Can a believer commit the unforgivable sin?

[Benaiahian Monk]

Jehovah’s (false)Witness?

 

[Neogaia777]

Jehovah’s (false)Witness?

To fear YHWH is not a false witness I do not think...

I'm trying to change my view of YHWH...

I feel like my view of Jesus is good and my witness for/of Jesus is good...

I'm trying to reconcile in my mind Jesus and YHWH... So, that I am not a false witness...

For all of us...

God Bless!

 

[Benaiahian Monk]

This person on here( Proverbs 26:11) was popping off about some weird stuff on here and my tact was poor. My apologies Neogaia 777

 

[Eloy Craft]

Please address the actual words in Scripture that I have put forth.

They don't mean what You think they mean. You want to increase the power of sin with your law it's on you.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

They don't mean what You think they mean.

Please help me to understand. If you think I would not be open to such truth, then do it to help the person who happens to come across this website reading this thread later. For are you not out to defend the truth? This is why I am asking you to show me how I am wrong with the Scriptures. Also, just saying, "They don't mean what you think they mean" does not mean anything. Prove your case with Scripture and not mere words that are opinion.

You want to increase the power of sin with your law it's on you.

So are you lawless then?

I would be careful how you would answer because Jesus said to certain believers the following,

"And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:23) (ESV).

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Didn't I say, "actually I can"?

You can at least give me a website link or something.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

You called me a liar and I’m not , I take my faith very seriously .

Post # please.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Jehovah’s (false)Witness?

Not a JW. I actually witnessed to them before against what they wrongfully believe with the Bible. My recent encounter with one was telling them about the truth of the Trinity (Which they denied of course).

 

[Neogaia777]

This person on here( Proverbs 26:11) was popping off about some weird stuff on here and my tact was poor. My apologies Neogaia 777

Oh, why, thanks...?

Sorry if I took it personally...

God Bless!

 

[Benaiahian Monk]

Post # please.

96, “which is a lie”.

 

[Benaiahian Monk]

BELIEVER’S BIBLE COMMENTARY

Hebrews 6

William MacDonald

PMI prefers the King James Version of the Holy Word of God. Notwithstanding, while this resource is written with another version in mind, we believe the author(s) is doctrinally sound making this by and large a trustworthy resource for Biblical study.


Hebrews 6:1 The warning which began in Heb_5:11 continues throughout this chapter. It is one of the most controversial passages in the entire NT. Since so many godly Christians are disagreed on its interpretation, we must not speak with dogmatism. We present the explanation which seems most consistent with the context and with the rest of the NT.

First of all, the readers are exhorted to leave the elementary principles of Christ, literally, “the word of the beginning of Christ” (FWG), or “the beginning word of Christ” (KSW). We understand this to mean the basic doctrines of religion that were taught in the OT and were designed to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. These doctrines are listed in the latter part of verse 1 and in verse 2. As we shall seek to show, they are not the fundamental doctrines of Christianity but rather teachings of an elementary nature which formed the foundation for later building. They fell short of Christ risen and glorified. The exhortation is to leave these basics, not in the sense of abandoning them as worthless, but rather of advancing from them to maturity. The implication is that the period of Judaism was a time of spiritual infancy. Christianity represents full growth.

Once a foundation has been laid, the next step is to build upon it. A doctrinal foundation was laid in the OT; it included the six fundamental teachings which are now listed. These represent a starting point. The great NT truths concerning Christ, His Person, and His work, represent the ministry of maturity.

The first OT doctrine is repentance from dead works. This was preached constantly by the prophets as well as by the forerunner of the Messiah. They all called on the people to turn from worksthat were dead in the sense that they were devoid of faith.

Dead works here may also refer to works which formerly were right, but which now are dead since Christ has come. For example, all the services connected with temple worship are outmoded by the finished work of Christ.

Second, the writer mentions faith toward God. This again is an OT emphasis. In the NT, Christ is almost invariably presented as the object of faith. Not that this displaces faith in God; but a faith in God which leaves out Christ is now inadequate.

6:2 Instruction about baptisms refers not to Christian baptism, but to the ceremonial washings which figured so prominently in the religious lives of the priests and people of Israel (see also Heb_9:10).

The ritual of laying on of hands is described in Lev_1:4; Lev_3:2; Lev_16:21. The offerer or the priest laid his hands on the head of an animal as an act of identification. In figure, the animal bore away the sins of the people who were associated with it. This ceremony typified vicarious atonement. We do not believe that there is any reference here to the laying on of hands as practiced by the apostles and others in the early church (Act_8:17; Act_13:3; Act_19:6).

Resurrection of the dead is taught in Job_19:25-27, Psa_17:15, and it is implied in Isa_53:10-12. What was seen only indistinctly in the OT is brightly revealed in the New (2Ti_1:10).

The final foundational truth of the OT was eternal judgment(Psa_9:17; Isa_66:24).

These first principles represented Judaism, and were preparatory to the coming of Christ. Christians should not continue to be content with these but should press on to the fuller revelation they now have in Christ. The readers are urged to pass “from shadow to substance, from type to antitype, from husk to kernel, from the dead forms of the religion of their ancestors to the living realities of Christ.”

6:3 The author expresses his desire to help them do this, if God permits. However, the limiting factor will be on their side and not on God’s. God will enable them to advance to full spiritual manhood, but they must respond to the word positively by exercising true faith and endurance.

