The Peril of Not Progressing – Part 7
HEBREWS 6:4-8
NAS Hebrews 6:4-8 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 upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake 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.
WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF CONCLUDING THIS MOST INTENSIVE STUDY ON THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND HIGHLY DEBATED PASSAGE IN HEBREWS AND SURELY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT AND DEBATED PASSAGES IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE – WITNESS THE EIGHT PARTS TO DATE. AS I HAVE BEEN DOING EACH WEEK IN PARTS 1-6, MAINLY DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF THE PASSAGE, I AM INCLUDING THIS PARAGRAPH FROM THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY AS BOTH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CURRENT BLOG AND A REVIEW…
6:4–6. This passage has been interpreted in four ways: (1) that the danger of a Christian losing his salvation is described, a view rejected because of biblical assurances that salvation is a work of God which cannot be reversed; (2) that the warning is against mere profession of faith short of salvation, or tasting but not really partaking of salvation (The New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 1315); (3) that hypothetically if a Christian could lose his salvation, there is no provision for repentance (The Ryrie Study Bible, p. 1736); (4) that a warning is given of the danger of a Christian moving from a position of true faith and life to the extent of becoming disqualified for further service (1 Cor. 9:27) and for inheriting millennial glory. The latter is the interpretation adopted here. The entirety of these verses constitutes a single sentence in Greek as well as in the English of the NIV. The central assertion is: It is impossible for those who have … to be brought back to repentance. Following the words “those who” is a description of the persons whom the writer affirmed cannot possibly be brought back to a state of repentance. The description he gave shows that he had Christians in mind. – The Bible Knowledge Commentary
AS REPORTED IN THE BLOG TWO WEEKS AGO, SPEAKING OF OUR PRESENT PASSAGE, DAVID deSILVA IN HIS BOOK Despising Shame – Honor Discourse and Community Maintenance in the Epistle to the Hebrews, WRITES, “PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST TROUBLESOME PASSAGES FOR THE HISTORY OF THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION APPEARS IN 6:4-8, WHICH CONSTITUTES A THIRD SECTION OF STRONG ADMONITION…”
AND AS PROMISED IN LAST WEEK’S BLOG, THE MAIN FOCUS OF THIS WEEK’S STUDY WILL BE THE SIXTH DESCRIPTION OF THE ADVANTAGES THE WRITER’S AUDIENCE POSSESSED IN SHREINER’S VIEW, AND ALSO STEADMAN’S VIEW. YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT MOST ALL OTHER COMMENTATORS SEE ONLY FIVE. THIS IS NOT TO SUGGEST THAT EITHER SCHREINER OR STEADMAN OR THE OTHER WRITERS HAS THE CORRECT PERSPECTIVE – WE HONESTLY DON’T KNOW WITH CERTAINTY WHICH POSITION IS THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION, BUT SUCH IS THE DIFFICULTY WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN STUDYING EACH VERSE AS WE HAVE.
HEBREWS 6:6 IS THE MAIN VERSE UNDER INVESTIGATION. IT MAY PROVE TO BE MOST DIFFICULT AND DEBATABLE VERSE WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED THUS FAR IN OUR STUDIES OF THIS EXCEEDINGLY CHALLENGING AND REWARDING BOOK…
NAS Hebrews 6:6 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.
SCHREINER WRITES, “IN THIS VERSE THE DANGER OF FALLING AWAY IS EMBLAZONED ON THE MINDS OF THE READERS. THOSE WHO FALL AWAY CAN’T BE RENEWED TO REPENTANCE SINCE THEIR APOSTASY RECRUCIFIES GOD’S SON AND DISHONORS HIM.
“THE FINAL OF THE SIX DESCRIPTORS IS FOUND IN THE WORDS, ‘WH HAVE FALLEN AWAY’ (THE GREEK WORD IS παραπίπτω [pa-ra-pip-to]; it means fall in, into, away). THE WORD ONLY OCCURS HERE IN THE NT. The Greek verb in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT – TAR) in Ezekiel (παραπίπτω [pa-ra-pip-to]) clearly designates APOSTASY (Ezek 14:13; 15:8; 18:24; 20:27; 22:4) Judah suffers exile for forsaking the Lord. The text in Ezek 18:24 is particularly clear…
NAS Ezekiel 18:24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.
