Michael T. Griffith
1996
@All Rights Reserved
An Important Question
The question of whether or not genuine Christians can fall away is a crucial
one, especially for fundamentalist anti-Mormons who believe in the
"eternal security of the believer." They believe that once a person
is "saved" he or she is "always saved." The
One passage which powerfully teaches that genuine Christians can fall away is Hebrews 6:4-6. This is readily apparent in good translations of the text. Here is how these verses read in the King James Version:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
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.
The Contemporary English Version phrases this passage in language designed to be easily comprehended, and I am impressed by the clarity and simplicity of the translation:
But what about people who turn away after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they have received the good message of God and the powers of the future of the world? There is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son of God to a cross and insulting him in public.
Does Hebrews 6:4 Refer to Bonafide Christians
Who Fell Away?
This question shouldn't even need to be asked, for it is obvious that the verse refers to mature believers who left the church. However, "eternal- security" fundamentalists cannot admit this point because it literally destroys their doctrine of salvation.
Some evangelicals claim that Hebrews 6:4 does not indicate that the people in question had received the Holy Ghost. The evidence is decidedly against this assertion. Equally untenable is the related claim that verses 4- 6 are not talking about genuine Christians. If anything, the author of Hebrews seems to go out of his way to make it clear that he is talking specifically about mature members of the church, hence his veritable laundry list of all the things these people knew and experienced.
For one thing, the end of the verse itself says the people in question had "become partakers of the Holy Spirit." The fact that these individuals had become "partakers" of the Spirit logically implies they did not receive it only once. Someone who has become a "partaker" of something has obviously experienced it more than once, and will do so again.
Furthermore, the use of the word "enlightened" is clear evidence that we are talking about people who were baptized members of the church. In early Christian sources (e.g. Justin Martyr), baptism is called "illumination" (Buchanan 106). The Syriac text of Hebrews 6:4 reads "those who have once descended for baptism" (Buchanan 106). Moreover, four chapters later, the author of Hebrews clearly applies the word "enlightened" to experienced, tested members of the church (Hebrews 10:32-39).
Dr. Harold Attridge notes that Hebrews 6:4-5 provides a series of common images "which recalls the conversion to a new life" (Harper's Bible Commentary, p. 1264). Attridge correctly adds that "many unconvincing attempts have been made to ameliorate the severity of the warning" (1264). One anti-Mormon author wrote to me and said that not all true Christians partake of the heavenly gift because, he claimed, in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul says that participating in the gifts of the spirit "is not for all." But nowhere in 1 Corinthians 14 does Paul say any such thing. In fact, he says the saints are to "earnestly desire the spiritual gifts" (1 Cor. 14:1). Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul clearly seems to say that all good members of the church should enjoy at least one particular gift of the Spirit (see especially vss. 4-12).
Still more evidence that Hebrews 6:4 refers to full-fledged Christians who
had fallen away is the declaration that they had "tasted the goodness of
the word of God." Warren Quanbeck points out that this statement
"implies, not sampling, but a genuine experience of the reality" (in
Laymon 905). The Greek word for "tasted," geuomai,
often carries a broader meaning, as in to partake of something in its entirety
(Lenski 118-125). In Acts 10:10, it refers to partaking of a meal, not just to
tasting the food. In Hebrews 2:9, we read that Christ "tasted" death,
i.e., He fully partook of it. And according to the editors of the
ultra-conservative Liberty Bible Commentary,
In the same sense these people [of Hebrews 6:4] have partaken of the heavenly gift and of the Holy Spirit. Further, they have fully experienced the Word of God and the powers of the coming age. (Falwell 683, emphasis added)
Not only is the view that true believers cannot fall contrary to scripture, but it is also repudiated in the writings of the early church fathers. The ancient saints understood perfectly that even mature believers could apostatize.
Unbelievers in Hebrews 6:4-6?
Surprisingly, a few anti-Mormons claim that Hebrews 6:4-6 refers to unbelievers. In all seriousness, one anti-LDS writer told me that in Hebrews 6:4 the ancient author "utilizes geuomai [tasted] within the context of unbelievers." How could an unbeliever experience the heavenly gift? And be a partaker of the Holy Spirit? And experience the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age? And how could an unbeliever be described as having once been "enlightened" when the author of Hebrews uses this term for seasoned Christians elsewhere in the epistle?
