“…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God” (Hebrews 12:15).
Like every other book in the New Testament, the book of Hebrews thoroughly falsifies the popular doctrine of “Once saved, Always saved”. Consider the following plainspoken verses:
It is possible to drift away from God and neglect your salvation. “Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…” (Hebrews 2:1-3).
It is possible for a child of God to depart from Him via an evil heart of unbelief. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).
It is possible to come short of the eternal rest God has for His obedient children. “So, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it” (Hebrews 3:19-4:1).
It is possible to fail to enter God’s rest because of disobedience. “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11).
It is possible to become so dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11) that those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift–being partakers of the Holy Spirit–fall away, are rejected, cursed, and burned in the end. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned” (Hebrews 6:4-8).
It is possible to sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth and face a certain, fearful judgment from God. “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27).
It is possible for a child of God to draw back to perdition, instead of enduring to the saving of his soul. “‘Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:38-39).
The warning of this verse to every Christian adds its weight to this massive burden of proof: It is possible to fall short of God’s grace by becoming a spiritual slacker and thus eternally fail to see God.
Watch carefully how you run the race of faith.