“THOSE WHO DEVOTE THEMSELVES TO INIQUITY WILL DIE BECAUSE OF THE TRANSGRESSIONS SINCE THEY HAVE REPUDIATED THE LORD AND HIS WAYS. Context is determinative for assigning a particular meaning in any case, and the word used here is parallel to the different words for falling away elsewhere in the warning passages (in Hebrews). {Schreiner footnotes Ellingworth’s comment from Hebrews: ‘THE CONTEXT VIRTUALLY REQUIRES A REFERENCE TO APOSTASY HERE.’ A word to my Greek students as to why I have not used Ellingworth more in my blogs on Hebrews: while I recognize and personally greatly appreciate his exegetical expertise, especially his frequent and advanced use of Greek has caused me to reluctantly judge him not conducive for the purposes of this particular writing. – TAR}
“IN OTHER WORDS THE AUTHOR REFERS HERE IN HEBREWS 6:6 TO APOSTASY, TO ABANDONING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. AS L. JOHNSON REMARKS, ‘THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF FAULTS AND ERRORS, IN OTHER WORDS, BUT OF APOSTASY, OF MAKING A DELIBERATE CHOICE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GIFT ONCE GIVEN.” – Schreiner
HERE I MUST BREAK IN TO GET A LITTLE TECHNICAL ONCE AGAIN.
CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION AMONG COMMENTATORS HAS TAKEN PLACE OVER THE YEARS CONCERNING THE PARTICIPLES IN HEBREWS 6:4-6. THIS IS ADMITTEDLY VERY TECHNICAL (I.E., HEAVY GREEK GRAMMAR). ONE OF MY GOALS IN WRITING THESE BLOGS FOR MY CHURCH HAS BEEN TO TRY TO KEEP SUCH COMPLEX PASSAGES AT A MINIMUM. THAT I HOPE, HOLDS TRUE IN THIS BRIEF INSTANCE. IT IMPORTANT TO ME THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE READ AND STUDIED EVERY WORD IN MY COMMENTARY ON HEBREWS; SOME HEAVY STUFF I LEAVE OUT, MOST I INCLUDE.
A PARTICIPLE IS A VERBAL ADJECTIVE. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS A HYBRID OF TWO DIFFERENT PARTS OF SPEECH; SOMETIMES IT ACTS LIKE A VERB, SOMETIMES AN ADJECTIVE. PARTICIPLES CAN ALSO FUNCTION AS NOUNS. THEREFORE, THEY ARE THE MOST FLEXIBLE OF WORDS AND APPEAR ALMOST ANYWHERE IN THE SENTENCE.
IN VERSES 4-8, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING, THERE ARE NO LESS THAN 11 PARTICIPLES, 8 IN VV. 4-6.
DANIEL B. WALLACE, WHOSE ADVANCED GREEK GRAMMAR, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, THE TEXTBOOK I HAVE TAUGHT FROM UNINTERRUPTED FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, HAS BECOME THE MODERN DEFAULT TEXT FOR GREEK EXEGESIS, WRITES THESE HELPFUL WORDS ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY WITH PARTICIPLES: “It is often said that mastery of the syntax (the grammatical arrangement of words and their relation to one another in sentences – TAR) of participles is mastery of Greek syntax. Why are participles so difficult to grasp? The reason is threefold: (1) usage – the participle can be used as a noun, adjective, adverb, or verb (and in any mood!); (2) word order – the participle is often thrown end of the sentence or elsewhere to an equally inconvenient location [making them often hard to translate within the general flow of the sentence – TAR]; and (3) locating the main verb [usually the most important word of the sentence – TAR] – sometimes it is verses away; sometimes it only implied; and sometimes it is not even implied! In short, the participle is difficult to master because it is so versatile. But this very versatility makes it capable of a rich variety of nuances, as well as a rich variety of abuses.”
TRUE TO MY WORD, ATTEMPTING TO KEEP THE HEAVY GREEK AND GRAMMATICAL PARTICULAR DETAILS TO A MINIMUM FOR THE PURPOSES OF MY HEBREWS BLOGS, I SEE HERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CUT THIS PARTICULAR BLOG SHORT. I most definitely hope I am not making a big mistake in making this decision, but I honestly believe I can take a shortcut with the discussion of the participles in vv. 4-6 without jeopardizing my heartfelt intention to be true to the Scripture and as clear and plain with my writing. Respectful to all the fine Christian writers who have labored hard to bring us their detailed commentaries, regardless of their view of the passage, in this area only which deals with the participles in minute detail, after studying the grammar for a considerable period of time and pondering the findings at length, I cannot in good conscience see spending an excessive amount of discussing this segment of the overall context. Instead of spending the time necessary to discuss any more grammatical detail on the participles, I am going to turn to Schreiner’s concluding remarks on verse 6 and trust that his words will be sufficient. In the end, all things carefully considered, in my humble opinion, the participles simply do not live up to the advertised promise. In my estimation, they don’t really change anything. In other words, I don’t believe the final exegesis of this most difficult and debatable portion of Hebrews does not hang on the parsing of eleven participles. I will present Schreiner’s final paragraphs on v. 6 and move on.
