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Hebrews 6:4–6 states, “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 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
This is one of the Bible’s most difficult passages to interpret, but one thing is clear—it does not teach that believers can lose their salvation. One of the basic rules of biblical interpretation is that portions of Scripture that are difficult or unclear should be interpreted in light of passages easier to understand and less ambiguous. Many clear, easy-to-understand passages say that salvation is secure (John 10:27–29; Romans 8:35, 38–39; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:4–5). Eternal life is a gift from God that will not be rescinded.
There are two valid ways of looking at Hebrews 6:4–6:
1) This passage is written not about believers but about unbelievers who are associated in some way with the church. These individuals may accept the basic truths of the gospel, but they have not placed their faith in Christ. They have an understanding of—and even an appreciation for—Christianity, but they remain uncommitted. Given the persecution Christians were experiencing, these wafflers were seriously tempted to return to the relative safety of Judaism.
According to this interpretation,
• The phrase once enlightened in Hebrews 6:4 refers to a certain level of instruction in biblical truth. Of course, understanding Scripture is not the same as being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Jesus has given light “to every man” (John 1:9), but that doesn’t mean every man is saved; rather, every man has enough light to be held responsible. He is “enlightened” enough to accept the light or reject it. The people addressed in Hebrews 6:4–6 are “enlightened” unbelievers who have been exposed to God’s redemptive truth and perhaps have even made a profession of faith. But they have not exercised genuine saving faith. They are still teetering on the fence.
• The phrase tasted the heavenly gift in Hebrews 6:4 refers to a momentary experience. They did not “imbibe” or “consume” the gift; they only “tasted” it. The tragedy of tasting the heavenly gift without embracing it could be likened to the sad experience of the thorny and stony soils in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 13:3–23; cp. Hebrews 6:8). People can initially respond positively to the truth of the gospel yet not have a true change of heart.
• The phrase shared in the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 6:4 indicates a proximity to and familiarity with the Spirit’s work. But it does not convey a sense of being born again. Biblical phrases such as sealed with the Holy Spirit and indwelt by the Spirit would indicate salvation, but simply “sharing in” the Spirit is something different. People can be exposed to the salvation experience yet not know Christ in a saving sense. Simon the sorcerer “believed and was baptized,” he followed Philip the evangelist, and he was “astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw” (Acts 8:13). But, for all that, Simon was unsaved (see Acts 8:20–23).
• The idea of “falling away” in Hebrews 6:6 is the act of turning one’s back on the revelation given. The “tasting” of truth is not enough to keep a person from falling away from it. To behold the light, to understand the truth, and to enjoy the fringe benefits of righteousness, only to then reject the light is to treat Christ with contempt (Hebrews 6:6).
2) This passage is written about true believers, but the point being made is that it is impossible to lose salvation. This interpretation is based on an alternate translation, found in the KJV and a few others, in which Hebrews 6:6 begins with the phrase if they fall away—with the key word being if.• The phrase tasted the heavenly gift in Hebrews 6:4 refers to a momentary experience. They did not “imbibe” or “consume” the gift; they only “tasted” it. The tragedy of tasting the heavenly gift without embracing it could be likened to the sad experience of the thorny and stony soils in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 13:3–23; cp. Hebrews 6:8). People can initially respond positively to the truth of the gospel yet not have a true change of heart.
• The phrase shared in the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 6:4 indicates a proximity to and familiarity with the Spirit’s work. But it does not convey a sense of being born again. Biblical phrases such as sealed with the Holy Spirit and indwelt by the Spirit would indicate salvation, but simply “sharing in” the Spirit is something different. People can be exposed to the salvation experience yet not know Christ in a saving sense. Simon the sorcerer “believed and was baptized,” he followed Philip the evangelist, and he was “astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw” (Acts 8:13). But, for all that, Simon was unsaved (see Acts 8:20–23).
• The idea of “falling away” in Hebrews 6:6 is the act of turning one’s back on the revelation given. The “tasting” of truth is not enough to keep a person from falling away from it. To behold the light, to understand the truth, and to enjoy the fringe benefits of righteousness, only to then reject the light is to treat Christ with contempt (Hebrews 6:6).
According to this view,
• The writer of Hebrews is setting up a hypothetical situation: “If a Christian were to fall away.” In that case (if a Christian falls away), it would be impossible to renew salvation. That’s because Christ died once for sin (see Hebrews 9:28), and if His gift of salvation could be lost, then that’s the end. Christ is not going to sacrifice Himself twice, and so there would be no hope for the sinner at all.
• The passage presents a false premise (that a true Christian might fall away) and follows it through to a logical conclusion. That conclusion (that Jesus would need to be sacrificed again and again to “resave” people) is absurd. The argument is an example of reductio ad absurdum. The weakness of this view is that the Greek text does not contain a word equivalent to the English if.
Both of these interpretations support the security of the believer in Christ. The first interpretation is that the writer of Hebrews is not describing believers but unbelievers who are “on the fence” about Christ. In that case, the warning in this passage is not that believers might lose their salvation but that unbelievers might lose their chance to be saved. The second interpretation presents the very idea of believers losing salvation as impossible.• The passage presents a false premise (that a true Christian might fall away) and follows it through to a logical conclusion. That conclusion (that Jesus would need to be sacrificed again and again to “resave” people) is absurd. The argument is an example of reductio ad absurdum. The weakness of this view is that the Greek text does not contain a word equivalent to the English if.
