“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (Hebrews 6:4-6 NIV).

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Does this passage sound harsh? It does to me. This passage might be one of the hardest passages in all the Bible to understand. But after reading through it again and again, I can now see God's love poured out through even a harsh sounding passage as this. It's been quite the journey for me to get there. Please allow me to take you along.

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At first glance, it seems the writer is saying it's easy to lose God's salvation once it's received. But notice salvation is not the issue. The writer addresses those “who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance.” It took me a few reads to realize the passage addresses the fruit of salvation, not the root of salvation. Your immutable salvation is a foundation. Build your life upon it.

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Once I wrapped my mind around that realization (and to be honest, I should have realized it much quicker), I focused on what it means by repentance. Why would it be “impossible for those who have once been enlightened” to repent?

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The Greek word (used by the writer of Hebrews) for repentance is “metanoia.” Translated it means simply, “a change of mind.” More in depth it means, “the state of changing any or all of the elements composing one’s life: attitude, thoughts, and behaviors concerning the demands of God for right living.”

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Repentance, then, is all encompassing. From the core out, it's life altering. So, the passage seems to be addressing those whose actions do not reflect their words. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were born again. Our old nature of godless living was replaced by our new nature of Christ-centered living. (1 Jn. 3:9, 2 Cor. 5:17)

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This is important. If I say I'm against something but then do it anyway, my testimony is worthless. It would be impossible to gain your trust. Similarly, if I claim I've accepted Christ as my Savior but then continue to willfully sin, my life is not producing testimony of the price Christ paid for me. Though I am saved, my lack of repentance makes it impossible to testify to others. It's like I'm “crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

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Repentance is crucial. So how does God lovingly reflect this in Hebrews 6:4-6?

The follow-on verses of Hebrews 6:7-8 give us the answer.

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“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.”

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God's Word reveals to us how He desires to use those He has saved. Again, if I say I'm a Christian yet purposefully live a sinful life, my “works” are a horrible testimony of the price Christ paid for me. Though saved, I am a “land that produces thorns and thistles.” My works are “worthless,” and worse, I’m “in danger of being cursed” – pushing others away from Christ instead of drawing them nearer to Him. “In the end,” my works “will be burned.”

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However, if I say I'm a Christian and strive to live a life as Christ has called me to live, my works produce fruitful testimony of the price Christ paid for me, that is, “a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed” and “receives the blessing of God.”

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Hebrews 6:4-6 is a loving reminder of God's nature. Like a good Father, God is teaching you how to live the life He created you for. He desires to use the fruit of your salvation to bring others into His Kingdom (Jn. 15:5, Eph. 2:10, Matt. 5:16). It's to your “loss” if He can’t.

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“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).

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Ask yourself, are there going to be people in Heaven who will point to you and say, “I am here because of your life of testimony?” God promises a blessing if the answer is “YES!”

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So, live a life of repentance. It's vital. It's your testimony. As Pastor J Vernon McGee puts it, “my friend, if you are a Christian, it is important that you live the Christian life.”

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May the fruit of your salvation bless those around you as it too receives the blessing of God.

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“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

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Amen, come Lord Jesus.