The Security of the Believer

THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER CONDITIONAL OR UNCONDITIONAL? In the matter of the eternal security of the believer, God's Word teaches elements that are found in both the extreme positions of Calvinism...which stresses, rightly, God's sovereignty and divine prerogative...and Arminianism...which stresses, also rightly, man's free will and responsibility. These two positions must be considered together if their truths are to be properly understood. The Bible teaches the reality of the sovereignty and divine prerogative of God untainted by arbitrariness or caprice... however...it also teaches the reality of the free will and responsibility of man. In order to explain the Scriptural position on the security of the believer, four points need to be emphasized first: 1. Salvation is available to every man (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16; Romans 10:11-13). 2. Salvation is received and kept by faith (Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 10:38; I Peter 1:5; Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:20-21). 3. Continued sin will adversely affect the believer's faith (I John 1:8; 3:8; Romans 3:5-8; I Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 3:12-14; 12:1). 4. The believer's salvation is forfeited by rejecting Christ (John 17:12; Hebrews 10:38; I Timothy 4:1; 5:12; I John 5:16; 2 Peter 2:20; Hebrews 10:26-27; 6:4-6). I. SALVATION IS AVAILABLE FOR EVERY MAN Two questions are included in this proposition: (1) "Are some predestined to be saved and others to be lost?" and (2) "Who are the elect?" No one reading the New Testament can miss the impact of the answers to these questions when it is recognized that the message of the gospel is one of "WHOSOEVER WILL!" One does find some statements in Scripture that seem to imply that man's free will is excluded in the matter of the believer's salvation and that God...in His choice of the "elect"...exercises His Divine sovereignty entirely apart from man's volition. For example, in Romans 9, we read, "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth...Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated...I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that

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showeth mercy...Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and on whom He will He hardeneth." verses 11, 13, 15, 16, 18 However, when this passage is considered in the light of all that God's Word teaches on the subject of election, it is evident that man's will is involved in God's election. While God chose Jacob before "having done any good or evil," God's choice was on the basis of what He foreknew Jacob would do. This truth...of the "foreknowledge of God"...is brought out in Peter's letter to "the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." These believers were recognized to be "elect according to the foreknowledge of God" (I Peter 1:1-2). This same truth is stated in Romans 8:29. Paul wrote, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son." God, on the basis of His foreknowledge, determined, beforehand, the conditions on which He would show mercy (Ephesians 1:4). God, in His sovereignty, provided a plan of salvation whereby all can be saved... "whosoever will"...and whereby man's will is always taken into consideration. II. SALVATION IS RECEIVED AND "KEPT" BY FAITH The Bible clearly states that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and that the just shall live by faith - (Hebrews 10:38; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Habakkuk 2:4). As the believer's salvation is received...not by an act of righteousness, but, rather, by an act of faith...so, too, the believer's salvation is maintained...not by acts of righteousness...but, rather, by a life of faith! Being a Christian, then, is NOT a matter of works; it is a matter of faith. This point must be emphasized because in no case is the sinner accepted by God on the basis of any good that he has done. ONE IS SAVED TOTALLY AND SOLELY BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH By faith, the sinner accepts the fact that Christ died in his stead. By faith, he throws himself upon the mercy of God and accepts Christ as his Savior. By faith, he sees himself clothed with the righteousness of Christ...a righteousness...a standing ...that is imputed to him through no merit of his own (Philippians 3:9)...and it is this knowledge...knowledge that it is by faith that he is accepted by God...that gives him peace and joy! THE BELIEVER'S "STATE" MUST NOT BE CONFUSED WITH HIS "STANDING".

