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1. Building on the Basics (Heb 6:1-3) Again, the chapter division is unfortunate as the thought continues from Heb 5:14. The author recognizes that there are foundational principles in the gospel just as there are in other academic disciplines. These things would involve basic life-changes, questions of curiosity, false conceptions and other matters of interest to a young Christian. While these things must be periodically reinforced, Christians must press ahead in their under-standing of deeper aspects of truth. The writer intends to provide such instruction “if God permits” (Heb 6:3). 1. What are “dead works”?2. What “baptisms” might be referred to in Heb 6:2? 2. The Fate of Apostates (Heb 6:4-8) This section has fueled endless debates across the centuries as men grapple with the implications of what the author sets forth. The crux of the issue is “if they fall away” (Heb 6:6). We must remember what the author is addressing in this book: not merely succumbing to occasional temptation but deliberate, calculated apostasy. He has warned against “departing from the living God” through rebellion and unbelief (3:12, 16, 19). This was a chronic state of mind, a conscious hardening of the heart (3:7, 15; 4:7) which caused them to abandon their original confidence and confession (3:6; 4:14). Having fully and completely experienced the joys and benefits of reconciliation in Christ (6:4-5), these brethren choose to withdraw and, in the process, “crucify again for themselves the son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (6:6b). What is the result of such a mindset? “It is impossible … to renew them again to repentance.” This truth is so unsettling that our first impulse is to soften or circumvent it. Please note that the text does not say that an apostate cannot be forgiven. What it says is that the apostate’s frame of mind precludes his repentance. In other words, conscious rejection of the truth can result in a “point of no return” wherein no value is seen in Christ and, consequently, no impulse to repent is generated. This person is likened to a patch of earth that drinks in life-giving rain but only produces thorns and briers (6:7-8). Although it is beyond human capability to determine when such a person is irrevocably apostate, this does not nullify the author’s warning: such a condition is possible and his readers are dangerously flirting with it. 3. Explain the significance of the word “tasted” (Heb 6:4-5). Compare Hebrews 2:9.4. Explain the context of this warning. What failure has led these brethren to the brink of disaster? 3. On a Positive Note … (Heb 6:9-12) The author follows the above hammer-blow with gentle optimism. He assures them that their past and present work has not gone unnoticed by God and they need to “show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end” (Heb 6:11). “To the end” is a key phrase of perseverance (3:6, 14). A steady, patient faith has always been required of God’s people to “inherit the promises” (6:12). 5. Of what is the writer confident concerning his beloved brethren?6. How does Hebrews 6:10 complement Hebrews 6:4-5? See attached complete Lesson 6