Can You Lose Your Salvation?

Written by Jimmie Burroughs

The most difficult Scripture in the Bible is found in Hebrews chapter six. Bible commentaries often leave off discussing it. Dr. R.W. Dale, who was considered one of the great minds in the field of conservative scholarship, wrote: “I know how this passage has made the heart of many a good man tremble. It rises up in the New Testament with a gloomy grandeur, stern, portentous, awful, sublime as Mount Sinai when the Lord descended upon it in fire, and threatening storm clouds were around Him, and thundering and lightnings and unearthly voices told that He was there.”

Hebrews 6:4-6, “For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

I have read these verses many times over the years and always with a sense of awe and wonder. I have had others ask me the meaning of these verses, and I always tried to explain them, but as I look back, I realize my explanation was done in a sense of inadequacy. As I approach this subject today, I still have that same feeling.

However, I’m comforted by the fact that I’m not alone. Many others have also felt a sense of confusion when undertaking an interpretation of these verses. Let us examine a few major interpretations of verses 4 through 6 that have arisen over the years:

1. A loss of salvation, which is biblically impossible
2. A hypothetical loss of salvation, which is not in accord with the Greek text
3. Those who are “almost but not quite saved,” which is a contradiction of what the text clearly states
4. The ones spoken of here are the Jewish Christians who are in danger of falling back into the ways of Judaism; this is true but does not give a satisfying interpretation in context.
5. Finally, a loss of rewards, which is more in context with the teaching of Hebrews

The Loss of salvation: I believe this one is the most unsatisfactory one of all since it controverts numerous other Scriptures which confirm eternal salvation beyond question. Might I add here, it is never wise to establish a doctrine on one passage of Scripture. Bible doctrines are established within the context of all Scripture. The best method of exegetical interpretation is to let verses which are clear, explain those that are obscure.

Those who find themselves in this first general category of interpretation, concerning the loss of salvation, point to this passage of Scripture, since they deny salvation as static or unchanging in nature, which, according to them, can be lost depending on the believer and their own actions. They are quick to deny that the believer is safe in Christ and have a sure salvation, and can never be lost. Contrary to their belief, our salvation is secure; to believe a believer can be lost is to clearly refute what Jesus said: John 6:39 ^39”“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” Also, how do you explain what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” To cap it off, when God seals a human soul, there is nothing in God’s entire universe that can break that seal; there is not a greater power than God: “You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,” Ephesians 1:13–14.

Paul continues to build this mighty fortress of assurance: Romans 8:34-39 34“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ₃₉nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Once again, the Lord Jesus Himself said in regard to the security of our salvation: “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, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand,” John 10:27-29. It is not our ability to hold on to Jesus, it is His ability to hold on to us.  

According to what Jesus says, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, nothing that is seen or unseen, nothing that is natural, nothing that is supernatural or any other thing in existence. We are totally secure in Christ and those who trust in Him shall never perish. The scriptures above are just a few of the many scriptures that teach the keeping power of our Lord. We should never use an obscure scripture as found in Hebrews chapter 6 to contradict the many Scriptures that are clear on the security of salvation.                      

A hypothetical loss of salvation: This is based on the Authorized King James Version (Hebrews 6:6), which reads, “If they shall fall away.” In other words, “if” it were possible for them to fall away it would be impossible for them to be restored again. The writer of Hebrews is not saying this could happen, only if it did happen. The problem with this interpretation is, there is no “if” in the original Greek transcripts. In the Greek, a participle is used, translated “having fallen away.”

Those who are “almost but not quite saved:” This is not in alignment with the text. The text is quite clear that these mentioned are believers: “For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away…” This is not at all a description of “almost but not quite saved.” It indeed is a description of saved believers.

The Bible does mention “professors” who are not genuine believers. We find such a reference in 2 Peter 2:22: “It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.” Obviously, these are not genuine believers. However, to consider those mentioned in Hebrews chapter 6 other than genuine believers would be to stretch the text to mean something other than what is intended.

