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Falling Away
Falling Away
The heading of my NASB95 for Hebrews 6 is “The Peril of Falling Away”. This brings up a long-time debated subject: can a believer fall away? I think a better debate proposition would be can one who believes quit believing? Or possibly, can a believer end up being unfaithful?
My experience in the discussion of this issue has been that those denying that believers can actually fall away have taken one of three positions:
1) Such is only theoretical – it is not possible to actually happen.
2) They may appear to have fallen, but God will keep them alive until they repent…
3) They were never really saved in the first place.
Yet, the problem is real.
How then connect vs. 9? (But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. (Heb. 6:9) In addressing a GROUP, there are some who have fallen away, some that are in danger of falling away, and those who are standing firm. How do you address all three groups in one writing? This has always been the problem for preachers. On the one hand, you want to sternly warn those who are in danger and yet not discourage those who are standing firm. The writer of Hebrews successfully navigated this issue!
My observation is that there are three positions taken concerning apostasy: the impossibility of apostasy, the PROBABILITY of apostasy, and simply the possibility of apostasy. While preaching against the impossibility we often come across, at least to some listeners, as teaching the probability of it. I firmly believe neither of those positions, while steadfastly holding to the possibility. Like the writer of Hebrews, after warning against it, I can say to most of the brethren that we are convinced of better things for you.
“ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
Hugh DeLong