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1. Because the believer's standing is the result of God's grace...which he has accepted by faith...he stands secure...justified...clothed with the righteousness of Christ! 2. The believer's state...or the working out of the righteousness of Christ in the believer ...is another matter. The believer's state involves his spiritual growth... which is a progressive sanctification by obedient cooperation with the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:5-7; Romans 6:12-13; 8:13; Colossians 3:1-5) and it is during this maturing process that the believer must learn by his mistakes, as well as by his victories. The believer's security is never in doubt as long as his faith in Christ is steadfast, for he is kept by faith! The believer's spiritual growth varies in excellence, and degree, according to the yieldedness, and attention, he affords to the Spirit who is at work within him and, during the course of the perfecting process, he...by faith...is credited with this perfection through the imputed righteousness of Christ. The believer...through the process of becoming "conformed to the image of Christ"...is eternally secure; his salvation is sure. "There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Therefore, the believer's eternal security...which rests on both the receiving ...and keeping...of salvation...is made possible through the mercy of God in imputing the righteousness of His own Son to the fallible, and faulty, believer as long as he maintains a living faith in Christ. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us , Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him," (2 Corinthians 5:21). God, in His Divine providence, allowed the Greek language to be the language spoken during Jesus' day not only because the preciseness of its word meanings make it the most wonderfully definitive language of all languages, but also because the preciseness of its tense distinctions give understanding to exactly what it is God meant to say to us through the Scriptures. Our English translations of the Scriptures are admirable in their correctness...and soundness...of doctrine...however... one must understand the disadvantages that translators have labored under. For instance, Latin...the medium for acquiring the Greek New Testament ...because it has no article, makes no distinction between the Greek "aorist"... and "perfect"... tense ...and, as a result, the beautiful precision of the Greek Scripture...as to its articles and tenses...is, in a great measure, obscured in the process of translation. Interpretation of tenses in the Greek Testament When endeavoring to understand just what it is the Scriptures have to say about the "conditions" of final salvation, it is imperative that the absence of the aorist tense...and the presence of the present tense...be noted...AND...upon a careful study of the Greek tenses...one will discover that the Greek tense shows that faith in Jesus Christ...which is the great requirement for salvation...is a state...a habit of mind...which the believer enters into at his Justification...the inference being that the conditions of salvation is a continuing faith. This being true, it is a great mistake to teach that a single act...or exercise...of faith furnishes a person with a non-forfeitable guarantee of...or a through ticket to...heaven, regardless of the kind of life that a believer may live after conversion.

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Let us look at a few Bible passages which...when rendered in the proper tenses...prove to be totally supportive of this posture: John 1:12, "But as many as received Him"...(aorist tense, indicating a momentary, and definite, act)..."to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that are believing"... (present tense, meaning to believe perseveringly on His name. Here the aorist tense would have been used...instead of the present tense...if a single act of faith could secure ultimate salvation). John 3:15, "That whosoever is continuously believing in Him"...(present tense) ... "should not perish"...(once and for all...aorist tense)..."but be having everlasting life" (present tense). John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that is always hearing My Word, and constantly believing on Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and is not coming into condemnation, but has passed over"...(perfect tense)..."from death unto life." BELIEVING AND HAVING ETERNAL LIFE ARE COMMENSURATE...because ...where the faith is, the possession of eternal life is...and where the faith is not, the possession of eternal life is not. John 6:35, "He that is perpetually coming"...(present tense)..."to Me shall not, by any means hunger"...(aorist tense)..."and he that is constantly believing in Me shall never, by any means, feel one pang of thirst"...(aorist tense). If thirst returns, the defect is in the person and not in the water...because...if he is thirsty it is because he has ceased to drink! John 6:54, "Whosoever keeps eating"...(present tense)..."My flesh and keeps drinking" ... (present tense)..."My blood, hath eternal life." John 11:25, "He that believeth persistently"...(present tense)..."shall not, by any means, die forever"...(aorist tense). From a thorough examination of these texts, one can only conclude that the Spirit of inspiration has uniformly chosen to use the imperative present tense ... which denotes an action which is already commenced and is to be continued...in order to teach us that final salvation depends upon a faith that perseveres to the end. III. CONTINUED SIN WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BELIEVER'S FAITH The Bible makes it clear that, in this life, Christians do sin and that the Christian's recourse, when he has sinned, is forgiveness through Christ (I John 1:8-9; 2:1). On the other hand, it is unnatural for the new nature of a Christian ... Christ's life within the believer...to continue in a life of sin. That is, this life of Christ within him cannot "habitually" sin.

