If They Shall Fall Away

Those Arminians who reject the Biblical teaching that God preserves those whom the Saviour saves (so that once saved, they are always saved) use Hebrews 6:4-6 as one of their proof texts. To make their argument, they start by insisting that only Christians can be referred to as “those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come” (Hebrews 6:4-5). And then they argue that they can lose their salvation by falling away, using start of verse 4 and part of verse 6: “It is impossible…if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance” (vv.4a & 6a).

Now, we agree that these are distinguishing marks of the true Christian. Only Christians are identified by the fullest and proper sense of these terms. And we agree that the author of Hebrews¹ is speaking about true Christians here; he is not speaking about those who only profess to be but haven’t truly been enlightened by God’s word, or who have merely tasted the heavenly gift of God without approving of the taste and drinking deeply, or of those who claim to be partakers of the Holy Spirit but really haven’t.

We understand that here the author of Hebrews has clustered multiple marks of saving grace (as we call them) together to emphasise his point about those who bear these marks. He is making it very clear that he means true Christians here, and that all these great privileges have been bestowed on them by God—these are all works of God that make a Christian a Christian. If true Christians shall fall away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. That would be as though “they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (v.6.b). The warning against falling away is strong, and clear, and deeply personal.

How fearful is that “if”! Does Hebrews 6:4-6 imply that true Christians can fall away? That is a deep concern. Conversely, in that “if”, is it implied that false Christians (people who have not been saved but who come to church for a while) may somehow not fall away? No, that would not make sense; for if they were not true Chistians after all, then they cannot fall away from something they never had. Furthermore, this whole epistle is a warning to Hebrew Christians against abandonment of the Messiah, returning to the blood of bulls and goats that cannot take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Not merely a sinful backsliding but a falling away from Christ completely. Therefore, are we closed up to the Arminian position: seeing that all these things are distinguishing marks of true Christians, does this “if” must imply that true Christians can fall away from salvation?

We have a four-part answer that answers this question with a clear negative. No, true Christians cannot fall away from Christ.

We must also address some other concerns. Although this is not the focus of what the author of Hebrews is talking about here, it is sadly true that Christians can backslide into a deep place of sin and dishonouring of Christ—but it is not impossible for God the Holy Spirit to bring them to repentance again and again. But fall away? No, true Christians do not fall away. They are saved and they are safe; they are beyond the danger of falling away.

So, what about those who fall away? We argue that this falling away proves that theirs was only a tentative faith, an enlightment that did not fully persuade them, a tasting that they did not drink of, and a partaking of the Holy Spirit that did not give them a new, reqenerate heart, but there remained in them an evil heart of unbelief. That is why it is impossible to renew them to repentance. But these are not the people whom the author of Hebrews is talking to. No, but he is persuaded of “better things“ of his intended readers whom he loves, “things that acompany salvation” though he warns them so vehemently in this way (v.9). He is issuing this warning to true Christians.

Those Who Fall Away Were Never True Christians

Firstly, we can see from the Old Testament illustration that the author of Hebrews uses, that any who do in fact “fall away” have not become Christians.

Starting our consideration earlier in this epistle to get the context, we see that the author embraces his intended readers as members of his own spiritual family: Israelites who had received their Messiah and had become Christians—the saved, covenant people of God. He writes of them lovingly and inclusively in such terms as “us” (e.g. 1:2), “we” (2:1, 9; 3:6), “brethren” (3:1,12), “partakers of the heavenly calling” and “partakers of Christ” (3:1,14), and of whom he says “we have a great high priest [Jesus Christ]” (4:14).

He urges his brethren in the Christian church to “go on unto perfection” (6:1)—to get on with living and growing in the Christian life. He exhorts them to be interested in more than merely the basics, “the principles of the doctrine of Christ,”—you should not remain with eating only spiritual baby-food (see 5:11-14). Get past the milk stage and come onto solid food; and more—grow up all the way to become an eater of the “strong meat”: Scriptural teachings that require a lot of chewing and digesting, that make you strong and mature in the faith.

