Hebrews 6:4-6 More Closely<\\/h2>\\n The author of Hebrews turns from directly addressing his audience to speak primarily in aorist participles about others in these verses. The string of participles describe them as once being \\u201cenlightened,\\u201d having \\u201ctasted\\u201d of the heavenly gift, having \\u201cbecome\\u201d partakers of the Holy Spirit, and \\u201ctasted\\u201d of the good word of God and powers of the age to come. They experienced all these things prior to their falling away. They ended up rejecting Christ, committing apostasy.\*<\\/p>\\n Such descriptions seem to imply that they had experienced conversion and understood the elementary teachings of the early Christian faith as described in Hebrews 6:1\\u20132. Let us look at some of the various phrases in Hebrews 6:4-6 more closely.<\\/p>\\n \\u201cOnce enlightened\\u201d<\\/h3>\\n With the immediate context of Hebrews 6:1\\u20133 fresh in the author\\u2019s mind, the thought of those who \\u201cwere once enlightened\\u201d (\\u1f05\\u03c0\\u03b1\\u03be \\u03c6\\u03c9\\u03c4\\u03b9\\u03c3\\u03b8\\u03ad\\u03bd\\u03c4\\u03b1\\u03c2: Heb 6:4a) most likely refers to conversion or \\u201csaving illumination.\\u201d This is similar to Hebrews 10:32 where the same word \\u03c6\\u03c9\\u03c4\\u03af\\u03b6\\u03c9 refers to the audiences\\u2019 actual conversion in the past. This goes beyond mere Christian instruction.<\\/p>\\n In Hebrews 6:4 the word assumes conversion as a one-time event with the adverb \\u201conce\\u201d (cf. 9:7, 26\\u201329; 10:2; 12:26f). This conversion, it seems, takes place through repentance, faith, water and Spirit baptism, and perhaps a confession made during the initiation process (Heb 6:1\\u20132).<\\/p>\\n Other passages in early Christian traditions likewise portray conversion as coming out of darkness into \\u201clight\\u201d in which the neophyte belongs to God\\u2019s people and kingdom (Col 1:13; Eph 5:8; 2 Cor 4:4\\u20136; Acts 26:18; 1 Pet 2:9\\u201312).<\\/p>\\n \\u201cTasted of the heavenly gift\\u201d<\\/h3>\\n Among the options for this phrase, one possibility is that it is an echo from the wilderness generation\\u2019s eating of manna (Heb 6:4b; cf. Exod 16:4, 15; Ps 77:24; 104:40; Neh 9:15; John 6:31\\u201358). If so, the allusion might foreshadow partaking of the Lord\\u2019s Supper.<\\/p>\\n Another interpretation suggests the heavenly gift refers to the Spirit, which is seen as God\\u2019s agent of grace (Heb 6:2; 10:29; cf. Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; Luke 11:13; John 4:10, 23; Barnabas 1). The idea of tasting in 6:4 might correspond to the notion of drinking in the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13; John 7:37\\u201339). But if the next line in Hebrews 6:4c refers to the Spirit, then the gift in 6:4b probably refers to something else.<\\/p>\\n Other alternatives include grace or salvation as the heavenly gift (e.g., Rom 5:15; Eph 3:7; 1 Pet 2:2-3). Harold Attridge understands the meaning of this gift to be more eclectic. It is \\u201cthe gracious bestowal of salvation, with all that entails\\u2014the spirit, forgiveness, and sanctification\\u201d (Attridge, Hebrews, <\\/em><\\/a>171).<\\/p>\\n Important for our purposes is that the \\u201ctasting\\u201d of this gift does not mean a mere \\u201csip\\u201d or \\u201csampling\\u201d but the reality of experiencing something related to personal salvation. The author uses the term earlier in this letter to refer to Christ \\u201ctasting\\u201d death (Heb 2:9; cf. Matt 16:28). Whatever else the author means in Hebrews 6:4, he is communicating that those who fell away were at one time converted and experienced the grace of God.<\\/p>\\n \\u201cPartakers of the Holy Spirit\\u201d<\\/h3>\\n These apostates also shared in the Holy Spirit (Heb 6:4c), a thought that comes close to the mystical union of sharing in a relationship with Christ (cf. Heb 3:1, 14). Here the focus may be on the Spirit\\u2019s relationship, communion, and solidarity with the believers (cp. 1 Cor 12:13; 2 Cor 13:13f). Such was an early Christian hallmark for determining conversion-initiation, new life, and sanctification (Acts 11:15\\u201318; Rom 8:9\\u201314; 2 Thess 2:13; Titus 3:5; Eph 1:13\\u201314; John 3:3\\u20137). There is in fact no passage in the <\\/em>New Testament that affirms unbelievers or fake Christians having a share in the Holy <\\/em>Spirit <\\/em>(I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God, <\\/em><\\/a>143, likewise makes this point).<\\/p>\\n Even Matthew 7:21\\u201323 does not affirm that the miracles done by false prophets in Jesus\\u2019 name were performed by the power of the Spirit. On the other hand, as we notice in Galatians 3:1-5 (cf. Gal 5:4) and 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 , authentic Christians who have the Spirit can potentially fall away (see further, B. J. Oropeza, \\u00a0Jews, Gentiles, and the Opponents of<\\/em> Paul;<\\/a> Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, vol. 1; and further on 1 Cor 10, Oropeza, P<\\/em>aul and Apostasy<\\/em><\\/a>).<\\/p>\\n The same appears to hold true for our author in Hebrews, who recalls earlier days of the Spirit\\u2019s activity in the congregation (Heb 2:3\\u20134). But he now warns them that outraging the Spirit of grace is tantamount to apostasy (Heb 10:29).<\\/p>\\n \\u201cTasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come\\u201d<\\/h3>\\n*** *\* This phrase from Hebrews 6:5 refers back to the theme of God speaking through his Son in the final days (Heb 1:3). The apostates were taught the spoken word, the gospel message of salvation and life (Heb 2:3; 4:1; 5:9; 6:12).