Can Backsliders Ever Be Renewed?
Dear Phil,
I am studying Hebrews 6:4–6, and I’m stuck. It sounds as if it is saying that a person who is saved and then backslides can never be “renewed” again. Could you shed some light on it for me?
Tom
I am studying Hebrews 6:4–6, and I’m stuck. It sounds as if it is saying that a person who is saved and then backslides can never be “renewed” again. Could you shed some light on it for me?
Tom
Dear Tom,
You’re right. That is precisely what the passage sounds like, especially in the King James Version. There are three issues involved in answering your question: first, the wording of the passage; second, the spiritual condition of those about whom the author is writing; and third, the meaning of “it is impossible...to renew them again unto repentance” (Heb 6:4,6).
Let’s start with the wording of the passage. There are no substantive differences among the Greek manuscripts of this passage, so the real issue is how best to translate the text. The King James Version reads, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if 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” (Heb 6:4–6).
I italicized the phrase “if they shall fall away” because there is a problem with the KJV’s translation (as well as with the NIV and NKJV). There is no “if” in the Greek. The text should read “and have fallen away,” as in the NASB, ESV, HCSB, and TNIV. The writer is dealing with people who “were once enlightened...have tasted of the heavenly gift...were made partakers of the Holy Ghost...have tasted the good word of God...and have fallen way.” In other words, the phrase “and have fallen away” is the fifth in a series of descriptive statements about the kind of person the writer is talking about.
The second issue in this passage is the spiritual condition of those who “have fallen away.” Typically Calvinists and Neo-Calvinists deny that such people were ever truly saved (although there are some exceptions to this rule). On the other hand, Arminians characteristically affirm that they were truly saved. The deciding factor for me is the author’s use of the verb phōtisthentas (“having been enlightened”) in verse 4. Later in Hebrews, the author uses the same verb in the same tense and voice: “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings” (Heb 10:32 NASB). There is no question whether “after being enlightened” in this verse refers to being saved. On this basis, I conclude that those in Hebrews 6:4 who “were once enlightened” were saved as well. In addition to this evidence, the language of having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit is difficult to apply meaningfully to the unsaved.
The third issue is with the last phrase of the passage. It reads, “Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” The verbs “crucify” and “put to an open shame” are present tense participles, which normally describe action that is in progress at the same time as the main verb in the sentence (the implicit “is” in v. 4). The following translation captures this relationship: “It is impossible...to renew [such people] again unto repentance while they are crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh, and are putting him to an open shame.” The writer’s point is that anyone who is presently, actively crucifying Jesus afresh and shaming him openly cannot be renewed to repentance. One cannot be sinning and repenting simultaneously. The person who is bent on sinning is also bent on not repenting (cf. Heb 10:26–29).
To sum up, the author of Hebrews is warning genuine Christians that those who fall away and persist in sinning, which is in essence crucifying Christ again and openly shaming the One who died to save them from their sins, cannot be forgiven, for there is no forgiveness without repentance. However, if they truly repent and stop their sinning, they can be renewed again.
Blessings,
Phil
You’re right. That is precisely what the passage sounds like, especially in the King James Version. There are three issues involved in answering your question: first, the wording of the passage; second, the spiritual condition of those about whom the author is writing; and third, the meaning of “it is impossible...to renew them again unto repentance” (Heb 6:4,6).
Let’s start with the wording of the passage. There are no substantive differences among the Greek manuscripts of this passage, so the real issue is how best to translate the text. The King James Version reads, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if 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” (Heb 6:4–6).
I italicized the phrase “if they shall fall away” because there is a problem with the KJV’s translation (as well as with the NIV and NKJV). There is no “if” in the Greek. The text should read “and have fallen away,” as in the NASB, ESV, HCSB, and TNIV. The writer is dealing with people who “were once enlightened...have tasted of the heavenly gift...were made partakers of the Holy Ghost...have tasted the good word of God...and have fallen way.” In other words, the phrase “and have fallen away” is the fifth in a series of descriptive statements about the kind of person the writer is talking about.
The second issue in this passage is the spiritual condition of those who “have fallen away.” Typically Calvinists and Neo-Calvinists deny that such people were ever truly saved (although there are some exceptions to this rule). On the other hand, Arminians characteristically affirm that they were truly saved. The deciding factor for me is the author’s use of the verb phōtisthentas (“having been enlightened”) in verse 4. Later in Hebrews, the author uses the same verb in the same tense and voice: “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings” (Heb 10:32 NASB). There is no question whether “after being enlightened” in this verse refers to being saved. On this basis, I conclude that those in Hebrews 6:4 who “were once enlightened” were saved as well. In addition to this evidence, the language of having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit is difficult to apply meaningfully to the unsaved.
The third issue is with the last phrase of the passage. It reads, “Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” The verbs “crucify” and “put to an open shame” are present tense participles, which normally describe action that is in progress at the same time as the main verb in the sentence (the implicit “is” in v. 4). The following translation captures this relationship: “It is impossible...to renew [such people] again unto repentance while they are crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh, and are putting him to an open shame.” The writer’s point is that anyone who is presently, actively crucifying Jesus afresh and shaming him openly cannot be renewed to repentance. One cannot be sinning and repenting simultaneously. The person who is bent on sinning is also bent on not repenting (cf. Heb 10:26–29).
To sum up, the author of Hebrews is warning genuine Christians that those who fall away and persist in sinning, which is in essence crucifying Christ again and openly shaming the One who died to save them from their sins, cannot be forgiven, for there is no forgiveness without repentance. However, if they truly repent and stop their sinning, they can be renewed again.
Blessings,
Phil