Let's recap what Hebrews 6:4-6 says about the Christians in question:
* They were "once enlightened." This same term is applied to
experienced, tested members of the church in Hebrews 10:32-39.
* They had "tasted the heavenly gift." Some commentators weakly opine that in verse 4 the author does not mean "tasted" in its normal New Testament theological sense of "to fully experience something" (p. 3). They suggest that in this case the act of experiencing was brief or superficial in nature. Why the arbitrary switch in meanings? As we have seen, even the editors of the staunchly conservative Liberty Bible Commentary acknowledge that the Christians referenced in verse 4 "have partaken of the heavenly gift and of the Holy Spirit" in the same sense that Jesus "tasted" death, i.e., fully (Falwell 683; see also, Lenski 118- 125).
* They had become "partakers" of the Holy Spirit. Again, the fact that these individuals had become "partakers" of the Spirit indicates they did not receive it only once. Someone who has become a "partaker" of something has obviously experienced it more than once, and will do so again unless he chooses to stop partaking. Myles M. Bourke points out that the phrase "sharers in the Holy Spirit" refers to "those who possess the Spirit as a guarantee of the full possession . . . of the eschatological blessings" (in Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy 2:391).
* They had "tasted" the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age. As noted above, Warren Quanbeck observes that this statement "implies, not sampling, but a genuine experience of the reality" (in Laymon 905, emphasis added).
Not surprisingly, Theognostus of Alexandria (ca. A.D. 200-270), a highly
regarded ancient Christian theologian, viewed Hebrews 6:4 as a warning to
spiritually experienced Christians (Roberts and Donaldson 6:156). Theognostus
served in the presidency of the Christian academy in
The Apostasy of Mature Christians and Hebrews 10:26
H. T. Andrews correctly observes that any attempt to soften the
"harshness" of Hebrews 6:4-6 is utterly destroyed by Hebrews 10:26
(in Eiselen, Lewis, and
When men have once been
enlightened, it is argued, and have tasted the
heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Spirit, and have tasted the good
word of God and the powers of the world to come, and then have fallen away, it
is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. (in
Eiselen, Lewis, and
Andrews then observes that in Hebrews 10:26 this doctrine "is restated
in a form" which allows for no possible means of escape or
misinterpretation (in Eiselen, Lewis, and
For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. (RSV)
Notice the use of the word "we" in this verse. The author was applying this warning to himself as well as to his readers. Plainly and clearly, this verse, like Hebrews 6:4-6, teaches that genuine Christians can fall away.
Conclusion
The Bible teaches that mature members of the church can fall away. This doctrine refutes the idea of "eternal security" or "once saved, always saved."
----------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael T. Griffith holds a Master’s degree in Theology from The
Catholic Distance University, a Graduate Certificate in Ancient and Classical
History from American Military University, a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts
from Excelsior College, and two Associate in Applied Science degrees from the
Community College of the Air Force. He
also holds an Advanced Certificate of Civil War Studies and a Certifcate of
Civil War Studies from
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RECOMMENDED
Achtemeier, Paul, editor. HARPER'S BIBLE DICTIONARY.
1985.
-----. THE INSPIRATION OF
SCRIPTURE.
Adams, Roger J. THE ICONOGRAPHY OF EARLY
CHRISTIAN INITIATION.
Alcalay, Reuben. THE COMPLETE HEBREW-ENGLISH
DICTIONARY.
Anderson, Bernhard
W, editor. CREATION
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Anderson, Richard Lloyd. UNDERSTANDING PAUL.
Angus, S. THE MYSTERY RELIGIONS: A STUDY IN THE
RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY.
Arrington, Leonard
J. and
Bacchiocchi, Samuele. WINE IN THE BIBLE.
Barber, Ian. WHAT MORMONISM ISN'T: A RESPONSE TO THE
RESEARCH OF JERALD AND SANDRA TANNER.
Barker, James L. APOSTASY FROM THE
Barker, William P. WHO'S WHO IN CHURCH HISTORY.
Barlow, Phillip. "Unorthodox Orthodoxy: The Idea of Deification in Christian History." In SUNSTONE, September/October 1983. 13-18.
Barr, James. BEYOND FUNDAMENTALISM: BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS
FOR EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY.
-----. HOLY SCRIPTURE: CANON, AUTHORITY, CRITICISM.
