Forever Secure: The Unshakable Promise of Salvation
Hebrews 6:1-9
Introduction: The Heart of the Gospel
• This morning, we stand at the crossroads of one of the most pivotal truths in all of Scripture: the doctrine of eternal security, often summarized as "once saved, always saved."
o This is not a peripheral issue; it is the bedrock upon which the message of the Bible stands or falls.
o It answers the question that echoes in every heart: "Can I know for certain that my salvation is secure?"
• In our world, we see division everywhere—nations, communities, even churches.
o People often ask, "Why are there so many denominations?"
o At its core, the answer lies in a single dividing line: those who believe salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ, and those who believe it depends on human works.
o All other differences—baptism, worship styles, church governance—are secondary to this fundamental truth.
o Just as Americans may differ on state policies but unite under the banner of democracy, Christians may vary in practice but find unity in the belief that Christ alone saves and keeps the saved.
• Yet, some of our brothers and sisters hold that a saved person can lose their salvation.
o This view, though sincerely held, raises profound questions when carried to its logical conclusion.
? If a person can be lost after being saved, can they be saved again?
? Can a spiritual birth be repeated, like a physical one?
o The implications are staggering, and today, we will explore why the Bible teaches that a person can be saved only as many times as Christ died on the cross—once.
o My prayer is that this message brings you unshakable peace in your salvation.
Where We All Agree: Common Ground in the Gospel
To approach this weighty topic, let’s begin where all Christians stand in unity, like travelers meeting at a common oasis.
1. All are lost apart from Christ.
a. No one disputes that humanity, stained by sin, stands condemned without a Savior.
b. Romans 3:23 declares, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
c. Apart from Christ, there is no hope.
2. All can be saved through Christ.
a. The gospel is a universal invitation.
b. Our own transformed lives and the testimonies of countless others bear witness to the power of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
3. All need salvation.
a. None of us is righteous enough to stand before a holy God.
b. As Isaiah 64:6 reminds us, our best efforts are like "filthy rags" compared to God’s perfect standard.
4. A saved person’s destiny is the point of division.
a. Here, the paths diverge.
b. We must choose one of two positions:
i. either a saved person remains saved by God’s grace when they sin,
ii. or they can lose their salvation through sin.
c. We cannot hold both views, nor can we reject both. The Bible demands a clear stance.
This brings us to a critical passage in Hebrews 6:1-9, written to Jewish believers tempted to revert to a legalistic view of salvation. Let’s unpack this text to see what it reveals about eternal security.
The Biblical Case: Hebrews 6 and the Impossibility of Renewal
1. The writer of Hebrews addresses believers who, like weary travelers, were tempted to return to the familiar paths of the Old Covenant.
a. In Hebrews 6:1-3, he urges them to move beyond elementary teachings—repentance, faith, baptisms, and eternal judgment—toward maturity.
b. Then, in verses 4-6, he presents a sobering hypothetical scenario:
i. "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 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."
c. This passage describes people who have experienced the fullness of salvation:
i. enlightenment,
ii. the gift of the Spirit,
iii. and the power of God’s Word.
d. Yet, the writer warns that if such a person could "fall away" (lose their salvation), it would be impossible to renew them to repentance.
i. Why?
ii. Because their rejection would be akin to crucifying Christ again, demanding a second atonement.
iii. This is a devastating blow to the idea of losing salvation, for it shows that salvation is a once-for-all act, tied to Christ’s singular sacrifice.
2. The writer uses an agricultural metaphor in verses 7-8 to clarify:
a. "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. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed."
i. A saved person, like fertile land, bears fruit through God’s grace.
ii. But a heart that rejects Christ produces only thorns, revealing it was never truly transformed.
b. In verse 9, the tone shifts to encouragement:
i. "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation."
1. The writer is confident that his readers are genuine believers, bearing fruit consistent with salvation.
2. This passage, far from supporting the idea that salvation can be lost, argues the opposite: true salvation is permanent, secured by Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.
Addressing Objections: Can a Saved Person Live as They Please?
1. A common objection arises: "If I believe in 'once saved, always saved,' won’t people get saved and then live however they want?"
a. This fear misunderstands the nature of salvation.
b. When God saves a soul, He doesn’t merely stamp a ticket to heaven; He transforms the heart.
i. Picture a caterpillar emerging as a butterfly—its very nature changes.
ii. Similarly, when you become a child of God, the Holy Spirit instills a desire for holiness and a deep gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice.
iii. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, "If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
2. Those who claim salvation as a license to sin reveal they were never truly saved.
a. A genuine believer submits to the Lordship of Christ, not out of fear, but out of love.
b. Their life reflects, as one preacher put it, an "energetic attempt to please the Lord," driven by the cross’s profound sacrifice.
