Appendix C

Some call it losing salvation, some, falling from grace, others, backsliding; but loss of salvation as if by accident, or losing salvation by sinning, is impossible; but it can be thrown away by the believer. This is called apostasy. The doctrine of falling away is much neglected in Christianity today, almost never taught anywhere, yet, as we see the Day of the Lord drawing ever nearer, I feel that it is imperative that this thing be adequately covered for the sake of those who may be willing to avail themselves of its benefit.

I will start with a smattering of verses related to this subject, and then I shall exegete several verses that all together cover the same topic, either directly or by implication, and, hopefully, you will be able to adequately understand, believe, and make application of this doctrine for your own benefit, and benefit others in turn. I will utilize the Revelation here, only because it serves a purpose in presenting first century thinking on the matter here discussed.

In Revelation 2:11, Jesus said, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death.” Conversely then, he that does not overcome, will be hurt by the second death!

Also, in Revelation 3:5, Jesus also said, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,...” So conversely, this also means that he that does not overcome, will be blotted out of the book of life! The mere mention of this indicates that it is a possibility.

Moreover, in Galatians 5:2, the apostle Paul tells them that "...if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no use to you at all. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that you will be obligated to obey the whole Law (Torah).” This equates to the end of justification by grace through faith for these individuals.

Furthermore, in Romans 11:21-22, the apostle Paul writing to Christians in Rome also says, “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shall be cut off.”

John 15:1-2a and 6, “I am the true vine (in contradistincion to all others), and my Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away... If a man abides (remains) not in me, he is cast forth as a (dead) branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Masses will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name? and in thy Name cast out devils? and in thy Name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity.” It is a continually habitual working of iniquity that indicates that these were never born again, or if they were at one time and fell away from the faith, they are not now. They at least were convinced that they were his and labored to that extent. The Greek word here for "work" is: ergadzomenoi, a nominative masculine plural present participle of ergadzomai. The nominative case specifies that the subjects under examination produced the action. The present tense indicates that it is linear action which means their iniquity was continually present in everything they did. In that day, Jesus will judge that they had no relationship with him whatsoever; for their motive was not to serve him, but, in vanity and self-glorification, serve themselves. They were their own gods.

Also in Luke 12:9, “He that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”

One more thing: I must, of necessity, relate the narrative of one Hippolytus [A.D. 170-236] who provides for us some insight into the fact that the early Christians didn’t have a doctrine of eternal security, but believed that one’s salvation was tentative until the last breath was drawn in this life, thus sealing the destiny of the believer. He states the following: "The disciples, moreover, after they had appointed these Ordinances and Laws, ceased not from the preaching of the Gospel, or from the wonderful mighty works which our Lord did by their hands. For much people was gathered about them every day, who believed in Christ; and they came to them from other cities, and heard their words and received them. Nicodemus also, and Gamaliel, chiefs of the synagogue of the Jews, used to come to the apostles in secret, agreeing with their teaching. Judas, moreover, and Levi, and Peri, and Joseph, and Justus, sons of Hananias, and Caiaphas and Alexander the priests - they too used to come to the apostles by night, confessing Christ that he is the Son of God; but they were afraid of the people of their own nation, so that they did not disclose their mind toward the disciples. And the apostles received them affectionately, saying to them, "DO NOT BY REASON OF THE SHAME AND FEAR OF MEN, FORFEIT YOUR SALVATION BEFORE GOD, NOR HAVE THE BLOOD OF CHRIST REQUIRED OF YOU; EVEN AS YOUR FATHERS, WHO TOOK IT UPON THEM: FOR IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BEFORE GOD, THAT, WHILE YE ARE IN SECRET WITH HIS WORSHIPPERS, YE SHOULD GO AND BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MURDERERS OF HIS ADORABLE SON. HOW DO YE EXPECT THAT YOUR FAITH SHOULD BE ACCEPTED WITH THOSE THAT ARE TRUE, WHILST YE ARE WITH THOSE THAT ARE FALSE? BUT IT BECOMES YOU, AS MEN WHO BELIEVE IN CHRIST, TO CONFESS OPENLY THIS FAITH WHICH WE PREACH." And, when they heard these things from the disciples, those sons of the priests, all of them alike, cried out before the whole company of the apostles: "WE CONFESS AND BELIEVE IN CHRIST WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, AND WE CONFESS THAT HE IS FROM EVERLASTING THE SON OF GOD; AND THOSE WHO DARED TO CRUCIFY HIM DO WE RENOUNCE." For even the priests of the people in secret confess Christ; but, for the sake of the headship among the people which they love, they are not willing to confess openly; and they have forgotten that which is written, “Of knowledge is He the Lord, and before Him avail not crafty devices.” And, when their fathers heard these things from their sons, they became exceedingly hostile to them: not indeed because they had believed in Christ, but because they had declared and spoken openly of the mind of their fathers before the sons of their people. But those who believed clave to the disciples, and departed not from them, because they saw that, whatsoever they taught the multitude, they themselves carried into practice before all men; and, when affliction and persecution arose against the disciples, they rejoiced to be afflicted with them, and received with gladness stripes and imprisonment for the confession of their faith in Christ; and all the days of their life they preached Christ before the Jews and the Samaritans."


