Lynn I named you after reading what you did write about what you do believe parts of Hebrews chapter 6 is saying. Hope you don't mind my doing so either. But no doubt most others also would agree with you. I once would have said amen to it myself, until someone asked me to seriously look again at what it is saying. So I am going to ask others to do the same as my very good friend asked me to do also.
To be fair, not taking anything out of context of what is written in this chapter in Hebrews, I am going to copy all of it. Because it is important that one read all of it. But I especially want to call attention to what it says in verse 3. Because this is the verse that mainly deals with what God does, and not what we ourselves do, or are told to do. And therefore is probably the most important verse, for such a short one that we need to consider more once we are on that foundation listed in verses 1-2 more than any other one in the rest of that entire chapter. And I am saying this because once I did see the enormity of what that verse says there, I began to see that what I had been taught to believe for years, and did believe, was not quite as true anymore as I had thought it was. And it is because of what it does say totally in verse 3. So please, when you consider what I am going to say here, ponder on the enormity of what that verse alone is actually saying to you. As that is what I finally did, seeing that I had been taught wrong as I see it today after all, after a good friend in Christ finally did point this out to me.
But I am going to C&P the entire chapter. Because I believe we need to read all of it as well. And maybe even some before and after.
Hebr. 6:
1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3And this will we do, if God permit.
4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Now first of all, I was taught that once we did continue on, yet later fell away after doing so, that what is written mainly in verses 4-6 happened, we would of course, be lost forever from then on. And that is true, if we did do so. But I have a great big question to ask all of you now.
Do you honestly think that God does not know when we are ready to continue on into anything first of all? And if your answer is yes, He would know once we are abiding in Him. Then do you honestly believe He is going to allow anyone of us to do so? Because if your answer is no, what the writer is saying there is you don't have to worry about continuing on into anything at all at that point, because if God is not going to let you do anything at that point that would cause you to lose your salvation at all. And that is what IMO it is saying there because of what it does say in verse 3.
And those that believe that is warning to someone because they have continued on, God allowing them to do so are wrong. But instead what it is saying is don't worry. Because you aint going to continue on into anything until God tells you it is ok.
Meaning my friends, God is in control here, not us, as we would like to think we are.
And those that are not on the foundational principles of Christ yet are not going anywhere either, until they are on them. Because it is impossible for those that are not to do so too.
Meaning God is in control of a lot more than you might think He is, as I see it today.
And what the lie we are told that someone is able to do this on their own, is just that a lie, to cause us to be dependent upon ourselves in the first place. Which doens't work either. Not that we do not have to obey His Word either, as obedience to HIS Word in faith is what is going to get us on that rock to begin with. As well as obedience thereafter to continue on in faith from there on. But we aint going anywhere until God says we can either. And that little ole verse there that has few words, means a lot more than we probably realize. I know for years I didn't see it until this friend encouraged me to look and consider the enormity of what it is saying. And therefore I hope many of you do too.
Love,
Sandy