The author of Hebrews had drawn his intended readers’ attention to an event in their history, where there had been some who came along as being people of Israel but who remained unbelievers, essentially God-rejectors during the wilderness journey. They were physical Israelites but not spiritual Israelites, and they had hardened their hearts against God. And God had been grieved with them for forty years, and he had slain them, so that they could not enter the Promised Land “because of unbelief” (3:16-19; see also Romans 9:6).

Quoting Psalm 95:7-11 (in Hebrews 3:7-11), he applies his lesson directly: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (3:12). Keep watch over your own heart, pluck out and repent of all that is against God, and encourage your brethren to do the same. “For we are made partakers of Christ”, he says, but only “if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (3:14). Whereas if we depart, it is because we had an “evil heart of unbelief” all along. The hidden truth will come out. If your belief in Christ is merely the temporary or tentative kind, then time will tell that you are not really a partaker of Christ after all, but you still have an evil heart.

Be warned. Take this warning very seriously. If you have a hard, spiritually dead heart that prevents you heeding this warning, then you are not a true Christian, however long you have attended church and pretended that you are (see John 15:6; Romans 11:16-24). And if your theology makes you dismiss this warning as irrelevant for you, you don’t understand it, and you need to repent of your bad theology. Beware that you do not have an evil heart of unbelief!

True Christians take God’s warnings seriously, as for them personally. They examine their own hearts whether they be in the faith, and they find that they really are. Hear God’s voice, and do not harden your heart as those who did “in the provocation”, when they provoked God in the wilderness. “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end”. If you had a beginning of confidence (faith) in Christ, but you do not hold fast to Christ unto the end, this will show that you were not made a partaker of Christ at all.

In the fourth chapter, continuing with the same lesson, the author focusses on the parallel situation: “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them” in the time of the Old Testament (4:2)—including being preached to those who hardened their hearts against God, who therefore could not enter into the “rest” of the Promised Land (4:3; referring back to 3:11 and Psalm 95:11). So likewise, if any of his intended readers do not hold fast onto the Saviour Jesus Christ, then they shall not enter into the prophesied “rest for the people of God” today—they shall not receive salvation at all (4:6-10). “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (4:11). So it is not that they shall lose their salvation, but that they were not really in Christ all along. They had not entering into this “rest to the people of God” (4:9), that is, into salvation.

However, the author of this epistle considers his intended readers to be true Christians already, for he says of them, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession” of faith (4:14). That is, let us persevere; let us endure to the end; let us demonstrate that our faith is not that temporary, tentative kind of those who are not saved.

The Distinguishing Marks of a True Christian

Secondly, these gospel privileges that Hebrews 6:4-5 lists are distinguishing marks of the true Christian. We must ask ourselves, in all honesty, how deep do these marks go in us? Do they go all the way into a new heart within us? Only if they do so, are these marks genuine and permanent.

Some people only seem to have these marks for a while, on the visible surface of their life. You may take them for being true Christians, as far as you can see of how they live, speak, think, and profess to believe. Some people can receive a small measure of all these things on the surface—a mere taste without drinking, as it were—but they will ultimately fall away. It is not that they fall away from Saviour, since they had never been saved by him. They had a shallow temporary faith, but they only ever had an evil heart of unbelief deep down.

But the author of Hebrews is not speaking about them, here. He is only focussed on about those who really had been “enlightened,” who really had “tasted,” who really had “partaken of the Holy Ghost” etc. in full measure. He is speaking to those who are saved.

