Hebrews 6:4-6 (NKJV)

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

This is one of the most common verses that is used to argue the idea that true believers can lose their salvation.

Explanation

Throughout the centuries, Christians have had different takes on this challenging verse. Here are some of the arguments from various well-known bible commentators, which should give you an understanding of the context and application of this verse.

Can we lose our salvation?

Those who subscribe to Arminian theology believe that this passage indicates that Christians can lose their salvation. But this is an incorrect view of this verse in the light of the biblical teachings on election and perseverance of the saints (the doctrines that teach God chooses who will be saved and ensures their preservation till the day of redemption).

Most prominent commentators reject the idea that believers can lose their salvation based on this verse. Let’s look at some of these views.  

Need to be consistent with our reasoning.

If we interpret this passage to state that a true believer can lose their salvation, then we also have to be consistent with our reasoning and conclude that there is no such thing as second chance since the verse says, “to renew them again would be impossible.”

However most teachers who claim salvation can be lost also state that a person could re-dedicate their lives and turn back to the faith (which is inconsistent reasoning).

Real saving faith

According to some commentators, the ‘people’ are not believers at all, but those who have “professed” to be Christians while not truly believing. 

Additionally, some commentators have suggested that the “falling away” mentioned in this verse is not due to a “personal possession” of the truth, but instead from the head knowledge of it. 

An empty profession of faith saves no one, and those who fall away prove their faith was never real nor did they possess true saving faith to begin with. 

The book of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus saves us completely and perfects us forever (Heb. 7:25; Heb. 10:14). However, the author of Hebrews also exhorts believers to prove the authenticity of their faith by continuing steadfastly in their sanctification. Though we are perfected in Christ, true saving faith will naturally produce perseverance and growth in holiness.

Urging believers to move on to Spiritual maturity

Several commentators interpret this passage as a means to encourage Christians to mature spiritually. 

Hebrews 6:4-6 is based on verses 1-3 (in the same chapter), where the author urges his readers to “go on to maturity.” 

Maturity was an essential issue for first century Jews who converted to Christianity. 

Several Jews living in and around Palestine were still subject to the authority of the high priests. These high priests had a lot of influence and could even cause a Jew to lose their job or have their kids removed from the synagogue schools. 

Hence, many scholars believe that when Jews became Christians in the first century, the high priests persecuted them immensely. Due to this, some Jewish Christians became timid about their Christian lives and were less open about their faith. It is even possible that some of them observed that the high priest would go easy on them if they kept quiet about their participation in Christian affairs (for example, attending church).

The author of Hebrews would have viewed this as a retreat from the call of spiritual maturity in Christ and therefore urged them to move on to maturity with boldness. 

Accordingly, Hebrews 6:4-6 is not a call to shape up, or you will lose your salvation if you don’t; rather, it is a call for believers to mature even when circumstances are difficult, since they are already Christians (and have committed to following Him). 

It was a practical message that the first-century Jewish converts (as well as many of us today) needed to hear.

Tasting the heavenly gift

Some commentators point out that “tasting the heavenly gift” wasn’t something complex for the people in the early church days to understand. It simply meant to experience God’s goodness and power. 

Nevertheless, not everyone who experiences His goodness is saved (Matt. 5:45; Acts 17:25). 

Simply put, during the Lord’s earthly ministry, many experienced blessings from heaven. These blessings included healings, deliverance from demons, miraculous feeding of the 5000, etc. Yet not all of them were saved.

It is the same today if you have sat in a church and heard God’s word preached with power or if you have even seen the testimony of a life changed, you have tasted the Holy Spirit. 

You may not have believed in all of it, but you experienced a taste of it and the power of the age to come – the miracle power of Christ. 

In context, what the author is saying is “you’ve acquired intellectual enlightenment; you’ve been exposed to what Christ has done and if you choose to fall away from this information that should have turned you into a disciple and teacher of God’s truth you will never be saved.”

Enlightenment is not salvation

Commentators also note that the phrase “once enlightened” are never used anywhere in the Bible to speak of salvation. 

Salvation is never called “enlightenment”; or “tasting the Spirit of God” or “the powers of the age to come”, and neither is it called “tasting the good Word of God.” 

Those phrases all refer to obtaining an intellectual understanding, but not possessing any true faith in God. 

Many people receive the instruction of biblical truth accompanied by intellectual perception and understanding of the gospel message. Nonetheless, it was not equivalent to the true spiritual regeneration that the Holy Spirit performs. 

This is similar to Judas Iscariot, who was enlightened and even heard the gospel of God’s grace but still rejected salvation. It could be said that he was a partaker of the Holy Ghost and the benefits of Christ’s presence on earth, in fact he was in the company of the Son of God for over three years. Judas shared in the miraculous powers in common with the other apostles and was one of the twelve to whom the Lord gave power over unclean spirits, and of whom it is said, “They cast out many devils and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:13). In spite of his miracle-working, Judas was all the time a “son of perdition” who was not saved. In the end, he fell away, and it proved impossible to bring him back to repentance.

So if we are to truly understand this verse; it is the “opportunity” for receiving salvation, not salvation itself, that can be lost.

Conclusion

Hebrews 6:4-6 is not a passage that suggests true believers can lose their salvation, but rather it serves as a stark warning to those who have experienced the truth of the gospel without ever truly committing to it. The author addresses those who may have been exposed to the blessings of the Christian community, participated in its life, and even benefited from the work of the Holy Spirit, but who ultimately fall away because they never had true saving faith. While it is possible to be a partaker of the Holy Spirit and yet not be born again, the passage emphasizes the gravity of rejecting such enlightenment and the impossibility of returning to repentance after willfully turning away.

True believers, however, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are preserved by God’s grace, with genuine faith that leads to spiritual maturity and perseverance. The warning is clear: intellectual understanding and external association with the faith are not enough—only a genuine transformation of the heart, resulting in lasting faith and growth in holiness, can save. This message remains relevant today, as it calls each of us to examine the authenticity of our faith and encourages us to press on toward spiritual maturity in Christ, no matter the trials we face.