<\\/p>\\n *\* The powers of the coming age likely points back to the signs and wonders experienced by early Christian communities (Heb 2:2\\u20134; cf. 1 Cor 12:4\\u201311). By way of comparison we recall persons such as Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 5:1-11. They probably experienced miraculous events, fellowship with the Spirit, and the gift of salvation. Perhaps they were even among the 3,000 that received baptism on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2; cf. 4:31). Yet they sinned greatly by lying to the Spirit and were struck dead (Acts 5:1\\u201311).<\\/p>\\n *\* They \\u201chave fallen away\\u201d<\\/h3>\\n *\* The upshot in Hebrews 6:4\\u20136 is that despite all these salvific blessings these individuals experienced, they then fell away (\\u03ba\\u03b1\\u03af \\u03c0\\u03b1\\u03c1\\u03b1\\u03c0\\u03b5\\u03c3\\u03cc\\u03bd\\u03c4\\u03b1\\u03c2). In 6:6 the conjunction kai <\\/em>(\\u03ba\\u03b1\\u03af) may connote temporal succession and be translated as \\u201cand then,\\u201d highlighting something unexpected.<\\/p>\\n *\* The severity of language and repeated warnings throughout this letter attest to apostasy. The Greek word, p<\\/em>arapipto<\\/em> (to \\u201cfall away\\u201d) appears nowhere else in the New Testament. But in the LXX, the Greek Old Testament, it normally conveys some form of apostasy from God, righteousness, or wisdom (Ezekiel 14:13; 15:8; 18:24; 20:27; Wisdom 6:9; 12:2).The meaning in Hebrews 6:6 is quite similar to pipto <\\/em>(to \\u201cfall \[away\]\\u201d) in Hebrews 4:11. Both words refer to committing apostasy.<\\/p>\\n *\* ***There is no conditional \\u201cif \\u201d in the Greek text here, and none should be imported as certain Bible versions such as NKJV and KJV mistakenly do. In other words, the warning does not<\\/em> express what hypothetically happens to apostates even though Christians cannot really become apostates. The danger of apostasy is a real<\\/em> threat here!<\\/p>\\n Warnings and Persecution<\\/h2>\\n***** *\* *****The author of Hebrews uses this passage as a springboard to directly warn the recipients not<\\/em> to behave in a like manner. He implies through the larger context that the recipients\\u2019 reluctant hearing might become the cause of their own falling away (e.g., Hebrews 2:1-4; 5:11-14).<\\/p>\\n \"The Jesus betrayed by the kiss of Judas, his apostate disciple.\\u00a0\\u201cJesus processions\\u201d via pixabay.com<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n***** *\* *****Unlike the wilderness generation (mentioned in Hebrews 3\\u20134) or Esau (Hebrews 12:16\\u201317), the defectors in this case are believers in Christ. Our author might even have in mind an actual event in the audience\\u2019s past in which certain members of their community actually did fall away.<\\/p>\\n Another possibility, however, is that the author, who may be from Italy (Heb 13:24), is recalling Emperor Nero\\u2019s persecutions of Christians in Rome (c. 64 CE). Certain believers probably denied Christ at that time due to the severity of this persecution. Eusebius, a patristic writer in the 4th century, wrote about this and other persecutions. He likewise admits that a number of Christians fell away due to persecution (see his Church History<\\/a><\\/em>). Pliny the Younger also mentions Christian apostates in his report to Emperor Trajan in his Letters<\\/em> (10.96). Moreover, Mark\\u2019s Gospel may have originated in the community of Rome, as many scholars suggest. It emphasizes suffering along with Jesus\\u2019s famous saying that the one who saves his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life will save it (Mark 8:34-38).<\\/p>\\n In any case, the author of Hebrews refers to Christians who were once converted, sharers in God\\u2019s Spirit, and experienced gracious salvation, God\\u2019s word, and the miracles of the coming age. Despite all this, they fell away. The audience of this letter would doubtless think that these apostates were also once true believers in Christ.<\\/p>\\n Conclusion<\\/h2>\\n******* *\* *******We might assume that both the author and audience would have known people who had left their congregations but were never truly committed. Or, they knew people who doubted their beliefs or perhaps were compromised with immoral conduct. But there does not appear to be a good reason for the author of Hebrews to bother compiling an entire list of salvific blessings described in 6:1\\u20134 unless<\\/em> he was intending to communicate to his audience that these people were genuine believers. Perhaps the author of Hebrews wanted to affirm that he was not<\\/em> referring to the type of half-hearted churchgoer, but to those who had been unmistakably converted.<\\/p>\\n We have to remember that nearly 2,000 ago, the Christ-followers in this community were not indoctrinated with a \\u201conce saved, always saved\\u201d belief. Nor did they know about the post-Reformation doctrine of the \\u201cperseverance of the saints.\\u201d As was common with other groups in or originating from Second Temple Judaism, the potential to commit apostasy remained a grim reality (see my article, B. J. Oropeza, \\u201cApostasy\\u201d in T. and <\\/em>T<\\/em>. Clark <\\/em><\\/a>Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism,\\u00a0<\\/em>ed. Loren T. Stuckenbruck and Daniel M. Gurtner). The danger of apostasy is a real<\\/em> threat to real <\\/em>Christians.