Warning against Retrograding, which leads to Apostasy—Encouragement to Steadfastness from God’s Faithfulness to His Word and Oath. Heb. 6:4-6
“The Scriptures teaches, most emphatically the Divine preservation of the saints, and that the Word of God does not and cannot contradict itself. If our Lord asserted that His sheep should “never perish” John 10:28, then certainly Heb. 6 will not teach that some of them do. If through the apostle Paul the Holy Spirit assures us that nothing can separate the children from the love of their Father Rom. 8:35–39, then, without doubt, the portion now before us does not declare that something will…” Pink A. W
- .. Now, if they continued in this state, what else could be the result but apostasy?” Pink A. W. “The exhortation must be viewed in connection with the special circumstances of the Hebrews who had accepted the gospel. Having thus entered into the sphere of new covenant manifestation, anyone who willfully abandoned it could only relapse into that phase of Judaism which crucified the Lord Jesus. The state of willful conscious enmity against Christ, and the sin of rejecting Him, and putting Him to an open shame” Adolph Saphir. To return to Judaism was to give up Christ, who had left their house ‘desolate’ Matthew 23:38. They placed themselves under the general curse of the law, and are guilty of Jesus’ blood on the reprobate and blinded nation of His murderers” A. Pridham
- this passage: the persons here spoken of, the sin they commit, the doom pronounced upon them. In considering the persons spoken of it is of first importance to note that the apostle does not say, “we who were once enlightened”, nor even “you”, instead, he says “those”. In sharp contrast from them, he says “Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you”.
- “Afterwards, when the apostle comes to declare his hope and persuasion concerning these Hebrews that they were not such as those whom he had before described, nor such as would fall away unto perdition, he doth it upon three grounds whereon they were differenced from them as: 1. That they had such things as did ‘accompany salvation’; None of these things therefore had he ascribed unto those whom he describeth in this place (vv. 4–6). 2. The duties of obedience and fruits of faith. The ‘work and labor of love’ towards the name of God, v. 10 does not apply to those in v. 4-6. 3. The faithfulness of God’’ ‘God is not unrighteous to forget’. For they were such he intended as were interested in the covenant of grace, but not those in the text v. 4-6, he supposeth no such thing.” (Dr. John Owen). It continues.
