Hebrew 6:4-6?

[dcyates]

The initial response to the original post introducing this thread came closest, I think, to the actual intent of this passage. Too often these verses are read as though the author's purpose was to deal with the abstract issues of Calvinists and Arminians some 1500 years after it was first composed. The dispute between these two groups has fueled many fires but what is not taken into account nearly enough is the socio-historical context of the text, which is not the 'eternal security of the believer' but rather specifically with his readers' concern that unless the Levitical sacrifices demanded by the Five Books of Moses are duly offered their sins remain unforgiven. Whether they had in fact reintroduced sacrifices on their own cannot be determined from the evidence of this epistle. But it is obvious that they were fixated on the sacrificial system; and so it becomes the author's task to show them that Jesus' own atoning sacrifice of himself and his elevation to the office of high priest has brought about "a transformation of Torah" (7.12) which has fundamentally altered the sacrificial system and priesthood. When people have experienced salvation in such a profound manner as is described in vv. 4-5 "and then have fallen away" from faith by trusting not in Jesus' own sacrificial death and high-priestly office but in animal sacrifices and the system of the priests which the Torah set up to administer them--then "it is impossible to renew them so that they turn from their sin, as long as for themselves they keep (on) executing the Son of God on the cross all over again." The reason is that they thereby ignore what Jesus' death on the cross means, as indicated by their trusting in animal sacrifices instead of his sacrifice. Thus they "keep holding him up to public contempt" by not glorifying his death as the atoning sacrifice but as having no special significance, so that it is instead Jesus' execution as a criminal that becomes the dominant fact about it.

 

[tall73]

I agree with the earlier point that the issue is not whether God would accept them, but whether they could repent. It seems that the problem is not just that they are tempted to turn to Judaism (partly because of persecution, also mentioned in the book),though that clearly is the case, but in fact, have not been growing in the faith, and it is implied are not learning how to live holy lives.

In other words, they are resisting God's work in them for years, not growing, and now rather than growing they have been in a state of spiritual delcine for some time. Though now they "ought to be teachers" they need someone to teach the elementary truths all over again. They are "unfruitful" patches of land, in danger of being cursed. Their is a fair amount of evidence concerning this. They have stopped meeting together. They have lost sight of Christ as their great need and turned to legalism. They are slowly turning against all that they know. In other words, there are a whole series of problems here that are indicitive of weak faith that is slowly hardening them to God. Perhaps because to respond to God would invite persecution, and hardship. Therefore the author again and again calls them to endurance, groth in holiness, willingness to experience hardship as discipline etc., faith as expressed through suffering (chapters 11 and 12 especially hit this hard). The picture is that they are in danger of falling away completely because the cost is too high, so they tune God out. But by doing so they become deaf to His voice. So he is apparently saying, If you continue to tune me out, and turn away from what you know to be true out of convenience, how can you come back later? They would be essentially sacrificing Christ for their own self-preservation. And of course, would be submitting Him to public disgrace...all the more reason NOT to come back afterwards.

Basically he is showing them the ultimate result if they continue their downward trend away from their faith in Christ. So his application here of someone who has tasted the heavenly gift, etc. is to show the heights they have come from, and the depths to which they are going. And in their case, he does seem quite certain that it woudl be lasting, because they have over and over again spurned the most real experiences of God through Christ in order to save themselves the physical hardships. To the point that they can barely hear God anymore. Therefore the most shocking words are necessary to get their attention. Much in the same way Christ used shocking words with the pharisees.