Barrett, Ivan J. JOSEPH SMITH AND THE
RESTORATION. Revised
Edition.
Barth, Markus. EPHESIANS 1-3. The Anchor Bible. Garden City,
Beitzal, Barry. "The Right of the
Firstborn in the Old Testament."
In W.C. Kaiser and R.F. Youngblood, editors, A TRIBUTE TO GLEASON ARCHER: ESSAYS ON
THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Benz, Ernst W. "Imago Dei: Man in the Image of God." In Truman Madsen, editor, REFLECTIONS ON
MORMONISM: JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN PARALLELS.
Black, Matthew. THE SCROLLS AND CHRISTIAN
ORIGINS.
Brown, Raymond E. THE EPISTLES OF JOHN. The Anchor Bible. Garden City,
-----, and
Joseph Fitzmyer, and Roland Murphy, editors. THE JEROME BIBLICAL
COMMENTARY. Two
Volumes.
Brown,
Bruce, F.F. THE BOOKS AND THE PARCHMENTS. Third Edition. Westwood, New Jersay: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963.
Buchanan, George Wesley. TO THE HEBREWS. The Anchor Bible. Garden
City,
Carson, D.A., editor. FROM SABBATH TO LORD'S DAY: A BIBLICAL, HISTORICAL,
AND THEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION.
Carver, James. "Answering An
Ex-Mormon Critic." Mormon Miscellaneous Response Series.
Cherbonnier,
Craig, William L. KNOWING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE
RESURRECTION.
Chadwick, Henry. THE EARLY CHURCH. Penguin Books Edition.
Eissfeldt, Otto. "El and Yahweh." In JOURNAL OF SEMITIC STUDIES, volume 1, 1956. 25-37.
Eusebius. THE HISTORY OF THE
CHRISTIAN CHURCH FROM CHRIST TO
Evenson, Darrick. THE GAINSAYERS.
Falwell, Jerry, executive
editor.
Fiorenza, Elisabeth S. "1 Corinthians." In James L. Mays, editor, HARPER'S
BIBLE COMMENTARY.
Foerster, Werner. THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT. 9 volumes.
Fox,
Frangopoulos, Athanasios S. OUR ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
FAITH.
Furnish, Victor Paul. "The Letter of Paul to
the Colossians." In Charles Laymon, editor, THE INTERPRETER'S ONE-VOLUME COMMENTARY
ON THE BIBLE.
-----. II CORINTHIANS. The Anchor Bible. Garden City,
Geisler, Norman. THE
Gonzalez, Justo L. A HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN
THOUGHT. Volume
1.
Grant, Robert M. GODS AND THE ONE GOD.
Griggs, C. Wilfred, editor. APOCRYPHAL WRITINGS AND THE
LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
-----. "The Origin and
Formation of the Corpus of Apocryphal Literature." In C. Wilfred Griggs, editor,
APOCRYPHAL WRITINGS AND THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
Gunkel, Hermann. "The Influence of Babylonian Mythology Upon the Biblical Creation Story." In Bernhard W. Anderson, editor,
CREATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
25-52.
Hamblin, William. "Aspects of an Early
Christian Initiation Ritual."
In John Lundquist and Stephen Ricks, editors, BY STUDY
AND ALSO BY FAITH. Volume 1.
Hamerton-Kelly,
R.G. PRE-EXISTENCE,
WISDOM, AND THE SON OF MAN.
Hayman, Peter. "Monotheism--A Misused Word in Jewish Studies?" In the JOURNAL OF JEWISH STUDIES, Spring 1991. 1-15.
Hoskisson, Paul. "Another Significance
of the Golden Calf Motif." In John Welch, editor, TINKLING CYMBALS.
Hanson, Paul. "War, Peace, and
Justice in Early
Hurtado, Larry W. ONE GOD, ONE LORD: EARLY CHRISTIAN DEVOTION
AND ANCIENT JEWISH MONOTHEISM.
Jackson, Kent P. "'Watch and Remember': The New Testament
and the Great Apostasy." In John M. Lundquist and Stephen Ricks, editors, BY STUDY AND ALSO
BY FAITH. Volume
1.
Jerome. THE HOMILIES OF
Jones, Edward T. "A Comparative Study of Ascension Motifs in World Religions." In Spencer J. Palmer, editor,
DEITY AND DEATH (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, Religious Studies Center, 1978). 89-99.
