Expert: Dean Gade - 10/25/2010

Question
My question is concerning Hebrews 2:1-3, 6:6, 10:26, 12:16-17. I have looked up key words in Strong's  and read commentaries on this that give various views-most of which seem to have some interpretation "read into" the text, until my head hurts and my eyes are crossed. After all this, my query can be summed up in the question below, so the wording i have chosen is important.

Is it at all possible that these passages indicate that if a believer, at some point, refuses to obey what he/she knows is right (James 4:17), the disobedience/rebellion cannot be repented of, or forgiven and that salvation has been forfeited?

Answer
ELLE
MY FIRST "ANSWER" HAD AN ERROR IN MY LAST PARAGRAPH WHICH HAS BEEN CORRECTED IN THIS COPY

There is only one sin which can cause loss/forfeiture of salvation and that sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit.  This sin is committed when a person refuses to believe (believe by the power of the Holy Spirit) that Jesus is the only way of salvation which He won for us by taking God's just wrath against all sin on Himself.

It is this salvation which Heb.2:1-3 is speaking about, saying; don't ignore what has been freely given in Christ.

Heb.6:6 says that if a person has come to faith in Christ and has lived in (tasted) the freedom from guilt of all sins, past, present and future, and then rejects this gift from God, they have then rejected the Holy Spirit Who is the only means to having faith in this truth.  When the Holy Spirit is rejected, there is no other means to get back into faith.

Heb.12:16 -17 reminds us that Esau thought so little of the great inheritance that he was to have that he renounced it for a bowl of soup.  We are to keep in mind what a great salvation we have in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The inheritance of grace now and eternal life from God are solid promises of His to us:

Rom 11:28-33
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they (the unconverted Jews) are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable . 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
NIV

The only way that sin can cause us loss of salvation is if it causes us to turn completely away from God so as to reject Him, His love, His promise of salvation in Christ and our trust/faith in these things as it has been given to us by the Holy Spirit.  No failing on our part to keep any part of the Law is not covered by the blood of our savior.

Rom 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."  
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NIV

We are warned not to let sin enslave us again; because an evil conscience can turn us away from God even as it caused Adam and Eve to hide from God when they realized their sin.  So, though God's grace superabounds where our sin abounds, we need to be aware of our weakness even while we are keeping our eyes on His perfect justice to forgive us through the prosecution of the whole Law against His Son in our stead.  I do believe that these warnings are given because we still have the power to reject God and all His goodness for us. We retain free will.

To simplify my answer:  No sin of commission or omission will turn God away from us even when we KNOW that we are doing wrong or failing to do right.   But our confidence in God's love for us is weakened whenever we knowingly rebel against God.

1 John 2:1-2
2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin . But if anybody does sin , we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
NIV