Grace Institute: General Epistles & Revelation: Hebrews: 5:11-6:20

Hebrews Survey of the New Testament: General Epistles & Revelation Winter 2007

Parenthetical Exhortation: Press On To Maturity ( 5:11-6:20 )

In 5:10 he begins a discussion about Jesus being a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. But before he gets too far in this discussion, the author expresses some frustration with his audience's inability to understand the deep theology he is about to discuss because they haven't yet matured in the faith. He pauses then, in long parenthetical lasting from 5:11 all the way through chapter 6 where expresses his frustration and the calls them to press on to maturity. In chapter 7 the author will pick up again on his point that Jesus is a high priest greater than Aaron by expanding on Jesus as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

The Author's Frustration: You ought to be Past This! (5:11-14)

The author explains that there is much he wants to say about Jesus and his role as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, but he can't because his readers will not understand (5:11). This is a source of frustration to the author, because by now he would have expected his audience to be beyond the elementary teachings of the faith and should be instead teaching others. But now the author finds himself having to do remedial theological training so he can advance his argument (5:12). He then uses a metaphor of milk and solid food to describe this situation clearly (5:13-14).

The Author's Exhortation: Press On to Maturity (6:1-8)

The Exhortation (6:1-3)

In response to his frustration, the author calls on his audience to leave behind the elementary teaching and to press on to maturity (6:1). In other words, it is time to give up the baby's milk and instead start eating some solid meat.

The author then lists some of the teachings which he considers to be those elementary items past which they should move (6:2):

• Repentance from dead works.
• Faith towards God.
• Instructions about washings.
• Laying on of hands.
• The resurrection of the dead.
• Eternal judgment.

Indeed, the author does not intend to go over these things again, but will move on to the more advanced lessons (6:3).

Falling Away (6:4-6)

But for those who have not moved on to the more advanced principles (6:4-5), but instead have fallen away (6:6a), these cannot be renewed to repentance, because in doing so they would crucify Christ again (6:6b).

There is much controversy about these three verses, and how they are interpreted usually depends upon your preconceived ideas on the doctrine of eternal security, or whether or not someone can lose their salvation. There are four main interpretations given of this passage.

1. The author is describing people who became Christians and then fell away from the faith and have therefore lost their salvation. This is not necessarily due to sin as much as the failure to continue in their beliefs.
2. The author is describing people who never became Christians in the first place, having only experienced a “taste” of Christian things. Having not actually become Christians their falling away was not a loss of salvation because they had not actually reached the point of salvation.
3. In light of the context of the book of Hebrews, those who are falling away are those Jewish Christians who rejected Jesus because they wanted to return to the safety of being a Jew. In so returning to Judaism, they become like those Jews who rejected and crucified Jesus, crucifying him again themselves. This interpretation, however, doesn't really answer the question of whether or not one can lose their salvation. Those inclined to option 1 would say that in returning to Judaism, that person lost their salvation, while those inclined to option 2 would say those returning to Judaism must never have believed in the first place.

Before presenting my understanding of this passage, there are two critical aspects of this passage:

First, the passage seems to make clear that indeed these people were saved. The author describes them as having been enlightened and having tasted the heavenly gift (6:4a). More importantly, they had received the Holy Spirit, and in the process tasted the word of God and the power of the age (6:4b-5). This sounds like they are indeed believers, ruling out option 2.

Secondly, however, if falling away means that they are no longer believers, then the passage clearly teaches that once they have fallen away, they cannot be restored again to repentance. That means, once you've lost your salvation, you cannot be restored again. Once you've lost your salvation, you are doomed forever. This is not usually the teaching of those who believe that salvation can be lost, ruling out option 2.

A Possible Meanings of Falling Away

The author is describing immature believers who are failing to move past the elementary teachings of Christianity; that is repentance, faith, resurrection and judgment. These immature believers have no assurance of their salvation, so they are constantly returning to the salvation message and trying to be saved again and again. Whenever they sin or have doubts, they go back and go through the initial process of salvation. It is like one who would continually respond to the altar call and pray the sinner's prayer again and again because they aren't sure that their salvation is real or took root.

