INDEED GOD SPEAKS (25)
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What Does God Actually Say About Falling From Grace?
What Does God Actually Say About Falling From Grace?
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.
There is a demonic spirit that rests on religion and its agenda is to facilitate something called Filtering the Text. Filters are used to eliminate things in order to achieve a desired result.
What does this demonic spirit desire to eliminate from the text? The demonic spirit desires to eliminate the Voice of God from the text so that you hear its voice through religion rather than God’s voice!
The Book of Hebrews is one of the more difficult books of the Bible to interpret and understand correctly. There are three things that we will impart to you today that are designed to help you Hear God Speak When You Read This Book!
I. The WARNINGS that are ISSUED in the book!
A. DRIFTING from the TRUTH!
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.
B. Being HARDENED by SIN!
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
C. FALLING from GRACE!
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.
D. SINNING WILLFULLY!
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
E. REFUSING to HEAR God when He Speaks!
See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.
These five warnings can be challenging to understand unless we are aware of who they are being spoken to!
II. The AUDIENCE that is TARGETED in the book!
A. Jews who have been CONVERTED but not GROWING in Grace!
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
B. Jews who are CONVINCED but not yet BELIEVING in Christ as the Messiah!
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.
how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,
C. Jews who are CONVICTED but not yet EMBRACING Christ as their Messiah!
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.
III. The INTERPRETATION that is JUSTIFIED!
A. The HYPOTHETICAL interpretation!
This interpretation would have you believe that this is a hypothetical situation that could never occur but IF it did happen then the result would be falling from grace!
B. The LITERAL interpretation!
This interpretation would have you believe that this is a literal warning for Believers who willingly fall away from grace through sinning willfully after drifting away from God!
C. The PROBABLE interpretation!
This interpretation would have you believe that those who “Fall Away” are not true Believers but are Jews who had been exposed to the Gospel, maybe even professed to Believe, were welcomed into the community of faith, but at a later time, were being tempted to walk away from Christ as the Messiah and from the principle of Grace!
Why Do I Believe In The Probable Interpretation?
The people the writer to the Hebrews is targeting had experienced five things and the meaning of these five things are crucial to a correct understanding of what God is saying about Falling From Grace!
They had been Once Enlightened = PHO-TIZO
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,
This word means to have “seen the light” and it means to have been made aware of something!
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
The Apostle John seems to describe this type of person or people for us:
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
2. They had Tasted the Heavenly Gift = Gue-omai
Hebrews 6:4 and have TASTED of the Heavenly Gift
The word Gue-Omai means to taste something without swallowing it, eventually spitting it out
What is the meaning of the Heavenly Gift they are said to have tasted?
It could mean the Holy Spirit, but I don’t really think so because the Holy Spirit is directly referenced in the next verse. I think the Heavenly Gift is likely a reference to eternal life through Christ as the Messiah!
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to prepare unbelievers to become Believers by giving them a TASTE of the Blessings of Salvation so that they will choose to Eat and Drink those Blessings and Benefits!
3. They had been Partakers of the Holy Spirit = Met-o-chos
Hebrews 6:4 and have become PARTAKERS of the Holy Spirit
The English word “Partakers” can be misleading but the Greek word Met-o-Chos is clear and means to be Associated with someone or something but it does not mean to Possess someone or something!
These Jewish people had Seen the Light, Tasted of the Heavenly Gift of the blessings Associated with Salvation through Christ as the Messiah but they had never Possessed the Holy Spirit!
4. They had Tasted the Good Word of God = Gue-Omai
Hebrews 6:6 and have TASTED the Good Word of God
This is the second time that these Jewish people are said to have TASTED something without swallowing it and this time it is the Good RHEMA of God!
5. They had Tasted the POWERS of the Age to Come = Dunamis
Hebrews 6:5 and tasted the Good Word of God and the Powers of the Age to Come!
The writer to the Hebrews had already written these words:
God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
Are there examples in Scripture of people who have been Enlightened, Tasted of the Heavenly Gift, of the Good Word of God and of the Powers of the Age to Come but Fell Away from grace?
What about JUDAS? I wonder what it was like for Judas when he was first ENLIGHTENED and TASTED of the Heavenly Gift and of the Powers of the Age to Come? John 12:38 But though Jesus had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not Believing in Him 39 For this reason they COULD NOT Believe!
What about Simon the Sorcerer? even Simon the sorcerer BELIEVED; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was continually amazed . . .
What about Herod? Mark 6:20 For Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man . . . and when he heard him, he was very perplexed, But he used to ENJOY listening to John!
All of these were enlightened (intellectually persuaded of truth), tasted the heavenly gift (professed but did not possess), were associated with the Holy Spirit (they were around where He was working) and tasted the word of God (tasted but did not swallow) and witnessed the miraculous power of God, but after they “fell away” they never were renewed again(brought back to a place of repentance).
What is the Clear Teaching of Scripture on Eternal Security of the Believer?
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
So, what can we confidently conclude about this passage of warning in Hebrews 6?
Some of these Jewish people that the writer to the Hebrews was targeting were in danger of falling away from the principle of being saved by grace through faith so that they could return to the rituals of religion and if they were to do so, it would mean it would be impossible for them to be renewed again to the enlightenment they had once received!
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,
This was an extremely stern and sobering warning, but notice how the writer to these Hebrews ended this section of Scripture:
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.