Written ~ 11-18-2024
Read Hebrews Chapter Six
Hebrews 6
We are going to reiterate what the author of Hebrews said in the last few verses of chapter five before we begin chapter six. Chapter six begins as a continued thought from chapter five, so by rereading the last few verses we are going to keep the beginning of today’s chapter in context.
Hebrews 5:11-14…
11 “There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
The Apostle Paul spoke about this very thing a few times, but probably the most familiar verses are found in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”
I think it’s important for all of us who are professing Christians to remain steadfast in our knowledge of Scripture and practice living for the Lord in everything we do. It should become easy to proclaim the information we have learned because it is interwoven throughout our entire being.
Let’s continue now with the first few verses of chapter six…
Hebrews 6:1-3…
1 “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”
Now, let me just say here… if you do have any questions about the things listed in verse 6:2, “…baptism, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, external judgement…” then by all means ask those questions. Especially if you are a brand-new believer! It’s important to have a solid foundation before you begin to tackle the more difficult to understand truths from the Bible. What is being said in these few verses is more for the Christian who has had a relationship with Jesus for quite some time but has never moved past the infant stage of their Christianity. I will say, just so there is no misunderstanding, that every believer is in a constant state of learning. No matter how many times we read the Word of God, there will always be new revelation, that’s why Hebrews 4:12a, “For the Word of God is ALIVE and POWERFUL…” is an awesome realization!
So, as we continue the study the Book of Hebrews, we are going to take the advice given to us in verse 6:3, “…God willing, we will move forward to further understanding…” Is that what you desire for your Christian Walk? I hope so!! I know that’s my desire, for sure.
Alright! Are you ready? Let’s move on…
Hebrews 6:4-6…
4 “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come, 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing Him to the cross once again and holding Him up to public shame.”
You might be thinking after reading these few verses, “What in the world does this mean?” I had the same question at first. I had to really think about what the author was saying to us. So, after researching the Expositor’s Bible Commentary and the Life Application Study Bible footnotes, this is what I came to understand from these verses.
Once a person has become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, there is no need to be reborn again and again. You either are, or you are not a Born-Again believer. Once a believer has experienced the goodness of Christ through Salvation it is impossible to lose that Salvation. However, in a believer’s life we must understand there is no “status-quo” Christianity. You are either growing, learning, ever pushing forward in your walk with the Lord or you are turning away from God and His Word. Let’s confirm what I said… you are either growing or you are not. You are either pushing forward or you are backsliding. There is no middle ground.
In verses 6:5-6 it talks about the person who has tasted the goodness of God but then turns away from God, this is the individual who has had an encounter with God, they have come close to giving their lives to the Lord but instead they turn away. By doing so, by rejecting God over and over again it’s like they are nailing Christ to the cross over and over again, they are keeping Christ Jesus in a state of shame by having Him remain hanging on that cross. These verses are referring to the hardness of one’s heart to continually reject the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Christ will not be crucified again and again to satisfy an unwilling, hardened heart, no, He did that once and for all and it is up to each individual to accept Salvation or reject it.
Hebrews 6:9-12…
9 “Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with Salvation. 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.”
My hope is that I am not speaking to the spiritually dull. My heartfelt prayer is that each of you would desire to grow, to learn and work hard for the Kingdom of God! All of us have things that come into our lives that distract us from what is important. In the day’s we live in it is vital that we identify those things that draw us away from being in the Word of God and communing with our Father in Heaven.
As an example, I am going to use a parent/child relationship (if you do not have children, particularly grown children, maybe think of a sibling or even your own parents).
Do you have the longing to speak with them, to have deep conversations with them about matters of the heart? Do you look forward to engaging with them on a deeper level than just the weather, the clothing they wear, where they’re going for dinner, etc.? Are you able to share with them the passion you have for the Lord? Are you able to tell them everything you are doing for your Savior? Well, this is how our Father in Heaven feels about us! He longs to have deep conversations with us. He longs to share with us everything He has to give! He yearns for a deeper relationship with us. When we look to our Father in Heaven it should be as though we are crawling into His lap and listening with full expectation every Word that comes from His heart.
Look again at what verse 6:12 says, “…you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent…if you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.”
When we set our sights on the examples we find in the spiritual mentors we have from Scripture, from our own families, from our church family, and we follow their lead towards the Lord; we will see by their faith, by their endurance that living for the Lord openly, loudly and joyfully is well worth it! When we believe, accept and receive Salvation we will inherit all of God’s promises.
Let’s look at the example given to us in the set of verses…
Hebrews 6:13-15…
13 “For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own name, saying:
14 “I will certainly bless you,
and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.”
15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.”
***Abraham’s entire story is found in the Book of Genesis, when time allows, I would encourage you to read his story, his testimony, it’s quite incredible what God did through him. Abraham’s entire story can be found in Genesis 12:1 through Genesis 25:18***
When Abraham was promised “descendants beyond number,” at the time, having no children of his own, he waited for a very long time to see this promise come to fruition.
When we read through Scripture, and we see all the promises God has given to us, we must remember this…
Hebrews 6:18-20…
18 “So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
These verses should give you some great encouragement! Look at some of the descriptive words we find in these verses:
- Promise
- Oath
- Unchangeable
- Refuge
- Confidence
- Hope
- Strong
- Trustworthy
- Anchor
- Sanctuary
- Eternal
We have a Father in Heaven who wants to spend time with us. No matter what we are going through on this earth, He is our anchor to hold on to. And that’s an important fact to remember! How often can we begin to feel like we are floundering about? How often do we feel the pressure of the world to fit into their standards? How often do our circumstances cover us like flood waters? How often do busy schedules leave our bodies weary and torn apart with stress? But guess what? We can have the confidence through our Savior Jesus Christ to step into the inner sanctuary of God’s heart and find refuge. When we take time to pour over Scripture and learn more about the character of our Father and that of His Son, we will grow in our walk with Him. We will know His promises, we will experience His trustworthiness.
Jesus is our High Priest. What does that mean for us today? It means Jesus is standing before the Father as an intercessor for us. This is what the Life Application Study Bible says about verses 6:19-20…
- A curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. God’s inner sanctuary. This curtain prevented anyone from entering, gazing into, or even getting a fleeting glimpse of the interior of the Most Holy Place. The high priest could enter there only once a year to stand in God’s presence and atone for the sins of the entire nation. But Christ Jesus dwells in God’s presence at all times – not just once a year – as the High Priest who continually intercedes for us.
That should give us great comfort knowing Jesus is the one who intercedes for us. We don’t have an infallible man atoning for our sin, we have the perfect Sacrifice, the Lamb of God to stand up for us.
As with the other chapters in Hebrews that we have studied so far, this one has given us a lot to think about. How will you use the words of this chapter to make changes in your own life?
Continue to grow, move forward in your walk with the Lord. Don’t turn back. Cling to the anchor God has presented when you need it, but otherwise stand confident, stand strong and seek the wisdom and knowledge of the Holy Spirit in all you do.
~AMEN~