Question: Recently, you commented on Hebrews 6:4-6 and said that a person who falls away can always repent. What about Hebrews 12:16-17?

Answer: "See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears" (Hebrews 12:16, 17). This passage implies that Esau had in fact repented (changed his mind) regarding his having despised his birthright. The problem for Esau was not that he could not repent, but that there was no other blessing available (See Genesis 27:38). He had rejected the only one that was available. The New Revised Standard Version footnote to Hebrews 12:17 provides a more likely translation in view of the context: "he found no chance to change his father's mind." The passage is about rejecting Christ and later expecting God to provide the blessing offered only in Christ. The point for the readers: Don’t reject God's only way to receive salvation. Cf. Hebrews 10:26.