We must be clear on what a real Christian is:

• Christians are born again by the Holy Spirit (John 1:13; 3:3-8; 1 Peter 1:3);
• Christians have a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 7:18-25; 8:1-11);
• Christians genuinely believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they hold fast their profession of faith (John 3:16; Acts 15:11; 16:31; Romans 10:9; Hebrews 10:19-23);
• Christians trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone as their Saviour (Romans 4:5-7; Galatians 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 9:14-15);
• Christians follow and obey Christ as their Lord, Prophet, Priest, and King (Philippians 2:5-11; Acts 7:37; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:14; 1 Timothy 6:15);
• Christians grow and mature as Christians, and bear spiritual fruit unto God (Romans 6:22; Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Peter 1:2-11);
• Christians persevere to the end, and they are preserved by God so that they can never be lost (Philippians 1:6; Colossians 1:3-6; 1 Peter 1:3-9);
• Christians are saved, and their salvation is everlasting (John 3:16; Hebrews 5:9; Romans 8:28-30; 10:9-13).

Now we need to consider the terms that the author of Hebrews uses in this passage. These are indeed the distinguishing marks of the true Christian, because:

• Non-Christians are never enlightened in the Christian sense (Acts 16:13);
• They have never really tasted of Christ, the heavenly gift (Ephesians 2:20-21; 2 Corinthians 9:15);
• They are never partakers of the Holy Ghost (Romans 8:9, 14; 2 Timothy 1:14);
• And they have never tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, like a Christian has (Matthew 13:23; Romans 8:23-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17).

The author of Hebrews knows that his intended readers are true Christians. You will not fall away, he will say a few verses later. There is only one proper measure of enlightening on God’s word, tasting of Christ, partaking of the Holy Spirit—and you are those people who have all these things and more, much more. We are persuaded that you have these better things, the things that accompany salvation, though we so speak to warn you against falling away.

Temporary Faith Is Not Saving Faith

All the phrases in this list of gospel privileges mean the essentially same thing. The author of Hebrews, in the typical Hebrew multiple emphasis style as found in the Psalms, Proverbs, and prophets, layers up several ways of referring to one thing: salvation and its outworking in the life of the true Christian. These are the distinguishing marks of the saved. Yes, it is true, some people can seemingly or superficially receive all these gospel privileges (enlightening, tasting, partaking), but ultimately reject the Saviour. However, I stress again, they are not whom the author of Hebrews is talking to.

Merely seeming to be saved is not the same as actually being saved. Don’t misunderstand—the author of Hebrews is not saying anything about tentative, superficial tasters of Christ who remain unsaved. Some Calvinists try to make Hebrews 6:4-6 to be about superficial, false converts (and I tried to interpret it this way myself), but the passage is not about those kinds of people, who haven’t got the real measure of these things in the list. But we may be warned not to be like them:

• Some people may have been “once enlightened” by the truth about how Jesus is the Christ, the fulfiller of all the Old Testament prophecies and types, through being taught true Christian doctrine from the Bible, from the pulpit, from their parents, or however they learned it—but they didn’t accept it as the truth; they didn’t fully believe it, and they fall away.
• Some people may have “tasted of the heavenly gift” of the gospel of Christ, but they did not drink, so to speak; and so they did not benefit savingly from it. A person can hear faithful, Holy Spirit enabled gospel preaching, and to receive it into their minds, and think about it, and understand it—all without actually trusting and resting in Christ alone for salvation. And they fall away.
• Some people may claim to become “partakers of the Holy Ghost” in some measure, though learning from the Holy Ghost inspired Scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). However, to actually partake of something means to eat it (food), or to participate in it (e.g. a study course; a parade). Simply put: only those who are saved truly partake of the Holy Ghost, while those who are not saved do not partake. Those who remain essentially unbelievers fall away.
• Some people may have “tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come” but they spat them all out as unacceptable to them—after tasting for a while they reject God’s word, and they harden their hearts against God. Their temporary faith was always as dead as their spiritually dead hearts, and no good works and no spiritual fruit came from it (see Matthew 13:1-23; James 2:14-26; Ephesians 2:8-10). And they fall away.

Merely understanding the gospel, and tentatively believing it for a while—this is not an evidence of having been saved. And you cannot save yourself by reforming your lifestyle: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them” (Galatians 3:10-12).

Some people can become “almost persuaded,” like king Agrippa (Acts 26:28), but not actually and altogether persuaded. And some can go further than Agrippa in attending a Christian church, and having some appreciation of the preaching, worship and fellowship there. But they remain essentially unchanged—they are not saved by the Saviour.

