One In Jesus

Why is it that we fall away when we deliberately continue to sin (Heb 10:26ff)?

Because “no sacrifice for sins is left.” This is obviously the parallel of 10:18, which says that once we’ve been saved, “there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”

You see, Jesus died but once. We enter with him into his death but once — at baptism. We are then resurrected with him — and can no longer re-enter his death.

If we remain true to our faith and our penitence, we never need to find a second forgiveness. We were saved “once for all” and were made “perfect forever.” But if we rebel against Jesus, reject him as Lord, and repudiate the penitence we had at the beginning, we’ve — Continue reading →

We skip ahead to chapter 10, where we see the author recapitulate the thoughts of 6:4-6, but with additional explanation.

It’s important to realize that the first part of chapter 10 culminates a lengthy discussion going back to chapter 7 regarding the “once for all” and “perfect forever” nature of our salvation.

Beginning in Heb 8, the author also offers a midrash (commentary) on Jer 31:31ff, in which Jeremiah explains how the new covenant will be superior to the Mosaic covenant. Therefore, chapter 10 begins in exultation for the wonders of the salvation we have. Continue reading →

Another collateral result of this understanding of Heb 6:4-6 is that our salvation can, at times, be very unsure. While confidence and assurance is always available to us, we often turn our back on God’s promises and slide into a state of jeopardy before we fall away entirely.

Hebrews says,

(Heb 6:10-11)  God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

Our hope is not necessarily sure. And the way to make our hope sure is to serve others. Peter teaches a similar lesson — Continue reading →

As we considered in the last post of this series, Hebrews 6:4-6 teaches that it’s possible for a Christian to so rebel against God that he falls away, and this happens when the Christian can no longer be brought back to repentance. However, as noted in the previous post,

Therefore, we must be careful not to interpret this passage to say that someone who is sorrowful for his sins and wants to return to God will be denied by God. It plainly says no such thing! Nothing here contradicts the Parable of the Prodigal Son. God forgives … Jesus saves … if we are penitent.

We don’t need to imagine that God will reject a penitent believer, but neither do we need to imagine that it’s easy to give up your rebellion and return. Not only is there a point where it becomes impossible to repent, long before then, there’s a time when it’s very difficult to repent. Rebellion is nothing to toy with. It’s seductive, addictive, and extremely difficult to escape. Continue reading →