A look at a passage that many find frustrating and hard to explain: Hebrews 6:4-11 Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. The question asked is: If someone accepts Jesus Christ and sins one time deliberately or otherwise, are they then lost without any hope? As you look at this passage by itself, one might come to that conclusion. The problem is this: There is no one that I know of that has not committed a sin after conversion. And probably very few that do not commit a sin knowingly after conversation. Does that mean that those Christians are lost eternally? Or that they were never really Christians? I believe that we find the beginnings of the answer earlier in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? As we look at this passage, we find that it is the first of several exhortations to holy living that we find interspersed throughout the book of Hebrews. This passage calls us to 1: Give earnest heed (v.1) and 2: Do not neglect (v. 3). Very good council for any Christian to follow. But I do not believe that we have seen the key yet. I believe that is found in verse 4. 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? As we look through the Bible, we find that how a person responds to God's Spirit determines his whole walk. Examples: King Saul received the Holy Spirit and prophesied, but then turned away and went to a sorcerer for knowledge. He lost his life, and an eternity with God through that act. The Saga of Peter and Judas gives us another clue. Both denied Jesus. Both were sorry that they had done it. Judas, in his shame and selfishness, went out and hanged himself. Peter's heart was broken, and it brought him closer to his Lord. In other words, Judas rejected the promptings of the Holy Spirit. His life was ended. Peter listened and his life was changed. Now let us move to Chapter 3 where we have another clue. Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Here again we see the work of Holy Spirit front and center. It is the Holy Spirit who calls. Are we going to harden our hearts, or soften them? Remember Judas and Peter. The question is one that is critical to our spiritual existence. Now back to the text we started with. Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. What is the real issue here? It is dealing with our relationship to the working of God's Spirit. I believe that we have in verses 4 and 5 a multi-line parallel. 1. Enlightenment. 2. Tasting the heavenly gift. 3. (what is that gift?) Partaking of the Holy Spirit. 4. Tasted the Word and the power of the age to come. Now this I believe is a critical point. This passage is not talking about stumbling. It is not talking of a particular act of sin. Remember the other passages on the Holy Spirit we have looked at. This passage picks up the theme that has been hinted at in the previous passages. It expands them by giving an example of a person who has been led by the Holy Spirit into a new life, who rejects that life and turns their back totally on God's Spirit. This is exactly what we see in the instances of Kind Saul and Judas. Then to help make things clearer, the writer of Hebrews uses an illustration from nature. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. Now it is often that we compare the pouring out of the Holy Spirit to rain. I believe that is what the writer is thinking of now. How many people does the Holy Spirit work with? All. At one time or another the Holy Spirit reaches out to each person. How do people respond to gifts of the Spirit? Obviously in different ways. Some will respond by softening, and bearing fruit. Think Peter. Some will respond by bearing thorns and briars to be burned at the end of the world. Think Judas. In short, what the writer of the letter doing here is warning us not to commit the sin against the Holy Spirit. "Do not commit the unpardonable sin." Remain open to the working of God on your heart. When you stumble, do not turn your back, but repent, get up, and head back up the path. Stay dedicated to your God. The writer of Hebrews does not leave us on a negative note, however. He ends this thought with a triumphant encouragement of those who read his letter (us). 9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. It is not God's desire to see us lost. It is His greatest joy for us to experience salvation. He will not forget our good works. He will not forget our love for him and his reputation in the earth. He will not forget the ministry that we carry on for Him. What an inducement! What a promise! What a God!