Whenever they go back and try to be resaved, they are metaphorically crucifying Christ again and again. But as we will learn in Hebrews 10, Jesus sacrifice was necessary only once for all. They don't need to keep coming back to the point of salvation in order to find the effectiveness of Christ's death.

Furthermore, it is impossible to be renewed again to repentance because they are already saved. You can't clean something that is already clean, so in the same way you can't save again someone who is already saved.

Therefore, the exhortation from the author is to quit trying so desperately to be resaved, rehashing the elementary teachings of the salvation and repentance, and instead move on to maturity! Get past the milk and start eating some solid food.

Field Burning Metaphor (6:7-8)

The author then uses a metaphor, contrasting ground which yields vegetation and receives the blessing of God (6:7) with ground which yields weeds and are therefore in danger of being cursed by God and being burned (6:8). The author's discussion of field burning here is not a reference to the fires of hell. A good farmer burns his field not to destroy or punish the field, but to burn off the weeds so that the field can start fresh and become productive. Those likened to the weed filled field are those who have “received the rain” but have failed to mature. They will therefore find themselves in God's field burning program where he burns off the weeds of their life so that they can mature and start being a productive field.

The Author's Assurance: Hope is the Anchor of the Soul (6:9-20)

Realizing the Assurance of Hope (6:9-12)

The author is convinced, however, that this is not going to be the end result for his readers (6:9). He has better things in mind for them, for God knows of their love and their ministry (6:10). He is giving this exhortation to encourage the few sluggish ones (6:12) to diligently realize the assurance of hope (6:11).

The author is not saying that diligence is what creates the hope, for hope is conditional, how can we have any assurance of it? Instead, he states that they are to diligently realize the full assurance of hope. Those who keep trying to be resaved, not moving past elementary principles, they are not realizing any assurance of salvation. But if they press on to maturity, they can, through faith and patience inherit the promise (6:12), that is the realization that they can be assured of their salvation.

The Example of Abraham ( 6:13 -16)

The author illustrates this through the example of Abraham. Those struggling to realize the assurance of their salvation should look to Abraham who inherited the promise through his faith and patience. God made a promise to Abraham to bless and multiply his family (6:14). This promise of God was irrevocable, for God swore an oath to himself, being that there was no one great by which to swear (6:13, 16).

Abraham then waited patiently for the promise (6:15). It was decades before Isaac was born as the child of the promise. Furthermore, the fullness of Abraham's promise was not even fully realized in his lifetime.

The Anchor of the Soul: Steadfast & Sure Hope ( 6:17 -20)

In the same way, God has sworn an oath to the “heirs of the promise.” It is an unchangeable, unconditional promise, for God does not lie (6:17-18a). Therefore we should take refuge in this promise of God. We should take hold this hope set before us (6:19).

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil (Hebrews 6:19).

The veil is speaking of the layout of the temple, where God's dwelling was in the holy of holies behind a large curtain (Hebrews 9:2-5). Our hope allows us to enter within the veil, meaning we can approach God inside the curtain. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence (4:13). All of this is possible because of Jesus, who is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Note how the author closes the parenthetical and brings the reader back to the topic he left in 5:10).

Summary of the Parenthetical

Whereas Hebrews chapter 6 is often used to prove that believers can lose their salvation, I believe this chapter teaches just the opposite. Chapter 6 is trying to bring immature believers who keep trying to be resaved over and over because they don't have any assurance of their salvation.

This frustrates the author, for as long as these immature believers wallow in this attempt to be saved again and again, they will never mature in their faith. So the author tells them you can't be resaved (“it is impossible to renew them again to repentance” 6:6) because they never lost their salvation in the first place.

Instead, they need to trust by faith in the promises of God (6:12). They need to realize the assurance of hope (6:11), for when God makes a promise, he keeps it (6:18). When they realize this assurance, it will serve as an anchor for their soul, sure and steadfast (6:19). As a result, they will be able to approach God with confidence because of the priestly role of Jesus (6:20).

[Next: The High Priest is of an Order Greater than the Levites]