Our first verse under examination will be Colossians 1:23a. It reads as follows:

”If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel.”

”Ye continue”...in the original Greek language: epimenete, is a present active indicative 2nd person plural verb of epimeno, which means to remain on, to continue, to persevere, to adhere to, to continue to embrace, or to persist in. The present active indicative has the subject (2nd pers. plural), “ye”, producing continuous linear action at present time of adhering to, continuing in, persevering in, persisting in, continuing to embrace the faith - the object of the verb. A. T. Robertson says that the preposition in compound adds to the force of the linear action of the present tense making it mean “to continue and then some”.

You continue to adhere to, embrace, persevere, and persist in the faith. The particle, “if”, ei, combined with ge renders the passage under consideration in the subjunctive as a conditional clause, meaning that maybe you will, and maybe you won't. It should be rendered “If in fact...”, or “Assuming that...”. If in fact you continue in the faith, all of the foregoing will be applicable to you. That is the meaning of this part of the text.

”The faith” is synonymous with “the Gospel”. It is described as the “the hope” - which is not wishing in the dark, but is a confident expectation based upon credible facts and evidences.

”Grounded”, in the Greek, tethemeliomenoi, is a plural masculine perfect passive participle in the nominative case from the word themeliou of the root verb tithemi, which means to found, to ground, to establish, to render firm and unwavering. The perfect passive participle as used here is a verbal adjective. It is in the perfect tense which means that here we have completed action in past time with results which have continued to the present time, and emphasizes the completed state or condition. The passive voice means that the subjects of the verb, “ye” (plural masculine), received the action of being grounded, and the nominative case designates specifically that you are the ones producing the action of continuing in the faith which results in your being grounded. It is here better translated “having been grounded”.

In other words, in persistently making an extra effort to be continuing in the faith, and then some, the believer then becomes grounded, and remains firm or steadfast as a result, which in turn, helps him to keep on adhering to the faith. There is a reciprocal relationship between the ability to persevere or continue in the faith, and becoming grounded and firmly established in the faith as a result. This resembles the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. A genuine and truly saved believer on positive volition towards God, will continue adhering to the faith, which entails all of the elements of the believer’s application of himself to growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, which produces over time spiritual maturity, which becomes the foundation for him being established or grounded in the faith. This establishing of the believer, rendering him firm and unwavering, helps him to keep on adhering to, or persisting in, the faith.

This is why it is so important for the believer to regularly attend an assembly of saints where the word of God is competently taught on a weekly basis. Diligent exposure to the teaching of God’s word hastens the momentum line to spiritual maturity for the believer. Application of what is taught reinforces the doctrine which then becomes applicable in the believer’s life. (Intellectual comprehension of a point of doctrine as opposed to applicable experiential knowledge of that doctrine.) Doctrine understood is in the staging area of the mind, and unless acted upon in faith, remains there and is dormant. Utilized doctrine applied to the believer’s circumstances in life is made complete, and is therefore applicable, and becomes a permanent part of the believer’s frame of reference in his soul.

In implementing the above, the believer is sensitized to the things of God and is increasingly able to discern the differences between good and evil - right and wrong. Diligence in Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and doing good, reinforces this process and contributes to the believer’s ability to persevere in the faith because the believer has become stabilized, and thus is grounded in the faith, and as a result, will not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel which he has heard and is adhering to.

”Be moved away” is the Greek word metakinoumenoi; a present passive participle also in the nominative case, from the word metakineo, which means to move away, or remove; to stir away from, or to swerve, to move or shift from one place to another. If the believer continues to persevere in the faith he will not experience the process of being moved away from the confident expectation of the Gospel.

This indicates a further point of doctrine: the believer is never standing still in his walk with God. He is either moving closer to his God, or moving away from his God. Stagnation has a continuing negative effect, and conversely, active involvement affects the believer in a continuing positive way. You are either moving forward in the faith, or going backwards - progressing or retrogressing. You are never spiritually standing still.

So let us now take another look at our text - verse 23a of Colossians chapter 1, an interpretive translation, if you will:

”Maybe you will, and maybe you wont, but if in fact you do exercise your will to make the extra effort to continue to adhere to, embrace, persist, persevere, and remain on in the faith, and as a result having become grounded, established, and rendered firm and unwavering, being stabilized and steadfast, and not being moved away from the confident expectation of the Good News which you have heard, God will present you holy and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight, because he has now reconciled you through the body of Christ’s flesh through his death.” I believe this rendering embodies the meaning of this passage under our examination.

The point in examining this verse of scripture is that it implies that it is possible for a believer to fail to continue in the faith through a lack of grounding and steadfastness, and become moved away from the hope of the Gospel. It is a matter of volition. One must deliberately choose to make the extra effort required to keep on continuing in the faith. This then becomes a factor in the doctrine of falling away. Negligence in spiritual matters will most certainly cause one to become a casualty - a candidate for falling away from the faith under pressure - just as surely as the nature that you feed becomes the strongest influence in your life. The fact that this admonishment even exists in Colossians indicates that spiritual choices must be made early on in the believer’s walk, and that present choices may very well limit future options for the believer.

