Personal Bible Study - by Reggie Byrum, referencing Dake's notes.

. . if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” - Hebrews 3:6

5 things we must do to the end:

1. Endure to the end to be saved. Matt. 10:22: “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who preserves and endures to the end will be saved.” (Amplified). Matt. 24:13: "But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Mark 13:13 – “. . . but he who patiently preserves and endures to the end will be saved.”


2. Hold fast the hope of eternal life to the end. Heb. 3:6 – “. . . if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope.”


3. Hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast to to the end (Heb. 3:14).


4. Show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end. Heb. 6:11 – “. . . show the same diligence and sincerity in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and development of hope until the end


5. Overcome and keep Christ’s works to the end. Rev. 2:26 – “And he who overcomes and who obeys My commands to the [very] end – doing the works [that please me] – I will give him authority and power over the nations.”

"Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.”

1. The Holy Ghost here warns Christians, not sinners, to take heed (Heb. 3:7-14), seeing to it that they do not fail God as many in Israel did and were cut off.
2. This is a warning to Christians who could, through temptation and sin, fail to receive the eternal rest promised them.
3. If there is no possibility of Christians failing to hear God’s voice, hardening themselves and being cut off from God as Israel was in the wilderness, why did Paul use this as a lesson to Christians (v1, 6-14)?
4. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
5. Here Paul warns brethren, Christians, by the examples of Israel’s failures in the wilderness. (Heb. 3:12).
6. Paul states plainly that Christians, the born again or saved men can also return to an evil heart of unbelief, depart from the living God, be hardened by deceitfulness of sin, be cut off by God, and be finally lost (v12-14).

7 Stages of Apostasy

1. Refusal to hear God (v7).
2. Hardness of heart through refusal to hear and obey God (v8, 13, 15).
3. Unbelief a consequence of hardening the heart against God (v12)
4. Departure from the living God (v12)
5. Open rebellion against God to provoke and tempt Him (v8-9, 16)
6. Habitual sinning, careless living, and flagrant violation of God’s laws (v10, 17)
7. Apostasy – All faith in God and His redemptive work thrown overboard – beyond all hope of repentance because of no more faith (v11, 18-19)

Only saints are called children of light (Eph. 5:8; Col. 1:12; 1 Th. 5:5) and only saved men are spoken of as being in the light (Mt. 5:14-15; Lk 16:8; Jn 3:20-21; 8:12; 12:36; Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:14; Col. 1:12; 1 Jn 1:7; 2:9-10)

No sinner is a partaker of the Holy Ghost (Rom. 8:9-16). It is almost blasphemy to accuse the Holy Ghost of being a partner, sharer and an associate with the ungodly.

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.”

1. Paul lays down the condition they must meet to be finally saved. It is to hold the original confidence stedfast unto the end.

Heb. 4:1 – “Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”

1. Let us fear, lest we come short of eternal life. That the promise here is eternal life is clear in v14; 9-15; 1 Jn 2:25.

2. If there is no possibility of any of the holy brethren (3:1, 6, 12-14) coming short of eternal life, such warnings are vain.

Heb. 6:4 – “For it is impossible for 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, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

2 Outstanding Facts:

1. Christians can backslide, tear down the foundation of repentance that is already laid. Should they ever again be admitted into the church, they will have to build again the foundation of repentance and do their first works again (v1-2; 2:1-4; Rev. 2:5).

2. Christians can fully apostatize from Christ, completely reject Him and His atoning work, so that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance (v4-9; 10:26-29; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).

Heb. 10:26-31

1. When one rejects Christ as the only sacrifice for sin, there remains no other. He will have to suffer the punishments of that rejection. Such are willful apostates and not ordinary backsliders. As long as a backslider retains his faith in Christ and His atonement he can be renewed to repentance, but if he totally rejects Christ and His gospel, he becomes hopeless.

Heb. 10:29 – “. . . and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?”

1. He was sanctified – not could have been, but was sanctified. This refers to personal holiness by the blood (Heb. 13:12, 20; 1 Jn 1:17; Eph. 1:7; Rev 1:5), and proves that sanctified men can apostatize to the point of final rejection of Christ and be lost.

5-Fold Former State of Apostates (Heb. 6:4)

1. Were once enlightened, but not now enlightened.

2. Have tasted of the heavenly gift.

3. Were made partakers of the Holy Ghost

4. Have tasted the good Word of God

5. Have tasted the powers of the world to come

5-Fold Apostasy and End of Apostates (Heb. 6:6)

1. If they shall fall away

2. To fall aside; apostatize; fall away. To throw overboard all faith in the experiences of the gospel and deny them.

3. To renew them again to repentance is impossible

4. Rejected

5. The end of apostates – eternal hell

2 Peter 2:20 – “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the Holy commandment delivered unto them.”