That we will look at this morning,
the essence of apostasy, the sin of apostates, why they have
committed a sin that has made it impossible for them to be
recovered or to be renewed. And our text, for those on the
tape, is Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4 through 6. And the last
part of verse 6 is our point of emphasis for today. Mainly,
we'll be dealing with the last part But let's read the text
again. 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 or since
or having 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." Look at the last part of verse 6, "...seeing
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh," or again,
"...and put Him to an open shame." Now, before we get into the crux
of our text and our study today, A short review of the whole context
that we are studying might be profitable, put our minds again
in the right track. The apostle begins, we said,
a digression in chapter 5 and verse 11, which he deemed necessary
on two accounts. On two accounts he makes a digression
before he comes again to set before them the many things that
he has to say about Melchizedek. The two things that drive the
digression, as it were, number one, the many truths, deep, mysterious,
spiritual, and wonderful, concerning the likeness of the priesthood
of Christ to that priesthood of Melchizedek. These he would
declare. And then number two, their dullness
of hearing, that their ears had grown dull of hearing, having
lapsed back into a spiritual infancy, as it were, so that
they were not able to take or endure strong doctrine or strong
me. But, chapter 6, he would leave
the first principle, go on to the mature things concerning
the Melchizedekian priesthood of the Son of God. And he would
do that, let's notice now, based upon the fact it is impossible
to renew again to repentance the one who wants to attain these
high privileges and knowledge of the Christian principle and
of Christianity, and then deliberately, willingly turn from their profession. And in the case of these First,
it's with Jews to whom this letter is addressed, to Galatians chapter
4 verse 8 through 10, turn again to the weak and beggarly elements
of the world that gender bondage, to return to temple worship,
for these Jews to return to the temple worship and to animal
sacrifices, and to the observance of days and times and months
and of season and the Mosaic Sabbath, this was or constituted
apostasy and put them in the condition of being without a
sacrifice for their sin. For they had rejected that sacrifice
that God had sent into the world. For they, having rejected the
one and only God-ordained And God approved sacrifice for sin,
which is the Lord Jesus Christ and His death in the cross. Then,
according to Hebrews 10 and verse 26, there remains no more sacrifice
for sin. If one turns away from Christ
and His death and His sacrifice, there remains no more sacrifice
for sin. Of course, one does not have
to be a first century Jew to commit the sin of apostasy. One does not have to be a Jew
at all to commit the sin of apostasy. For to apostatize is simply to
abandon religious beliefs formerly held. I think you'll find that
our word apostasy is described in that. It is the abandonment
of religious views formerly or once held. To abandon truth once
held. To confess and then act upon. To be influenced by the truth
as it is in Christ. To profess to be a Christian
and then to deliberately, willingly turn away from, and not only
do that, but denounce those views once held as divine truth, to
turn away from that which they once confessed to be the truth
of God. By this definition, by this definition
of apostasy, that it is turning away from truth once held, we
can see that whole seminaries and entire denominations have
fallen into apostasy. Having left their first or their
earlier moorings and have fallen into error, whole churches have
apostatized when a new preacher comes who is a liberal or a modernist,
trained up in the preacher factory after that fashion. Now, as for
the subject of apostasy, there are several strong passages that
are to be considered if one is to study the subject of apostasy
well from the Scripture. Here are some passages that deal
with the subject of apostasy. We have our text, but then there's
Hebrews 10 and verse 26 through verse 29. There's 1 John chapter
2 verse 18 and 19. They went out from us because
they were not of us. There's the whole second chapter
of 2 Peter. There is the whole epistle of
Jude. which is a description of the
acts of the apostates. Some have suggested that Jude
might well go under the title, The Acts of the Apostates, for
there he describes them who are apostates. We will concentrate
primarily on the passage here in Hebrews chapter 6. And let's
repeat a point made earlier about this passage of the Scripture
for all Scripture can be wrongly applied as well as rightly divided. And the point is this, if any
claim, if those Arminians grab this as a proof text that one
can fall out of the grace of God, if they view and read as
true Christians, that can fall away from salvation and from
grace, then it follows, as we've already said, it also teaches
that they can only be a Christian one time. That if you want this