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"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin...The Greek tense is the continuous present which translates, "does not continue to habitually sin...because he is born of God". (I John 3:8-9). God's Word here tells us that the nature of the believer...the carnal nature...that practices sin is of the devil because the nature that is born of God doe not practice sin...does not keep on habitually sinning because it cannot keep on sinning the way the carnal nature of the child of the devil does. The believer should grow spiritually, laying aside sin in the realization that continued sin will adversely affect his faith. - Does this imply that a Christian can sin and still be saved? While one's first impulse might be to say, "NO, he cannot be saved!", it is equally true that no one would suggest that believers are lost when they are guilty of committing the sins of worry, pride, envy, bitterness...even covetousness, or gossip...because these sins seem to be "accepted" as common failings. However, if it be insisted that God demands present sinless perfection from believers, then the question must be raised: "Is man's standing in Christ based upon his own righteousness or is it based upon the righteousness of Christ imputed to him by faith?" - If a man is saved only as long as he maintains a flawless life, then salvation is NOT obtained by God's grace, but, rather, by man's works! If a man is accepted by God only if he is without fault, then Christian living ...rather than being free from condemnation as Paulin Romans 8:1...insists that it is...becomes a continual exercise in soul-searching and penance...full of fear and condemnation...and void of the joy, and confidence, that a knowledge of salvation can bring. (See Romans 5:9-11 where it is clear that the God who loved us enough to provide for our salvation loves us enough to provide for us all the way to glory. This assurance gives us joy in Him.) Another question...related to the one above...would be: "What happens to a believer who commits a sin in the moment just before Christ returns...or just a few moments before he dies ...and does not have an opportunity to repent?" Those who maintain that a Christian cannot commit a sin and still be saved would teach that such a believer is lost and doomed for hell without salvation. What despair! The believer is not in a revolving door...moving in and out of the grace of God...but, rather, he is secure in the hand of God, and "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate him from the love of the Father!" (Romans 8:38) It must be emphasized again that...because the Christian has a new life of Christ within and has had his spirit born of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6), which cannot keep on sinning the same

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old sins...it is unnatural for him...his new nature ...to sin...because...in fact...the believer is a new creature for whom old things have passed away and new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because the old life... the old nature...is a thing of the past...a latent force within...subdued and reckoned dead (Romans 6:11) by the new nature of Christ Jesus within...what was the custom and practice of the old nature before now becomes unnatural, and contrary, to the new nature...to the impulses of the "re-born" spirit of man. "He that is born of God," John said, "cannot sin (or keep on practicing sin)." That is, sin is foreign to the new nature because when the old nature temporarily, and unexpectedly, regains ascendancy, the whole new being revolts against this unnatural intrusion and one's immediate recourse is to turn to Christ...and...as the believer who has sinned turns to Christ, he turns not with the despair of a lost soul, but, rather, with the secure knowledge that, as a son of God, he has an Advocate with the Father who is faithful and just to forgive, and to cleanse from, all unrighteousness. Thus the believer exercises his prerogative as a child of God, never needing to doubt his standing, which he knows is based...by faith...upon the infallible righteousness of Christ! - HALLELUJAH!!! Having stressed the part that the sovereignty and grace of God plays in the believer's "eternal security", it is now imperative to take a look at the part man's free will and responsibility plays in this security if, in fact, we hope to get a "handle" on what does...or does not...make a believer eternally "secure" in his salvation. By the exercise of his free will the believer becomes a child of God and, by the continued exercise of his free will, he remains a child of God...because God does not withdraw his "power of choice" just because he becomes a believer. There- fore, to keep on believing is the believer's responsibility. The believer must always be careful that he does not take a light attitude toward sin because he dare not use the grace of God as a license to sin. "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" asked Paul (Romans 6:1). The answer is an emphatic negative. Paul knew... and taught...that continued sin will adversely affect a believer's faith...and faith is the very thing that makes a relationship with God possible. Continued sin becomes presumptuous, high-handed, and is evidence of rebellion (Numbers 15:30-31). Rebellion is the opposite of the trust...and obedience... which characterizes faith! "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). WHY SUCH PRECAUTIONS AND CONCERN? God's repeated warnings in Scripture...against unbelief... are meaningful only when it is recognized that the loss of faith means the eternal loss of the soul! For while it is true that the believer's salvation is not earned by his righteous deeds...nor his salvation maintained by them...it is equally true that...as the believer obtains his salvation by FAITH...so, also, he can lose it by UNBELIEF!