<\\/p>\\n Our author presents this passage as part of his effort to shake the audience free from their spiritual dullness. His rhetorical strategy for them comes through loud and clear: \\u201cif these other believers fell away who had experienced conversion and spiritual blessings just like you experience, watch out or else the same thing might happen to you!\\u201d<\\/p>\\n Notes<\\/h3>\\n \*<\\/strong> For a more thorough study on Hebrews and apostasy, see B. J. Oropeza, Churches Under Siege of Persecution and Assimilation: The General Epistles and Revelation<\\/a>. <\\/em>Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, Vol. 3 (Eugene: Cascade, 2012), pp. 3-70 (from which portions of this post are derived)<\\/p>\\n<\\/body><\\/html>\\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \\u201cFor it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to \[…\]<\\/p>\\n","protected":false},"author":4338,"featured\_media":3375,"comment\_status":"closed","ping\_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":\[2388,395,392,570,272,368,213,2403,2391,1012,448,2397,2394,1889,290,2400\],"tags":\[1118,1115,2406,2415,2409,2412\],"class\_list":\["post-3372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apostasy","category-bible-study","category-biblical-theology","category-calvinism","category-christian-behavior","category-christian-theology","category-christians","category-enlightement","category-falling-away","category-holy-spirit","category-interpretation","category-perseverance","category-perseverance-of-the-saints","category-repentance","category-salvation-soteriology","category-warnings","tag-apostasy","tag-falling-away","tag-hebrews-64-6","tag-persecution","tag-perseverance-of-the-saints","tag-warnings-in-hebrews"\],"yoast\_head":"\\nAre Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6<\\/title>\\n<meta name=\\"description\\" content=\\"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, "For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him."If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"robots\\" content=\\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\\" \\/>\\n<link rel=\\"canonical\\" href=\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:locale\\" content=\\"en\_US\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:type\\" content=\\"article\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:title\\" content=\\"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:description\\" content=\\"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, "For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him."If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:url\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:site\_name\\" content=\\"In Christ\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:published\_time\\" content=\\"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:modified\_time\\" content=\\"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:image\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/wp-media.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/sites\\/1310\\/2024\\/05\\/jesus-processions-scaled.jpg\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta property=\\"og:image:width\\" content=\\"511\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta property=\\"og:image:height\\" content=\\"768\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta property=\\"og:image:type\\" content=\\"image\\/jpeg\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"author\\" content=\\"B. J. Oropeza\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:card\\" content=\\"summary\_large\_image\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:creator\\" content=\\"@bjoropeza1\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:label1\\" content=\\"Written by\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:data1\\" content=\\"B. J. Oropeza\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:label2\\" content=\\"Est. reading time\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:data2\\" content=\\"8 minutes\\" \\/>\\n<script type=\\"application\\/ld+json\\" class=\\"yoast-schema-graph\\">{\\"@context\\":\\"https:\\/\\/schema.org\\",\\"@graph\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"WebPage\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/\\",\\"name\\":\\"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6\\",\\"isPartOf\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#website\\"},\\"datePublished\\":\\"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00\\",\\"dateModified\\":\\"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00\\",\\"author\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a\\"},\\"description\\":\\"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \\\\\\"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\\\\\\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?