Compare Hebrews 6:6 with 2 Peter 2:20-22 on falling away from faith. Setting the Scene Hebrews 6:6 (context vv. 4-6): “For it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened… if they fall away—to be restored to repentance, because they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame.” “If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning… ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.’” Hebrews 6:6—A Sobering Warning • Addresses professing believers who have – been “enlightened” – “tasted” the heavenly gift and the word – “shared” in the Holy Spirit’s activity • “Tasted” implies sampling, not full appropriation (cf. Matthew 27:34). • Falling away = public, deliberate rejection of Christ after intimate exposure to gospel realities. • Restoration is said to be “impossible,” underscoring the hardness that follows willful apostasy (cf. Hebrews 10:26-29). 2 Peter 2:20-22—The Dog Returns to its Vomit • Describes false teachers and their followers who – “escaped… through the knowledge of… Jesus Christ” (external reform) – become “entangled and overcome” once more by corruption. • Last state “worse… than the beginning” because additional light heightens accountability (cf. Luke 12:47-48). • Animal proverbs picture unchanged nature: washing a sow doesn’t make it a sheep. How the Two Passages Interlock Both texts portray people who: 1. Sat under orthodox teaching and witnessed the Spirit’s work. 2. Experienced moral/spiritual influences short of regeneration. 3. Willfully turned back, demonstrating they never possessed the new birth (1 John 2:19). 4. Now face severer judgment than open unbelievers (Matthew 11:20-24). The Nature of the Falling Away • Intellectual illumination without heart transformation (Hebrews 4:2). • Moral reformation without new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). • Public renunciation that heaps shame on Christ (Hebrews 6:6). • Final state characterized by deeper bondage and stronger delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Can a True Believer Be Lost? • Christ promises irrevocable life to His sheep (John 10:28-29). • God finishes what He begins (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:30). • The warnings function as means God uses to keep His own persevering (Hebrews 3:12-14). • Those who apostatize reveal they never personally embraced saving faith (Hebrews 4:2; 1 John 2:19). Walking in Assurance • Examine yourself: do you merely “taste,” or do you feed on Christ (John 6:35)? • Cultivate ongoing repentance and faith (Colossians 2:6-7). • Stay close to the body of believers for mutual exhortation (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Rest in the intercession of Jesus, who “is able to save completely those who draw near” (Hebrews 7:25). Key Takeaways • Hebrews 6 and 2 Peter 2 present the same tragedy: informed, enlightened people turning their backs on the Savior they never truly trusted. • Apostasy is possible for professors, not possessors, of saving faith. • God’s Word issues real warnings to expose counterfeit faith and to spur genuine believers to persevere. |
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