Hebrews 5:11-14
A Warning Against Falling Away
We have a lot to say about this. But it is hard to make it clear to you. That’s because you are no longer trying to understand. By this time you should be teachers. But in fact, you need someone to teach you all over again. You need even the simple truths of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby. That person does not want to learn about living a godly life. Solid food is for those who are grown up. They have trained themselves to tell the difference between good and evil. That shows they have grown up.
Hebrews 6:1-12
So let us move beyond the simple teachings about Christ. Let us grow up as believers. Let us not start all over again with the basic teachings. They taught us that we need to turn away from doing things that lead to death. They taught us that we must have faith in God. These basic teachings taught us about different ways of becoming “clean.” They taught us about placing hands of blessing on people. They taught us that people will rise from the dead. They taught us that God will judge everyone. And they taught us that what he decides will last forever. If God permits, we will go beyond those teachings and grow up.
What if some people fall away from the faith? It won’t be possible to bring them back. It is true that they have seen the light. They have tasted the heavenly gift. They have shared in the Holy Spirit. They have tasted the good things of God’s word. They have tasted the powers of the age to come. But they have fallen away from the faith. So it won’t be possible to bring them back. They won’t be able to turn away from their sins. They are losing everything. That’s because they are nailing the Son of God to the cross all over again. They are bringing shame on him in front of everyone. Some land drinks the rain that falls on it. It produces a crop that is useful to those who farm the land. That land receives God’s blessing. But other land produces only thorns and weeds. That land isn’t worth anything. It is in danger of coming under God’s curse. In the end, it will be burned.
Dear friends, we have to say these things. But we are sure of better things in your case. We are talking about the things that have to do with being saved. God is fair. He will not forget what you have done. He will remember the love you have shown him. You showed it when you helped his people. And you show it when you keep on helping them. We want each of you to be faithful to the very end. If you are, then what you hope for will fully happen. We don’t want you to slow down. Instead, be like those who have faith and are patient. They will receive what God promised.
