Thursday, October 31 - Hebrews 6

Hebrews 6

New International Version (NIV)

6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, ² instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And God permitting, we will do so.

⁴ It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. ⁷ Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. ⁸ But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

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THE SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
   The author of Hebrews warns, here, that the human heart can become so calloused against the Lord that it is irretrievable.  When someone is convinced of the truth of God's grace and their heart has been moved by the Holy Spirit to believe that Jesus is the Christ, yet they actively choose, by design, to push Him away, deny His power, and live contrary to His leading:  this is the Sin against the Holy Spirit.
   He who has committed this Sin is so hardened that he no longer cares whether he is loved by God or whether he has committed this sin.  Instead, he is dead set upon a lifestyle that shows a despising of the Lord and an antagonism toward His grace.
   Some of the Pharisees seem to have fallen into this snare.  They saw Jesus' miracles and recognized that they could only be performed by One who was from God.  Yet, instead of honoring Jesus as the Christ, they declared that His works were from the Devil.
  
   If one cares whether or not he has committed this sin, he has not committed it.  However, the path which leads to this sin is certainly something to be concerned about.  Continuously rejecting one's conscience, God's Word, and living contrary to the known will of God is the path that hardens the heart.  May God preserve us from such sin and keep us secure in His embrace.
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⁹ Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

The Certainty of God’s Promise

¹³ When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” ¹⁵ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.