brightlights said:
Hebrews 6:4-6
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
I have seen this argued primarily as not necessarily speaking of believers, and also as speaking of believers but in a hypothetical sense for the point of illustration and instruction. I believe both have merit.
Consider Matthew Henry:
He shows that this spiritual growth is the surest way to prevent that dreadful sin of apostasy from the faith. And here,
1. He shows how far persons may go in religion, and, after all, fall away, and perish for ever, v. 4, 5. (1.) They may be enlightened. Some of the ancients understand this of their being baptized; but it is rather to be understood of notional knowledge and common illumination, of which persons may have a great deal, and yet come short of heaven. Balaam was the man whose eyes were opened (Num. 24:3), and yet with his eyes opened he went down to utter darkness. (2.) They may taste of the heavenly gift, feel something of the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in his operations upon their souls, causing them to taste something of religion, and yet be like persons in the market, who taste of what they will not come up to the price of, and so but take a taste, and leave it. Persons may taste religion, and seem to like it, if they could have it upon easier terms than denying themselves, and taking up their cross, and following Christ. (3.) They may be made partakers of the Holy Ghost, that is, of his extraordinary and miraculous gifts; they may have cast out devils in the name of Christ, and done many other mighty works. Such gifts in the apostolic age were sometimes bestowed upon those who had no true saving grace. (4.) They may taste of the good word of God; they may have some relish of gospel doctrines, may hear the word with pleasure, may remember much of it, and talk well of it, and yet never be cast into the form and mould of it, nor have it dwelling richly in them. (5.) They may have tasted of the powers of the world to come; they may have been under strong impressions concerning heaven, and dread of going to hell. These lengths hypocrites may go, and, after all, turn apostates. Now hence observe, [1.] These great things are spoken here of those who may fall away; yet it is not here said of them that they were truly converted, or that they were justified; there is more in true saving grace than in all that is here said of apostates. [2.] This therefore is no proof of the final apostasy of true saints. These indeed may fall frequently and foully, but yet they will not totally nor finally from God; the purpose and the power of God, the purchase and the prayer of Christ, the promise of the gospel, the everlasting covenant that God has made with them, ordered in all things and sure, the indwelling of the Spirit, and the immortal seed of the word, these are their security. But the tree that has not these roots will not stand.
2. The apostle describes the dreadful case of such as fall away after having gone so far in the profession of the religion. (1.) The greatness of the sin of apostasy. It is crucifying the Son of God afresh, and putting him to open shame. They declare that they approve of what the Jews did in crucifying Christ, and that they would be glad to do the same thing again if it were in their power. They pour the greatest contempt upon the Son of God, and therefore upon God himself, who expects all should reverence his Son, and honour him as they honour the Father. They do what in them lies to represent Christ and Christianity as a shameful thing, and would have him to be a public shame and reproach. This is the nature of apostasy.
Henry, M. (1996, c1991).
Matthew Henry's commentary : On the whole Bible
Some object to the notion that one can possess or partake of any of the powers of the Holy Spirit and yet be unsaved, but our Lord Himself gives us a clear example of this in Matt 7:21-23. They prophesied, cast out demons, and did many wonders in His name, yet He
never knew them.
The parallel to the crucifixion of Christ is astounding. Those who had been singing His praises, believing He was their understanding of who the Messiah was, were there in the crowd shouting "Crucify Him!" How similar is it with those who are in the church singing praises, giving offerings, and preaching the Word...all apart from true faith...who later reject such things?
2 Peter 2:20-22
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit, and, A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.
I believe this passage is speaking of the false teachers referred to throughout chapter two of the epistle:
18 For when they[false teachers] speak great swelling words of emptiness, they[false teachers] allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones[true believers] who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19While they[false teachers] promise them[true believers] liberty, they[false teachers] themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20For if, after they[false teachers] have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they[false teachers] are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them[false teachers] than the beginning. 21For it would have been better for them[false teachers] not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them[false teachers]. 22But it has happened to them[false teachers] according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
I label the second group "true believers" based simply upon the understanding that verses 20-22 continue to refer to the false teachers. I have seen it argued many times over that the phrase "
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" necessarily implies salvation, primarily because a similar phrase is used in the previous chapter in clear reference to believers. However, a few things should be noted:
1. In chapter one, the phrase includes the possessive "our Lord" while referring directly to believers "you" (verse 2). In chapter two, the possessive "our Lord" is also used (though some simply translate it "
the Lord") but the false teachers are referred to as "they" (verse 20).
2. It is reasonable to understand "escaping pollutions" as being something other than a euphemism for salvation. Consider again Henry:
Here we see, First, It is an advantage to escape the pollutions of the world, to be kept from gross and scandalous sins, though men are not thoroughly converted and savingly changed; for hereby we are kept from grieving those who are truly serious and emboldening those who are openly profane; whereas, if we run with others to the same excess of riot and abandon ourselves to the sins of the age, we afflict and dishearten those who endeavour to walk as becomes the gospel, and strengthen the hands of those who are already engaged in open rebellion against the Most High, as well as alienate ourselves more from God, and harden our hearts against him. Secondly, Some men are, for a time, kept from the pollutions of the world, by the knowledge of Christ, who are not savingly renewed in the spirit of their mind. A religious education has restrained many whom the grace of God has not renewed: if we receive the light of the truth, and have a notional knowledge of Christ in our heads, it may be of some present service to us; but we must receive the love of the truth, and hide Gods word in our heart, or it will not sanctify and save us.
3. While knowledge of the Lord is a
necessarily condition of salvation, it is not a
sufficient condition of salvation. Assuming that the mention of it in the case of both the believers in chapter one and the false teachers in chapter two means both groups are/were saved is the logical fallacy of the undistributed middle term:
Premise 1: All believers escape corruption/pollution
Premise 2: These false teachers escaped corruption/pollution
Conclusion: These false teachers were believers.
Even if we assume that those referred to in vv20-22 are the ones who have "actually [or "barely"] escaped" and are being enticed in v18, it still does not carry the weight of necessity, particularly given what v22 says about dogs and pigs returning (they don't cease to be dogs and pigs or suddenly become dogs/pigs by returning) and the clear example in 1 John 2:19 of those who fall away showing that they were never saved to begin with.
To those who often argue that salvation can be, and is actually, lost I simply ask:
I
f we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and given an earnest guarantee of our salvation...if we are told that He is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of His glory...if we are told that He is at work within us both to will and to do...if we are told that He is able to preserve us...if we are told that those He justified will be glorified...if we are told He will confirm us to the end...if we are told we are sealed for/unto the day of redemption...if we are told we are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation...if we are told that whatever is born of God overcomes the world...if we are told it is God who give the increase......how are we ignoring the "very large witness of Scripture" by believing that salvation is assured and secured for those who believe in Him?
