Enlightened. Our first Greek word, PHOTIZO, is translated “enlightened.” Our English word “photo” is closely related to it. It means “to bring to light, to give light, and to make plain.” It is used in Ephesians 1:18,     I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . (NASB) Eph. 1:18   It also occurs in Eph. 3:9 and 2 Tim. 1:10 for example. The ancient writer Erasmus makes the meaning of the word clear in the following quote.     Who once for all have left the darkness of their former life, having been enlightened by the gospel teaching . . .   It means to give light or understanding.       So when Hebrews 6:4 says, “In the case of those who have once been enlightened.” it is simply saying that these folks have been given light or understanding. Hebrews 10:32 says they understood the gospel, but it does not say they became Christians. That conclusion is a guess.       Tasted. The second Greek word, GEUOMAI, simply means “to taste, to get a taste, or to experience.” In Matt. 16:28 the word is used to talk about experiencing death. In 1 Peter 2:3 it is used figuratively of tasting of “the kindness of the Lord” - an experience. In Matt. 27:34 it refers to Jesus tasting the “drink mingled with gall.” This implies that the meaning of the phrase “tasted of the heavenly gift” means that they “experienced the heavenly gift.”       What happens if we conclude that this means they received faith (Eph. 2:8), or the Holy Spirit? If we do that, we have changed the meaning of the word GEUOMAI to the idea of “possessing” salvation or someone living inside of us. We must not forget that Hebrews also says they tasted “the good Word of God” and “the powers of the age to come.” If GEUOMAI means “possessed,” then how do they possess the Word of God or the powers of the age to come? The conclusion is: we have a problem. The answer is that “tasted’ means they experienced. They experienced the heavenly gift. They did not possess it, nor was it inside of them. Jesus tasted wine on the cross. He did not drink it (Matt 27:34).       Partakers. The English word “partakers” is our third Greek word, METOCHOS. It means “companions, share in, or partners.” In Hebrews 1:9 it is used to say that Jesus and the angels are companions. So Hebrews 6:4 means these folks were partners of the Holy Spirit or had shared in the experience of the Spirit. It does not say they were sealed by the Spirit (Eph. 1:13) or baptized into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). This will be explained more in the next study.       Fallen Away. Maybe the readers of Hebrews were Christians, but there was doubt. They were struggling. They needed to preserve rather than quit. What is described here in Heb. 6:4-5 is the experience of a non-Christian - one who was in church with other Christians, a person who was around Christians, and experienced the life of the church. They had heard the Word of God taught, witnessed the power of the Spirit and had seen the display of the Spirit, but they were not possessors. They were not Christians. These people are described as being enlightened, tasting, and sharing. They are not described as believing, accepting, and being sealed or even baptized.         < Back    Next >
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