Example: When the Antichrist appears and believers are in shock to find that they are in the tribulation, when they have been told all along that they will not be here, the pressure will be on. They will resist evil for awhile, but will eventually fall away from The Faith because they will feel that they have been lied to. They were told they would not be here; therefore they will believe that they were not good enough for the rapture and have been "Left Behind." Then they will matriculate with the enemy of truth.

Priorities and a scale of values must be established and implemented early on if the believer wishes to be successful in his walk with God. Life is a matter of choices as we exercise our free volition, but the neglect of spiritual nourishment has ominous consequences for the Christian. One can pretty much predict who those are that are being saved, and who the candidates for falling away may be. There are those who take their life in Christ seriously, and diligently apply themselves to their commitment in him, their relationship to him, and all that it entails; then there are those who are not serious about it at all, whose lives are marked by atrophy, apathy, indifference, and neglect of their spiritual life. You tell me; a healthy baby is a hungry baby.

Now for some practical advise regarding the above. I have learned some very applicable principles from others which will be very helpful to you if I share them with you now.

Do not be afraid to set goals and priorities for yourself. The initial step in effecting change in your life is to set goals and priorities. Nothing will change, and everything will continue to go on as they have until you decide to do this. You should not live your Christian life by default. Too many people grow old in the Lord without growing up in the Lord. You need to take charge of your life, not allowing your life and circumstances to take charge of you and dictate policy to you. Part of taking charge is to make the decision to make the changes necessary in order to place yourself where you want to be so you can realize your gaol.

Suppose you set a goal such as reaching spiritual maturity before you die so that you can finish well in the Christian life by glorifying God with your life as a mature Christian. We are all in the race - we are not required to come in first - just to finish. In order to realize this goal, you must set priorities and a have a scale of values. You decide that daily prayer and Bible study must be a priority because the goal of spiritual maturity is high on your scale of values; so come hell or high water - even if the house is burning down - you will not neglect your daily time with God in prayer and Bible study.

A motivational teacher put it this way: He had a large-mouthed jar. He filled the jar with large stones. He then asked the class if the jar was full. They said “yes.” He then proceded to pour gravel into the jar and it settled between the large stones. He asked if the jar was full again. The class, getting the idea said “no.” He then poured sand into the jar, shaking it until it settled between the stones and the gravel. He asked again if the jar was full, and they again said “no.” He then proceded to pour water into the jar and it took a full quart. He asked again if the jar was full, and this time the class said yes. He then asked the class what the object of this lesson was. They replied that they realized that they could fit more things into their lives than they thought possible. “No!” he retorted - that was not what he wanted them to see. He explained that had he not put the large stones into the jar first, he would have never been able to fit them in afterwards.

In other words, if you don’t do in your life what is important to you first, you will never be able to fit it in later. Life has a way of crowding out the important things with the petty. What seems to be urgent may not always be important. Think of all the things you have done with your time in the past which mean nothing to you now. Sure, you accomplished a lot, moved a lot of things along, but how important are they really in the big picture of what really matters most in life? What has lasting value? People, and your spiritual status - they are the only things you can take with you when you leave this life; all else is merely a means to the end. You must learn never to let the ostensibly urgent supplant the important. So many things cry out for our attention each day, and the seeming urgency robs us of the ability to accomplish what is really important in life unless we make a conscious effort to set our priorities and scale of values, and operate according to that deliberate determination. Dr David Jeremiah said it like this: “The Main Thing is to keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.” Make sure you put the big stones in the jar before anything else, and you will reach your objective.


On to the next verse under examination in the doctrine of falling away: Mark 13:13b; or Matthew 24:13; both are identical.

”But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Believers will be here in the world with the ungodly unto the very end. In Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares [Mt.13:24-30], we are told that both grow together until the harvest, and then at that time the tares (unbelievers) are gathered together into bundles for burning, and the wheat (believers) is gathered into Christs’ barn (heaven) all at the same time. Again, in the parable of the net [Mt.13:47-50] we are told that the good and bad fish will be separated and dealt with accordingly all at the same time: “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

"He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." "Endure," Greek - hupomeinas - is a 1st aorist active participle in the nominative case, a singular masculine of the verb, hupomeno as absolute, meaning to continue firm, hold out, remain constant, and persevere. This aorist active participle denotes simple action preceding that of the main verb, “shall be saved,” being temporal in its relationship to it. The nominative case specifies that the believer is the one that produces the action of persevering in these adverse circumstances. The believer is to endure to the end.