\\",\\"breadcrumb\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/#breadcrumb\\"},\\"inLanguage\\":\\"en-US\\",\\"potentialAction\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"ReadAction\\",\\"target\\":\[\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/\\"\]}\]},{\\"@type\\":\\"BreadcrumbList\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/#breadcrumb\\",\\"itemListElement\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"ListItem\\",\\"position\\":1,\\"name\\":\\"Home\\",\\"item\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/\\"},{\\"@type\\":\\"ListItem\\",\\"position\\":2,\\"name\\":\\"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6\\"}\]},{\\"@type\\":\\"WebSite\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#website\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/\\",\\"name\\":\\"In Christ\\",\\"description\\":\\"Biblical Perspectives for those who Participate \\u201cin Christ\\u201d\\",\\"potentialAction\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"SearchAction\\",\\"target\\":{\\"@type\\":\\"EntryPoint\\",\\"urlTemplate\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/?s={search\_term\_string}\\"},\\"query-input\\":\\"required name=search\_term\_string\\"}\],\\"inLanguage\\":\\"en-US\\"},{\\"@type\\":\\"Person\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a\\",\\"name\\":\\"B. J. Oropeza\\",\\"image\\":{\\"@type\\":\\"ImageObject\\",\\"inLanguage\\":\\"en-US\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/image\\/\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\\",\\"contentUrl\\":\\"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\\",\\"caption\\":\\"B. J. Oropeza\\"},\\"description\\":\\"Dr. B. J. Oropeza is a recognized scholar in the area of New Testament studies, the Apostle Paul, and various theological issues. He obtained his Ph. D. from Durham University (U.K.) in New Testament Theology. He is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary (Azusa, California). He has also held positions or has been a scholar in residence at Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of T\\u00fcbingen, Asbury Seminary, and George Fox University. He has published numerous books and articles, some of which have been translated into Korean, Vietnamese, Portuguese, German, Croatian, Greek, and Arabic. Among his publications include The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming); Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker); the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic); Exploring Intertextuality (Cascade); Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives in Honor of James D. G. Dunn (T. & T. Clark\\/Bloomsbury); a three-volume set subtitled Apostasy in the New Testament Communities (Cascade), entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation, and on the lighter side of things, The Gospel according to Superheroes (Peter Lang). He contributed to the NRSVue translation, is a member of the Society of New Testament Studies (SNTS), and started the Intertextuality in the New Testament section at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) national conferences.\\",\\"sameAs\\":\[\\"https:\\/\\/azusa.academia.edu\\/BjOropeza\\",\\"https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/bjoropeza1\\"\],\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/author\\/boropeza\\/\\"}\]}<\\/script>\\n","yoast\_head\_json":{"title":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6","description":"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \\"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/","og\_locale":"en\_US","og\_type":"article","og\_title":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6","og\_description":"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \\"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?","og\_url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/","og\_site\_name":"In Christ","article\_published\_time":"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00","article\_modified\_time":"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00","og\_image":\[{"width":511,"height":768,"url":"https:\\/\\/wp-media.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/sites\\/1310\\/2024\\/05\\/jesus-processions-scaled.jpg","type":"image\\/jpeg"}\],"author":"B. J. Oropeza","twitter\_card":"summary\_large\_image","twitter\_creator":"@bjoropeza1","twitter\_misc":{"Written by":"B. J. Oropeza","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\\/\\/schema.org","@graph":\[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/","url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/","name":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a"},"description":"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \\"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":\["https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/"\]}\]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/2024\\/05\\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":\[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6"}\]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#website","url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/","name":"In Christ","description":"Biblical Perspectives for those who Participate \\u201cin Christ\\u201d","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/?s={search\_term\_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search\_term\_string"}\],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a","name":"B. J. Oropeza","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/image\\/","url":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","caption":"B. J. Oropeza"},"description":"Dr. B. J. Oropeza is a recognized scholar in the area of New Testament studies, the Apostle Paul, and various theological issues. He obtained his Ph. D. from Durham University (U.K.) in New Testament Theology. He is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary (Azusa, California). He has also held positions or has been a scholar in residence at Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of T\\u00fcbingen, Asbury Seminary, and George Fox University. He has published numerous books and articles, some