Contextual Study of the Letter to Hebrews

Contextual Interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-8

Having come to a good overview of the purpose of Paul’s writing this letter to the Jewish Believers in Jerusalem, we can now hopefully come to a clearer understanding of what Paul is saying in the passage at hand.

For a proper introduction and understanding of the passage in Hebrews 6, we have to back up to chapter 5. Paul is instructing how Jesus is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. He then makes this comment.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, [Heb. 5:11-12]

Paul states that he has much more to say on the topic, which is not easy to explain. It is not easy because of his lack of skill to teach, but because of their dullness of hearing. They are slow to learn the “the basic principles of the oracles of God” [5:12]. They are still in need of being fed milk, the food for infants. They can’t handle the meat of the Word, even though they have been believers long enough, that they “ought to be teachers”.

Paul then states “let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.” Paul informs them that they don’t need someone to lay down again the foundation,

• of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
• and of instruction about washings,
• the laying on of hands,
• the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

However, Paul states “this we will do if God permits.” If God sees fit that we go over the foundations again, we will do so, but right now, let us “go on to maturity.”

Before we address Heb. 6:4-6, there is another passage of Paul’s where he addresses the issue of falling away from the way of grace in Christ Jesus. In his letter to the churches in Galatia, he is dealing with a very similar situation that he is in Hebrews. In Galatians, the believers are being enticed to place their trust, not in the finished work of Jesus, but in their acceptance and performance of keeping the Law. The initiation of such acceptance was receiving the sign of circumcision. Paul tells them,

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. [Gal. 5:2-4]

He says that if you seek to be justified before God by your performance of the Law, then Christ will be of no advantage to you. If you seek to be justified by the law, then you are obligated to keep the whole law. If you seek to be justified by the law, it severs you from Christ. Then he states that if you seek your rightness with God in the law, then you have fallen away from grace.

There are two avenues by which men might seek to be justified before God; seek it through the keeping of the law, or receive it by grace through faith in Christ alone. These two avenues are mutually exclusive. You cannot seek out both at the same time. You must choose one or the other.

Paul has already established in the letter to the Galatians, that, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for The righteous shall live by faith.” [Gal. 3:11] So the way of the law is excluded as an acceptable option for rightness with God. That only leaves the way of grace. So when Paul states that, “you have fallen away from grace,” he is warning them that they have removed themselves from the only avenue by which they might be truly accepted by God, which is through Christ.

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, [Heb. 6:4-5]

It is impossible for those who,

• have once (for all) been enlightened
• have tasted the heavenly gift
• have shared in the Holy Spirit
• have tasted the goodness of the word of God, and the powers of the age to come.

There are two ways to view the above description. The first is to view it as describing those who have been born of the Spirit and are members of the believing community. The second is to view it as describing those who have heard the gospel message and seen the power of God at work in the midst of His people, but have yet to avail themselves to its benefit.

The warning here is to both groups. Once you have received the Light of the Gospel of Christ, and have tasted, or experienced its blessings, you will have to answer to God for the level of revelation you have received. Once you have achieved that level of understanding of what God has done in Christ, and yet walk away from it, there is no going back to the beginning, i.e., repentance. You have tossed aside the work of Christ as worthless. You join the ranks of those who screamed for His crucifixion, and join your voice with those who ridiculed Him on the cross.

Jesus described this sin in this way,

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” [Mark 3:28-29]

The reason that blaspheming the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven is due to the fact that the Holy Spirit is God’s contact point with man. All the work that God seeks to work in man, from justification to glorification is accomplished through His Spirit. When you reject the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, you have cut yourself off from God. It is not God rejecting you, but your rejection of God.

The writer gives a natural illustration to his point in verses 7-8.

7. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
8. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

The purpose of the land is to bring forth fruit that is fit and proper for the one who tends to it. God provides the nourishment for growth in the form of rain. If the land takes that rain and produces fruit that is useful for the one who cultivated it, then it is considered good ground. However, if it produces nothing but useless fruit, like thorns and thistles, which is not able to sustain life, then it is considered land that is cursed and all its fruit is burned.

Then God gives the nourishment necessary for men to bring forth good spiritual fruit, yet all they produce is a crop of useless junk, its end is to be burned up.

Paul gives a similar illustration in his first letter to the Corinthians.

11. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
13. each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

The only true foundation that one can build their life upon in relationship with God, is Jesus Christ. What will be judged by God is what you build upon that foundation.

If you build with “gold, silver and precious stones,” it will be put through the fire of judgment. Also, if you build with “wood, hay or straw,” it will be tried by fire as well. We have here two different categories of material. The first,gold, silver and precious stone, are mined from the depths of the earth. What happens to this material when it is put to the fire? It is not destroyed, but is purified. The second,wood, hay and straw, are considered superficial material. When put into the fire, are completely consumed and destroyed.

The question will be raised, that were those who walked away or drew back from following the Lord really saved to begin with? We have strong evidence that the answer to that question is no, they were not. Just because someone is exposed or experiences the power of the Gospel, doesn’t necessarily mean that it has changed their life. Just praying a two-minute prayer to “ask Jesus into your heart,” doesn’t guarantee a salvation experience. We have several text that prove the true child of God cannot and will not walk away from his Lord. Next are just a few of the text to state this truth.

TEXT 1.

[JOHN 17:12] While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

You cannot come to faith in Christ except the Father draws you [Jn. 6:44]. If the Father draws you, then He will give you the gift of grace and faith, so that you might believe [Eph. 2:8]. Upon truly believing upon and confessing Jesus as the Living Lord, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit [Eph. 1:13-14]. The seal of the Spirit is the mark of ownership and is also the “earnest” or down payment on our inheritance in Christ.

Once you are sealed with the Spirit, you belong to Jesus. Jesus says that He loses none that the Father gives to Him. The only exception Jesus mentions is Judas, who was given so that the scripture might be fulfilled.

TEXT 2.

Jesus said something similar earlier in John’s Gospel, chapter 10.

27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

When you are sealed by the Spirit as belonging to Him, you become one of His sheep. His sheep will not listen to the voice of anyone else. He gives His sheep eternal life. His sheep are placed in His secure and powerful hands. Christ is in the hands of God. All that belong to Jesus, belong to the Father, so no man is able to snatch them out of His grasp.

TEXT 3.

Can a sheep, that is a true Spirit born follower of Christ stumble and fall into sin? Absolutely. However, they will not and cannot remain there.

[1 Jn. 3:9] No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

No one who is truly born of God mades a practice of sinning, i.e, they do not live a constant lifestyle ruled by sin. They may commit acts of sin for a short period, but they do not live in constant sin. In fact, it is not possible for a true child of God to live that way. Why is it not possible? Because the seed of God continues to live in him. The seed of God is that seal, that earnest of the Holy Spirit of God, who will not allow the child of God to continue to live in darkness and filth.

The true child of God will never live comfortably in a life of sin or rebellion. In time, the pressure and conviction of the Spirit living inside them will become to great to ignore. The goodness of God leads us to repentance.

¹One of the most common reasons for his name not appearing is due to his contentious relationship with some of the more legalistic minded brothers. Many of the points made in this letter sounds very similiar to some of Paul’s arguments in his other letters, especially Galatians.