For whom is it impossible to restore again to repentance?

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. - Hebrews 6:4-6 ESV

For whom is it impossible to restore again to repentance? This passage is heavy, because we all know a friend or family member who has abandoned the faith. Are they without hope? And if they can fall away, and find it impossible to be restored again to repentance, is my salvation at risk?

The feeling of anxiety I have reflecting on this reminds me of crime shows, where a teen joins a gang because it seems like a good idea at the time, sees the stakes and danger escalate, and realises there’s no backing out alive. This is a matter of everlasting life and death.

My best¹ take

The experiences in verses 4-5 refer to evidences of revelation (not salvation), received by non-Christians as well as Christians². Throughout Hebrews is the theme of paying close attention to God’s revelation (2:1-4, 4:6-7, 5:11, 10:26-31, 12:25, 13:22), and responding in faith and obedience. In Hebrews 3, the author parallels the Israelites’ exodus with the Hebrews’ heavenly calling, as a warning so that they might not fall away. Now, what we observe in the Torah is many Israelites who were saved out of Egypt never got in to the Promised Land. And so, just as most Israelites’ reception of revelation did not result in salvation (“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” - Romans 9:6), not all Hebrews with evidences of revelation (verses 4-5) are saved.

How can verses 4-5 not be referring to evidences of salvation in Christians?

In short, it seems the terms are so vague that they can be used to support either an Arminian (Christian who falls away) or Calvinist (non-Christian, since Christians can’t fall away) view³. The term that is most problematic to my view would be those who “have shared in the Holy Spirit” (metachos), because in Hebrews 3:14, the same word is used differently: “we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (metachoi). You’d have to accept that the same word, in the same book refers to both close, saving participation in chapter 3, as well as loose, unsaving association in chapter 6. This is more palatable as in Luke 5:10, “so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon” (metachoi) is a looser association, which is plausible since the Spirit worked more visibly in the early church.

How do we reconcile the experiences of those who leave the faith and are later restored to repentance with the passage?

Greg Boyd’s explanation comes from the following two verses:

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. ⁸ But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. - Hebrews 6:7-8 ESV

He makes the case that the illustration of land and producing a crop centers around the character of the land (not the nature of the fruit it bears). The decisions we make solidify our character, and can harden our hearts such that we’re no longer able to repent. This long term view also helps to reconcile the illustration with the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23), in which seeds spring up quickly in rocky places, but ultimately cannot be sustained.

Alternatively, Charles Spurgeon distinguishes between “fallen away” (permanent) and “falling” (temporary), though his sermon also argues that the passage does warn against Christians who cannot be restored to repentance, but the warning is effective such that it is an unrealised possibility.

Do verses 4-6 describe a real possibility?

In A Case for Faith by Lee Strobel, he interviews former evangelist and friend to Billy Graham, Charles Templeton:

“And how do you assess this Jesus?” It seemed like the next logical question—but I wasn’t ready for the response it would evoke.

Templeton’s body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable in talking about an old and dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed such a sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus.

“He was,” Templeton began, “the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I’ve ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?”

I was taken aback. “You sound like you really care about him,” I said.

“Well, yes, he is the most important thing in my life,” came his reply. “I . . . I . . . I . . . ,” he stuttered, searching for the right word, ‘I know it may sound strange, but I have to say . . . I adore him!” . . .

” . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes . . . yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don’t think of him that way, but they don’t read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There’s no question that he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is Jesus….’

“Uh . . . but . . . no,’ he said slowly, ‘he’s the most . . .” He stopped, then started again. “In my view,” he declared, “he is the most important human being who has ever existed.”

That’s when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. “And if I may put it this way,” he said as his voice began to crack, ‘I . . . miss . . . him!”

With that tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. . . .

Templeton fought to compose himself. I could tell it wasn’t like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear. After a few more awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted: “Enough of that.”

Sadly, it appears so.

Implications

So, the passage does not contradict with assurances that Christians will be preserved.

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. - Romans 8:30 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. - Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV

We also can remain confident that if we confess our sins, we will be forgiven and purified (1 John 1:9), because the passage does not question whether God will forgive, but only whether God will enable some to repent (like how Esau was unable to, Hebrews 12:16-17)⁴.

And so, though it’s still unclear to me when exactly the line is crossed such that an apostate cannot be restored to repentance, human experience tells us that many saints have done so. This is reason for hope, and prayer.

For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. - Hebrews 3:14 ESV

Finally, as we see in Hebrews 3:14, the greatest proof of one’s past participation in Christ is their future faithfulness. And that should drive us to attentively hear the call of Jesus Christ ‘today’ (3:15, 4:7), rather than rest on whatever we may or may not have done in the past.