Two major passages from the book of Hebrews. specifically Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10, are used to teach that mature believers can lose or reject their salvation. Let us examine Hebrews 6 for now in context and see if that is the proper conclusion.
Hebrews 5:12 - Hebrews 6:8 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is UNSKILLED in the WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (by faith apart from our works), for he is a babe (newborn or immature Christian). But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by REASON OF USE (of the word of righteousness) have their senses exercised to discern both good (a good conscience, desiring to live honorably before men: Hebrews 13:18) and evil (an evil conscience that causes us to draw back from God's Presence: Hebrews 10:22). Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection (maturity), not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they FALL AWAY (from the word of righteousness), to renew them to repentance (from dead works and faith toward God: Hebrews 6:1), since they crucify AGAIN (contrasting with the idea that Jesus was crucified one time for sins forever: Hebrews 10:12-14) for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned."
The book of Hebrews is contrasting the Old and New Testaments. It is contrasting the covenant of Law in the Old Testament and the covenant of grace through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When we hear the gospel or the word of righteousness and believe it, we are born again. We are then encouraged throughout the book of Hebrews to HOLD FAST to the word of righteousness and not fall back to the Old covenant mindset of Law. Hebrews 1:3 says that "when He had by Himself purged our sins ..." This is past tense language. Jesus has purged our sins. Jesus died once, two thousand years ago. He is not dying over and over again each time that we sin. Every sin that you and I have ever committed or ever will commit were future sins when Christ died 2000 years ago. He did not die just for the sins from the time of our birth until the time we accept Him. He died once for the sins of our entire lifetime. This is in contrast to the daily shedding of the blood of animals under the Old Testament Law. When we believe this good news of the gospel, we are born again.
By reason of use of the word of righteousness in our lives, we will discern an evil conscience and a good conscience within us. An evil conscience is described in Hebrews 9:14. Our conscience must be cleansed from dead works so that we may serve the living God. When we try to approach God by our own performance or anything other that the shed blood of Christ, those are dead works. As we hold fast to the word of righteousness, our evil heart of unbelief will be cleansed. We will also discern a good conscience, which Hebrews 13:18 describes as desiring to live honorably before men in all things.
This passage in Hebrews 6 is saying that if we fall away from the word of righteousness, we will be back to an Old Testament Law mindset. The Old Testament Law was a conditional covenant. If you follow God's commandments, you receive blessing. If you disobey, you are cursed. This is a summary of Deuteronomy 28. So, if you FALL AWAY from the word of righteousness, we will be back under the condemnation and guilt of the Law. We will draw away from God due to fear of punishment instead of drawing near to Him. It is not saying that you as a Christian will lose your salvation. It says if you fall away from the word of righteousness, it is impossible to renew you to repentance from dead works and faith toward God until you again hold fast to the word of righteousness apart from our works through the shed blood of Christ. If we crucify Christ again for ourselves and put Him to an open shame, we are saying that He needs to be crucified again and again because His blood did not cover the sins of our entire lifetime. Hebrews chapters 7-10 are then showing that Jesus only needed to shed His blood once, in contrast to the daily shedding of the blood of animals under the Old Covenant. We should not count His blood as a common thing, as common as the shed blood of an animal. Hebrews 10:29.
Solid Biblical doctrine is based on a plurality of scripture. This falling away in Hebrews 6 is the same falling away that Jesus described in the parable of the sower and the seed. Luke 8:13 "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear (the gospel), receive the word with joy (which is the word of righteousness in Hebrews) and these have no root (they are not rooted in God's love or the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus), who believe only for awhile and in time of temptation FALL AWAY." Jesus said in Matthew 13:21 that when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word (word of righteousness), immediately he stumbles. Stumbling or falling away from the word of righteousness means we stumble in our thinking back to an Old Testament Law mindset of justice and punishment instead of grace.What is the tribulation and persecution? Tribulation takes place within us when we hear and receive the gospel. We must hold fast to the gospel until it cleanses our conscience. We are also dealing with our flesh, which is not yet redeemed. This is tribulation that takes place within us. Persecution is from other people, as we try to walk out our faith, believing that Jesus has paid for our sins.
Paul uses that same phrasing in Galatians 5:4 "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law, you have FALLEN from grace." He did not say they had lost their salvation. He said if you attempt to be justified before God by the law, you have fallen from grace back to an Old Testament law mindset.
I believe you can see that these verses are not talking about a few people who might publicly renounce their faith in Christ due to some pain, tragedy, disappointment or outright disgust at things they have seen or witnessed. I believe these verses apply to hundreds of millions of Christians who have fallen away from the word of righteousness apart from our works. Because they have let go of the gospel or the word of righteousness, they are now living under some degree of guilt and condemnation. They will not share their faith with others. They are believers, but they lack the joy and confidence of their faith. As Hebrews states, they have not held the beginning of their confidence before God, that Jesus purged their sins, steadfast to the end.
This is certainly a reason why everyone in the world has not heard the gospel. If hundreds of millions of believers are not confident within themselves that their sins are purged and they are at peace with God, they will not share their faith with others. We also have ten of millions of believers around the world who face intense physical and verbal persecution from others. They need the assurance that their sins have been purged once and for all. They need to have joy unspeakable on the inside, so that they may endure persecution for the sake of the gospel.
A wise saint who has gone on to heaven, T.L. Osborn, said that we need to examine our religion and extract out of it the things that scare people. What a profound idea. Hopefully, this gives a different perspective on these scriptures from the book of Hebrews. I will examine Hebrews 10 in another blog.
Keith Oliver
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