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PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY |
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Eternal
Security: Objections from the Book of Hebrews
by Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon
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Several passages in Hebrews are
classic examples cited for the loss of salvation, principally Hebrews
6:4-8 and 10:26-31.
Consider Hebrews 6:4-8—
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.
Notice first of all that if this verse teaches
anything, it teaches that a person cannot be saved again for it says,
"It is impossible… if they fall away, to be brought back to
repentance…." But this is something that no one teaches who
believes in the loss of salvation. Virtually everyone who believes
Christians can lose their salvation also believes they can also be saved
again.
Further, this is a good example showing how an unclear
verse (proven by its many diverse interpretations) should not be allowed
to nullify an already established doctrine.
It is certainly possible that such expressions as
enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted
the goodness of the Word of God, etc., refer to people who had been
exposed to everything just short of salvation. There were certainly Jews
who had come under the influence of God’s covenant blessings and had
professed to turn from darkness to light. But had they truly received
Jesus Christ as their Messiah? Nothing was more difficult for a Jew in
the first century than to accept Jesus as his Messiah.
The author of Hebrews is writing to a very mixed
crowd, including committed believers, uncertain believers, uncertain
unbelievers, and those who were apostatizing. So these kinds of
exhortation are hardly out of place. If we examine the characteristics
given in this verse, we see that all of them can refer to every
unbeliever who comes under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or who
experiences the power of God. Even today unbelievers in church on Sunday
taste the good Word; they are partakers of the Holy Spirit in his work
of convicting them to believe in Jesus and are thus enlightened; they
may even have witnessed miracles. Likewise, many of the Jews of the
first century actually saw Jesus perform His mighty works of power—so
with all this they certainly had become enlightened as to the truth. But
what did these people do? Did they accept Jesus? No. They rejected the
Son of God and subjected Him to public disgrace. This hardly indicates
these people were true believers. According to verse 6, they were
clearly rejecters of Jesus Christ. But having come so close to
salvation, and having seen the mighty power of God and rejected it, it
is virtually impossible that, having experienced what they did, they
would ever turn to Jesus again.
Hebrews 10:26-31
If we deliberately keep on sinning after
we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is
left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that
will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses
died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much
more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has
trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing
the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the
Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I
will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:26-31 is another passage with diverse
interpretation. These verses are also speaking of unbelievers because of
the severity of the conditions described.
If we deliberately keep on sinning after
we have received the knowledge of truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
but only a fearful expectation of the judgment and of raging fire that
will consume the enemies of God (Heb. 10:26-27).
First, notice that the passage refers to "the
enemies of God"—a description that cannot biblically be applied
to God’s own children.
Second, notice that verse 26 can be true for both the
Christian and non-Christian. Christians do, at least at times,
deliberately keep on sinning after having received the knowledge of the
truth. But if we apply the verse to Christians, it would seem to teach
the permanent loss of salvation.
Third, the larger context is more appropriately
applied to the unbeliever. Why? Because what we read is especially true
of the unbeliever, one who has heard the Gospel message, perhaps many
times, and yet rejected it. After having heard it and rejected it, there
is no sacrifice for sins because in rejecting the Gospel, the individual
has "trampled the Son of God under foot," and rejected the
only source of forgiveness. This passage fits consistently with Hebrew
unbelievers who had often heard the message of truth and yet rejected
it. Note finally the encouragement of the author at the end of this
chapter, "But we [believers] are not of those who shrink
back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved"
(verse 39).
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Copyright 2006, Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
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