verse for falling out of grace, then you must take it all the
way and confess that it teaches that one can only be in grace
one time. can only be a Christian once. And of course, there are some
that hold to that position in the history of the church, that
if these have fallen from saving grace, they can never again be
saved. If they were once saved, lost
again, according to this text, they can never be saved again. No, having fallen away is the
tense in the Greek. It is impossible to renew them
again unto repentance. Thus, if it says that the first
is true, it also says that the second is true. That is, if it
says true Christians may fall out of grace, then it says that
they may not ever again be in grace. But let's go on to our
text and subject of the morning. Let's focus on the question or
the reason that they can never be renewed again? Why is it that
the writer says they can never be renewed again? What is it
that puts them beyond the rim or pale of recovery? What is it that makes it useless
to seek or to labor to recover and renew them? Well, to answer
that question, let's see the connection. Verse 4, it is impossible,
verse 6, having fallen away to renew them again unto repentance,
with all that is in between. The answer is in the last half
of verse 6. Why can they never be recovered
again? Put your eyes upon the word seeing. Seeing. But first, let's ask
ourselves the question, what exactly is it that the apostle
is emphasizing in describing these persons as he does? What is his aim, goal, or intention
in describing these persons? One, is it the heinous nature
of their action, their rejection of the Christian gospel. In other
words, as he's saying, it is impossible to renew them again
to repentance, for they have rejected the Christian gospel.
Or secondly, is his emphasis on the impossibility of renewing
them again unto repentance. Having fallen away, it is therefore
impossible to renew them again unto repentance. I believe the
answer lies right here in the text. And let us leave, let us
go on, says the Apostle, let us leave the first principle,
let us go on to maturity, for it is impossible to renew them
again. And so as John Brown said in
his commentary, and I've written down it for quotation, the object
of the Apostle seems plainly to be to illustrate the hopelessness
of attempting to recover them again." That the apostle is showing
the hopelessness of recovering them again. So let us go on. And the illustration in verse
8 seems to confirm that fact. It seems to confirm thorns and
briars are fit only for the burning. They are near to cursing and
are fit for the burning. We'll look at that, God willing,
in our next study. Still, we might be justified
in these two questions that we have raised, in combining the
two, that the impossibility of their recovering is owing to
the nature and the heinousness of their sin, which is forsaking
Christianity, to return to Judaism or some other religion. Verse
6, the last part. They're crucifying him afresh
and putting our Lord to an open shame. So, let's look closely
at verse 6 and the text that we want to emphasize. For it
is in verse 6 that the apostle is filling out, fleshing out
the impossibility at the opening of verse 4. At long last, he
names the impossibility. It is impossible, verse 4, well,
impossible to who or to what or why, and he fleshes that out
in the last part of verse 6. It is impossible for those having
fallen away, that is, fallen away from the things described
in verse 4 and verse 5, to be renewed again unto repentance. And now the word seeing. seeing, or sense, or in view
of the fact, owing to their having done what they have done. Owing,
seeing, sense, in view of the fact that they are re-crucifying
Christ again all over. The impossibility of renewing
them is owing to the fact, as Pink put it, and I quote, abandoned
the Christian revelation." They have cast it aside to go on or
to go back to something else. And in the apostles' mind, this,
get this point, in the apostles' mind, this is tantamount to crucifying
the Lord Jesus Christ again. To forsake the Christian gospel
and Christianity and the faith once delivered unto the saints
is equal in the apostles' mind to crucifying Christ again. Having fallen away, having crucified
Christ again. Notice the connection, for we
ought to. To help us more fully grasp the impact of the apostasy
that is set forth here, I want us to make a comparison. There
are two great passages in Hebrews dealing with the subject of apostasy. This one in chapter 6 and that
one in chapter 10, verse 26 through 29. Now, if you want to put a
finger at each place, chapter 6 and chapter 10, we're going
to run back and forth here for the next minute or so between
one and the other. These two passages of the Scripture
are parallel. They are of the same essence. And in a way, they complement
each other to fill out the full truth and heinousness of apostasy. And together they furnish us
a fuller picture of apostasy and the essence of apostasy and
the punishment reserved for apostates. Let me run through those three
things again. These two texts of the Scripture lay out for
us Three things. One, apostasy. Two, the nature
or essence of apostasy. Did you quit going to church?