In suggesting perseverance in the face of ominous circumstances, the ability to accomplish this is also implied. Where God guides, he provides; and he will not permit you to endure that which you are unable to bear, but gives you greater grace for greater requirements in your time of need for what you must. Remember what I said in the study of undeserved suffering for the believer [Appendix "F"]; the Spirit of God drags the believer kicking and screaming into territory where the flesh dare not go. It is for our spiritual growth and future benefit, though we as humans fail to see the benefit in suffering undeservedly. God is never too early or too late. He is always on time; but you must have invested in your relationship with him. This leads to my favorite saying: “Confidence in God gives courage towards man and circumstances; but our confidence in God is only as good as how well we know him.” We only come to faith enough to know and to trust him with our very lives and fortunes as we invest ourselves in our relationship with him, building an impenetrable bond with our God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The one enduring to the end, this one will be “saved” - sosthesetai - a 3rd person singular future passive indicative of sodzo meaning to save, to rescue, or to preserve safe and unharmed. The indicative mood is the mood of certainty declaring the reality of the event; the passive voice means the one persevering to the end receives the deliverance; and it is future. The omniscience and omnipotence of God come into play here. God knows everything, and is absolutely in control; and in the end our side wins! He knows all and is able to perform all. The believer who trusts in his God and endures to the end will be saved.

Implied in this verse also is the converse idea that the one not enduring to the end will not be saved. As demonstrated in the study of our prior verse of scripture, one’s diligent and persistent investment in spiritual things is not without its rewards; but its neglect has disastrous consequences. Without spiritual “money” in the “bank” you can endure nothing, even as Jesus told his disciples, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” You are left to your own inept human resources which are woefully inadequate in the face of such adversity. If you have trouble handling today’s piddly little problems, how will you be able to handle genuine unbridled persecution? The doctrine must already be in your soul before crisis comes. You cannot take doctrine and apply it like an aspirin.

We have had it good, soft, and cushy here in America, but the tide is quickly changing. Believe it or not, there are more Christians who have already died for their faith in this century alone, than in all of the previous 19 centurys of Christian Church history combined. Today, in 65 different countries, Christians are being persecuted and killed for their faith; and America is quickly becoming intolerant of us as well. We are presently entering the post-christian era. We will first be marginalized, then demonized, and finally designated as dangerous to society and exterminated - just as Hitler did the Jews - and the very people who are planning this are repulsed by the deeds of the Hitler regime - duplicity which is beyond the comprehension of rational thinking feeling human beings! But a telling development is the rapid construction of FEMA concentration camps. Our freedoms will be set aside by reason of security needs, and the Constitution will become a thing of the past. We are truly in the last days.

Spiritual strength and inner resources are developed over time by persistent diligent personal application to growth and the exercise of your faith over time in order to build the spiritual muscle necessary for your time of need. In crisis and trial the doctrine must be in your soul already. You can’t pop it like an aspirin; for it is next to impossible to learn under pressure.

Why else would the Devil expend so much energy in creating havoc, confusion and division among the saints, and creating pleasures and distractions from our spiritual growth and momentum in this world? Why do anti-christian forces force Christians to give up their lives for their faith if they do not recant? What is in it for the Devil? Revenge? I think not! Its because of this: You can not lose your salvation through sinning, you will only reap divine discipline for that; but you can throw your salvation away in falling away from The Faith into unbelief when under pressure to do so; and in this the Devil wins a convert. If eternal security were a valid doctrine, Satan wouldn’t even waste his time bothering with the saints. He would only concentrate on keeping the lost under deception. As it is, his resources are limited, so he doesn’t bother much with the lost who are already in his camp, but gives special attention and resources to targeting God’s people. “Our adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” [I Peter 5:8].

As a man believes in his heart - so will he act. It is not that Satan is stronger than God, but that God honors one’s exercise of free volition. You choose to be saved - you can also choose to become unsaved. Satan knows this; thus the many admonishments such as we have in scripture. Jesus said, “None can pluck them out of mine hand” referring to believers, but he did not say that they could not choose to jump out of his hand. That would be an act of free will choice which God would be forced to honor by virtue of that choice and his nature. “He that began a good work in you will continue it until the Day of Jesus Christ” - yes; but that is written to saints on positive volition towards God, who remain faithful. God cannot and will not compromise his essence in violating the standards of his holiness, righteousness and justice by making anyone saved against their will, or continuing a work in one who has gone negative toward his God by falling away from The Faith into unbelief. Being out of fellowship with God because of one's embracing of sin puts the believer in a position where he cannot develop further, but he retrogresses toward ungodliness. If we deny God he will deny us, and be justified in doing so; it is that simple.

I have heard from numerous atheists concerning my “Letter of Refutation to an Atheist,” (http://orin.net/docrog.html) and believe it or not, at least 25% of them said that they used to be devout Christians. Colossians 2:8 warns: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments or principles of the world, and not after Christ.” Chatrooms are dangerous for ungrounded Christians, for the many times lucid rebuffs of unbelievers can ruin a young believer's faith. Many would do well not to lend an ear to their many times convincing arguments. After all, we are saved by grace through faith - not by proof or sight.

