City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe

The Word

⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Hebrews 6:4-6

Reflection

Today we are given a warning about a spiritual condition where repentance is no longer possible.

John Piper notes

“…this condition may look in many ways like salvation, but it isn’t. And it leads to destruction. And so this text is a warning to us not to assume that we are secure when our lives have some religious experiences but no growing fruit.”

— When Is Saving Repentance Impossible?

It looks like salvation because those in this condition have been in proximity to all the benefits of salvation, maybe even had high religious experiences but they never entered into salvation. Then rather than respond in humility and repentance, they turn away from Jesus choosing open rebellion – even after receiving full knowledge of God’s mercy.

Apostle John also confirms that those who openly rebel against Jesus (anti-Christ) after experiencing life-giving fellowship with God’s people never entered into salvation:

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 

1 John 2:18-19

This warning comes in the context of a sermon to Jewish believers being exhorted not to “neglect such a great salvation,” amid pressure to abandon following Jesus (Hebrews 2:1-4). Our author is letting the audience know that those turning away from Jesus after being enlightened to salvation, were not truly believers and that they choose a heart posture in which it is impossible to repent.

Thankfully, the warning also comes with the author’s confident hope that this congregation is not destined for apostasy (Hebrews 6:3; 9-11) but for “things that belong to salvation” (Hebrews 6:9) because they are believers; and on the heels of urging them to move on from rehashing faith foundations to maturity in the faith (Hebrews 5:11–6:3).

Application

So what does this all mean?

First, we should soberly examine that we are actually trusting Jesus alone for our salvation.

Emotionally charged religious experiences do not save us. They may waken us to the reality of the greatness of the Sovereign God but they are not the elementary step of “repentance from dead works and faith in God” (Hebrews 6:1). Being busy in the church isn’t our salvation either and neither is just hearing and being moved by the Word – if we don’t repent (James 1:22-25).

The longer we stay in proximity to the goodness of God’s salvation but remain unrepentant, we risk moving into a spiritual condition that makes it likely that we will repudiate Jesus and pour contempt on His saving work – but for the grace and mercy of God. That grace and mercy is available today.

Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

Hebrews 4:7b

Second, as we learned yesterday, we should grow up in our faith. The elementary foundations of faith are necessary but are meant to hold the weightier things belonging to salvation.

Prayer

Most merciful God, it is only by Your grace that we are drawn to You and are able to turn to You in repentance. Please, help us by this same mercy not be hardened toward You; please make our hearts soft, so that we enter into Your great salvation, through Your Son, Jesus, amen.

---

Additional Reading and Listening

1. John Piper: Sermon – When Is Saving Repentance Impossible?
2. John Piper: Sermon – Be Diligent to Enter God’s Rest
3. Hebrews 12:16-17