Impossible for Christ to Be Sacrificed Again Bible

Let's suppose you lot died and stood before the Lord God and He said to you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?"  What would y'all say? What do y'all recall y'all would say?

That question posed by Donald Barnhouse years ago probes to the depths of our human relationship with God. Upon whom or what are you depending for conservancy or eternal life?

The heart of Hebrews chapter 6 forces us to ask the question, do y'all have eternal life? Are you saved? You are either lost or saved. You either accept eternal life or y'all practise not. In whom or what are you trusting for eternal salvation?

The salvation Jesus procured for u.s.a. is "eternal." We have "eternal redemption," "eternal inheritance," and "eternal covenant." What a great Savior!

The author of Hebrews will now stress the perseverance of the believer. We know a person is a true believer because he volition persevere. The true believer will proceed trusting Christ. He will go on to spiritual maturity in a growing human relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews vi:1-six contains some of the severest language in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews has a way of causing his readers to stop, look, and heed. He wants them to take a serious wait and evaluate their personal human relationship with Jesus Christ. He warns against faux security and all forms of religious deception, peculiarly religious experiences that do non produce spiritual maturity and Christlikeness.

"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, allow united states press on to maturity, not laying once more a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of didactics about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. For in the instance of those who have once been enlightened and take tasted of the heavenly souvenir and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and accept tasted the good give-and-take of God and the powers of the age to come, and then take fallen abroad, information technology is incommunicable to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which ofttimes falls on information technology and brings along vegetation useful to those for whose sake information technology is as well tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, information technology is worthless and shut to existence cursed, and it ends up beingness burned" (Hebrews 6:1-8, NASB95). All Scriptures are from New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update unless otherwise noted).

Warning against consequences of betrayment (Heb. 6:iv-8)

The context demonstrates that someone in the congregation had great religious experiences, then the aforementioned person falls away and re-crucifies Christ past putting Him to open shame, and that results in the impossibility to renew that person to repentance. When is repentance incommunicable? That is a nigh serious state of affairs.

This passage is not denying great blessings and highly religious experiences. And in spite of all these spiritual blessings and experiences this person falls away. He turns away from Christ, the Spirit and the powers of the age to come.

Information technology is helpful to retrieve this is one of the most disputed passages in the New Testament. There is no perfect interpretation of this passage considering we exercise not take all of the background on the commencement readers of this letter of the alphabet. Every interpreter is influenced by his theological background. I accept tried to approach this passage in its context without bias and in harmony with the teaching of the whole Bible. In that location are basically four different interpretations by Bible believing scholars.

Four interpretations

1.         Some scholars interpret this passage equally saved persons who afterward lose their salvation. They view this passage every bit people who are built-in again, but lose their salvation by deliberate apostasy. This view fails to adequately consider the context of the book of Hebrews, and residual the Bible's educational activity on election and eternal security (John x:26-xxx; Rom. 8:28-thirty; Phil. 1:3-v). The author offers no hope to the backslider. It definitely does non teach that conservancy can be lost and regained many times. You lot are either saved or lost. You are a kid of God, or y'all are non.

2.         Another group interprets this passage as saved persons who backslide. They describe them as saved, just autumn into sin and lose their rewards in sky. They suffer the "sin unto death" (1 John 5:16), and stand at the judgment seat of Christ without rewards. The problem is these people cannot be reclaimed according to this passage in Hebrews. They cannot start over. In that location is no such thing as being saved a second time. You are either saved, or lost.

iii.         Another popular view is a hypothetical example is being presented by the author to illustrate the recklessness of betrayment. These individuals are truly regenerated are under force per unit area to return to Judaism, but why would they ever want to requite up their perfect standing with God in Christ? To plough from Christ would but provide the testify that they had never been born again. B. F. Westcott observed, "In that location is nothing to show that the weather condition of fatal apostasy had been fulfilled, still less that they had been fulfilled in the case of whatever of these addressed." W. H Griffith-Thomas said, "The passage is apparently a supposed case to correct their incorrect ideas, and the argument seems to be that if it were possible for those who take had the experiences of verses four-six to fall away, it would be impossible to renew them unless Christ died a second time."

4.         Other scholars run into this passage as professing Christians who have never been saved. They are lost and unregenerate even though they take had great emotional religious experiences. They have been inoculated with a grade of Christianity, but it is not the existent thing. They accept heard the bulletin of Adept News, they have observed miracles, seen the piece of work of the Holy Spirit in the congregation, have had emotional experiences, but like the seed of the sower planted on rocky ground have never been regenerated. The apostasy referred to is the terminal rejection of Christ. They have rejected the substitutionary penal sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sins. They were sympathizers to the Gospel, but never believed in their hearts and therefore never saved.

