Kruger: an apostate is someone who seems to be a believer (8:50); was once someone once on the inside (9:10) ... our argument here is that an apostate is not someone who lost their salvation (9:30); they seem like they were saved but weren't.... don't find your self in a place where you prove to be an unbeliever (11:00); these are some of the most difficult passages in the whole New Testament. The reason that this passage is difficult for Dr Kruger is it contradicts his theology. He asks one to believe his fallible interpretation of scripture, even if it disagrees with 2,000 years of Church teaching, passed down by the apostles. _4 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt._ If one has been enlightened.... tasted the heavenly gift AND was a partaker of the Holy Spirit ... ONE IS SAVED. Keep in mind, the author of Hebrews is speaking to BELIEVERS. You can't drift away from something unless you already own or believe it. _ Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it._ (Ch 2:1) The author is clear again, that they are speaking to BELIEVERS. One can't "Fall Away" unless one is already a BELIEVER. "12 Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God._ (Ch 3:1) No what Dr. Kruger is doing is exegeting scripture through the lens of his own theology. The text and 2000 years of apostolic teaching is clear: believers CAN fall away, and reject the heavenly gift through their own free will. This too is the WHOLE point of the story of the prodigal son. One can be a member of the Fathers house, a Son, and by their own free will LEAVE the Father. Yet... the Father waits for the Son, to return to repentance and the father takes him back. St Athanasius, Catholic Bishop of Alexandria, and from whom we have the first New Testament canon listing, exactly as we have it today, no more books, no less says believers, those saved, those who have the WORD in us, can fall away and lose their salvation unless they repent “It is the Spirit then which is in God, and not we viewed in our own selves; and as we are sons and gods because of the Word in us, so we shall be in the Son and in the Father, and we shall be accounted to have become one in Son and in Father, because that that Spirit is in us, which is in the Word which is in the Father. When then a man falls from the Spirit for any wickedness, if he repent upon his fall, the grace remains irrevocably to such as are willing; otherwise he who has fallen is no longer in God (because that Holy Spirit and Paraclete which is in God has deserted him), but the sinner shall be in him to whom he has subjected himself, as took place in Saul’s instance; for the Spirit of God departed from him and an evil spirit was afflicting him.” Athanasius, Discourse Against the Arians, 3:25 (A.D. 362). So too St John Chrystotom ... admonish Christians not to fall away, and lose their salvation. “Let us admonish each other. Let us correct each other, that we may not go to the other world as debtors, and then, needing to borrow of others, suffer the fate of the foolish virgins, and fall from immortal salvation.” John Chrysostom, Concerning Statues, 21 (A.D. 387). And rejoices.
Kruger: an apostate is someone who seems to be a believer (8:50); was once someone once on the inside (9:10) ... our argument here is that an apostate is not someone who lost their salvation (9:30); they seem like they were saved but weren't.... don't find your self in a place where you prove to be an unbeliever (11:00); these are some of the most difficult passages in the whole New Testament.
The reason that this passage is difficult for Dr Kruger is it contradicts his theology. He asks one to believe his fallible interpretation of scripture, even if it disagrees with 2,000 years of Church teaching, passed down by the apostles.
_4 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt._
If one has been enlightened.... tasted the heavenly gift AND was a partaker of the Holy Spirit ...
ONE IS SAVED.
Keep in mind, the author of Hebrews is speaking to BELIEVERS. You can't drift away from something unless you already own or believe it.
_ Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it._ (Ch 2:1)
The author is clear again, that they are speaking to BELIEVERS. One can't "Fall Away" unless one is already a BELIEVER.
"12 Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God._ (Ch 3:1)
No what Dr. Kruger is doing is exegeting scripture through the lens of his own theology. The text and 2000 years of apostolic teaching is clear: believers CAN fall away, and reject the heavenly gift through their own free will.
This too is the WHOLE point of the story of the prodigal son. One can be a member of the Fathers house, a Son, and by their own free will LEAVE the Father.
Yet... the Father waits for the Son, to return to repentance and the father takes him back.
St Athanasius, Catholic Bishop of Alexandria, and from whom we have the first New Testament canon listing, exactly as we have it today, no more books, no less says believers, those saved, those who have the WORD in us, can fall away and lose their salvation unless they repent
“It is the Spirit then which is in God, and not we viewed in our own selves; and as we are sons and gods because of the Word in us, so we shall be in the Son and in the Father, and we shall be accounted to have become one in Son and in Father, because that that Spirit is in us, which is in the Word which is in the Father. When then a man falls from the Spirit for any wickedness, if he repent upon his fall, the grace remains irrevocably to such as are willing; otherwise he who has fallen is no longer in God (because that Holy Spirit and Paraclete which is in God has deserted him), but the sinner shall be in him to whom he has subjected himself, as took place in Saul’s instance; for the Spirit of God departed from him and an evil spirit was afflicting him.” Athanasius, Discourse Against the Arians, 3:25 (A.D. 362).
So too St John Chrystotom ... admonish Christians not to fall away, and lose their salvation.
“Let us admonish each other. Let us correct each other, that we may not go to the other world as debtors, and then, needing to borrow of others, suffer the fate of the foolish virgins, and fall from immortal salvation.” John Chrysostom, Concerning Statues, 21 (A.D. 387).
And rejoices.