I’ve been asked my opinion on a passage in the book of Hebrews: Chapter 5:11 through Chapter 6:14. Here’s a verse by verse sketch of some quick thoughts on this excellent passage.

“11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.”

As always, the antecedent of the pronoun this is important. Here, it seems to indicate the teaching of Christ’s priesthood in the order of Melchizedek.

¹²In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

Unfortunately, some things never change. The elementary truths of God’s word are constantly being obscured, ignored, and railed against, willfully, and through neglect. We tend to view our age as one of great apostasy, which it is, however, the gospel is never in vogue, and requires the faithful work of the Holy Spirit in every generation to uphold it from man’s sinfulness and the wiles of the devil. Here, the author of Hebrews–dare I say Paul–is addressing Hebrew believers and chastising them for their lack of attention to the word of God. How strikingly relevant this is to our own day when we have filled our churches with most everything (politics, sensationalism and experientialism over doctrine and obedience, the health and wealth gospel, and a hundred other things) over the word of God. NOTE: the phrase by this time seems to indicate that the audience is not composed of recent converts.

¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

There are two legs supporting the Christian walk: doctrine and obedience. Both are clearly delineated above, and both are required for Christian maturity. Any either/or proposition with respect to doctrine and obedience is a false dichotomy. The mature Christian has learned the word of God and applied it to her life.

¹Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, ²instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

A clear exhortation to master the elementary teaching of the faith and to progress in faith in Christian maturity. Wouldn’t you think it odd to see a fifteen-year old still in the first grade?

³And God permitting, we will do so.

Let us not forget that God is sovereign over all, an all which includes salvation.

⁴It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, ⁶if 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.

And so we arrive at the contentious portion of the passage. Most commentaries on this passage are entailed in the following three views:

1. Christians who have actually lost their salvation. 2. Professing Christians whose actions demonstrate they possess a said faith rather than a genuine faith. 3. A hypothetical employed by the author to warn immature Christians that they must move on to maturity or experience divine discipline and judgment.

View number one is refuted by the overwhelming testimony of Scripture. If anyone desires separate treatments of God’s promise, and corresponding ability, to deliver his people to salvation, the perseverance of the saints, and the efficacy of the atonement, let me know. That leaves views two and three. The following two verses appear compatible with both views:

⁷Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. ⁸But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Nevertheless, note the good trees produce good fruit and bad tree produce bad fruit imagery employed elsewhere in the NT. Now, how do we distinguish between the two remaining views? The next verse is the key to the passage:

⁹Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation.

Note the unmistakable hypothetical language: Even though we speak like this. In other words, hypothetically, Christians, who the author of Hebrews is addressing, who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, ⁶if they fall away could be lost. Hypothetically.

Why hypothetically? Read the verse again: It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, ⁶if 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.

It is impossible for this to occur. It’s a hypothetical construct offered by P…the author of Hebrews to encourage and edify the immature Hebrew Christians he’s writing to. It truly is impossible for those who have tasted the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit to fall away. God’s given us that promise indubitably in His word. Thus, this passage is a hypothetical, expressed clearly by the phrase even though we speak like this. Praise be to God, Almighty.

After all, it is God who does the saving, not us, thank God. It is our part to participate in our growth in maturity, but even then, all good things come from our Father above. Why else would the author be confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation? View two would make this confidence the hypothetical, a hope on the author’s part and not a confidence. Conversely, view three roots the author’s confidence in the God who saves definitely and assuredly. Hence, we conclude that this passage is in actuality a strong passage supporting the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. It is indeed impossible that the saved will fall away, based on God’s promises, His continued work in their lives, and the efficacy of the atonement.

¹⁰God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Precisely, and He will not only not forget, He will actively work in the sanctification of his people, a deposit and seal ensuring their salvation. Isn’t that exactly what He’s up to in this passage? Of course, it is.

¹¹We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. ¹²We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

This same diligence to the very end…more evidence that these are saved Christians the author is addressing, not professing Christians only.

¹³When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, ¹⁴saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” ¹⁵And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Can God break a promise? Heaven forbid! Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. His very great and precious promises endure from generation to generation…