The controversial passage in Hebrews 6:4-6 has led to much debate among Christians about whether a believer can lose his or her salvation. The passage states:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
At first glance, this passage seems to indicate that a Christian can lose his or her salvation if they “fall away” from the faith. However, we must look at the broader context of the book of Hebrews and the rest of Scripture to properly interpret these difficult verses.
Here are several reasons why Hebrews 6:4-6 does not teach that a believer can lose his or her salvation:
1. Warnings are a Common Literary Device in Hebrews
The overall purpose of the book of Hebrews is to exhort Jewish Christians to remain faithful to Christ and not return to the Levitical sacrificial system. The author uses warnings throughout the book to motivate the readers to persevere. For example:
Hebrews 2:1-3 – Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
Hebrews 3:12-14 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 4:11 – Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Hebrews 10:26-27 – For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
All of these warnings have the same purpose – to stir the readers to continued faith in Christ. Therefore, it’s unlikely the author is now saying believers can lose their salvation after such urgent warnings to persevere.
2. Examples of Non-Saving Faith Elsewhere in Hebrews
The description in Hebrews 6 of those who fall away matches other examples in Hebrews of those who had professed faith in Christ but were not actually saved:
Hebrews 3:16-19 – For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
This refers to the generation of Israelites who left Egypt with Moses but did not trust God and died in the wilderness. Though they experienced miracles, escaped from slavery, and saw God’s provision, they showed by their unbelief that they were not true believers.
Similarly, those described in Hebrews 6 had experiences like “tasting the heavenly gift,” but these experiences do not necessarily mean they were born again. Judas “tasted” the ministry of Jesus yet betrayed him. The seed in the Parable of the Sower fell on shallow ground and sprang up quickly, but then died when persecution came because it had no root (Luke 8:13).
Hebrews also warns against those who “shrink back” and do not have faith (10:38-39). Those described in Hebrews 6 fall into this category.
3. Salvation Cannot Be Lost
The consistent testimony of Scripture is that salvation cannot be lost. Jesus promised eternal life to all who believe in Him:
John 10:28-29 – I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit indwells believers permanently:
John 14:16-17 – And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Paul confirms that the Holy Spirit seals believers until the day of redemption:
Ephesians 1:13-14 – In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Paul declares nothing can separate the believer from God’s love:
Romans 8:35, 38-39 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul says our life is hidden with Christ in God and when Christ returns, we will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4). Our salvation is eternally secure in Christ.
4. Solely a Hypothetical Warning
Looking at the grammar of Hebrews 6:4-6 reveals the author is speaking hypothetically to illustrate a point. The verses all hinge on the word “if”:
For it is impossible [to restore to repentance] IF they have once been enlightened and have tasted…IF they then have fallen away.
The author is not saying this has actually occurred. Rather, he is describing a hypothetical scenario of falling away to make the point that those who reject Christ’s sacrifice after experiencing God’s grace have no other sacrifice for sins. There remains only judgment.
5. The Overall Message of Hebrews
Despite the difficult verses in chapter 6, the overall message of Hebrews is clear – hold fast to your confession of faith in Christ:
Hebrews 3:6 – But Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
Hebrews 3:14 – For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Those who persevere until the end demonstrate true saving faith. The warnings against falling away spur believers on to perseverance.
6. The Destiny of True Believers
Hebrews describes genuine believers as those who continue trusting in Christ:
Hebrews 3:14 – For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 3:6 – But Christ is faithful over God’s house as a Son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
Hebrews 10:39 – But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
The author of Hebrews acknowledges his readers are true believers who need to persevere in faith and obedience (Hebrews 6:9-12). The warnings against falling away spur them on to maturity and holiness.
7. Understanding the Wider Context
Looking at the context of Hebrews 6, we find:
Hebrews 6:9-12 – Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The author expresses his confidence the readers are true believers who need to continue growing (“better things – things that belong to salvation”). He says God will not forget their work of ministering to others. He desires them to show full assurance of hope until the end.
The warning against falling away is a means to motivate the readers to maturity and faithful endurance. The author immediately follows it with encouragement that they are true believers (6:9-12) and with God’s unchangeable promise to bless them (6:13-20).
8. What True Apostasy Involves
The act of apostasy involves a willful, decisive rejection of the grace offered in Christ. The apostate is one who understands the gospel, professes to believe it, yet ultimately rejects it. Some key characteristics include:
- Deliberate repudiation of previously held faith in Christ
- Rejection of Christ’s sacrifice as payment for sin
- Embrace of another religious view as superior
- Rejection of core doctrines like the Trinity, deity of Christ, resurrection
True apostasy involves a decisive falling away from the faith by one who fully understands and previously embraced the gospel of grace. Hebrews 6 does not have this situation in view.
9. Conclusion
In summary, Hebrews 6:4-6 does not teach that genuine believers can lose their salvation for the following reasons:
- Warnings against falling away are a literary device in Hebrews to exhort readers to persevere
- Those who fall away are described as unbelievers in other portions of the book
- The overall message of Scripture affirms salvation cannot be lost
- The author is speaking hypothetically to illustrate the seriousness of rejecting Christ’s sacrifice
- The destiny of true believers is presented as eternal life with Christ
- The passage describes immature believers, not apostates who lose salvation
- True apostasy involves willful rejection of previously embraced faith in Christ
While difficult to interpret, Hebrews 6:4-6 does not override the numerous promises in Scripture that salvation is eternal and secure in Christ. Warnings against falling away spur genuine believers on to perseverance and full assurance of hope until the end.