Heb. 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
It is needless to say that the passage here Heb 6:4-6 has given occasion to much controversy, and that the opinions of commentators and of the Christian world are yet greatly divided in regard to its meaning.
On the one hand, it is held that the passage is not intended to describe those who are true Christians, but only those who have been awakened and enlightened, and who then fall back;
and on the other, it is maintained that it refers to those who are true Christians, and who then apostatize.
The contending parties have been Calvinists and Armenians; each party, in general, interpreting it according to the views which are held on the question about falling from grace.
Let us look closely at the examination of the words and phrases in detail:
• observing here, in general, that it seems to me that it refers to true Christians;
• that the object is to keep them from apostasy;
• and that it teaches that, if they should apostatize, it would be impossible to renew them again, or to save them.
That it refers to true Christians will be apparent from these considerations:—
(1.) The mass majority of Bible readers regard it to be Christians.
(2.) The context demands such an interpretation. The apostle was addressing Christians.
• He was endeavoring to keep them from apostasy.
• The object was not to keep those who were awakened and enlightened from apostasy,
• but it was to preserve those who were already in the Church of Christ from going back to perdition.
The kind of exhortation appropriate to those who were awakened and convicted, but who were not truly converted, would be to become converted; not to warn them of the danger of falling away.
Besides, the apostle would not have said of sinners that they could not be converted and saved.
But he did say that about Christians, that they could not be renewed again, and be saved, if they should fall away—
• because they rejected the only plan of salvation after they had tried it,
• and renounced the only scheme of redemption after they had tasted its benefits.
• If that plea could not save them, what could?
• If they neglected that, by what Other means could they be brought to God?
(1.) The mass majority of Bible readers regard it to be Christians.
(2.) The context demands such an interpretation. The apostle was addressing Christians.
(3.) An examination of those phrases will show that he refers to those who are sincere believers.
The phrase "it is impossible," obviously and properly denotes absolute impossibility.
• Some scholars think that it denotes only great difficulty.
• But the meaning which would at first strike all readers would be, that the thing could not be done; that it was not merely very difficult, but absolutely impracticable.
And if this be the meaning, then it proves that if those referred to should fall away,
• they could never be renewed;
• their case was hopeless, and they must perish:—
that is, if a true Christian should apostatize, or fall from grace, he never could be renewed again, and could not be saved.
Paul did not teach that he might fall away and be renewed again as often as he pleased.
he meant to teach, that if a man should once cast off true religion, his case was hopeless, and he must perish:
• And to these Christians he was preaching with this great warning:
• he meant to guard them against the danger of apostasy.
For those who were once enlightened. The phrase "to be enlightened" is one that is often used in the Scriptures, and may be applied either to one whose understanding has been enlightened to discern his duty, though he is not converted,
or, more commonly, to one who is truly converted.
Ps 19:8 The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.
Light, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of knowledge, holiness, and happiness;
• And those which follow, are referring to true Christians.
And have tasted. To taste of a thing means, according to the usage in the Scriptures, to experience, or to understand it.
• taste is one of the means by which we ascertain the nature or quality of an object.
• The idea here is, that they had experienced the heavenly gift, or had learned its nature.
The heavenly gift. The gift from heaven, or which pertains to heaven.
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
And were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
Some mean this not to be the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, but rather the Spirit of Christ.
Ro 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Partaker: sharing in, or being a partner of.
I believe this to be those filled with the
Baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Jude 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Verse 5. And have tasted the good word of God.
Ps 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
They had experienced the excellency of the truth of God;
• they had seen and enjoyed its beauty.
This is language which cannot be applied to an impenitent sinner.
• He has no relish for the truth of God;
• sees no beauty in it;
• derives no comfort from it.
It is only the true Christian who has pleasure in its words, and who can be said to "taste" and enjoy it.
• He loves the Bible;
• he loves the truth of God that is preached.
• He sees an exquisite beauty in that truth.
Ps 19:9 The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
And the powers of the world to come. Or of the "coming age." "The age to come" was a phrase in common use among the Hebrews, to denote the future dispensation, the times of the Messiah.
