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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman What
About Eternal Security I was recently asked to
explain my view on the doctrine of eternal security which would take more
than this brief article. I
will, however, exegete Hebrews 6:4 to 6 that helps formulate my present
position, but before I do, I'll make some needed preliminary comments. Being raised in 1950's
and 1960's Methodism, I felt worried that I could easily lose my salvation
with one little slipup. Unlike
me, my eternally secure Baptist friends had no such worries.
I've come a long way since my youth, forming my own position that
I've modified from time to time, and may yet modify.
In short, I am as close to believing in eternal security as one can
be without actually crossing the line into full agreement.
It's just sad that debates over this issue have divided
Protestantism since the days of Calvin and Luther. One presupposition I
hold is that not all who claim to be Christian are Christian.
Many agree to a Biblical belief system which makes no one
Christian. So, when they
forsake their belief, they do not get unsaved because they weren't saved
in the first place. Unlike the
way in which I was raised, losing your salvation is possible, but not as
easy as some may think. I
think Hebrew 6:4 to 6 helps support my position.
"It is impossible
for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly
gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of
the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away,
to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the
Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." At this point I will
simplify some New Testament Greek grammar that I think is important to the
above text. One aspect of a
Greek verb is its active, passive, or middle voice.
Active means the subject in the sentence is actively doing the
action of the sentence, as in, I am hitting the ball.
Passive means the subject in the sentence is being the passive
recipient of the action in the sentence, as in, I am being hit by the
ball. Middle is a combination
of the active and passive. The
subject in the sentence is doing the action of the sentence while also
being the recipient of the same action, as in, I am hitting the ball as it
hits me. Beyond the above is the
participle form of the Greek verb. A
participle is a word formed from a verb, an action word.
It describes a noun, a person, place or thing.
In Christian terms, mentally believing in Jesus, an action, is
separate and distinct from one being a believer, a participle.
Just believing in your head does not make one a Christian.
One becomes a Christian when one becomes a believer. That happens when God's Spirit comes to live
within a person, causing him or her to become what he or she believes.
Hebrews 6:4 through 6
concerns those who have been enlightened, have tasted the heavenly gift,
have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of God's Word and the
coming age. If those fall
away, they can't be brought back to repent. Let's
check out the verbs in this text. The words "have
been enlightened" in "those who have been enlightened" is
passive. This means God alone,
not those in question has done the enlightening.
It is all God's doing, making this a real experience.
The words "have
tasted" in "have tasted of the heavenly gift" are middle.
This means the tasting of the gift is a cooperative process between
God and those tasting. It is
as if God is spoon feeding those in question, making this a real
experience. The words "have
shared" (have partaken) "in the Holy Spirit" are passive.
This means the Holy Spirit has shared Himself with those in
question, making this a real experience. The words "have
tasted" of "God's Word and of the powers of the coming age"
are middle. This means that
the tasting of God's Word and power is a cooperative process.
It is as if God spoon feeds those in question as they taste what is
fed, making this a real experience. Here's the long-standing
question. Are those mentioned
in this passage real Christians? Some
say they aren't. I say they
are. Here's why I believe as I
do. All of the actions in Hebrews 6:4 to 6 are either a passive or middle voice verb. They are either of God's doing alone or a cooperative process between God and those in question. I therefore suggest that these actions are real and from God. None of these actions are active, meaning none are done solely by those in question, and if they were, they would be in question. Also, the fact that these actions are all participles tell me that they have been experientially realized in the lives of those in question, making them real Christians. They are partakers of the Holy Spirit, and they have fallen away. Lastly, these two verses were written to immature Christians, suggesting they were being warned of the possibility of falling away.
Unlike the other actions
listed in this passage the verb "fallen away" is active.
This means those falling away intentionally fell away of their own
free will. It's not a slipup.
The text then states that it is impossible for those people to
repent again.
I don't pretend to end
this debate with one argument, and I do have more.
I have no desire to fall away.
My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life where there is
absolutely no sin associated with my name.
All of my past, present, and future sins have been deleted from
God's records (Colossians 2:13). No
slipup, no particular sin will cause me to lose my salvation because they
have all been forgiven. Scripture
Reference (NIV) Colossians 2:13 "When you were dead
in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive
with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,"
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