“…but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:6).
If apostasy—a Christian’s lack of faithfulness to Christ which results in being eternally lost in hell—is not a real and ever-present danger, a significant portion of Hebrews (and the entire New Testament) is much ado about nothing.
The possibility of apostasy does not exist because of any sort of deficiency in Christ or defect in God’s plan of salvation. No one is able to snatch Jesus’ sheep out of His hand (John 10:28).
The possibility of apostasy is a real and ever-present danger because Jesus’ sheep have the ability to:
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wander off (James 5:19-20).
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be drawn away from His fold of safety by temptation, enticed to sin (James 1:14-15), and consumed by a hungry predator called the devil (1 Peter 5:8).
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stop holding fast their confidence in Christ and faithfulness to Him unto the end of their lives (Hebrews 3:6, 14).
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drift away (Hebrews 2:1) and neglect their salvation (Hebrews 2:3).
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fail to enter the rest of heaven because unbelief/a lack of faithfulness causing, them to fall short of it (Hebrews 3:19-4:1).
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be enlightened (having tasted of the heavenly gift of salvation) and fall away (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Jesus is able and will save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25). This is a real and wonderful promise. It is not, however, an unconditional promise. All we—like sheep—can cast away our confidence in the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20) and draw back to perdition (Hebrews 10:39). Therefore:
Apostasy is a real and ever-present danger.
