I recently received an email from a listener about Hebrews 6 and eternal security. In his email, he asked, “…some of us are convinced that this verse means that believers can lose their salvation.” Considering this question, let’s take a look at how this passage can be explained in light of the security of the believer in Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 6:6 is commonly used as a proof text for the idea that a believer can lose their salvation. Here’s how I teach this verse.
The writer is addressing Jewish believers—specifically ones who were expected to be farther along in their Christian growth.
“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” (Hebrews 5:11–12)
Chapter 6 continues this line of thinking by urging believers to grow in their knowledge of the Lord, rather than continually needing reminders of foundational beliefs:
“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, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.” (Hebrews 6:1–3)
Also, consider the exhortation from 2 Peter:
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5–8)
The takeaway is that continued spiritual growth prevents stagnation. But there is nothing in these texts to indicate that our salvation is dependent upon that growth. Salvation is not sustained by our maturity.
The issue in Hebrews 6 is not salvation but service. The audience had not matured because they were not walking in the new nature. They were tempted to revert to the Mosaic Law, walking away from the Spirit-led life. Hebrews 10 addresses this very issue.
Many Jewish believers were tempted to return to the temple sacrifices, thereby rejecting Christ’s once-for-all offering. Doing so would essentially “crucify the Son of God afresh”—denying His sufficiency and putting Him to open shame. The author of Hebrews warns that such a departure from the gospel is spiritually catastrophic, though not a forfeiture of eternal life.
Now, with that in mind, we come to Hebrews 6:4–6. This passage represents the culmination of spiritual immaturity. The writer is warning that believers who persist in walking in the flesh and rejecting spiritual truth may reach a point where they never return to God in fellowship.
It is possible for these kinds of believers—those who persist in rejecting Christ’s sufficiency and walk by the flesh—to so harden their hearts that they never return to fellowship and fruitful service. But their eternal salvation remains secure, based on Christ’s finished work.
This is not about returning to hellfire condemnation. Jesus promised:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)
Further proof is found in John 6:
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37–40)
Back to Hebrews 6:6: the statement, “if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance,” is not saying that God will not forgive or that salvation is lost. It is saying that repentance—changing their mind—is not likely. The longer they resist, the harder their hearts become.
The text suggests that, after such a fall, it becomes humanly impossible to renew them to repentance—not because God wouldn’t forgive them, but because their hardened hearts make such repentance increasingly improbable. They’ve grown so callous that they no longer respond to the truth.
And how does this happen? It happens because they fail to add to their faith. They do not walk in the newness of life that is found in Christ.
There are many biblical examples of believers who fell away from faithfulness:
- Numbers 14:27–32
- Genesis 25:29–34
- Hebrews 3:7–19
- Hebrews 10:23–25
- Hebrews 10:35–39
- 2 Timothy 2:17–18
- 1 Timothy 4:1
The danger for an apostate believer is developing a reprobate mind. Continued rejection of truth leads to self-deception, God’s chastening, loss of rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and possibly even physical death.
As a rule of thumb: do not allow difficult passages to reinterpret clear ones. Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace through faith and that it is eternal, not probationary. If Hebrews 6:6 seemed to contradict that, we would need to ask:
- Is salvation a two-part process—belief plus spiritual maturity?
- Is justification a two-stage event, with the second stage earned by works?
- Did Jesus not die for the sin of apostasy?
- How could someone know they’ve crossed a line and lost salvation, if that were possible?
In summary, Hebrews 6:4–6 does not teach loss of salvation. It warns of spiritual regression, hardened apostasy, and the sobering consequences of turning away from Christ’s sufficiency. Eternal life, once received by faith alone in Christ alone, is never lost—but our fruitfulness, fellowship, and reward are certainly at stake.
I pray this helps your Bible study and encourages further discussion. Thank you again for reaching out.