Scripture About Not Sinning Again and Placing Christ on the Cross

Let'south suppose you died and stood before the Lord God and He said to yous, "Why should I permit yous into My heaven?"  What would you say? What do yous recollect y'all would say?

That question posed by Donald Barnhouse years agone probes to the depths of our relationship with God. Upon whom or what are you depending for salvation or eternal life?

The heart of Hebrews affiliate 6 forces us to ask the question, practice you have eternal life? Are you saved? You are either lost or saved. Y'all either have eternal life or yous exercise not. In whom or what are you trusting for eternal salvation?

The salvation Jesus procured for us is "eternal." Nosotros have "eternal redemption," "eternal inheritance," and "eternal covenant." What a great Savior!

The author of Hebrews will at present stress the perseverance of the believer. We know a person is a true believer because he will persevere. The true believer will continue trusting Christ. He will go along to spiritual maturity in a growing relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:1-vi contains some of the severest language in the Bible. The author of Hebrews has a way of causing his readers to stop, look, and listen. He wants them to take a serious wait and evaluate their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He warns confronting false security and all forms of religious deception, specially religious experiences that do not produce spiritual maturity and Christlikeness.

"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching well-nigh the Christ, let u.s. printing on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of religion toward God, of didactics about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will practise, if God permits. For in the case of those who have one time been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the historic period to come, and and so have fallen abroad, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they once again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the pelting which oft falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake information technology is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and shut to being cursed, and information technology ends up being burned" (Hebrews 6:1-8, NASB95). All Scriptures are from New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update unless otherwise noted).

Alert confronting consequences of betrayment (Heb. 6:iv-viii)

The context demonstrates that someone in the congregation had corking religious experiences, and then the same person falls abroad and re-crucifies Christ by putting Him to open up shame, and that results in the impossibility to renew that person to repentance. When is repentance incommunicable? That is a nigh serious situation.

This passage is non denying great blessings and highly religious experiences. And in spite of all these spiritual blessings and experiences this person falls away. He turns away from Christ, the Spirit and the powers of the historic period to come.

It is helpful to remember this is one of the virtually disputed passages in the New Attestation. There is no perfect interpretation of this passage because we practice not accept all of the background on the beginning readers of this letter. Every interpreter is influenced past his theological background. I have tried to approach this passage in its context without bias and in harmony with the teaching of the whole Bible. There are basically 4 unlike interpretations by Bible believing scholars.

Four interpretations

1.         Some scholars translate this passage as saved persons who after lose their salvation. They view this passage as people who are born again, only lose their salvation past deliberate apostasy. This view fails to adequately consider the context of the volume of Hebrews, and balance the Bible'southward teaching on election and eternal security (John 10:26-xxx; Rom. eight:28-30; Phil. 1:three-five). The author offers no hope to the apostate. It definitely does not teach that salvation can exist lost and regained many times. You are either saved or lost. You lot are a child of God, or yous are not.

2.         Some other group interprets this passage as saved persons who backslide. They describe them as saved, but fall into sin and lose their rewards in heaven. They suffer the "sin unto death" (1 John five:16), and stand at the judgment seat of Christ without rewards. The problem is these people cannot be reclaimed according to this passage in Hebrews. They cannot beginning over. There is no such thing every bit existence saved a second fourth dimension. Yous are either saved, or lost.

3.         Another popular view is a hypothetical instance is beingness presented by the author to illustrate the recklessness of apostasy. These individuals are truly regenerated are nether pressure to return to Judaism, but why would they ever want to give up their perfect continuing with God in Christ? To plow from Christ would merely provide the evidence that they had never been built-in once again. B. F. Westcott observed, "In that location is nothing to bear witness that the conditions of fatal betrayment had been fulfilled, withal less that they had been fulfilled in the case of any of these addressed." Due west. H Griffith-Thomas said, "The passage is apparently a supposed example to right their wrong ideas, and the statement seems to be that if information technology were possible for those who accept had the experiences of verses 4-6 to autumn away, information technology would be impossible to renew them unless Christ died a second time."

iv.         Other scholars encounter this passage as professing Christians who have never been saved. They are lost and unregenerate fifty-fifty though they have had keen emotional religious experiences. They have been inoculated with a course of Christianity, but information technology is non the real thing. They have heard the bulletin of Skilful News, they have observed miracles, seen the work of the Holy Spirit in the congregation, have had emotional experiences, merely like the seed of the sower planted on rocky ground have never been regenerated. The apostasy referred to is the last rejection of Christ. They have rejected the substitutionary penal cede of Jesus Christ for their sins. They were sympathizers to the Gospel, but never believed in their hearts and therefore never saved.

