1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 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 briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Commentary
Vs. 1-2 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
It's important to note that what is being stated here is not abandoning the teachings of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. For these things are the foundations of a sound faith, and so forsaking them is not what is being stated here. What is being stated is that their should a progression in our faith and lives, and thus a moving on from the essentials of the faith and onto maturity. There is no need then to debate whether people are commanded to repent and believe, or be baptized upon their salvation, or of the validity of the laying on of hands, or of the ressurection of the dead and eternal judgment. These things have all been verified by the Life, Death and Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-16). Maturity then for us who believe is not found by us endlessly reiterating and or debating these to and amongst ourselves. Rather Spirit maturity requires our faith, and thus our living by faith in God through Christ, by which we must grow in both grace and truth if we are to attain to maturity (John 1:17; Gal 1:6-8; 2 Peter 3:18 etc.).
Vs. 3 "And this we will do if God permits."
The thought here is that no one; whether an individual believer, or an assembly of believers grows apart from God. We are all dependent upon Him for our growth and our maturing. Yet God does not hinder our growth (only we do that) when we refuse to obey Him not only as the Author, but also the Perfecter of our faith (Heb 10:14). Lets us then work with Him in His grand designs to bring us all to maturity by our obeying the Biblical teachings of His Spirit gifted leaders, just as they rightly use His Word to instruct us and deliver us from every false way (consider Eph. 4:11-16).
Vs. 4-6 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.
The sin of apostasy is what is being warned about here, a sin of which there is no repentance from. Not that the original recipients of this epistle had done so, (for if they had there would be no need to write to them), but rather to warn them against the peril of not progressing in ones faith. Now there are several things to note about this, first is that these individuals were once enlightened, they had heard the Good News about God's salvation by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and so they were enlightened, not only about their own sinful condition, but more importantly about the Lord Jesus Christ and His Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead which is the only remedy for them and for all. And so God's promise went out to them, just as it goes to all, offering and bringing new and everlasting life to everyone who repents and believes in Christ. And yet with their being enlightened this did equate with their salvation. For one can hear the Gospel and yet not receive it's promise of remission of sins and everlasting by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so though they were enlightened, they did not take the next step and make a positive move towards a definitive faith and trust in God through the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Gospel always demands a response from us, and not to respond is only to waste an opportunity for ones own redemption. For it also says that they tasted the heavenly gift, that is they found themselves in a situation or circumstance where the glory of God's salvation was clearly shown them, they thus tasted the heavenly gift, yet they did not partake of the heavenly gift, for Jesus Christ Himself clearly warns us all that, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (see John 6:53-59). Therefore you cannot have just a little bit of the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot accept and receive only those aspects of His Person or His teachings that you find agreeable or believable. Your must eat and feed on all of Him, or you will have none of Him. And so going to church, or an evangelist rally, and partaking in all of the praise and worship and Spirit born activity, and thus to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit and His work in and amongst God's people is not the same as being born again by the Holy Spirit which is a definitive work of God who does this and seals everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore where there is a resistance in an individuals heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ completely and unconditionally there He will not go (for the antithesis of that see Jesus' Promise in Rev. 3:20). And so though these people had all kinds of exposure to God's Son Person and His salvation and His working in and through His people, and thus they tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come (vs. 5), and yet it did not equate with their believing and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their own. They may have gone to Bible studies and joined small groups etc. but at some point in their hearts they stalled out and instead of growing in faith until they came to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ upon which the Holy Spirit would have entered them and thus begun His work of sanctifying them, they only gave up their pursuit of Him, and instead of believing in Him for eternal life they only fell away from Him, and thus all that God had done and planted in their hearts and lives in the hopes of redeeming them has been lost forever, since they themselves made in their hearts at some point a definitive rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ's Person. Therefore they cannot be renewed to repentance, since they would then crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (vs. 6). Therefore there is no redemption for anyone who does so. This passage then is a dire warning for us all to heed because God will not endure anyone who does so (consider John 3:35-36).
Vs. 7-8 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 briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Now these verses metaphorically represent the life of the individual who has fallen away from Christ and thus whose unregenerate life now only bears the fruits of sin and death, and thus there is contained with them a warning about bearing the good fruits that God desires in all of our lives, because just as the earth is watered and nurtured by God so are we, and if we do not bear the good fruits of repentance in our own lives (Matt 3:8-10; Acts 26:20), then we too may be cursed and rejected and ultimately burned. For there is a ressurection of the just and the unjust and so the responsibility always lies with us to bring our faith and lives inline with God's (John 5:24-30).
Therefore I urge you to take the Word of God deeply into heart and Person and life and let the Lord Jesus Christ deeply transform you. Because that is where everything Christian and life giving begins, with Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior indwelling you, for then you will have all of fruits of the Spirit of God within you, the love, the joy, the peace, the patience, the kindness, the goodness, the faithfulness, the self control all which makes for living a fruitful and satisfying and purpose filled life. Therefore don't delay receive the Lord Jesus Christ today!
