By Walter L. Surbrook

      Text: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance: seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." -Hebrews 6:4-6.

      This is a very difficult passage of Scripture. It has often been misinterpreted and greatly misunderstood. Few want to read it because of being unable to explain it. Some have used it as proof that if a soul backslides from the experience of sanctification he never can be renewed unto repentance.

      In order to get the truth from this Scripture, it must be made to harmonize with all the rest of the Book, for God said that "no . . . Scripture is of any private interpretation." This means that no one can take a Scripture out of its setting, and upon an interpretation of it build up a theory or argument; but it must be made to harmonize and perfectly agree with all other Scripture.

      This Book is inspired! It is God-breathed! It is not a man-written Book. There is a beautiful harmony, a wonderful symmetry, and a marvelous unity throughout the entire Book. There are no contradictions in the Bible. This Book does not merely contain the Word of God, it IS the Word of God.

      This passage has often been connected with Jesus' statement in Matt. 12:31-32 and some have attempted to interpret it in the light of this positive declaration; but the fact is there is no connection whatsoever between these two Scriptures. In Matthew's Gospel Jesus has just cast out a blind and dumb demon. His miracle aroused the hostility and animosity of the Pharisees. They were bent on killing His influence. They had had an abundance of light but had rejected it. They had trampled all of their opportunities under their unhallowed feet and blindly and wickedly rushed on. Now in an attempt to kill the influence of the miracle of Jesus, they asserted, very vociferously, that He had cast out the demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. Christ, in the 28th verse, states that He cast out the demon by the Spirit of God. In this act of attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, they blasphemed the Holy Spirit and at once the last possibility of their ever being converted was gone forever. This fact is clearly brought out in the 31st and 32nd verses of the chapter, in which Jesus said, "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall he forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." These Pharisees had blasphemed the Holy Spirit, but there is positively no connection between this Scripture and our lesson in the 6th chapter of Hebrews.

      Some have interpreted this passage in Hebrews to be the experience of those who have crossed the dead line; while others have interpreted it as sinning against the Holy Ghost. To cross the dead line is one thing, and to sin against the Holy Ghost is an other. While finally the individual's end is the same, no matter of which action he is guilty, yet the road leading to these acts is different. The sin against the Holy Ghost is well explained in Matt. 12:31, 32, to which we have just referred. Jesus there positively asserts that he that speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven. This makes it clear that to sin against the Holy Spirit or to blaspheme Him one must speak against Him, in an impious and irreverent manner. To attribute His works to Satan is blasphemy against the Spirit. The soul who does this is forever damned and his last hope has flown.

      In crossing the dead line one may not speak a word against the Spirit, or against anyone else. He may live a clean, moral life, outwardly is far as anyone can see; but inwardly he resists the Spirit, he fights conviction, he persistently holds out against God, steeling his spirit and callusing his soul, until he literally drives the Holy Spirit away from his life.

      In Genesis 6:3 God said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." This was spoken of the ante-diluvian world that had resisted the preaching of Noah and the pleading of the Spirit of God, until he had to leave them; and when He left them they had not necessarily blasphemed the Spirit, but they had resisted Him and wickedly driven Him away. They had purposely fought and held out against the Spirit until He had to leave them. So it is now with an individual who crosses the dead line. He may never say a word against the Holy Spirit but, secretly, in his heart, refuse to yield to the Spirit's pleading, until He has to take His departure. That soul drifts over the dead line and God ceases to plead with him forever.

      When once the Holy Spirit leaves a soul and ceases to convict him, that individual is hopelessly lost. Some one may ask the question, "Why is it that an individual who has crossed the dead line cannot get back to God?" It is because he has driven the Spirit away from him. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth," but the Spirit is driven away and there is nobody to quicken him, nobody to tender, melt, and pull his soul back to God, and as a result he is forever lost. So it is with the individual who blasphemes the Spirit.

