4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6 KJV)
British Family Bible
For it is impossible &c. That is, it is a thing arduous, laborious, and beset with many difficulties. Schleusner. Not strictly impossible, but only highly improbable or difficult. This and the two following verses may be thus paraphrased: I will do this, I say, for the sake of those who still persevere in their Christian profession. For indeed it would be a vain and endless undertaking for me to begin again, and reconvert those amongst you, who, against the most solemn engagements of their baptism, and the happy experience of the gifts of the Holy Ghost conferred from heaven upon them; against all the sense they had of the great mercies of the laws and privileges of the Gospel; and in defiance of all those powerful demonstrations, whereby the whole religion of Christ has been so amply confirmed to them; have willfully revolted, and thrown off Christianity, to embrace the Jewish or heathenish religion again. Because such people have already resisted the utmost evidences that can ever be offered for their conviction, and done as perfect and public a dishonour to Christ and his religion, as if they had crucified Him anew as a malefactor. Pyle.
The word “impossible” doth many times signify no more than it is extremely difficult: but in this place, the Apostle speaks of such as do not only fall away, but add persecution of the Gospel of grace to their apostasy from it: for “they tread under foot the Son of God, and count the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing, and do despite unto the Spirit of grace.” Though we may not “give that which is holy unto dogs, nor cast our pearls before swine,” who will “trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend us,” yet we are assured “the fatted calf” is killed and made ready to entertain the returning prodigal. Sinners are therefore exhorted everywhere to return; God hath promised to “heal their backslidings:” Ho 14:1,2,4. And Christ hath invited “all that are heavy laden” with their sins to “come unto him,” Mt 11:28; and if they come, we have his promise, “He will in no wise cast them out,” Joh 6:37. Bp. Womack.
If persons have, since they came to full use of reason, deliberately professed Christianity, and then forsaken it, and become railers and scoffers at it; their case is worse than if they had never believed, in proportion as they have seen the evidences, understood the nature, and felt the influences of the Gospel, and yet after all have broken the faith, which they had solemnly engaged to it. The Apostle, therefore, makes the declaration contained in these three verses, 4-6. But then, explicit and terrible as these words are, yet some of them plainly relate to those miraculous gifts and powers, which we do not now experience, and therefore cannot sin against them to that degree, nor by consequence make our condition so desperate, as those who did; besides that “impossible,” both in Scripture and in common language, often means no more than extremely difficult and hopeless: but not beyond the reach of his grace, “with whom all things are possible,” Mt 19:26. And as this impossibility is expressly said to be that of “renewing them to repentance,” so, when anyone is “renewed to repentance,” this passage contains not the least intimation that he cannot be forgiven. Abp. Secker.