Let us also read Hebrews 6:1-2: "Wherefore, leaving the word of the beginning of the Christ, let us be brought on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment." Here the Apostle Paul says we need to leave the word of the beginning of Christ and be brought on to maturity. Many Christians today are fully occupied with the beginning, elementary principles. All they talk about is redemption, justification by faith, forgiveness of sins, and going to heaven. Year after year they speak of the same things. When you are with them you can hardly hear anything else. In principle, this is like a grandfather who is still studying in elementary school. Not only is he still in elementary school, but his son, his son's son, and even his great grandson are all still studying in the same elementary school. There is no going on. But let us go on! Let us go on from the elementary teachings of Christ to maturity.
Verses 4-6 read: "For it is impossible to renew again to repentance those who were once enlightened, and who have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the works of power of the coming age, and have fallen away, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God, and putting Him to open shame." In these verses Paul covers a number of points. He says that some of the saints have been enlightened, have partaken of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the heavenly gift. They have also tasted the good word and have tasted the power of the age to come. What is the heavenly gift? Surely it is something given from heaven. Perhaps it is forgiveness or joy of salvation. We know that when we were saved we did have some real enjoyment. We experienced joy, peace, comfort, forgiveness, and other things. Do you think that a person could be enlightened, taste the heavenly gift, partake of the Holy Spirit, taste the good word and the power of the coming age and yet not be saved? It is impossible! However, most of the Christian teachers consider that such a person has not yet been saved. Verse 6 mentions that some have fallen away. But to fall away is one thing and to be lost is another. Many saved persons have fallen. Even after we were born physically, we fell many times. But our falling did not constitute us false persons.
Some use verses 4-6 to say that once a person has fallen away it is impossible for him to be saved. Verse 1, however, says, "Let us be brought on." Leaving the foundation we must be brought on. The first aspect of the foundation is repentance. We may say it is the first stone of the foundation. The foundation was already laid with six pieces of stone including the first stone of repentance. Paul's concept is that since the Hebrew believers had already laid the foundation, they simply needed to go on. There was no need for them to lay the foundation again. Even if they wanted to do so, it was impossible to lay the foundation again. We may illustrate this with a couple who are married: suppose after a time they are divorced and then later come back together. While they might say they were remarried, actually it is impossible for them to remarry because they are already married. The marriage was already laid as a foundation. Likewise, the Hebrew Christians had laid the foundation already; they simply needed to go on. They should not have lingered at the foundation.
Many Christians in revival meetings go back and lay the foundation again and again. After a year, another revival meeting comes, and they repent again. Once more they lay the foundation. They go on a little distance, but then they fall. After they fall another revival comes, and they go back and repent again. They are continually going back to lay the same foundation. This means they are not going on. These verses do not mean that it is impossible for us to be recovered once we have fallen. They mean that after we have fallen we have to rise up by the grace of God and go on. We should not go back. We should not lay the foundation of repentance again. The foundation has already been laid. To try to lay it again is to waste our time.
Suppose in the construction of a building the foundation is laid and then the work is discontinued. After a year, the work is renewed, and instead of building upon that foundation, another foundation is laid beside the first. Again the work is discontinued and later a third foundation is laid beside the second. How ridiculous! Eventually, there will be many foundations laid beside one another, but no building up. This is the proper meaning of these verses.
The Pentecostal teachers say that these are real believers, but that they lost their salvation and, because of their falling away, they cannot be saved again. This concept is not accurate. What Paul means is this: the Hebrew Christians had laid the foundation, but had been distracted. They stopped the building. Now they needed to realize that they should go on. For their going on there was no need for them to lay the foundation again. They simply needed to go on. We too need to leave the beginning things and go on to enjoy Christ in a further way. If we do not go on, we will surely suffer some punishment.