of which have been translated into Korean, Vietnamese, Portuguese, German, Croatian, Greek, and Arabic. Among his publications include The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming); Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker); the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic); Exploring Intertextuality (Cascade); Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives in Honor of James D. G. Dunn (T. & T. Clark\\/Bloomsbury); a three-volume set subtitled Apostasy in the New Testament Communities (Cascade), entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation, and on the lighter side of things, The Gospel according to Superheroes (Peter Lang). He contributed to the NRSVue translation, is a member of the Society of New Testament Studies (SNTS), and started the Intertextuality in the New Testament section at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) national conferences.","sameAs":\["https:\\/\\/azusa.academia.edu\\/BjOropeza","https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/bjoropeza1"\],"url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/author\\/boropeza\\/"}\]}},"\_links":{"self":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/posts\\/3372","targetHints":{"allow":\["GET"\]}}\],"collection":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/posts"}\],"about":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/types\\/post"}\],"author":\[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/users\\/4338"}\],"replies":\[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/comments?post=3372"}\],"version-history":\[{"count":0,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/posts\\/3372\\/revisions"}\],"wp:featuredmedia":\[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/media\\/3375"}\],"wp:attachment":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/media?parent=3372"}\],"wp:term":\[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/categories?post=3372"},{"taxonomy":"post\_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/inchrist\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/tags?post=3372"}\],"curies":\[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\\/\\/api.w.org\\/{rel}","templated":true}\]}}

{"id":3372,"date":"2024-05-27T22:18:58","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T05:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/?p=3372"},"modified":"2024-06-06T11:31:25","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T18:31:25","slug":"are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \u201cFor it is impossible regarding <\/em>those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them<\/em> again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?<\/p>\n

Hebrews 6:4-6 More Closely<\/h2>\n The author of Hebrews turns from directly addressing his audience to speak primarily in aorist participles about others in these verses. The string of participles describe them as once being \u201cenlightened,\u201d having \u201ctasted\u201d of the heavenly gift, having \u201cbecome\u201d partakers of the Holy Spirit, and \u201ctasted\u201d of the good word of God and powers of the age to come. They experienced all these things prior to their falling away. They ended up rejecting Christ, committing apostasy.<\/p>\n Such descriptions seem to imply that they had experienced conversion and understood the elementary teachings of the early Christian faith as described in Hebrews 6:1\u20132. Let us look at some of the various phrases in Hebrews 6:4-6 more closely.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce enlightened\u201d<\/h3>\n With the immediate context of Hebrews 6:1\u20133 fresh in the author\u2019s mind, the thought of those who \u201cwere once enlightened\u201d (\u1f05\u03c0\u03b1\u03be \u03c6\u03c9\u03c4\u03b9\u03c3\u03b8\u03ad\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2: Heb 6:4a) most likely refers to conversion or \u201csaving illumination.\u201d This is similar to Hebrews 10:32 where the same word \u03c6\u03c9\u03c4\u03af\u03b6\u03c9 refers to the audiences\u2019 actual conversion in the past. This goes beyond mere Christian instruction.<\/p>\n In Hebrews 6:4 the word assumes conversion as a one-time event with the adverb \u201conce\u201d (cf. 9:7, 26\u201329; 10:2; 12:26f). This conversion, it seems, takes place through repentance, faith, water and Spirit baptism, and perhaps a confession made during the initiation process (Heb 6:1\u20132).<\/p>\n Other passages in early Christian traditions likewise portray conversion as coming out of darkness into \u201clight\u201d in which the neophyte belongs to God\u2019s people and kingdom (Col 1:13; Eph 5:8; 2 Cor 4:4\u20136; Acts 26:18; 1 Pet 2:9\u201312).<\/p>\n \u201cTasted of the heavenly gift\u201d<\/h3>\n Among the options for this phrase, one possibility is that it is an echo from the wilderness generation\u2019s eating of manna (Heb 6:4b; cf. Exod 16:4, 15; Ps 77:24; 104:40; Neh 9:15; John 6:31\u201358). If so, the allusion might foreshadow partaking of the Lord\u2019s Supper.<\/p>\n Another interpretation suggests the heavenly gift refers to the Spirit, which is seen as God\u2019s agent of grace (Heb 6:2; 10:29; cf. Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; Luke 11:13; John 4:10, 23; Barnabas 1). The idea of tasting in 6:4 might correspond to the notion of drinking in the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13; John 7:37\u201339). But if the next line in Hebrews 6:4c refers to the Spirit, then the gift in 6:4b probably refers to something else.