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Sin and unbelief are always closely related. Sin jeopardizes faith...and loss of faith means loss of standing. Hebrews 3:12-14 bears this out. I know that some feel that this passage is addressed to sinners, however, the writer addresses this passage to "holy brethren" (verse 1) and warns them against unbelief which will lead to a departure from the living God. He mentions the "deceitfulness of sin" (vs.13) as the cause of unbelief and reminds believers that they are "partakers of Christ only if they hold the beginning of their confidence unto the end" (vs.14). He says in verse 6: "Christ as a Son over His own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Now, notice that...with the exception of the word "wherefore" in verse 7 ... verse 7 to verse 11 is in parentheses. Leaving out the parentheses, this passage could be read..."Wherefore take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God...For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." Standing in Christ is by faith...therefore...remove faith, and there is no longer any standing. This is why Scripture admonishes the believer to "take heed ... lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:12). IV. SALVATION CAN BE FORFEITED BY REJECTING CHRIST God does not let anyone go easily, however, a believer can be lost if he disregards the continuing checks of the Holy Spirit and reaches the point where he rejects Jesus as his Savior. * It is possible to believe for a while and, in time of temptation, to fall away (Luke 8:13). * It is possible for the weak brother...for whom Christ died...to perish (I Corinthians 8:11). * It is possible for a name to be written in the book of Life and, then, to be removed from the book (Rev.22:19). We are told in I John 5:11-13, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that BELIEVE...(the word `believe' is in the continuous present tense and, therefore, accurately translated, means `have believed and are believing')...on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." This verse under discussion becomes much clearer when we understand that the word "believe" is in the continuous present tense because what it is saying is that "One who continues to believe continues to be the recipient of eternal life...which is continuous in its nature and must be imparted, continuously, by Christ Jesus Who is its source.

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A good question to ask would be, "What is `ETERNAL LIFE'?" While "eternal life" refers to "quality" of life...that is, the divine life which draws its source from Christ, not only in the future, but also in the present...as well as "quantity" of life, nonetheless, "eternal life" is still life that does not cease...life that is eternal and continuous. Eternal life, then, is life that lasts forever...and...not only is it not something that can be given and then taken away, but, also, it is not something that can be given in a moment, in a day, in a year, or in ten thousand years, but, rather, it is something that God...Who is the Giver of life...must continue to give as long as eternity shall last. If, at any time during our sojourn upon this planet...or after our exit from it ...God were to cease to give us life, it would result in our death. Let me illustrate: I lived yesterday, however, it was necessary for me to breathe because, had I ceased to breathe, I should have ceased to live. I am living today and it is just as necessary for me to breathe today as it was necessary for me to breathe yesterday...as well as it will be necessary for me to breathe tomorrow...in order that my life may continue. Life, to be continued, must continue to be given; and life, in order that it may be eternal life, must be given, and received, throughout eternity. I must hasten to repeat that God, the Giver of eternal life, has made provision in His divine economy, not only for one's initial cleansing from sin, but, also, for his continuous cleansing from sin. I John 1:7 tells us: "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin." Not only is it important to note that the Greek word which is rendered "cleanseth" actually means "continuously cleanseth," but, also, that this "continuous cleansing" is contingent upon...conditional to...one's "walking in the light as He (Christ) is in the light." Note: God's cleansing is continuous as we walk in the light and eternal life is continuous as we maintain contact with the source of that life, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 17:3, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee ... (The Greek translates, `That they might be knowing Thee')...the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou has sent." Another instance in Scripture where the distinction of the tense must not be overlookedif one is to have a clear understanding of Scripture and a sound theology...is John 10:28-29, where it states, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." It will help the student to understand this portion of the Word if he can be led to see that...because of the Greek use of the present continuous tense in the original text...there is a precision of meaning in the Greek text that is not conveyed to us in most translations.

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Greek scholars will concede that a literal Greek rendering of this text is as follows: "My sheep ARE HEARING My voice, and I AM KNOWING them, and they ARE FOLLOWING Me: and I AM GIVING them eternal life, and they should by no means be perishing, and no one shall be snatching them out of My hand." In giving us a definition of who Christ's sheep are, this passage tells us that His sheep are those who are hearing His voice and who are following Him. Christ uses this "metaphor" of the relationship of a shepherd with his sheep to describe His relationship with His disciples ...those who "follow" Him...because this relationship of sheep to shepherd is very common in the Eastern scene: the shepherd knows all his sheep by name and if they keep on hearing, harkening or listening, to his voice when he calls them...and if they continue to follow him...then he fulfills his role as their shepherd and continues to lead them into life-giving pastures where no wolves, hyenas or other wild beasts, will ever be able to take them from under his hand. However...the shepherd's ability to do this...to keep his sheep safe...is conditional upon their response to his voice...because if the stubborn sheep fail to respond to their shepherd's voice and wander away, it is more than likely that they will be devoured and, consequently, "lost." The safety and security of the sheep, then, depends upon...and is assured by ...their continuing to listen to their shepherd's voice and their continuing to follow him...because...if they do not continue to listen to their shepherd's voice and.. rather then follow him...wander away, they will perish. This Greek text makes it very clear that Christ's giving of eternal life is a continuous giving and, just as God continuously gives one the air to breathe...and the ability to inhale, and exhale, that air...in order that he may continue to live in the body...so, too, God continuously gives one eternal life as one continues to hear His voice...and continues to follow Him...so that He (Christ) may be continually knowing him as His sheep. OTHER SCRIPTURES TO CONSIDER WOULD BE: John 15:2-5 "Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Every Christian is a branch in the vine...which is Christ... and, because he is in Christ, he has become a new creature. Because the life of the Vine (Christ) is in every branch, every Christian possesses eternal life...but...his eternal life is conditional upon his "abiding" in Christ... because ...the believer who fails to abide in Christ ceases to be in Christ and becomes a "dead, dry, withered branch and is cast into the fire and burned."

