Lesson Themes: Hebrews 5 ends on a somewhat somber note, with Paul rebuking his audience for not advancing in their spiritual journey. However, Paul intends to advance in his sermon to deeper theological insights in spite of an audience that is “dull of hearing” (see Heb. 5:11, NKJV). Only if time permits will he readdress basic teachings, such as “repentance from dead works,” “faith toward God,” “instruction about baptisms,” “laying on of hands,” “resurrection of the dead,” and “eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:1, 2, NRSV).
Additionally, the audience has experienced, at some point in the past, a range of divine blessings. These blessings are enumerated in Hebrews 6:4, 5. The audience has been “enlightened,” “tasted the heavenly gift,” “shared in the Holy Spirit,” and “tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come” (NRSV). These phrases are synonymous with experiencing conversion, the grace of God, the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders, the truth of the gospel, and salvation.
Amid it all, some members of the audience seem to have apostatized. Paul tells his audience, “It is impossible to restore again to repentance those” (Heb. 6:4, NRSV) who have apostatized. A similarly devastating judgment is uttered in Hebrews 10:26–29 against those who willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth. The apostate’s behavior is characterized by metaphors that amount to rejecting Christ, His sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit.
Part II: Commentary
The Impossibility of Repentance: Does Hebrews 6:4–6, as well as Hebrews 10:26–29, talk about the impossibility of repentance? Does this notion mean that if a Christian apostatizes, he or she cannot be renewed to repentance? Is there no way to have a second chance at repentance? The idea that repentance cannot be renewed has been the prevalent understanding of Hebrew 6:4–6, as held by Christians throughout church history, leading some to postpone their baptism all the way to their deathbed. How do such strong warnings fare when one looks at the post-Gethsemane experience of Peter (Matt. 26:69–75)? In the examination that follows, we want to understand Hebrews 6:4–6 and harmonize it with the experience of Peter, as well as with all of Scripture.
First, we want to understand what the audience of Hebrews experienced. Some of them had been enlightened, had tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the good Word of God, and then had fallen away. The first metaphor used to describe the Christian community is “enlightened,” a term that appears in Hebrews 10:32, where it reads: “But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings” (NRSV). This metaphor seems to describe the initial Christian experience the audience had. By God’s Spirit, the audience has transitioned from “dead works” to “faith toward God” (Heb. 6:1, NRSV) and to the “knowledge of the truth” (Heb. 10:26, NRSV).
The second metaphor, “have tasted the heavenly gift” (Heb. 6:4, NRSV), shows that the audience had a spiritual experience in God’s gracious gift of salvation. The verb “taste” appears in Hebrews 2:9, where it speaks of Christ who had to “taste death for everyone” (NRSV). When Christ tasted death as a human being, He was experiencing something thus far unknown to Him. The audience of Hebrews has tasted the heavenly gift, something previously unknown to them, namely, “so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3, NRSV).
Closely associated with the tasting of the heavenly gift is the third metaphor. Christians “have shared in the Holy Spirit” (Heb. 6:4, NRSV), evoking the language of participation, which recalls the wording of Hebrews 3:1 and Hebrews 3:14, in which the audience is described as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” and “partakers of Christ” (NKJV). The distribution of the Holy Spirit is something this audience has experienced vividly in their early phase of being evangelized (Heb. 2:4).
The series of metaphors continues with a repetition of tasting imagery. Having tasted the “goodness of the word of God” (Heb. 6:5, NRSV) refers to the hearing of the gospel, received when the listeners accepted the good news of salvation (Heb. 2:3). Sometimes the Hebrew Bible compares the Word of God to food (see Deut. 8:3). The audience is not just the recipients of the goodness of the Word of God; they also experience the “powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:5, NRSV), which include the “signs, wonders, and various acts of power” (Heb. 2:4, author’s translation).
After four lengthy, positive metaphors, there is a dramatically abrupt change. The last metaphor conveys the phenomenon of apostasy: “and then have fallen away” (Heb. 6:6, NRSV). The verb “fall away,” or “commit apostasy,” can mean “to sin,” in a general sense. But because of the phrasing that follows, namely, “crucifying again the Son of God” (Heb. 6:6, NRSV) and putting Him to “open shame” (Heb. 6:6, NASB), the sin needs to be understood in the more radical sense of breaking away from each salvation experience described so far in verses 4 and 5. In simple terms, the audience has experienced conversion, salvation, the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders, and the goodness of the Word of God, and then apostatized.
