Hebrews 6:4–8 is a difficult and, for some Christians, scary passage. However, this warning that the author delivers to his readers is not the only one in the letter. Interpreters generally agree that there are five warning passages in Hebrews: 2:1–4; 3:12–4:13; 6:4–8; 10:26–31; 12:12–29. All of these passages should be read together, since the author addresses the same problem in all of them.
There are four common views for interpreting the warnings in Hebrews. To understand the differences among these views, it’s helpful to answer two questions: (1) To whom is the author addressing the warnings? (2) What is the sin he urges them to avoid and the corresponding consequences for ignoring the warnings?
The Loss-of-Salvation View
The first interpretation is the loss-of-salvation view. According to this perspective, the author is warning Christians not to fall away from Christ—that is, commit apostasy—otherwise they will lose their salvation and experience eternal damnation. The major difficulty with this view is that it conflicts with New Testament teaching on assurance of salvation for believers (see, e.g., John 6:37–40; 10:26–29; Rm 8:28–39; Ephesians 1:13–14; 1 John 5:13). Nevertheless, one should note that this is the majority view held by scholars of commentaries written on Hebrews. In other words, most interpreters think this is the most straightforward reading of these texts.
The Loss-of-Rewards View
The second interpretation is the loss-of-rewards view. Interpreters holding this perspective believe the author is warning Christians against a rebellious unwillingness to pursue spiritual maturity—and thus, not apostasy. The consequence for failing to heed this warning is a loss of divine blessings or rewards, whether in this life or in the life to come.
Notice, however, how these interpreters typically describe the sin that the author of Hebrews urges the readers to avoid: They describe the sin (rightly, I believe) as rejecting their Christian confession of faith in Jesus’s atoning sacrifice and unrepentantly returning to the Old Testament sacrificial system. If such actions do not count as apostasy, one wonders what would!
The False-Believer View
The third interpretation is the false-believer view. Those who advocate this view believe the author warns against apostasy and the corresponding consequence of eternal judgment. However, the author’s warnings are directed toward and describe “false believers” within the Christian community. In other words, the warnings describe those who have been exposed to the gospel message and experienced the blessings associated with being, in some sense, affiliated with the people of God. They may even have professed faith in Christ, but they have never truly believed.
Yet, the ways in which the author of Hebrews refers to those whom he is warning certainly sound like descriptions of genuine Christians: “brother and sisters” (3:12), “participants in Christ” (3:14), those “who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit” (6:4), and those who have been “sanctified” by “the blood of the covenant” (10:29). If these phrases don’t describe true believers, it’s hard to imagine what the author would need to say.
What if, instead, there’s a better way to interpret the warnings of Hebrews—a way that seeks to take the warnings at face value and that’s consistent with the New Testament understanding of salvation in Christ? In the next email, we’ll explore this final interpretation.
Christopher W. Cowan (Ph.D. in New Testament, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY) serves as editor for Bibles and reference books at B&H Publishing.