Jesus’ parable of the sower [Mt. 13:1-23] reveals this fact. People fall away for several reasons. The first is that the Devil snatches away the Word which is sown in the heart of those who hear it. Second is that troubles and persecution come about because of the Word, and they become offended and fall away under the pressure. Then there are those who become distracted by the cares and riches of this life and fall away into unfruitfulness. God the Father is forced into pruning from Christ, the vine, all of his dead branches for the over-all health of the vine [John 15]. Remaining in Christ is a daily choice.

Our third passage of scripture is 2nd Thessalonians Chapter two, verse three. It reads:

”Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (e.g. the Day of the Lord), except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition;”

This verse introduces the Antichrist, but before he makes his debut, we are told that there will be first a great apostasy.

The apostasy “comes” - Greek - elthe, 3rd person singular 2nd aorist active subjunctive of erchomai, meaning to come, to go, to pass. Here the action as an aorist is undefined.

The Greek word apostasia means a defection, apostasy - in other words, a falling away. It is categorized by itself as a unique event by the use of the definite article in calling it THE Apostacy, or THE Defection. Some have enhanced it by calling it The Great Apostacy. To apostasize or defect means to take a stand apart from your former stand - to fall away from. These are believers who are doing the falling away. You cannot fall away from where you never were, so they have to be believers falling away from The Faith.

This event signifies the departure of hoards of believers from the Church, most probably due to fear of the power of the Antichrist, and a feeling of betrayal as they have all been told all along that they would not be here to see him, combined with a lack of genuine faith in God that he can deliver them through the crisis. It will be like the evil servant depicted in Matthew 24:45-51: genuine faith will issue in action. Another reason could be that hoards of believers have been fed the line for years that they will be raptured out before the tribulation. When they suddenly find themselves in it, they will feel decieved. Christianity will have lost its credibility with them because of that false teaching, and they will fall away saying, “What’s the use - we’ve been "Left Behind" anyway. We were not good enough. Christianity is not true. We have been lied to,” - failing to realize that the very presence of the tribulation period and the Antichrist indicates that the Christian Faith is true, even if it was misunderstood or misrepresented. The book/movie series, "Left Behind" is setting people up for this fall.

The true Church of Jesus Christ will suffer great persecution, and will most likely move underground as many genuine believers are martyred for their faith; and the visible “Church” will be corrupted by serious compromise with the Antichrist, and be judged as a result. These compromisers are comprised of those who have fallen away in the interest of self-preservation. Jesus said, “He that seeks to save his life shall lose it, but he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.” It will be good for you to study the lives of the martyrs in order to be able to develop that indispensable faith necessary - the faith that they had - to endure what so many of them have endured. Realize that many have gone before you, and that you will not be unique. There are special rewards for martyrs. For your faithfulness to your Lord who bought you with his own life you will be rewarded. Fox’s Book of Martyrs is a good place to start. Scribner’s Ante-Nicene Fathers is another source of such works. Books by Deitrich Boenhoffer also build necessary faith.

Moving on to our last section of scripture we will see revealed the mechanics of falling away from the faith - Hebrews 5:11-6:12. Notice that these Christians start out being rebuked for their spiritual neglect and resultant immaturity - the precursor for falling away - and then are admonished about the danger of falling away and its consequences.

”Of whom we have many things to say, but will be hard to speak, seeing you are slow of hearing. For when you ought to now be teachers, you have need that one teach you again the basic principles of the truth of God; and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the Word of righteousness: for he is a baby. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the rudiments of the doctrine of Christ, LET US GO ON TO MATURITY; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement. And this we will do, IF GOD PERMITS.

”FOR IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO WERE ONCE AND FOR ALL ENLIGHTENED, AND HAVE TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, AND WERE MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND HAVE TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, AND THE POWERS OF THE AGE TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, TO RENEW THEM AGAIN UNTO REPENTANCE, SEEING THEY CRUCIFY TO THEMSELVES THE SON OF GOD AFRESH, AND PUT HIM TO AN OPEN SHAME.

”For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth plants suitable for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God: But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected (no useable fruit), and is near to being cursed; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, THINGS THAT BELONG TO SALVATION, though we speak like this. For God is not unrighteous that he would forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed towards his name, in that you have ministered to the saints, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. AND WE DESIRE THAT EVERY ONE OF YOU DO SHOW THE SAME DILIGENCE TO THE FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE UNTO THE END; THAT YE BE NOT SLOTHFUL, BUT FOLLOWERS OF THEM WHO THROUGH FAITH AND ENDURANCE INHERIT THE PROMISES.”

"Let us go on to maturity” - pherometha, present passive subjunctive of phero, meaning to carry, and in the passive, to be carried. The subjunctive is cohortative, e.g. “let us be carried,” and the passive gives the thought of personal surrender to an active influence (Westcott). It is not a matter of the learners being carried by their instructors, but of both being carried forward together by God. It is a “divine pass” implying the agency of God (Hughes). Better rendered, “Let us be carried on to maturity.”

"If God permits.” - eanper, “If indeed”. The second particle used with the conditional particle emphasizes that the proposed action is in spite of opposition; i.e., “if in spite of his opposition God permits.” “If indeed after all” (A. T. Robertson).