Now that we understand what the audience of Hebrews experienced, let us now turn to examining the notion of the impossibility of repentance in Hebrews 6:4–6. We need to be somewhat technical in our approach. All five metaphors mentioned above are verbal adjectives (participles) in Greek. They are all in the past tense (aorist), a tense describing an action in the past. The actions are intrinsically terminal. The chain of participles describes one and the same group of people. Thus, this part of the audience has gone from being “enlightened” to “apostatizing,” thereby encountering the whole range of religious experiences some time ago.
The last part of Hebrews 6:6 employs a second block of participles (“again crucify” and “put Him to open shame” in Hebrews 6:6, NASB). This time Paul uses the present tense participles. He suddenly switches from the past (aorist) tense to the present tense, which expresses action as being in process. What does that denote? The present tense represents action as it develops, which is happening at the time of speaking. Both of these participles describe apostasy in the present tense. Thus, the action is seen as a crime that prevents the renewal unto repentance because it makes the apostate an enemy of Christ. He or she crucifies the Son of God again and puts Him to open shame in an ongoing manner. What does that suggest? To shame Christ is to reenact the crucifixion. This reenactment shows the devastating and continuing impact of apostasy in those who once were enlightened. They cannot be restored to repentance because of the present, ongoing attitude they have toward Christ. Their actions describe both the cause of apostasy and the ongoing attitude of the apostate. By rejecting Christ, the apostate embraces the impossibility of repentance.
But what about someone who does not have such an attitude? Does such a person have a chance? Of course! Here the example of Peter is helpful. While he denied Christ three times, Peter suddenly remembered what Christ foretold about him, “and he went out and wept bitterly” (Matt. 26:75, NRSV). This sorrow is a completely different attitude than that of the apostates in Hebrews 6, who crucify the Son of God and openly shame Him. Furthermore, John states: “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, NRSV). The Advocate can be useful only if accepted, not shamed or crucified.
In summary, Hebrews 6:4–6 makes clear that the audience encountered the whole range of religious experiences from conversion to apostasy. What made it impossible for some of them to be renewed to repentance was their attitude of shaming Christ and thus reenacting the crucifixion process. Basically, this attitude amounted to declaring Christ as their enemy. However, with an attitude of humble repentance, such as Peter’s, forgiveness is always possible. The Advocate Christ Jesus is willing to renew us to repentance.
The same is true for the passage in Hebrews 10:26–29. This passage starts with the willful, high-handed, intentional sin. “For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:26, NRSV). Once again, a present, ongoing, deliberate persistence in sin is described here, which deprives anybody of forgiveness. Some people have “trampled underfoot the Son of God, and [have] profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and [have] outraged the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29, ESV). Their actions portray Jesus as an enemy, with His blood devoid of its saving power. These individuals arrogantly insult and spurn God’s offer of grace. Such people do not even want to repent. They are demonstrating an attitude of open defiance against Christ and His work. Thus, repentance is impossible.
We Are Confident of Better Things in Your Case: After such a stern warning, Paul of Hebrews returns to his audience with a change of tone and encouraging words. “Even though we speak in this way, beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that belong to salvation” (Heb. 6:9, NRSV). This audience is like the good soil mentioned in verse 7, which produces a fruitful crop. These people have a track record of Christian service. God is just in not overlooking that (Heb. 6:10). By addressing his audience as “beloved,” Paul implicitly states that he sees genuine hope for his readers.
Part III: Life Application
It is not an uncommon phenomenon in the Seventh-day Adventist Church for young teenagers to get baptized. As genuine and sincere as their experience with Christ may have been, when they become older and attend college, their faith may fade and dwindle. Some leave the church at 19, meandering through life until, somewhere in their 30s, after several life crises, many of them find their way back into the church. What is the best way of dealing with such a former member who finds his or her way back to church?
How would you respond to such a person if he or she read Hebrews 6:4–6 and thought that repentance was not possible?
What can we do individually, as well as corporately, to prevent apostasy in our families, as well as in our church?
Notes
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Key Texts: Heb. 6:4–6; Matt. 16:24; Rom. 6:6; Heb. 10:26–29; Heb. 6:9–13; Heb. 6:17–20.
