DOES HEBREWS 6:4-6: MEAN WE CAN LOSE OUR SALVATION?

Hebrews was written to a Jewish audience. More specifically, it was written to a Messianic Jewish audience. And even more specifically, it was written to Messianic Jews who were being persecuted for their faith. Many of these Jews had lost their land, their jobs, or even their families. Their persecution was great. The land was very important to Jews, it was their inheritance from God. So the loss of land was a real blow to these Jews. In the midst of their persecution, a false theology began to work its way in. The thought came up that because these Jews would have been saved under the old law before the Messiah came, maybe they could abandon their faith in the Messiah and go back to the old law. The thought was that since they were saved under the old law and they were not persecuted that they could go back to the old sacrificial system and the old ways and still be saved. The author of Hebrews writes against this false teaching. He explains to these persecuted Messianic Jews that the old law does not save any longer. Now that the Messiah has come, salvation is found through him. This is why Hebrews was written.

Here, it is important to realize that when the author says "fall away" he means go back to the old way. These Jews have already accepted Jesus as the Messiah. The forgiveness for their sins is found through the Messiah's work on the cross. If they fall away and turn back to the old law they cannot be brought back to repentance. There is no forgiveness of sins under the old law now that the Messiah has been crucified. The Messiah paid the ultimate price, and suggesting that they don't need the Messiah, and thinking that they can reject what the Messiah did and go back to the old way would be like crucifying him all over again. This is why the Messiah came to give us forgiveness by his sin-offering sacrifice. Forgiveness now comes through the Messiah, not the old law.

In Hebrews 6:4-6: the Greek verbs photisthentas, geusamenous, and genethentas, being aorist, are rightly rendered in the past tense: "who were enlightened," "have tasted," and "were made partakers." Wherefore parapesontas, being aorist, ought to have also been rendered in the past tense, "have fallen away." Some translators followed Beza, [similarly Calvin, Owen, Tait], who, with no authority from ancient manuscripts, inserted his version of the word "si" (if), to give his [Beza] rendering as "if they shall away," so as to appear to not contradict the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. He changed it, to make it become hypothetical. That was his agenda.

A correct rendering of this passage may be found in the New American Standard Bible, thusly: "For in the case of those who have been once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the son of God, and put him to open shame."

People may have been once enlightened (by the light of the Messiah) and have "tasted of the heavenly gift" (the disciple's life) and be said, "to have eternal life." This is by metonymy. 1 John 5:12:.. he who does not have the son of God does not have the life." When one let's go of the son, he is then cast off as a branch, and withers. John 15:1-5, that eternal life "is in His son." 1 John 5:11, when one leaves the son, he leaves the life. How? Often it is by just a little bit at a time. The conscience becomes increasingly less sensitive, more hardened, like the fingertips of one who plays violin, or guitar: they become calloused. The list of incompleted things in the disciple's life gets longer and longer. At what point has a disciple let go of the son? The son can answer that; I can not. The break-point for that is somewhere I do not wish to learn first-hand.

A follower of the Messiah who has "tasted the good word of God" has experienced it sustained; it is the food of the soul. One who has tasted "the powers of the world to come" has seen that the Spirit reveals and supports the truth, and carries forth the work of redemption to its full and perfect consummation. So this covers from the first elements of piety through its highest; it describes the successive steps by which a true disciple of the Messiah advances to the highest stage of the Christian experience.

One who has fallen away from such a level has hardened his own heart. He has known first and later rejected all that God offered. God already gave His very best, to create an opportunity of salvation, available to every human who submits to His plan. That was and is the only solution possible for mankind to be saved from sins. Whether we obey and receive that reward is left up to us - we must participate. The life of a disciple is not a "spectator sport."

Be like the Bereans: when you are told something religiously, check it by the scriptures as to whether it is true - 100 percent! Be very cautious about your translation/version.

Remember, Jesus said, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." That continues to be a conditional statement. "A few" will be faithful until death or until they are resurrected; the many will not. One must become faithful before one can possibly remain so. Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."

Notice:

Hebrews 6:4-8: For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 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. For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives a blessing from God: But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

What do we understand from these verses:

1. If someone falls away from believing in God's message given through the Lord Jesus, in other words, has been enlightened, and has tasted the heavenly gift of the Holy Spirit, and given the good revelation of God and tasted the powers of the coming new age that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance.

2. In falling away that person has crucified to themselves the son of God again, and put him to an open shame.

3. The end result is to be burned up in the lake of fire, destroyed.

This is a dire warning for those who might contemplate going back to this world and rejecting the one whom God has sent. Such a one would obviously have no meaningful contact with anyone who was sincerely following the Lord Jesus. That being said, this does not exclude what the Lord Jesus can do!

Luke 15:4: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he finds it?

We see here that there were 100 sheep in the flock, but one wanders away in the wilderness and is lost, so the shepherd goes after the one who has become lost until he finds it. Notice the lost sheep is lost in the wilderness, which if we look at the parable and apply it to the present time, the wilderness that we walk through is this sin-sick world. If one sheep who is of the flock, cared for by the Lord Jesus, our shepherd; wanders off into the wilderness and becomes lost, i.e. has fallen way, gone back out into the world and become a part of it, which believers are not a part of, will not the Lord Jesus as shepherd seek to find such a one and bring him/her back to be a part of the flock.

Ask yourselves this question: how many times has Jesus brought you back to walk on the narrow path that leads to life in the coming new age when you have wandered away from it? How many times? I know for myself I can't count the many times he has done so!

Again: Luke 15:6: And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Luke 15:10: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents. Does this not include a sinning sheep who has wandered off and the lord Jesus has brought back carrying him on his shoulder, because it is too weak to walk on its own?
The parable of the prodigal son is a prime example of one who has rejected his father, taken his inheritance - his taste of the things to come - and even rejected the country he grew up in, was a part of and gone into the wilderness so to speak.
Notice what the father does when he sees him returning, he runs to him with open arms. He was looking for him to return, he didn't give up hope that his son would return. Our God will never give up hope as far as we are concerned, even if we come to the point of rejecting his beloved son, because he gave His son Jesus to save those who are lost. It is all between the Lord Jesus and the one who has fallen away. In other words it is not possible for any follower of Jesus to renew such a one to repent and come back, only the Lord Jesus can bring that one back.
Luke 15:24: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. God is love!