Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine

by Wayne Grudem

this enlightening simply means that they came to understand the truths of the gospel, not that they responded to those truths with genuine saving faith.

Inherent in the idea of tasting is the fact that the tasting is temporary and one might or might not decide to accept the thing that is tasted.

these people have come to understand the heavenly gift (which probably means here that they had experienced some of the power of the Holy Spirit at work) and to know something of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come. It does not necessarily mean that they had (or did not have) genuine saving faith, but may simply mean that they came to understand it and have some experience of spiritual power.

this term has a range of meaning and may imply very close participation and attachment, or may only imply a loose association with the other person or persons named.

By analogy, Hebrews 6:4–6 speaks of people who have been “associated with” the Holy Spirit, and thereby had their lives influenced by him, but it need not imply that they had a redeeming work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, or that they were regenerated.

The very word metochos allows for a range of influence from fairly weak to fairly strong, for it only means “one who participates with or shares with or accompanies in some activity.” This was apparently what had happened to these people spoken of in Hebrews 6, who had been associated with the church and as such associated with the work of the Holy Spirit, and no doubt had been influenced by him in some ways in their lives.

“repentance” (Gk. metanoia) does not need to refer to inward heart repentance unto salvation. For example, Hebrews 12:17 uses this word to speak of a change of mind that Esau sought concerning the sale of his birthright, and refers to it as “repentance” (metanoia). This would not have been a repentance for salvation, but simply a change of mind

Whether or not it is a genuine saving repentance, a “repentance unto salvation,” may not be always evident right away. The author of Hebrews is not concerned to specify whether it is a genuine repentance or not. He is simply saying that if someone has a sorrow for sin and comes to understand the gospel and experiences these various blessings of the Holy Spirit’s work (no doubt in fellowship with the church), and then turns away, it will not be possible to restore such a person again to a place of sorrow for sin. But this does not necessarily imply that the repentance was genuine saving repentance in the first place.

perhaps even using some spiritual gifts in the manner of the unbelievers in Matthew 7:22

Now the author of Hebrews knows that there are some in the community to which he writes who are in danger of falling away in just this way

This does not imply that he thinks that true Christians could fall away—Hebrews 3:14 implies quite the opposite. But he wants them to gain assurance of salvation through their continuing in faith, and thereby implies that if they fall away it would show that they never were Christ’s people in the first place (see Heb. 3:6: “We are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope”). Therefore the author wants to give a severe warning to those in danger of slipping away from their Christian profession. He wants to use the strongest language possible to say, “Here is how far a person can come in experiencing temporary blessings and still not really be saved.” He is warning them to watch out, because depending on temporary blessings and experiences is not enough. To do this he talks not of any true change of heart or any good fruit produced, but simply about the temporary blessings and experiences that have come to these persons and have given them some understanding of Christianity.

For this reason he immediately passes from this description of those who commit apostasy to a further analogy that shows that these people who fell away never had any genuine fruit in their lives.

We should notice here that people who commit apostasy are not compared to a field that once bore good fruit and now does not, but that they are like land that never bore good fruit, but only thorns and thistles. The land may look good before the crops start to come up, but the fruit gives the genuine evidence, and it is bad. Strong support for this interpretation of Hebrews 6:4–8 is found in the verse immediately following.

In this way the Greek word kai (“also”) shows that salvation is something that was not part of the things mentioned in verses 4–6 above. Therefore this word kai, which is not explicitly translated in the RSV or NIV (but the NASB comes close),20 provides a crucial key for understanding the passage.

he shows, moreover, that the people whom he speaks of in verses 4–6 are not saved.

What exactly are these “better things”? In addition to salvation mentioned in verse 9, they are things that give real evidence of salvation—genuine fruit in their lives (v. 10), full assurance of hope (v. 11), and saving faith, of the type exhibited by those who inherit the promises (v. 12). In this way he reassures those who are genuine believers—those who show fruit in their lives and show love for other Christians, who show hope and genuine faith that is continuing at the present time, and who are not about to fall away. He wants to reassure these readers (who are certainly the great majority of the ones to whom he writes) while still issuing a strong warning to those among them who may be in danger of falling away.

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left”

“He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life.”

the fact that Jesus emphatically states that he will not do something should not be taken as teaching that he will do that same thing in other cases!

“Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Scripture is not here talking about a total loss of all work of the Holy Spirit in Saul’s life, but simply about the withdrawing of the Holy Spirit’s function of empowering Saul as king.

Do I Have a Present Trust in Christ for Salvation? Paul tells the Colossians that they will be saved on the last day, “provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Col. 1:23). The author of Hebrews says, “We share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end” (Heb. 3:14) and encourages his readers to be imitators of those “who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12). In fact, the most famous verse in the entire Bible uses a present tense verb that may be translated, “whoever continues believing in him” may have eternal life (see John 3:16).

If a testimony of saving faith is genuine, it should be a testimony of faith that is active this very day.

Is There Evidence of a Regenerating Work of the Holy Spirit in My Heart?

First, there is a subjective testimony of the Holy Spirit within our hearts bearing witness that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:15–16; 1 John 4:13). This testimony will usually be accompanied by a sense of being led by the Holy Spirit in paths of obedience to God’s will (Rom. 8:14). In addition, if the Holy Spirit is genuinely at work in our lives, he will be producing the kind of character traits that Paul calls “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22). He lists several attitudes and character traits that are produced by the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). Of course, the question is not, “Do I perfectly exemplify all of these characteristics in my life?” but rather, “Are these things a general characteristic of my life? Do I sense these attitudes in my heart? Do others (especially those closest to me) see these traits exhibited in my life? Have I been growing in them over a period of years?”