Tin can a person be a "partaker of the Holy Spirit" and not be justified? Was this person who falls away similar this ever truly saved or justified or built-in again? Critical to this whole context in Hebrews six is tin you be a partaker of the Holy Spirit and the discussion of God and the powers of the age to come and non be justified? Can you lose your eternal position before God every bit a truly justified person and so be lost? Or is this passage teaching that you lot can accept these great religious emotional experiences as described in verses 4-five and never be justified or saved or built-in again?

The Bible teaches unequivocally the Divine preservation and the human perseverance of the saints (Heb. six:thirteen-20; John 5:24; 10:26-30; Rom. 8:28-39; Phil. 1:3-v). How exercise we reconcile these clear teachings with this passage? How practise we hold fast to the unerring integrity of the Scripture?

In Hebrews 6:1-3 the author has been encouraging his readers to go on to maturity. Conspicuously he is addressing believers in the opening verses of this affiliate. Now we see him changing his focus to requite a stern warning to those who take to turn away from Christ.

"For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who take tasted the heavenly souvenir, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and take tasted the goodness of the give-and-take of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once once more the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt" (Hebrews 6:4-6, ESV).

The New American Standard Bible reads: "For in the case of those who accept once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly souvenir and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and take tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come up, and so accept fallen abroad, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" (Hebrews half-dozen:4-vi).

To whom is the writer addressing when he says, "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who were one time enlightened"? The writer does not say, "us who were once enlightened," nor "you," but "those who have in one case been enlightened." He draws a sharp dissimilarity betwixt "Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you," and this passage. Information technology is truthful they enjoyed great privileges nether Judaism, but they were not true Christians. They are not spoken of as God's elect, for whom Christ died, or as those born of the Spirit of God. The passage does non speak of their being justified, forgiven, apple-pie and accustomed in the Beloved. Neither is anything said of their faith in Christ, nor obedience to Him. There is no indication that they were children of God.

A critical word in the interpretation of this passage is adunatos translated "impossible" in all of our authentic English translations. Information technology is also used in Hebrews half dozen:xviii where the author tells us it is incommunicable for God to lie, In Hebrews 10:iv it is incommunicable for the claret of bulls and goats to take away sins, and in Hebrews eleven:six nosotros are told that without faith it is impossible to please God. Here it reads, "For it is incommunicable . . . to renew them again to repentance." The word "renew" must also be taken with its full meaning. Repentance is the piece of work of the Holy Spirit on the heart of the individual. The Holy Spirit brings about this change in the listen that affects the whole person.

They had "once been aware"

"Aware" (photizo) "to requite calorie-free, to shine;" metaphorically means spiritual enlightenment. They had received spiritual light or knowledge by teaching. They had been instructed in the teachings of the gospel to some extent. Does it fall short of the spiritual enlightenment which transforms and regenerates?  "Simply we all, with unveiled confront, beholding every bit in a mirror the celebrity of the Lord, are being transformed into the same prototype from glory to celebrity, merely equally from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). There is a big difference between existence enlighten and regenerated. Where is the submission to the enlightenment they had received?

"Tasted of the heavenly souvenir"

They accept to a certain degree understood the truths, but not gone on to appropriate them. Jesus said, "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living staff of life that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this staff of life, he will live forever; and the breadstuff besides which I will requite for the life of the world is My flesh." Then the Jews began to contend with one another, saying, "How tin this man requite usa His mankind to consume?" And so Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you lot eat the flesh of the Son of Man and beverage His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My claret has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true potable. He who eats My flesh and drinks My claret abides in Me, and I in him" (John half dozen:50-56). His Jewish listeners took offense at Him. They refused to advisable Christ.

The "heavenly souvenir" refers either to Christ or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is ministering on the earth and in our hearts to glorify Christ and exalt Him. The Divine souvenir comes from heaven and leads us to heaven. Therefore, I am inclined to think of this gift equally Christ. He is the Begetter's gift from heaven and His goal is to take united states to sky to exist with Him. The individuals in view had an acquaintance with Christ, simply had never made a commitment once and for all to Him. Jesus said, "The 1 on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the discussion and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when disease or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away" (Matthew 13:20-21).

 "Have been fabricated partakers of the Holy Spirit"

The word for "partakers" or "have shared" hither is metochos and means "to take a share in" or simply "companions."  John Chocolate-brown wrote: "It is highly probable that the inspired author refers primarily to the miraculous gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit by which the primitive dispensation of Christianity was administered. These gifts were past no ways bars to those who were 'transformed by the renewing of their minds.' . . . . At any charge per unit they plain show that their possession and an unregenerate state were by no ways incompatible."  Several scholars note the give-and-take "partakers" does not mean to possess the Holy Spirit in the sense of His indwelling the believer. The idea of the permanent abiding presence of the Spirit is non included in the discussion for partake.

