What does Hebrews 6:4-12 mean?

Hebrews 6:4 Direct teaching

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

Hebrews 6:6 Direct teaching

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.

Hebrews 6:5 Direct teaching

And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

...tinue my questions." He said, "Go on." And I said, "Sir, I heard some teachers say that there is no repentance except the one that happens when we go down into the water and receive forgiveness of our former sins." He said to me, "What you heard was sound teaching, for that is really so. For the person who has received forgiveness of sins ought not to sin anymore, but to live in purity. However, since you are asking carefully about everything, I will explain this to you also. I do not say it in order to give an excuse for error to those who are going to believe, or who have recently believed, in the Lord. For those who have now believed, and those who are going to believe, do not have repentance for sins, but they do have forgiveness of their previous sins. But for those who were called before these days, the Lord has appointed repentance. For the Lord, knowing the heart and knowing beforehand all things, knew the weakness of human beings and the many tricks of the devil, that he would bring some evil on the servants of God and would act wickedly toward them. Therefore the Lord, being merciful, had mercy on the work of His hand and appointed repentance for them. And He has given

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

... And those who were covered with scabs are those who denied their Lord and have not returned to Him again. Instead, they have become dried up and desert-like. They do not remain close to the servants of God, but live by themselves, and so they destroy their own souls. For just as a vine, when it is left inside a fence and neglected, is ruined, made desolate by weeds, and in time grows wild and is no longer useful to its master, so also are such people. They have given themselves up and become useless to their Lord because they have taken on savage habits. Therefore, these people have repentance in their power, unless they are found to have denied from the heart. But if anyone is found to have denied from the heart, I do not know whether he can live. And I say this not about these present days, as if anyone who has denied now may receive repentance, for it is impossible for someone to be saved who now intends to deny his Lord. But for those who denied Him long ago, repentance seems to be possible. If, therefore, anyone intends to repent, let him do so quickly, before the tower is completed. For if not, he will be completely destroyed by the women. And the chipped stones are the d

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...id, because he is no longer being washed for the forgiveness of sins. For the one who has been born again, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, John 1:13, but in the Spirit, must give up not only the idols he once treated as gods, but also the deeds of his former life. This new birth consists in repenting by not falling into the same fault again. For repeated repentance, and an easy readiness to change because of lack of training, is really the practice of sinning again. So, asking forgiveness again and again for the things in which we often sin is only the appearance of repentance, not repentance itself. But, as Scripture says, “The righteousness of the blameless cuts straight paths,” Proverbs 11:5. And again, “The righteousness of the innocent will make his way right,” Proverbs 13:6. No, “as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.” David writes, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy,” that is, those who confess with repentance. For “blessed are all those who fear the Lord.” You see the matching blessing in the Gospel. “Do not fear when a man becomes rich, and when the glory of his house increases. Because when he dies he will leave it al

Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

44. And there is no doubt that divisions will arise when the falling away takes place. And when divisions arise, love is chilled. The words, "Blessed is he who waits and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days," also have their value, just as the Lord said: "But he who endures to the end will be saved." Therefore let us by no means admit the falling away, lest iniquity abound, and the abomination of desolation—that is, the adversary—overtake us. And He said to him, "to evening"—that is, to the consummation, and then morning. What is morning? It is the day of resurrection. For that is the beginning of another age, just as the morning is the beginning of the day. And the one thousand four hundred days are the light of the world. For at the appearing of the light in the world, as He says, "I am the light of the world," the sanctuary shall be purged of the adversary, as he said. For it cannot by any means be purged except by his destruction.

Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

Wherefore let us by no means admit the falling away, lest iniquity abound, and the abomination of desolation— that is, the adversary — overtake us.

Tertullian, On Modesty Supporting witness

... the sinful People. Since, if they have fasted, He says, “I will not listen to their entreaty.” And again: “And do not pray to me on behalf of the People, and do not request on their behalf in prayer and supplication, since I will not listen to them in the time in which they shall have called on me, in the time of their affliction.” And further above, the same One who prefers mercy above sacrifice says: “And do not pray to me on behalf of this People, and do not request that they may obtain mercy, and do not approach me on their behalf, since I will not listen to them” — of course when they sue for mercy, when out of repentance they weep and fast, and when they offer their self-affliction to God. For God is jealous, and is One who is not contemptuously mocked — mocked, namely, by such as flatter His goodness — and who, although patient, yet threatens, through Isaiah, an end of His patience: “I have held my peace; shall I also always hold my peace and endure? I have been quiet as a woman in birth-throes; I will arise, and will make them grow arid.” For “a fire shall proceed before His face, and shall utterly burn His enemies,” striking down not the body only, but the souls too, i

