The words “fallen away” in verse 6 refer to the Hebrew Christians’ deviating from the pure Christian faith by returning to their old, traditional, Judaistic religion. In principle, this can be applied to any Christians who fall away from the right track of God’s way.
This verse also speaks of “crucifying again for themselves the Son of God, and putting Him to open shame.” The words “crucifying” and “putting” modify the predicate “renew” in verse 4. To renew again to repentance means to repeat the repentance which one already has. This is not needed. To do this means that we crucify again the Son of God and put Him to open shame. If we would try to return to our original repentance, we would be laying again the foundation. In the eyes of God, this is to crucify the Lord again. The Lord was crucified for us, and at our original repentance we accepted that. If we would return to our original repentance, we would be crucifying Him again and putting Him to open shame. We must never do this.
It is not right to lay the foundation of repentance again. It is a waste for anyone to do this. It would not only be wrong for the brothers to lay the foundation for the meeting hall once it had been laid; it would also be a waste.
At this point we need to read verses 7 and 8. “For the earth which drinks the rain which often comes upon it and brings forth vegetation suitable to those for whose sake also it is tilled, partakes of blessing from God; but bringing forth thorns and thistles, it is disapproved and near a curse, whose end is to be burned.” Those who go back again and again to renew their original repentance are like the earth which drinks the rain which falls upon it and does not bring forth proper vegetation. The “rain” in verse 7 refers back to the five categories of good things mentioned in verses 4 and 5. Bringing forth vegetation is an illustration of being brought on to maturity. The believers, as the earth, are tilled for God’s sake that they might bring forth Christ as the vegetation to maturity. By this they partake of blessing from God. Christ is the proper vegetation. If instead of bringing forth Christ, we bring forth thorns and thistles, that will be a waste.
An unbelieving sinner is a real curse, but Christians who bear thorns and thistles are near a curse. Strictly speaking, the thorns and thistles in verse 8 refer to the traditional things of the old religion of the Hebrew Christians. The Greek word translated “disapproved” may also be rendered “disqualified,” “counted worthless,” “rejected,” “cast away.” If any believer would not be brought on to maturity but rather would fall back to the old things, he will be disapproved of by God. The believers, once saved, can never be a real curse. But if we do not go on to grow Christ, but rather hold on to things which displease God, we are near the curse of suffering the punishment of God’s governmental dealing. (Consider this with the discipline of chastisement in 12:7-8.) This is absolutely different from the suffering of eternal perdition, which is the real curse.
The earth can never be burned, but what it grows may be burned. Likewise, the believers can never be burned, but all they bring forth that is not according to God’s economy will be burned. The believers are God’s farm. Whatever they grow as wood, hay, and stubble will be burned (1 Cor. 3:9, 12). When the earth is burned, it is not lost; it is dealt with.
This portion of Hebrews 6 is a word of righteousness, not a sugar-coated word that many Christians like to hear. I do not know what the burning which is mentioned in this portion of God’s word will be like. I only know that the pure word of God tells us so. This word in Hebrews 6 is similar to the word regarding the burning of the wood, hay, and stubble and being saved “yet so as through fire” in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. This is not the word of grace, the word of life, nor the good word; it is a sobering and solemn word—the word of righteousness.