January 29 2023 – Hebrews 6 – The Danger of Falling Away

When I was a boy, there were many sermons about the dangers of going to hell if you weren’t saved. We all knew we needed to be saved and that we needed to help our friends and loved ones come to salvation because they were in danger. After they were saved we didn’t worry about them that much because we believed that once a person was saved, they were always saved. If someone was a backslider and went back to some of their old ways, they needed to get right, but they were okay eternally because once saved always saved.

As I began to question the idea of once saved always saved, I ran into the warning about falling away in Hebrews 6. “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.” Hebrews6:4–6NIV

The author of Hebrews is comparing the New Covenant made through the death and resurrection, to the Old Covenant that God set up through Moses with the law. He is encouraging those who have put their faith in Christ not to go back to the Old Covenant. This warning tells us that falling away is a very dangerous thing. It sounds permanent and irreversible. We don’t know exactly what the author means by falling away. What we do know is we hear a strong warning that should cause us to be very careful with the grace God has given us in Jesus Christ!

We should be concerned about ourselves and we should also be concerned about our friends and loved ones who may be going back to their old ways and walking away from the faith. How far does one walk away from faith until they have fallen away? We don’t know for sure, so it is best to not even begin to backslide. According to this warning, it can be at least as dangerous as not being saved to begin with, maybe even more dangerous.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice that bought my salvation. Help me to cherish it by loving you. Help me to always be faithful and help me to call my friends and family, who may be walking away, back to you. Amen.