Reformed Protestant Thomas R. Schreiner, while a proponent of the Perseverance of the Saints, wrote the following about the warning passage in Heb 6 which refutes a lot of the common apologetic responses by defenders of various theologies of eternal security against those who believe a truly saved/justified person can lose their salvation:
The third warning text in Hebrews
(5:11-6:12) is certainly the most famous. Since all other warning texts in
Hebrews address Christians, as is evident by the use of second person plural (“you”)
and first person plural (“we,” “us”) pronouns, it is unlikely that the author
addresses a distinct group in chapter 6. They are described as “enlightened” (φωτισθεντας), and the same term is used to designate
the Hebrews’ response to suffering when they first became believers in 10:32.
The readers also “tasted the heavenly gift” (6:4) and “tasted God’s word and
the powers of the coming age (6:5). Scholars differ on defining “the heavenly
gift,” but it probably denotes salvation. The “word” refers to the gospel which
was proclaimed and “the powers of the coming age” the fulfillment of salvation
history with the death and resurrection of Christ. The key question for our
purposes is whether the readers’ experience of these blessings was saving or
partial. Did they just “sip” these blessings or did they ingest them fully? In
other words, does the word “taste” signify something short of salvation or
salvation itself? The only other use of the word “taste” (γευομαι) in Hebrews refers to Jesus
tasting death for others (2:8). Clearly, Jesus did not merely “sip” death; He
experienced it fully. The only evidence we have from Hebrews suggests,
therefore, that the readers truly experienced salvation, the gospel, and the
powers of the coming age.
The readers were also “partakers
of the Holy Spirit” (6:4). Some understand this to refer to experiences with
the Spirit short of salvation. But the word is used of companions (1:9), of
those who share a heavenly calling (3:1), of those who share in Christ (3:14),
and of legitimate children who receive discipline (12:8). The verb “share” (μετεχω) indicates that Jesus partook of
flesh and blood like all other human beings (2:14), of partaking of milk
(5:13), and of the tribe to which one belongs (7:13). In every case the word is
used of a real and genuine sharing and partaking. In no instances does the term
denote an incomplete or partial sharing. The most natural way to take the
phrase is that the readers truly shared in the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit
is the sign that one is a believer. Those who don’t have the Spirit don’t
belong to God (Romans 8:9). When Paul wanted to persuade the Galatians that
they were already Christians and didn’t need to be circumcised, he reminded
them that they received the Spirit when they believed (Galatians 3:1-5).
Similarly, at the Apostolic Council Peter argued that circumcision was
unnecessary by reminding those present that Cornelius and his friends received
the Spirit without submitting to the rite (Acts 15:7-11). What it means to be a
Christian is to receive God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:16). It seems likely,
therefore, that the author addresses his readers as Christians. (Thomas R.
Schreiner, “Promises of Preservation And Exhortations to Perseverance,” in Whomever
He Wills: A Surprising Display of Sovereign Mercy, ed. Matthew Barrett and
Thomas J. Nettles [Cape Carol, Fla.: Founders Press, 2012], 203-4, italics in
original)
Further Reading
An
Examination and Critique of the Theological Presuppositions Underlying Reformed
Theology
