Oh, I was hoping that this one would land on my day. :-) Hebrews 6 has long been unsettling for me because I don't know exactly what to think about it. I wonder what it means for my friends who have walked away from their faith, and what it means for me in the long run. Is the author saying that we can lose our faith?
Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they've personally experienced the sheer goodness of God's Word and the powers breaking in on us - if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can't start over as if nothing happened. That's impossible. (6:4-6)
It sent me to my systematic theology textbook to try to gain more perspective.
"The fact that the unpardonable sin involves such extreme hardness of heart and lack of repentance indicates that those who fear they have committed it, yet still have sorrow for sin in their heart and desire to seek after God, certainly do not fall in the category of those who are guilty of it." Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pg. 509
"...it means here that these people have come to understand the heavenly gift (which probably means here that they had experienced some of the power of the Holy Spirit at work) and to know something of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come. It doesn't not necessarily mean that they had (or did not have) genuine saving faith, but may simply mean that they came to understand it and have some experience of spiritual power." Grudem, pg. 797
"The author of Hebrews...is simply saying that if someone has a sorrow for sin and comes to understand the gospel and experiences these various blessings of the Holy Spirit's work (no doubt in fellowship with the church), and then turns away, it will not be possible to restore such a person again to a place of sorrow for sin. But this does not necessarily imply that the repentance was genuine saving repentance in the first place." Grudem, pg. 799
Thankfully, I know without a doubt that God has transformed my heart and that Jesus has saved me. I am a radically different person that I used to be, with different desires, values, and priorities. Even so, I'm taking to heart both the warning above and the following encouragement:
I'm sure that won't happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you - salvation things!...And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them. (6:9, 11-12)
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