Hebrews 6 sounds a harrowing warning: “It is impossible for those who . . . have shared in the Holy Spirit . . . if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance.” The writer wanted his Jewish readers to realise that reverting to the old covenant faith is not a viable option. If they rejected Jesus and resisted the gift of the Holy Spirit, then they would leave themselves without hope. It is Jesus alone who can save us from sin, and it is the Holy Spirit who brings us to repentance and faith in Christ. If we reject Christ and his gift of the Holy Spirit, then we are burning the bridge and blocking up the road that leads us to restoration. This passage is not putting limits on how much God can forgive. God can forgive any and every sin because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. But if we reject Jesus and we reject the prompting of the Holy Spirit then we cut ourselves off from the means that God made for our salvation. The writer of Hebrews is addressing Jews who, having received Jesus and having been filled with the Holy Spirit, want to go back to a faith without Jesus. He is addressing people who will reject Jesus and still feel that they can be God’s people. No, once you have tasted the truth, you are accountable for it. You can’t go backwards and think that everything is alright. As long as a person thinks he is alright without Jesus, he condemns himself.
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart more to God and to what God wants to show you about yourself.
Read Hebrews 5:11-6:12
