Hebrews: Apostasy and perseverance

Narrowly defined, there are five warnings about apostasy in Hebrews (2:1–4; 3:7 – 4:13; 6:4–8; 10:26–31; 12:25–29). However, scholars differ about the extent of these passages, since some are intimately connected with exhortations to persevere in faith, hope and love (e.g. 5:11 – 6:3; 6:9–20; 10:32–39; 12:22–24). Each of these larger units is linked to expositions of the work of Christ designed to give believers assurance about their relationship with God and their eternal destiny. The author demonstrates pastoral insight and wisdom in the way he combines these apparently contradictory aspects of his ‘word of exhortation’ (13:22). If the warning passages are considered as part of the broader argument of Hebrews, believers should not experience anxiety about the security of their standing with God and ability to persevere in the way he desires.

i. Understanding the warning passages
The dimensions of apostasy and its consequences are progressively revealed throughout Hebrews. Apostasy begins by drifting away from the Lord Jesus and the message he proclaimed (2:1–3). It involves hardening your heart when God’s voice is heard and turning away from him in unbelief and disobedience (3:7 – 4:13). Progressive hardening of the heart leads to permanent hardening, because of sin’s deceitfulness. Put differently, an unwillingness to be taken forward to maturity and produce the kind of behaviour pleasing to God may lead to a public repudiation of his Son (5:11 – 6:8). Deliberately persisting in sin after receiving ‘the knowledge of the truth’ expresses open contempt for the Son of God, treating his death as no different from any other, and acting insolently towards God’s Spirit by resisting his promptings to turn away from sin and persevere in faithful obedience (10:26–29). Those who have heard the call to come to ‘the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem’ through Jesus ‘the mediator of a new covenant’ (12:22–24) should be careful not to turn away from ‘him who warns us from heaven’, because of the eternal consequences (12:25–27).

These warnings are addressed to the whole church and the pastor includes himself in their scope (2:1–3; 3:14; 4:1–3, 11; 10:26; 12:25, 28; cf. 3:6; 6:1). Like most Christian groups, this congregation probably consisted of people at various stages in their spiritual journey and he does not want any of them to have ‘a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God’ (3:12). The same concern for each member of their fellowship is reflected again in 3:13; 4:1, 11; 6:11; 12:15–16. When the pastor considers the biblical example of the Israelites in the wilderness, he simply contrasts belief expressed in obedience with unbelief demonstrated in disobedience (3:15 – 4:2). The image of fruitfulness is added to the picture in his parable of two different soils:

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (6:7–8; cf. 10:36–39)

Both lands receive the same rain, but only one produces the crop that pleases God.

The judgment awaiting apostates is portrayed as worse than any punishment prescribed under the law (2:2–3; 10:28–31) or experienced in the history of Israel (3:16–19), because it involves a ‘raging fire that will consume the enemies of God’ (10:27; cf. 6:8), elsewhere described as ‘eternal judgment’ (6:2). Those who resist the call of God to persist in faith and grateful service will miss out on the coming kingdom of God (12:26–29) and will not enter his ‘rest’ (4:1–11). Since apostasy is a deliberate and final rejection of Jesus and the gospel, there can be no forgiveness, because ‘no sacrifice for sins is left’ (10:26).

Two passages in particular make it clear that the warnings are directed to Christians. The first speaks categorically of the impossibility of restoring to repentance ‘those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age’ (6:4–6). These terms are deliberately chosen to describe people who have had a genuine encounter with Christ and the gospel, though the indirect manner of speech means that the author is not specifically identifying any of his hearers with those who have fallen away. The second passage speaks more personally: ‘If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God’ (10:26–27). The author goes on to describe this betrayal as trampling underfoot the Son of God, treating ‘as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them’ and ‘insult[ing] the Spirit of grace’ (10:29).