6:4 We come now to the heart of the warning against apostasy. It applies to a class of people whom it is impossible to restore again to repentance. Apparently these people had once repented (though no mention is made of their faith in Christ). Now it is clearly stated that a renewed repentance is impossible.

Who are these people? The answer is given in verses 4 and 5. In examining the great privileges which they enjoyed, it should be noticed that all these things could be true of the unsaved. It is never clearly stated that they had been born again. Neither is any mention made of such essentials as saving faith, redemption by His blood, or eternal life.

They had once been enlightened. They had heard the gospel of the grace of God. They were not in darkness concerning the way of salvation. Judas Iscariot had been enlightened but he rejected the light.

They tasted the heavenly gift. The Lord Jesus is the heavenly Gift. They had tasted of Him but had never received Him by a definite act of faith. It is possible to taste without eating or drinking. When men offered wine mixed with gall to Jesus on the cross, He tasted it but He would not drink it (Mat_27:34). It is not enough to taste Christ; unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, that is, unless we truly receive Him as Lord and Savior, we have no life in us (Joh_6:53).

They had become partakers of the Holy Spirit. Before we jump to the conclusion that this necessarily implies conversion, we should remember that the Holy Spirit carries on a preconversion ministry in men’s lives. He sanctifies unbelievers (1Co_7:14), putting them in a position of external privilege. He convicts unbelievers of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Joh_16:8). He leads men to repentance and points them to Christ as their only hope. Men may thus partake of the Holy Spirit’s benefits without being indwelt by Him.

6:5 They had tasted the good word of God. As they heard the gospel preached, they were strangely moved and drawn to it. They were like the seed that fell on rocky ground; they heard the word and immediately received it with joy, but they had no root in themselves. They endured for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arose on account of the word, they promptly fell away (Mat_13:20-21).

They had tasted the powers of the age to come. Powers here means “miracles.” The age to come is the Millennial Age, the coming era of peace and prosperity when Christ will reign over the earth for one thousand years. The miracles which accompanied the preaching of the gospel in the early days of the church (Heb_2:4) were a foretaste of signs and wonders which will be performed in Christ’s kingdom. These people had witnessed these miracles in the first century, in fact, they might have participated in them. Take, for instance, the miracles of the loaves and fishes. After Jesus had fed the five thousand, the people followed Him to the other side of the sea. The Savior realized that, though they had tasted a miracle, they did not really believe in Him. He said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (Joh_6:26).

6:6 If they fall away, after enjoying the privileges just enumerated, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. They have committed the sin of apostasy. They have reached the place where the lights go out on the way to hell.

The enormous guilt of apostates is indicated in the words since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (v. 6b). This signifies a deliberate, malicious spurning of Christ, not just a careless disregard of Him. It indicates a positive betrayal of Him, a joining of forces against Him, and a ridiculing of His Person and work.

EXCURSUS ON APOSTASY

Apostates are people who hear the gospel, make a profession of being Christians, become identified with a Christian church, and then abandon their profession of faith, decisively repudiate Christ, desert the Christian fellowship, and take their place with enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apostasy is a sin which can be committed only by unbelievers, not by those who are deceived but by those who knowingly, willfully, and maliciously turn against the Lord.

It should not be confused with the sin of the average unbeliever who hears the gospel but does nothing about it. For instance, a man may fail to respond to Christ after repeated invitations from the Holy Spirit. But he is not an apostate. He can still be saved if he will commit himself to the Savior. Of course, if he dies in unbelief, he is lost forever, but he is not hopeless as long as he is capable of exercising faith in the Lord.

Apostasy should not be confused with backsliding. A true believer may wander very far away from Christ. Through sin his fellowship with God is shattered. He may even reach the point where he is no longer recognized as a Christian. But he can be restored to full fellowship as soon as he confesses and forsakes his sin (1Jo_1:9).

Apostasy is not the same as the unpardonable sin mentioned in the Gospels. That was the sin of attributing the miracles of the Lord Jesus to the prince of the demons. His miracles were actually performed in the power of the Holy Spirit. To attribute them to the devil was tantamount to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It implied that the Holy Spirit was the devil. Jesus said that such a sin could never be forgiven, either in that age or in the age to come (Mar_3:22-30). Apostasy is similar to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in that it is an eternal sin, but there the resemblance ends.

I believe that apostasy is the same as the sin leading to death, mentioned in 1Jo_5:16 b. John was writing about people who had professed to be believers and had participated in the activities of local churches. They then had imbibed the false teaching of the Gnostics and had spitefully left the Christian fellowship. Their deliberate departure indicated that they had never been truly born again (1Jo_2:19). By openly denying that Jesus is the Christ (1Jo_2:22), they had committed the sin leading to death, and it was useless to pray for their recovery (1Jo_5:16 b).

Some earnest Christians are troubled when they read Hebrews 6 and similar passages. Satan uses these verses especially to unsettle believers who are having physical, mental, or emotional difficulties. They fear that they have fallen away from Christ and that there is no hope for restoration. They worry that they have drifted beyond redemption’s point. The fact that they are even concerned about it is conclusive evidence that they are notapostates! An apostate would not have any such fears; he would brazenly repudiate Christ.

