The author further ratchets up the severity of the language surrounding this fourth warning in the series. The text is found in Hebrews 10:26-31. As is often used in the New Testament, there is an argument from the lesser to the greater to emphasize the severity of the warning. Under the Mosaic Law, multiple eyewitness testimony was required to convict of a capital crime and a resulting merciless sentence which involved the physical and the temporal (v.28). But for the sin referenced in this passage, the author poses more severe consequences, expanding to the spiritual and eternal.
There is a terrifying expectation of judgement and a consuming fire (v.27), with the summary that it is terrifying to fall into the hands of the living God (v. 31). The word “terrifying” is the same used in 12:21 by Moses when present on Mt. Sinai in the presence of God, such that he trembled or “quaked” with fear. We who have the revelations of the finished work of Christ and the Word of God have greater responsibility as well as accountability.
Verse 26 is another of the verses that makes us squirm and seek for alternatives to the plain reading. Let us again be reminded that loss of salvation for the elect (possessors) is impossible but those who only profess faith in Christ, i.e. non-elect, are in peril. Also, while certainty of one’s status (professor vs possessor) is impossible before death, assurance of salvation is not only possible but encouraged.
What does the author mean by “go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth” (NASB)? The author is referring to the practice of Jewish Christians rejecting the sacrifice of Christ by reverting back to, or continuing in, the Mosaic Law. Their doing so is tantamount to trampling Jesus underfoot and considering the blood that He shed as unclean. In Philippians 3, Paul equates all of his works and pedigree as a Jew to scoobala (Greek) or “dung” as to their efficacy in salvation. These professors’ actions are tantamount to counting Christ’s sacrifice as dung for the sake of escaping persecution. “Insulting the spirit of grace” may involve rejecting the ministry or testimony of the Holy Spirit in conviction of one’s sin and the need for the atoning work of Christ.
The difference for us in the 21st century is only in the particulars. While a return to Judaism would not be typical in our context, the root issue is the same. The Greek word translated as “willfully” or “deliberately” means with the idea of willing participation in an action, done voluntarily with a clear mind in the face of better knowledge. If after professing faith in Christ we continue in a life characterized by sin and rebellion as we were before our faith profession or if we revert to a life where sin reigns (Romans 6:12-14), then we risk identity with and the subsequent consequences for those described by the author in verse 29.
We all sin willfully at times. The tension arises as we try to determine if we have moved into the perilous position described here. The goal is not to determine how much sin is allowed before we fall into the terrifying hands of the living God but to be obedient slaves of Jesus and where we do fail, to keep short accounts with our Father.
1 John 1:9 and Hebrews 4:14-16 provide us with assurance that on those occasions where we do fall short, grace and forgiveness are still operative. This tension is a manifestation of God’s grace for our benefit in order to keep us broken and dependent on Him, seeking to know Him and His ways, in anticipation of the day our faith becomes sight.
Arguably, the language of this warning is the most severe and stark thus far. The warning focuses on temporal actions that reverberate negatively throughout eternity. In order to avoid the pain of the warning, the author exhorts us to act like the brethren we claim to be by committing to other believers in encouraging and stimulating one another to good works and by suffering and sharing in the suffering of others as a result of persecution.
Opportunities for consideration
- When faced with a clear situation to sin willfully or proceed down an obvious path of temptation, what does my response say about my view of God and Jesus? How can I bring the proper perspective of my circumstances into focus?
- Consider carefully the cup of the wrath of God Jesus faced in His time of prayer in the Garden and in the process of His Roman persecution, crucifixion, and being forsaken by His Father—for your sake.
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