PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

It is a wise hermeneutical practice when trying to understand difficult passages to:

• Focus first on the context.
• Interpret difficult passages by easier passages.
• Interpret in light of examples.

For example, when looking at this passage about it being impossible to restore, we only need to look at overall context of chapters 5-6 in Hebrews, then expand to surrounding chapters and the theme of the entire book; afterwards look at easier passages and maybe most enlightening are the examples of Peter and the apostles falling and then being restored.

Understanding the harshness of this word, people have come up with various interpretations:

• Delay baptism until right before death.
  • “That is, in fact, the way many people have read this word here (enlightened equals baptism – PDH); and they have taken this passage to mean that there is no possibility of forgiveness for sins committed after baptism; and there have been times and places in the Church when baptism has been postponed to the moment of death in order to be safe.” (Barclay, Hebrews, p.56)
• These has committed the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
• “Impossible” means “difficult” (Erasmus)
  • This definition is not exhibited within any Bible text.
• What is “impossible” for man is possible for God. (Bengel)
  • There is textual evidence of such: Luke 18:27
• “Impossible” during the age of persecution due to the effect of turning back. 
  • “In any such age apostasy is the supreme sin.” (Barclay)  Evidence is presented by Barclay for this in the Diocletian persecution.  Afterwards, when peace again came, every surviving member of the Church was asked: “Did you deny Christ and so save your life.”  If they answered affirmatively, they were ostracized.
• Only referred to Jewish Christians in first century
  • “The words refer exclusively to a special class, in special circumstances, at a special historical crisis-point which has forever passed away.” (J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book, v.6, p.267.)
  • “”They refer to a particular class, in a situation which has forever passed away.  All of us who now believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation accept Him as the Savior who is fully made known in our complete New Testament.  Whether we come to Him from Jewry, Mohammedanism, Roman Catholicism, or any other system, if our faith if according to the New Testament we make at the outset a choice which breaks us away from all dependence on legalistic self-righteousness, or religious merit-works, and brings us to One who is the fulfiller of all Judaism’s ritual, the solitary but all-sufficient Savior, and the finality of Divine revelation.  That is, at our conversion we make a choice which those early Hebrew believers had not made, and had not seen the need of making, when they first believed.” (ibid., p.266)
  • Mr. Baxter uses his Premillennial beliefs bolster this alternative explanation which he must make due to his Calvinistic beliefs.  It is a sign of weakness when one fins a scripture that contradicts our beliefs to then argue that it no longer applies.
• Impossible because there is no sacrifice for sins if they reject Christ:
  • Hebrews 10:26- For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (NAS95)
  • If these Messianic Jews forsook Jesus, they were going back to the Law of Moses for their justification.  Interestingly, the same word translated here in Hebrews 6:6 as “impossible” is used in Romans 8:3 where it is translated “could not do” and is applied to the Law of Moses: Romans 8:3  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
  • Important Contextual Notes:
    • Jesus is not only the sacrifice, but He is the High Priest.  What does a High Priest do? He offers both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided” (Hebrews 5:1-2)
    • These fallen Jewish believers should be taken in the same light as others who had fallen (3:7-19)
  • I wonder if there is an allusion to sacrifices for those sins committed in ignorance (Hebrews 5:2; 9:7; Job 1:5; Numbers 15:27-31).

Tags: Commentary, Hermeneutics

This entry was posted by PHall on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Luke, Romans, Hebrews, Numbers, Job. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.