It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance….
7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
-Hebrews 6:6b, 7-8, NLT
The author of Hebrews speaks of people who once were operating in the Holy Spirit. He speaks of individuals who we would call Christians.
They knew better and yet rejected Jesus. To me, this sounds like religious cheaters. Cheaters who professed Jesus as Lord and yet chose to live a life of flagrant sin.
The warning here is dire:
These individuals are destined for the fire, per Hebrews 6:8.
This theme of the eternal destination of those who ought to have known better is repeated later in the same book. Hebrews 10:26-27 has a very similar warning for people NOT to fall away from the faith.
It is sobering.
We would have much healthier churches if we paid attention to these warnings and taught them. Righteous living matters to God!
If we are not producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, that calls into question whether we are truly followers of Christ and actually believe in Him.
The sober warning here is for people who only produce “thorns and thistles” in their lives. Such a field–i.e. such a person–should be worrying about the coming judgment fire.
