KJV Hebrews 6
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away [apostasy], to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Explanation
Jews converted to Christianity could have felt pressure to return to Judaism alone, because that religion was legal in the Roman Empire. Christianity was not.
The main argument seems to be - Moses was powerful and influential, a key figure in Judaism, but Jesus Christ is the ultimate, greater than Melchisedech, the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Those who fell back from the Gospel, for whatever reason, would have a very difficult experience in returning.
These verses are very much like John 15:1ff. in the Parable of the Vine. Those remaining in the faith would grow, but justified by faith in Him and be fruitful. Those not remaining in Christ would be pruned, thrown away, dried up, gathered, and burned.
The Last 100 Years
In the last century, American Protestantism has fueled apostasy, turning away from the Apostolic Bible - the KJV, with only a trickle following bad ones.
The academics went to Europe to learn the latest in Pietism (Halle) turned to Rationalism (Halle and the rest). The mainline, liberal academics trained the ministers and professors to deny the Trinity, the Creation, the divine preservation of the Scriptures, and the divinity of Christ. Clergy like Walter Rauschenbusch re-interpreted the content of the Bible to justify social activism.
Rauschenbusch was a liberal (Northern) Baptist, and his denomination continued that trend. Now we can see, a century later, the conservative Southern Baptists repudiating what they once stood for.
Christina and I visited the huge Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, to do some dissertation research. Andy Stanley's father, as head of their convention, could not get the faculty to confess what they actually believed about the the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of Christ.
One could say the same things about the LCA merging into ELCA-hood, with the ALC no longer pretending to be immaculate.
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| Fuller Seminary is shrinking faster than a cheap suit during a downpour. This is about 2018 from the Christian Post. |
Fuller Seminary (not my fault) was born about the same time as I was. They started with a watered-down statement about inerrancy and went downhill from there.
WELS leaders went bonkers when I published Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure. All I did was expose their Fuller Seminary lust to Luther and the Book of Concord.
