It is impossible to renew them again to repentance... only God knows.

Hebrews 6 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One year Bible

The Peril of Falling Away

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do, if God permits. ⁴ 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, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ 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. ⁷ For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; ⁸ but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Better Things for You

⁹ But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

¹³ For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise… ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 

The writer of Hebrews makes a statement in today’s text that certainly should cause us to take very seriously the gift of redemption we have received through God’s grace. He says: 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, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ 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.      We should indeed never presume on God’s grace and continue in sin. In Romans 6 Paul writes: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? ² May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?... ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!     We do however all still struggle with sin. In Romans 7, Paul writes:  For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. ¹⁷ So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. ¹⁹ For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

So while we should never presume on God’s grace, choosing to walk in sin, we also should be careful to not judge ourselves or others as having crossed that line to the point of being;   impossible to renew again to repentance. As it relates to others, we are not their judge.    Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?(James 4:11-12) He who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. (1 Corinthians 2:15) We are to judge things, including people’s actions and behavior, but to judge their heart and their eternal condition, that is for God alone.

As for ourselves, for any who have been condemned by people for having fallen, perhaps even into the most egregious of sins, after experiencing redemption and salvation in Christ, I would offer this encouragement. Remember who it is who is responsible for conviction. In John 16:8, Jesus is speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, He says: He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin…     Condemnation may indeed come from men who put themselves in the place of God to judge sin. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit. I would say that if you are still experiencing the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding the sin in your life, then surly you are not beyond the point of repentance, it is not impossible for you to be renewed again to repentance.  The truth is the entirety of the Bible is really about God’s gracious plan for the renewal, redemption and restoration of fallen man.

We need to look no farther than in the lineage or genealogy of Christ, listed in Matthew and Luke, to see some of the marvelous proofs of God’s redemption, restoration and renewal. When God destroyed Sodom for it’s sin, Lot and his two daughters were spared, they experienced the saving grace of God. In Genesis 19:36-37, we see the account of what they did later: Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. The Moabites then were born through the incestuous relationship of Lot and his daughter after they experienced the salvation of God. God shows His gracious redemption, renewal and restoration by including Ruth, the Moabitess, in the lineage of Christ, the Savior and Redeemer. The line of Christ is also traced through David, who after he was called and anointed by God, committed both murder and adultery. God shows His renewal and redemption, in that of all the children David had, it was Solomon, the child of David and Bathsheba who inherited the throne of David and through whom Christ’s lineage is traced.   

Surly there is a point that a person can reach where they are so darkened by their choice of sin that they can no longer be redeemed. Not knowing where that point is we should never presume on the grace of God. We also though should never presume that another has reached that point. Today, if you have experienced the condemnation of men or if you feel self condemned as though your actions and sin are too great for God’s redeeming grace. Look to Christ, call upon Him. If you feel conviction it is not too late. God’s mercies are new every morning. Through Christ every sin has been redeemed. On the cross He said: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."  He paid the price for all the sin of all mankind, past, present and future, those that were there at the cross, the daughters of Lot, David and Bathsheba, you and me.

Thank You for Your amazing grace, redemption and restoration. Thank You gracious Father God, Lord Jesus, my Savior and redeemer and Holy Spirit, my teacher and guide.  Amen.