A Most Misunderstood Section of Scripture

When I speak in minister’s conferences, I usually get a pastor or Bible teacher ask me to explain Hebrews 6:1-6. On the surface it is difficult, but once understood, it is some of the simplest and freeing verses in the New Testament concerning our salvation and growth in the Christian life. If only read, it seems to indicate that it is rather simple to lose our salvation then impossible to get it back again. “For it is impossible…if they fall away to renew them again to repentance” (vs. 4 and 6).

The trouble is you cannot begin with the first verse of chapter 6. The first word of verse one is, “therefore.” You don’t begin a sentence with therefore.  This word is used to unite a thought with a conclusion. So, it is obvious, chapter six is not the beginning of the thought, but the conclusion. “Therefore” is the connecting word. The thought begins in chapter five and verse twelve where the issue is Christian growth and maturity, not salvation.

“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, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Carnal Christians

The Hebrew believers, after salvation and growth in God’s word, became carnal. They were well on their way to becoming teachers of others, but soon regressed to being spiritual babies in need of milk instead of the meat of God’s word. They also had to be taught all over again the introductory principles of the Christian life.

They were a lot like the Corinthians who also needed milk and not meat. But the Corinthians never did grew after being born again and never got off milk. They remained babies after salvation. The Hebrews did grow after salvation, but they regressed back to babyhood. The Corinthians were spiritual babies. The Hebrews became spiritual babies. The Hebrews never came fully to the point where their natural senses were exercised through study and application of God’s word to discern between good and evil.

Let’s Connect This Thought into Hebrews 6:1-6

“Therefore, (connecting the previous thought into the conclusion) 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” (Hebrews 6:1-3).

The Hebrew believers needed to be taught all over again about salvation beginnings (repentance from dead works and faith toward God), baptisms (new birth, placement into the Body of Christ, water baptism, and infilling of the Holy Spirit), laying on of hands (moving into spiritual gifts, the supernatural), resurrection of the dead (the coming rapture of the Church), and eternal judgment (rewards for believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ and sinners before the Great White Throne).

“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, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

“For it is impossible” introduces a thought that ends in verse six, “to renew them again to repentance.” Everything between those two phrases describes what occurs at the new birth.  At salvation, the former sinner is now “once enlightened.” There is only one time we are given the new birth and no other. “Tasted the heavenly gift” is also our salvation. Tasting is our entrance into salvation. “Partakers of the Holy Spirit” is what happens when the Spirit of God comes to live in us. “Tasting the good word of God” is the beginning of our Christian growth from first taste to later full meals of the word. “Tasting the powers of the age to come” is the infilling of the Holy Spirit and operating in God’s supernatural life.

“If they fall away to renew them to repentance” is where the meaning becomes difficult and cloudy to the reader. I am going to first make this more difficult before I make it simple. The meaning of the Greek word for “fall away” is “parapipto,” meaning to stumble, deviate, or blunder. It sounds like if you stumble, deviate, or blunder off the path it is impossible to renew you to repentance. You are forever lost and become a sinner over a stumble. That is not the meaning.  Finish the sentence. “They crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame.”

What the Hebrews were doing is what many legalistic Christians do today. They try to go back and get saved again. They believe by deviating off the path they have lost their salvation and need to be born again, again. “It is impossible” to renew them again to salvation. If they try to get saved again, they put Jesus to an open shame and claim He did not die fully and needs to die again. This borders on blasphemy.

The verses are saying if you blunder off the path, don’t go back to the beginning and try to get saved again, just get back on the path. The issue is renewal of fellowship, not regaining of relationship. The road to maturity may be accompanied by many blunders and deviations but getting back on the road to maturity is what is needed. This is a simple case for confessing that you have sinned (Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9), not confessing again the Lordship of Jesus (Acts 16:31). You are already saved and cannot lose it. It is impossible to get saved again because you are already saved. Stand back up, dust yourself off, and get back into the race.