Did you quit singing in a choir? Give up your Sunday school class
without apostasy? And then thirdly, the punishment
that is reserved for apostates. Those three things are set out
loud and clear in these passages of the Scripture. But first,
let's notice the parallels between the two passages that I mentioned
a moment ago. There are, let's see, about six
of them that I want to call to your attention. The first comparison,
Hebrews 6, verse 4 and 5. Look what they have done. They
were once enlightened, they tasted the heavenly gift, they were
made partakers of the Holy Ghost, they tasted the good Word of
God, the powers of the world to come. Hebrews 10 and verse
26, after they have received the knowledge of the truth. How parallel are these? How it
is expanded in chapter 6, summed up in one statement in chapter
10. Second parallel or comparison,
Hebrews 6 And verse 6, if they fall away, or having fallen away. Hebrews 10.26, if we sin willfully,
having fallen away, sinning willfully. Compassion number 3, Hebrews
6.6, they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put
into an open shame. Hebrews 10.29, who had trodden
underfoot the Son of God, and had done despite unto the Spirit
of grace." Fourth comparison, Hebrews chapter 6, verse 4 through
4 and 6, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Hebrews 10 and 28, He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy or without remedy. Impossible
to renew them, he that despised Moses' law died without remedy. Fifth comparison, Hebrews 6 and
verse 6, they crucify afresh the Son of God. Hebrews 10 and
verse 26, there remains no more sacrifice for sin. Now those six comparisons, show
us the harmony of this passage of Scripture. Hebrews 6 and 8,
that which bears thorns and briars is rejected, and is not unto
cursing, whose end is to be burned. I forgot the last one. And then
Hebrews 10, the judgment of fiery indignation which shall devour
the adversary." Now we have six comparisons between the two passages
of the Scripture. So let's go back to comparison
number three, if we might. Hebrews 6.6, they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame. And Hebrews 10 and verse 29,
he who had trodden underfoot the Son of God, and counted the
blood of the covenant an unholy thing, and hath done despite
unto the Spirit of grace." Now the question is this, how is
it that they crucify the Son of God again? How is it that
these people, these apostates, are guilty of crucifying the
Son of God again. Well, He won't come from heaven
again to be nailed to a tree because, you see, as a man cannot
enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born, and
a man cannot get up out of the grave a second time and die,
so the Lord will not come back again and be nailed to the cross
a second time. Christ will not be crucified
upon the cross again. He died for sin once, Romans
6 and verse 10, he was once offered to bear the sins of many, Hebrews
9 and verse 28. How then does the apostle charge
them with crucifying him again, with re-crucifying the Son of
God? How is it that this is a legitimate
charge against them? First, let's be careful here
that we notice and give due emphasis and proper attention to two words
in verse 6. To themselves. Seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame. This they do to or unto or for
or in the hand or in the case of themselves. With regard to
their action, they have crucified to themselves the Son of God
afresh. It is not that they can snatch
Him off of His sovereign throne in heaven and nail Him to a cross
in agony and shame again, for He has entered into His glory
and will never come in the flesh to die again. but by their changing
sentiment toward him, by casting aside their profession in the
person and the gospel and the work of Christ, by their open
repudiation of all Christian principles of the gospel, by
mocking his blood atonement, by separating completely from
Christian worship. by trusting in dead works, by
forfeiting all interest in the death and the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ. And by such, they crucify afresh. They crucify again the Son of
God. And why? And how? Well, for they
now view Him as unworthy. They now look upon Him as an
unfit, unqualified Savior. Now they look upon him as unworthy,
and his blood as unholy. And they have trampled him underfoot,
even as a swine might trample pearls beneath its foot in the
filth of its pigpen. And in this they imitate, they
imitate, I say, the original crucifiers of our Lord, and our
Savior. In doing this, they have done
again what the original crucifiers of our Lord have done. They,
as John Brown wrote, hold sentiments toward Christ which, if He were
in the world again in their midst, they would crucify Him as did
the original crucifiers of our Lord. But I also agree with the
Puritan John Owen that the sins of the apostates against Christ
on many accounts far greater than those who crucified Him
in the days of His flesh." On many accounts worse than they
who took Him by the hand and put Him on the cross of Calvary
and crucified Him. Why can we say that it is worse
for these who crucify Him again? For His original crucifiers Never
professed his salvation. He never professed to believe
or to trust or to hope in the salvation of our Lord. Never
confessed or rejoiced in his divine mission. Not at all. They called him an imposter.