Merely learning Christian doctrine, and being partially persuaded is not what being saved is. It is not being merely enlightened by gospel truths that saves people—but it is the Saviour who saves people; and those whom he saves truly believe in him (i.e. they have a true faith in him). And by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit enabling them, they will hold fast to Christ all their lives after they are converted. They are saved how, and they will endure to the end, and they shall be saved forevermore. There is only this one kind of partaking of the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 6:4); same as there is only one kind of partaking of the heavenly calling (3:1) and only one kind of partaking of Christ (3:14). All who partake of the Holy Spirit are saved.

The Lord Jesus Christ himself also teaches us that there are some people can “receive the word with joy” and “for a while believe,” but they, sadly, fall away in a time of temptation (Luke 8:13). Theirs is the temporary kind of faith.

If a true Christian should fall away—though this is impossible, and the author of Hebrews is persuaded that his intended readers are true Christians, and so they would never do that—he says that “it is impossible…if they [true Christians] should fall away, to renew them again to repentance”. He is warning them against even considering falling away from Christ, returning to the Jews’ religion. If you did that, you would effectively be those who “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh” (Hebrews 6:6)—just as surely as those who had campaigned for his crucifixion, and those who had hammered in the nails. Christian! Would you do that? Now that you know what it means to fall away from Christ, will you turn back? No, you would rather cry out to God to keep you save, as he has promised.

The kind of unbelief that falls away from Christ comes from an evil heart (Hebrews 3:12). But you, true Christian, will never do that. You are better than that because you have better things than that. Things that accompany salvation.

The Saved Cannot Become Unsaved Again

Thirdly, the author of Hebrews never affirms that those who fall away had a true faith, or that they were saved, or born again, or converted, or that that they were saints (i.e. Christians).

Genuine, non-tentative believers in Christ are saved by Christ, the Saviour of believers. Unbelievers are not saved, and they never were. Some unbelieving Israelites that we read of in the Old Testament Scriptures, went along with the believers in the wilderness journey for a while but they ultimately rejected God, and they hardened their hearts against him, and this unbelief provoked him to destoy them in the wilderness. And as the Epistle to the Hebrews warns: some professing Christians (to use our phrase) in these New Testament times, in which we too live today, sadly remain unbelievers. They do not enter into Christ’s provided rest for the people of God.

Hebrews says nothing about the saved becoming unsaved again. It admonishes us to examine our own hearts and prove that ours is not the temporary, tentative, non-saving kind of faith—the proof is in whether you steadfastly keep going and actually grow as a Christian.

Things That Accompany Salvation

Fourthly, though Hebrews warns about “they” who fall away from following Christ, he encourages his original intended readers (“you”) by affirming that were true Christians who would never fall away.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak” (Hebrews 6:9).

That is a key point to grasp here. The author had seen “things that accompany salvation” in these Hebrew Christians to whom he had written—real, distinquishing marks of saving grace. They have indeed become enlightened. They have tasted of the heavenly gift, Christ himself. They were made partakers of the Holy Ghost. And they have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come. All these amazing, wondertul gospel privileges were in them, and these persuaded him that they would not fall away.

So, he was not warning that true Christians could fall away and lose their salvation. On the basis of the “things that accompany salvation” that he had seen in their lives, he was persuaded that they wouldn’t, and they couldn’t, fall away.

But he was genuinely warning his readers not to follow those who do fall away. And he was encouraging them (with warnings about them that do not) to further distinguish themselves by “go[ing] on unto perfection” (6:1), and by “hold[ing] fast their profession” (4:14; 10:23). The author of Hebrews issued these Hebrew Christians with serious, dreadful warnings that he knew they would take seriously. And though he (and his companions, and all faithful preachers) “thus spoke” to them and thus speak to all Christians with such warnings, to stir us up in our faithfulness to persevere and hold even more fast to God—he was persuaded that true Christians will never fall away.