If the sin of apostasy does not apply to believers, to whom then does it apply in our day? It applies, for instance, to a young man who makes a profession of faith in Christ and seems to go on brightly for a while, but then something happens in his life. Perhaps he experiences bitter persecution. Perhaps he falls into gross immorality. Or perhaps he goes off to college and is shaken by the anti-Christian arguments of atheistic teachers. With full knowledge of the truth, he deliberately turns away from it. He completely renounces Christ and viciously tramples on every sacred fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. The Bible says it is impossible to restore such a one to repentance, and experience corroborates the Bible. We have known many who have apostatized from Christ, but we have never known one who has returned to Him.

As we approach the end of this age, we can expect a rising tide of apostasy (2Th_2:3; 1Ti_4:1). Therefore the warning againstfalling away becomes more relevant with every day that passes.

 

[Neogaia777]

BELIEVER’S BIBLE COMMENTARY

Hebrews 6

William MacDonald

PMI prefers the King James Version of the Holy Word of God. Notwithstanding, while this resource is written with another version in mind, we believe the author(s) is doctrinally sound making this by and large a trustworthy resource for Biblical study.


Hebrews 6:1 The warning which began in Heb_5:11 continues throughout this chapter. It is one of the most controversial passages in the entire NT. Since so many godly Christians are disagreed on its interpretation, we must not speak with dogmatism. We present the explanation which seems most consistent with the context and with the rest of the NT.

First of all, the readers are exhorted to leave the elementary principles of Christ, literally, “the word of the beginning of Christ” (FWG), or “the beginning word of Christ” (KSW). We understand this to mean the basic doctrines of religion that were taught in the OT and were designed to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. These doctrines are listed in the latter part of verse 1 and in verse 2. As we shall seek to show, they are not the fundamental doctrines of Christianity but rather teachings of an elementary nature which formed the foundation for later building. They fell short of Christ risen and glorified. The exhortation is to leave these basics, not in the sense of abandoning them as worthless, but rather of advancing from them to maturity. The implication is that the period of Judaism was a time of spiritual infancy. Christianity represents full growth.

Once a foundation has been laid, the next step is to build upon it. A doctrinal foundation was laid in the OT; it included the six fundamental teachings which are now listed. These represent a starting point. The great NT truths concerning Christ, His Person, and His work, represent the ministry of maturity.

The first OT doctrine is repentance from dead works. This was preached constantly by the prophets as well as by the forerunner of the Messiah. They all called on the people to turn from worksthat were dead in the sense that they were devoid of faith.

Dead works here may also refer to works which formerly were right, but which now are dead since Christ has come. For example, all the services connected with temple worship are outmoded by the finished work of Christ.

Second, the writer mentions faith toward God. This again is an OT emphasis. In the NT, Christ is almost invariably presented as the object of faith. Not that this displaces faith in God; but a faith in God which leaves out Christ is now inadequate.

6:2 Instruction about baptisms refers not to Christian baptism, but to the ceremonial washings which figured so prominently in the religious lives of the priests and people of Israel (see also Heb_9:10).

The ritual of laying on of hands is described in Lev_1:4; Lev_3:2; Lev_16:21. The offerer or the priest laid his hands on the head of an animal as an act of identification. In figure, the animal bore away the sins of the people who were associated with it. This ceremony typified vicarious atonement. We do not believe that there is any reference here to the laying on of hands as practiced by the apostles and others in the early church (Act_8:17; Act_13:3; Act_19:6).

Resurrection of the dead is taught in Job_19:25-27, Psa_17:15, and it is implied in Isa_53:10-12. What was seen only indistinctly in the OT is brightly revealed in the New (2Ti_1:10).

The final foundational truth of the OT was eternal judgment(Psa_9:17; Isa_66:24).

These first principles represented Judaism, and were preparatory to the coming of Christ. Christians should not continue to be content with these but should press on to the fuller revelation they now have in Christ. The readers are urged to pass “from shadow to substance, from type to antitype, from husk to kernel, from the dead forms of the religion of their ancestors to the living realities of Christ.”

6:3 The author expresses his desire to help them do this, if God permits. However, the limiting factor will be on their side and not on God’s. God will enable them to advance to full spiritual manhood, but they must respond to the word positively by exercising true faith and endurance.

6:4 We come now to the heart of the warning against apostasy. It applies to a class of people whom it is impossible to restore again to repentance. Apparently these people had once repented (though no mention is made of their faith in Christ). Now it is clearly stated that a renewed repentance is impossible.

Who are these people? The answer is given in verses 4 and 5. In examining the great privileges which they enjoyed, it should be noticed that all these things could be true of the unsaved. It is never clearly stated that they had been born again. Neither is any mention made of such essentials as saving faith, redemption by His blood, or eternal life.

They had once been enlightened. They had heard the gospel of the grace of God. They were not in darkness concerning the way of salvation. Judas Iscariot had been enlightened but he rejected the light.

They tasted the heavenly gift. The Lord Jesus is the heavenly Gift. They had tasted of Him but had never received Him by a definite act of faith. It is possible to taste without eating or drinking. When men offered wine mixed with gall to Jesus on the cross, He tasted it but He would not drink it (Mat_27:34). It is not enough to taste Christ; unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, that is, unless we truly receive Him as Lord and Savior, we have no life in us (Joh_6:53).

They had become partakers of the Holy Spirit. Before we jump to the conclusion that this necessarily implies conversion, we should remember that the Holy Spirit carries on a preconversion ministry in men’s lives. He sanctifies unbelievers (1Co_7:14), putting them in a position of external privilege. He convicts unbelievers of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Joh_16:8). He leads men to repentance and points them to Christ as their only hope. Men may thus partake of the Holy Spirit’s benefits without being indwelt by Him.

