6:7-8
There are five warning passages in the book of Hebrews (Heb 2:1-4 / 3:7-19 / 5:11–6:12 / 10:19-39 / 12:14-29) …the warning in Hebrews 6:4-6 which I talked about last week is both the most severely worded and also most widely misunderstood.
It’s not my intention to re-preach that sermon…But the importance of those verses cannot be overlooked…as we move on in chapter 6 and in order to fully understand today’s message it’s imperative to see how these verses tie together so it’s necessary to reiterate the meaning of [vs. 4-5] …that as Christians we:
4 have been enlightened…having experienced the heavenly gift …having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit…5having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, are all ongoing blessings that continue throughout our lifetime.
In the Greek all the phrases in [4,5] …having been enlightened…having tasted …having become…are all indicating past tense…BUT in the Greek the aorist tense indicates it’s more defined than that.
The aorist tense indicates completed action…BUT… here’s where things become truly meaningful…here’s where the promise of these phrases gets lost in the English translation…in the Greek the aorist tense indicates not only what happened in the past…BUT…has continuing results in the present…it doesn’t stop…as a Christian you will experience them throughout your life.
The difficulty in reading this verse and the somewhat misleading meaning is because of the second part of verse 6:
Then having fallen away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance
The confusion is…it’s assumed that the author is referring to Christians because of the description of the blessing that immediately precedes it:
…being partakers of the Holy Spirit
…tasted the good word of God
…who will forever experience the powers of the age to come
The immediate transition into those who have fallen away and the impossibility in renewing them causes an interpretation that is baseless.
The aorist tense is defining what will continue as the result of being a Christian:
…you will continue to be a partaker of the Holy Spirit;
…you will continue to taste the good word of God;
…and you will forever experience the powers of the age to come.
Two things…First…the Bible was written for Christians…not unbelievers… there are verses that apply to unbelievers but Scripture indicates everything in the Bible is foolishness to them so any warnings go unheeded.
Second…the argument that a true Christian can fall from grace as verse six suggests is based on a false premise…the Greek aorist tense in [v 4-5] gives clarification and is actually affirming our eternal security.
So, who are those who have tasted the good word of God and then fell away never to be renewed again to repentance if they aren’t Christians? …Who are these people described in vs 6?
He’s identifying the apostate unbeliever…false believers who were associated with God’s people and the blessings of salvation [4-5] but who were not truly saved.
…people who recanted their commitment to Jesus;
…people who had no intent or desire to return to Christianity;
…people who may have identified themselves as Christians…but weren’t;
…people who have a conscious, unrepentant denial of Christ;
…people who have no desire for the things of God;
…people whose hearts have become so hardened that it is beyond any help;
For people who were exposed to the blessing of God and fall away through deliberate unbelief and denial of Christ…repentance is impossible.
But wait…Scripture says they did experience the blessing of God…is it possible for non-believers to experience God’s blessing if they aren’t Christians?
The answer is YES…it is possible for people who have no remote thought of being or of ever becoming a Christian to experience God’s blessing.
Scripture speaks of God’s care for believers and unbelievers alike…at times they share the same blessing from God…for the unbeliever they experience something of God’s benevolence…what is called His ‘common grace’, His grace that sustains the universe.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [Matt. 5:45]
To emphasize this the writer gives the analogy of two different kinds of fields
…one is a field that is fruitful and blessed
…the other is a field that is barren and cursed
This is where we come to today’s message…the analogy that the writer uses in 6:7-8 to explain 6:4-6 is a major key to interpreting this text:
7 For land that drinks in the rain…falling on it and…produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God. 8But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
This verse is evidence that the author is writing to Christians…the analogy of two fields [6:7-8] represents two kinds of Christians…one fruitful…the other fruitless.
It’s a passage about the discipline that God gives to Christians who are unfruitful…explaining the restorative work of God in helping unfruitful Christians…not unbelievers…but Christians to become fruitful again.
The ground that drinks the rain which falls upon it is a reference to all the blessings of [vs 4–5] …having been enlightened…having experienced heavenly gifts…having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit…having experienced the word of God and the powers of the age to come.
It’s the combination of all of the blessings from God that should in turn bring forth vegetation useful to those to whom it was given…when we live as God wants and desires…we are a blessing to others…being blessed by God.
BUT…when we are fruitless and produce no life then we are like a field without vegetation…the result is we become useless producing thorns and thistles…God chastens us…symbolically cursing the ground and burning the field referring to God’s chastisement…symbolic of how God deals with Christians.
If you have ever been in the Flint Hills in the spring you’ve noticed farmers burning their fields to remove unwanted plants that compete with the grass…to help the grass that is about to come up.
This analogy is what God does to us…for us…when we experience the word of God coming to us to shape our lives, but fall out of fellowship with God…it’s reflecting a life that has become stagnate…there’s no spiritual growth…we become that field that has no vegetation in our lives resulting in:
Loss of intimacy with God…an interruption in our spiritual growth…a prayer life diminished of any power…a lack of ability to understand and apply God’s Word.
There are three key words in this verse that define the way God works in the life of a believer and the way God works in the life of an unbeliever.
Three key words in this verse: ‘worthless’… ‘cursed’ …and ‘burned.’
The word “worthless” (ἀδόκιμος)
The word worthless is used 8 times in the New Testament…it is a strong word of rejection…the word was originally used of metals that were rejected by refiners because of impurities…the word came to include the ideas of being disapproved or disqualified.