      If one blasphemes Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is there to tender him and pull him back to mercy where he can find forgiveness; if he blasphemes the Father, the Holy Spirit is there to lead him to repentance. But when he blasphemes the Holy Spirit, there is no one there to brood over, melt and draw him -- he is forever damned.

      Why is it that more men in the days of their extreme wickedness do not blaspheme the Spirit? When men lose control of themselves, go into a rage and fit of anger and curse by everything that is great and good, and everything that is vile and base, they seem to hunger for something more vicious to say. They curse by God the Father, they curse by Jesus Christ the Son; but you never hear them curse by the name of the Holy Spirit. Why is that? Not one person in ten thousand have you ever heard do it, unless that individual has had great light, seared his conscience, hardened his heart, and the devil drives him to the place where he is permitted to use the name of the Holy Spirit in blasphemy.

      The fact that so few men have blasphemed the Spirit in their days of deepest wickedness can be explained only on the ground that God has thrown a peculiar protection around humanity, which holds them back from committing this unpardonable sin. Men would use His name to give vent to their angry passions if they thought of it, but God has peculiarly safeguarded the name of the Holy Spirit and protects men in this respect. No man ever uses the name of the Holy Spirit in blasphemy until after he has gone down the road of rejected light a thousand miles from mercy into a callused and hardened state of soul. The ordinary sinner who has had but little light never thinks of committing this sin.

      This Scripture in Hebrews has also been confused with Hebrews 10:20, "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Some have attempted to explain Hebrews 6:4-6 in the light of this 26th verse, but there is no connection whatsoever between these two Scriptures. The reason some have been so confused and troubled with their interpretation of Heb. 10 :26 is that they have read it without stopping to think what the Holy Spirit said here. This passage states that "if we sin willfully", that is, if we commit a sin that requires the act of our will, if we purposely sin, if we knowingly sin, we are cut off from the saving merits of our sacrifice who is Jesus Christ.

      This text points out the fact that there are two kinds of sin, one is a willful sin and the other is a sin of ignorance. The text is not intended for sinners. It is for those who have received into their own hearts the knowledge of the truth -- those who are converted, "and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost." After you have received the Spirit, after you are right with God, if you sin purposely, or willfully, you are cut off, your sacrifice ceases to atone for you; but if you sin ignorantly, or, as we call it, "make a mistake," your sacrifice still atones.

      Let me illustrate it this way: Suppose I tell some thing in all good faith, thinking it to be the truth, but it is not and I do not know it until a week or a month rolls by; then I receive more light and more knowledge on that which I have told and all at once it dawns on me that I have not spoken the whole truth. Did I sin willfully and purposely when I spoke? No, I sinned in ignorance. I made a mistake. Was I cut off? Did I backslide? No, I continued praying and getting blessed. God knew it was a mistake. He knew my motive -- that I had told it for the truth, although it was an untruth. Now at the end of this period of time, it dawns on me that I have erred. What am I now to do? If I remain silent and let it go on, I shall become guilty; but if I immediately rectify it, if I immediately acknowledge I was wrong, and confess that what I told was not the entire truth, my sacrifice continues to atone for me and I remain innocent. But if I tell a lie deliberately and purposely, if I willfully lie, at once I am cut off from Jesus Christ who is my sacrifice, and His blood ceases to atone for me; there is no more sacrifice for that sin until I repent. But repentance will bring me back again under the saving merits of my sacrifice.

      Under the Old Testament there were sacrifices for willful sins and sacrifices for sins of ignorance. Under the New Testament, in our present dispensation, we have one sacrifice, who is Jesus Christ, and His blood atones for both kinds of sin. The sin of ignorance, which we call a mistake, must be acknowledged as soon as the individual gets light on it. The willful sin cannot be atoned for, until the individual repents of it. The apostle here states that when you sin willfully, not only are you cut off from the protection of your sacrifice, but at once there settles down all over you a feeling of condemnation and "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

      This text has also been applied to those who cross the dead line or to those who sin against the Holy Spirit; but the fact is, it applies to neither class, but to those only who have received in their own hearts the knowledge of the truth, and it shows that there is a distinction between willful sins and sins of ignorance.

