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It Is Impossible ?

Lewis

Lewis

Member
This Scripture has bugged me for a lot of years, and I think i only talked about it once here somewhere around when I first joined just about 10 years ago. I have heard people try to explain it, but they seem to have trouble with it pastors and everybody else, because of the word IMPOSSIBLE in verse 4 of Hebrews 6:4-6. Years ago Hebrews 6:4-6 use to scare me to death. Because as much as I was messing up, those Scriptures would scare me to death every time I would think of them or read them. I really can't even remember some of the things I heard pastors say on this topic. So what say some of you Holy Ghost filled Bible readers here ?

Hebrews 6:4-6King James Version (KJV)
4 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.
 
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Lewis said:
This Scripture has bugged me for a lot of years, and I think i only talked about it once here somewhere around when I first joined just about 10 years ago. I have heard people try to explain it, but they seem to have trouble with it pastors and everybody else, because of the word IMPOSSIBLE in verse 4 of Hebrews 6:4-6. Years ago Hebrews 6:4-6 use to scare me to death. Because as much as I was messing up, those Scriptures would scare me to death every time I would think of them or read them. I really can't even remember some of the things I heard pastors say on this topic. So what say some of you Holy Ghost filled Bible readers here ?

Hebrews 6:4-6King James Version (KJV)
4 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.
Click to expand...
Lewis, I'm too tired to try to put this in my own words and I have struggled over these verses myself. But I certainly am sure they are talking about someone who has utterly and completely turned from Christ and as 10:26 saying, they believe that the blood of Christ isn't even as precious or able to atone for sin as the blood of bulls and goats.
But here is what Adam Clarke.

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened - Before I proceed to explain the different terms in these verses, it is necessary to give my opinion of their design and meaning:
1. I do not consider them as having any reference to any person professing Christianity.

2. They do not belong, nor are they applicable, to backsliders of any kind.

3. They belong to apostates from Christianity; to such as reject the whole Christian system, and its author, the Lord Jesus.

4. And to those of them only who join with the blaspheming Jews, call Christ an impostor, and vindicate his murderers in having crucified him as a malefactor; and thus they render their salvation impossible, by wilfully and maliciously rejecting the Lord that bought them. No man believing in the Lord Jesus as the great sacrifice for sin, and acknowledging Christianity as a Divine revelation, is here intended, though he may have unfortunately backslidden from any degree of the salvation of God.

The design of these solemn words is evidently, First, to show the Hebrews that apostasy from the highest degrees of grace was possible; and that those who were highest in the favor of God might sin against him, lose it, and perish everlastingly. Secondly, to warn them against such an awful state of perdition, that they might not be led away, by either the persuasions or persecutions of their countrymen, from the truth of the heavenly doctrine which had been delivered to them. And, Thirdly, to point out the destruction which was shortly to come upon the Jewish nation." http://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/hebrews/6.htm
 
Lewis said:
This Scripture has bugged me for a lot of years, and I think i only talked about it once here somewhere around when I first joined just about 10 years ago. I have heard people try to explain it, but they seem to have trouble with it pastors and everybody else, because of the word IMPOSSIBLE in verse 4 of Hebrews 6:4-6. Years ago Hebrews 6:4-6 use to scare me to death. Because as much as I was messing up, those Scriptures would scare me to death every time I would think of them or read them. I really can't even remember some of the things I heard pastors say on this topic. So what say some of you Holy Ghost filled Bible readers here ?

Hebrews 6:4-6King James Version (KJV)
4 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.
Click to expand...
This is long, and takes study. But if you want to know Here it is. From Amador Bible studies.
¹Adu/naton ga\r tou\j aÀpac fwtisqe/ntaj, geusame/nouj te th=j dwrea=j th=j e)pourani¿ou kaiì meto/xouj genhqe/ntaj pneu/matoj a(gi¿ou


¹Adu/naton ga\r tou\j aÀpac fwtisqe/ntaj, - is the explanatory use of the postpositive conjunction GAR, meaning “For,” introducing an example of a believer who does not move on to spiritual maturity. With this we have the predicate nominative from the neuter singular adjective ADUNATOS, meaning “incapable of happening or being done, impossible with and without e)sti/n: it is impossible Mt 19:26; Mk 10:27; Lk 18:27; Heb 6:4, 18; 10:4; 11:6.”[1] We have the ellipsis or deliberate omission of EIMI here, which is also the main verb in this sentence in verses 4-6. This is followed by the accusative direct object from the masculine plural articular aorist passive participle from the verb PHWTIZW, which means “in its transitive use to make known in reference to the inner life and thus enlighten, give light to, shed light upon Jn 1:9; to enlighten everyone about God’s private/mysterious plan Eph 3:9; enlightened in the eyes of (your) heart Eph 1:18; Heb 6:4; 10:32.”[2]

The article is used as a relative pronoun with an embedded demonstrative pronoun, which is translated “those who.”