What About Sin After Salvation?
1. If salvation is secure, how does God deal with a believer’s sins?
a. Different groups offer varied answers, but only one aligns with Scripture.
i. The Catholic View: Penance and Purgatory.
1. Some teach that a saved person can lose salvation, requiring penance or purgatory to atone for sins.
2. Yet, purgatory finds no mention in Scripture.
3. Christ’s words on the cross, "It is finished" (John 19:30), proclaim that His sacrifice fully paid for all sins—past, present, and future.
4. Inventing purgatory undermines the sufficiency of the cross.
ii. The Legalistic View: Constant Confession.
1. Others suggest that a believer must confess sins hourly to avoid hell, living in constant fear.
2. This view leads to a dangerous slope: if salvation depends on perfect confession, what happens if you die with an unconfessed sin?
3. Some, to escape this fear, deny hell’s existence, which forces them to call Christ a liar, as He warned of hell 13 times (e.g., Matthew 10:28).
4. If Christ is a liar, His divinity, virgin birth, and resurrection crumble, reducing Christianity to mere myth.
iii. The Baptismal View: Repeated Baptisms.
1. Those who believe baptism is essential for salvation face a contradiction.
2. If one sin after salvation causes loss, and baptism is required for salvation, then every sin would demand re-baptism.
3. James 2:10 states, "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of all."
4. This would turn Christianity into a cycle of baptisms, a "big splash" that mocks the sufficiency of Christ’s work.
The Biblical Answer: Christ’s Finished Work
1. Scripture offers a clear answer. Romans 10:9-13 promises, "If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
a. Christ’s sacrifice covers all sins—those committed in 1975, 2005, or 2025.
b. As Colossians 2:13-14 declares, "He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross."
2. When a believer sins, God does not cast them out.
a. Instead, He disciplines them as a loving Father.
b. Hebrews 12:5-6 says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves."
i. Imagine a mother with two children in her home—one hers, one a neighbor’s. When they misbehave, she disciplines her own child but sends the other home.
ii. Similarly, God disciplines His children, while the unsaved face eternal judgment.
iii. Noah, Samson, David, and Jonah all faced God’s chastisement, yet their salvation remained secure.
3. Consider a hypothetical scenario:
a. A Christian, in a moment of rage, commits a grave sin, like murder, and dies immediately.
i. Does he go to hell?
b. Or imagine a faithful believer of 20 years who tells a lie and dies suddenly.
i. Is he condemned?
c. The answer hinges on one question:
i. How many times can a person be saved?
ii. Hebrews 6:4-6 declares it "impossible" to renew a fallen believer to repentance, not because they lose salvation, but because Christ’s sacrifice is once for all.
iii. If a person is truly saved, their salvation is secure, for God locks the door to hell and throws away the key.
The Role of Confession: Restoring Fellowship, Not Relationship
1. Why, then, should Christians confess their sins?
a. 1 John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
i. Confession does not restore salvation—it restores fellowship.
b. Sin in a believer’s life is like a quarrel between siblings: the relationship remains, but the harmony is broken.
c. Confession mends that fellowship, restoring joy, prayer, and effective witness.
2. Unconfessed sin invites God’s discipline, but it cannot sever the believer’s eternal security.
The Assurance of Heaven
1. The Bible assures us that salvation is eternal.
a. Luke 10:20 tells us that our names are written in heaven the moment we are saved.
b. 1 John 1:8 acknowledges, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves."
c. The closer we draw to Christ, the more we see our imperfections, yet our hope rests not on our goodness but on Christ’s righteousness.
d. As the hymn declares, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness."
2. Those who "fall from grace" (Galatians 5:4) are not saved believers losing salvation but those trying to earn salvation through the law, rejecting God’s grace.
a. True salvation begins when we cry, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).
b. From that moment, God’s grace works mightily, securing us for eternity.
A Call to Respond
1. Being a Christian is a weighty responsibility.
a. While no believer will face hell, unconfessed sin can bring a taste of hell on earth through broken fellowship and divine discipline.
b. To those living in sin today, God’s Spirit is speaking.
i. Break with that sin now, before God’s loving hand of discipline falls.
ii. Confess, forsake, and find forgiveness and empowerment through Christ.
2. Salvation is eternal, a once-for-all new birth that cannot be repeated.
a. God’s promise is sure: "He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).
b. Rest in the assurance that if you are in Christ, you are as certain of heaven as Christ Himself.
c. Let this truth anchor your soul and propel you to live for His glory.