SO, BACK INTO THE PARTICIPLES FOR ONE BRIEF AND FINAL TIME…
“SOME UNDERSTAND THE PARTICIPLE (παραπεσόντας (pa-ra-pe-son-tas) TO BE PARALLEL TO THE REST OF THE LIST SO THAT THE AUTHOR DESCRIBES THOSE WHO HAVE REALLY FALLEN AWAY. Such an understanding of the participles is improbable, for elsewhere in the letter the writer admonishes the readers not to fall away in the warning passages. He doesn’t assume they have already fallen away. The participle is not conditional grammatically, but functionally and interpretively the word found here is to be construed as a condition. Attridge remarks: ‘Our author does not accuse his addressees of being in this condition.… IT IS A WARNING THAT SHOULD REMIND THEM OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THEIR SITUATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF RENEWING THEIR COMMITMENT. APOSTASY IS WHERE THEIR ‘SLUGGISHNESS’ COULD LEAD. (VERSES 7-8 GIVE AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF APOSTASY.)
“IF THE READERS FALL AWAY, THEY CAN’T BE RENEWED TO REPENTANCE. They will not retrace their steps and put their trust in Christ anew. It is possible that the author has in mind the wilderness generation and Esau who departed from God…
NAS Genesis 36:8 So Esau lived in the hill country of Seir; Esau is Edom. (TAR)
“STILL THE WILDERNESS GENERATION AND ESAU DO NOT STAND IN THE SAME PLACE IN NEW COVENANT MEMBERS, FOR AS WE SHALL SEE, ALL MEMBERS OF THE NEW COVENANT ARE REGENERATE. Hence, we must be careful not to see an exact parallel between the OT examples given and the application to the hearers of the letter. I argue in the theological analysis of the warning passages at the close of the commentary that THE WARNINGS ARE A MEANS BY WHICH BELIEVERS ARE PRESERVED BY GOD. THEY STIMULATE AND PROVOKE BELIEVERS TO HEED THE ADMONITION SO THEY DON’T APOSTASIZE.
“IS THEY FALL AWAY, THEY CAN’T BE RENEWED TO REPENTANCE, HOR THEY ARE RECRUCIFYING THE SON OF GOD. The Holman Christian Standard Bible rightly interprets the phrase as a dative of advantage/disadvantage: ‘to their own harm.’ The word ‘recrucify’ often simply means crucify. In this case the nuance may be the lifting up to public shame. In context, however, the idea of crucifying again seems to be present. THOSE WHO ABANDON THE SON OF GOD CAN’T BE RECONVERTED ALL OVER AGAIN, FOR THAT WOULD BE LIKE CRUCIFYING JESUS ALL OVER AGAIN.
“HEBREWS EMPHASIZES THE SUPERIORITY OF JESUS AS GOD’S SON, AND HENCE THE NOTION OF CRUCIFYING HIM AGAIN IS PARTICULARLY OUTRAGEOUS. A similar idea is expressed in 10:29…
NAS Hebrews 10:29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
“HEBREWS IS (EMPHATICALLY – TAR) CLEAR THAT HE DIES ONLY ONCE…
NAS Hebrews 7:27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
NAS Hebrews 9:12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
NAS Hebrews 9:27-28 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
NAS Hebrews 10:10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
“INSTEAD OF FINDING SALVATION IN JESUS’ DEATH, THEY REJECT IT AND THEREBY CONFESS THAT THE SHAME AND DISHONOR JESUS RECEIVED WAS DESERVED.” – Schreiner
I WILL STOP HERE FOR THIS WEEK. MAKING THE COMMENTS I HAVE MADE EARLIER IN THIS BLOG THAT I HAVE CONCERNING MY OPINION THAT AS IMPORTANT AS THE PARTICIPLES IN THIS PASSAGE MAY BE AND AS MUCH PROMINENCE EXPERT COMMENTATORS HAVE GIVEN THEM, I FEEL I MUST TAKE SOME TIME THIS WEEK TO DO A LITTLE MORE STUDYING BEFORE I CONCLUDE THIS DIFFICULT AND DEBATABLE SECTION.
– Professor Thomas A. Rohm
