From: REXLEX@fnalf.fnal.gov
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Eternal Security? (Was Re: Dispensationalism: Distinctives of Church)
Date: 26 Jul 92 19:41:27 GMT
Organization: Fermilab

In article <Jul.24.03.13.22.1992.3176@dumas.rutgers.edu>
wagner@spinoza.math.uh.edu (David Wagner) writes:
>Then please explain Hebrews 6:4-6:

Gladly, even though I have posted this before.

[                     Thorn-Infested Ground
                           Heb. 6:4-12

     Of all the passages in the Bible that cause problems in interpretation,
Hebrews 6 is probably the most infamous. The various theological perspectives
on this portion of God's Word are as numerous as any in the N.T..
     The eschatological section of this passage (5:11-6:12), is found in the
7th and 8th verses of chapter 6, by means of an illustration using the symbols
of soil, rain, fruit, and thorns. Even the most casual reading of this passage
concludes with judgment being in view. "It is the thesis of this article that
the judgment is of true believers, in which disobedience may result in divine
discipline in this life and in loss of future rewards in the millennium." The
purpose of the passage is to motivate believers to live their profession,
according the revelation of God, that they may live life to its fullest
expression in the present sojourn as well as during the millennial reign of
Christ. 

*Relationship of Hebrews 5:11-6:3 to 6:4-12
     
     The first ten verses of chapter 5 discusses Christ's qualifications to be
a high priest, not as the Levitical Priesthood set up initially under the high
priesthood of Aaron, but according to the highest lineage of priesthood, the
Melchizedekian. After a brief synopsis of this special priesthood, the author
shifts his attention to the warning in 5:11 - 6:12. As could be written today,
the readers' spiritual dullness and immaturity might cause them to misapprehend
the truth concerning Melchizedek. 
     Heb. 5:11-14 rebukes the spiritual immaturity of the readers and their
failure to apply the principles of the Word of God to discern good from evil.
The readers obviously had been exposed to the teaching of doctrine for an
extended period of time ("because of the time", v.12), yet they had failed to
mature in their faith. They should have matured to the point of being teachers
but instead they needed "the elementary principles. (It is because of their
immaturity, that we today do not have a book of Hebrews that definitively
explains the history and significance of Melchizedek!) These principles were
the ABC's of the revelation that had come through Christ (1:1), which would
include His teachings on the coming kingdom (2:3).
Heb. 6:1-3 exhorts the readers to move from spiritual ABC's to maturity. The
author did not review the basics, but he encouraged his readers to "press on"
to "maturity" (6:1). The readers are admonished not to "lay again a foundation"
or basis for their faith. The writer listed 6 objective genitives (Greek
sentence structuring) grouped in three pairs: repentance from dead works and
faith toward God (6:1), instruction about washings and laying on of hands
(6:2a), and resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment (6:2b).
     Maturity and growth in faith involves human responsibility which
necessitated by the fact of divine accountability. (Responsibility is
necessitated by accountability and vice versa.) "This we shall do, if God
permits" (6:3). In other words, spiritual maturity depends on the believers;
obedience and God's working in their lives. Pressing forward is a present
possibility if God permits. However, if the readers "fall away" renewal to
repentance is not humanly possible (6:6)!
Thorn-Infested ground (6:4-12)
  A. Heb. 6:4-6
     Again we see the use of the conjunction "for" in 6:4, connecting the
previous section on moving toward maturity with the following warning about the
alternative to progress. Those who had "fallen away" are described by 5
participles in vs. 4-6a. Each of these five participles is governed by the
article "those who" (tous). The use of the single article indicates that only
one group of individuals is in view.  The individuals are described as follows:
     1.	"once been enlightened" (6:4a)
     2.	"have tasted of the heavenly gift" (6:4b)
     3.	"have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit" (6:4c 
     4.	"have tasted the good word of God and the power of the age to
         come"(6:5)
     5.	"and have fallen away" (6:6a)

1. 	These readers had "once been enlightened." In 10:32, the term "being
enlightned" is also used, where regeneration  of the readers is clearly
stipulated. The author was equating enlightenment with the reception of the
full knowledge of the truth. This argues strongly for the view that the
enlightenment refers to regeneration. "This is a natural way to refer to the
conversion experience (cf. 2 Cor. 4:3-6). The writer's only other use of the
verb 'enlightened' (10:32) is used where the reference to true Christian
experience can hardly be doubted."