6:5 They had tasted the good word of God. As they heard the gospel preached, they were strangely moved and drawn to it. They were like the seed that fell on rocky ground; they heard the word and immediately received it with joy, but they had no root in themselves. They endured for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arose on account of the word, they promptly fell away (Mat_13:20-21).

They had tasted the powers of the age to come. Powers here means “miracles.” The age to come is the Millennial Age, the coming era of peace and prosperity when Christ will reign over the earth for one thousand years. The miracles which accompanied the preaching of the gospel in the early days of the church (Heb_2:4) were a foretaste of signs and wonders which will be performed in Christ’s kingdom. These people had witnessed these miracles in the first century, in fact, they might have participated in them. Take, for instance, the miracles of the loaves and fishes. After Jesus had fed the five thousand, the people followed Him to the other side of the sea. The Savior realized that, though they had tasted a miracle, they did not really believe in Him. He said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (Joh_6:26).

6:6 If they fall away, after enjoying the privileges just enumerated, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. They have committed the sin of apostasy. They have reached the place where the lights go out on the way to hell.

The enormous guilt of apostates is indicated in the words since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (v. 6b). This signifies a deliberate, malicious spurning of Christ, not just a careless disregard of Him. It indicates a positive betrayal of Him, a joining of forces against Him, and a ridiculing of His Person and work.

EXCURSUS ON APOSTASY

Apostates are people who hear the gospel, make a profession of being Christians, become identified with a Christian church, and then abandon their profession of faith, decisively repudiate Christ, desert the Christian fellowship, and take their place with enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apostasy is a sin which can be committed only by unbelievers, not by those who are deceived but by those who knowingly, willfully, and maliciously turn against the Lord.

It should not be confused with the sin of the average unbeliever who hears the gospel but does nothing about it. For instance, a man may fail to respond to Christ after repeated invitations from the Holy Spirit. But he is not an apostate. He can still be saved if he will commit himself to the Savior. Of course, if he dies in unbelief, he is lost forever, but he is not hopeless as long as he is capable of exercising faith in the Lord.

Apostasy should not be confused with backsliding. A true believer may wander very far away from Christ. Through sin his fellowship with God is shattered. He may even reach the point where he is no longer recognized as a Christian. But he can be restored to full fellowship as soon as he confesses and forsakes his sin (1Jo_1:9).

Apostasy is not the same as the unpardonable sin mentioned in the Gospels. That was the sin of attributing the miracles of the Lord Jesus to the prince of the demons. His miracles were actually performed in the power of the Holy Spirit. To attribute them to the devil was tantamount to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It implied that the Holy Spirit was the devil. Jesus said that such a sin could never be forgiven, either in that age or in the age to come (Mar_3:22-30). Apostasy is similar to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in that it is an eternal sin, but there the resemblance ends.

I believe that apostasy is the same as the sin leading to death, mentioned in 1Jo_5:16 b. John was writing about people who had professed to be believers and had participated in the activities of local churches. They then had imbibed the false teaching of the Gnostics and had spitefully left the Christian fellowship. Their deliberate departure indicated that they had never been truly born again (1Jo_2:19). By openly denying that Jesus is the Christ (1Jo_2:22), they had committed the sin leading to death, and it was useless to pray for their recovery (1Jo_5:16 b).

Some earnest Christians are troubled when they read Hebrews 6 and similar passages. Satan uses these verses especially to unsettle believers who are having physical, mental, or emotional difficulties. They fear that they have fallen away from Christ and that there is no hope for restoration. They worry that they have drifted beyond redemption’s point. The fact that they are even concerned about it is conclusive evidence that they are notapostates! An apostate would not have any such fears; he would brazenly repudiate Christ.

If the sin of apostasy does not apply to believers, to whom then does it apply in our day? It applies, for instance, to a young man who makes a profession of faith in Christ and seems to go on brightly for a while, but then something happens in his life. Perhaps he experiences bitter persecution. Perhaps he falls into gross immorality. Or perhaps he goes off to college and is shaken by the anti-Christian arguments of atheistic teachers. With full knowledge of the truth, he deliberately turns away from it. He completely renounces Christ and viciously tramples on every sacred fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. The Bible says it is impossible to restore such a one to repentance, and experience corroborates the Bible. We have known many who have apostatized from Christ, but we have never known one who has returned to Him.

As we approach the end of this age, we can expect a rising tide of apostasy (2Th_2:3; 1Ti_4:1). Therefore the warning againstfalling away becomes more relevant with every day that passes.

Gonna take me a bit to read an digest that...

But is Hebrews 6:1, the "laying aside of the first principles of Christ", is the Law, and the O.C....?

 

[Neogaia777]

BELIEVER’S BIBLE COMMENTARY

Hebrews 6

William MacDonald

PMI prefers the King James Version of the Holy Word of God. Notwithstanding, while this resource is written with another version in mind, we believe the author(s) is doctrinally sound making this by and large a trustworthy resource for Biblical study.


Hebrews 6:1 The warning which began in Heb_5:11 continues throughout this chapter. It is one of the most controversial passages in the entire NT. Since so many godly Christians are disagreed on its interpretation, we must not speak with dogmatism. We present the explanation which seems most consistent with the context and with the rest of the NT.

