Subject – WHAT BELIEVER IS DOING WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO?
Text – Hebrews 6:6 (read vv.4-6)
“IT IS IMPOSSIBLE for those who have once been enlightened who have tasted the heavenly gifts; who have shared in the Holy Spirit 5. Who have tasted the goodness of the word of God, and the powers of the coming age; 6. And who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance; to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV)
“For IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO WERE ONCE ENLIGHTENED, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6 (KJV)
INTRODUCTION –
“Can a Christian lose his salvation?” Usually when I hear this question raised, It is followed by people who think that because there are so many Theologians and Scholars debating over this question , it must be one with more than one meaning. Let us at least consider these three passages of scriptures in our search for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge on this issue :
“ For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33
“ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10. this is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” 1 John 3:5-9 (NIV)
When we find ourselves debating the exegesis on a passage of scripture, we ought to go through a checklist of questions:
- Are we questioning the Bible’s meaning or man’s exegesis?
- Are we truly searching the scriptures?
- Are we depending on what the Bible is teaching?
So just because different Theologians and Scholars don’t agree with their understanding of this doctrine, that doesn’t mean that their confusion comes from the Bible; the confusion has to be in their misunderstanding or agreement of what the Bible has to say on this subject.
I don’t believe that we can address the issue of one losing his salvation without considering what Hebrews 6: 4-6 says about it. As we look into Hebrews 6 as the passage for our text today, Let us keep this question in mind as we look into our textual passages for today:
“WHAT BELIEVER IS DOING WHAT THE WORD OF GOD
SAYS IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO?”
POINTS – What “Believer” is able to accomplish the following things?
- “It Is Impossible For THOSE WHO WERE ONCE ENLIGHTENED . . . And were made partakers of the Holy Ghost” – The key here is the IMPOSSIBILITY for one who once saved , received the Holy Ghost, and received heavenly gifts to accomplish the following acts. The very thought of one being indwelt with the Holy Ghost and then having the Holy Ghost being forced to leave is preposterous! (expound).
- “Who Have Tasted The Goodness Of The Word Of God” – We’re not talking about someone who simply heard the word, believed the word, and even followed the word. But we’re talking about someone who along with doing those things they also became one with the word! (Expound).
- “And The Powers Of The World To Come” – There are a number of powers that the Bible teaches us that Believers will have (expound).
- “. . . IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY” – It is impossible for those who have received these gifts and later rejected and/or cast them aside . . .
- “TO RENEW THEM AGAIN UNTO REPENTANCE!”
CONCLUSION –
You see beloved, it is not merely just questioning if a Christian can lose their salvation or not; the scriptures let us know that that is not possible. However, the question for us to ponder is whether the person who says they are a Believer is really a Believer indeed! There are a multitude of scriptures that we can refer to that will allow us to know whether a person is a Believer or not (expound and conclude).