<\/p>\n Other alternatives include grace or salvation as the heavenly gift (e.g., Rom 5:15; Eph 3:7; 1 Pet 2:2-3). Harold Attridge understands the meaning of this gift to be more eclectic. It is \u201cthe gracious bestowal of salvation, with all that entails\u2014the spirit, forgiveness, and sanctification\u201d (Attridge, Hebrews, <\/em><\/a>171).<\/p>\n Important for our purposes is that the \u201ctasting\u201d of this gift does not mean a mere \u201csip\u201d or \u201csampling\u201d but the reality of experiencing something related to personal salvation. The author uses the term earlier in this letter to refer to Christ \u201ctasting\u201d death (Heb 2:9; cf. Matt 16:28). Whatever else the author means in Hebrews 6:4, he is communicating that those who fell away were at one time converted and experienced the grace of God.<\/p>\n \u201cPartakers of the Holy Spirit\u201d<\/h3>\n These apostates also shared in the Holy Spirit (Heb 6:4c), a thought that comes close to the mystical union of sharing in a relationship with Christ (cf. Heb 3:1, 14). Here the focus may be on the Spirit\u2019s relationship, communion, and solidarity with the believers (cp. 1 Cor 12:13; 2 Cor 13:13f). Such was an early Christian hallmark for determining conversion-initiation, new life, and sanctification (Acts 11:15\u201318; Rom 8:9\u201314; 2 Thess 2:13; Titus 3:5; Eph 1:13\u201314; John 3:3\u20137). There is in fact no passage in the <\/em>New Testament that affirms unbelievers or fake Christians having a share in the Holy <\/em>Spirit <\/em>(I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God, <\/em><\/a>143, likewise makes this point).<\/p>\n Even Matthew 7:21\u201323 does not affirm that the miracles done by false prophets in Jesus\u2019 name were performed by the power of the Spirit. On the other hand, as we notice in Galatians 3:1-5 (cf. Gal 5:4) and 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 , authentic Christians who have the Spirit can potentially fall away (see further, B. J. Oropeza, \u00a0Jews, Gentiles, and the Opponents of<\/em> Paul;<\/a> Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, vol. 1; and further on 1 Cor 10, Oropeza, P<\/em>aul and Apostasy<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n The same appears to hold true for our author in Hebrews, who recalls earlier days of the Spirit\u2019s activity in the congregation (Heb 2:3\u20134). But he now warns them that outraging the Spirit of grace is tantamount to apostasy (Heb 10:29).<\/p>\n \u201cTasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come\u201d<\/h3>\n This phrase from Hebrews 6:5 refers back to the theme of God speaking through his Son in the final days (Heb 1:3). The apostates were taught the spoken word, the gospel message of salvation and life (Heb 2:3; 4:1; 5:9; 6:12).<\/p>\n The powers of the coming age likely points back to the signs and wonders experienced by early Christian communities (Heb 2:2\u20134; cf. 1 Cor 12:4\u201311). By way of comparison we recall persons such as Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 5:1-11. They probably experienced miraculous events, fellowship with the Spirit, and the gift of salvation. Perhaps they were even among the 3,000 that received baptism on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2; cf. 4:31). Yet they sinned greatly by lying to the Spirit and were struck dead (Acts 5:1\u201311).<\/p>\n They \u201chave fallen away\u201d<\/h3>\n The upshot in Hebrews 6:4\u20136 is that despite all these salvific blessings these individuals experienced, they then fell away (\u03ba\u03b1\u03af \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03c0\u03b5\u03c3\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2). In 6:6 the conjunction kai <\/em>(\u03ba\u03b1\u03af) may connote temporal succession and be translated as \u201cand then,\u201d highlighting something unexpected.<\/p>\n The severity of language and repeated warnings throughout this letter attest to apostasy. The Greek word, p<\/em>arapipto<\/em> (to \u201cfall away\u201d) appears nowhere else in the New Testament. But in the LXX, the Greek Old Testament, it normally conveys some form of apostasy from God, righteousness, or wisdom (Ezekiel 14:13; 15:8; 18:24; 20:27; Wisdom 6:9; 12:2).The meaning in Hebrews 6:6 is quite similar to pipto <\/em>(to \u201cfall [away]\u201d) in Hebrews 4:11. Both words refer to committing apostasy.<\/p>\n There is no conditional \u201cif \u201d in the Greek text here, and none should be imported as certain Bible versions such as NKJV and KJV mistakenly do. In other words, the warning does not<\/em> express what hypothetically happens to apostates even though Christians cannot really become apostates. The danger of apostasy is a real<\/em> threat here!<\/p>\n Warnings and Persecution<\/h2>\n The author of Hebrews uses this passage as a springboard to directly warn the recipients not<\/em> to behave in a like manner. He implies through the larger context that the recipients\u2019 reluctant hearing might become the cause of their own falling away (e.g., Hebrews 2:1-4; 5:11-14).<\/p>\n Jesus betrayed by the kiss of Judas, his apostate disciple.\u00a0\u201cJesus processions\u201d via pixabay.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Unlike the wilderness generation (mentioned in Hebrews 3\u20134) or Esau (Hebrews 12:16\u201317), the defectors in this case are believers in Christ. Our author might even have in mind an actual event in the audience\u2019s past in which certain members of their community actually did fall away.