These passages have caused many to question whether genuine Christians can ‘lose their salvation’, even though this issue is addressed only by implication. This pastor’s positive aim is to encourage faithfulness and fruitfulness in the lives of those he addresses. In fact, he speaks confidently about them as a group and encourages them to press on with trust in God and his promises (6:9–20; 10:32–39). His warnings are not hypothetical, however, because he is concerned about signs of spiritual sluggishness in this church (5:11 – 6:3) and notes that some have already abandoned their fellowship (10:25). His warnings are intended to be a means of preserving from apostasy those who may be struggling. The broader evidence of the New Testament is that those whom God has elected will be saved for all eternity (e.g. John 6:37–44; 10:28–29; Rom. 8:28–39; 1 Cor. 1:8–9; Eph. 1:13–14; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23–24; 1 Pet. 1:5; Jude 24–25), but those who are elected will continue to express repentance and faith.65 Faith is generated and sustained by the message of salvation through Christ and the encouragements and warnings that accompany it.

Within this theological framework, ‘Hebrews recognizes a kind of transitory faith or form of conversion which has early signs of life but does not persevere.’ Jesus identified this problem with reference to the second and third soils in his parable about the sowing of God’s word (Mark 4:1–9, 13–20 par.). The author of Hebrews addresses his ‘holy brothers and sisters’ as those who ‘share in the heavenly calling’ (3:1), but he insists that we are God’s ‘house’ or family ‘if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory’ (3:6). Then he warns that ‘We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end’ (3:14). This is not cause-and-effect language, but an evidence–inference argument, in which ‘the observation of a piece of evidence leads the observer to infer a certain logical conclusion’. If they hold firmly to the confidence and hope God has given them in the gospel they will show themselves to be truly members of his family and partakers of Christ. Perseverance is a mark of the genuine believer and warnings are an aid to perseverance.

ii. Encouragements to persevere
Each warning passage is followed either by a significant exposition of the work of Christ (as in 2:5–18) or an encouragement to appropriate the benefits of that work and persevere in the life of faith (as in 4:14–16; 6:9–20; 10:32–39). Jesus himself is the greatest encouragement to persevere because of what he suffered and achieved (2:9, 10, 17–18). Therefore, believers must fix their thoughts on him (3:1; 12:2), approach God confidently through him (4:14–16; 7:25; 10:19–22), consider him (12:3), and ‘go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore’ (13:13).

The exhortation in 4:14–16 focuses first on the need to ‘hold firmly to the faith we profess’, because we have a high priest who has ascended into heaven. Second, since Jesus can empathize with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin, we may keep drawing near to God’s throne of grace through him, to ‘receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’. The exposition of Christ’s high-priestly work in 2:17–18; 5:7–10; 6:19–10:18 is the inspiration and motivation for these two vital pursuits. The challenge is to hold on to the ‘confession’ (esv), which may refer to a formal confession of faith that the pastor shared with his congregation and that formed the basis of their commitment to Jesus (3:1; 4:14; 10:23). His atoning death and heavenly ascension give believers confidence to approach God in the present (3:6; 4:16; 10:19) and the hope of everlasting life in God’s presence (12:22–24).

Faith and hope come into focus again in 6:9–20, where the pastor also urges his community to continue loving one another in practical ways. Hope is realized by imitating those ‘who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised’. The three imperatives come together a second time in the pivotal exhortation in 10:19–25. Faith and hope are further encouraged on the basis of the past experience of the recipients and God’s trustworthy promises (10:32–39), and by recalling many witnesses to persevering faith in the long history of God’s people (11:1–38). Climactically, they are urged to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’ and ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (12:1–2). Jesus has blazed the trail for us to follow on our journey to the heavenly city and has given faith a perfect basis and certain outcome in his high-priestly work, achieving our salvation by his obedient faith. The challenge to show love to fellow believers in various ways emerges again in 13:1–8, 16, 17–19.

Faith, hope and love are signs of God’s enabling grace. When they are exercised, they bring the assurance of a genuine relationship with God and of truly belonging to his family. Guided and empowered by the promises and warnings of Scripture, believers may avoid apostasy and persevere in the way of Christ. Put differently, God equips those who seek his Spirit’s help ‘with everything good for doing his will’, working ‘in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ’ (13:21). The relationship between Christ and his people is living and dynamic, so that assurance of ultimate salvation is linked to the heeding of his voice: ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand’ (John 10:27–28). Hebrews portrays this response as grateful service with reverence and awe, and then provides detailed examples of what that might mean in practice (12:28 – 13:16).

We  hope you appreciated this extract from David G. Peterson's new TNTC on Hebrews, one of our November 2020 Releases. You'll find more resources for studying this letter at every level below.