Indeed, in human terms, what does "assurance" mean? My side has taken a lot of heat for our belief in assurance because the assumption by some is that we think we just sign on the dotted line, are "saved", and then go and lead our lives any way we want to. We don't believe that at all.
We say that we "rest" in God's promises of assurance. We are also aware of another of God's promises, namely that a truly regenerated heart absolutely, positively, will bear good fruit. That means no one is off the hook after the sinner's prayer! :) I am fully with you that we all must have faith AND follow the teachings of Jesus.
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Bohemund: "The plain meaning of this passage [Heb. 6:4-10] is that those who fall away from Christ are damned, but the recipients of Paul's letter had not fallen away, but done pleasing works and service. ... But the linked article instead interprets these passages as follows:
After time farmland will reveal whether its crop is good or bad. So it is with people; some really do not believe; their lives produce weeds. Land that produces thorns and thistles will be burned (v.8); it is no good. Those who belong to Christ produce a good crop (v.7). Things that always accompany salvation will appear in a believer’s life (v.9). The specific example given is the love they showed to God by helping His people (v.10).
Bohemund: "The bolded sections completely transpose cause and effect.
FK: "I'm afraid I do not follow you. To which causes and effects are you referring?"
Those who hear the Word but ignore it are damned. They do not ignore the Word because they started out damned.
OK, thanks. I think I see where you're coming from. This may be my most elaborate set-up ever, but I wanted to try to give you an answer. :)
I do agree that this can be a super tricky passage to interpret, but the plain meaning view "I think" you are taking has one big problem, depending on your definition of "fallen away". Since you are Catholic, my guess would be that anyone who sins and has not yet confessed it to a priest has "fallen away" because his salvation is "lost" until that happens, at least from my understanding on this thread. (Or, are you saying that the recipients of Paul's letter remained sinless the rest of their lives? I don't think you mean that.) Therefore, the problem is that in Heb. 6:4-6, once that happens to a person, it is IMPOSSIBLE for him to ever be saved again. If initial salvation occurs at infant Baptism, then the first sin a person commits after attaining the age of reason dooms him forever. Wouldn't that be the plain meaning?
Since (if my assumption about "fallen away" is right) I wouldn't imagine that would be particularly appealing to you, :) perhaps there is some nuance to this passage. In this passage, I believe the author of the article is saying that those who have "been enlightened", "and tasted", "and shared" were never "saved" to begin with. I think he might be referring to those who have a KNOWLEDGE of the truth, but don't really possess it.
I happen to agree with this, and I even have a little story. :) In 1999, Billy Graham came here to St. Louis for a crusade. I was one of the little "counselors" who roamed the floors of the (now) Edward D. Jones Dome at the invitation. I was to witness and share with whomever I was directed to, coming down from the stands. At the time I was extremely new at such things so I was very nervous. :) But by far my most vivid memory of the whole 4-day event was Rev. Graham's actual calling. At the invitation, he called out for truck drivers to come. He called out to secretaries, and CEOs, and doctors and plumbers to come. But do you know who else he called? PASTORS! That's what blew me away. He knew that even being a pastor had nothing to do with salvation. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. :) What a privilege it was to be there.
So anyway, that kind of idea may be where the author is coming from.
FK: "The truly saved person will move toward conformity with Christ, so if that doesn't happen, the person remains in the original state, lost. That's how it appears the author is interpreting Hebrews 6."
No, I disagree. It is choosing to sin that keeps us from God. Yelling "Lord, Lord" doesn't cut it; we have to love one another. ...
Who is yelling "Lord, Lord"? When I say that the truly saved person "will" move toward Christ, I don't mean "should" or "might", I mean God does cause it to happen with 100% certainty. It is an absolute, so it is completely impossible for a member of the elect to say "Lord, Lord" at the end. It can't happen by definition. Certainly choosing to sin can keep us away from God for a time, but no one, not even ourselves, can snatch us out of His hands.
God Bless.
You're exactly correct. People who believe a person can lose their salvation also have problems with Heb 6:4-6 simply for the reason you've stated-if they were to have an initial salvation and fell away, what's the point? They can never be brought back to salvation.
Hebrews is an evangelistic call to the Hebrews and should be read that way. Consequently when one gets to Heb 6 the writer states to the Jews; "...leaving the elemental teachings about the Christ...", he makes the points that
2) the Jews have tasted of the heavenly gifts (through the history of the Hebrew nation),
3) the Jews have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit (through the covenant actions of God throughout their history), and
4) the Jews have tasted of the good works of God.
Hebrews 6 is nothing more than an outward calling of God to the Hebrews.