Will the people mentioned in Hebrews 6:4-8 perish?
Hebrews 6:1 through 8 says, "Therefore leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us be brought on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God, of the teaching of baptisms and of the laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of 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, and yet have fallen away, to renew themselves again unto repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God and putting Him to open shame. For the earth, which drinks the rain which often comes upon it and brings forth vegetation suitable to those for whose sake also it is cultivated, partakes of blessing from God. But if it brings forth thorns and thistles, it is disapproved and near a curse, whose end is to be burned." Some, after reading verses 6 and 8, assume that the kind of people mentioned in these verses cannot be saved. As mentioned in verses 4 and 5, they are "those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of 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." These verses mention four facts: (1) they were once enlightened; (2) they tasted of the heavenly gift; (3) they became partakers of the Holy Spirit; and (4) they tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. If a person has already experienced the four items mentioned above and falls away, he will be "disapproved and near a curse, whose end is to be burned" (v. 8). Based upon this verse, some speculate that their end is perdition. If this is the case, then this means that although one has been saved and has gained eternal life, there is a possibility for him to lose it. How do we explain this?
We must be clear what the book of Hebrews is speaking of. Hebrews speaks about "pressing on," and this progress has two areas. First, Christians should progress; second, the one who teaches should also progress. In their living, Christians should increase in their knowledge of the Lord and should advance. The one who teaches should likewise teach the truth in a progressive way; he should not dwell on the topic of salvation all year round but go on to teach the deeper truths.
The climax of this progress in the book of Hebrews is in chapters five and six. In chapter five the writer speaks of Melchisedec: "Concerning whom we have much to say that is also difficult to interpret since you have become dull of hearing" (v. 11). They should have been fully grown; yet, unfortunately, they were old children. They should have been able to take in solid food and learn the word of righteousness; yet, unfortunately, they were still those who needed milk. Chapter six speaks to those who teach others. They should also make some progress. They should not just speak about six doctrines: repentance from dead works, faith in God, the teaching of baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and the eternal judgment. Rather, they should press on to teach other matters. Thus we can see that Hebrews 6:1-8 is not speaking of the matter of salvation but of spiritual progress. The goal of the book of Hebrews is progression, not salvation. We cannot proceed to speak clearly about this book if we are misled about its subject.
Some Christians do not pay any attention to the truth of the church and of the kingdom. Their eyes are fixed only on salvation. It seems that salvation alone is adequate for them. But the Bible does not speak only of salvation; it also has many other things to tell us.
We must grasp the theme of the book of Hebrews before we can go on to Hebrews 6:1-8. These few verses can be divided into three sections: (1) verses 1 through 3 form a section with the title "Need Not"; (2) verses 4 through 6 form the next section with the title "Cannot"; and (3) verses 7 through 8 form the third section with the title "Should Not."
Six "need not" items are mentioned: (1) repentance from dead works, (2) faith in God, (3) the teaching of various baptisms, (4) laying on of hands, (5) resurrection of the dead, and (6) eternal judgment. We are told that we do not need to lay another foundation again. All these six items are foundational teachings. Once the foundation is laid, there is no need to lay it again. There is no need to repeat the work. When building a house, one does not lay a foundation and then not build upon it but instead lay another foundation. The foundation has already been laid. There is no need to lay another foundation. We should move on.
The word "once" in verse 4 denotes a historical fact. The word "again" in "renew themselves again unto repentance" (v. 6) is the same Greek word used in "not laying again a foundation" (v. 1). In Greek, the word "leaving" in verse 1 has the meaning of "slipping" or "falling away." The coordinate conjunction "and" in verses 4 and 5 joins four items together, namely, "once been enlightened and have tasted of 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 one has experienced these four items, it is impossible for him to renew his repentance again just because he has fallen once. It is impossible for him to crucify the Son of God again and put Him to open shame, even if he wishes to do so. If a person falls, it does not mean that he has forsaken the course which he was on; his direction is still correct. Therefore, he cannot renew his repentance again. He cannot crucify the Son of God again. He cannot put Him to open shame again.
