Beyond Lost Causes

There are those in the faith that argue that you can lose your salvation and those who argue you can't. The debate goes back and forth. I am not planning to solve that here. I want to go beyond that. In the debate, one of the favorite passages brought up by the "See? You can lose it" side is found in Hebrews 6. I would suggest that this text is not saying what they think it is saying. The author of Hebrews says this:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. (Heb 6:4-6)

"There!" they say. "It says right there that you can be a genuine Christian and then fall away." Let's consider that for a moment. If you read the text, you might note immediately that the point is not about losing salvation. The text is about a particular impossibility. The question answered here is not "Can you lose your salvation?" but "What happens in the case of someone like this who falls away?" There is something impossible here. What is it?

The text talks about those who have met certain criteria -- been enlightened, tasted the gift, shared the Holy Spirit, tasted God's Word and the powers of the age to come -- and then fall away. It is a case. "In the case of." That is, "Here's a bucket that we will label 'Hebrews 6:4-6' and anyone that meets those requirements will be put into this bucket." You see, then, that at this point the bucket is empty. It is simply defining the case. There is debate about what the criteria prove. Is it a saved person or an "almost saved" person? Do these terms describe a genuine believer or one with dead faith? We can debate that, but what is not debatable is the result. Anyone who meets these criteria and falls away cannot be restored to repentance. End of story. No further hope. Very sorry indeed. That is the point of the text. In the case of those who meet these criteria, there is no hope.

Perhaps you're a "I think you can lose your salvation" type and use this text as proof. If so, you will need to recognize that the point of the text is that there is no "yo-yo salvation," no "I'm saved now" then "Oh, not now" then "Yep, I'm back." If this text proves what you intend -- salvation can be lost -- then it also assures you that once it is lost, it cannot be regained. No hope. Perhaps you're not that type. Perhaps you're the other common one -- "Those things do not describe true believers; they only describe people who are fully exposed to the faith." That's fine, but keep in mind, the text is about an impossibility, and if you're right, you are declaring that those who are fully exposed to the faith and fall away cannot be saved ... ever. Because this text is not about having or losing salvation; it's about an impossibility.

But, like I said, I don't intend to solve that dilemma. I want to go beyond that. I want to go to the next step. I want to go to hope. Whatever this text describes -- not saved or saved but lost it -- the outcome is the impossibility of salvation. "Hang on," I think we would all say, "that's really bad. How do we avoid that?" And that is where I want to go. So did the author.

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Heb 6:9-12)

If "impossible repentance" is hopeless, the aim of this text is "the full assurance of hope." If "that is impossible," what possibility are we looking at? Note that the author was sure of something. "Better things." "Things that belong to salvation." That is, "You see that bucket we labeled? You are not that case." Really good news. How did he know that? Two things were obvious -- their work and their love for the saints. The Hebrews to which this was written had tangible work and love for the saints and these continued. That, dear reader, is what Scripture says provides "the full assurance of hope until the end." (See also 2 Peter 1:2-9.)

Given the previous impossibility of repentance, this is really, really big hope. This is marvelous assurance. And it's yours for the taking. If work and love are natural results of being born of God (Eph 2:10; Php 2:12-13; 1 John 4:19), those born of God will be marked by this. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). The unavoidable sequence there, then, is you become His disciple and it follows that you love one another. It is an unmistakable mark of being His disciple. All have it.

That first passage is really ... unpleasant. You can debate "It says you can lose your salvation" or "No, it doesn't," but in the end the real question is the horrible truth that whoever it's talking about has no hope. And we do not want to be that guy. We don't want to be that case. We don't want to fall into that category. The passage that follows then, is one of remarkable hope. If you belong to Him, the work He is doing in you and through you and the love you are sharing with His people because of the love He gives you will show it and you can have full assurance of hope. I guess the only question that remains is do you have signs of work and love for the saints? That's not a question I can answer for you.