For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. [Hebrews 6.4-6]
I don't know that any passage of Scripture in the Bible is so misunderstood as this one.
For it is impossible... The first thing is, the preposition for grammatically tells us what follows is connected to something said preceding it. We should first understand exactly what was said before the preposition for that helps us understand what is about to be said following it:
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. [Hebrews 6.1-3]
Before he says for it is impossible, the writer of Hebrews points out the fundamental requirement of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. This fundamental repentance and faith first described in Hebrews 6.1-3 has importance to the degree that the writer refers to it again in Hebrews 6.4-6 with greater detail. Hebrews 6.4-6 extrapolates that repentance and enlightenment are confirmed by the evidence of experiencing the good things of heaven and sharing in the Holy Spirit. But the writer of Hebrews does not stop there but even further describes the genuine believer as one whose repentance and faith results in their having tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come.
Not only because the writer of Hebrews says it is important, but because it is eternally important to understand that a genuine believer is not a genuine believer just because he professes genuine belief, but because there is evidence of genuine belief in the demonstrated, shared power of the Holy Spirit. Repentance and profession of faith are just where the demonstrated power of the Holy Spirit begins!
It is here at this point that we can see the brilliance of the inspired Word of God. The Holy Spirit gives us just enough information here to whet our appetite to learn more if we are so inclined, but not so much information as to cast pearls before swine in giving precious truth to those with no appetite to learn more. The writer of Hebrews gives the hungry student of God's Word enough information to draw him or her to consider what the rest of the Bible says about the power of the Holy Spirit! What are the good things of heaven? What does it mean to share in the Holy Spirit? What is the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to come? Should we not want to know very well the fullness of these things if they are indeed the evidence of genuine repentance and faith?
The power of the Holy Spirit is every supernatural event described in the Bible. Most succinctly, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61.1-2 in explanation of the spectacular supernatural nature of His own life:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]
Furthermore, Jesus left no doubt that His followers (genuine believers) lives were to reflect His own:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]
This is, in fact, the shared... Holy Spirit the writer of Hebrews was talking about. This is what is necessary for one to turn away from in order for there to be no more sacrifice for their repeated repentance.
So, while many live in fear and confusion of this warning in Hebrews, most miss the most important implication which I will describe in this way: a peacock is in no danger of losing his magnificent tail feathers if he has never grown them. In Biblical truth, a person cannot lose salvation they never had - salvation evidenced by the power of the Holy Spirit... which brings up a whole new problem by itself...
Consider the tragedy of fearing losing something we never had in the first place! One cannot turn away from that to which he or she has never turned to! One cannot lose what he or she never had. We cannot turn away from that which we have never turned to! Hebrews 6 is not a warning about us losing something we have, but a warning about us not ever having something to lose! The evidence of the Holy Spirit (those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come) is the litmus test.
Oh my and oh me! Abstract faith (faith without works - the powerful works of the Holy Spirit) is the product of the idol of dead religion from which we must turn away from in order to turn to God. Jesus was serious when He said:
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
How serious will we be?
Father, the implications of what is said here are serious. I find myself indicted. May I be found turning away not only from the idol of dead religion, but all the other modern idols of the world that effectively prevent me from walking in the distinguishable power of the Holy Spirit (evidencing genuine repentance and faith). So be it.
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