Tin a person exist a "partaker of the Holy Spirit" and not be justified? Was this person who falls away like this ever truly saved or justified or built-in again? Critical to this whole context in Hebrews half-dozen is can you be a partaker of the Holy Spirit and the give-and-take of God and the powers of the historic period to come and not be justified? Can you lose your eternal position before God equally a truly justified person and and so be lost? Or is this passage teaching that you can have these great religious emotional experiences every bit described in verses 4-5 and never be justified or saved or born once more?

The Bible teaches unequivocally the Divine preservation and the human perseverance of the saints (Heb. half dozen:xiii-20; John 5:24; ten:26-thirty; Rom. 8:28-39; Phil. 1:iii-5). How do we reconcile these clear teachings with this passage? How exercise we hold fast to the unerring integrity of the Scripture?

In Hebrews 6:one-3 the author has been encouraging his readers to go on to maturity. Clearly he is addressing believers in the opening verses of this affiliate. At present we see him changing his focus to requite a stern warning to those who have to turn away from Christ.

"For information technology is impossible, in the case of those who have one time been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and accept tasted the goodness of the discussion of God and the powers of the age to come up, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once once again the Son of God to their own harm and property him up to contempt" (Hebrews 6:4-half dozen, ESV).

The New American Standard Bible reads: "For in the example of those who take one time been enlightened and take tasted of the heavenly gift and take been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and take tasted the skillful word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is incommunicable to renew them again to repentance, since they once again excruciate to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" (Hebrews 6:4-6).

To whom is the writer addressing when he says, "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who were once enlightened"? The writer does non say, "united states who were once aware," nor "yous," just "those who take once been enlightened." He draws a sharp dissimilarity between "Beloved, nosotros are persuaded better things of y'all," and this passage. Information technology is truthful they enjoyed great privileges under Judaism, but they were not true Christians. They are non spoken of as God's elect, for whom Christ died, or every bit those built-in of the Spirit of God. The passage does not speak of their being justified, forgiven, cleansed and accepted in the Beloved. Neither is anything said of their faith in Christ, nor obedience to Him. In that location is no indication that they were children of God.

A critical give-and-take in the interpretation of this passage is adunatos translated "impossible" in all of our accurate English translations. It is too used in Hebrews 6:18 where the writer tells us information technology is impossible for God to lie, In Hebrews x:four it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, and in Hebrews 11:six we are told that without faith information technology is impossible to please God. Hither it reads, "For it is impossible . . . to renew them again to repentance." The give-and-take "renew" must too be taken with its full meaning. Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit on the heart of the private. The Holy Spirit brings about this alter in the heed that affects the whole person.

They had "once been enlightened"

"Enlightened" (photizo) "to give light, to smooth;" metaphorically means spiritual enlightenment. They had received spiritual light or knowledge by teaching. They had been instructed in the teachings of the gospel to some extent. Does it fall short of the spiritual enlightenment which transforms and regenerates?  "But we all, with unveiled confront, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are beingness transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just equally from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:eighteen). There is a large difference between beingness enlighten and regenerated. Where is the submission to the enlightenment they had received?

"Tasted of the heavenly gift"

They have to a certain degree understood the truths, just not gone on to appropriate them. Jesus said, "This is the staff of life which comes down out of sky, and then that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this breadstuff, he will live forever; and the breadstuff also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." And then the Jews began to argue with one another, proverb, "How can this man requite us His mankind to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the mankind of the Son of Human and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My mankind and drinks My claret has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the final solar day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is truthful drink. He who eats My mankind and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John half dozen:50-56). His Jewish listeners took criminal offense at Him. They refused to advisable Christ.

The "heavenly gift" refers either to Christ or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is ministering on the world and in our hearts to glorify Christ and exalt Him. The Divine gift comes from heaven and leads us to heaven. Therefore, I am inclined to think of this souvenir as Christ. He is the Father's gift from heaven and His goal is to take us to heaven to be with Him. The individuals in view had an acquaintance with Christ, simply had never fabricated a commitment once and for all to Him. Jesus said, "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the discussion and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, simply is merely temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the discussion, immediately he falls away" (Matthew thirteen:twenty-21).

 "Take been fabricated partakers of the Holy Spirit"

The give-and-take for "partakers" or "have shared" hither is metochos and means "to take a share in" or simply "companions."  John Chocolate-brown wrote: "It is highly probable that the inspired writer refers primarily to the miraculous gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit by which the primitive dispensation of Christianity was administered. These gifts were by no means bars to those who were 'transformed past the renewing of their minds.' . . . . At any rate they plainly show that their possession and an unregenerate state were by no means incompatible."  Several scholars note the word "partakers" does not mean to possess the Holy Spirit in the sense of His indwelling the laic. The idea of the permanent abiding presence of the Spirit is not included in the word for partake.