The writer of this letter to the Hebrews desires the spiritual health of the recipients of his letter (this also includes us, now that we have it in our possession), and he is willing to reinculcate the badly neglected souls of Christians with truths that will bring them to a state of spiritual maturity. Here the addressed believer’s association with the things of God is experiential. The general thought of these emphasized portions of scripture is that the believer in a deteriorated state of spirituality, if he is willing, may be allowed to be carried forth to spiritual maturity by him, others, and God, in spite of his own past irresponsible neglect of spiritual matters; but this would only be possible without the opposition of God; for only God knows for sure if their deteriorated state is due to falling away into unbelief. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” “And to him who has will more be given, but to him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” That is why the following scripture begins with “For”, for it connects the condition which follows under which God would oppose the reinculcation of those who have displayed spiritual deterioration with spiritual truths; for if they had fallen away into unbelief, it would be throwing Christian pearls before swine.

The justice of God would oppose the reinstatement of anyone who has fallen away into unbelief, for that would be to insult and humiliate the One who died in his place. He paid for us with his life once, and he is not able to, nor can he do it, again. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Believe again on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved again? I think not! It would be like drinking a soda pop. Once you have consumed it you can’t consume it a second time because it has already been consumed.

apax means “once for all”. The verb for “enlightened” means to illuminate. In other words, God has once and for all enlightened the eyes and spiritual understanding of this person, and it was a completed transaction. There is no doubt about it that this person was a saved individual.

The verb “tasting” of the heavenly gift expresses a real and conscious enjoyment of the blessings apprehended in its true character (Westcott).

metouxos, “partaker”, means a sharer, or a participant. genethentas, “and were made,” means to come into existence, to be created, to exist by creation, established, to come into a particular state or condition, be changed or converted, to be born. In other words, this person was a new creation in Christ, was born again, and had the indwelling Holy Spirit - and here I emphasize the word "had," meaning that it has departed from him due to his change of heart towards his God.

He “tasted” the good Word of God and the powerful deeds of the age which is to come. Again as above, a real and conscious enjoyment of the blessings apprehended in its true character.

”Falling away”, parapesontas, means to fall by the side of, to fall off or away from, or make defection from. Again, one can’t fall away or defect from a place he has never been; so I don’t care what kind of theological gymnastics any Bible scholar may go through to make the point of his doctrine of eternal security, this passage, and others like it clearly teach that believers can and do defect from the faith, and in doing so, throw away their salvation to their own irremedial loss.

palin anakainidzein, a present active infinitive, means to renew again, to make new again, referring to continuous or repeated action. These words refer back to the words, “For it is impossible.” It is impossible for such a person to be again renewed unto repentance.

anastaurountas, present active participle accusative plural masculine, eautois, dative of advantage, “crucifying again for themselves.” The participle is causal showing why it is impossible for such people to be brought to a place of repentance and begin anew for their own advantage.

Let us now read this passage of scripture again with an informed understanding: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the age to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

Restated: because God opposes reinstatement of a fallen away person who was a born again, blood-bought, Spirit-filled child of God, who experientially had tasted all of the blessings that go with salvation, it is impossible for this one to be renewed again to repentance. There is no possible advantageous way for him, after the spiritual death due to defection, to begin his spiritual life anew. This would require a recrucifiction of our Christ which would be putting him to an open and humiliating shame.

For this reason it is imperative for YOU not to lose touch with other Christians, your church, your Bible, the leading of the Holy Spirit, or your personal development. I am not teaching salvation by works, but faith, or the loss thereof, is respectively a qualifying or disqualifying event. YOU must continue toward maturity despite the difficulties, problems and persecutions which attend your walk. God did not promise us a bed of roses when we got saved, and any preacher or teacher who proclaims health, wealth, and prosperity is leading God’s people astray. Any one who teaches that we will be raptured out of this world before the Antichrist comes does not have an independent understanding of Bible prophecy. He is reiterating what he has been taught by others. It does not matter how many times something is repeated; that does not make it true. That doesn’t neccessarily mean that they are false prophets. They may mean well. They are only studying the teachings of other men who came before them. Utilize the scripture that says, “Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” This will basically keep you out of trouble.

Avoid groups which expect you to cut off all ties with your friends and relatives, for they are those who seek absolute control. The Heaven’s Gate people were of such a sort. If they truly had common sense that was unbound by the controls of their leader, they could have figured that without bodies, they would not need an alien spacecraft, let alone the idea that it was following a comet.

Again, Colossians 2:8: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the principles of the world, and not after Christ.” This warning is because there is an ever-present danger of being beguiled into exercising your volition against your God. You have seen the irreversible consequences. Make an extra diligent effort to guard against this - especially in this age when the voices of Atheism and Antichrist are so vocal. Our permissive society has pulled out all the stops when it comes to freedom of expression in whatever form - especially on the internet and on TV; but be warned, if you consent to these voices and do not resist in the Name of the Lord, you may very well become a victim of their deceit. I do not say this to scare you, though you ought to have a healthy fear of these things; I am merely seeking your highest good, and that good is to be informed, and to remain in union with your Lord.

