Hebrews 6:4

{2} For it is {b} impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have {c} tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (2) He adds a vehemency to his exhortation, and a sharp threatening of the certain destruction that will come to them who fall away from God and his religion. (b) He speaks of a general backsliding and those who fall away from the faith completely, not of sins committed through the weakness of a man against the first and the second table of the law. (c) We must note the force of this word, for it is one thing to believe as Lydia did, whose heart God opened in Ac 16:13 and another thing to have some taste.

Impossible (ἀδύνατον) It is impossible to dilute this word into difficult. Those who were once enlightened (τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας) Rend. "once for all enlightened." Ἅπαξ is frequent in the Epistle. Comp. Hebrews 9:7, Hebrews 9:26, Hebrews 9:27, Hebrews 9:28; Hebrews 10:2; Hebrews 12:26, Hebrews 12:27. Indicating that the enlightenment ought to have sufficed to prevent them from falling away; not that it does not admit of repetition. Enlightened, through the revelation of God in Christ, the true light, and through the power of the Spirit. Φωτίζειν in lxx usually to teach or instruct; see Psalm 119:130; 2 Kings 12:2; 2 Kings 17:27. Comp. in N.T. John 1:9; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 10:32. Erasmus gives the correct explanation: "Who once for all have left the darkness of their former life, having been enlightened by the gospel teaching." There is no ground for explaining the word here of baptism, although the fathers from the time of Justin Martyr used φωτίζειν and φωτοσμός in that sense, and this usage continued down to the Reformation. See Just. Mart. Apol. i. 62. Chrysostom entitled his 59th Homily, addressed to candidates for baptism, πρὸς τοὺς μέλλοντας φωτίζεσθαι to those who are about to be enlightened; and justified this name for baptism by this passage and Hebrews 10:32. The Peshitto translates this passage, "who have once (for all) descended to baptism." The N.T. gives no example of this usage.

Tasted of the heavenly gift (γευσαμένους τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου) For γευσαμένους tasted, comp. Hebrews 2:9. The meaning is, have consciously partaken of. Comp. 1 Peter 2:3, and τρώγων eateth, John 6:56. The heavenly gift is the Holy Spirit. It is true that this is distinctly specified in the next clause, but the two clauses belong together. Partakers of the Holy Ghost (μετόχους πνεύματος ἁγίου) "Heavenly gift" emphasizes the heavenly quality of the gift. The Holy Ghost is the gift itself which possesses the heavenly quality.

Hebrews 6:4-6 give the writer’s reason for not attempting again to lay a foundation. It is, he says, to attempt an impossibility. The statement falls into three parts: (1) A description of a class of persons τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας … καὶ παραπεσόντας . (2) The statement of a fact regarding these persons ἀδύνατον πάλιν ἀνακαινίζειν εἰς μετάνοιαν . (3) The cause of this fact found in some further characteristics of their career ἀνασταυροῦντας … παραδειγματίζοντας .

Hebrews 6:4 . Ἀδύνατον ) it is impossible for men, however qualified.— ἅπαξ , once for all ) The adverb does not extenuate the matter, but renders the expression precise.— φωτισθέντας , enlightened ) Christianity is the Whole, into which men get an entrance through the Gospel received by faith, and through baptism. There follow here the three parts in respect of the three principal benefits in the New Testament, proceeding from the Son of God, from the Holy Spirit, from GOD. So, enlightened (illuminated), ch. Hebrews 10:32 . Whence the use of this word is very frequent in the writings of the Fathers concerning baptism. Life and light are often mentioned conjointly; the one is often observed to be included in the notion of the other. Therefore, as regeneration is said to take place in baptism, so also enlightening .

And this phrase is particularly suited to the Israelites, who had not been without life by faith, according to the Old Testament, when they abstained from dead works, Hebrews 6:1 ; but yet afterwards they were bathed in the new light of the New Testament.— γευσαμένους τε τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου , who have tasted the heavenly gift ) The enjoyment of light is in vision: now to vision is added taste , by which believers, being allured, ought to be always retained. Ἡ δωρεὰ ἡ ἐπουράνιος , the heavenly gift , is the Song of Solomon of GOD, as it is expressed, Hebrews 6:6 ,— Christ , who is tasted by faith, and also in His own sacred Supper; 1 Peter 2:3 ; and this taste involves more than repentance from dead works, and faith toward GOD. The participle, γευσαμένους , although the genitive [ Hebrews 6:4 ] and accusative [ Hebrews 6:5 ] are often used promiscuously, seems, however, in this passage to carry with it a difference in the cases. The one (Genitive) denotes a part; for we do not exhaust the tasting [enjoy the whole fulness, but only a part ] of Christ, the heavenly gift , in this life: the other (Accusative) expresses more, inasmuch as the whole tasting of the Word of GOD preached belongs to this life, although the powers of the world to come are joined to this Word.— μετόχους , partakers ) This partaking , as we have observed at Hebrews 6:1 , involves more than the doctrines of baptism and the imposition of hands .

