Hebrews 6:5,6 - Having tasted the goodness

6:5

“Who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age”. Again it is clear that they have had a real experience of God. They have experienced the reality of the word of God and its effects on their lives. By the way, we should not draw the conclusion that experiences are somehow bad. Quite the opposite in fact. The writer's purpose in all this is not to condemn, but to urge the people to greater things, to continue to follow Christ and grow in faith. They have experienced something of the age to come. It is only when Christ returns that we will experience the full effects of the age to come, but we get a foretaste now.

6:6

“And who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance”. Note that repentance is viewed as a continual state, it is a state of rejection of the way we used to live. The writer says here that those who have fallen away cannot be brought back to repentance. This raises the “once saved alway saved” question, and issues related to this. This usually occurs in two broad forms, the first is “can I fall away?”. The second concerns the person we know, may be a family member or close friend, who once confessed faith in Christ, but has now fallen away.  Let’s deal with the first question. The answer is that we can have full assurance. The writer’s purpose is to urge his hearers to go on to a greater understanding and appreciation of the gospel. With regard to the second, what we should not do is seek some solace in the notion that since they once made a profession of faith they will be saved. Instead we should seek and pray that they will truly repent and have a real living faith in Christ. To reject Christ, is to be like the religious leaders and the people who called out “crucify Him”. “subjecting Him to public disgrace”. We see the delight the world takes when someone who once claimed to be a follower of Christ then denies Him. We must not do that.