Tell others of this book and let them learn also of the doctrine of falling away. In doing so, you may help save many who might otherwise be lost to the beguilement of today’s modern intellectual decievers. Spread the Word! “Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking those he may devour.”

Now regarding the standard “proof texts” believers like to ply in support of their doctrines of eternal security: such as, John 3:16-18; John 1:12; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:29; I Pet. 3:5; I Jn. 5:5; Wherever the word "believeth" is used, it represents the greek word: pisteuon, which is a nominative singular masculine present participle of pisteuo. The nominative case shows specific designation, and the present tense here indicates that the believing must be linear in action - in other words on-going or continuous in its nature. Linguistically the promises of these verses are predicated upon continuous faith. It is in your best interest to remain faithful to your Lord no matter what. If it ceases to be the case, such as when one falls away from The Faith into unbelief, then, in essence and reality, there is no such thing as eternal security. Whosoever keeps on believing has eternal life. He that keeps on believing in him is not condemned. More specifically those that keep on believing in his Name have the power to become mature sons of God. Whosoever keeps on believing shall not perish, but have everlasting life. He that keeps on hearing my word, and keeps on believing on him that sent me has everlasting life, etc.. My sheep (so long as they choose to remain my sheep) hear my voice, etc.. He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (so long as you let him) - one must be a willing participant. Who are kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time - if one ceases to believe, this is negated. For whom God did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. The foreknowledge of God of those who will fall away after believing is taken into account in that the process of being saved is the same for those who remain faithful, and for those who fall away. The many admonitions against falling away are part of the divine fairness of God to those who would fall away. They cannot claim that they were not forewarned. Salvation is not by a "work" of believing, but in the qualification of believing. All conformity ceases when eradicated through falling away into unbelief, which is disobedience; for Christ is the embodiment of obedience, which is first and foremost, to believe in God. Yes we have been completely saved, and yes we do have the earnest - the first-fruit of the Spirit - if we have been so qualified through the exercise of our faith; but all of the admonitions to strive for the mastery, and to remain faithful, and to beware the wiles of the evil one indicate that one can fall from grace. There is only one thing greater than the grace of God - it is one’s volition. Grace does not go where it is not, or is not any longer, wanted.

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:38-39.

The apostle Paul says, “I fight, but not as one shadow-boxing. I keep my body under subjection, lest that by any means, when after I have preached to others, I myself should be adokimos - a castaway - set on a shelf - unapproved - good for nothing - a cast-off.” I Corinthians 9:26-27.

Read again the following passages, and see if they don’t make new sense in the light of your more full understanding of the doctrine of falling away: Hebrews 2:1-4; 3; 4; 5:8-14; 6; 10:18-39 (here “sin” in verse 26 is unbelief due to the inclusive context of verse 22, “draw near,” and verse 39, “draw back”); Romans 8:1-13; 11:22; I Corinthians 10:1-14; 15:1-2; Galatians 6:7-8; I John 5:16; Revelation 2:9-11; 13:1-18; 14:6-16; 21:6-8; 22:16-20; Matthew 6:9-15; 7:21-27; 10:22, 28, 33-39; 12:31-37; 13:5-6; 20-21; 18:21-35; 24:45-51; 25:1-46; Luke 6:47-49; 8:6, 13; 12:35-48; 22:31-32; John 7:59-71; 8:31-51 (this sounds like many in religion today who would crucify Christ again, given the chance); 15:1-17; 17:12; Acts 8:17-24; 20:28-32.


Hebrews 3:1: "Wherefore, holy brethren, members of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that chose him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house." This verse indicates that only genuine believers are being addressed in this epistle.

Hebrews 3:5-6: "And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, IF we hold fast our boldness and the rejoicing of the confident expectation to the end." This last clause is conditional in the subjunctive, speaking to all the believers in general, and telling that the true house of Christ will only consist of those which hold fast and endure to the end, cf. Matthew 10:22: "...but he that persists to the end will be saved." A perseverance of the saint (believer), if you will.

Hebrews 3:12-13: "Wherefore (verse seven), take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in forsaking the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today;" lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." "Brethren" is believers (same as verse one). "Heed" is admonishment to attend to the matters of the heart in order to head off unbelief, which inevitably leads to forsaking him. This hardness of heart is caused by the deceit of sin. This verse clearly reveals that it is entirely possible for believers to forsake God in unbelief because of hardness through habitually practicing sin. It is the same as in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 18 through 39. We are admonished to be of those who "draw near" (verse 22), and not to be of those who "draw back" (verse 39).