<\/p>\n Another possibility, however, is that the author, who may be from Italy (Heb 13:24), is recalling Emperor Nero\u2019s persecutions of Christians in Rome (c. 64 CE). Certain believers probably denied Christ at that time due to the severity of this persecution. Eusebius, a patristic writer in the 4th century, wrote about this and other persecutions. He likewise admits that a number of Christians fell away due to persecution (see his Church History<\/a><\/em>). Pliny the Younger also mentions Christian apostates in his report to Emperor Trajan in his Letters<\/em> (10.96). Moreover, Mark\u2019s Gospel may have originated in the community of Rome, as many scholars suggest. It emphasizes suffering along with Jesus\u2019s famous saying that the one who saves his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life will save it (Mark 8:34-38).<\/p>\n In any case, the author of Hebrews refers to Christians who were once converted, sharers in God\u2019s Spirit, and experienced gracious salvation, God\u2019s word, and the miracles of the coming age. Despite all this, they fell away. The audience of this letter would doubtless think that these apostates were also once true believers in Christ.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/h2>\n ***We might assume that both the author and audience would have known people who had left their congregations but were never truly committed. Or, they knew people who doubted their beliefs or perhaps were compromised with immoral conduct. But there does not appear to be a good reason for the author of Hebrews to bother compiling an entire list of salvific blessings described in 6:1\u20134 unless<\/em> he was intending to communicate to his audience that these people were genuine believers. Perhaps the author of Hebrews wanted to affirm that he was not<\/em> referring to the type of half-hearted churchgoer, but to those who had been unmistakably converted.<\/p>\n We have to remember that nearly 2,000 ago, the Christ-followers in this community were not indoctrinated with a \u201conce saved, always saved\u201d belief. Nor did they know about the post-Reformation doctrine of the \u201cperseverance of the saints.\u201d As was common with other groups in or originating from Second Temple Judaism, the potential to commit apostasy remained a grim reality (see my article, B. J. Oropeza, \u201cApostasy\u201d in T. and <\/em>T<\/em>. Clark <\/em><\/a>Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism,\u00a0<\/em>ed. Loren T. Stuckenbruck and Daniel M. Gurtner). The danger of apostasy is a real<\/em> threat to real <\/em>Christians.<\/p>\n Our author presents this passage as part of his effort to shake the audience free from their spiritual dullness. His rhetorical strategy for them comes through loud and clear: \u201cif these other believers fell away who had experienced conversion and spiritual blessings just like you experience, watch out or else the same thing might happen to you!\u201d<\/p>\n Notes<\/h3>\n *<\/strong> For a more thorough study on Hebrews and apostasy, see B. J. Oropeza, Churches Under Siege of Persecution and Assimilation: The General Epistles and Revelation<\/a>. <\/em>Apostasy in the New Testament Communities, Vol. 3 (Eugene: Cascade, 2012), pp. 3-70 (from which portions of this post are derived)<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \u201cFor it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4338,"featured_media":3375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2388,395,392,570,272,368,213,2403,2391,1012,448,2397,2394,1889,290,2400],"tags":[1118,1115,2406,2415,2409,2412],"class_list":["post-3372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apostasy","category-bible-study","category-biblical-theology","category-calvinism","category-christian-behavior","category-christian-theology","category-christians","category-enlightement","category-falling-away","category-holy-spirit","category-interpretation","category-perseverance","category-perseverance-of-the-saints","category-repentance","category-salvation-soteriology","category-warnings","tag-apostasy","tag-falling-away","tag-hebrews-64-6","tag-persecution","tag-perseverance-of-the-saints","tag-warnings-in-hebrews"],"yoast_head":"\nAre Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, "For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him."If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, "For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him."If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In Christ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1310\/2024\/05\/jesus-processions-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"511\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"B. J. Oropeza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bjoropeza1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"B. J. Oropeza\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/\",\"name\":\"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#\/schema\/person\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a\"},\"description\":\"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \\\"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\\\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/\",\"name\":\"In Christ\",\"description\":\"Biblical Perspectives for those who Participate \u201cin Christ\u201d\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#\/schema\/person\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a\",\"name\":\"B. J. Oropeza\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"B. J. Oropeza\"},\"description\":\"Dr. B. J. Oropeza