Five Spiritual Privileges—Hebrews 6:4–5
For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come.
He begins by showing that they did have five spiritual privileges that proved them to be true believers. And because they are true believers, there is something that they simply cannot do.
The first spiritual privilege is that they were once enlightened. This has to do with the decisive moment when “light” was perceived or grasped. It deals with their regeneration, their salvation, as we see from Hebrews 10:32 where the same term is also used. It refers to receiving a full knowledge of the truth. They had been once and for all enlightened with the gospel, and they became regenerated.
The second spiritual privilege is that they tasted of the heavenly gift. The word tasted refers to “a genuine experience,” “to come to know something.” It suggests a real, conscious enjoyment of the blessings apprehended as true nature and signifies the possession of spiritual life. The term “tasting” means “genuine appropriation.” Some people try to deny that these were true believers by saying, “Well, it says they only tasted of the heavenly gift but did not really swallow it, therefore, they were not truly saved.” But that cannot be the meaning of the term, because it says of Yeshua in Hebrews 2:9: he should taste of death for every man. Did He only “nibble at” death without actually undergoing physical death? By no means! The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus died a true physical death. Tasting does not mean only to nibble at so as to not really take it in; it means to really appropriate it. Tasting means in Hebrews 2:9, as it means here “a genuine appropriation,” holding something in common with someone else. They appropriated the heavenly gift: the Messiah Himself.
The third spiritual privilege is that they were made partakers of the Holy Spirit; this word means “true participation.” They have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, becoming partners in the ministries of the Holy Spirit in relationship to their salvation.
The fourth spiritual privilege is that they tasted the good word of God. This has to do with their place in the present age. The Greek word for word is rhema, meaning “the spoken word.” They did not simply participate, they had personal benefits from it all. They had specific answers that God gave them; they heard special utterances which they realized were from the true God. It was the good word of God like that in Hebrews 2:3.
And the fifth spiritual privilege is that they also tasted the powers of the age to come; they once-and-for-all tasted of the powers that will be manifested in the Messianic Kingdom. The word powers is the same word used of the miracles in Hebrews 2:4, which were part of the first warning. And tasted means that they experienced rebirth in their life, and they will some day enjoy the Messianic Kingdom.
Excerpt from Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum:
MBS135 THE FIVE WARNINGS OF THE BOOK OF HEBREWS: Pg 14-15
