The Strand Study Bible

HEBREWS

HEBREWS

2065

3. Christian baptism (where believers are made a part of the body of Christ) (I Cor 12:13 and I Cor 15:29 ) 4. SPIRIT baptism (where believers are empowered for witnessing) (Acts 1:5-8 and Mt 3:11 b ) 5. Water baptism (where believers are immersed after salvation - Mt 3:11 a , Mk 1:4 a,b and Acts 2:41 a,b ) Adrian Rodgers in What Every Christian Ought to Know notes: Baptism by immersion was originally practiced by all branches and sects of the early Christian church…Baptism by sprinkling was adopted only by the Roman Catholic Church as the predominant method in the thirteenth century. Baptism in the Christian church beganwith the practice of total immersion, which followed the example set by Jesus... However, over the years, it seems that it became easier to simply pour a little water over the candidate or even sprinkle a few drops (called affusion) upon them. A Roman Catholic, Cardinal Gibbons, stated, “For several centur- ies after the establishment of Christianity, baptism was usually conferred by immersion, but since the twelfth century the practice of baptizing by affusion has prevailed in the Catholic Church, as this manner is attended with less inconvenience than baptism by immersion.” 2 Bible baptism is by immersion. It may not always be convenient, but that is the method of baptism. 6:2 b Those who “ go on unto perfection ” (vs 1) have a good understanding of the doctrine of power ( laying on of hands ). Charles John Ellicott in Ellicott’s Bible Commentary notes: Thus, according to Scripture, the act of laying on of hands symbolizes the power to transfer five things: * Blessing (Gen 25:20-23 & 48:13-20 and Mk 10:13-16) * God’s commission upon men; ordination (Num 27:18-23, I Tim 5:22 and Acts 6:6 & 13:1-3) * HOLY SPIRIT power for witnessing ( Acts 8:14-20 & 9:17 & 19:6 ) * Judgment (Exo 7:1-4 and Lev 16:20-22,26 ) * Healing (Mk 5:21-24,35-41 & 6:5, Acts 28:8, Mk 16:18 and Gen 48:14 ) 6:2 c Those who “ go on unto perfection ” (vs 1) have a good understanding of the doctrine of resurrections and rewards . The resurrection of both body and soul is a must if God is to see His initial design for mankind come to fruition ( Gen 2:17 and Job 14:14,15 ). Interestingly enough, eschatology (the study of “last things” – resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment ) is included here among the “elementary” teachings. The mere study of end time events does not prove spiritual maturity. Only the change produced by this knowledge manifests maturity (I Jn 3:2-3). 6:2 d Those who “ go on unto perfection ” (vs 1) have a good understanding of the doctrine of the eternality of Hell ( eternal judgment – ( Psa 9:17 , Lk 16:23,24,26 , Dan 12:2 b and Rev 20:10 b ), and witness to others about it. 6:4a There are three schools of thought when it comes to this portion of Scripture (vs 4-9). One school of thought believes that the warning in verses 4-9 is against those who profess faith without possessing it. However, in every way the language ( Heb 6:4b , c , d , e ) fits true believers, not mere professors of the faith. The second school of thought believes that the warning is against actual believers who shame the SON OF GOD so severely that they lose their salvation and can never get it back. In fact, there are some post-Jewish MESSIANIC movements ( Gal 3:1-3 ) that have tried to use this portion of Scripture to prove that it is impossible to keep one’s salvation ( to renew them again – vs 6) if one shames the SON OF GOD . If this portion of scripture (vs 4-6) is teaching us that believers can lose their salvation, then according to the word impossible , it is also teaching us that such believers who fall once can never be saved again; can never be “re-redeemed.” The Liberty Bible Commentary notes: …if this passage teaches that a person can lose his salvation, it also must teach that he can never be saved a second or third time. 4 WARNING: For those who believe they can lose their salvation… don’t fall away… not even once. The third school of thought believes that the warning is against believers who have erred (fallen away spiritually - vs 9) because of immaturity (and are thus in danger of losing future rewards – vs 8/I Cor 3:11-15), not believers who have fallen from salvation because they crossed some line. J. Vernon McGee in Thru The Bible (I Cor.–Rev.) notes: Besides the sacrificial use of the symbol, we find imposition of hands connected with blessing, with works of healing, with ordination, and with the gift of the Holy Spirit. In every case the figure denotes either a transfer or the communication of a gift from the person who lays his hands upon another. 3

The whole tenor of this passage is that he is warning them of the possibility of losing their reward. There is danger, Paul said, of our entire works being burned up so that we will have nothing for which we could be rewarded. 5

Max Lucado in The Devotional Bible agrees. He paraphrases Hebrews 6:4-6 to read:

Some people cannot be brought back again to a changed life. They were once in God’s light, and enjoyed heaven’s gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit. They found out how good God’s word is, and they received the powers of his new world. But they fell away from Christ. It is impossible to bring them back to a changed life again, because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others. 6 Those who renounce their Christian faith are, with respect to their conduct and attitude, taking a step that amounts to a fresh public rejection of Christ. When they first trusted Him, they thereby acknowledged that His crucifixion had been unjust and the result of man’s sinful rejection of the Savior. But by renouncing this opinion, they reaffirmed the view of Jesus’ enemies that He deserved to die on a cross. In this sense, “they [were] crucifying the Son of God all over again.

John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary also agree. They note:

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