We notice a special concern in the mind of the author to his first intended readers. He had written this epistle “to the Hebrews” who had become Christians. They had newly emerged from Judaism, a religion that was officially recognised by the Roman authorities in those days. But now they were “babes in Christ” and they were subjected to both Jewish and Roman hostility. The great temptation upon these spiritual newborns was to revert back to the safety of the Jews’ religion. The epistle throughout warns against this, and of the dire consequences that apostatizing from Christ would incur. You babies need to grow up, hold on tight to God and not be like those who provoke him by unbelief, and you will not fall away like they do under the pressure and tribulation that you are going through.

Later in his epistle, the author repeats his expression of confidence that his intended readers are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that therefore they will never turn back or lose their salvation. He says, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we [including ‘you’, his embraced readers] are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (10:38-39).

The Old Testament dispensation was now “ready to vanish away” in his day, the author says (Hebrews 8:13; 10:5-10; see also 2 Corinthians 3:6-14). The Lord Jesus Christ, the crucified Son of God—he himself has fulfilled the Messianic prophecies and types and shadows of the Old Testament. Outside of him there is no salvation, and there never was. All who are saved in this gospel age, and who were saved in earlier times, are saved by Christ.

After the author of Hebrews has given his select catalogue of Old Testament believers in chapter 11, all listed as examples to encourage New Testament believers, he concludes, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” (these listed plus many more known and unknown Old Testament saints of the same faith), “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (12:1-2).

Follow Jesus’s example. Our Saviour ran his race with joy even though for him it meant much “contradiction of sinners” and even crucifixion—he “endured the cross, despising its shame” (v.2-3). Ours is not the race of the Saviour but of the saved; but nonetheless the author of Hebrews instructs us to follow Jesus’s example, running our race with joy and determination to obey God, and not being “wearied and faint in your minds,” resisting unto blood if necessary in our striving against sin (v.4), even though sometimes in our case it may involve heavenly Father chastising us for our sins (v.5-11).

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (12:28).

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Appendix

John Calvin’s Commentaries, on Hebrews 6:4 ff.

V4. For it is impossible, etc. This passage has given occasion to many to repudiate this Epistle, especially as the Novatians armed themselves with it to deny pardon to the fallen. Hence those of the Western Church, in particular, refused the authority of this Epistle, because the sect of Novatus annoyed them; and they were not sufficiently conversant in the truth so as to be equal to refute it by argument. But when the design of the Apostle is understood, it then appears evident that there is nothing here which countenances so delirious an error. Some who hold sacred the authority of the Epistle, while they attempt to dissipate this absurdity, yet do nothing but evade it. For some take “impossible” in the sense of rare or difficult, which is wholly different from its meaning. Many confine it to that repentance by which the catechumens in the ancient Church were wont to be prepared for baptism, as though indeed the Apostles prescribed fasting, or such things to the baptized. And then what great thing would the Apostle have said, by denying that repentance, the appendage of baptism, could be repeated? He threatens with the severest vengeance of God all those who would cast away the grace which had been once received; what weight would the sentence have had to shake the secure and the wavering with terror, if he only reminded them that there was no longer room for their first repentance? For this would extend to every kind of offense. What then is to be said? Since the Lord gives the hope of mercy to all without exception, it is wholly unreasonable that any one for any cause whatever should be precluded.

The knot of the question is in the word, fall away. Whosoever then understands its meaning, can easily extricate himself from every difficulty. But it must be noticed, that there is a twofold falling away, one particular, and the other general. He who has in anything, or in any ways offended, has fallen away from his state as a Christian; therefore all sins are so many fallings. But the Apostle speaks not here of theft, or perjury, or murder, or drunkenness, or adultery; but he refers to a total defection or falling away from the Gospel, when a sinner offends not God in some one thing, but entirely renounces his grace.