Kee, Howard Clark. JESUS AND GOD'S NEW PEOPLE.
Kelly, J.N.D. EARLY CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES. Revised Edition.
Kimball, Spencer W. FAITH PRECEDES THE MIRACLE.
Klausner, Joseph. THE MESSIANIC IDEA IN
Kluger, Rivkah
Scharf. SATAN
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. Translated by Hildegard Nagel.
Lemche, Niels Peter. ANCIENT
Magill, Frank N. MASTERPIECES OF CHRISTIAN
LITERATURE.
Martin, Ralph P. WORSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH.
Mays, James L.,
general editor. HARPER'S BIBLE
COMMENTARY.
McConkie, Bruce R. DOCTRINAL NEW TESTAMENT
COMMENTARY. Volume
1.
-----. THE PROMISED MESSIAH.
McConkie, Joseph Fielding. HIS NAME SHALL BE JOSEPH: ANCIENT PROPHECIES
OF THE LATTER-DAY SEER.
-----. "Joseph Smith as Found
in Ancient Manuscripts." In Monte S. Nyman, editor,
ISAIAH AND THE PROPHETS.
-----. "Premortal Existence, Foreordinations, and Heavenly Councils." In C. Wilfred Griggs, editor, APOCRYPHAL
WRITINGS AND
THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
1986. 173-198.
-----, and
Robert F. Millet. SUSTAINING AND
DEFENDING THE FAITH.
McDowell, Josh. THE RESURRECTION FACTOR.
Meservy, Keith. "Discoveries at
-----. "Ezekiel's Sticks." In the ENSIGN, September 1977. 22-27.
Migne, J.P., editor. PATROLOGIAE GRAECA. 161 volumes.
Millet, Robert L. BY GRACE ARE WE SAVED.
-----, and
Joseph Fielding McConkie. SUSTAINING
AND DEFENDING THE FAITH.
-----, and
Joseph Fielding McConkie. THE LIFE BEYOND.
Milne, Mary K. "
Morgenstern, Julian. "The Mythological Background of Psalm 82." In HEBREW UNION COLLEGE ANNUAL, volume 14, 1939. 29-126.
Mullen, E. Theodore. THE ASSEMBLY OF THE GODS. Harvard Semitic Monograph
Series.
Newman, Barclay. A CONCISE GREEK-ENGLISH
DICTIONARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
Nibley, Hugh. "Irenaeus." F.A.R.M.S. Preliminary
Report.
-----. MORMONISM AND EARLY
CHRISTIANITY.
-----. SINCE CUMORAH. Second Edition.
-----. THE PROPHETIC BOOK OF
MORMON.
-----. "Treasures in the
Heavens." In
Truman Madsen, editor, NIBLEY ON THE TIMELY AND THE TIMELESS.
-----. "What Is A
Norman, Keith. "Divinization: The Forgotten Teaching of Early Christianity." In SUNSTONE, Winter 1975. 15-19.
-----. "Ex Nihilo: The Development of the Doctrines of God and Creation in Early Christianity." In BYU STUDIES, volume 17, number 3, Spring 1977. 291-318.
Norris, Richard A., editor. THE CHRISTOLOGICAL
CONTROVERSY. Sources
of Early Christian Thought.
Olin, John C., editor. A REFORMATION DEBATE.
Ostler, Blake. "Clothed Upon: A Unique Aspect of Christian Antiquity." In BYU STUDIES, Winter 1982. 31-45.
Overholt, Thomas W. "Jeremiah." In James L. Mays, general
editor, HARPER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY.
Pagels, Elaine. THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS.
Parrot, Douglas M. "Gnostic and Orthodox
Disciples in the Second and Third Centuries." In Charles Hedrick and Robert Hodgson, editors,
NAG HAMMADI, GNOSTICISM, AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY.
Paulsen, David. "Early Christian Belief in a Corporeal Deity: Origen and Augustine as Reluctant Witnesses." In HARVARD THEOLOGICAL REVIEW, volume 83, number 2, 1990. 105-116.
Peterson, Daniel C. "Does the Qur'an Teach Creation EX NIHILO?", in John Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks,
editors,
BY STUDY AND ALSO BY FAITH. Volume 1.
1990. 584-591.
