Connecting Point: The Letter to the Hebrews Pushes Us to Think About Death and Eternity

Theological debates have long been part of church history. Some scholars and even amateur scholars are well acquainted, prepared, and ready to battle different viewpoints within Christianity while others sit on the sidelines and ask “is this even necessary?” I simply contend that we must be Biblically balanced, recognizing our own personal opinions or presumptions with a key provision: God’s Word is the final authority and our theology must fall in line with the proper understanding and context. We should never try to force the Bible into our own theology.

Let the battle begin… A prominent bone of contention within Christian circles includes Calvinism vs. Arminianism; in layman’s terms: “once saved, always saved” vs. “free will” or one can lose their salvation. In my estimation, these theological positions will be debated until the day of Christ’s return. When doing so we should be graceful with one another, after all, as we mature in Christ there is always room for growth.

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 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. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed, receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end, it will be burned,” (Hebrews 6:4-8).

From the author’s perspective above the Word of God clearly describes an individual who is born again. Keep in mind this letter was written to Jewish converts to Christianity who were under immense pressure to walk away from their fragile Christian faith primarily due to their Jewish heritage. The temptation to fall back to all the religious teachings and practices of Judaism would be spiritually detrimental. Doing so would include dependency on animal sacrifices for atonement of sin, basically wiping away salvation in Christ alone. The author encourages them to stay in the Spirit with Christ.

Verse six in particular brings up many questions as well, stating it impossible for “…who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance.” Falling away has serious implications, meaning without Jesus one has no hope. Certainly, a person can have “religious” experiences and miss out on the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matthew 7:21-23). Life comes full circle through Jesus. David Guzik, often quoted in this column, sees it this way: “If you turn your back on Jesus, don’t expect to find salvation anywhere else, especially in the practice of religion apart from the fullness of Jesus.”

The Letter to the Hebrews dictates how we should interpret the warning messages shared. Approaching the text from hypothetical viewpoints is rather clumsy, even dangerous. Warnings throughout the Bible are always intended for our good. Although the question, “Can someone lose their salvation?” is hotly debated, the author of Hebrews was concerned that some in his audience were tempted to turn away from Jesus. He emphasized staying true to Jesus with grit and determination.