1. Full Commitment to Jesus Heb 5:11-6:20
Hebrews – Lesson 6
Full Commitment to Jesus
Heb 5:11-6:20
Hebrews - Lesson 6

2. Review Jesus the High Priest
HIS blood has changed God’s judgment seat into God’s mercy seat
Was called by God to become High Priest
Jesus was described as
Able to sympathize
Tempted as we are
Without sin
Hebrews - Lesson 6

3. The Refusal to Grow Up Read Hebrews 5:11-14
What are the writer’s OBSERVATIONS?*
Dull of Hearing - (Greek nothros- person who has the imperceptive and lethargic nature of a stone)
Should be Teachers - Read Deut 6:7
Need Milk not Solid Food - I Cor 3:2
Not Accustomed to the word of righteousness
What are the teachings about righteousness the writer is referring to?
I Cor. 1:30 & 2 Cor. 5:21
Hebrews - Lesson 6

4. Milk vs. Solid Food vs. 13,14 Paul contrasts the two in 1 Cor 3:1-3
Mature believers had senses trained to discern between good and evil.
How did they come to maturity? Heb 5:14
Answer:
PRACTICE
Hebrews - Lesson 6

5. Six Warnings
Warning against drifting from “the things we have heard” (Heb 2:1-4)
Warning against disbelieving the “voice” of God (Heb 3:7-14)
Warning against degenerating from “the elementary principles of Christ” (Heb 5:11-6:20)
Warning against despising “the knowledge of the truth” (Heb 10:26-39)
Warning against devaluing “the grace of God” (Heb 12:15-17)
Warning against departing from Him “who speaks” (Heb 12:25-29)
Hebrews - Lesson 6

6. Elementary Teachings Read Hebrews 6:1-3
What elementary teachings does he list?
Foundation of Repentance from dead works (worthless deeds that we can’t shake)
Faith toward God (looking to God and God alone as the guide for your life)
Instruction of washing (Baptism?)*
Laying on of hands (Jewish practice of laying on of hands had 3 significances; Signs of transference of Guilt, blessings and a sign of setting apart for some special office)
Resurrection of the dead & eternal judgment
Hebrews - Lesson 6

7. Instruction of Washings
Has traditionally been taken to refer to the Christian rite of baptism
Greek word is plural rather than singular (baptismos vs baptisma)
Baptismos is only used in two other places in New Testament.
Read Mark 7:4 and Hebrews 9:10
Reference to teaching about Jewish ceremonial washings
Hebrews - Lesson 6

8. Arrested Development? How does the church in 2007 mirror this passage?
Christians will move on if God permits (6:3)
Hebrews - Lesson 6

9. The Danger of Falling Away
Read Hebrews 6:4-6
Intended to motivate the first readers of Hebrews to faithfulness in the face of pressure and persecution
What word stands out in this text?
IMPOSSIBLE
These verses are not describing infants in Christ
One either moves forward or backward in the Christian life
Hebrews - Lesson 6

10. Fall Away
Verse 6: and then have “fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance.”
This Greek term appears ONLY here in the NT.
In OT it was used to translate terms for severe unfaithfulness and apostasy (Ezek 18:24, 20:27)
What does Apostasy mean?*
Formal abandonment or renunciation of one's religion
Also Read Hebrews 10:26,27
Hebrews - Lesson 6

11. A Lot at Stake
John Calvin noted that a lot is at stake in our understanding what the writer of Hebrews meant here by fall away.
“He who has in anything, or in anyway offended, has fallen away from his state as a Christian; therefore all sins are so many fallings. But the Apostle speaks not here of theft, or perjury, or murder, or drunkenness, or adultery; but he refers to a total defection or falling away from the Gospel, when a sinner offends not God in some one thing, but entirely renounces his grace.”
Hebrews - Lesson 6

12. One Final Contention
One scholar describes the meaning as "a deliberate, planned, intelligent decision to renounce publicly association with Jesus Christ
The restoration of such people to repentance is impossible as they are crucifying again to themselves the son of God and exposing him to public disgrace.
Hebrews - Lesson 6

13. Partakers In Christ Read Hebrews 3:14 Read Hebrews 10:14
It does not say we WILL become but we HAVE become partakers of Christ
Read Hebrews 10:14
By one offering he HAS perfected
So, God does not change his mind
He doesn’t save you and then later say: “You know, I never saw this behavior coming… Damnation!”
Do you think that people can experience spiritual things but are not saved or can you be saved and lose it?
Hebrews - Lesson 6

14. Illustration from Nature
Read Hebrews 6:7-8
What does the Rain symbolize?
A figurative expression for believers who receive all the spiritual benefits described in verses 4-5.
Ground that has received the same rain but produces thorns and thistles.
What do you think?
Reference to enlightened believers who reject Christ ?
Hebrews - Lesson 6

15. The Brighter Side Read Hebrews 6:9-12
The only passage where the people are addressed as beloved.
Precisely after the sternest passage in Hebrews
They had not given up practical service
Sluggish (v. 12) The same Greek word is translated “dull.” Heb 5:11
Imitators- Putting the faith into practice
Hebrews - Lesson 6

16. The Sure Hope Read Hebrews 6:13-20
How long did Abraham wait before God’s promise of a son came to pass?
1 year
10 years
25 years
Read Genesis 12:1-4 , 15:1-4, 21:5
Sometimes the promises of God might seem to take longer than we expect!
Hebrews - Lesson 6

17. Standing on the Promise
God made an oath by himself (v. 13)*
Men swear by things greater than themselves
What was the Promise?
That Abraham would have a son and that through that son the whole world would be blessed.
JESUS
Hebrews - Lesson 6

18. Within The Veil
Verse 19: “…a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the Veil.”
What does this HOPE mean?
Behind the Veil was the Holy of Holies
Under Jewish law NO MAN could enter God’s presence
Jesus Christ opened a way to the presence of God?
Hebrews - Lesson 6

19. Good Summary of Hebrews 1-6
“You guys better start putting your faith in to practice, because you’re getting dull of hearing. Right and wrong are getting hazy, and if you don’t stop drifting, if you don’t stop neglecting your salvation and forsaking the gathering of believers, you are going to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and fall away from the living God”
Hebrews - Lesson 6
Hebrews - Lesson 6

20. Next Week’s Lesson Questions? Lesson 7 – Jesus Better than Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:1-28
Questions?
Hebrews - Lesson 6