Simon Magus in Acts 8:8-18 is a proficient example of someone who "partakers" merely in the post-obit decades became detrimental to Biblical Christianity. He was not a true believer; he only used Christianity for his own personal gain.

"Have tasted the good word of God"

They understood the promises regarding the coming of the Messiah. God has been true-blue to His hope and they have enjoyed, so far as an unconverted person tin can savor the blessings and advantages that come from these promises being fulfilled. A. Westward. Pink observed, these readers "could not say with Jeremiah, 'Your words were found and I did eat them' (Jeremiah fifteen:sixteen)." Of Herod information technology is written that he heard John the Baptist and "enjoyed listening to him" (Marker 6:20), simply he did non repent and even had John murdered.

"Powers of the age to come"

The new dispensation ushered in by the Messiah according to the Quondam Testament prophesies has now arrived. They saw the miraculous power of the mighty God at piece of work in the person of Jesus Christ. The "historic period to come up" was already upon them because Christ has come. "The fourth dimension is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at manus" (Mark 1:15). Non only has God spoken "in these concluding days" to us in His Son, but He has acted (Heb. 1:2). The principles of this new age are active at the present time through the operation of the Holy Spirit. The Christian enjoys a genuine foretaste of the powers of the age to come, and will to a more than glorious magnitude at the consummation when Christ returns a second time. However, these unbelievers had witnessed personally the miracles of Christ, and the wonders of Pentecost. They were at present without excuse. They saw all the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God and refused to fully commit themselves to Him.

"And so fallen away"

This is a very strong emphatic statement made by the author of Hebrews. The give-and-take used here is dissimilar from apostasia which was used earlier. It is parapipto and it ways literally "to autumn alongside." It is a deliberate, complete and last repudiation of Christ. There is no forgiveness for this sin. It is a last rejection of Christ. So it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. Their condition is across recovery. Since they accept rejected the apologetic sacrifice of Christ in that location is no other gospel to be preached. They accept rejected the one cede that can save from sin. It is a full abandonment of Christianity. Therefore, it is "impossible to renew them once again unto repentance" those who have totally abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ. The "impossibility" is used absolutely here, without any qualification. Information technology is incommunicable to water information technology down. F. F. Bruce notes, "to say that they cannot exist brought to repentance so long equally they persist in their renunciation of Christ would be a truism hardly worth putting into words." There is no possibility of their restoration "since they again crucify to themselves the son of God and put Him to open shame" (v. 7).

This is how serious this apostasy is. The effect of falling abroad is to re-crucify Christ and put Him to open shame. When Christ went to the cantankerous and died as our substitute He died to make u.s.a. right with God. When nosotros plow our backs on Him and return to the globe we are maxim the world is more worthy than the love of Christ. We are maxim in effect that we agree with those who crucified Christ.

The author is not describing backsliding Christians or believers who accept fallen into sin. Even Peter who denied Christ 3 times was "renewed unto repentance." The sin described in this passage is not the sin of a laic, just the open total renunciation of the person and piece of work of Jesus Christ. Peter experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart because he was a true believer. The unbeliever does not experience this kind of alter in the heart.

The Bible is emphatic that the grace and forgiveness of sins and cleansing in the blood of Christ is freely available to every believer who sins and comes to Him confessing them (Heb. 4:fourteen-16; x:xix-22; ane John 1:seven-10; 2:one-2).

John Brown said: it is "in open, total, determined renunciation of all the constituent principles of Christianity, and a return to a false religion, such equally that of unbelieving Jews or heathens, or to open up infidelity and open godlessness."

The context of this passage of Scripture shows the willful sin described here is deliberate apostasy. These individuals are in danger of renouncing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, and are set to openly expose Him to public scandal of the cantankerous. They are willing to stand up in judgment of Christ and with the crowd shaking their fists and shouting, "Crucify Him! Excruciate Him!" If they had their chance, they would excruciate Him again. They have reached a decisive moment of delivery to apostasy. It is a betoken of no render. They accept reached the betoken where they keep on crucifying the Son of God and belongings Him in antipathy. There is no possible return.

John Calvin said, "The apostle is not hither talking well-nigh theft or perjury or murder or drunkenness or adultery. He is referring to a consummate falling away from the gospel, in which the sinner has offended God non in some i respect simply but has utterly renounced His grace."