Simon Magus in Acts 8:eight-18 is a good example of someone who "partakers" just in the post-obit decades became detrimental to Biblical Christianity. He was not a true believer; he but used Christianity for his own personal gain.

"Take tasted the expert word of God"

They understood the promises regarding the coming of the Messiah. God has been true-blue to His hope and they have enjoyed, and then far as an unconverted person can enjoy the blessings and advantages that come from these promises being fulfilled. A. Westward. Pinkish observed, these readers "could not say with Jeremiah, 'Your words were found and I did eat them' (Jeremiah 15:xvi)." Of Herod information technology is written that he heard John the Baptist and "enjoyed listening to him" (Mark 6:20), but he did not repent and fifty-fifty had John murdered.

"Powers of the age to come"

The new impunity ushered in by the Messiah according to the Old Testament prophesies has now arrived. They saw the miraculous power of the mighty God at piece of work in the person of Jesus Christ. The "historic period to come" was already upon them considering Christ has come. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Marker 1:15). Not only has God spoken "in these last days" to us in His Son, but He has acted (Heb. 1:2). The principles of this new age are active at the present time through the functioning of the Holy Spirit. The Christian enjoys a 18-carat foretaste of the powers of the age to come, and will to a more glorious magnitude at the consummation when Christ returns a second time. However, these unbelievers had witnessed personally the miracles of Christ, and the wonders of Pentecost. They were now without excuse. They saw all the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God and refused to fully commit themselves to Him.

"And then fallen away"

This is a very strong emphatic statement fabricated past the author of Hebrews. The word used here is unlike from apostasia which was used earlier. It is parapipto and information technology ways literally "to fall alongside." Information technology is a deliberate, complete and final repudiation of Christ. There is no forgiveness for this sin. Information technology is a final rejection of Christ. Then it is impossible to renew them once again to repentance. Their condition is across recovery. Since they take rejected the atoning cede of Christ at that place is no other gospel to be preached. They have rejected the ane sacrifice that tin can save from sin. Information technology is a total abandonment of Christianity. Therefore, information technology is "impossible to renew them again unto repentance" those who have totally abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ. The "impossibility" is used absolutely here, without whatever qualification. It is impossible to water it down. F. F. Bruce notes, "to say that they cannot be brought to repentance so long every bit they persist in their renunciation of Christ would be a truism inappreciably worth putting into words." There is no possibility of their restoration "since they again crucify to themselves the son of God and put Him to open up shame" (v. 7).

This is how serious this apostasy is. The upshot of falling away is to re-excruciate Christ and put Him to open shame. When Christ went to the cross and died as our substitute He died to make us correct with God. When we turn our backs on Him and return to the world we are maxim the earth is more worthy than the love of Christ. We are proverb in effect that we agree with those who crucified Christ.

The author is not describing backsliding Christians or believers who accept fallen into sin. Fifty-fifty Peter who denied Christ three times was "renewed unto repentance." The sin described in this passage is not the sin of a laic, only the open total renunciation of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Peter experienced the piece of work of the Holy Spirit in his heart considering he was a true laic. The unbeliever does not experience this kind of modify in the heart.

The Bible is emphatic that the grace and forgiveness of sins and cleansing in the blood of Christ is freely bachelor to every believer who sins and comes to Him confessing them (Heb. 4:fourteen-16; 10:19-22; 1 John 1:7-10; ii:ane-ii).

John Brown said: it is "in open up, total, determined renunciation of all the elective principles of Christianity, and a render to a fake religion, such as that of unbelieving Jews or heathens, or to open up infidelity and open godlessness."

The context of this passage of Scripture shows the willful sin described here is deliberate betrayment. These individuals are in danger of renouncing Jesus Christ to exist the Son of God, and are set to openly expose Him to public scandal of the cross. They are willing to stand up in judgment of Christ and with the crowd shaking their fists and shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" If they had their gamble, they would crucify Him again. They have reached a decisive moment of commitment to apostasy. It is a point of no return. They have reached the point where they continue on crucifying the Son of God and holding Him in contempt. There is no possible return.

John Calvin said, "The campaigner is non here talking most theft or perjury or murder or drunkenness or infidelity. He is referring to a complete falling abroad from the gospel, in which the sinner has offended God not in some one respect simply merely has utterly renounced His grace."

To so turn down Jesus Christ is to be eternally damned. They go far at a spiritual state where they can no longer apologize "since they over again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." In that location is no one else to turn to for conservancy.

"Information technology is incommunicable to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." This is a real warning against a real danger. It is true anytime there is a hardened heart of unbelief.