First of all, the readers are exhorted to leave the elementary principles of Christ, literally, “the word of the beginning of Christ” (FWG), or “the beginning word of Christ” (KSW). We understand this to mean the basic doctrines of religion that were taught in the OT and were designed to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. These doctrines are listed in the latter part of verse 1 and in verse 2. As we shall seek to show, they are not the fundamental doctrines of Christianity but rather teachings of an elementary nature which formed the foundation for later building. They fell short of Christ risen and glorified. The exhortation is to leave these basics, not in the sense of abandoning them as worthless, but rather of advancing from them to maturity. The implication is that the period of Judaism was a time of spiritual infancy. Christianity represents full growth.

Once a foundation has been laid, the next step is to build upon it. A doctrinal foundation was laid in the OT; it included the six fundamental teachings which are now listed. These represent a starting point. The great NT truths concerning Christ, His Person, and His work, represent the ministry of maturity.

The first OT doctrine is repentance from dead works. This was preached constantly by the prophets as well as by the forerunner of the Messiah. They all called on the people to turn from worksthat were dead in the sense that they were devoid of faith.

Dead works here may also refer to works which formerly were right, but which now are dead since Christ has come. For example, all the services connected with temple worship are outmoded by the finished work of Christ.

Second, the writer mentions faith toward God. This again is an OT emphasis. In the NT, Christ is almost invariably presented as the object of faith. Not that this displaces faith in God; but a faith in God which leaves out Christ is now inadequate.

6:2 Instruction about baptisms refers not to Christian baptism, but to the ceremonial washings which figured so prominently in the religious lives of the priests and people of Israel (see also Heb_9:10).

The ritual of laying on of hands is described in Lev_1:4; Lev_3:2; Lev_16:21. The offerer or the priest laid his hands on the head of an animal as an act of identification. In figure, the animal bore away the sins of the people who were associated with it. This ceremony typified vicarious atonement. We do not believe that there is any reference here to the laying on of hands as practiced by the apostles and others in the early church (Act_8:17; Act_13:3; Act_19:6).

Resurrection of the dead is taught in Job_19:25-27, Psa_17:15, and it is implied in Isa_53:10-12. What was seen only indistinctly in the OT is brightly revealed in the New (2Ti_1:10).

The final foundational truth of the OT was eternal judgment(Psa_9:17; Isa_66:24).

These first principles represented Judaism, and were preparatory to the coming of Christ. Christians should not continue to be content with these but should press on to the fuller revelation they now have in Christ. The readers are urged to pass “from shadow to substance, from type to antitype, from husk to kernel, from the dead forms of the religion of their ancestors to the living realities of Christ.”

6:3 The author expresses his desire to help them do this, if God permits. However, the limiting factor will be on their side and not on God’s. God will enable them to advance to full spiritual manhood, but they must respond to the word positively by exercising true faith and endurance.

6:4 We come now to the heart of the warning against apostasy. It applies to a class of people whom it is impossible to restore again to repentance. Apparently these people had once repented (though no mention is made of their faith in Christ). Now it is clearly stated that a renewed repentance is impossible.

Who are these people? The answer is given in verses 4 and 5. In examining the great privileges which they enjoyed, it should be noticed that all these things could be true of the unsaved. It is never clearly stated that they had been born again. Neither is any mention made of such essentials as saving faith, redemption by His blood, or eternal life.

They had once been enlightened. They had heard the gospel of the grace of God. They were not in darkness concerning the way of salvation. Judas Iscariot had been enlightened but he rejected the light.

They tasted the heavenly gift. The Lord Jesus is the heavenly Gift. They had tasted of Him but had never received Him by a definite act of faith. It is possible to taste without eating or drinking. When men offered wine mixed with gall to Jesus on the cross, He tasted it but He would not drink it (Mat_27:34). It is not enough to taste Christ; unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, that is, unless we truly receive Him as Lord and Savior, we have no life in us (Joh_6:53).

They had become partakers of the Holy Spirit. Before we jump to the conclusion that this necessarily implies conversion, we should remember that the Holy Spirit carries on a preconversion ministry in men’s lives. He sanctifies unbelievers (1Co_7:14), putting them in a position of external privilege. He convicts unbelievers of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Joh_16:8). He leads men to repentance and points them to Christ as their only hope. Men may thus partake of the Holy Spirit’s benefits without being indwelt by Him.

6:5 They had tasted the good word of God. As they heard the gospel preached, they were strangely moved and drawn to it. They were like the seed that fell on rocky ground; they heard the word and immediately received it with joy, but they had no root in themselves. They endured for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arose on account of the word, they promptly fell away (Mat_13:20-21).

They had tasted the powers of the age to come. Powers here means “miracles.” The age to come is the Millennial Age, the coming era of peace and prosperity when Christ will reign over the earth for one thousand years. The miracles which accompanied the preaching of the gospel in the early days of the church (Heb_2:4) were a foretaste of signs and wonders which will be performed in Christ’s kingdom. These people had witnessed these miracles in the first century, in fact, they might have participated in them. Take, for instance, the miracles of the loaves and fishes. After Jesus had fed the five thousand, the people followed Him to the other side of the sea. The Savior realized that, though they had tasted a miracle, they did not really believe in Him. He said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (Joh_6:26).

