“Security” – Hebrews 6.4-6

Hebrews 6.4-6 – “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if 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.”

Scholars and theologians have for centuries debated whether it is possible for a person to lose their salvation. Some say it is possible for a person to be a genuine believer in Christ and later turn away from the faith. They have their proof texts to support their belief. Others say that we cannot be snatched out of God’s hand and if anyone seems to have “lost” their salvation it is only because they were never really saved at all. This camp has their proof texts too.

Hebrews 6.4-6 talks about people who have been “enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age.” They sound like believers. Yet, it says that such people can fall away. If they do, it is impossible for them to be brought back to repentance because they have already trampled on and disgraced Christ by their rejection of what He did for them. What are we to make of this?

We must remember that the intent of the writer of Hebrews was not to write a theological treatise on eternal security. His purpose was to encourage struggling and harassed Christians to hold onto their faith. He was not above scaring them into it. He offers several warnings to those who might otherwise fall away or fail to pay attention to Christ’s message. His purpose is not to answer the question of whether one could lose their salvation, but to encourage followers of Christ to make theirs more secure.

When people ask me if I think a person can lose their salvation, I always say, “I don’t know, but I’m not going to try!” I think sometimes when Christians ask that question, they want to know how far they can go in regard to flirting with sin and still remain “saved.” They want to know what they can get away with and still remain “in the fold.” This should not be the attitude of a follower of Christ. The author of Hebrews encourages us to show “diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope secure” (4.11). Is your hope secure?