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
It's important to note that what is being stated here is not abandoning the teachings of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. For these things are the foundations of a sound faith, and so forsaking them is not what is being stated here. What is being stated is that their should a progression in our faith and lives, and thus a moving on from the essentials of the faith and onto maturity. There is no need then to debate whether people are commanded to repent and believe, or be baptized upon their salvation, or of the validity of the laying on of hands, or of the ressurection of the dead and eternal judgment. These things have all been verified by the Life, Death and Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-16). Maturity then for us who believe is not found by us endlessly reiterating and or debating these to and amongst ourselves. Rather Spirit maturity requires our faith, and thus our living by faith in God through Christ, by which we must grow in both grace and truth if we are to attain to maturity (John 1:17; Gal 1:6-8; 2 Peter 3:18 etc.).
Vs. 3 "And this we will do if God permits."
The thought here is that no one; whether an individual believer, or an assembly of believers grows apart from God. We are all dependent upon Him for our growth and our maturing. Yet God does not hinder our growth (only we do that) when we refuse to obey Him not only as the Author, but also the Perfecter of our faith (Heb 10:14). Lets us then work with Him in His grand designs to bring us all to maturity by our obeying the Biblical teachings of His Spirit gifted leaders, just as they rightly use His Word to instruct us and deliver us from every false way (consider Eph. 4:11-16).
Vs. 4-6 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.
The sin of apostasy is what is being warned about here, a sin of which there is no repentance from. Not that the original recipients of this epistle had done so, (for if they had there would be no need to write to them), but rather to warn them against the peril of not progressing in ones faith. Now there are several things to note about this, first is that these individuals were once enlightened, they had heard the Good News about God's salvation by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and so they were enlightened, not only about their own sinful condition, but more importantly about the Lord Jesus Christ and His Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead which is the only remedy for them and for all. And so God's promise went out to them, just as it goes to all, offering and bringing new and everlasting life to everyone who repents and believes in Christ. And yet with their being enlightened this did equate with their salvation. For one can hear the Gospel and yet not receive it's promise of remission of sins and everlasting by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so though they were enlightened, they did not take the next step and make a positive move towards a definitive faith and trust in God through the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Gospel always demands a response from us, and not to respond is only to waste an opportunity for ones own redemption. For it also says that they tasted the heavenly gift, that is they found themselves in a situation or circumstance where the glory of God's salvation was clearly shown them, they thus tasted the heavenly gift, yet they did not partake of the heavenly gift, for Jesus Christ Himself clearly warns us all that, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (see John 6:53-59). Therefore you cannot have just a little bit of the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot accept and receive only those aspects of His Person or His teachings that you find agreeable or believable. Your must eat and feed on all of Him, or you will have none of Him. And so going to church, or an evangelist rally, and partaking in all of the praise and worship and Spirit born activity, and thus to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit and His work in and amongst God's people is not the same as being born again by the Holy Spirit which is a definitive work of God who does this and seals everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore where there is a resistance in an individuals heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ completely and unconditionally there He will not go (for the antithesis of that see Jesus' Promise in Rev. 3:20). And so though these people had all kinds of exposure to God's Son Person and His salvation and His working in and through His people, and thus they tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come (vs. 5), and yet it did not equate with their believing and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their own. They may have gone to Bible studies and joined small groups etc. but at some point in their hearts they stalled out and instead of growing in faith until they came to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ upon which the Holy Spirit would have entered them and thus begun His work of sanctifying them, they only gave up their pursuit of Him, and instead of believing in Him for eternal life they only fell away from Him, and thus all that God had done and planted in their hearts and lives in the hopes of redeeming them has been lost forever, since they themselves made in their hearts at some point a definitive rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ's Person. Therefore they cannot be renewed to repentance, since they would then crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (vs. 6). Therefore there is no redemption for anyone who does so. This passage then is a dire warning for us all to heed because God will not endure anyone who does so (consider John 3:35-36).
Vs. 7-8 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 briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Now these verses metaphorically represent the life of the individual who has fallen away from Christ and thus whose unregenerate life now only bears the fruits of sin and death, and thus there is contained with them a warning about bearing the good fruits that God desires in all of our lives, because just as the earth is watered and nurtured by God so are we, and if we do not bear the good fruits of repentance in our own lives (Matt 3:8-10; Acts 26:20), then we too may be cursed and rejected and ultimately burned. For there is a ressurection of the just and the unjust and so the responsibility always lies with us to bring our faith and lives inline with God's (John 5:24-30).
Therefore I urge you to take the Word of God deeply into heart and Person and life and let the Lord Jesus Christ deeply transform you. Because that is where everything Christian and life giving begins, with Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior indwelling you, for then you will have all of fruits of the Spirit of God within you, the love, the joy, the peace, the patience, the kindness, the goodness, the faithfulness, the self control all which makes for living a fruitful and satisfying and purpose filled life. Therefore don't delay receive the Lord Jesus Christ today!
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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