4–8 . The awfulness of apostasy 4 . For ] An inference from the previous clauses. We must advance, for in the Christian course stationariness means retrogression— non progredi est regredi . For it is impossible for those ] We shall see further on the meaning of the word “impossible.” The sentence begins with what is called the accusative of the subject, “For as to those who were, &c., it is impossible, &c.” We will first explain the particular expressions in these verses, and then point out the meaning of the paragraph as a whole. once ] The word, a favourite one with the writer, means “ once for all .” It occurs more often in this Epistle than in all the rest of the N.T. It is the direct opposite of πάλιν in Hebrews 6:6 . enlightened ] illuminated by the Holy Spirit, John 1:9 . Comp. Hebrews 10:26 ; Hebrews 10:32 ; 2 Corinthians 4:4 . In the LXX. “to illuminate” means “to teach” ( 2 Kings 12:2 ). The word in later times came to mean “to baptise,” and “enlightenment,” even as early as the time of Justin Martyr (a.d. 150), becomes a technical term for “baptism,” regarded from the point of view of its results. The Syriac Version here renders it by “baptised.” Hence arose the notion of some of the sterner schismatics—such as the Montanists and Novatians—that absolution was to be refused to all such as fell after baptism into apostasy or flagrant sin (Tertull. De Pudic . 20).

This doctrine was certainly not held by St Paul ( 1 Corinthians 5:5 ; 1 Timothy 1:20 ), and is rejected by the Church of England in her xvith Article (and see Pearson, On the Creed , Art. x.). The Fathers deduced from this passage the unlawfulness of administering Baptism a second time; a perfectly right rule, but one which rests upon other grounds, and not upon this passage. But neither in Scripture nor in the teaching of the Church is the slightest sanction given to the views of the fanatics who assert that “after they have received the Holy Ghost they can no more sin as long as they live here.” It will be remembered that Cromwell on his deathbed asked his chaplain as to the doctrine of Final Perseverance, and on being assured that it was a certain truth, said, “Then I am happy, for I am sure that I was once in a state of grace.” and nave tasted of the heavenly gift …] These clauses may be rendered “having both tasted of … and being made … and having tasted.” It is not possible to determine which heavenly gift is precisely intended; perhaps it means remission, or regeneration, or salvation, which St Paul calls “God’s unspeakable gift” ( 2 Corinthians 9:15 ); or, generally, “the gift of the Holy Ghost” ( Acts 10:44-46 ).

4. We must "go on toward perfection"; for if we fall away, after having received enlightenment, it will be impossible to renew us again to repentance. for those—"in the case of those." once enlightened—once for all illuminated by the word of God taught in connection with "baptism" (to which, in Heb 6:2, as once for all done," once enlightened" here answers); compare Eph 5:26. This passage probably originated the application of the term "illumination" to baptism in subsequent times. Illumination, however, was not supposed to be the inseparable accompaniment of baptism: thus Chrysostom says, "Heretics have baptism, not illumination: they are baptized in body, but not enlightened in soul: as Simon Magus was baptized, but not illuminated." That "enlightened" here means knowledge of the word of truth, appears from comparing the same Greek word "illuminated," Heb 10:32, with Heb 10:26, where "knowledge of the truth" answers to it. tasted of the heavenly gift—tasted for themselves.

As "enlightened" refers to the sense of sight: so here taste follows. "The heavenly gift"; Christ given by the Father and revealed by the enlightening word preached and written: as conferring peace in the remission of sins; and as the Bestower of the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ac 8:19, 20), made partakers of the Holy Ghost—specified as distinct from, though so inseparably connected with, "enlightened," and "tasted of the heavenly gift," Christ, as answering to "laying on of hands" after baptism, which was then generally accompanied with the impartation of the Holy Ghost in miraculous gifts.