6:6 If they fall away, after enjoying the privileges just enumerated, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. They have committed the sin of apostasy. They have reached the place where the lights go out on the way to hell.

The enormous guilt of apostates is indicated in the words since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (v. 6b). This signifies a deliberate, malicious spurning of Christ, not just a careless disregard of Him. It indicates a positive betrayal of Him, a joining of forces against Him, and a ridiculing of His Person and work.

EXCURSUS ON APOSTASY

Apostates are people who hear the gospel, make a profession of being Christians, become identified with a Christian church, and then abandon their profession of faith, decisively repudiate Christ, desert the Christian fellowship, and take their place with enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apostasy is a sin which can be committed only by unbelievers, not by those who are deceived but by those who knowingly, willfully, and maliciously turn against the Lord.

It should not be confused with the sin of the average unbeliever who hears the gospel but does nothing about it. For instance, a man may fail to respond to Christ after repeated invitations from the Holy Spirit. But he is not an apostate. He can still be saved if he will commit himself to the Savior. Of course, if he dies in unbelief, he is lost forever, but he is not hopeless as long as he is capable of exercising faith in the Lord.

Apostasy should not be confused with backsliding. A true believer may wander very far away from Christ. Through sin his fellowship with God is shattered. He may even reach the point where he is no longer recognized as a Christian. But he can be restored to full fellowship as soon as he confesses and forsakes his sin (1Jo_1:9).

Apostasy is not the same as the unpardonable sin mentioned in the Gospels. That was the sin of attributing the miracles of the Lord Jesus to the prince of the demons. His miracles were actually performed in the power of the Holy Spirit. To attribute them to the devil was tantamount to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It implied that the Holy Spirit was the devil. Jesus said that such a sin could never be forgiven, either in that age or in the age to come (Mar_3:22-30). Apostasy is similar to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in that it is an eternal sin, but there the resemblance ends.

I believe that apostasy is the same as the sin leading to death, mentioned in 1Jo_5:16 b. John was writing about people who had professed to be believers and had participated in the activities of local churches. They then had imbibed the false teaching of the Gnostics and had spitefully left the Christian fellowship. Their deliberate departure indicated that they had never been truly born again (1Jo_2:19). By openly denying that Jesus is the Christ (1Jo_2:22), they had committed the sin leading to death, and it was useless to pray for their recovery (1Jo_5:16 b).

Some earnest Christians are troubled when they read Hebrews 6 and similar passages. Satan uses these verses especially to unsettle believers who are having physical, mental, or emotional difficulties. They fear that they have fallen away from Christ and that there is no hope for restoration. They worry that they have drifted beyond redemption’s point. The fact that they are even concerned about it is conclusive evidence that they are notapostates! An apostate would not have any such fears; he would brazenly repudiate Christ.

If the sin of apostasy does not apply to believers, to whom then does it apply in our day? It applies, for instance, to a young man who makes a profession of faith in Christ and seems to go on brightly for a while, but then something happens in his life. Perhaps he experiences bitter persecution. Perhaps he falls into gross immorality. Or perhaps he goes off to college and is shaken by the anti-Christian arguments of atheistic teachers. With full knowledge of the truth, he deliberately turns away from it. He completely renounces Christ and viciously tramples on every sacred fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. The Bible says it is impossible to restore such a one to repentance, and experience corroborates the Bible. We have known many who have apostatized from Christ, but we have never known one who has returned to Him.

As we approach the end of this age, we can expect a rising tide of apostasy (2Th_2:3; 1Ti_4:1). Therefore the warning againstfalling away becomes more relevant with every day that passes.

None of your scripture links are working btw...? It won't accept abbreiviated names... Don't know about underlined...?

God Bless!

 

[1stcenturylady]

You can at least give me a website link or something.

My brain isn't a website. You are not interested anyway. In other words, you are not open to changing your view, so why bother.

Good night sweet brother.

 

[Eloy Craft]

Please help me to understand. If you think I would not be open to such truth, then do it to help the person who happens to come across this website reading this thread later.

Ok brother Jason. I'll go over scripture in one of your responses. To preface, the usage of the words 'speak, spoken, are not limited to giving voice to discursive thoughts. Most of the time people are doing that when they speak. Such as in an argument. The first thoughts that come to mind come out of the mouth. The extreme opposite would be when God spoke "Let there be light" These are two opposite extremes of speaking. In the middle of these two extremes is when someone starts spreading rumors saying this to one person, that to another, maybe manipulating events, having parties to build someone's reputation or to tear it down, that can be described as speaking 'a word'. A spoken word could describe all the efforts involved in changing perception. It may have taken months or years of recreating perception but can be described as " He speaks against..." A hardened atheist, with a chip on his shoulder, angry at God, could be described as " he speaketh against" as the meaning of that persons life. I'm sure you've heard this said, 'make your life a prayer'. So, in this way the words used for speaking can have a wide variety of meanings.
Please forgive me if I seem to repeat myself too much. I'm attempting to frame concepts relative to this Scripture in terms you can relate to, in hope I can do you and the Scripture justice.


2 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

First of all the focus of this passage isn't exclusively sin. The focus includes the forgiver and the forgiven. So defining all of that in terms of something we may do, will cause us to miss the meaning of Jesus' teaching. I know it's not easy sometimes, we tend to drift back and forth conceptualizing the act of a person and then person. Just remember it's not the sin but the dispositions of the sinner and the person sinned against that makes sin forgivable or not. A heart so hardened that it will never change is a heart unable to forgive, and if it committs a sin, is a heart that will never be sorry, never repent and seek forgiveness so is unforgivable. This is all biblical. Keep it in mind when you read the bible you'll see it.

