Did St Paul say it was impossible for some people to repent

[oliver109]

in Heb. 6:4, 6. St Paul implies that people that have repented of their sin, then sinned again will find that they no longer feel the desire to repent and thus be lost forever, in a way they sin and find that they no longer have the desire to repent:
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[a] away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

 

[Vico]

in Heb. 6:4, 6. St Paul implies that people that have repented of their sin, then sinned again will find that they no longer feel the desire to repent and thus be lost forever, in a way they sin and find that they no longer have the desire to repent:
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[a] away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

Hebrews is not known to be written by Saint Paul.

Haydock Commentary states that baptism is received only once, but after that penance, and that the two are not the same in effect.

They cannot be renewed again unto penance. That is, they cannot be renewed again by baptism, which is also called a renovation. (Titus iii. 5.) Their sins may indeed be forgiven them in the sacrament of penance, but this is not a renovation like that in baptism, in which both the guilt, and all pain due to past sins, is remitted; whereas in the sacrament of penance, though the guilt, and the eternal punishments due to sins be remitted, yet many times, temporal punishments, to be undergone either in this world or the next, still remain due to such as have been great sinners, to them who by relapsing into the same sins, have crucified again to themselves the Son of God, making a mockery of him; i.e. who, insensible of the favours received, have ungratefully renewed sin; to take away which Christ suffered, was mocked, crucified, &c. (Witham)

Also see entire commentary here: Hebrews 6 – Haydock Commentary Online

 

[po18guy]

Some guidance from the Rev. George Leo Haydock Commentary:

“Ver. 4. &c. For it is impossible, [1] &c. This is an obscure place, differently expounded, which shows how rash it is for the ignorant to pretend to understand the holy Scriptures. Many understand these words, it is impossible, &c. of the sacrament of penance, or of returning to God by a profitable repentance, especially after such heinous sins as an apostacy from the true faith. But then we must take the word impossible, to imply no more than a thing that is very hard to be done, or that seldom happens, as when it is said, (Matt. xix. 26.) that it is impossible for rich men to be saved: and (Luke xvii. 1.) it is impossible that scandals should not come. For it is certain that it is never impossible for the greatest sinners to repent by the assistance which God offers them, who has also left the power to his ministers to forgive in his name the greatest sins. But others (whose interpretation seems preferable) expound this of baptism, which can only be given once. The words here in the text very much favour this exposition, when it is said, who were once enlightened. For baptism in the first ages was called the sacrament of illumination. See S. Denis de cælesti Hierar. c. iv. S. Greg. Naz. &c. The following words also agree with baptism, when they are said to have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost; to have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; all which signify the interior graces, the miraculous gifts, and power of working miracles, which they who were baptized frequently received in those days. — They cannot be renewed again unto penance. That is, they cannot be renewed again by baptism, which is also called a renovation. Tit. iii. 5. Their sins may indeed be forgiven them in the sacrament of penance, but this is not a renovation like that in baptism, in which both the guilt, and all pain due to past sins, is remitted; whereas in the sacrament of penance, though the guilt, and the eternal punishments due to sins be remitted, yet many times, temporal punishments, to be undergone either in this world or the next, still remain due to such as have been great sinners, to them who by relapsing into the same sins, have crucified again to themselves the Son of God, making a mockery of him; i.e. who, insensible of the favours received, have ungratefully renewed sin; to take away which Christ suffered, was mocked, crucified, &c. Wi. — Macknight observes that Beza, without any authority from ancient MSS. hath inserted in his version Si, If they shall fall away, that this text might not appear to contradict the Calvinistic doctrine of the assurance of salvation. .”

(cont.)

 

[po18guy]

“The English translators have followed Beza. The biblical student will be glad to find Dr. Wells, in his elegant edition of the New Testament, frequently restoring and preferring those readings which agree with the Latin Vulgate. The same just tribute is paid to the Vulgate by Walton, Mills, Gerard, Griesbach, Harwood, and others. Indeed the Vulgate has been declared authentic in a general council, and probably expresses more of the true reading of the original or autograph, than any Greek edition that is now to be found, and certainly much more than modern versions, which are stained more or less by the preconceived sentiments of the translators. — For the earth that drinketh in the rain, &c. He bringeth this comparison, to give them a horror of abusing God’s graces and favours, and of making themselves guilty of hell fire. Wi.”

 

[shom-bms]

Some time ago I read a section in a book by Protestant minister and author Kenneth E. Hagin (now deceased) entitled “I Believe In Visions.” In it he says he had an encounter with Jesus one day in which the Lord instructed him about the fate of a woman in ministry that Hagin had once met who had since left her husband and the ministry to pursue fame and fortune in the world. She had told Jesus, “Just leave me alone.” Hagin says the Lord told him that this woman had received the gift of eternal life through Jesus but had now permanently lost her salvation because she fell under the passage you quoted from Hebrews 6.

I found Hagin’s discussion of this point interesting because it not only confirms the basic Catholic teaching of mortal sin, but it also explained something I had always wondered about–namely, why in 1 John it says in some cases you shouldn’t bother praying for a person in mortal sin to be restored to life:

If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. (1 Jn 5:16-17, RSV)

Mortal sin can be forgiven except in those rare circumstances where all the conditions described in Hebrews 6 are present (including being baptized in the Holy Spirit, which many Christians have not experienced). Apparently John was referring to the Hebrews 6 situation because he said don’t bother praying for such a person.

As a Catholic firmly grounded in his faith, I have no issue with reading a book by a non-Catholic. If you similarly have no issue with it and you’re interested, there’s presently a PDF version of I Believe In Visions available online at:

http://storage.cloversites.com/bushfireministries/documents/Kenneth-E-Hagin-I-Believe-in-Visions.pdf.

The relevant section begins on page 75 with the paragraph that reads “Now I will show you…”