I just finished teaching the book of Hebrews in our School of Biblical Studies last week, and I loved it. I loved studying for it. Hebrews is a book of such rich depth and it exalts Christ in such a magnificent way.

Certain passages in this book, however, pose some difficult questions for believers, and require a lot of examination. Consider Chapter 6 verses 4 to 6:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

That passage itself can be difficult to swallow, especially when you know someone, friend or family, who at one time followed the Lord but currently does not. Does this passage mean there is no hope for that friend? Add to this other passages such as 1 Peter 1:3-5 or Romans 8: 29-30, which seem to indicate that God protects, or guards believers until the day of inheriting eternal life.

Is our salvation guaranteed, or can we chose to walk away from the promise of eternal life? Libraries could be filled with the books written by brilliant scholars and theologians, all of whom love Jesus very much, arguing either one side or another. And after hundreds of years of study and debate, there is still no easy answer.

Setting the arguments aside, here is my simple take: Our New Testament authors were not intent on establishing some kind of theological doctrine. They intended to practically address life-issues that their readers struggled with. The affirmation that our salvation is guaranteed was given so that believers would not fall victim of fear, and the warning of falling from faith was given so that believers would not fall victim of complacency and sin. The two were given in different times and settings, and one does not negate the other.