2 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

Jesus used the word 'speaketh' in a different way when it is about Himself, than when it's about the Holy Spirit. He teaches that forgiveness for sin against Himself is different than forgiveness of sin against the Holy Spirit. 'Speaketh a word" emphasizes the finite and is an appropriate way to use the term 'speaking' in reference to sin and forgiveness in the temporal realm of finite things. Things with beginnings middles, and ends. 'a word" defines the nature of the sin and it's forgiveness as finite and singular.
He, like his audience were all in a state of 'becoming'. We were once a child 'becoming' an adult. We can say something today and tomorrow 'become' sorry that we did. Our infinite God was among the finite, living on earth. 'Speaketh a word' is appropriate to sin that we do while in a state of becoming. 'Speaketh a word." is fitting for those disposed to forgiveness

Jesus adapts His term according to their state of life. So His listeners will understand that he means 'speaking' in a finite way. Sin in a finite way. He say's "Speaketh a word" Since our disposition can change toward the Son of Man and we can become ashamed of how we were.

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

Jesus leaves out the finite qualifier 'a word' so it can take on another meaning relative to an infinite being. The Holy Spirit. The usage of 'speaketh' has an infinite quality because of the Person that is spoken to. There is nothing tangent between the finite and the infinite. Only if God reveals Himself fully to the finite. The finite must accept God's full Revelation of Himself while in a state of becoming or die and never receive it. Jesus mentions forgiveness in 'this world' relative to 'the world to come' because they distinguish sin that is forgivable and sin that is not.

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

The nature of speaking is relative to who is spoken to. When spoken about himself, it was 'a word' spoken from 'man' to 'Son of Man' living on earth, both in a state of becoming. The Holy Spirit is not in a state of becoming. The Holy Spirit exists in a changeless state expressed in Sacred Scriptures as, same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The Son of Man is in a state of becoming. The Holy Spirit is in a state of changelessness. Sin and forgiveness of sin differ in the same way in this teaching because the forgiving is relative to the state of the forgiver and the repentance and sorrow is relative to the state of the sinner.


Jesus references 'this world' and the 'world to come' to point the minds of His listeners to the changed nature of the sin and the forgiveness. Just as sin committed by, or against a finite being can be finite and forgiven a sin committed by, or against a changeless infinite being is infinite and changeless and can't be forgiven. The world to come is infinite and changeless. So, when we die in our sin we enter an infinite changeless state and our sin can't be forgiven. That's why Jesus warned us so many times to not die in our sin. I know you have a problem with the word 'eternal' but it's primary meaning is 'changeless. Changelessness which also happens to be infinite reality.

I pray that this helps Jason. If questions arise in your mind from this explanation please don't hesitate to ask them.

 

[Eloy Craft]

No. You are reading the Bible through the lens of Eternal Security and you are not reading the Bible for what it says plainly. Let's go over the words of Scripture again, shall we?

I don't believe I can have eternal security until I enter eternity. I am saved by Christ, I am working out my salvation in Christ. My salvation is not yet complete.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

96, “which is a lie”.

In Post #96 (within this thread), I was calling the belief a "lie." I did not say that you lied. There is a difference. Besides, in Post #115, you said a similar thing. For you said, I quote:

"You’ve just poured lies all over the truth."
~ Quote by: Benaiahian Monk.
​

So you are breaking your own standard that you are condemning me for.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

My brain isn't a website. You are not interested anyway. In other words, you are not open to changing your view, so why bother.

Good night sweet brother.

Don't do it for me, do it to help others who may come across this website. If you will not help, I will seek the internet even more to see if such things are biblical. So far, my investigation shows that it is not biblical. However, I will continue with my efforts. I will read every article I can get my hands on. If I have to read 500 Christian articles to find the truth online, I will do so. I will pray about it and keep seeking (until God tells me by His Spirit to stop). So no. You are wrong. I am open to finding the truth on this (although I do have my doubts). But I am interested in finding the truth, otherwise I would not be willing to seek for the truth elsewhere (if you do not reply). But if you do not reply and feel it is not right, I completely understand. I would not want to push you to do something against your conscience.

May God bless you.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

I don't believe I can have eternal security until I enter eternity. I am saved by Christ, I am working out my salvation in Christ. My salvation is not yet complete.

Eternal Security, Once Saved Always Saved, Free Grace, Perseverance of the Saints is a belief that says that once you accepted Jesus as your Savior (genuinely), you can never become unsaved. This belief says that once a person is a real believer, their past, present, and future sins are forgiven. This means that a believer can sin and still be saved (on some level). Granted, while many of these believers will say that a true believer will not act like a heathen living in tons of sin, they do say that they will always sin in this life as a matter of fact. To what degree they sin? I do not know. But admitting to sinning again and thinking God's got you (even if one says they strive not to sin and feeling bad about it) is the wrong attitude to have about sin. We are supposed to have the mindset that Jesus tells us in regards to sin. Jesus said to two people to: "Sin no more." (See John 5:14, and John 8:11).