In verses 1 through 3 the writer of this Epistle told the Hebrews not to lay another foundation. However, some among the Hebrews may respond, "If one who is in the condition mentioned in verses 4 through 6 slipped and fell away, should he not lay another foundation? Should this fallen one not renew again his repentance?" Paul replied that even if one were indeed in the condition mentioned in verses 4 through 6, even if he really sinned, he could not renew his repentance again.
This portion of the Word uses "again" twice. It is used once in verse 1: "Not laying again a foundation," and also in verse 6: "To renew themselves again unto repentance." There are six items of fundamental truths, repentance being the first item. In the first section, the writer of this Epistle tells them not to lay a foundation again. In the second section, he tells them that even if someone falls, he cannot renew his repentance again and cannot lay a foundation again.
Is it possible for us to be born again and yet lose that life? Is it possible to be reborn once more by repenting again? The repentance in verse 6 is the same repentance as in verse 1, which is a foundational repentance. That is not to say that one cannot repent again, but one cannot go back to the state of laying again the foundation that has been laid by repentance. This is the vital key here. Please take note of the word "again" in "again unto repentance" and "laying again a foundation of repentance." Not only does one not need to lay another foundation or repent again, but even more, it is impossible to do so.
This portion of the Word says that one who has received so much goodness from the Lord and then slips, does not need to repent again and lay another foundation. One can only be reborn once. One does not need to start all over again if he slips while on the way. However, many think that if one has fallen, he should start all over again. This concept is wrong.
Although verses 1 through 3 tell us that we "need not" and verses 4 through 6 tell us that we "cannot," verses 7 and 8 tell us that we "should not." This means that we should not fall away again and again, nor should we sin, as if to put the Son of God to open shame by crucifying Him again. If we do this, we will be punished. Therefore, we should not do this.
Some think that if a person sins after he is saved, he is no longer saved. Others think that once a person is saved, he will never be punished even if he continues to sin. Both of these concepts are incorrect. God longs for a saved one to grow. Going back and laying again another foundation after one falls is as impossible as asking one's parents to give birth to him again simply because he did not behave well. But if a person continues to do evil and engages in all the items mentioned in verse 6, what will happen? He will have three results. He will be disapproved, near a curse, and his end is to be burned.
This word is the same as the word "disapproved" in 1 Corinthians 9:27. Paul said he buffeted his body and brought it into subjection, lest by any means, when he preached to others, he himself would be disapproved. Every Christian knows that Paul was saved. But Paul was afraid that he would not gain the crown. He was afraid that he would not enter into the kingdom.
What does it mean to be disapproved by God? For example, a bicycle that was originally in good shape and suitable for use, and that is now broken and rusted, is no longer useful. This does not mean that the bicycle no longer exists but that it has been disapproved and put aside as useless. When we are disapproved by God, it does not mean that we do not have eternal life and are unsaved; it simply means that we have been put aside by God and are useless to Him. God's punishment for the believer who sins is to put him outside of glory and into darkness, so that he has no share in the kingdom. This is the meaning of Matthew 25:30.
"Near a curse" does not mean "being cursed." Being near a curse means feeling like a curse; it is not the same as being cursed. This verse is neither speaking about the degree of punishment nor the categories of punishment; rather, it says that Christians and the unsaved ones will be punished. This is why the expression "near a curse" is used.
Therefore, we must take heed. Do not think that regardless of how bad a Christian is, he will not be punished. We must remember that "near a curse" means there will be a punishment.
This is the burning spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3:15. The fire of God will burn all the manner of life and all the works of this person. This man is like a living trash can. Hidden within him are many filthy things which can only be purified through the burning fire.
Therefore, we rejoice, on the one hand; yet on the other hand, we should be warned. On the one hand, our salvation is sure, yet on the other hand, if we do not do well, we will receive punishment. Although this punishment is not eternal, we will not have a share in the millennial kingdom.
Let us now summarize the above. Hebrews 6:1-3 tells us that we do not need to lay a foundation again; verses 4 through 6 tell us that we cannot lay a foundation again. A believer must rise up from where he has fallen. He cannot renew his repentance again. Verses 7 and 8 show that it is not right for us to do evil. If a person insists on doing evil, he will receive a definite punishment.
