It is IMPOSSIBLE to RENEW them unto REPENTANCE!

These verses cause a lot of people to be troubled.

Hebrews 6:4-11

"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 they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 

[9] But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."

These verses are hard-hitting warnings against falling away. In fact, they are frightening!

Paul (if he was in fact the author of Hebrews), says that it is IMPOSSIBLE for someone who FALLS AWAY to be RENEWED AGAIN UNTO REPENTANCE.

It is very, very important that you understand two things: 1. What is said. 2. What is NOT said.

1. WHAT IS SAID:

You cannot be RENEWED UNTO REPENTANCE if you fall away.

2. WHAT IS NOT SAID:

        A. You cannot REPENT if you fall away.

        B. You cannot be FORGIVEN if you fall away.

Having been a preacher now for over 50 years, I can tell you that I have met a LOT of people that I was NOT ABLE to renew them to repentance. I have dealt with hard hearts, cold hearts, rebellious hearts, carnal and worldy hearts, and most of the time, I was not able to renew them to repentance.  And it wasn't my bad preaching. No other preacher could get them to repent either. They were trapped in their backsliding heart. Even if God DID deal with them, they were not listening, and if they were listening, they were ignoring Him.

But when people tell me that they fear for their eternal souls because they have fallen away or backslid, I do not consider them to be the person that these verses are talking about.

If you are worried that God will not receive you again because you fell away or backslid, I can only tell you that you are NOT the person these verses are talking about!

If you are feeling contrite in your soul, and if you desire to make things right with God, THAT is REPENTANCE working in you! If REPENTANCE is in your heart, YOU are NOT the person this verse speaks of. 

The UNPARDONABLE SIN is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. It is committed by speaking evil of the Holy Ghost. It is a deliberate and intentional sin. Very few people ever rail on God in such a manner. Generally speaking, the one who has committed the unpardonable sin is not concerned about his standing with God. He is not seeking repentance. He is not seeking forgiveness. Because he was blasphemous, you are not likely to see that person in Church. You are not likely to find anyone like that having a cordial conversation about God. SENSITIVE hearts do not commit the unpardonable sin. People who love God and who still have convictions and a desire to have right standing with him are not the kind of people who have committed an unpardonable sin 

If you jump to the last line, you will see the writer admonishing us to "shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end." These verses are a warning to be diligent. They warn us of the dangers of falling away. The admonish us to continue in our former faithfulness.

The PURPOSE and INTENT of these verses is NOT to make you feel that it is impossible to be saved, but to warn you that if you harden your heart, neither God nor the preacher may be able to help you. At that point, the only way you can be helped is to COME TO YOUR SENSES - in much the same way that the PRODIGAL SON did when he found himself eating swill in the hog trough.

If and when you reaize that you are in a backslidden and fallen away state, you must take FULL RESPONSIBILITY to stir your own soul, and return to GOD in humility, in a broken and contrite spirit, and make full repentance.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," 1 John 1:9.

The bottom line is that IF YOU CAN REPENT, GOD WILL FORGIVE. No ifs, ands, or buts.

You must believe that.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him : for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," Hebrews 11:6.

Stop telling yourself that you have committed the unpardonable sin. Stop telling yourself that God will never forgive you. Stop telling yourself that you cannot be saved. It is a lie. 

I will say it again, you should should memorize it if you have to: "IF YOU CAN REPENT, GOD WILL FORGIVE!"

Enough said.

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