It is Impossible

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. Hebrews 6:4-6

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. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry 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 not able to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,"although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 3:12 – 4:3

The issue in Hebrews is unbelief and disobedience. These are those that have fallen away and were not able to enter into His rest. This passage speaks directly about those folks who came out of Egypt having been led by Moses. My personal contention is that we cannot lose our salvation, that is, fall from grace and neither is a believer able to ‘backslide’ into the condition that he was before becoming a born again believer in Jesus Christ.

…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… Hebrews 6:4-5

Be very careful with ‘proof texting’. That is, removing a text from God’s Word in order to prove a point. Always, always, always study God’s Word within the context of the message of Scripture. Never, never remove form the context any text to prove doctrine. Do not bring your personal experiences nor what others have said to you to the Lord’s Table. Allow Him to provide the meal and you feast upon it….leave it in context.

With that in mind….look at verses 4 and 5 and study them within the message of Christ found in the following passage.
The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, 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. "I and the Father are one." Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. John 10:24-31.

The message of Christ is, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. " within this framework, look again at Hebrews 6:4-5

…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…

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. Hebrew 4:2

And now we must consider the ideas of ‘backsliding and salvation lost or falling from grace’. There is no gray area here because of these two phrases, ‘It is impossible’ and ‘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’ that precede and follow ‘…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…

One might say, but I know ‘so and so’ who was saved, that is to say, ‘walked the aisle, made a public profession of faith, was baptized by the Pastor, joined the choir, stopped drinking, smoking, using drugs, foul language, fornication, gossiping, pornography, country western music, playing the drums, bought a hybrid car, cut his hair, pulled his pants up and all those other sins. He began to follow the straight and narrow.’ Four or five years later he became disgruntled with the Sunday School teacher and a deacon and jumped right back into all of that stuff, but Praise the Lord, he came to church this morning and Rededicated his Life to the Lord. Why, he even burned his guitar this afternoon. He was just ‘backslidden’.

And I have a piece of the original Cross of Jesus Christ that was given to me by a certain TV Evangelist that visited Golgotha and picked up this sliver of wood. He sent it to me with his blessing because I gave him $5.00 so he could stay on the air, and I want to give it to you.

Fish cannot swim out of water…..

And tomorrow I will give you the reasons why. In the mean time, study and read God’s Word before listening to others. Including me.