The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, which looks at the action of enlightening a person in its entirety as a past completed action. It is translated by the English auxiliary verb “have.”

The passive voice indicates that the believers described here have already received the action of being enlightened spiritually by the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in common grace, which made the gospel a reality to them, with the result that they believed in Christ.

The participle is circumstantial, adding a background circumstance to the main thought—it is impossible to restore/renew again to a change of mind (verse 6).

With this we have the adverb of time HAPAX, meaning “a single occurrence and decisively unique, once and for all Heb 10:2; Jude 3, 5; once Heb 6:4.”[3]


“For it is impossible…those who have once been enlightened”


geusame/nouj te th=j dwrea=j th=j e)pourani¿ou - is the postpositive conjunction TE, used as “a marker of connection between coordinate non-sequential items; used alone, meaning and: te thus connects single concepts, parts of clauses, or words 1 Cor 4:21; Mt 27:48; 28:12; Acts 2:33; 10:22; 20:11; 28:23; Heb 1:3; 6:4-5; 9:1.”[4] With this we have the accusative masculine plural direct object from the aorist deponent middle participle of the verb GEUOMAI, which means “taste used figuratively meaning to come to know, partake of, obtain a gift Heb 6:4.”[5]

The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, which regards the action in its entirety as a past, completed act. It is translated by the English auxiliary verb “have.”

The deponent middle voice is active in meaning, the believer described here having produced the action of tasting/partaking of the heavenly gift of eternal salvation. Eternal salvation is described in Eph 2:8 as a gift of God, “For on the basis of grace you have been saved with the result that you are saved through faith; and this [salvation] [is] not from the source of yourselves; [it is] a gift from God.”

The participle is again circumstantial.

This is followed by the genitive direct object from the feminine singular article and noun DWREA, which means “gift” with the second attributive position article and adjective EPOURANIOS, meaning “heavenly 1 Cor 15:48; Heb 3:1; 6:4; 11:16; 12:22; 2 Tim 4:18.”[6]


“and have partaken of the heavenly gift”


kaiì meto/xouj genhqe/ntaj pneu/matoj a(gi¿ou- is the continuative use of the conjunction KAI, meaning “and,” followed by the accusative direct object from the masculine plural adjective METOCHOS, used as a substantive, meaning “sharers/partners/participants; in [or with] the Holy Spirit 6:4.”[7] Then we have the accusative masculine plural aorist deponent passive participle from the verb GINOMAI, which means “to become.”

The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, which views the action in its entirety as a past, completed action. It is translated by the English auxiliary verb “have.”

The deponent passive voice is active in meaning, the believer having produced the action of becoming a partner or sharer of the Holy Spirit.

The participle is circumstantial.

Finally, we have the genitive of association from the neuter singular noun PNEUMA and the adjective HAGIOS, meaning “with the Holy Spirit.”


“and have become partners with the Holy Spirit,”
 
Heb 6:4 corrected translation

“For it is impossible…those who have once been enlightened and have partaken of the heavenly gift and have become partners with the Holy Spirit,”


Explanation:


1. “For it is impossible…those [believers] who have once been enlightened”

a. The writer continues with an example of a believer who does not advance to spiritual maturity. The entire sentence is contained in verses 4-6, and so we will not have a complete translation until verse six. In the meantime, we will deal with each qualifying phrase.

b. The basic core of the sentence is the fact that “it is impossible” to do something, which will be explained in verse six as renewing/restoring the inner man of the believer, as per 2 Cor 4:16, “Therefore, we do not despair, but although our outer man is being destroyed, yet our inner man is being renewed [the synonymous verb ANAKAINOW is used here] day after day.” Compare also Col 3:10, “and put on the new man, who is being renewed [ANAKAINOW] for the purpose of epignosis knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”

c. The implied subject of this sentence is God the Holy Spirit, who is the mentor and helper of the believer after salvation.

d. The first qualifying phrase is those who have once been enlightened.

(1) The subject “those who” refers to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know these are believers, because only believers have partaken of the heavenly gift of eternal salvation and have become partners with the Holy Spirit (the next two qualifying phrases).

(2) The enlightening is the ministry of common grace to every believer, in which God the Holy Spirit makes the gift of eternal salvation a reality in the mind of the person who has heard the gospel message.