The ones spoken of here are the Jewish Christians who are being warned not to fall back into the sacrificial system of Judaism: “wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ,” Hebrews 6:1. Here is the basic definition of Judaism: “A religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.” Christianity grew out of those basic beliefs; that is why it is referred to as “Judeo Christianity.” The problem was and is, the Jews were not able to accept Jesus as the Messiah who came to fulfill the old covenant of law; they continued the old covenant including the sacrificial system.  Jesus offered His life as a fulfilment of the Old Testament sacrifices. He became the ultimate sacrifice for which the Old Testament sacrifices foreshadowed. Therefore, to continue those sacrifices is the focus of Hebrews 6:6, “…seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

Those who believe you can lose your salvation base it on these verses in Hebrews chapter 6. However, contrary to the text, they also believe you can be saved again as many times as needed. They use the reference in Matthew 19:24-26 ²⁴“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, who then can be saved? ²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” The thought coming out of this belief is, it is impossible for man, but it is not impossible with God. It is impossible for a man to be saved again by human effort, but it is divinely possible. They have to have an out, otherwise they would never believe a person could lose their salvation.

The question that arises from this is, what is the sin that causes a person to lose their salvation or how many sins does it take? Since just one sin condemns a person in God’s sight, if you believe that interpretation, you might need to be resaved every day. Jesus instructed his disciples to ask each day for God to forgive their trespasses as well as forgiving others theirs. There is no indication in the model prayer that a believer is lost because of their daily sin. Our sins were placed on Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago at His crucifixion, long before we were born. That means all our sins, everyone one of them. Some even contend they are above sin, but John said in1 John 1:8, ⁸“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

The Bible clearly teaches that Man failed to keep the law therefore a sinner in God’s sight. God sent His Son, Jesus, who did keep the law perfectly, never committing sin, therefore meeting God’s perfect standard for righteousness. On the cross, He bore our sins and imputed His own righteousness to our account, those who trust in Him. Today there is still no one who can meet God’s perfect standard of righteousness., Therefore, we must depend on Jesus who did so in our stead. It is His imputed righteousness that God sees in a believer and not man’s feeble attempts to be righteous.

The Author of Hebrews is talking about the loss of rewards, not salvation: Of all the interpretations of Hebrews 6, I consider this one to best meets the exegetical rules of interpretation. I encourage you to consider this one carefully without bias. This interpretation is not original with me; Its origin is Dr. J. B. Rowell of Central Baptist Church, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Does the Bible uphold such a translation? Let’s first get a clearer understanding of what the author of Hebrews, is actually saying within the context of the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews was written to Christian Israelites who had trusted in Jesus for eternal life. They were definitely Christians and genuine believers. They were being persecuted not only by the Romans but also by non-Christian Israelites. The author of Hebrews encouraged them to stand strong even in the face of their suffering and remain steadfast. The purpose of their persecution was to force them to reject Jesus and return to Judaism, and that was also the condition for them to escape further persecution. Paul makes two points while encouraging them to remain strong in their faith: First, he tells them how superior Christianity is to Judaism. Second, he warns them of the impending danger of reverting back to Judaism.

In order to get a better understanding of these difficult verses in Hebrews, it is of an essence that we understand the security of salvation within the context of the New Testament. There are many verses that clearly state that the believer can never be lost.  Scripture teaches that once a person is saved, they are always saved, and nothing can ever take them away from God. That is essential to know because when we come to a passage like we are considering today, which seems to indicate a person can lose their salvation, we need to know in context what the Scripture teaches. Therefore, we are going to know, going in, that the author of Hebrews is not teaching that a person can lose their salvation, and there is apparently another meaning of the passage. I believe once we understand just the book of Hebrews in context, we will see that the author is, in fact, teaching (Hebrews 6:4-6) the opposite of losing one’s salvation.

Today, we don’t have time or space to take in considering the whole book of Hebrews. However, do consider these words scattered throughout Hebrews, which are related to the security of salvation, words such as confidence, boldness, assurance, confirmation, access, promises, hope, eternal redemption, eternal salvation and eternal inheritance; these are more numerous in Hebrews than any other book of the Bible.  Also, we can get an Idea of the context by looking back to Hebrews 5:11: “Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” They were believers who had become dull of hearing, a problem among Christians today, by the way.

Apparently, they had lost their interest in learning and building on their knowledge of God. We see in Hebrews 5:12 how they should be: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk, not solid food.” Being a Christian was never intended to be a stagnant position, but it is intended to be a position of continual growth. That is what Paul is writing about in Hebrews 5:13-14: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for his is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

So, when we come to Hebrews chapter 6, we find Paul encouraging these Hebrew Christians to move forward rather than stagnating or regressing. They should by this time be ready to leave the milk behind and take on a new diet of Meat. They are no longer to be babes but should be ready to start maturing. Maturity is not something you can force upon yourself; it is a continual process that takes time. In the case of spiritual maturity, it takes a lifetime of progressive learning. It is a matter of not only learning the Word but also obeying the Word. So, Paul seeing their spiritual condition of still being babes in Christ, weak in the faith, gives a warning about falling away.