2.	The second fact about these readers is that they had "tasted the heavenly
gift" (6:4). The verb "to taste" is to be understood in v.4 in the sense of "to
come to know something." The same word is used of Christ, who "tasted" death
for everyone, (2:9). It is inconsistent to have 2:9 mean "drink it all" and 6:4
mean "sampled," as some suggest.  It is not inconsistent to understand the term
"gift" (v.4) in the technical sense to mean grace.
 3.	The writer then referes to them as "partakers of the Holy Spirit." The
concept of being a "companion" (metocos) resurfaces. In 3:1 it is used of a
"partaker" of the heavenly calling. Here in 6:4 the individuals are seen as
"partners" in the Spirit's activities. If they are no longer metocos, it is
because they are no longer dependent on the Holy Spirit's power. This is not
the same as losing salvation, it is simply a failure to depend on and minister
with the Holy Spirit.

4.	The readers are stated as having "tasted the good word of God and the powers
of the age to come" (6:5). The term "good word of God" deals with the present
age of the readers (which is continuing to this day) and "powers of the coming
age" directs the audience to the future. The "good word of God" may refer to
Jesus' teaching about the kingdom (2:3). The signs, wonders, and miracles of
2:4 were a foreshadowing of the "powers of the coming age" (i.e. the millennial
kingdom). The readers had "tasted" or "experienced" this power in their
assembly.

5. 	The ominous expression "and have fallen away" (kai parapesontas) now
appears. The participle parapesontas is governed grammatically by the single
article "those" (tous), which also governs the previous 4 participles.
Apparently certain individuals had actually fallen away (cf. 10:25); the
warning is not "hypothetical."  The sober teaching is about a regenerated
individual's apostasy.
     The word "fall away" occurs only here in the N.T.  This verb is formed
from "beside" (para) and "to fall" (pipto). What certain readers had fallen
away from is not specifically described. Therefore the context becomes the
determinative factor as to the meaning of the participle. From 3:6, 14;
10:23-25, 35-39, the "falling away" relates to the withdrawal from their
Christian confidence and worshiping function in God's house.	
     The internal dullness and immaturity of the readers may have as its
outward manifestation the "falling away." A volitional choice to abandon their
Christian confidence and worship function may place them in the position of
judgment described in 6:7-8. The Apostle Paul knew of believers who had
abandoned their faith and had become subjects of discipline (I Tim. 1:20; 5:15;
2 Tim. 2:17-18).
     For those who "fall away" it is "impossible to renew them again to
repentance,"(6:6). The subject of the infinitive "to renew" is not stated.
Since God is sovereign and is able to do as He pleases in human affairs, it is
incorrect to assume that God is the subject of the inability "to renew". It
seems best to supply "us" or "anyone" as the intended subject. With this being
the implied understanding, the verse would read thus: "It is impossible for us,
or anyone, to renew them again to repentance." This translation parallels the
writer's admonition in 3:13 in which the readers are urged to encourage each
other daily to avoid a hardened heart. 
The warning in chapter 6 concerns the danger of spiritual dullness and
immaturity. This immaturity may result in a falling away from their confidence
and worship participation in God's house detailed in 3:1-4:13. If this were to
occur, those individuals would be beyond encouragement by others in the
community to repent and press on to Christian maturity. They would be "hard of
hearing" and beyond human persuasion.
     The reason that it is impossible for fellow believers to cause an effect
in the spiritual life of those who have fallen away, is given to us in the
following participles- "crucifying" and "openly disgracing".  The term
anastaurountas is best understood as "recrucifying."  "The author is saying
that those who deny Christ in this way are really taking their stand among
those who crucified Jesus. In heart and mind they make themselves one with
those who put Him to death on the cross at Calvary."
     They subject the Son of God to "open disgrace." Realigning themselves with
those who hated the Messiah would result in a public disgrace of the name of
Christ, and rejection of the "gift" (6:4) or grace offering of the Father who
designed the death and separation of the Son! These actions are the result of a
spiritually dull heart. These individuals become impervious to all efforts by
others in calling them to repentance.
     This alignment seems to have been with a sectarian form of Judaism similar
to that of Qumran. This action is so heinous that a reversal appears impossible
from the human perspective. The only option facing those who "fall away" is
judgment. An analogy with nature describes the inevitable judgment.

Thank God for CPU's with memory so that you don't have to type these things out
all the time.  I have similar papers for each of the "warning" parenthetical
passages in Hebrews if anyone would want them and use them. 

I'm looking forward to you comments on this David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,
Rex