It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,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,For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 sermons cite this verse
… This is that kind of group of people. And this is what He says to them, verse 4, Hebrews 6, "'In the case of those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come.'" None of those phrases has to do with salvation. None of them is ever used anywhere in Scripture to refer to salvation. This is talking about being enlightened, concerning Christ, getting a taste of heavenly power, experiencing the Holy Spirit's power by listening to Christ, seeing His miracles, even being healed by Him or delivered by Him or fed by Him as He created food. You've been enlightened. You have tasted. You have been a partaker. You've even tasted the good Word of God from the lips of Jesus. And you've even tasted the powers of the age to come, miracle power, kingdom power that will be unleashed in its fullness in the glory of the millennial kingdom. …
Again, backsliders are lame. There are Christians to be found who believe that it is possible to fall from a state of Grace. Here I would speak cautiously. God's people cannot fall finally—but they can fall a long way. When a Christian falls, it is no light matter. I hear some talking of falling and getting up again, as if it were nothing. But let them turn to Hebrews 6:4 -6. [See Sermon #75, Volume 2—FINAL PERSEVERANCE.] But we will rejoice that— "Grace will complete what Grace begins, To save from sorrows or from sins." I do not say that a Christian may not fall and break a limb—but I do say that a child of God cannot fall, spiritually, and break his neck! He cannot fall without grievous injury. The result, in his experience, will be unhappiness and misery. Look at poor David—after falling into that great sin, his history was nothing but troubles from rebellious sons and enemies! You loving, living children of the blessed God, I know that you will not talk lightly of falling into sin. Backsliders, fallen ones, God will have mercy upon you if you are truly penitent. It is a glorious fact that the sorrowing backsliders shall not be left behind. Backsliders shall sing above, as God's restored children, whom He always has loved. Blind and lame ones, believe in the Lord and you shall be found amongst the followers of the Lamb at the last! …
8. That we may the more diligently labour to season all we can with every holy and heavenly temper, our Lord proceeds to show the desperate state of those who do not impart the religion they have received; which indeed they cannot possibly fail to do, so long as it remains in their own hearts. “If the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men:” If ye who were holy and heavenly-minded, and consequently zealous of good works, have no longer that savour in yourselves, and do therefore no longer season others; if you are grown flat, insipid, dead, both careless of your own soul and useless to the souls of other men; wherewith shall ye be salted? How shall ye be recovered? What help? What hope? Can tasteless salt be restored to its savour? No; “it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out,” even as the mire in the streets, “and to be trodden under foot of men,” to be overwhelmed with everlasting contempt. If ye had never known the Lord, there might have been hope, — if ye had never been “found in him:” But what can you now say to that, his solemn declaration, just parallel to what he hath here spoken? “every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he, the Father, “taketh away. He that abideth in me, and I in him, bringeth forth much fruit.” “If a man abide not in me,” or do not bring forth fruit.” “he is cast out as a branch, and withered; and men gather them,” not to plant them again, but “to cast them into the fire.” (John 15:2, 5, 6.) …
The whole sentence runs thus: “Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection: Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God;” which he had just before termed, “the first principles of the oracles of God,” and “meat fit for babes,” for such as have just tasted that the Lord is gracious. That the doing of this is a point of the utmost importance the Apostle intimates in the next words: “This will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and have fallen away, to renew them again unto repentance.” As if he had said, If we do not “go on to perfection,” we are in the utmost danger of “falling away;” And if we do fall away, it is “impossible” that is, exceeding hard, “to renew them again unto repentance.” In order to make this very important scripture as easy to be understood as possible I shall endeavour, I. To show what perfection is; II. To answer some objections to it; and, III. To expostulate a little with the opposers of it. …
(2). “Consider, Secondly,” say they, “those terrible passages in the Epistle to the Hebrews; one of which occurs in the sixth chapter, the other in the tenth. To begin with the latter “If we sin wilfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no other sacrifice for sins; but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and done despite to the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance is mine; I will recompense, saith the Lord. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!’ (Heb. 10:26–31.) Now, is it not here expressly declared by the Holy Ghost, that our case is desperate? Is it not declared, that ‘if, after we have received the knowledge of the truth,’ after we have experimentally known it, ‘we sin wilfully,’ — which we have undoubtedly done, and that over and over, — ‘there remaineth no other sacrifice for sin; but a certain looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries?’ (3.) “And is not that passage in the sixth chapter exactly parallel with this? ‘It is impossible for those that were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, — if they fall away,’ (literally,and have fallen 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.) …