As some of you may know, I am daily reading through Scripture in its order. Today’s devotion included Hebrews 6:4-6.
“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6.
There are those Arminians and others of similar thought who use this Scripture to support their belief that true Christians can fall from grace. This is in contrast to Calvinists who believe in “Perseverance of the Saints” also known as “Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” in “TULIP”.
Calvin, in his Commentary on this Scripture, denies that the elect can fall from grace and states: “The elect are also beyond the danger of finally falling away; for the Father who gave them to be preserved by Christ his Son is greater than all, and Christ promises to watch over them all so that none may perish. To all this I answer, That God indeed favors none but the elect alone with the Spirit of regeneration, and that by this they are distinguished from the reprobate; for they are renewed after his image and receive the earnest of the Spirit in hope of the future inheritance, and by the same Spirit the Gospel is sealed in their hearts. But I cannot admit that all this is any reason why he should not grant the reprobate also some taste of his grace, why he should not irradiate their minds with some sparks of his light, why he should not give them some perception of his goodness, and in some sort engrave his word on their hearts. Otherwise, where would be the temporal faith mentioned by Mark 4:17? There is therefore some knowledge even in the reprobate, which afterwards vanishes away, either because it did not strike roots sufficiently deep, or because it withers, being choked up.”
I agree with Calvin (for whatever little worth that is) and add that I do see this practice in some people who maintain that they are Christians. They continually love to repent, usually in a showy and emotional part of a worship service in which they come down to the altar steps to cry and repent, week after week, and yet their lives show that they do not truly turn away from their sin. In a sense, you could say that these people are “enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come”, because they observed and even participated in the worship services.
In essence, these people trust themselves and their own showy actions of repentance rather than truly trust Jesus Christ and His work of atonement, regeneration, and sanctification. In essence, these people trust their own “free will” rather than trust “Irresistible Grace” and that “Perseverance of the Saints” also known as “Preservation of the Saints”, the “I” and “P” in “TULIP”.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 