(3) The temporal adverb once refers to that one time when the person who believes in Christ first understands the reality of eternal salvation through faith in Christ. At the point of faith in Christ, the believer is saved, and God the Holy Spirit makes this new spiritual status a reality in the mind of the believer. He has been enlightened by God the Holy Spirit to the fact he has eternal life.

(4) Efficacious grace and eternal salvation become a reality in the mind of the person who has believed in Christ. This is the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, which begins at the point of salvation and continues through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit for the rest of the believer’s life.

e. Every person who believes in Christ has been enlightened by God the Holy Spirit at least once in their spiritual life—at the point of salvation. This is the function of common and efficacious grace. This is mentioned as well in Heb 10:32, “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings.”

f. The unbeliever is said in 2 Cor 4:3-4 to not be enlightened, “And even if our gospel is veiled, and it is, it is hidden from those who are being destroyed, in whom, the god of this age has blinded their unbelieving minds, that they might not see distinctly and discern the truth [illumination] of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Compare verse 6, “Because God [Holy Spirit] who said, ‘Light shine forth out of darkness, [is] the One who shines forth in our hearts for the purpose of the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God [the Father] because of the person of Jesus Christ.’”


2. “and have partaken of the heavenly gift [eternal salvation]”

a. The second qualifying phrase refers to the believer receiving the greatest gift of God, which is eternal salvation. As we have already seen, eternal salvation is called “the gift of God” in Eph 2:8. This is also mentioned in Jn 4:10, “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’”

b. Every believer in Christ has partaken of eternal salvation. The culminative aorist indicates that the subject has already completed the action of tasting or partaking. The action of being saved already occurred for the believer in the past.

c. The verb GEUOMAI means to taste, to come to know, to partake of, or to obtain a gift. Believers in time have completely and totally come to know, partaken of, and obtained the gift of eternal life. We taste it now, and will continue to taste it forever.


3. “and have become partners with the Holy Spirit,”

a. The third qualifying phrase is that all believers have become partners with the Holy Spirit.

b. This is a reference to the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit.

c. All Church Age believers are in partnership with God the Holy Spirit in the execution of the spiritual life.

d. All believers are indwelt with the Spirit and will always be indwelt by the Spirit.

e. This same concept is mentioned in:

(1) Phil 2:1, “Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, and there is, if there is any comfort from love, and there is, if there is any fellowship [association, partnership] with the Spirit, and there is, if there is any affections [emotional response to doctrine] and mercies, and there are,…”

(2) 2 Pet 1:4, “Through which things [pertaining to the spiritual life] He has bestowed on us His precious and great promises, in order that through these things you may become partners of the divine nature, after you have escaped from the corruption in the world because of lust.”

(3) 1 Cor 3:16, “Do you not understand that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you?”

(4) 1 Cor 6:19, “Or do you not understand that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God and you are not your own?”

f. We are partners with the Holy Spirit in the execution of the spiritual life and the glorification of both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.




[1] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 22). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[2] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 1074). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[3] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 97). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[4] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 993). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[5] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 195). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[6] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 388). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[7] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 642). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
 
Hebrews 6: 1-8 - The Peril of Falling Away

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God permits. 4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sale it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." (NASB)

It does state that there can be a falling away from our Lord, and that for those in leadership who fall away, it is much worse for them. For they, in their falling away, can cause others to fall away as well.
 
Vs 5~~
kaiì kalo\n geusame/nouj qeou= r(h=ma duna/meij te me/llontoj ai¹w½noj


kaiì kalo\n geusame/nouj qeou= r(h=ma - is the continuative use of the conjunction KAI, meaning “and,” followed by the accusative neuter singular direct object from the adjective KALOS, meaning “good, excellent, or noble.” Then we have the accusative masculine plural aorist deponent middle participle from the verb GEUOMAI, which again means “to taste in the sense of to come to know something: death Mt 16:28; Mk 9:1; Lk 9:27; Jn 8:52; Heb 2:9, “He might experience death for everyone”; partake of knowledge; obtain a gift Heb 6:4; a word of God verse 5.”[1]

The aorist tense is a culminative aorist, which looks at the action in its entirety as a past, completed fact. It is translated by the English auxiliary verb “have.”

The deponent middle voice is active in meaning, the reversionistic believer having produced the action.

The participle is circumstantial.