Hebrews 6:1b-2. “Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” The author of Hebrews gives a list of fundamental truths that are rudimentary that all Christians should know. They are in the category of milk doctrines. An understanding of them is a perquisite to moving on to the meat doctrines. Let’s briefly summarize their meaning, which is important if we are to understand Hebrews 6:4-6:

“Repentance from Dead Works:” Repentance comes from a military term meaning about face, which of course is changing directions. In the spiritual sense, it is turning from sins. In the literal sense it means “a change of mind.” Repentance is not salvation. No one was ever saved by repentance alone. Salvation is believing in Christ through faith and faith alone, which includes nothing more. The scribe and Pharisees had taught that salvation comes by being obedient to the law, which the Jews had been trying to do. Life, however, is not gained by keeping the law, only judgement and condemnation. They thought they were being righteous, but in fact their works of righteousness were as filthy rags in the sight of God, Isaiah 64:6. Their every attempt in righteousness resulted in “Dead Works.”

Attempting to obey the law was so ingrained in the Jews it was difficult for them to turn away and solely depend on God’s grace alone. Paul wrote a lot to the Jews trying to convince them that Christians are to depend on the grace of God and not upon the works of the law. It was essential for them to repent, or turn away, from the dead works of the law realizing once and for all that was not God’s way of salvation; the law was only a school master to bring sinners to Christ. We see in the law just how short we come to measuring up to God’s perfect standard of righteousness.

“Faith Toward God:” A genuine relationship with God comes only through faith in Christ. This doctrine builds on the first mentioned and is related to it. The best way of translating this phrase is to let it speak for itself. The Jews believed they could reach God through the law little recognizing it was through faith only. The works of the law were never intended to be a way to God. They mirrored the need to come to God through faith.

“Instructions about Baptisms:” Notice that baptism is plural. Actually, there are seven types of baptisms mentioned in Scripture. We ordinarily think of only one, water baptism. Some even teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation. Water baptism is only a picture of salvation, a picture of the death of the old person of sin resurrected to the newness of life through Jesus Christ. It is also a picture of the death burial and resurrection of Christ and is a personal declaration of salvation through the gospel pictured by baptism.  

“Laying on of Hands:” Laying on of hands is an act of identification.Today we practice the laying on hands in ordination services in order to identify with or officially dedicate someone to the pastoral ministry or the deacon ministry. In the Old Testament, they lay hands on a sacrificial animal indicating that in symbol they died with the animal. In the New Testament they lay hands on missionaries, once again to identify with their mission, Acts 13:1-3.

“Resurrection of the Dead:” The Sadducees, a segment of Judaism, did not believe in resurrection from the dead, Acts 23:8. Perhaps some Jewish Christians did not believe in resurrection either, or didn’t know enough about it to believe.  Since the resurrection of Christ is essential to the gospel, it is also essential that Christians believe in it. For new Christians, this is part of the milk doctrines they are expected to have learned, which also included the future resurrection of the dead. There are at least 3 resurrections: The spiritual resurrection of those who trust in Christ from the state of deadness to the newness of life in Christ Jesus; The first resurrection, which is the resurrection of Christ and then in the future at the time of the rapture, the resurrection of the dead in Christ and then extends to the resurrection of those after the tribulation along with the Old Testament saints. The third resurrection is of the unsaved dead at the end of the Millennium, referred also to as the second death.

“Eternal Judgement:” The Bible speaks of 7 eternal judgements: Devine judgement of sin through the cross of Christ; God’s disciplinary judgement of the saints through life; judgement of works for rewards at the judgement seat of Christ; the judgement of Israel; judgement of nations; judgement of angels; and finally, the great white throne judgement of the unsaved. That concludes the six elementary milk doctrines that the author of Hebrews expected the Hebrew Christians to know. How much of this list do you suppose modern day Christians know; probably very little.

This brings us to the most controversial section of Hebrews, Hebrews 6:4-6. In this section, we see the seriousness of the warning given to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 6:4-6, 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.

It is obvious that the author of Hebrews is addressing true believers in verses 4 and 5. These attributes are only assigned to believers. There were 6 doctrines mentioned earlier, and now there are also 5 descriptions of these believers who are being warned of the danger of falling back into Judaism.

“Once for all enlightened:” What does it mean to be all enlightened? Remember that before we were saved that we were blinded by Satan, 2 Corinthians 4:3–5: 3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Now, those who have come to Christ have had their eyes opened and have been enlightened. Paul goes on to say, ⁵“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the LORD; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus.” The Greek word “apax” for enlightenment means that it is “once and for all.” You don’t lose that enlightenment once you have it.

