Pressing on to Maturity (Heb. 6:4-8)

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word 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 again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. (Heb. 6:4-8).

This passage, in the letter to the Hebrews, has evoked much debate and controversy within the church. What does it mean? What does it teach? Many form dogmatic opinions and stick to them, no matter what, others decide the passage is too hard to understand, throw up their hands and move onto something else. In this post, we will look at some of those question, and attempt to determine the main thrust of the passage’s teaching.

To start out, we need to remind ourselves of this: God intended for us to know and understand His Word. While there are many things that we cannot know with certainty (“the secret things belong to the Lord,” Deut. 29:29), the things that are revealed in Scripture are meant to be known and understood. Will we know perfectly? Not on this side of eternity (1 Cor. 13:12). But that doesn’t mean we cannot know anything. We must act in faith that He intended us to be able to understand His Word. With that in mind, let’s begin.

The Context

This passage, like all Scripture cannot be rightly understood without understanding the context (what comes before and after). Going backward to chapter 5, we see that the author is engaged in teaching on how Christ was a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:10). The author then picks up the argument in 6:12. Notice what he says in 5:11-14,

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

The point here is that there is much more to be said on this subject (the order of Melchizedek), but his readers are not mature enough yet to take it in. Like Paul, the writer of Hebrews asserts that his readers need milk (like a baby) instead of solid food—spiritually speaking, of course. Then he gives this encouragement in 6:1-3,

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.

To use a well-worn axiom of Bible study, whenever you encounter a “therefore,” you should always ask, “What’s the ‘therefore’ there for?” In this case, the author is referring us back to his previous statements in 5:11-14. It is an encouragement to press forward to maturity. He’s saying, “Look, we need to move forward, to grow up spiritually. We can’t stay stuck on the foundational truths of the faith.”

When the author then starts his argument in verse 4, he uses “for.” It is a connecting word, similar to “therefore,” but with a different goal. It has the thrust of “because.” He is saying, “Let’s move forward because . . .” Thus, the statements in verses 4-8 should be read in light of his statements of 5:11-6:3.

Then, beginning with 6:9, the author contrasts two groups. He contrasts the type of person in verses 4-8 with his readers. Notice the words, “. . . yet in your case . . .” This is a direct contrast to what has gone before. Whatever type of person is described in verses 4-8, the author is sure doesn’t apply to his readers. How can he be sure? “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do” (v. 10). This verse holds a key to understanding the entire passage.

Now we turn to the passage itself. The writer makes three basic statements here.

• First, he describes a certain type of person (vv. 4-5).
• Second, he describes them as having “fallen away” and the consequences (v. 6)
• Third, he defends the truth of those consequences (vv. 7-8).

We are first going to look at statement #2, that of having “fallen away.” The first question we must ask is, “What does fallen away mean?” The phrase translated fallen away is a Greek verb (parapiptō) that literally means “to fall aside” and is used to denote falling away from the true faith. It is not merely a sin or series of sins, but it is a open rejection of Christ, the gospel and the biblical teachings. It is what we might call apostasy.

Such a person had originally assented to the realities and facts of the faith, but then had rejected them and actively walked away. It is not what we today might call “backsliding.” Instead, it is consciously turning one’s back on Christ in hostility toward Him. The writer tells us that it is “impossible . . . to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” The clear teaching (that many seem to overlook) is that if a person truly commits the sin of apostasy, there is no turning back. We should take a moment to reflect on what that means. Whether or not this passage is a true believer or not (which we will look at), once he or she crosses that line, that’s it. It’s done. His or her fate is sealed.

What Kind of Person?

Now the question must be asked, “What kind of person is being described?” We must be objective and try to lay aside any preconceptions and let the text speak for itself. This is how the writer describes this person. This person:

• had once been enlightened. The word used here is the Greek photizo, which means “to enlighten or illuminate.” It is used to signify “enlightenment” both to individuals (Eph. 1:18) and the world in general (John 1:9; Eph. 3:9). This latter usage appears to be the more common usage of the word.
• had tasted the heavenly gift, the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come. The word used for “tasted” (geuomai) has two primary uses. When speaking of physical food, the word means “taste, eat, experience the flavor of.” When speaking spiritually or metaphorically the word generally has the meaning of “experience.” Thus, when Christ spoke of some who would not “taste death” until they see the Kingdom coming (Matt. 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27), He meant “experience” (see also John 8:52).
• had shared in the Holy Spirit. The word for “shared” here is the Greek metochos, which means literally “partake” or “partaker.” In this and other contexts, it has a similar connotation of “experiencing.” Thus, to partake of the Holy Spirit is to experience His work in one’s life.

The question that most people ask here is, “Is the person described in this passage a true believer?” A plausible case can be made for either side of the question. The description seems to fit a true believer. Yet the terms lack the active engagement that the Bible puts forth as a mark of the believer. There is no mention of fruit in the person’s life. We are also told that it is impossible to restore such a person again to repentance. The word “again” might seem to imply that the person truly repented and saved. However, it could simply mean “to the point of repentance.” We are told in Romans that God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4), but it is possible to come to the point of repentance and yet not repent.

To prove his point, the author then uses a familiar analogy, similar to what Jesus taught on many occasions.  He says to his readers,

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned (vv. 7-8).

What’s his point here? Just as Jesus said, the one who claims to be a follower of Christ will bear fruit in His life. He has been changed, from a bad tree (that produces bad fruit) to a good tree (that produces good fruit). If then, the fruit does not match the claim, then it was never a good tree to start with. As Jesus reminded His hearers, “Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit” (Matt. 7:17-18, in the context of false prophets). Thus, He concluded, “You will recognize them by their fruit” (v. 19). This is the point of the passage. Continue to grow. Bear fruit, and thus show that you truly are a believer.

As we mentioned earlier, the writer of the letter contrasts the person described in this passage with his readers. He is sure that they are maturing and producing fruit (if slowly). And he bases his certainty on verse 10, quoted earlier.

Takeaways From the Passage

As we said earlier, many people debate whether the description in 6:4-6 refer to a true Christian or not. Yet, the debate misses the point of the passage, and thus also implications of the point.

1. The main thrust of the passage is an exhortation to continue growing in the faith. One who begins to be sluggish and stagnant is more likely to be the one who ultimately falls away. Whether or not the actual description in this passage was meant to refer to a true Christian, it is written to all. We are to continue growing and press forward. While we believe that the person described in the passage does not represent a true believer, we also must not go beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6).
2. As we said earlier, a true believer of Christ will bear fruit. Why is this certain? Because his very nature is changed—from a bad tree to a healthy tree. While we will stumble and fall in this journey, we will continue to produce good fruit—and more and more.
3. We should take seriously the warning in this passage. They are meant to encourage we who claim Christ to examine our lives. It is not meant, however, as a means of condemnation, judgment, or a guilt trip (“You better straighten up or you’re going to hell”). It is meant more for us to ask, “Holy Spirit, am I producing fruit? Show me the parts of my heart that need to be pruned so that more fruit may come forth.”

 Finally, there are many who have wandered from Christ or fallen and ask, “Have I gone too far?” We suggest that the question itself means the answer is “no.” A person described in this passage would not even bother with such a question, for his heart has been hardened to the point of no return. If you find yourself asking such a question, know that there is restoration, healing and hope in turning to Christ. For all of us, may we continue to grow in Christ until “we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).