This is followed by the subjective genitive from the masculine singular noun THEOS, meaning “of God.” Then we have the accusative direct object from the neuter singular noun HRĒMA, which means “word, saying, expression, or statement of any kind; it often takes a special significance from the context: prophecy, prediction, declaration, command(ment), order, direction; Heb 11:3, the word of God; Heb 1:3, the word of His power; Rom 10:17; speech, sermon, proclamation; their preaching Rom 10:18; of pronouncements of (Christian) teaching or of divine understanding; teachings. Generally the singular brings together all the divine teachings as a unified whole, with some such meaning as gospel, or confession: Rom 10:8a, the word is near you; with the subjective genitive: the word of God Eph 6:17; Heb 6:5; the word of the Lord 1 Pet 1:25.”[2]


“and have partaken of the good word of God”


duna/meij te me/llontoj ai¹w½noj - is the postpositive conjunction TE, used as a “marker of connection between coordinate non-sequential items, meaning and 1 Cor 4:21; Heb 6:5.”[3] With this we have the accusative feminine plural direct object from the noun DUNAMIS, meaning “powers.” This is a reference to the power of the word of God and the power of the filling of the Spirit, which will both exist during the millennial reign of Christ. Then we have the descriptive genitive masculine singular present active ascriptive participle from the verb MELLW, which means “to be about to.” However, “the participle is used absolutely in the meaning (in the) future, to come—the age to come, which brings the reign of God Mt 12:32; Eph 1:21; Heb 6:5.”[4] The participle functions as an adjective, modifying the following genitive masculine singular noun AIWN, meaning “age” and referring to the millennial reign of Christ, which is the next “age” in God’s plan for the “ages” of human history.

“and the powers of the age to come,”
 
Heb 6:5 corrected translation

“and have partaken of the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,”


Explanation:


1. “and have partaken of the good word of God”

a. The sentence thus far reads: “For it is impossible…those who have once been enlightened and have partaken of the heavenly gift and have become partners with the Holy Spirit, and have partaken of the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,…”

b. The writer continues with two more characteristics of the people he is describing. They have partaken of the good word of God and they have partaken of the powers of the age to come.

c. The first characteristic of the reversionistic believer described here is they have partaken of the good word of God. This refers to two events in the spiritual life of the reversionistic believer.

(1) All believers have partaken of the good word of God at the point of believing in Christ for their eternal salvation. The good word of God in that case is the message of the gospel.

(2) In the case of the reversionistic believers being described here, they were at some point positive to the teaching of the word of God, but have now rejected that teaching. While they were still positive to doctrine, they were partaking of the good word of God.

d. Related Scripture:

(1) Peter uses a slightly similar expression in 1 Pet 2:3, “if you have experienced [GEUOMAI = tasted] that the Lord is kind, and you have.”

(2) God’s word is said to be eatable and sweet to the taste in:

(a) Ezek 2:8, “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

(b) Ezek 3:1-3, “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.’ Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.”

(c) Rev 10:9, “So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, ‘Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’”


2. “and the powers of the age to come,”

a. The second characteristic mentioned in this verse of the people the writer is describing is that they have partaken of the powers of the age to come.

b. The age to come is the millennial reign of Christ, as mentioned in:

(1) Mt 12:32, “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

(2) Lk 18:29-30, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”

(3) Lk 20:34-36, “The sons of this age [the Jewish Age] marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age [the millennium] and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”

(4) Eph 2:7, “in order that He might show in the coming ages [the millennial and eternal state] the surpassing riches of His grace in generosity toward us in Christ Jesus.”

c. The powers (plural) refers to the two power options of the spiritual life—the filling of the Holy Spirit, which occurs at the moment of salvation, and the power of the word of God in the soul of the believer, which was mentioned in the previous phrase “and have partaken of the good word of God.”

d. The believers being described by the writer were positive to the teaching of the word of God at some previous point in their spiritual experience. Now they have gone into reversionism and have rejected the power of the word of God in their life.

e. The word of God is alive and powerful. This is true in every age of human history, and will be just as true during the millennial reign of Christ as it is now during the Church Age.

f. The millennial reign of Christ will be characterized by the same two power options that are operational during the Church Age—the filling of the Spirit and the word of God circulating in the stream of consciousness.

g. Believers during the Church Age get to experience both these powers now as a taste of what is to come.

h. The reversionistic believers being described here experience these two power options of the spiritual life, but then reject their function and use in their spiritual life.

i. This verse is further proof that those being described by the writer here are definitely believers, because only a believer in Christ can partake or taste or experience the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.




[1] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 195). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[2] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 905). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[3] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 993). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.