“Tasted the Heavenly Gift:” Salvation is the gift of God, something that is not earned through good works as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9. This “taste” is not in the ordinary sense, just a sample. In the Greek it means to experience in the fullest extent. When Jesus experienced death on the cross, Hebrews 2;9, “He tasted death for all men.” He experienced death in the fullest and was buried in a tomb and then resurrected to life in 3 days. He just didn’t sample it. Therefore, to taste the heavenly gift of salvation is to completely experience it in all its fullness. Those who tasted received eternal life as promised in John 3:16.

“Partakers of the Holy Spirit:” Once a person receives Jesus, they also receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. Being a partaker of the Holy Spirit can never be in part; it is either all or not at all. That is what the Greek word “metachoi” for partakers means: to participate in the deepest way. Only true believers can be partakers in this way. The only way an unbeliever ever has any connection with the Holy Spirit is when the Holy Spirit invites them to Christ. Salvation is by invitation only.

“Tasted the Good Word of God:” One thing we can be sure of is that unbelievers cannot understand the Word, only believers have that privilege as the Holy Spirit gives them unction (endowment of the Holy Spirit): “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,” 1 Corinthians 2:14.

“Tasted … the Powers of the Age to Come:” Again the word “tasted” is used, as we said before, means in the fullness of. Only believers have this experience when their prayers are answered and some receive supernatural healing in their body. This can only involve the powers to come, which shall be fully revealed at the second coming of Jesus.

Now we have reviewed five positive descriptions of the Christian upon which the warning is based, but we have yet to review the warning. This is where it becomes complicated. This is where the confusion sets in.

“And Fall Away …” Hebrews 6:6 in the King James version begins with“If they fall away…” The actual meaning of the Greek is, “And have fallen away…” The word “if” is not included, which makes a big difference in the interpretation of this phrase. It cannot be counted as hypothetical; it is literal. What this means is that it is possible to fall away. It is possible for those who have been enlightened concerning salvation, who have fully experienced it, who also have participated with the Holy Spirit in a vital way, and who have fully experienced the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, for them to fall away. That is not an astonishing revelation because a lot of believers have experienced that. We call it backsliding today.All six descriptive terms are aorist participles in the Greek. That means this has happened. It is not a question of is it possible to fall away because some have, including myself and perhaps you also at some point in time. In fact, you are either moving forward spiritually or falling backward; there is no neutral ground. To many Christians today seem to be moving backward or falling away.

So, what does falling away mean? As I said above, it means the Christian life experience is not static; we either are going forward or falling backward. The problem is that this is an unfamiliar use of this term since it is the only place in the New Testament where it is used. Therefore, the first impression that people have when they read this is, “the loss of salvation,” but that is not what it means. Falling away does not mean losing your salvation when viewed in context. I talked with a lady who had fallen into a cult from a conservative Bible believing church. Does that mean she has lost her salvation? No! not if she was saved to start with.  It means she had begun to believe a false teaching and has fallen away from the truth.

In the context, these Hebrews had been taught the foundational doctrines – we reviewed them earlier, six things in Hebrews 6:1-2, and they had failed to learn them. So, the author of Hebrews has instructed them to go back and relearn them. These were under a lot of pressure to reject Christianity and return to Judaism and the old ways of keeping the law. So, just as the woman I mentioned above, these Hebrews were in danger of falling back into the false Levitical teachings of the laws of Judaism. They were in danger of falling away from the truths of Christianity. So, it was not a matter of falling away from their salvation but a matter of falling into the legalistic teaching of Judaism, which would result in losing their heavenly rewards because there are no rewards for the “dead works” of Judaism.

When we understand falling away in this sense, it becomes evident that there was a danger of it happening other places in Scripture also. This is the message Paul was giving the Galatians, warning how some were falling back into the teachings of the Jewish Rabah rather than the teaching of Jesus. As great as Peter was, he fell away at the crucifixion by denying Jesus, but that did not mean he lost his salvation. He went on to be one of the greatest believers of the New Testament.       

Finally, to fall away doesn’t mean to lose your salvation, it means, as we can see of these Hebrews, to fall into false teaching and be convinced to believe things contrary to the teaching of Christ and the apostles.

Now we come to the consequences of falling away: “It is impossible … to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:6.