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I Corinthians 9:27 I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection...(I make my flesh a slave to my spirit)...lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." The very next verse, I Corinthians 10:1, goes on to say, "FOR brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea." And, then, verse 5, goes on to say, "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." I Corinthians 10:5 refers to the children of Israel who were "cast away" ... strewn along in the wilderness...so...what Paul was saying...in I Corinthians 9:27 ... is that he wanted to take every precaution to assure that he would not perish as the Israelites had. To understand the meaning of the Greek word which is translated as "castaway", one needs to see how it is used elsewhere in Scripture: Hebrews 12:15-17 says, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he should have inherited the blessing, he was rejected." This word "rejected" is translated from the Greek word "adokimos"...which is the same Greek word that is found in I Corinthians 9:27 where it is translated "castaway." Therefore, while "adokimos" can refer to one becoming disapproved...or set aside...it can also refer to one becoming rejected. Because Paul's determination was to win Christ...and the crown of life at all cost...he trod the path of rigid abstinence, and severe restraint, so that, like the athlete who trained for the Grecian games, his (Paul's) "training" would enable him to obtain the crown. It is significant that, elsewhere in Scripture, this same Greek word, "adokimos", is translated "reprobate"...in fact in the New Testament, it is translated as "rebrobate" more often than it is translated as either "castaway" or "rejected"...and refers to one who has become morally abandoned. This is what the Israelites, mentioned in I Corinthians 10, became, and Paul was determined not to tread the path they trod. Hebrews 6:1-8 This chapter begins...in verses 1-3...by exhorting Christians not to be continually laying again the foundation of their faith...or, as one translation says..."dismissing the elementary instruction about Christ...let us go on to maturity ...full growth." Then, in the following verses...verses 4-6...after exhorting them to go on to Christian maturity...Paul reveals the danger that confronts them if they do not go on to Christian maturity: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made part- takers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they fall away, to renew them again unto

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repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." In order to satisfactorily understand what Paul...by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit...is telling us in verses 4 to 6, let us examine the words that are used in these verses: 1. ENLIGHTENED The word "enlightened", in verse 4, is from the Greek word "photizo", which means to become light...or...to give light ...and...in Hebrews 10:32, this same word is translated "illuminated." In the beginning of the 18th verse, in the first chapter of Ephesians, this word is again translated as "enlightened": "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened." Our word "photograph" is derived from this Greek word "photizo." When these Scriptural verses talk about "those who were once enlightened" they, of course, are clearly referring to those who have been regenerated. 2. TASTED To get a better understanding of the meaning...and usage...in verses 4 and 5 ...of the word "tasted"...which is derived from the Greek word "genomai"...let us take a look at another Scripture verse where this same word is used: I Peter 2:2-3 states, "As new born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." This Scriptural passage tells us, then, that those who have "tasted that the Lord is gracious" are, in fact, "new born babes" (in Christ). Verse 5 (of Hebrews 6)... when it speaks of those who "have tasted the good Word of God"...confirms the fact that they, therefore, had received, or experienced, the regenerating power of the Word of God ...the incorruptible seed. 3. HEAVENLY GIFT The expression "heavenly gift," in verse 4, comes from the Greek word dorea"... which means a "free gift"...and is used in many places in Scripture to express the gift of Christ...or the gift of eternal life. A few Scriptures with this word in them would be: Romans 5:15-17; Ephesians 3:7; 4:7. 4. PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT When verse 4 speaks of those who "were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, the word "partakers"...which comes from the Greek word "metochos"...is, in other translations, translated as "sharers"...so, to "partake of the Holy Ghost" is to "share in"..."participate and have fellowship with"...the Holy Ghost which means, of course, that those who were being referred to had...in fact...received the Holy Spirit. It is also interesting to note that this same Greek word, "metochos", is used in I Corinthians 10:17, where it states... when speaking of what the Lord's Supper means..."We are all partakers of that one bread"...or, translated another way... "at the Lord's table we should remember Him, (Christ) being all partakers of Christ, Who is the bread of life."

