I find it amazing the amount of explanations that I hear from many different Church’s in regards to Hebrews 6. This chapter is most widely used by those who believe that you can lose your salvation. First let me quote Hebrews 6, and then I will give my extremly short synopsis.
Hebrews 6 (KJV)
6 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
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.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
My synopsis:
In a nutshell, Hebrews 6 is not discussing that one can lose their salvation. It is discussing this:
Stop preaching the same ole same ole introductory Christian doctrines and move on to the more advanced doctrines.
The phrase: “If they shall fall away” is an incomplete phrase, because it is accompanied with “to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
The key word here is the word “again”…back to repentance to crucify Christ, over and over and over again.
But this whole lesson is incomplete. Take verse 9 for example:
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Another way to say that is: We expect more out of you, that you learn not only what you have been taught ABOUT salvation, but what you are not learning is those things that ACCOMPANY salvation.
Again, my summary…stop teaching the introductory Christian doctrines over and over again, but move on to the bigger and better things.
Ed
I think you are spot on about what the main thrust of Hebrews 6 is all about. Furthermore, the phrase ““If they shall fall away”, renders the complete thought a hypothetical. IF is always a very significant term. I’m not making a personal position statement, but one cannot say that a hypothetical “IF” statement teaches that a person can lose salvation.
Thank you Born4Battle. I sort of knew you would agree with this, since the Calvinist position is once saved, always saved. I, too, also believe in once saved always saved, but from a completely different perspective than the Calvinist position. However, and I am sure that you are aware, that many preach that you can lose your salvation. Saved on Sunday, lost on Monday, found on Wednesday, maybe on Thursday, but you better be in church and give me your money on Sunday. Therefore, there are people that are walking on egg shells, wondering day to day whether they are saved or not, so they TRY harder to be “obedient”, and they fail, beating themselves up for not being “obedient”. We certainly are to be obedient, but not to the Law of Moses, but to the law of faith, which is the law of Christ. Anything that is not of faith is sin to the NT believers. Anything that is transgression of the Law of Moses is sin to the “rejecters”, and the Orthodox Jews.
Actually Ed, once again, Calvin came a few hundreds after Hebrews was written. It’s Jesus’ words, “I give them eternal life and they will never perish.” that seals the deal for me.
On the same subject, however, how do you know that Jesus gave YOU eternal life?
It’s not because I walked an aisle, prayed a special prayer, or ‘gave my heart to Jesus’. I did however recognize that I by nature deserve God’s wrath, but knowing that God sent his son to be a propitiation for my sin and having repented and believed the gospel, I have been given eternal life. I suppose those are the same reasons all who have genuine assurance would give.
You see, that is exactly what non-Calvinists do NOT believe. We believe that it did take a prayer, to ASK Jesus to forgive us our sins. Our asking is not considered a work. Talking to God is prayer. I really do not like how the “religious” folk make fun of that “special prayer”, that special conversation with God that people do. Relationship (WIFE) with Jesus (HUSBAND) is giving your heart to Jesus, putting your trust in him. I am sure that you give your heart to your spouse, and that she does the same to you, and that she trusts that you will take care of her, and her you. That putting your trust is not a work, either. In Calvinism, you lack relationship. I recently debated a Lutheran, and he does not believe in “relationship”. He only believes in “obedience”. I see the same with Calvinists, in general. I really, truly, do not believe that Lutherans, or Calvinists really grasp the whole concept of what the gospel REALLY is.
I am enjoying reading your thoughts. I completely agree with this comment.
The Calvinists I know seem to have no affection for Jesus, and mock the concept of being ‘guided’ by the Spirit.
To them, it’s hogwash.
Who needs the Spirit right?
When you’ve got Calvin’s Institutes!
On that same line, Born, the Bible states that Jesus knocks on the door, and that whoever answers that door…We have to answer. Opening the door is our responsibility, our part. Jesus does not say that he knocks the door down, but that our responsibility is to open the door. Is that opening of the door a work?
Your question is a good one. I chose to answer by first saying that my assurance of salvation comes not from man’s methods, but because of Christ’s command to ‘repent (of my sin) and believe the gospel” My assurance comes from Jesus’ promise that those who believe in Him are granted eternal life and that they would never perish (John 3 & John 10).
You then states that what I said is precisely what non-Calvinists do NOT believe. That is simply a useless and hasty generation about non-Calvinists (Ed doesn’t care for Calvinists). . I know a lot of non-Calvinists who agree with me wholeheartedly. He then makes the point that uttering a special prayer and giving our hearts to Jesus contribute to our ‘knowing’ we have been given eternal life. I have only a couple of things to say to that.
First of all, I would admit that ‘praying the special prayer’ and ‘giving our hearts to Jesus’ can help us ‘feel’ saved, especially since there are a lot of folks that will tell you that if you have done one of those, you are in fact saved! Also, there are a lot of folks these days who ask you to pray the prayer and give away your heart so you can have a better life down here, without ever getting to the issue of sin, which is the reason Christ came to Earth in the first place (See Matthew 18). All those folks are doing is helping the lost continue on the broad path to Hell.
And secondly, there is not a single instance in all of the NT of anyone ‘praying a special prayer’ or ‘giving their heart to Jesus’. Not one! On the other hand, there are instances of God opening hearts so that they could understand the message of the gospel followed by believing the gospel that was presented to open hearts.
Concerning Christ knocking on doors, Revelation 3:20 is about Christ knocking on the door of the lukewarm church at Laodicea, not the heart of one of the lost sheep.
And of course you state that praying special prayers, giving away our hearts and opening doors are not works. I’m not sure how he is trying to define a ‘work’, but any of the three puts the one who is praying, giving away his heart, or opening a door as ultimately having saved himself after God has merely made it possible by the death of His Son.
I refuse to even address your notion that in Calvinism you lack ‘relationship’. That’s just too silly for words.
hmm. This comment bothers me.
I have come to understand that the word Repent (Metanoia) is not ‘turning from sin’. Repent of/from sin is simply not there. It is Repent (change your mind about Jesus Christ).
What are they repenting from?
Dead works!
Self righteousness!
They are not making a promise to try better or harder, or be perfect.
They are acknowledging that the Messiah has come. Enough of law keeping (dead works).
I cannot understand why people see the word Repent and assume that the object is always sin. It’s hardly sin. It’s usually if not always JESUS.