Can One Fall from Heaven Once In? 

         The book of Hebrews is one of the more fascinating books in the Bible. Yet, there are parts of it that have caused much controversy. 

        To answer the above question, which our title brings, look with me at John 5:24. Jesus is speaking here. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."

        Jesus tells the believer that he is secure in his salvation. There is no judgment of his person. He has gone from judgment into eternal life. The believer will be judged for his deeds, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15.

Then Hebrews 6:4-6 Must be talking about something else for the believer to lose. You must know the history of the church to which the author is writing. The believers in this church are being persecuted severely. They have lost their property and are being thrown into prison.

They make a plan to escape the persecution by pretending to leave their beliefs in God, go into Jerusalem and back under the Levitical system of worship. The idea of going back under the Law is absurd the author tells them. There is no sacrifice they can make in this system that can remove their sin.

Hebrews 6:4-6

4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

The writer is telling them that their idea of going back under the law to escape persecution will not work. In order for your plans to materialize, you would have to take Jesus out of heaven and put him on the cross again. That is what is impossible!

That is all that has to happen for them to complete their mission. That way you can be saved again.

This also makes an awesome statement to me. It says to me that if I want to be saved today and lost the next day then somewhere my theology is wrong. For this to happen all I have to do is to get Jesus back down here and put him on the cross again.

Hebrews 6:6 teaches that if you ever lose your salvation, you could never get it back. So, you cannot have it one day, lose it and then get it back.

The question from the rest of God’s word is, “Can you lose your salvation?”

I want you to think through this with me. I like to analyze things from the whole, not from the part. I find it incredibly interesting that the very first subject the writer deals with when taking these believers from milk to meat is the security of the believer.

Perhaps the writer chose this subject for you and me as well as the Hebrew believers to whom he was writing. I believe this is why he chose this subject.

“Hey guys! I want you to remember this lesson the rest of your days. If you are going to take another believer beyond the understanding of the foundational truths given in the first two verses of this chapter, you must teach him about eternal security.

The first thing I want you to know is that the God who saved them is big enough to keep them saved throughout eternity.”

If you do not view God from this perspective, you will never desire intimacy with Christ. He will be a Savior who lives way off somewhere.

However, if you want to know a God who is real and near, the subject of eternal security must be resolved up front.

Once you know that you are His—that you are kept, sealed, in his hand and nothing can take you out—you will say, “I run after the heart of God.”

             When the truth about eternal security of the believer is revelation to you, your doubt is over. The way you walk, communicate with God and with other people will change once you know about eternal security.

How big is your God? Can he save you and keep you saved?

The author of Hebrews says that the most important thing you need o know to graduate from milk to solid food is the fact that you are kept by God forever. You belong to God for all eternity.

If you can lose your salvation, how many sins do we have to commit to lose it? 1? 10? 110? What kinds of sins do you have to commit to lose your salvation—lying, stealing, cheating, murder, rape, adultery, being lazy, apathy, gossip, swearing lies? Do any of these measures work to keep the Lord from saving you?

Find it in the Bible and prove to me, chapter and verse, the sin that will condemn you to hell once you have become saved. The only sin in the Bible that you can commit that will keep you out of heaven permanently is the sin of never accepting the Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, if you cannot lose your salvation, if you are saved eternally, then the writer has to be addressing their plan not their salvation. I went through all the above to get to this point.

So, the author is saying to his audience and to you, “If you are going to try another way, then you will have to call Jesus back out of heaven and nail him to the cross again.”

I must tell you; this will never work! You cannot crucify the Son of God again. That is all the understanding of this scripture can be based on.