The key to understanding this obscure Scripture is an understanding of the meaning of repentance. Literally, repentance means “a change of mind.” Salvation begins with a desire of the heart, or a change of mind. “For with the heart man believeith unto righteousness,” Ephesians 2:8. It involves a change of heart, a desire to leave a life of sin and embark upon a new way of living.

Now, considering the Hebrews in question, they had taken that step of changing their minds on how they wanted to live and had gone on to confess Jesus as Savior. Now they are in danger of changing their mind again and falling back into the error of Judaism.

The Bible does not teach the following, although it could be true; it is speculation based on logic. Perhaps they reasoned in their minds that they would still be worshiping the same God, Jehovah; so, it would not make much difference. Another perhaps: God knew their minds and future actions because He is omniscient; therefore, He could say without reservation it was impossible for them to return to repentance. Even logic tells us that once they settled into Judaism and were received again by family and friends, it would be impossible for them to ever change their minds again and come back to Christianity. They were still saved but fallen away from communion with God. There is still another perhaps; perhaps God said to them, alright “if” that is what you are set on doing, so be it; you will have proven yourself to be an undependable Christian and you are no longer welcome or needed, thus once again adding to the impossibility of returning to their original state.

One last thing, the Scripture says that it was impossible for “them” to change their minds or return to repentance. Could God bring them back to repentance or influence them to change their minds yet again? Of course, Jesus said in Matthew 19:26b, “…With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” What is impossible, within the context of Scripture, is to lose your salvation. Restoring them would not include resaving them. The reason is, repentance is not being saved to start with. A person can repent all day long and still be lost. It would just be a matter of once again changing their mind.

These Christians had experienced the grace of God. They had experienced the freedom and blessings of a Christian, but for them to fall away, back into the bondage of living under the law, would rob them of the rewards of serving God, which will be determined when Jesus hands them out at His second coming. They lost their position and their rewards but not their salvation. They shall not have the opportunity to come back to where they once were.  God will not allow them to return to all the blessings of living by grace again, because they have brought Him to open shame by not accepting His sacrifice on the cross as the final atonement of sins. Instead, they have gone back to offering sacrifices. According to the author of Hebrews, after having begun with grace, and then going back to the Mosaic law, it is like crucifying Jesus Christ all over again and subjecting Him to public shame each time a sacrifice is offered. It is failing to accept the fact that Jesus has offered the ultimate sacrifice, which was Himself, which fulfills the old covenant of sacrificial offerings.

By their actions it becomes impossible for them to come to repentance the second time. The sacrificial system of the old covenant was a place of being stuck without a chance of repentance because it only foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross. Repentance is a change of mind which brings a person to Jesus in faith trusting in Him for forgiveness. While repentance is the prerequisite for coming to Christ, it never saves anyone. Eternal life is believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.  When people do repent, it means they are now ready to take the second step, which is placing their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

Finally, Hebrews 6:4-6 was never intended to address the loss of salvation, only the loss of rewards that accompany anyone who has fallen into sin or false teachings and no longer serving the true and living God. Further evidence that this is what this passage means is found as we continue reading in verses 7 and 8. These verses introduce the main theme of Hebrews 6:1-6. This is a picture illustration of works or bearing the fruit of works:

Hebrews 6:7-8 ⁷“For 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.”

The earth is a symbol for these Hebrew Christians. The earth has received rain from heaven, a picture of the blessings from God upon the Hebrews. The Hebrew Christians had received the five blessings that the author listed in verses 4 and 5. More blessings are received from God If the ground produces fruit and herbs. But, if it bears thorns and briars instead of fruit, the text says three things happen: ⁸ “But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

First: This person’s works are not approved. The Greek word for rejected is “adokimos,” which means disqualified before Christ but does not mean losing their salvation, only rewards.

Secondly: These Hebrew Christians are near to being cursed. They are not being cursed to hell but are very close. You can be close to death but not die. A football player can be ever so close to catching a pass but still miss it.

Thirdly: Finally, the end was for their works to be burned. What more can be done to that which is of no use. This is not a reference to hell; even though fire and burning is associated with hell, it is not always the case. More often, in the Bible, fire and burning are symbols of God’s judgment. Believers who do not live according to God’s standard and bear fruit acceptable to Him, place themselves in danger of God’s fire judgment upon themselves. 1 Corinthians 3, and John 15 is an example of Christians who fail to bear fruit. The God of mercy as the vinedresser, works with vines to try to get them to bear fruit, but If they do not respond and bear fruit, they are burned. This means the fruit is judged or we should say the lack of fruit is judged. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:15, ¹⁵If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

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