With respect to God…this is the rejecting mind of the unbeliever [Rom 1:28] who is spiritually depraved…worthless and useless…as opposed to the Christian who occasionally falls out of fellowship with God…but in the case of the Christian, God sets out to rescue them.
The word “cursed” (κατάρα)
The word cursedis similar…the word does not refer to an action, but to someone wishing evil on someone…in this context it implies God’s righteous judgment on that which is unfruitful.
A warning to Christians who are disobedient…not that they are at risk in losing their salvation but they do risk bringing the curse of God on them…in this text it is a warning to those Christians who have drunk the rain of God’s goodness year after year but have not brought forth any fruit.
The word “Burned” (καῦσις)
The third key term ‘burned’ is not the normal word for fire…this word is a noun that is only used one time in Scripture…not referring to hell…on the contrary.
Two Things
ONE…as a Christian, if you allow yourself to continue to drift into sin with no zealous pursuit of holiness with little desire to return to Jesus…you face the possibility of remaining in that condition…there will come a time when the hardness of your heart will not be able to repent.
TWO…on that day when God passes out rewards their rewards will be burned up…that person will be found to be wanting…and will suffer loss of rewards. [1 Cor. 3:15] …the warning is to professing Christians whose lives produce only the equivalent of weeds.
Putting the three terms together:
When the meaning and significance of these three words are considered together, we learn that Hebrews 6:7-8 is not saying anything about God sending people to hell…no shortage of people wanting to make this the meaning of this verse.
Goes back to the difference between the believer and the non-believer…when a Christian fails to live as God desires, the result is they become useless…God will figuratively…curse the ground and burn over the field of their life so that the field can be properly plowed and planted in the future.
On the surface this sounds a little harsh but the author of Hebrews states elsewhere that the Lord disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6), this is another reference to His Godly judgement.
Here’s the mistake…heard it before with the pretend Christian living a carnal lifestyle…heard it from the unbeliever who thinks they can change…they think that they will clean things up in their old age…TWO THINGS:
ONE…no guarantee you will ever see ‘old age.’ [James 4:14] you do not know what will happen tomorrow…your life…is like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
TWO…they have the mistaken idea that ‘I can abandon my worldly lusts and pursue holiness anytime I want to’ …NO you can’t…here’s the fallacy with that type of thinking that I can become a Christian any time I want to…NO you can’t.
1) You have to have faith that God exists:
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists [Hebrews 11:6]
Where does faith come from? Faith is a gift from God. That is why you can’t take credit for your salvation…or make the determination that you’re going to save yourself.
2) You must ask for forgiveness…two reasons people don’t ask for forgiveness of sin…1) I haven’t done anything wrong…you have…Bible says so…all have sinned [Rom. 3:23] …2) no one is going to repent if he isn’t sorry for his sins.
Here’s what unbelievers don’t understand…repentance is not being sorry for what we’ve done…or being sorry for fear of punishment…repentance is a hatred of sin because I know it grieves God and I don’t want to do that any more.
The only way to remove sin from God’s mind is to confess it [1 John 1:9] and ask for God’s forgiveness.
The day will come when people may try to repent but will not be able to…goes back to the idea I can become a Christian whenever I want…NO you can’t… that’s the result of becoming ‘dull of hearing’ [5:11]. They have become so hardened and addicted to the world, they can’t feel God’s spiritual conviction.
You will become deceived by the hardness of sin and will forever remain outside of God’s presence…no longer being in a state of obedience…not having the ability to recognize the Holy Spirit’s voice…it is only through God’s convicting and convincing that you can truly repent.
Here’s how God does this…God doesn’t use guilt…He uses conviction…a side-by-side comparison between guilt and conviction reveals the difference.
1. How long does guilt last: forever
How long does conviction last: until we take care of the sin in our life.
2. What steps can we take to rid ourselves of guilt: Who knows?
What steps to rid ourselves of conviction: confess our sins and repent.
3. What is the result of guilt: makes us miserable
What are the results of conviction: restores us into a right relationship with God.
Side note…Christians should never use guilt to motivate others…God doesn’t… neither should we…but…for the pretend Christian living a carnal lifestyle…and the unbeliever who thinks they can change when they want…NO you can’t.
That is why this verse is so graphic in describing how God deals with believers when we backslide…he is stressing the importance of not falling away from our conviction…said all that so I can say this…here’s the intent of today’s verses:
—This passage is explaining the disciplinary and restorative work of God in helping unfruitful Christians to become fruitful again.
—This passage is not talking about Christians losing their salvation.
—This passage is a warning for us to realize the enormity of our commitment and responsibility to remain faithful.
—This passage is a warning that Christians are subject to a particularly harsh chastisement from God…for those who have drunk the rain of God’s goodness year after year but have no fruit so show for it.
—That not all who say, ‘Lord, Lord’ are God’s people…many people who display Christ-like lifestyles and profess His name will be cast out for Jesus never knew them.
Perseverance in faith proves that you are a partaker in Christ…language that cannot be applied to someone who has no remorse or regret for their sins…
who doesn’t relish the truth of God…sees no beauty in it…derives no comfort
from it.
It is only the true Christian who will experience the benefits of verses 4-5 …throughout not only their earthly life but in the life to come.
As Christians we can choose to live a spiritual, godly life, where we mature in the faith fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives by becoming a field that yields vegetation…OR…we can live a worldly lifestyle that is fruitless becoming a field without vegetation.