"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned."We have already dealt with three basic interpretations regarding the Hebrews passages, but there is another interpretation sometimes given for 6:4-12, which we will denote as the "hypothetical interpretation." It asserts that this passage describes what would happen "if" a saved person could apostatize (which proponents view to be impossible). Thus, according to this view, we have a hypothetical postulation just to make a point—a theological argument from an extreme case. Although this interpretation is certainly incorrect, it has a logical appeal in that it holds that saved people cannot apostatize since that would (hypothetically) lead to the loss of their salvation, which, of course, cannot happen (owing to the presumption of eternal security). Thus, this interpretation argues against a saved person being able to apostatize, but fails to recognize that apostasy is an actual state for some—not just a hypothetical argument.
The fact that this passage is addressed to a believing audience has been a stumbling block to some who fail to see that the key is being able to distinguish between "who is being addressed" (a mixed group that is presumptively Christian) and "who is being referred to." Whoever they are, they are described by five statements:
- They have been "enlightened."
- They have "tasted" of the heavenly gift.
- They have been made "partakers" of the Holy Spirit.
- They have "tasted" the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.
- They have "fallen away."
The second reason we know this passage is describing apostasy is because of the nature of the examples given. In verses 7 and 8, the two types of ground represent two types of people. There are those that respond with "fruit" and those that respond with "thorns and thistles" (cf. Jesus' parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-23). The ground described in verse 8 is clearly representative of the person described in verse 6 who "falls away." Notice the description of this ground: "...it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." The word for "curse" is katara (καταρα), which means "condemnation." Of course, it would be impossible for a saved person to suffer the condemnation of God. Otherwise, what is he/she saved from if not condemnation? Some find what they suppose to be a loophole in the word "nigh" (KJV) or "close" (NASB). The argument is that this can describe saved people because it does not say that they are cursed—only that they are "close" to being cursed. But, if as established, a saved person cannot be lost, how close can one get to something that is absolutely impossible? It is as ridiculous to think that a saved person could be close to condemnation as it is to think that such a one could be condemned. The word translated "close" is eggus (εγγυς, pronounced "engoos"). Its usage here has the sense of that which is "impending" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:3b). The idea is that the judgment of the apostate has not been carried out, but it will be carried out when he faces the Lord whom he has persistently denied with full knowledge.
The third reason for believing that the person described here is an apostate is that apostasy is indicated by way of contrast with true faith. Verse 9 says, "But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way." The word "accompany" (or "to take possession of") is echo (εκω), which in the middle voice, as here, means "to seize" or "to possess for one's self." Notice that the writer distinguishes his readers, in general, from those people he has just described in particular. They (the believers) have taken possession of salvation, clearly implying that those described earlier (vv. 4-8) had not. There are two responses to the gospel. One is to take possession of salvation; the other is to actively turn away from it, or passively ignore it. The people described in verses 4-8 are those who having heard the gospel, and perhaps at some superficial level having embraced it, have ultimately turned away.
The question we need to answer is this: Is there any indication that these who apostatize were ever true believers? The answer, as before, is "No!" However, the descriptive clauses in this passage present us with more problems than the previous passages because they contain some words or phrases that many have mistakenly come to associate only with true belief.
The first clause occurs in verse 4, and describes the subjects as "...those who have once been enlightened." The word "enlightened is photizo (φωτιζω), and its use here is figurative. The idea is of a person coming to understand truth. The question is: Does enlightenment come before or after saving faith? The answer is, "Both." One certainly comes to understand some things only after coming to faith in Christ, but they must understand the gospel before they can even make the decision to come. So, enlightenment both precedes and follows saving faith. The point with respect to the passage at hand is whether this reference to the subjects having been previously "enlightened" indicates faith on their part. Since one can be enlightened without responding in faith, we must conclude that there is nothing in this description that indicates these individuals possessed saving faith. We should also note from John 1:6-13 that although every man is "enlightened" at some time, not all are saved.
The second clause, also in verse 4, describes the subjects as ones who "have tasted of the heavenly gift." While there is some uncertainty as to what "the heavenly gift" refers to, the key to unraveling this statement lies in the word "tasted." Obviously this is a metaphorical use of the word, since the heavenly gift is not something that could be literally (physically) tasted. The word "geuomai (γευομαι), when used metaphorically, means "to perceive"—as in "a taste of reality." It is not necessary for a person to be saved to perceive the gift of God. The reason is simple: perceiving salvation through the illuminating and convicting work of the Holy Spirit is an integral part of the epignosis (επιγνωσις, sure knowledge) of truth, which one must possess before they can come to Christ. When a person comes to the sure knowledge of the truth, they have perceived (i.e. metaphorically "tasted") the gift of salvation, even if they eventually reject it.
The third clause also occurs in verse 4, and describes the subjects as having been made "partakers of the Holy Spirit." Unlike the previous clause, there is no reason to regard this as a metaphor. There is general agreement that no one could be saved unless they first become a recipient of the work of the Holy Spirit. That work includes illumination, conviction, and calling. Because we normally regard "partaking" as active, it is easy to misunderstand what is being said in this clause. "Partake" is in the passive voice. In other words, these individuals were only passive recipients of the illumination, conviction, and general calling of the Spirit.
The fourth descriptive clause is in verse 5 and pictures the subjects as those who "have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come." Again we have the word "tasted" (geuomai), and as before it is here used metaphorically (since one cannot literally taste the Bible or future realities). These individuals are said to have perceived the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come (possibly a reference to the ministry of the Spirit in signs and wonders as manifested in the early churches), but this could be said of anyone within the church whether saved or lost. So there is no implication that these individuals were saved.
The fifth descriptive clause occurs in verse 6 and pictures the subjects as having received all of the aforementioned benefits "and then have fallen away." The question is, "What did they fall away from?" The answer is that they fell away from what they had—the opportunity (by virtue of knowledge and conviction) to respond to the gospel. Here we encounter a hard concept; hard in the sense that it is not pleasant to consider, but there comes a time in the life of every person who refuses the gospel when that refusal becomes permanent by his/her own choice. There is a time in the life of every person when they are at the closest point they will ever be to coming to Christ—maximum light, conviction, persuasion, etc. If they refuse at that point (and they will never be closer), how will they ever be saved? The sad truth taught in this passage is that they will not, and since a person never knows if he/she is at their closest spiritual point, refusing to say “Yes” at any opportunity could potentially render them beyond hope. The writer of Hebrews is delivering a poignant warning to those within the church who had come out of the world and into the church, but who had failed to enter into salvation. Hence the strong parallel to Israel’s wandering in the wilderness described in Hebrews 3:7-4:11.
There is nothing in this last clause that indicates that these individuals were at one time true believers. Again, this passage is a description of an individual who falls beyond hope after hearing the gospel by persistent failure to respond in faith.
Borrowed and revised from Sam A. Smith's The Biblical Doctrine of Apostasy.