Related to this kind of fruit is another kind of fruit—the results of one’s life and ministry as they have influence on others and on the church.

there are those who seem to edify others in every conversation, every prayer, and every work of ministry they put their hand to.

Another evidence of work of the Holy Spirit is continuing to believe and accept the sound teaching of the church. Those who begin to deny major doctrines of the faith give serious negative indications concerning their salvation: “No one who denies the Son has the Father. . . . If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:23–24). John also says, “Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us” (1 John 4:6).

we might also say that whoever knows God will continue to read and to delight in God’s Word, and will continue to believe it fully. Those who do not believe and delight in God’s Word give evidence that they are not “of God.” Another evidence of genuine salvation is a continuing present relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “Abide in me, and I in you”

Finally, a major area of evidence that we are genuine believers is found in a life of obedience to God’s commands. John says, “He who says ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4–6). A perfect life is not necessary, of course. John is rather saying that in general our lives ought to be ones of imitation of Christ and likeness to him in what we do and say. If we have genuine saving faith, there will be clear results in obedience in our lives (see also 1 John 3:9–10, 24; 5:18). Thus James can say, “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” and “I by my works will show you my faith” (James 2:17–18). One large area of obedience to God includes love for fellow Christians.

One evidence of this love is continuing in Christian fellowship (1 John 2:19), and another is giving to a brother in need

Do I See a Long-Term Pattern of Growth in My Christian Life?

Peter gives one more kind of test that we can use to ask whether we are genuinely believers. He tells us that there are some character traits which, if we keep on increasing in them, will guarantee that we will “never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). He tells his readers to add to their faith “virtue . . . knowledge . . . self-control . . . steadfastness . . . godliness . . . brotherly affection . . . love” (2 Peter 1:5–7). Then he says that these things are to belong to his readers and to continually “abound” in their lives (2 Peter 1:8). He adds that they are to “be the more zealous to confirm your call and election” and says then that “if you do this (literally, “these things,” referring to the character traits mentioned in vv. 5–7) you will never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). The way that we confirm our call and election, then, is to continue to grow in “these things.” This implies that our assurance of salvation can be something that increases over time in our lives.

The result of these three questions that we can ask ourselves should be to give strong assurance to those who are genuinely believers. In this way the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints will be a tremendously comforting doctrine. No one who has such assurance should wonder, “Will I be able to persevere to the end of my life and therefore be saved?” Everyone who gains assurance through such a self-examination should rather think, “I am truly born again; therefore, I will certainly persevere to the end, because I am being guarded ‘by God’s power’ working through my faith (1 Peter 1:5) and therefore I will never be lost. Jesus will raise me up at the last day and I will enter into his kingdom forever” (John 6:40).

we should realize that Calvinists and Arminians (those who believe in the perseverance of the saints and those who think that Christians can lose their salvation) will both counsel a “backslider” in the same way.

the phrase eternal security can be quite misleading.

the verse does not go so far as to specify that “everyone who believes continuously until his or her death will have eternal life,” but rather simply says that “he who is presently in a state of believing in Christ” will have eternal life and Jesus will raise him up at the last day.

those who believe in the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints (such as myself) would affirm that the way God keeps us safe is by causing us to continue to believe in Christ (see discussion below), so to say that Scripture also emphasizes the necessity of continuing in faith is not to object to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints

there is a way to believe in both sets of texts without concluding that people who are truly born again can lose their salvation.

Arminian theologians frequently assume that if they affirm human responsibility and the need for continuing in faith they have thereby negated the idea that God’s sovereign keeping and protection is absolutely certain and eternal life is guaranteed. But they often to do this without providing any other convincing interpretations for the texts cited to demonstrate the doctrine of perseverance of the saints, or any explanation that would show why we should not take these words as absolute guarantees that those who are born again will certainly persevere to the end. Rather than assuming that passages on human responsibility negate the idea of God’s sovereign protection, it seems better to adopt the Reformed position that says that God’s sovereign protection is consistent with human responsibility, because it works through human responsibility and guarantees that we will respond by maintaining the faith that is necessary to persevere.

The conclusion of this examination of the term metochos is that, while it can be used of very close association with saving results in a person’s life, it can also be used simply of associating or participating with someone else. Therefore the term itself does not require that the people in Heb. 6:4–6 had saving participation with the Holy Spirit or had been regenerated. It simply means they had in some ways been associated with and influenced by the Holy Spirit. The people who prophesied and cast out demons and did many mighty works in Jesus’ name in Matt. 7:22 are good examples of people who certainly did have some sharing in the work of the Holy Spirit or who had become “partakers” of the Holy Spirit in this sense, but had not been saved: Jesus says, “I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23).

Strong mentions an appropriate parallel use of the verb “sanctify” in 1 Cor. 7:14, which speaks about the unbelieving husband being “sanctified” by the believing wife (1 Cor. 7:14, where the same Greek word, hagiazō, is used). Outward ceremonial sanctification is also referred in Heb. 9:13; cf. Matt. 23:17, 19.

26A different kind of book is probably in view in Ex. 32:33, where God says to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” Here the New Testament idea of the “book of life” is not mentioned. Rather, the image is one of God keeping a record of those currently dwelling among his people, much as an earthly king would do. To “blot out” someone’s name from such a book would imply that the person had died. Using this imagery, Ex. 32:33 is best understood to mean that God will take the life of anyone who sins against him (see v. 35). Eternal destiny is not in view in this passage.

To some extent, then, the degree to which we actually long for Christ’s return is a measure of the spiritual condition of our own lives at the moment.