Jesus said narrow is the way that leads unto life and FEW be there that find it. The Eternal Security belief sounds like the wide gate path that everyone is already on. It sounds like a license to sin on some level (So it is obviously wrong in many ways). For it is easy to treat sin as if it was no more dangerous than a fluffy kitten. Everyone in the world is doing that today. However, the Bible teaches that sin brings death (i.e. the second death, a.k.a. the Lake of Fire). The only solution is if a person repents (i.e. they ask God for forgiveness of their sins and they genuinely make a commitment to God to sin no more whereby they no longer will make excuses to sin again).

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Ok brother Jason. I'll go over scripture in one of your responses. To preface, the usage of the words 'speak, spoken, are not limited to giving voice to discursive thoughts. Most of the time people are doing that when they speak. Such as in an argument. The first thoughts that come to mind come out of the mouth. The extreme opposite would be when God spoke "Let there be light" These are two opposite extremes of speaking. In the middle of these two extremes is when someone starts spreading rumors saying this to one person, that to another, maybe manipulating events, having parties to build someone's reputation or to tear it down, that can be described as speaking 'a word'. A spoken word could describe all the efforts involved in changing perception. It may have taken months or years of recreating perception but can be described as " He speaks against..." A hardened atheist, with a chip on his shoulder, angry at God, could be described as " he speaketh against" as the meaning of that persons life. I'm sure you've heard this said, 'make your life a prayer'. So, in this way the words used for speaking can have a wide variety of meanings.
Please forgive me if I seem to repeat myself too much. I'm attempting to frame concepts relative to this Scripture in terms you can relate to, in hope I can do you and the Scripture justice.


2 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

First of all the focus of this passage isn't exclusively sin. The focus includes the forgiver and the forgiven. So defining all of that in terms of something we may do, will cause us to miss the meaning of Jesus' teaching. I know it's not easy sometimes, we tend to drift back and forth conceptualizing the act of a person and then person. Just remember it's not the sin but the dispositions of the sinner and the person sinned against that makes sin forgivable or not. A heart so hardened that it will never change is a heart unable to forgive, and if it committs a sin, is a heart that will never be sorry, never repent and seek forgiveness so is unforgivable. This is all biblical. Keep it in mind when you read the bible you'll see it.

2 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

Jesus used the word 'speaketh' in a different way when it is about Himself, than when it's about the Holy Spirit. He teaches that forgiveness for sin against Himself is different than forgiveness of sin against the Holy Spirit. 'Speaketh a word" emphasizes the finite and is an appropriate way to use the term 'speaking' in reference to sin and forgiveness in the temporal realm of finite things. Things with beginnings middles, and ends. 'a word" defines the nature of the sin and it's forgiveness as finite and singular.
He, like his audience were all in a state of 'becoming'. We were once a child 'becoming' an adult. We can say something today and tomorrow 'become' sorry that we did. Our infinite God was among the finite, living on earth. 'Speaketh a word' is appropriate to sin that we do while in a state of becoming. 'Speaketh a word." is fitting for those disposed to forgiveness

Jesus adapts His term according to their state of life. So His listeners will understand that he means 'speaking' in a finite way. Sin in a finite way. He say's "Speaketh a word" Since our disposition can change toward the Son of Man and we can become ashamed of how we were.

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

Jesus leaves out the finite qualifier 'a word' so it can take on another meaning relative to an infinite being. The Holy Spirit. The usage of 'speaketh' has an infinite quality because of the Person that is spoken to. There is nothing tangent between the finite and the infinite. Only if God reveals Himself fully to the finite. The finite must accept God's full Revelation of Himself while in a state of becoming or die and never receive it. Jesus mentions forgiveness in 'this world' relative to 'the world to come' because they distinguish sin that is forgivable and sin that is not.

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

The nature of speaking is relative to who is spoken to. When spoken about himself, it was 'a word' spoken from 'man' to 'Son of Man' living on earth, both in a state of becoming. The Holy Spirit is not in a state of becoming. The Holy Spirit exists in a changeless state expressed in Sacred Scriptures as, same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The Son of Man is in a state of becoming. The Holy Spirit is in a state of changelessness. Sin and forgiveness of sin differ in the same way in this teaching because the forgiving is relative to the state of the forgiver and the repentance and sorrow is relative to the state of the sinner.


Jesus references 'this world' and the 'world to come' to point the minds of His listeners to the changed nature of the sin and the forgiveness. Just as sin committed by, or against a finite being can be finite and forgiven a sin committed by, or against a changeless infinite being is infinite and changeless and can't be forgiven. The world to come is infinite and changeless. So, when we die in our sin we enter an infinite changeless state and our sin can't be forgiven. That's why Jesus warned us so many times to not die in our sin. I know you have a problem with the word 'eternal' but it's primary meaning is 'changeless. Changelessness which also happens to be infinite reality.

I pray that this helps Jason. If questions arise in your mind from this explanation please don't hesitate to ask them.

I am a pretty simple guy. I read what is on the page and believe it. The explanation you given sounds like an overcomplicated mess that does not really fit the facts of Scripture. Remember, Jesus spoke to simple men like fishermen, etc. If simple words like the word "word" is an entirely different than the way a normal person would read it, then I highly doubt that nobody would get what Jesus was saying. For how many other group of believers have this same odd interpretation you do? Probably not many. In fact, the type of sin Jesus was mentioning in Matthew 12:31-32 is not something he would want to confuse any person on. It is too important of a truth to leave any room for confusion on.