      Since Heb. 6:4-6 cannot be explained as blasphemy against the Spirit or as crossing the dead line, neither in the light of Heb. 10:26, then it must be interpreted in some other way. When we stop to investigate as to whom this message is directed, we find that it was directed to a class of people who had apostatized. They had been converted from Judaism to Christianity. They had embraced the doctrines of Jesus Christ. They had accepted Him as their Messiah, but they had later been led away from Jesus and turned back, not simply backslid, but turned back into Judaism. They had denounced Jesus Christ as their Savior and had accepted Judaism as a means of salvation. In this act they had become apostates. Webster's dictionary states that an apostate is "one who has abandoned, or forsaken, that which he once voluntarily professed. It is a total desertion from one's faith, principles, or party, especially from one's religion."

      We have often thought, and injected into the idea of apostasy, that it means the forsaking, or turning away from Christianity, but Webster does not interpret it as such. It may be the forsaking of one's political party. If a Republican becomes a Socialist, he is an apostate to Republicanism. An apostate in religion is one who forsakes any religion and turns to another. If a Roman Catholic forsakes his idolatry and paganism and gets converted, he is an apostate to Romanism. If a follower of Buddha forsakes Buddhism and accepts Christianity, he is an apostate to Buddhism. If a genuine Christian forsakes the way of Holiness and accepts Russellism, Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, Romanism, Buddhism, or any other unchristian religion, he is an apostate to Christianity.

      These who are represented in my text were in apostasy. The question now arises, Can they ever be saved from this state? The answer to this question, and the key that unlocks this passage of Scripture, is found in the 6th verse. Our King James translation in this particular instance does not help us, but the Revised Version and the original language make it clear. Where King James translation uses the word "seeing" in the 6th verse, the Revised Version uses the word "while."

      This text, as given in the Revised Version, would read thus, "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; while they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." The thought in this text is that it is "while," or during, the time that they are holding an attitude which crucifies to themselves the Son of God, it is impossible to get them to repent. It is impossible because of their mental attitude -- they must change their mind. One phase of repentance really means a change of mind, and if this is necessary for one to be able to repent in order to get converted, so there is a definite change of mind necessary for one to turn from an apostate state to Christ; but he can turn if he will.

      In the original we have the present participle which conveys the idea that it is impossible to get them to repent "while crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh." It is impossible because of their attitude, it is impossible, not in the absolute sense, but only relatively. It is impossible because they do not see their need of repentance, neither do they believe in it, and while they are holding this attitude they will not repent.

      This text might well be applied to the heathen. No missionary can ever get a heathen to repent "'while" he is holding to his idols. It is impossible because he neither sees nor feels his used of repentance, and he will not accept Christianity until he relinquishes his hold upon idolatry. The moment he releases his hold upon idolatry. Ceases to depend upon his idols for salvation, and turns to Christ, he can repent, but not until then. This same statement might be applied to almost any sinner. It is impossible to get any sinner to repent while he is holding to his sins. He must let go of his sins, he must forsake them, he must turn away from them. So it is with these apostate Hebrews: while they are holding to Judaism and as long as they are trusting in its principles, it is impossible to get them to repent; but if they will let go of the teachings of Judaism and turn away from its tenets of doctrine and turn to Jesus Christ, then they can repent.

      It is impossible to get any apostate to repent while he is in his apostasy, but the moment he lets go and forsakes his apostate beliefs, he can turn to Jesus Christ. It is a question of their attitude and their belief. Thousands have gone into apostasy who never will he reached, and never can be reached, while they are holding to their apostate ideas; but if they will forsake these, they can come back to Jesus Christ.

