Hebrews 6

Chap. VI. Ver. 1—20. Exhortations to persevere, with cautions against apostacy.—The Christian’s life is progressive, and never stationary: for if we move not forward, we are certainly sliding backward. It is so as respects both our principles and practice: the apostle therefore exhorts the Hebrews not to stop at first principles only, or at the beginning of the Christian course, which commences with faith and repentance—with baptism, and the laying on of hands, and with the avowal of those foundation truths, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment: Let us not stop here, (as if he had said,) but go on unto perfection—that is, proceed from truth to he, ‘Sif God permit.’ But in order to this, it is necessary to guard against retrogression; for it is possible for persons to be enlightened—to taste of the heavenly gift, and be made partakers of the Holy Ghost—to taste the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come;—it is possible, very possible, that such may fall away, not merely by a partial declension, like those of Laodicea, ((Revelation 3:14), &c.,) but by a total renunciation of the name, as well as the principles of Christianity. But let us see how far the particulars of this awful character will carry us; that is, how far the persons here described had gone in the profession of religion. 1. They were enlightened, that is, instructed in the elementary principles of Christianity; and, by hearing and reading, obtained a good knowledge of its evidences and doctrines, and, by a moral reformation, “escaped the pollutions of the world”—through idolatry and uncleanness. 2. They tasted, that is, participated “of the heavenly gift;” by which many understand, a sense of pardon through Christ; but we rather conceive all these expressions refer to the powerful effects of the word preached, especially as connected with the personal ministry of Jesus, or with the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.

With respect to the former, our Lord himself thus describes the case of apostates in the parable of the Sower, where he says, “He that received the word in stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” ((Matthew 13:20-21).) In reference to the miraculous powers of the apostolic age, we read, ((Acts 8:5), &c.,) that when Philip went down to the city of Samaria, preaching and working miracles, “there was great joy in that city;” and when Simon Magus (or the great one) heard the preaching, and saw the miracles, “Simon himself believed also, and was baptized:”

yet he soon discovered his hypocrisy, and the barren nature of his faith; for when the apostles Peter and John came to that city, he offered them money, if they would give him power to confer the Holy Ghost in like manner as they did; on which Peter assures him, that, notwithstanding his profession, his “heart was not right in the sight of God; but, on the contrary, he was yet ‘in the gall of bitterness, and the bond of iniquity.’” And ecclesiastical history informs us, that he proved one of the most awful instances of apostacy on record. (See exposition of (Acts 8:1-25).) spoken of, nothing is said that necessarily implies any thing more than speculative knowledge, and external profession of Christianity—nothing of regeneration, conversion, believing through grace, or a change of heart: on the contrary their profession is described as utterly barren, or as bearing nothing but “thorns and briers;”

and their persons as “nigh unto cursing,” and to burning. And farther, in addressing the believing Hebrews, he plainly intimates, that all he had said, came short of what was necessary to salvation: for he says, “We hope better things of you, and things which accompany salvation,” which certainly implies, that the things before referred to were not of that class: for, applying the passage to our own time, when miracles have long since ceased, the preaching of the word may have powerful effects upon the conscience, without producing any change of heart. It is well known, that it chiefly was on the authority of this passage the Novatians, in the second century, refused to receive back into their communion any who, in times of persecution, had gone back to Paganism; though even urged by the torture, and however penitent: and many penitents themselves have been distressed by it.

But Novatian, though a good man, had not the heart of our compassionate High Priest; nor did he consider, nor do the distressed penitents we refer to consider, that the difficulty, the impossibility, lay, not in restoring penitents, but apostates; and true penitents are no more apostates. The rest of this chapter is occupied in animating exhortations to diligence and perseverance in the Christian course; assuring those believers to whom he wrote, (and in them all others,) of the certainty of their reward in heaven: not only as secured by the mediation of Christ, but also by the promise of God; and that promise ratified by oath, that, by two immutable things—the word and oath of God—his people might have not only hope, but consolation, even strong consolation, as having fled for refuge, (like the poor manslayer of old,) to lay hold upon the hope set before them in the gospel; namely, the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus: that Jesus who has himself, as our great High Priest, entered within the veil with his atoning blood, and ever lives to plead for us before the throne of God.

Notes on the verses

Chap. VI. Ver. 1, The principles.—Margin, “The word of the beginning;” that is, the elements, or rudiments; or, as Doddridge explains the words “first principles.” By leaving these, is not meant their abandonment, but pushing on in the heavenly course, as the racer flies from the starting-post to the goal. Ver. 4. For it is impossible.—This seems to refer to those apostates who had committed “the sin unto death.” See 1 John v. 16. Ver. 5. And have tasted.—To taste, mentally, is to experience; and, in this case, to experience the power of the gospel preached, which may afford much gratification, and produce a degree of moral reform, even when it does not either deeply or permanently affect the heart.—Powers of the world to come.—The “world (or ages) to come,” certainly designates the gospel dispensation, (see note on (Hebrews 2:5);) and the powers of that world, certainly designate the miraculous powers attending the first propagation of the gospel. (Matthew 7:22-23). Compare 1 Peter. Ver. 6. If they shall fall away.—Macknight, “And (yet) have fallen away.” So M‘Lean.—Crucify to themselves.—Macknight, “in themselves.”—Seeing they crucify to themselves—That is, according to one of, and consent to the treatment, he received from his, “they appear as if justly put to death as murderers, by renouncing and blaspheming him, as an impostor.”