And that this may be better understood, let us suppose a contrast between the gifts of God, which he has mentioned, and this falling away. For he falls away who forsakes the word of God, who extinguishes its light, who deprives himself of the taste of the heavens or gift, who relinquishes the participation of the Spirit. Now this is wholly to renounce God. We now see whom he excluded from the hope of pardon, even the apostates who alienated themselves from the Gospel of Christ, which they had previously embraced, and from the grace of God; and this happens to no one but to him who sins against the Holy Spirit. For he who violates the second table of the Law, or transgresses the first through ignorance, is not guilty of this defection; nor does God surely deprive any of his grace in such a way as to leave them none remaining except the reprobate.

If any one asks why the Apostle makes mention here of such apostasy while he is addressing believers, who were far off from a perfidy so heinous; to this I answer, that the danger was pointed out by him in time, that they might be on their guard. And this ought to be observed; for when we turn aside from the right way, we not only excuse to others our vices, but we also impose on ourselves. Satan stealthily creeps on us, and by degrees allures us by clandestine arts, so that when we go astray we know not that we are going astray. Thus gradually we slide, until at length we rush headlong into ruin. We may observe this daily in many. Therefore the Apostle does not without reason forewarn all the disciples of Christ to beware in time; for a continued torpor commonly ends in lethargy, which is followed by alienation of mind.

But we must notice in passing the names by which he signalizes the knowledge of the Gospel. He calls it illumination; it hence follows that men are blind, until Christ, the light of the world, enlightens them. He calls it a tasting of the heavenly gift; intimating that the things which Christ confers on us are above nature and the world, and that they are yet tasted by faith. He calls it the participation of the Spirit; for he it is who distributes to every one, as he wills, all the light and knowledge which he can have; for without him no one can say that Jesus is the Lord, (1 Corinthians 12:3) he opens for us the eyes of our minds, and reveals to us the secret things of God. He calls it a tasting of the good word of God; by which he means, that the will of God is therein revealed, not in any sort of way, but in such a way as sweetly to delight us; in short, by this title is pointed out the difference between the Law and the Gospel; for that has nothing but severity and condemnation, but this is a sweet testimony of God’s love and fatherly kindness towards us. And lastly, he calls it a tasting of the powers of the world to come; by which he intimates, that we are admitted by faith as it were into the kingdom of heaven, so that we see in spirit that blessed immortality which is hid from our senses.

Let us then know, that the Gospel cannot be otherwise rightly known than by the illumination of the Spirit, and that being thus drawn away from the world, we are raised up to heaven, and that knowing the goodness of God we rely on his word.

But here arises a new question, how can it be that he who has once made such a progress should afterwards fall away? For God, it may be said, calls none effectually but the elect, and Paul testifies that they are really his sons who are led by his Spirit, (Romans 8:14) and he teaches us, that it is a sure pledge of adoption when Christ makes us partakers of his Spirit. The elect are also beyond the danger of finally falling away; for the Father who gave them to be preserved by Christ his Son is greater than all, and Christ promises to watch over them all so that none may perish. To all this I answer, That God indeed favors none but the elect alone with the Spirit of regeneration, and that by this they are distinguished from the reprobate; for they are renewed after his image and receive the earnest of the Spirit in hope of the future inheritance, and by the same Spirit the Gospel is sealed in their hearts. But I cannot admit that all this is any reason why he should not grant the reprobate also some taste of his grace, why he should not irradiate their minds with some sparks of his light, why he should not give them some perception of his goodness, and in some sort engrave his word on their hearts. Otherwise, where would be the temporal faith mentioned by Mark 4:17? There is therefore some knowledge even in the reprobate, which afterwards vanishes away, either because it did not strike roots sufficiently deep, or because it withers, being choked up.

And by this bridle the Lord keeps us in fear and humility; and we certainly see how prone human nature is otherwise to security and foolish confidence. At the same time our solicitude ought to be such as not to disturb the peace of conscience. For the Lord strengthens faith in us, while he subdues our flesh: and hence he would have faith to remain and rest tranquilly as in a safe haven; but he exercises the flesh with various conflicts, that it may not grow wanton through idleness.

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1. For my thinking on who the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is, see footnote 1 of Evidence of Things Not Seen. ↩︎