“For when people have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become sharers in the Ruach HaKodesh [Holy Spirit], and tasted the goodness of God’s Word and the powers of the ‘olam haba [the world to come] – and then have fallen away – it is impossible to renew them so that they turn from their sin, as long as for themselves they keep executing the Son of God on the stake all over again and keep holding him up to public contempt.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)
“For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” (Hebrews 10:26)
There are two distinct groups I want to address in this post. The first are those who read the scripture in Hebrews 10 and think that because they ‘backslid’ there is no hope for redemption. This, sadly, has been a source of profound guilt and despair for many as they grapple with their sin and shame. Scripture and personal experience prove this interpretation of scripture is not accurate. As I wrote in a previous post, God doesn’t give up on those he loves.
“Now what if God, even though he was quite willing to demonstrate his anger and make known his power, patiently put up with people who deserved punishment and were ripe for destruction? What if he did this in order to make known the riches of his glory to those who are the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory – that is, to us, whom he called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:22-24)
“…God raised us up with the Messiah Yeshua and seated us with him in heaven, in order to exhibit in the ages to come how infinitely rich is his grace, how great is his kindness toward us who are united with the Messiah Yeshua.” (Ephesians 2:6-7)
So…“Come to your senses! Live righteously and stop sinning!…” (I Corinthians 15:34)
That leaves us to search scripture in order to understand who exactly the scriptures in Hebrews are referring to. When a person makes the decision to accept the sacrifice of Christ for their sin, it comes with a struggle from both the enemy of our soul – the Adversary – and our old nature. They work in concert. Paul was honest about his own struggle. “For I know that there is nothing good housed inside me – that is, inside my old nature. I can want what is good, but I can’t do it!” (Romans 7:18)
This is when trust and perseverance are needed. “What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism.” (Galatians 5:16-18)
The problem arises when trust is not fully realized in a person. Jesus then becomes a stumblingblock. “Now to you who keep trusting, he is precious. But to those who are not trusting, “The very stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Isaiah 8:14); also he is a stone that will make people stumble, a rock over which they will trip (Isaiah 43:20)…” (I Peter 2:7-8)
When a person stumbles over “a rock over which they will trip” it is often not apparent. “The sins of some people are obvious and go ahead of them to judgment, but the sins of others follow afterwards.” (I Timothy 5:24) The old nature is constantly warring with the Spirit, and rather than return to the sinful life they left, a person will make peace with desires of the old nature. The Adversary is very clever at weaving desires of the old nature into ‘Christianity.’ Desires of the flesh now become ‘blessings’ from God.
God spoke to Ezekiel, “Human being, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, thus setting in front of themselves the stumblingblock that leads to sin…” (Ezekiel 14:3) Jesus also addressed this group. “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim [Pharisees]! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of rottenness. Likewise, you appear to people from the outside to be good and honest, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and far from Torah.” (Matthew 23:27-28)
Now, what Peter explains makes more sense: “Indeed, if they have once escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah, and then have again become entangled and defeated by them, their latter condition has become worse than the former.” (II Peter 2:20) Their latter condition is worse because before they accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord they were well aware that their actions were sin. Now, having re-labeled their desires, they are unable to recognize darkness. “The way of the wicked is all darkness; They do not know what will make them stumble. (Proverbs 4:19, Tanakh) “…If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23)
Hosea prophesied, “Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God, for the spirit of whoring is in them, and they don’t know Adonai.” (Hosea 5:4) “None who go to her [loose woman with smooth talk] return; they never regain the path to life.” (Proverbs 2:19)
“Therefore I say this – indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking. Their intelligence has been shrouded in darkness, and they are estranged from the life of God, because of the ignorance in them, which in turn comes from resisting God’s will. They have lost all feeling, so they have abandoned themselves to sensuality, practicing any kind of impurity and always greedy for more. But this is not the lesson you learned from the Messiah! If you really listened to him and were instructed about him, then you learned that since what is in Yeshua is truth, then, so far as your former way of life is concerned, you must strip off your old nature, because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires; and you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed, and clothe yourselves with the new nature created to be godly, which expresses itself in righteousness and holiness that flow from the truth.” (Ephesians 4:17-24)
The outcome for those who do not heed the warnings is dire. “Tell these ‘plasterers’ that a cloudburst is coming, with huge hailstones and gale-force winds; and the wall will fall down. Then people will ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you used to “plaster” it?” “This is how I will break down the wall you covered with whitewash – I will smash it to the ground, so that its foundation will be revealed. The wall will fall down, and you will be consumed with it. Then you will know that I am Adonai.” (Ezekiel 13:11-12, 14)
As always, God’s Word also offers hope and direction. “Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal. Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and burglars do not break in or steal. For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) Your heart follows your wealth.
“Focus your minds on the things above, not on things here on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
The choice to become a child of God, to accept the sacrifice of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, as punishment for sin, offers hope of eternal life. Jesus explained the essence of the struggle. “…I tell you that I am the gate for the sheep. All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.” “The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.” (John 10:7-8, 10)
*All scripture is from the Complete Jewish Bible unless noted otherwise