Hebrews 6
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Hebrews 6:4-6, 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.
The author of Hebrews in this chapter continues the discussion about the importance of becoming mature believers. In today’s focus verses, the author uses some really strong language. He seems to be speaking to those among the church who have said yes to Jesus but now are returning to Judaism (possibly because the persecution was so severe). If they are turning away at this point, does this mean their original profession of faith was false? There is no way to tell but he contends that by turning away from the faith, they are nailing Jesus to the cross again. They are exposing Jesus and the church for that matter to public shame and humiliation.
We may be able to relate. Think about those people who profess faith in Jesus, go through the motions, say the right words, maybe even say the sinner’s prayer, but then turn away quickly when things get hard. Some claim that these verses indicate that people can “lose” their salvation. Others say that isn’t what the author intended at all, that they were never really believers in Jesus to begin with. Was what they experienced true belief in Jesus? If the Spirit of the Living God comes and makes a home within you, doesn’t that leave a mark, change you in some way?
I think we simply have to say we don’t know. I encourage you to spend some time in prayer about what God wants you to take from these verses. I intentionally chose the most challenging verses in this chapter so we could wrestle with these concepts! If nothing else, what we can glean from these verses is that we are called to live as true believers of Jesus, demonstrating our faith in real and tangible ways, not hiding it away. How’s that going for you?
Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Thank you for your Word. Give us wisdom in those places we don’t fully understand. Help us know that you have called us to live out our faith in real and tangible ways. Give us the courage and motivation to share your Good News with others. In Your Name, Amen.