(NIV Version)
Their seems to be a lot of confusion and different interpretations on these scriptures. There are some that believe and
even teach that once you are saved if you sin or backslide that you can’t be forgiven. That is not what these scriptures are
saying.
Let’s start by reading Hebrews 6:1-6
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
Heb 6:2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And God permitting, we will do so.
Heb 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared
in the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age
Heb 6:6 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.
To understand these scriptures it helps to look at a little bit of the history of the book of Hebrews. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary gives us some information on the Historical Setting of Hebrews. It says:
“ The repeated use of Old Testament quotations and images in Hebrews suggest that the people who received this book had a Jewish background. The repeated warnings against spiritual unbelief reveal that the readers of this epistle were on the verge of renouncing the Christian faith and returning to their former Jewish ways.”
It is important to note when theses letters were written and who Paul was writing to. As near as history can tell Hebrews was wrote sometime before 70A.D. The crucifixion of Jesus occurred around 30A.D. We can then see by these dates that the letters were wrote to a people that were alive before and after the crucifixion of Jesus.
Paul was preaching this message to Hebrew Christians that had been raised under Judaism and had been converted from Judaism to Christianity ( Judaism is believing in God but not in Jesus) but he was having problems with them wanting to convert back to there old Judaism ways.
Hebrews 6: versus 1-3
For a better understanding of versus 1-3 it helps to refer back to Heb 5:12
Heb 5:12 says: In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the
elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
As we can see from Heb 5:12 Paul was explaining to these people that they should be growing spiritually and shouldn’t need to continually be taught the basic principles of the doctrine of Christ. They should have been far enough along in their Christian experience that they should have been teaching others.
Hebrews 6: versus 4-6
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It seems as though there has been a lot of confusion about the true meaning of versus 4-6 but they can be easily understood if we look at the time frame in which they were wrote and refer to other scriptures in chapters 9 & 10.
As we mentioned earlier Paul was writing to a people that were alive before and after the crucifixion of Jesus. Since these people were born under the old law they were raised and taught that an offering be made with the blood of goats and calves for the remission of sins according to God’s word.
Now these people were also alive when Jesus was crucified and they were enlightened to the fact that Jesus died for our sins and that he paid the supreme sacrifice with the shedding of his blood for our sins. The problem that Paul was having was that if these people committed sin they were trying to go back to there old Judaism ways and make sacrifices with the blood of bulls and goats. We know that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. If we look at some scriptures in chapters 9 & 10 we can see that Paul is once again trying to set them straight.
Heb 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
Heb 9:13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
Heb 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
He was really trying to get through to them as we can tell from these scriptures that the shedding of the blood of Jesus was a far greater, precious and final offering. He continues in Hebrews 10:4 by telling them there is no other sacrifice for sins.
Heb 10:4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
So we can see in Heb 6:4-6 that Paul was telling them that it is impossible to be forgiven for sins by using the blood of bulls and goats. Not only is it impossible but by trying to do so they were putting Jesus to an open shame by insinuating that the blood of bulls and goats was more effective than the blood of Jesus.
Lets take a look at Heb 10: 26
Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
He wasn’t telling them that if they sin willfully that they couldn’t be forgiven, he was telling them that they couldn’t be forgiven by trying to use a different sacrifice because Jesus paid the supreme sacrifice once and for all.
Christains shouldn’t sin but if they do they can be forgiven. Look at 1st John 2:1
1st John 2:1 says: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
The Apostle John is telling us that we shouldn’t sin but if we do then we can ask Jesus (the mediator between us and God) for forgiveness.
The End
Their seems to be a lot of confusion and different interpretations on these scriptures. There are some that believe and
even teach that once you are saved if you sin or backslide that you can’t be forgiven. That is not what these scriptures are
saying.
Let’s start by reading Hebrews 6:1-6
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
Heb 6:2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And God permitting, we will do so.
Heb 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared
in the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age
Heb 6:6 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.
To understand these scriptures it helps to look at a little bit of the history of the book of Hebrews. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary gives us some information on the Historical Setting of Hebrews. It says:
“ The repeated use of Old Testament quotations and images in Hebrews suggest that the people who received this book had a Jewish background. The repeated warnings against spiritual unbelief reveal that the readers of this epistle were on the verge of renouncing the Christian faith and returning to their former Jewish ways.”
It is important to note when theses letters were written and who Paul was writing to. As near as history can tell Hebrews was wrote sometime before 70A.D. The crucifixion of Jesus occurred around 30A.D. We can then see by these dates that the letters were wrote to a people that were alive before and after the crucifixion of Jesus.
Paul was preaching this message to Hebrew Christians that had been raised under Judaism and had been converted from Judaism to Christianity ( Judaism is believing in God but not in Jesus) but he was having problems with them wanting to convert back to there old Judaism ways.
Hebrews 6: versus 1-3
For a better understanding of versus 1-3 it helps to refer back to Heb 5:12
Heb 5:12 says: In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the
elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
As we can see from Heb 5:12 Paul was explaining to these people that they should be growing spiritually and shouldn’t need to continually be taught the basic principles of the doctrine of Christ. They should have been far enough along in their Christian experience that they should have been teaching others.
Hebrews 6: versus 4-6
Page 1
It seems as though there has been a lot of confusion about the true meaning of versus 4-6 but they can be easily understood if we look at the time frame in which they were wrote and refer to other scriptures in chapters 9 & 10.
As we mentioned earlier Paul was writing to a people that were alive before and after the crucifixion of Jesus. Since these people were born under the old law they were raised and taught that an offering be made with the blood of goats and calves for the remission of sins according to God’s word.
Now these people were also alive when Jesus was crucified and they were enlightened to the fact that Jesus died for our sins and that he paid the supreme sacrifice with the shedding of his blood for our sins. The problem that Paul was having was that if these people committed sin they were trying to go back to there old Judaism ways and make sacrifices with the blood of bulls and goats. We know that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. If we look at some scriptures in chapters 9 & 10 we can see that Paul is once again trying to set them straight.
Heb 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
Heb 9:13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
Heb 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
He was really trying to get through to them as we can tell from these scriptures that the shedding of the blood of Jesus was a far greater, precious and final offering. He continues in Hebrews 10:4 by telling them there is no other sacrifice for sins.
Heb 10:4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
So we can see in Heb 6:4-6 that Paul was telling them that it is impossible to be forgiven for sins by using the blood of bulls and goats. Not only is it impossible but by trying to do so they were putting Jesus to an open shame by insinuating that the blood of bulls and goats was more effective than the blood of Jesus.
Lets take a look at Heb 10: 26
Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
He wasn’t telling them that if they sin willfully that they couldn’t be forgiven, he was telling them that they couldn’t be forgiven by trying to use a different sacrifice because Jesus paid the supreme sacrifice once and for all.
Christains shouldn’t sin but if they do they can be forgiven. Look at 1st John 2:1
1st John 2:1 says: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
The Apostle John is telling us that we shouldn’t sin but if we do then we can ask Jesus (the mediator between us and God) for forgiveness.
The End
Understanding Hebrews Chapter 6 Versus 1-6
