Hebrews 6 Bible CommentaryPosted by Grossman Pettersson on March 30th, 2021 Judaism laid the foundation for the coming of Jesus Christ and the preparation for their entering into the new covenant with God. These individuals must go on to a mature faith in Christ. What are these "elementary teachings about the Christ"? The metaphor for "foundation" refers to the ABC's or elementary truths as opposed to maturity. Since we have ruled out the possibility that these verses reference true believers, it must mean something else. It could mean they experienced Jesus’ ministry, which was done through the power of the Spirit. Or they may have experienced the apostles’ ministry, which was also done through the power of the Spirit. Or perhaps the church as a whole receives the Spirit and because they join the group, the “overflow” of the Spirit’s ministry touches their lives too. In the last passage in chapter five, the writer is encouraging his readers to wake up from their spiritual lethargy. They need to start paying attention, start obeying, and start passing on the things they have learned. The spiritual infant is concerned with self rather than service. Since there are four major interpretations of this controversial passage, I would suggest you list and briefly state each one in your sermon. You can then express to your people which interpretation you think best fits the context and preach the passage in that way. Point out they serve to illustrate what the author has been saying. To "go on to perfection," requires leaving the first principles enumerated above. There is nothing people can do that will cause The God to grant them salvation; it has already been bestowed upon them. It is not a matter of accessibility, and no one has to "appropriate" that salvation which is in Christ Jesus. The author's seven recommendations are still relevant today for those who believe that Jesus is the messiah, or the christ. There is no need to cling to any of the outward forms of religion as so many insist on doing. We must read the Bible in context, and recognise that the word, 'therefore', is joining us to something important that went before. Charles Templeton is an example of a man who surely had "once been enlightened", had "tasted of the heavenly gift", had been made a partaker "of the Holy Spirit", had "tasted the good word of God" and the "power of the age to come." Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. So the author was well acquainted with the teaching of justification by faith but failed to mention it in our passage of study. So in summary, to "fall away" is to fall away from a profession of salvation and into a state of perdition . How essential that we do not remain in spiritual infancy or become deaf to the great biblical truths, that are ours in Christ. We are not to simply remain with the initial joy, in believing that we are a sinner for whom Christ died, but are to grow in grace, so that our joy may become full. We are not to constantly revisit the sins that have already been forgiven, and keep on repenting of those same sins. We are to move on from the simple understanding that good works cannot save us, to a life that is lived in the power of the Spirit, as we abide in Christ and He in us. We are to progress into a deeper relationship with the Lord, and to develop a more secure faith in Christ's sufficient grace, in every circumstance of life. Once we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are to grow and mature in our Christian walk. In order to even start the salvation process, you must have faith in Christ's blood — His atoning sacrifice for your sins. These works also were "dead" in that they could not produce eternal life. They were unable to purge the conscience of the guilt of sin. Jesus begins and ends every Christian's eternal salvation. But it is axiomatic that everything God begins spiritually, through human instruments, must start the smallest. Notice that this section starts with the word �for.� We need to look back to see what the �for� refers to. Not even the temporal fulfillment in the multiplication of his seed and the inheritance of the Promised Land, much less the spiritual fulfillment in Christ, was during his own life. It is possible to be so resistant to spiritual growth that God decides to leave us static and we cease to make further progress? God is slow to anger, but he does not ignore hardness of heart and unbelief for ever. The important thing is to be able to hear God’s voice. If you can respond when God rebukes you then you have not reached spiritual deafness. There is an invisible line that when crossed it is impossible to come back to God again. We don’t know where this line is exactly, but it shows that some hearts can be hardened to the point of no return. At the point when these people fall away, do they lack any teaching or knowledge? No, they know everything they need to to have a good relationship with Christ. No, they have even experienced the grace of God in some ways because of their connection to the church. Partakers of the Holy Spirit – This is the toughest one to understand. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto Hebrews 6 explained repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth thereon" - a state of final hopeless barrenness). This is similar to the parable of the sower of the seed. But in this illustration there are two types of plants that grow. When we are told that the second kind of plants will be cursed and burned, we are to understand that these plants symbolize non-Christians. The message is that if someone has been exposed to all the spiritual benefits and does not become a useful plant, then that person will be cursed and burned. That is, those who had been exposed and participated in all of the blessings described in verse 4-6 should have been useful vegetation; but if they are only thorns, then they will be cursed and burned. Of course, the premise is not possible, that a saved person could fall away. 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. God promised in Isaiah, that instead of thorns and briers, we would receive the myrtle tree, and an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. That is why Hebrews 6 is promising that it is impossible to fall away. And because if it is impossible to fall away, why are they trying to offer animal sacrifices? Only in this law of faith does there lie any security, or refuge. Another result of limiting The God by a proper name is that it makes him easier to "see," which is the desire of many people. The doctrine of the trinity claims that Jesus is The God, which makes him a visible god. And since he is now visible, we can make idols of him to further support our need for a visible god. The word toward comes from epi, which is usually translated "upon." Here, however, it was written in the accusative because it was "showing motion toward" a god. This was often done in Greek manuscripts because they did not consider the word "god" to be a proper name. The character of God, as revealed in this story, is that He was committed to growing Abraham�s ability to come to the place of fully counting on Him�this is why He adds the oath. And in living out of an active trust in God, the author wants them to remember and imitate others who have counted on God�s faithfulness, not on the basis of their own doings, to receive His promises. They are to live, deliberately, fully, and continually as if Jesus really is their faithful high priest, who has come and seized hold of them in their fallen, distorted condition, taken on their weaknesses to heal them from the inside out. They are not to add on trust in angels, going back to the sacrificial system or anything else with the effect of not relying solely and completely on God in Christ.Like it? 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