Lesson Themes: Hebrews 5 ends on a somewhat somber note, with Paul rebuking his audience for not advancing in their spiritual journey. However, Paul intends to advance in his sermon to deeper theological insights in spite of an audience that is “dull of hearing” (see Heb. 5:11, NKJV). Only if time permits will he readdress basic teachings, such as “repentance from dead works,” “faith toward God,” “instruction about baptisms,” “laying on of hands,” “resurrection of the dead,” and “eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:1, 2, NRSV).
Additionally, the audience has experienced, at some point in the past, a range of divine blessings. These blessings are enumerated in Hebrews 6:4, 5. The audience has been “enlightened,” “tasted the heavenly gift,” “shared in the Holy Spirit,” and “tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come” (NRSV). These phrases are synonymous with experiencing conversion, the grace of God, the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders, the truth of the gospel, and salvation.
Amid it all, some members of the audience seem to have apostatized. Paul tells his audience, “It is impossible to restore again to repentance those” (Heb. 6:4, NRSV) who have apostatized. A similarly devastating judgment is uttered in Hebrews 10:26–29 against those who willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth. The apostate’s behavior is characterized by metaphors that amount to rejecting Christ, His sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit.
Part II: Commentary
The Impossibility of Repentance: Does Hebrews 6:4–6, as well as Hebrews 10:26–29, talk about the impossibility of repentance? Does this notion mean that if a Christian apostatizes, he or she cannot be renewed to repentance? Is there no way to have a second chance at repentance? The idea that repentance cannot be renewed has been the prevalent understanding of Hebrew 6:4–6, as held by Christians throughout church history, leading some to postpone their baptism all the way to their deathbed. How do such strong warnings fare when one looks at the post-Gethsemane experience of Peter (Matt. 26:69–75)? In the examination that follows, we want to understand Hebrews 6:4–6 and harmonize it with the experience of Peter, as well as with all of Scripture.
First, we want to understand what the audience of Hebrews experienced. Some of them had been enlightened, had tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the good Word of God, and then had fallen away. The first metaphor used to describe the Christian community is “enlightened,” a term that appears in Hebrews 10:32, where it reads: “But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings” (NRSV). This metaphor seems to describe the initial Christian experience the audience had. By God’s Spirit, the audience has transitioned from “dead works” to “faith toward God” (Heb. 6:1, NRSV) and to the “knowledge of the truth” (Heb. 10:26, NRSV).
The second metaphor, “have tasted the heavenly gift” (Heb. 6:4, NRSV), shows that the audience had a spiritual experience in God’s gracious gift of salvation. The verb “taste” appears in Hebrews 2:9, where it speaks of Christ who had to “taste death for everyone” (NRSV). When Christ tasted death as a human being, He was experiencing something thus far unknown to Him. The audience of Hebrews has tasted the heavenly gift, something previously unknown to them, namely, “so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3, NRSV).
Closely associated with the tasting of the heavenly gift is the third metaphor. Christians “have shared in the Holy Spirit” (Heb. 6:4, NRSV), evoking the language of participation, which recalls the wording of Hebrews 3:1 and Hebrews 3:14, in which the audience is described as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” and “partakers of Christ” (NKJV). The distribution of the Holy Spirit is something this audience has experienced vividly in their early phase of being evangelized (Heb. 2:4).
The series of metaphors continues with a repetition of tasting imagery. Having tasted the “goodness of the word of God” (Heb. 6:5, NRSV) refers to the hearing of the gospel, received when the listeners accepted the good news of salvation (Heb. 2:3). Sometimes the Hebrew Bible compares the Word of God to food (see Deut. 8:3). The audience is not just the recipients of the goodness of the Word of God; they also experience the “powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:5, NRSV), which include the “signs, wonders, and various acts of power” (Heb. 2:4, author’s translation).
After four lengthy, positive metaphors, there is a dramatically abrupt change. The last metaphor conveys the phenomenon of apostasy: “and then have fallen away” (Heb. 6:6, NRSV). The verb “fall away,” or “commit apostasy,” can mean “to sin,” in a general sense. But because of the phrasing that follows, namely, “crucifying again the Son of God” (Heb. 6:6, NRSV) and putting Him to “open shame” (Heb. 6:6, NASB), the sin needs to be understood in the more radical sense of breaking away from each salvation experience described so far in verses 4 and 5. In simple terms, the audience has experienced conversion, salvation, the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders, and the goodness of the Word of God, and then apostatized.
