The following passage from the third chapter of the Book of Hebrews has this in common with the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans: both chapters reveal conclusively that the current Evangelical position, we are saved by an unconditional sovereign grace activated by our "making a decision for Christ," is incorrect and destructive of the true salvation provided for us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:6-19)

Remember, we are discussing the statement in Chapter Six of Hebrews that if a Christian falls away he cannot be renewed to repentance because he crucifies Christ afresh, as opposed to the commentaries that claim no true Christian would ever be guilty of falling away therefore making the passage not applicable to believers.

Let us look at a few statements from the above selection to see if they support our view, which is that Hebrews 6:4-6 is a warning to believers about falling away from the steadfast pursuit of Christ, or if they support the contemporary view that the passage is not applicable to believers in Christ.

Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

This makes salvation conditional, doesn't it?

Harden not your hearts.

Doesn't this go along with Hebrews 6:4-6? This certainly is not hypothetical and obviously is addressing true Christians.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

This is not hypothetical and it is exhorting and warning the holy brothers. Are you beginning to get a sense of the context of Hebrews 6:4-6?

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Does this support a straightforward interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-6?

To be continued.