When I first encountered Hebrews 6, I remember being confused and scared. I had always believed “once saved, always saved.” I thought it was impossible for you to lose your salvation, but that seems to contradict the plain sense of this difficult passage.

Hebrews 6 seems to teach there may be those that genuinely believe and participate in the life of the church, and still irrevocably fall away to such an extent that some will not repent of their sin. Here’s the really disturbing part:

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, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 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, ESV)

To be in this blatant unrepentant state is damning, and will end in fire (cf. Hebrews 6:8). Despite this dire warning the author is quick to reassure the original readers that he or she believes that they are saved–through their faith and patience and good works.

Although this passage can be disconcerting, I suppose that if it is disturbing to you or me, it’s a good sign we haven’t fallen into that state of permanent rejection of God.

I’m reminded in this passage that we never look to ourselves for assurance of our salvation, but rather to the promises of God for those that believe.

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:11-12, ESV)

For what it’s worth, here is a passage from the Anglican liturgy that helps me when I have my own doubts:

Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him.

Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. Matthew 11:28

God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15

If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the perfect offering for our
sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

What do you think of this passage? Where do you find your assurance of salvation?

“We must not merely do as He did; we must see things as He saw them, regard them as He regarded them; we must take the will of God as the very life of our being; we must neither try to get our own way, nor trouble ourselves as to what may be thought or said of us.”
~ George MacDonald

George MacDonald seems is largely unknown to my generation, but was a massive influence on literary giants we love like C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkein, and even Oswald Chambers. I know I had never heard of him until I read the C.S. Lewis classic The Great Divorce which makes McDonald a central character.

After reading this quote, I think I should move his work a bit higher on my reading list.

Although I’ve been a Charismatic in theory for most of my Christian life, I would say I have not been one in practice, at least not in terms of outward manifestations of God the Holy Spirit. I have had mystical experiences, to be sure, but only inwardly. So, when I had an embarrassingly emotional charismatic experience a few weeks ago, my boat was rocked. It made me seriously uncomfortable. (more…)

In the fifth chapter of Hebrews, the author moves from speaking about Jesus as God and and Messiah to Jesus Christ as high priest. It’s important to the author that Jesus did not choose this office for himself. Like the first priest, Aaron, God called him to this office.

Jesus cried out to the God the Father out love for us.

He knows us intimately in our weakness, because he made himself weak like us. He came to the Father in humility, with tears, abandoning himself, and God heard him.

His reverence and respect for God the Father made this possible.

He suffered, learning obedience.

The pattern is striking, isn’t it? Because of Jesus’ call, his response to God, and his suffering, you are called, you are enabled to respond, and you too learn obedience through suffering.

Like Jesus, we also look forward to a resurrection.

The end of the chapter hints at great depths of meaning in the idea of God-in-the-flesh as our High Priest. Yet before we can go on to plumb them, we must get the basics right.

You have to know the story-arc, the characters, the purpose of the Scriptures. Lay a solid foundation so you can practice discernment (distinguishing between right and wrong). Thus grounded, you can venture out to explore and expand your understanding.

Do you know what it means for Jesus to be your High Priest?

Does this move you to awe and thankfulness and worship, or is it confusing?

If it is confusing, have you laid a solid foundation on the Gospel message contained in the whole of Scripture? Have you forgotten “the basic principles of the oracles of God?”

Inner healing starts with Jesus.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus is essential to inner healing, because somehow the more we focus on him, the more we desire to know him, the more we become like him.

As our minds are formed to be more like Christ’s, we are able by grace to deal with sin and wounds that have been inflicted upon us by evil. As we become more like Christ, we become more pliable to the Holy Spirit, sanctification progresses, and God continues the process of freeing us from all effects of sin. This process (what the Orthodox call theosis) is sometimes slow, but Jesus will certainly be faithful to complete it.

In Hebrews four, “God’s rest” has has past, present, and future dimensions. We reflect on what God has already done (the Exodus, Christ’s resurrection) and the rest that those before us have entered in. We also have this promise for the future that still stands (Heb. 4:1) and allows for believers to “draw near with confidence” (Heb. 4:16) for mercy and grace.

Reflecting on God’s promises and the past/present/future reality reminds me of the faithfulness of the God who saves us and allows me to rest content knowing that his will has been, is, and will be done.

This kind of rest is powerful force for forming the mind and body and spirit, because it helps facilitate a state of being where my confidence is firmly rooted in God and his ability and intention to accomplish his holy purpose, regardless of the circumstances I may find myself in.

This kind of rest is the beginning of a deep, divine inner healing.

In Hebrews three, the author compares and contrasts Jesus with Moses, the greatest leader in Jewish history.

The writer of Hebrews states that both are marked by faithfulness, but that Jesus’ faithfulness is different than Moses’. Jesus’ faithfulness, in contrast to Moses’, is “over” God’s house rather than “in” it (cf. Heb. 3:5-6). In chapter 1 and chapter 2, Jesus is set up as supreme over creation, and this theme of supremacy carries over here.

The author brings the concept closer to home for his or her readers–showing that Jesus is the logical and natural fulfillment of the Mosaic leadership example.

The parallel between the Exodus event and Jesus’ work is unmistakable.

The ultimate grand ending of the Exodus is entering the promised land, and the author is quick to point out that those that did not enter this place of rest and refreshment–flowing with milk and honey–were denied because of their unbelief.

The implication is clear: entering God’s rest through Jesus parallels the Exodus/Promised Land story, and belief plays a key role in this.

To find rest, to find our ultimate home in God, we must believe in Jesus.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12, ESV)

If we are not living in rest and peace, I suppose the question for us, then, is this:

Do I believe?

I was recently part of a prayer service where I was (for reasons still somewhat unknown to me) touched by the Holy Spirit and overcome with emotion, to the point of weeping. It was simultaneously beautiful and disorienting. (more…)

Chapter two of Hebrews solidifies Christ’s sovereignty in all things, especially salvation.

In a final, powerful statement, however, the humanity of Jesus is underscored when the author reminds us that “he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18 ESV).

Our God suffers with us.

This reminds me of the overriding purpose of the spiritual disciplines: to know Jesus more and to be conformed to his likeness. These practices take time, effort, and sacrifice.

They wouldn’t be worth it, save for the fact they help me know this person who is somehow my friend and brother and king and God, this person who not only died for his people, but rose victorious from death to redeem them from the clutches of death.

The ultimate worthiness of pursuing Jesus at all costs is confirmed.