is a recognized scholar in the area of New Testament studies, the Apostle Paul, and various theological issues. He obtained his Ph. D. from Durham University (U.K.) in New Testament Theology. He is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary (Azusa, California). He has also held positions or has been a scholar in residence at Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of T\u00fcbingen, Asbury Seminary, and George Fox University. He has published numerous books and articles, some of which have been translated into Korean, Vietnamese, Portuguese, German, Croatian, Greek, and Arabic. Among his publications include The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming); Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker); the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic); Exploring Intertextuality (Cascade); Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives in Honor of James D. G. Dunn (T. & T. Clark\/Bloomsbury); a three-volume set subtitled Apostasy in the New Testament Communities (Cascade), entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation, and on the lighter side of things, The Gospel according to Superheroes (Peter Lang). He contributed to the NRSVue translation, is a member of the Society of New Testament Studies (SNTS), and started the Intertextuality in the New Testament section at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) national conferences.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/azusa.academia.edu\/BjOropeza\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bjoropeza1\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/author\/boropeza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6","description":"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6","og_description":"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/","og_site_name":"In Christ","article_published_time":"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":511,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1310\/2024\/05\/jesus-processions-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"B. J. Oropeza","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bjoropeza1","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"B. J. Oropeza","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/","name":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-28T05:18:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-06T18:31:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#\/schema\/person\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a"},"description":"Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks about falling away. It reads, \"For it is impossible regarding those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good word of God and powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying\u00a0 for themselves again the son of God, making a public mockery of him.\"If such people rejected Christ after apparently repenting, were they really Christians in the first place?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/2024\/05\/are-those-who-fall-away-really-christians-hebrews-64-6\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Are Those Who Fall Away Really Christians? Hebrews 6:4-6"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/","name":"In Christ","description":"Biblical Perspectives for those who Participate \u201cin Christ\u201d","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#\/schema\/person\/b07e6aeec7a5fc78bc9e764895dbcd5a","name":"B. J. Oropeza","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbe80d07d39759378cc055efb9c2d2ba?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","caption":"B. J. Oropeza"},"description":"Dr. B. J. Oropeza is a recognized scholar in the area of New Testament studies, the Apostle Paul, and various theological issues. He obtained his Ph. D. from Durham University (U.K.) in New Testament Theology. He is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary (Azusa, California). He has also held positions or has been a scholar in residence at Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of T\u00fcbingen, Asbury Seminary, and George Fox University. He has published numerous books and articles, some of which have been translated into Korean, Vietnamese, Portuguese, German, Croatian, Greek, and Arabic. Among his publications include The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming); Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker); the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic); Exploring Intertextuality (Cascade); Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives in Honor of James D. G. Dunn (T. & T. Clark\/Bloomsbury); a three-volume set subtitled Apostasy in the New Testament Communities (Cascade), entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation, and on the lighter side of things, The Gospel according to Superheroes (Peter Lang). He contributed to the NRSVue translation, is a member of the Society of New Testament Studies (SNTS), and started the Intertextuality in the New Testament section at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) national conferences.","sameAs":["https:\/\/azusa.academia.edu\/BjOropeza","https:\/\/twitter.com\/bjoropeza1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/author\/boropeza\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4338"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/inchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}