To so reject Jesus Christ is to be eternally damned. They go far at a spiritual state where they can no longer repent "since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." There is no 1 else to plow to for conservancy.

"It is incommunicable to renew them once more to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open up shame." This is a existent warning against a real danger. It is true anytime there is a hardened middle of unbelief.

It is possible for those who are described in the language of verses 4 and 5 to "fall away and not be renewed." The critical question is were they ever born over again? Were they ever saved?

They are not true Christians because they have never been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. They are similar land that has received its rain, but bears no skilful fruit. Information technology is a land full of thorns and weeds. They have participated in worship services, the fellowship in the Christian community, only they are like seed sown on rocky basis. At that place was no spiritual root and they fell abroad. They audio similar Christians, but something is severely missing. They are not saved, and if they are saved the writer is presenting a hypothetical case for them to not return to the temple worship and therefore excruciate Christ once more.

Some scholars advise if these Hebrews renounced their professed faith in Christ they would be going back to the onetime covenant and would be irrevocably lost. Since there is no temple in Jerusalem today this sin cannot be committed today. There are no sacrifices or a arrangement in which to render so the sin involves abandoning the type for the fulfilled reality in Christ.

I return to my opening questions. If you died today and stood before the Lord God and He asked you, "Why should I let you into My sky? What would you say? How would you respond to Him? This whole passage of Scripture we are studying zeros in on this reality. What is your personal human relationship with Jesus Christ? When the Holy Spirit applies the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ to depraved sinner the piece of work of salvation cannot neglect. Those who are genuinely saved do non fall away; they grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Salvation is God's work; it is not man'due south piece of work. God's work cannot neglect to achieve its intended purpose. God never fails to complete His project. Your salvation is His project and He will bring it to its completion at the mean solar day of Christ (Phil. 1:3-half dozen).

Perseverance in faith in Christ proves that yous have go a partaker in Christ. If y'all practice not persevere in faith in Christ it proves yous never became a partaker in Christ. You lot may be very religious, only are yet lost. You may have had great religious experiences, but have never been justified.

Ultimately only the Lord knows who is saved.

In that location are individuals who distort this passage to teach that there is no repentance later baptism and no forgiveness for Christian sinners. This simulated pedagogy completely distorts the rest of the Scriptures such as 1 John 1:7-x. There is grace and forgiveness for every Christian who sins.  Stop and read carefully the following verses.

"If we walk in the Calorie-free as He Himself is in the Light, we take fellowship with one another, and the claret of Jesus His Son cleanses the states from all sin. If we say that we take no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His discussion is not in us" (1 John 1:7-ten).

All who profess to receive the Gospel are not born again.

Judas Iscariot is an splendid example of a person who was in the presence of Christ, observed and experienced the great advantages of the Gospel, merely never was regenerated. He had all the prove, only obviously was never saved.

In our day nosotros would say they had their names on the church rolls, but were never saved. They partook of the Lord's Supper, were baptized, enjoyed fellowship dinners at church building, enjoyed the social benefits and trappings of religion, just were never regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said: "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed brutal on the rocky ground where it did not take much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered abroad. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no ingather. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and every bit they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. And He was saying, He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark iv:3-ix).

What kind of soil is represented in the heart of the true believer? What kind of soil is being described in our passage in Hebrews? Merely time reveals into what kind of soil the seed was planted. If it is good soil information technology will take an arable harvest of good fruit. It will bear Christ's likeness.

Some of the readers of the letter to the Hebrews never did vest to Christ; they were never spiritually regenerated. However, those who were true believers went on to spiritual maturity.

The Scriptures teach the perseverance of the saints.

Note carefully, it is the perseverance of the saints, not unregenerate professors. Jesus said, All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the 1 who comes to Me I will certainly non cast out" (John vi:37). The apostle Paul wrote, "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19). Our salvation is guaranteed through all eternity by the mystery of the divine election.

We are kept by the power of God through faith in Christ Jesus. It is the piece of work of the Holy Spirit energizing the true Christian. Constant in Christ maintains us in the presence of God. Jesus said, "I in you lot, and yous in Me." Christ did not die in vain; He rose from the dead to prove information technology.

They have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, partaken of the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God and seen the mighty works of the coming historic period. Where is the evidence that they have been regenerated? Information technology is the continuance in Christ'due south word which proves that nosotros are His disciples. It is standing in the faith which demonstrates the reality of our profession.

Faith dies when it is separated from its object.

The sole object of our faith is Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our salvation.

What is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ? "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31).

If you demand assist in condign a Christian here is A Free Souvenir for Y'all.

Title: Hebrews 6:4-vi Warnings against Crucifying Christ Again

Series:  Hebrews

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