The same idea was expressed by the phrases, "the last times," "the end of the world," etc., which are of so frequent occurrence in the Scriptures.
The word "powers" here implies that in that time there would be some extraordinary manifestation of the power of God.
An unusual energy would be put forth to save men in this last day period.
Of this "power" the apostle here says they of whom he spake had partaken.
• They had been brought under the awakening and renewing energy which God put forth under the Messiah, in saving the soul and…
• They had experienced the promised blessings of the new and last dispensation
Verse 6. If they shall fall away. Literally, "and having fallen away." "There is no if in the Greek in this place—’ having fallen away.’" Dr. J. P. Wilson.
It is not an affirmation that any had actually fallen away, or that, in fact, they would do it;
• but the statement is, that on the supposition that they had fallen away,
• it would be impossible to renew them again.
It is the same as supposing a case which, in fact, might never occur:—as if we should say,
• "had a man fallen down a precipice, it would be impossible to save him;" or,
• "had the child fallen into the stream, he would certainly have been drowned."
The word rendered "fall away" means, properly,
• "to fall near by any one;" "to fall in with, or meet;" and thus to fall aside from, to swerve or deviate from; and here means undoubtedly to apostatize from,
• and implies an entire renunciation of Christianity, or a going back to a state of Judaism, heathenism, or sin.
The Greek word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.
To renew them again. Implying that they had been before renewed, or had been true Christians.
The word again"—palin —supposes this; and this passage, therefore, confirms that they were true Christians who were referred to.
They had once repented, but it would be impossible to bring them to this state again.
I don’t know of any other declaration more straight forward than this.
The reason of this the apostle immediately, adds.
Seeing.
The reason here given is, that the crime would be so great, and they would so effectually exclude themselves from the only plan of salvation, that they could not be saved.
• There is but one way of salvation. Having tried that, and then renounced it, how could they then be saved?
The case is like that of a drowning man. If there was but one plank by which he could be saved, and he should get on that, and then push it away and plunge into the deep, he must die.
Or if a man were sick, and there was but one kind of medicine that could possibly restore him, and he should deliberately refuse to take it, he must die.
So in Christianity. There is but one way of salvation. If a man deliberately rejects that, he must perish.
They crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh.
It means that such an act of apostasy would be equivalent to crucifying him in an aggravated manner.
Of course this is to be taken figuratively. It could not be literally true that they would thus crucify the Redeemer.
The meaning is, that their conduct would be as if they had crucified him;
• it would bear a strong resemblance to the act by which the Lord Jesus was publicly rejected and condemned to die.
• The act of crucifying the Son of God was the great crime which outpeers any other deed of human guilt.
Yet the apostle says, that should they who had been true Christians fall away, and reject him, they would be guilty of a similar crime.
• It would be a public and solemn act of rejecting him.
• It would show that if they had been there they would have joined in the cry, "Crucify him, crucify him!"
• Such an act would render their salvation impossible, because
The difference between them and those that day at the cross: they didn’t really know what they were doing. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
But those who apostatize today… who purposely reject him: DO know what they do.
They are rejecting the only possible plan of salvation, after they had had experience of its power and known its forgiveness.
The phrase "to themselves,"
They make the act their own. It is as if they did it themselves; and they are to be regarded as having done the deed."
And put him to an open shame. Make him a public example; or hold him up as worthy of death on the cross.
Conclusion: Apostasy is fatal
Such a statement is made here to PRESERVE those from Apostasy.
Thousands have been preserved from going over the Falls of Niagara by knowing that there would be no possibility of escape;
• and so effectual has been this knowledge, that it has preserved all from such a catastrophe, except the very few who have gone over by accident.
So in religion. The knowledge that apostasy would be fatal, and there could be no hope of being saved should it once occur, would be a more effectual preventive of the danger than all the other means that could be used.
If a man believed that it would be an easy matter to be restored again, should he apostatize, he would feel little need to regard the way he conducts his life.
Same is true in some foreign lands… the penalty for stealing is to cut off a man’s hands.
-therefore robbery is not high on the list.
Conclusion: Let us heed this as a great and serious warning..and may we never get even close to this place.