Again, genuine believers here admonished: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation, which shall devour the God-haters." This willful sin is unbelief. This is reinforced by verses 28 and 29: "He that disregarded Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, WHEREWITH HE WAS SANCTIFIED, an unholy thing, and hath insulted the Spirit of grace?" Verse 35: "CAST NOT AWAY therefore your confidence (an appeal to volition), which hath great promise of reward. For ye have need of persistence, that, after ye have done the will of God (believing on the One whom he has sent), ye might receive the promise." For Christ is the seed of Abraham, and if we are in Christ, we are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Verse 39: "But we are not of them that DRAW BACK UNTO PERDITION; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." This definitely is talking about the possibility of a falling away from The Faith into unbelief.

Again, in 1st John 5:5 we read: "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death (thanatos e.g. separation from God), he shall ask, and God shall give him life for them that sin not unto death (thanatos e.g. separation from God). There is a sin unto death (which is unbelief): I do not say that he shall pray for it. Moreover, Hebrews 2:1-4: "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we drift away from them. For if the word spoken by angels was certain, and every trangression and disobedience received a fair repayment, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?"

Hebrews 3:14: "For we are made partners of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence firmly unto the end." This confidence was valid, and most certainly had a beginning. Again, the subjunctive indicates that maybe we will, and maybe we won't, but if we do, thus and so will hold true.

Hebrews 3:15-19: All of the Israelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, which represents the world, as a type and shadow of the Church. All came out of Egypt, but only two made it into the promised land along with the next generation. Those who did not make it were those who sinned through unbelief. They could not enter into God's rest because of unbelief. Were they God's special people taken out for his Name's sake? - Yes! Were they delivered from the bondage of the world? - Yes! Did they loose out on the promise? - Yes! Why? - Because of unbelief. They believed enough to follow him out of Egypt, but did not remain faithful to the one who delivered them when the going got faithfully tough, even after having witnessed many miracles. Unbelief precludes salvation.

Hebrews 4:1: "Let us (as believers) therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should come short of it." In other words, don't do as the Israelites did in provoking God to renege on the promise, in coming up short of the promise of entering into God's rest through unbelief.

Hebrews 4:2-10: There is a rest of God: Verse 8: "But if Jesus had given them rest (same as Israel above), then he would not afterward have spoken of another day." Verse 9: "There remains yet, therefore, a rest to the people of God" This is the blessed hope we are to anticipate. We have not yet ceased from our labours, therefore we have not yet entered into the rest of God, for we all are still striving for the mastery.

Hebrews 4:11: "Let us desire, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall (comparing us to those Jews above), after the same example of disobedience." We have not yet attained unto the rest of God. Let us give diligence so that we do not fall and fail.

Hebrews 4:12-16: Since we have such an High Priest as Jesus, let us hold firmly to our profession, for we can come confidently unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need. That time of need is when we are tempted to fall away into the sin of unbelief.

Hebrews 5:1-9: For Christ is emminently qualified to aid us in our time of trial. Salvation is exclusively toward the believer's obedience of belief, cf Heb.3:18-19.

Hebrews 5:11-14 alludes to all that has been said in the previous two chapters leading up to this main point. (I don't believe that I Cor 3:1-3 is relevant to this portion of scripture because there, Paul is dealing with carnal versus spiritual believers, and the works that are built upon the foundation of Christ.) Here, in Hebrews, milk represents the Gospel. This is evidenced in the fact that chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, reveal their need for the fundamental elements of believing the gospel, which are repentance from dead works, faith toward God, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgement. These have allowed their spiritual state to so deteriorate, that they apparently need the Gospel again. They were slow of hearing e.g. lazy. They ought to be teachers they were saved so long, but due to neglect of so great a salvation, they retrogressed back to what they were before they were saved. Their senses have failed to be able discern between good and evil.

Hebrews 6:1-3: Leaving the elemental things of the faith, the writer would like to bring them on to a state of spiritual maturity in spite of the opposition of God, hoping that he would permit such a thing; for the only thing that would cause such a spiritual disaster would be a falling away into unbelief, and God most certainly would not permit such a thing in that case. A healthy baby is a hungry baby, and one that refuses nourishment dies, cf. Heb. 10:26-31; cf. Heb. 5:12. "Have need of " means have need of salvation.

Hebrews 6:4-6: "And this we will do if God permit; For, it is impossible for those who were once and for all enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift [John 4:10], and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit [Gal. 3:2,5], and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, if they shall fall aside, to revive them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame [Rev 3:5]. e.g. God would have to die again to bring them back in again.

Hebrews 6:7-8: A tree is known by its fruits, Matthew 7:15-20. cf Isa. 5:5-7. Also John 15:1-6: "I am the true Vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit [Gal 5:22-23 - all nine fruits are evident at the same time, and they do not have to be learned, but are manifested in the believer through allowing control of the Spirit.] he taketh away.....If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." They were most definitely branches of the vine, e.g. were in him at one time.

Hebrews 6:9: "But,beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that belong to salvation, though we speak thus." The very interjection of this statement truly indicates that the previous statements were admonishments concerning the loss of salvation by falling away from the faith and turning from God.

Hebrews 6:11-12: "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same high purpose to the full assurance of confidence unto the end: that ye be not slow cf. Heb. 5:11, but imitators of them who through faith and endurance inherit the promises." (as opposed to those who will not.)