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The combining of all these words in these two verses (Hebrews 6:4-5) gives a full-orbed picture of the glorious experience one enters into when he is saved... regenerated...by accepting Christ as his personal Savior. He has experienced the gift of life eternal, has received the Holy Spirit, has experienced the regenerating power of the Word of God, and has tasted the supernatural power of the world to come. These solemn words in the book of Hebrews were spoken to converted Hebrews as a warning against apostasy and, while this warning from the pages of God's Word is for all of us, let us...in our endeavor to understand the depth of meaning of this warning...take a look at why this warning was originally given to the Hebrews: At the time the book of Hebrews was written it was true...as it is still true among orthodox Jewry today...that, when a Hebrew accepted Christ as his Messiah and personal Savior and was baptized, orthodox Jewry treated him as one who was dead and would not transact business with him; furthermore, not only was he completely ignored by his relatives, but he was also publicly excommunicated from the Jewish fraternity. Should such a person fall away from Christ...and apply for reception back into the Jewish faith...he had to denounce Christ and ally himself with those who considered Him to be a blasphemer...and...upon doing so...he became an apostate, crucifying to himself the Son of God again and putting Him to an open shame before the whole of Jewry. It was a very serious, and conscious, act of treason on the part of a believer who...having known the glorious power of the risen Christ...decided...because he began to feel that Jesus Christ was an impostor and he had, therefore, been deceived...to publicly disown Him...and to, thus, crucify the Son of God afresh. Verse 7 and 8 are speaking of the apostate heart that, because it had received the good Word of God had been spiritually blessed by God by having been given the potential for fruit, but, instead of the "ground" producing fruit, it had produced only thorns and briars and was, therefore, rejected. When Hebrews 6:7 and 8 states that, "It is impossible ...to renew them again unto repentance"...it certainly does not mean that God would not show mercy to the repentant backslider, but, rather, that the apostate has placed himself in a position where it is impossible for him to have a repentant attitude! If one turns from Christ, there is no other sacrifice for his sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation (Hebrews 10:27). 2 Peter 2:20-22 "For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

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I have read the many interpretations of this Scriptural passage which endeavor to show that those mentioned here were never really Christians, however, the text seems quite clear that it is referring to those who had...like the sow...been washed clean...who had...like the dog... cast off (as by vomiting) the corrupted polluting influence of the world on which they formerly had fed... thus they had ... "escaped the pollution of the world"...But...they were "again entangled therein." The allegory is so clear that it hardly needs commenting on! This is the only place in all of Scripture where the uncomplimentary metaphor of the dog and the sow is applied to Christians, and the Spirit of God deliberately chose these metaphors to emphasize the vileness of sin and the degradation of all who, having fully known the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...and the way of righteousness...turn their backs upon Him Who loved them and cleansed them of their sins. The word "knowledge", in verse 20, is translated from the Greek word "epignosis", which means to have "full knowledge" of. This word is also found in Ephesians 4:13, which reads, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the (full) knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Other Scripture verses which use this word are: Colossians 1:9; 3:10; Ephesians 1:17. Because the word "known", in verse 20, is likewise translated from the Greek word "epignosis," it serves as but another proof that this passage refers to those who had full knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word "escaped", in verse 20, is translated from the Greek word "apophengo" and, elsewhere in Scripture, this same Greek word is translated "to be `liberated' ... or `freed'...from." In closing, let me say that since, of course, it is not always possible for us to determine whether or not a person has completely turned his back on Jesus as his Savior, we would do well to leave judgment of these matters in the hands of the God, Who knows all things. Of this we can be certain, however, that if God does not give up in His efforts to bring the prodigal back, neither should we...because...all too often, there are those who are willing to "write an individual off" when God has not written him off at all. The Bible does recognize the possibility of one forfeiting his salvation, but it also never ceases to offer hope for anyone who wants to respond to the entreaty of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' invitation is without qualification because He speaks to all when He says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Again, the Bible speaks to all when it says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).