They never counted his salvation as precious. They called him
a blasphemer, an imposter, an enemy of Moses, a mad, demon-possessed
man. but never professed Him as the
Son of God and the Savior come into the world to save them.
What's more, it is probable that some of His original crucifiers
were later called into the grace of Christ and forgiven that great
sin. They were pardoned through the
one they had crucified. No doubt some were, even as Paul
was at one time a blasphemer, but obtained mercy, he said,
because I did it in ignorance." 1 Timothy 1 and verse 13. How is it then that some who
actually took part in his literal crucifixion may find pardon,
while others who only crucified him in their minds and unto themselves
or denied both repentance and pardon. Those who nailed Him
to the cross did so being blind and ignorant of His person and
His work. Acts 3 and verse 17, through
ignorance you did it, even as your rulers. In 1 Corinthians
2 and verse 5, which glory none of the princes of this world
knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory. But those who crucify Christ
unto themselves did so after receiving the knowledge of the
truth, Hebrews 10.26, after being enlightened in gospel principles,
Hebrews 6 and verse 4, after escaping the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
2 Peter 2, verse 20 and verse 21. They cannot plead ignorance or
that they did so from a sudden surprise overtaking them or shift
the blame to false teachers who led them astray and led them
off of the path. They only crucified him unto
themselves and put him to an open shame and trampled him underfoot
after, after being enlightened and professing to believe the
record that God gave His Son as a sacrifice for sinners, only
after, as it were, making trial of Him and then declaring that
they find no substance or special worthiness in Him as a Savior
or one to be worshipped. It is written somewhere of Julian
the Emperor of old. I read this account, a famous
apostate in his day, that he made this his motto, and I quote,
I have read, known, and condemned your gospel, unquote. I have
read, I have known, and condemned your gospel. And in the context,
this is the essence of the synonym of the apostate. As Owen said,
their language is We have known and tried these things and declare
their folly." And therefore we turn away and trample them, cast
them away, walk upon them beneath our feet, and nothing, let me
tell you again, nothing is a greater insult against Christ, nothing,
than after claiming to embrace Him and to openly repudiate Him
and cast away all profession of Him. What a disgrace upon
our Lord! The greatest disgrace that can
be heaped upon Him is by those who once professed, yes, my Lord,
my Savior, I believe, I love, and then to repudiate that confession
of Him. This is not only to crucify him
afresh, but to put him to an open shame and to hold him up
to public ridicule wherever the occasion or opportunity may present
itself. Now, the parallel, I think, between
them and the original crucifiers is evident between these described
here and those who crucified our Lord in the flesh. In that,
notice now, Those who crucified the Lord in the flesh not only
wanted to put Him to death, they not only wanted to kill Him,
they not only wanted to murder Him, but they also desired to
heap as much shame and insult upon our Lord as possible in
the process. Not only did they want Him to
put to death, but they wanted to shame, to disgrace Him, to
discredit him in the eyes of the world and of others. Thus they hanged him upon the
cross naked, hanged him there upon that cross without any clothes. They put him between two known
criminals to act as if he were himself a criminal. He was numbered
with the male factors. They mocked him. about His cross. They jeered, they spat upon Him,
they plucked out His beard, they taunted, they mocked Him, even
as He hanged on the cross, suffering in the agony of that awful death. For it was the desire of the
Jewish leaders to heap as much public shame upon Him as was
possible. to shame Him, to disgrace Him
as much as possible. And by the way, Hebrews chapter
12 and verse 2, He endured the cross despising the shame, despising
the shame that was heaped upon Him in that hour. So now, let's
revisit the words in Hebrews 6, the last part if we might,
and put Him to an open shame. Now, both crucifying Him to themselves
afresh and again, but also putting to open shame. Not only to themselves crucifying
Him, but like the original crucifiers, putting Him to an open shame
publicly, openly before all, disgracing, shaming Him as much
as they could. Now, it's interesting. I'm glad
I looked it up this week. The particular word, shame, in
Hebrews 6 and verse 6, is the Greek word that appears only
one other time in all of our New Testament Scripture. And
its meaning is, to show alongside. That's the meaning of the word.