[4] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (Page 628). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
 
Hebrews 6:4-6 It does not teach that we can lose our salvation.One interpretation says that this passage is written not about Christians but about unbelievers who are convinced of the basic truth but who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
The other interpretation says that this passage is written about Christians,and that phrases"partakes of the Holy Ghost,"enlightened,"and" tasted of the heavenly gift" are the descriptions of true believers.
Both interpretations support security for the believer in Christ.The first interpretation presents unbelievers rejecting Christ and losing the chance of salvation;the second interpretation is the idea of believers losing salvation as impossible.Many Scriptures say that salvation is eternal John 10:27-29;Romans 8:35;1 Peter 1:4-5.
 
Hebrews 6:4-6 teaches that one can forfeit their salvation, and if it is one who was actually enlightened, thus knowing the full extent of what they are rejecting, then there is nothing left in reserve to reverse their decision and bring them back. Fortunately most people who reject Christ are not enlightened, but ignorant, therefore still salvageable given appropriate witnessing.
 
Lewis said:
This Scripture has bugged me for a lot of years (Heb 6:4-6)
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I believe Matthew Henry has explained -- what pertains to Jewish people who could still turn away from Christ to Moses -- very well:
And here,1. He shows how far persons may go in religion, and, after all, fall away, and perish for ever, v. 4, v. 5.

(1.) They may be enlightened. Some of the ancients understand this of their being baptized; but it is rather to be understood of notional knowledge and common illumination, of which persons may have a great deal, and yet come short of heaven. Balaam was the man whose eyes were opened (Num. 24:3 ), and yet with his eyes opened he went down to utter darkness.

(2.) They may taste of the heavenly gift, feel something of the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in his operations upon their souls, causing them to taste something of religion, and yet be like persons in the market, who taste of what they will not come up to the price of, and so but take a taste, and leave it. Persons may taste religion, and seem to like it, if they could have it upon easier terms than denying themselves, and taking up their cross, and following Christ.

(3.) They may be made partakers of the Holy Ghost, that is, of his extraordinary and miraculous gifts; they may have cast out devils in the name of Christ, and done many other mighty works. Such gifts in the apostolic age were sometimes bestowed upon those who had no true saving grace.

(4.) They may taste of the good word of God; they may have some relish of gospel doctrines, may hear the word with pleasure, may remember much of it, and talk well of it, and yet never be cast into the form and mould of it, nor have it dwelling richly in them.

(5.) They may have tasted of the powers of the world to come; they may have been under strong impressions concerning heaven, and dread of going to hell. These lengths hypocrites may go, and, after all, turn apostates.

Now hence observe, [1.] These great things are spoken here of those who may fall away; yet it is not here said of them that they were truly converted, or that they were justified; there is more in true saving grace than in all that is here said of apostates. [2.] This therefore is no proof of the final apostasy of true saints.
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Lewis said:
This Scripture has bugged me for a lot of years, and I think i only talked about it once here somewhere around when I first joined just about 10 years ago. I have heard people try to explain it, but they seem to have trouble with it pastors and everybody else, because of the word IMPOSSIBLE in verse 4 of Hebrews 6:4-6. Years ago Hebrews 6:4-6 use to scare me to death. Because as much as I was messing up, those Scriptures would scare me to death every time I would think of them or read them. I really can't even remember some of the things I heard pastors say on this topic. So what say some of you Holy Ghost filled Bible readers here ?

Hebrews 6:4-6King James Version (KJV)
4 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.
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The key words here are impossible and if.
It is impossible, period.
If it was something that we could do, the passage would read "when they shall fall away" rather than "if they shall fall away".
 
Lewis said:
This Scripture has bugged me for a lot of years, and I think i only talked about it once here somewhere around when I first joined just about 10 years ago. I have heard people try to explain it, but they seem to have trouble with it pastors and everybody else, because of the word IMPOSSIBLE in verse 4 of Hebrews 6:4-6. Years ago Hebrews 6:4-6 use to scare me to death. Because as much as I was messing up, those Scriptures would scare me to death every time I would think of them or read them. I really can't even remember some of the things I heard pastors say on this topic. So what say some of you Holy Ghost filled Bible readers here ?

Hebrews 6:4-6King James Version (KJV)
4 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.
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How is it possible to repent of something one does not believe?

There is but one way to salvation and that is through the blood of Jesus.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

These that turned back had partook of the Holy Spirit as the word was preached to them, they had seen the miracles performed, and that not persuading them would never be convinced. These present to me those below:
Act 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Act 13:39 And by him (Jesus) all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Act 13:40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
Act 13:41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? In other words in my thinking, if now they don’t even believe Jesus’ blood holy, what else is there for them? Their minds are impossibly set.
 
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