, just as the children of Israel at Kadesh Barnea permanently lost the blessings given to them through their lack of faith in God. So, they couldn’t repent in the sense that even though the children of Israel confessed their sin of unbelief (Num 14:40), God would still not permit them to enter the land (Num 14:41-45). So, Heb 6:8 is a reference to a loss of rewards, similar to Paul’s fear of being “disqualified” in 1 Cor 9:27; the “burned” in v. 8 is similar to what we see in 1 Cor 3:13-15.
Source Used
Bing, Charles C. Simply by Grace: An Introduction to God’s Life-Changing Gift (pp. 61-62). Kregel Publications.