To show alongside of public. To make a public example to put
to an open shame, to expose to infamy, to shame, to disgrace,
insult. This is the meaning of the word.
Well, where is the other place where this word is used and only
the two are found in our New Testament? Well, the other place
that the Holy Spirit has inspired this word is Matthew chapter
1 and verse 19, of Joseph and of Mary. Remember the incident? Thou Joseph, her husband, being
just and not willing to make her a public example. There's that word again. That's
the same word that we have in Hebrews chapter 6. Not willing
to make her a public example, not willing to shame her openly,
to disgrace her among her kin, family, friends and town. He
was willing to put her away privately. or secretly and would have."
Now notice, Joseph not wishing to put Mary to open shame, to
make a public example of her not willing to do that. See Acts
22, 23 and verse 24. Now, John Owen says that the
word means to bring supposed offenders unto such an open punishment
so as to be a shame in the eyes of those that see and that know. To put one to such a shame in
the eyes of those that see and to know, and will render them
vile in the public eye. To do something unto them that
will put them to an open shame before others who see and who
know. Thus apostates puts one of the
worst of all conditions Even worse than the atheist, for God
may call an atheist and enlighten him. The apostate is worse than
the idolater, for many that were idolaters have turned from their
idols to serve the true and the living God. Acts chapter 15,
19, 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 9. Worse than the unbeliever,
for says Peter, 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 21, it is better
for them. not to have known the way of
righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the
holy commandment delivered unto them. Apostates are therefore
impossible to recover. Why? Because they have rejected
the one and only sacrifice for sin. Do we believe this statement,
God will only deal with us by His Son? God will only deal with
sinners unto salvation by and through the death of His Son. Or again, as the Puritan put
it, He has nothing to do with us but by His Son. So that those who count the blood
of the covenant an unholy thing, and in this He rejects the one
and only sacrifice for sin. Hebrews 10, verse 26. Apostates, therefore, are under
a special condemnation, given over to sure and certain punishment,
not recovered. And now let's turn to that passage
in Hebrews 10, and let me read it in its entirety. Hebrews 10,
verse 28 and 29 is the passage that I'm interested in. It is
impossible to renew them again under repentance, and listen
to what this says, Hebrews 10, 28 and 29. He that despised Moses'
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how
much sore punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
who have trodden underfoot the Son of God, have counted the
blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing,
and hath done despite under the spirit of grace." Here is an
example of the doom that awaits apostates, and a comparison of
apostates against both economies, the law and the gospel. Apostates
under the law, what did they receive? And what shall apostates
under the gospel receive? Well, let's look, first of all,
number one, He that despised Moses' law, A, died without mercy,
B, upon the credible testimony of two or three witnesses. The
despiser describes one who set aside the law, who disregarded
it, the annuller, as it were, to themself of Moses' law, in
short, one who acted against Moses' law as apostates do against
the gospel, one who renounces its authority, who determinately
and obstinately refuses to comply with its requisitions, who did
that to Moses' law, died without mercy. And I think the apostle
has in mind such text as Deuteronomy 17, 2 through 6. There's a good
example. of one dying without mercy who
apostatized for Moses' law and went after idols. Number two,
how much worse the gospel apostate. How much sorer punishment he
that trodden underfoot the Son of God. Hebrews 10 and verse
29. Worse because Christ is greater
than Moses. Because the gospel is a clearer
revelation than the law. And the blood of Christ is better
blood than that of animals and of beasts. The first rejects
or despises Moses' law that was given through him. The second