-----, and
Stephen D. Ricks. OFFENDERS FOR A
WORD: HOW ANTI-MORMONS PLAY WORD GAMES TO ATTACK THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
Prestige, G.L. GOD IN PATRISTIC THOUGHT. Second Edition.
Price, James L. "The First Letter of
Paul to the Corinthians." In Charles Laymon, editor, THE INTERPRETER'S ONE-VOLUME COMMENTARY
ON THE BIBLE.
Quasten, Johannes. PATROLOGY. 3 Volumes.
Reicke, Bo. THE EPISTLES OF JAMES, JUDE,
AND PETER. Second
Edition. The
Anchor Bible. Garden City,
Reynolds, George
and Janne M. Sjodahl. COMMENTARY ON THE
Rich, Russell B. ENSIGN TO THE NATIONS: A HISTORY OF THE
Richards, LeGrand. A MARVELOUS WORK AND A
WONDER. Revised and Enlarged
Edition.
Richardson, Cyril C., editor. EARLY CHRISTIAN FATHERS.
Riley, Hugh M. CHRISTIAN INITIATION.
Roberts, Alexander
and James Donaldson et al, editors and translators. THE ANTE-NICENE FATHERS. Ten Volumes.
Roberts, B.H. THE LORD'S DAY. Missionary Pamphlet.
Robinson, H. Wheeler. "The Council of Yahweh." In the JOURNAL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES, volume 45, 1944. 151-157.
Robinson, Stephen E. ARE MORMONS CHRISTIANS?
Rusch, William G. THE TRINITARIAN CONTROVERSY. Sources of Early Christian
Thought.
Russel, Jeffrey Burton. SATAN: THE EARLY CHRISTIAN TRADITION.
Scharffs, Gilbert. THE TRUTH ABOUT "THE
GODMAKERS."
Seaich, Eugene. ANCIENT TEXTS AND MORMONISM.
-----. "Did the Freemasons Copy Their Ritual
from the Mormons?"
-----. MORMONISM, THE DEAD SEA
SCROLLS, AND THE NAG HAMMADI TEXTS.
Smith, Morton. JESUS THE MAGICIAN.
Smith, Robert F. "Satan: Notes on the Gods." December 1992 Draft, copy in my possession.
Snyder, Graydon. ANTE-PACEM: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF CHURCH
LIFE BEFORE
Sparks, Jack
N., editor. THE
APOSTOLIC FATHERS.
Stadelmann, Luis. THE HEBREW CONCEPTION OF THE WORLD (Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1970).
Sundberg, Albert C. "The Making of the New
Testament Canon." In Charles Laymon, editor, THE INTERPRETER'S ONE-VOLUME COMMENTARY
ON THE BIBLE.
Press, 1971. 1216-1224.
Talmage, James E. JESUS THE CHRIST. Thirty-Fourth Edition.
-----. THE ARTICLES OF FAITH, Forty-Second Edition.
Latter-day Saints, 1976.
Thompson, Claude Holmes. "The Book of Jude." In Charles Laymon, editor, THE
INTERPRETER'S ONE-VOLUME COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE.
Turner, Rodney. "The Doctrine of
Godhood in the New Testament."
In PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL IN PRACTICE. 1985 Sperry Symposium.
Book Company, 1985. 21-38.
Tvedtnes, John. THE CHURCH OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT. Second
Edition.
Tzaferis, Vassilios. "Crucifixion--The Archaeological Evidence." In BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW, January/February 1985. 49-53.
Vestal, Kirk
Vine, W.E. VINE'S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT
WORDS. 4 Volumes.
Wellnitz, Marcus Von. "The Catholic Liturgy
and the
Westcott, Brooke Foss. THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH.
White, James. "Mormon Scholars Defend Their Church: A Review and Rebuttal of Offenders for a Word." In PROS APOLOGIAN, Spring 1993. 1-9. This article and the one cited below both appeared in the Spring 1993 issue of PROS APOLOGIAN.
-----. "Hugh Nibley, The Universal Apostasy, And the Gates of Hades." In PROS APOLOGIAN, Spring 1993. 10-12.
Wilken, Robert. THE CHRISTIANS AS THE ROMANS SAW THEM.
Winston, David. "Creation EX NIHILO Revisited." In the JOURNAL OF JEWISH STUDIES, volume 37, Spring 1986. 88-91.
Woodrow, Ralph.