The Horror Of Hardened Rejection
THE HORROR OF HARDENED REJECTION
HEBREWS 6:4-8
These verses remind us not to be lazy but to get on with the task of living out the Christian life.
For some Christians this is one of the most difficult passages in the letter and indeed in all Scripture. They see it as coming in conflict with the eternal perseverance of the saints and they find it difficult to think that no matter what sin a person has committed God should refuse to receive them back.
We should notice first of all that the state described here comes short of the full Christian experience. The Greek rendered “the word of God” (theou rhema, 6:5) does not elsewhere stand for the full gospel message. And quite a number of important, even essential, Christian teachings are missing. For example, nothing is said about love. Can someone be said to have a full Christian experience if they are not practicing love, love to God and to other people? The passage appears to be describing the experience of someone with enough experience of Christianity to know what is meant by it and what its demands are but who in the light of such knowledge rejects it. Perhaps Simon Magus is an example of the kind of thing that is in mind (Acts chapter 8, especially 8:13,20ff.).
The biggest difficulty to many is, however, the suggestion that those who fall away cannot come back. It is not easy in the light of New Testament teaching in general to hold that God will refuse any sinner who calls on him, no matter how grievously they have sinned. But that is not what this passage is saying. Rather, it says that when someone really understands and really rejects Christianity, they put themselves beyond the possibility of real repentance. They harden themselves in their chosen way. The passage does not say that God will refuse them. It says they cannot repent. The present participles rendered “since they crucify … and hold him up to contempt” (6:6) are significant, for they point to continuing attitudes of active hostility to Christ. It is not an occasional sin about which the author writes but a persistent attitude. Some indeed suggest that we should translate “while they crucify …” (RV margin).
But in our concern for such difficulties of interpretation we should not overlook the fact that the passage is giving us all a clear warning of the dangers of going back on the knowledge of Christ that we have. There should be progress in the faith. To slip back is disaster, as even nature teaches (6:7f.).