one has a threefold insult to gospel salvation. A. He treads
underfoot the Son of God. B. He counts the blood as unholy. And I want you to notice something
here. The words, whereby he was sanctified, and whether or not
he refers to Christ or to the apostate himself. Or is it, as
one suggested, simply the sanctifying blood of the covenant shed by
the Lord, for it expiates sin? It is sanctifying blood It purges
the conscience from dead works, and it puts away sin, and it
saves. It is the blood of Christ alone
in salvation. And many today are apostates
from the blood that sanctifies. Those who have gone away from
the sanctifying blood of our Lord Jesus Christ into works
and genealogy, or whatever it might be, have gone away from
the one and only sacrifice. they do despite to the Spirit
of grace, who enlightened them," in Hebrews 6 and verse 4, "...who
had enlightened them, and by which the Lord Himself was offered
to God without spot and without blemish," Hebrews 9, 14, "...who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself to God without spot and
without blemish, done despite to the Spirit of grace, and thus
their sin is threefold and it's also against every member of
the Godhead. So let's make an application.
We'll have to bring our study to a close today and continue
at a later time. But this doctrine of apostasy
is a most sobering one. It is a most sobering doctrine
and should be seriously considered by all that profess the Lord
Jesus Christ, that God has enlightened that they have knowledge of the
gospel, and then to cast it away, or go back to what religion they
were before, or go off into nothing, denying Christ, or entering some
Christ-denying cult, and casting away from them the gospel of
the Lord. Maybe to become a Muslim, or
a Mormon, or to espouse the New Age movement, or to become a
Jew, to please a husband or a wife. apostasy, away from the holy
blood of the Lord. Look at 2 Peter 2.22, Proverbs
26.11. Therefore, the true believer,
this doctrine, is a part of our persevering in the faith. It
serves as a whip for our back, if I may use that expression. It serves as a warning that we
might hold fast our confidence firm unto the end, to hold fast
our profession in the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is the exhortation
that the Apostle gives them in the 10th chapter of Hebrews as
he closes out the doctrinal section. Verse 23, chapter 10, Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He
is faithful that promised. The true believers, therefore,
It is an exhortation to us to be faithful, to take seriously
our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, to let Him be the one
and only Savior, to let Him be the one who has saved us and
the only one that can. Not to waver from the hope that
we have in Jesus Christ. So you can see from this text
of scripture to learn some good things about God's way and God's
word in the gospel and Christianity, to seem to make advances, to
learn, to take on some of the things and confessions and principles
of Christianity, and then to cast it away is to go into a
terrible estate before God Almighty. I thought of an illustration
this week. You may think that it's too earthly or mundane,
Let's imagine a man been married to his wife for 20 or 30 years. He confesses he loves her, he's
always been faithful to her, and one day he meets a Jezebel
hussy. And he is infatuated with her,
and he takes up with her, and he leaves that good and faithful
and virtuous wife. He goes off and he defames his
wife. Ah, not with her anymore. I don't care anything about her.
She's not any good. She's not anything. That's just
a small example of what it is to do the same to Christ and
the doctrines of Christianity. Now I'll close by saying this
is one, I think you now will agree, of the most sobering passages
of scripture or doctrines to be found in the Bible. What a
sobering thought is this! And let us ever pray that God
works in his heart that work in our heart and continues the
great work that he has carried on. If a man lies greatly sick
in his bed, who can tell if God will recover him, whether it
be the occasion of his death? And when a professor falters
and casts away some of the principles of Christianity, who can tell
if this will be the end of his profession or if God will, in
his grace, recover him again? Let us hold fast our profession
without wavering.