without the Holy Spirit (v. 19), and “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9b). Those who are addressed in Hebrews 3:12 are not yet themselves apostates but are professing church members who are being warned against apostasy which stems from an evil heart of unbelief. The writer obviously believes that apostasy was a very real danger for some of these readers. This is most naturally understood in the light of the Lord’s parable of the sower of Luke 8:4–15. In other