Information technology is possible for those who are described in the language of verses 4 and 5 to "fall away and not exist renewed." The critical question is were they always born again? Were they ever saved?

They are not true Christians because they take never been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. They are like land that has received its rain, but bears no skillful fruit. It is a land full of thorns and weeds. They have participated in worship services, the fellowship in the Christian customs, simply they are like seed sown on rocky footing. There was no spiritual root and they fell away. They sound like Christians, but something is severely missing. They are non saved, and if they are saved the author is presenting a hypothetical case for them to not render to the temple worship and therefore excruciate Christ again.

Some scholars advise if these Hebrews renounced their professed organized religion in Christ they would be going back to the erstwhile covenant and would be irrevocably lost. Since there is no temple in Jerusalem today this sin cannot exist committed today. In that location are no sacrifices or a system in which to return and then the sin involves abandoning the type for the fulfilled reality in Christ.

I return to my opening questions. If y'all died today and stood before the Lord God and He asked you, "Why should I allow you into My heaven? What would y'all say? How would you respond to Him? This whole passage of Scripture we are studying zeros in on this reality. What is your personal human relationship with Jesus Christ? When the Holy Spirit applies the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ to depraved sinner the work of salvation cannot fail. Those who are genuinely saved do not fall away; they abound in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Conservancy is God's work; it is not man'due south work. God's work cannot neglect to achieve its intended purpose. God never fails to consummate His project. Your salvation is His project and He will bring it to its completion at the solar day of Christ (Phil. 1:3-six).

Perseverance in faith in Christ proves that you take become a partaker in Christ. If you do not persevere in faith in Christ it proves yous never became a partaker in Christ. You may exist very religious, but are still lost. You may have had great religious experiences, simply have never been justified.

Ultimately merely the Lord knows who is saved.

There are individuals who misconstrue this passage to teach that in that location is no repentance after baptism and no forgiveness for Christian sinners. This fake teaching completely distorts the residual of the Scriptures such every bit ane John 1:seven-10. There is grace and forgiveness for every Christian who sins.  Cease and read carefully the post-obit verses.

"If we walk in the Low-cal as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one some other, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses u.s.a. from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is non in united states. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive u.s.a. our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that nosotros have non sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us" (1 John one:7-10).

All who profess to receive the Gospel are not born once more.

Judas Iscariot is an excellent case of a person who was in the presence of Christ, observed and experienced the groovy advantages of the Gospel, but never was regenerated. He had all the show, but obviously was never saved.

In our solar day we would say they had their names on the church building rolls, but were never saved. They partook of the Lord'due south Supper, were baptized, enjoyed fellowship dinners at church building, enjoyed the social benefits and trappings of religion, merely were never regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said: "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed cruel beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed cruel on the rocky ground where information technology did non have much soil; and immediately information technology sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sunday had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered abroad. Other seed barbarous amidst the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked information technology, and information technology yielded no crop. Other seeds savage into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. And He was proverb, He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Marker 4:3-9).

What kind of soil is represented in the heart of the true laic? What kind of soil is beingness described in our passage in Hebrews? But time reveals into what kind of soil the seed was planted. If it is good soil it will accept an abundant harvest of proficient fruit. It will carry Christ's likeness.

Some of the readers of the letter to the Hebrews never did belong to Christ; they were never spiritually regenerated. However, those who were true believers went on to spiritual maturity.

The Scriptures teach the perseverance of the saints.

Note advisedly, information technology is the perseverance of the saints, not unregenerate professors. Jesus said, All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly non bandage out" (John half dozen:37). The apostle Paul wrote, "The Lord knows those who are His" (two Tim. 2:19). Our salvation is guaranteed through all eternity past the mystery of the divine ballot.

Nosotros are kept by the power of God through faith in Christ Jesus. It is the work of the Holy Spirit energizing the true Christian. Abiding in Christ maintains us in the presence of God. Jesus said, "I in you, and yous in Me." Christ did non dice in vain; He rose from the dead to prove it.

They have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, partaken of the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God and seen the mighty works of the coming historic period. Where is the prove that they have been regenerated? Information technology is the continuance in Christ's discussion which proves that nosotros are His disciples. It is continuing in the faith which demonstrates the reality of our profession.

Faith dies when it is separated from its object.

The sole object of our faith is Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our salvation.

What is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ? "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you lot shall exist saved" (Acts 16:31).

If y'all need assist in becoming a Christian hither is A Costless Gift for You.

Title: Hebrews 6:4-6 Warnings confronting Crucifying Christ Again

Series:  Hebrews

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Scripture About Not Sinning Again and Placing Christ on the Cross

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