were really “not of us.” From these and similar passages, we may endorse the Reformers’ doctrine of the perseverance of the saints—that those who have truly trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord cannot commit complete apostasy and be forever lost in eternity.22 But then we turn to the warning passages in Hebrews, especially 6:4–8, and it seems equally clear that the author of this letter is assuming such defection is possible. Reminding ourselves that we are scarcely the first people in history to