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

...ore My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me, him I will also deny," Matthew 10:32-33. And again He has said, "All sins will be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not have forgiveness, but is guilty of eternal sin," Mark 3:28-29. Also the blessed apostle has said, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of demons," 1 Corinthians 10:21. He who keeps these words from our brothers deceives those miserable people, so that those who, by truly repenting, might satisfy God, both as Father and as merciful, by their prayers and works, are misled more deeply to their destruction; and those who might have raised themselves up fall more deeply. For although, in lesser sins, sinners may do penance for a set time, and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by the laying on of the hands of the bishop and clergy receive the right of communion, now, before their time is fulfilled, while persecution is still raging, while the peace of the Church itself is not yet restored, they are admitted to communion, and their nam

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

...lation 2:5. This is clearly said to someone who has plainly fallen, and whom the Lord urges to rise again by his works, because it is written, “Alms do deliver from death,” Tobit 4:10. This certainly does not mean from that death which the blood of Christ once destroyed, and from which the saving grace of baptism and of our Redeemer has delivered us, but from that death which afterward creeps in through sins. Also, in another place, time is given for repentance, and the Lord threatens the one who does not repent: “I have,” He says, “many things against you, because you allow your wife Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols; and I gave her time to repent, and she will not repent of her fornication. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds,” Revelation 2:20-22. Certainly the Lord would not urge them to repent unless He promised mercy to those who repent. And in the Gospel He says, “I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety-nine just p

Hebrews 6:1 Direct teaching

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

Hebrews 6:3 Direct teaching

And this we will do if God permits.

Hebrews 6:2 Direct teaching

and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-6 And the foresaid Scriptures, when examined in other places, will be seen to exhibit other mysteries.

Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom Supporting witness

... pay too little heed to the words, "At sundry times, and in various manners, God spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." This is true not only in general, but also of individuals. For if you notice, you will find that the same saints have been favored with divine dreams, angelic appearances, and direct inspirations. For the present, it will be enough to give the example of what is testified concerning Jacob. He speaks of dreams from God in this way: "And it came to pass, at the time that the cattle conceived, that I saw them before my eyes in a dream; and, behold, the rams and he-goats which leaped upon the sheep and the goats, white-spotted, and speckled, and grisled. And the angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, What is it? And he said, Lift up your eyes and see, the goats and rams leaping on the goats and sheep, white-spotted, and speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban does unto you. I am God, who appeared unto you in the place of God, where you anointed there to Me a pillar, and vowed a vow there to Me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return unto the land of your kindred."

Gregory Thaumaturgus, Oration to Origen Supporting witness

...m free. For they are like people caught in a swamp spread over a wide plain that cannot be crossed. Once they have fallen into it, it lets them neither go back nor cross over to safety, but holds them down in its mud until they die. Or they may be compared to people in a deep, thick, and majestic forest. A traveler enters it, perhaps thinking that he will quickly find his way out again and return to the open plain. But the size and thickness of the woods defeat his plan. He turns in many directions and comes upon many connected paths within it. He follows many routes, thinking that surely one of them will lead him out. But they only lead him farther in, and they do not open any way out at all, since they are all only paths within the forest itself. At last the traveler, completely worn out and exhausted, sees that every path he tried has still proved to be only forest. He gives up hope of ever finding his home on earth again, and decides to stay there, set up his hearth, and prepare for his own use whatever open space he can make in the forest itself. Or again, we may use the image of a labyrinth. It has only one visible entrance, so that from the outside nothing seems suspiciou

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...men, just as hunting is for those who are warlike by nature. From there God brought him to lead the Hebrews. Then the Egyptians, though often warned, remained unwise. And the Hebrews were spectators of the calamities that others suffered, learning in safety the power of God. And when the Egyptians paid no attention to the effects of that power, because in their foolish infatuation they did not believe, then, as it is said, the children knew what was done. And afterward the Hebrews went out and departed carrying much spoil from the Egyptians, not from avarice, as the cavillers say. For God did not persuade them to covet what belonged to others. But, first, they took wages for the services they had rendered to the Egyptians all that time. Then, in a way, they repaid the Egyptians by afflicting them in return, as avaricious people, through the taking of the booty, just as they had afflicted the Hebrews by enslaving them. Whether, then, as may be claimed to be done in war, they thought it proper, in exercising the rights of conquerors, to take away the property of their enemies, as those who have gained the day do from those who are defeated—and there was just cause for hostilities.