      Jesus had in mind this very struggle with apostasy when He said to Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." What did Jesus mean? Did He mean that He could not pray through for Peter, or did not pray through? No, He did pray through, and He showed to Peter that Satan had desired to throw him into apostasy. Satan had desired to sift Peter and snip him of his faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and throw him back into Judaism. Peter backslid all right, but in his backslidden moments he never lost faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as the Savior. Had he done so, he would have gone into apostasy, but since he did not it was easy for him to get back. The ordinary backslider does not apostatize, he simply breaks faith with Jesus, but never loses faith in him as the Savior of mankind, as the Christ.

      After I had attempted to explain this Scripture in at meeting a few years ago, a school teacher came to me and said, "Brother Surbrook, I am glad you explained this Scripture. When I was backslidden this Scripture was like a nightmare to me. I did not dare to think of it. I stayed away from it and refused to read it, for I knew it said, 'It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance.' Then, finally, I got back to God. I did not know how I got back, in the light of that Scripture, but now I see it does not apply to the ordinary backslider, but it applies to apostates, and I had not gone into apostasy." There are scores of other backsliders hindered by Satan as this woman was.

      In another meeting some time later, a man said to me, "The devil held that Scripture over me like a club for about twelve years. When I would go to bed at night the last thing I would think of was, 'It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance'. I wanted to get back to God, but the impossibility stared me in the face. I suffered so under my condition that my night clothes were soaked with perspiration again and again. The first thing in the morning when I awakened, that thought came to me, 'It is impossible to renew them unto repentance', and I suffered in this condition for about twelve years. I cannot explain how God ever got me around it or past it, but somehow He brought me back to Christ."

      I have been personally acquainted with another man for years who is now under the iron hand of a misinterpretation of this Scripture. He one time had the experience of Holiness, but is now in a backslidden state and feels he never can get back to God.

      To take the position that Heb. 6:4-6 has reference to ordinary backsliding is to take a stand that is contrary to all other Scripture, as well as experience, for we have the testimony of thousands, some in the Bible, and many outside the Bible, who have gotten back to God from a backslidden state. If the Bible possesses a unity and perfect harmony in its teachings throughout, then either all the calls to backsliders to return are not intended as such, and we have interpreted them wrongly, or else this Scripture has been misinterpreted by many.

      If this Scripture bars backsliders from returning, then we must accept one of two things with reference to the one who professes to have been a backslider:

      1. Either he was not saved at all when he first professed to be, and when he claimed to be a backslider he really was not, then when he professed to get back to God he actually got through only for the first time, and is now saved;

      2. Or else he was saved all right when he first professed to be, then later he actually backslid, and when he claimed to get back to God he really never got back, and is not back now in spite of all he professes and seems to enjoy. This Scripture does not shut backsliders out from getting back to God, and those who profess to have been reclaimed, having returned as backsliders, really got back and found the sweet and precious experience of pardoning grace.

      Dear backslidden heart, if you have fallen by the wayside and lost the fervency of your first love; if you do not enjoy the abiding presence of the Comforter as you did formerly, there is yet hope and help for you. If these often misinterpreted Scriptures haunt you with the thought that you can never again enjoy God's favor, remember that He has promised that, if you will return to Him, He will return to you. Listen a moment to His tender and merciful call to back. sliders, "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts." -- Mal. 3:7; and again, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him." -- Hos. 14:4; also, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." -- I John 2:1; also, "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." -- Jer. 3:22.

      "Return, O wanderer, return,
      And seek thy Father's face;
      Those new desires which in thee burn
      Were kindled by His grace.

      "Return, O wanderer, return;
      He hears thy humble sigh;
      He sees thy softened spirit mourn,
      When no one else is nigh.

      "Return, O wanderer, return;
      Thy Savior bids thee live;
      Come to His cross, and, grateful learn
      How freely He'll forgive."