Now that we understand what the audience of Hebrews experienced, let us now turn to examining the notion of the impossibility of repentance in Hebrews 6:4–6. We need to be somewhat technical in our approach. All five metaphors mentioned above are verbal adjectives (participles) in Greek. They are all in the past tense (aorist), a tense describing an action in the past. The actions are intrinsically terminal. The chain of participles describes one and the same group of people. Thus, this part of the audience has gone from being “enlightened” to “apostatizing,” thereby encountering the whole range of religious experiences some time ago.
The last part of Hebrews 6:6 employs a second block of participles (“again crucify” and “put Him to open shame” in Hebrews 6:6, NASB). This time Paul uses the present tense participles. He suddenly switches from the past (aorist) tense to the present tense, which expresses action as being in process. What does that denote? The present tense represents action as it develops, which is happening at the time of speaking. Both of these participles describe apostasy in the present tense. Thus, the action is seen as a crime that prevents the renewal unto repentance because it makes the apostate an enemy of Christ. He or she crucifies the Son of God again and puts Him to open shame in an ongoing manner. What does that suggest? To shame Christ is to reenact the crucifixion. This reenactment shows the devastating and continuing impact of apostasy in those who once were enlightened. They cannot be restored to repentance because of the present, ongoing attitude they have toward Christ. Their actions describe both the cause of apostasy and the ongoing attitude of the apostate. By rejecting Christ, the apostate embraces the impossibility of repentance.
But what about someone who does not have such an attitude? Does such a person have a chance? Of course! Here the example of Peter is helpful. While he denied Christ three times, Peter suddenly remembered what Christ foretold about him, “and he went out and wept bitterly” (Matt. 26:75, NRSV). This sorrow is a completely different attitude than that of the apostates in Hebrews 6, who crucify the Son of God and openly shame Him. Furthermore, John states: “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, NRSV). The Advocate can be useful only if accepted, not shamed or crucified.
In summary, Hebrews 6:4–6 makes clear that the audience encountered the whole range of religious experiences from conversion to apostasy. What made it impossible for some of them to be renewed to repentance was their attitude of shaming Christ and thus reenacting the crucifixion process. Basically, this attitude amounted to declaring Christ as their enemy. However, with an attitude of humble repentance, such as Peter’s, forgiveness is always possible. The Advocate Christ Jesus is willing to renew us to repentance.
The same is true for the passage in Hebrews 10:26–29. This passage starts with the willful, high-handed, intentional sin. “For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:26, NRSV). Once again, a present, ongoing, deliberate persistence in sin is described here, which deprives anybody of forgiveness. Some people have “trampled underfoot the Son of God, and [have] profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and [have] outraged the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29, ESV). Their actions portray Jesus as an enemy, with His blood devoid of its saving power. These individuals arrogantly insult and spurn God’s offer of grace. Such people do not even want to repent. They are demonstrating an attitude of open defiance against Christ and His work. Thus, repentance is impossible.
We Are Confident of Better Things in Your Case: After such a stern warning, Paul of Hebrews returns to his audience with a change of tone and encouraging words. “Even though we speak in this way, beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that belong to salvation” (Heb. 6:9, NRSV). This audience is like the good soil mentioned in verse 7, which produces a fruitful crop. These people have a track record of Christian service. God is just in not overlooking that (Heb. 6:10). By addressing his audience as “beloved,” Paul implicitly states that he sees genuine hope for his readers.
Part III: Life Application
It is not an uncommon phenomenon in the Seventh-day Adventist Church for young teenagers to get baptized. As genuine and sincere as their experience with Christ may have been, when they become older and attend college, their faith may fade and dwindle. Some leave the church at 19, meandering through life until, somewhere in their 30s, after several life crises, many of them find their way back into the church. What is the best way of dealing with such a former member who finds his or her way back to church?
How would you respond to such a person if he or she read Hebrews 6:4–6 and thought that repentance was not possible?
What can we do individually, as well as corporately, to prevent apostasy in our families, as well as in our church?
Notes