Hebrews 6:9 Direct teaching

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.

Hebrews 6:11 Direct teaching

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

Therefore, O bishop, judge with authority like God, yet receive those who repent, for God is a God of mercy. Rebuke those who sin. Warn those who have not turned back. Encourage those who stand firm to continue in their goodness. Receive those who repent, for the Lord God has promised with an oath to grant forgiveness to those who repent for the wrong things they have done. For He says through Ezekiel: "Speak to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'I do not desire the death of a sinner, but that the wicked turn from his evil way and live. Therefore turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?'" Ezekiel 33:11. Here the word gives hope to sinners, so that if they repent, they will have hope of salvation. Otherwise, out of despair, they might give themselves over to their transgressions. But having hope of salvation, they may be converted, and may pray to God with tears because of their sins, and may repent from their hearts, and so calm His displeasure toward them. Then they will receive pardon from Him, as from a merciful Father.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...epent of their faults, and even though we have disinherited them and cast them off, we receive them again, cherish them, and embrace them, why should we despair that the mercy of God our Father can also be appeased again by repentance? Therefore, He who is both Lord and a most gentle Father promises that He will forgive the sins of those who repent, and that He will blot out all the iniquities of the man who begins again to practice righteousness. For just as the uprightness of his past life is of no help to the man who lives badly, because his later wickedness has destroyed his works of righteousness, so also former sins do not stand in the way of the man who has corrected his life, because his later righteousness has wiped away the stain of his former life. For the man who repents of what he has done understands his former error. And for this reason the Greeks speak better and more meaningfully of metanoia, which we may express in Latin as a return to a right understanding. For he returns to a right understanding, and recovers his mind, as it were, from madness, when he is grieved over his error. He rebukes himself for his madness and strengthens his mind for a better way of l

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

so that while in all Scripture the Lord God sooths those who return to Him and repent, repentance itself is taken away by our hardness and cruelty, which intercepts the fruits of repentance.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

22. But I wonder that some are so obstinate as to think that repentance is not to be granted to the lapsed, or to suppose that pardon is to be denied to the penitent, when it is written, Remember whence you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works, Revelation 2:5 which certainly is said to him who evidently has fallen, and whom the Lord exhorts to rise up again by his works, because it is written, Alms do deliver from death, Tobit 4:10 and not, assuredly, from that death which once the blood of Christ extinguished, and from which the saving grace of baptism and of our Redeemer has delivered us, but from that which subsequently creeps in through sins.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

...his change, a second birth restored me into a new man. Then, in a wonderful way, doubtful things at once began to become certain to me, hidden things to be revealed, dark things to be enlightened. What had seemed difficult before began to show a way it could be done. What had been thought impossible began to be seen as able to be accomplished. So I was able to acknowledge that what had previously been born of the flesh, and had lived in the practice of sins, was earthly, of the earth; but now it had begun to be of God and was made alive by the Spirit of holiness. You yourself certainly know and remember, as well as I do, what was taken away from us and what was given to us by that death of evil and that life of virtue. You yourself know this without my telling you. Anything like boasting in praise of oneself is hateful. Yet in truth we cannot boast, but only give thanks for whatever we do not ascribe to human virtue, but declare to be the gift of God. So the fact that we do not sin now is the beginning of the work of faith, whereas the fact that we sinned before was the result of human error. All our power is from God; yes, from God. From Him we have life. From Him we have stren

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...according to Your great goodness, have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against You, and in Your infinite mercy have appointed repentance to sinners, that they may be saved. You therefore, O Lord, the God of the just, have not appointed repentance for the just, as for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who have not sinned against You; but You have appointed repentance for me, who am a sinner. For I have sinned beyond the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions, O Lord, are multiplied; my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to look up and see the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquity. I am bowed down with many iron bands, for I have provoked Your wrath and done evil before You, setting up abominations and multiplying offenses. Now therefore I bow the knee of my heart, begging for Your grace. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge my iniquities. Therefore I humbly beg You, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and do not destroy me with my iniquities. Do not be angry with me forever by reserving evil for me, nor condemn me to the lower parts of the earth. For You are God, the God of those who repent, and