Jesus Christ Or Judgement, A Close Look At Hebrews 10:26-39

Welcome back to our study of the book of Hebrews, today we’ll continue with Hebrews 10:26-39-Jesus Christ or Judgement. But let’s quickly recall what we discussed in our last study. We looked verses 19-25 in which the writer gave his readers three exhortations ( Drawing near to GOD, Holding fast to the confession of Hope that they professed and not Giving up the assembly of the Church). Those exhortations were preceded by his proof via Scriptures that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice needed not to be repeated for God was pleased with His sacrificial death on the cross. After giving these exhortations, the writer proceeded to warn his readers about persisting on holding to that which could not save them. So the rest of chapter 10 is devoted to warning his readers and us ultimately about the dangers and consequences of ignoring this great salvation God wrought through Jesus.

Christ Or Judgement

The Passage 

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Notes

• Verses 26-27

Several things come to mind as we read these very sobering words from the writer. But to correctly interpret these verses, we need to stay within the context of the passage. The writer had just finished giving his readers three positive exhortations ( Drawing near to GOD, Holding fast to the confession of Hope that they professed and not Giving up the assembly of the Church). And he follows those exhortations with verses 26 and 27. The people he was addressing were under persecution and were being tempted to give up their faith in order to avoid being persecuted. Ever since he began his letter, the writer kept warning his readers about the danger of falling away, let’s recall those key moments Hebrews 2:1-4 warnings against drifting from the word and neglecting such a great salvation 

Hebrews 3: 12-13, warning against falling away because of unbelief

Hebrews 4: 1-5 warnings against disobedience( a hardened heart) and failure to enter the rest of God

Hebrews 5:11-14 warnings against apostasy  and spiritual immaturity

There could be several things the writer is addressing here but the one thing he made clear is this – if you go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the Truth , then there is no more atonement for your sins. So what is the Truth that he is referring to here? Well, since the beginning of his letter he has been proving via OT scriptures that Jesus was the pioneer of the new covenant God promised to bring about in Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-27.And what that meant was that the old covenant’s ceremonial practices were no longer valid once Jesus died on the cross and said it is finished. His death and resurrection meant that the old covenant was now obsolete ( obsolete in terms of the ceremonial practices). The law of God still stands, that is His moral law given in the Old Testament.  

Deliberately insisting on pursuing certain old covenant practices after being made aware of the Truth about Christ is synonymous to defying God, and the end result of that according to the writer is a fearful expectation of the wrath of God. He is going to elaborate more on why this is such a serious matter in verses to come.

We could also add the following comments. I don’t think those were the writer’s initial thoughts but they are worth mentioning. People who hear that their past, present and future sins have been paid off can develop an irreverent attitude towards the sacrificial work of Christ, basically showing contempt to what He went through to purchase our freedom, to rescue us out of darkness and from sins. The apostle John said in His epistle that we write these to you so that you may not sin. And the writer of the book of Hebrews might be echoing the same sentiment. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins , not so that we indulge in a sinful lifestyle and receive what is commonly known as cheap grace ( an attitude that finds its root in easy believism ). It’s the attitude of a person who may claim that Jesus is their savior but not their Lord and consequently indulge in a lifestyle of sin. God never made any provisions for willful disobedience or high handed sins. Those that insist on living in sin are making themselves enemies of God and the only thing that awaits them is the wrath of God. I don’t necessarily think this is what the writer intended to say but I think it’s worth mentioning.

• Verses 28-29 ( the severity of the matter)

He goes on to give an example to make his point clear. In Deuteronomy 17:2-6, the following is recorded,

² “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant, ³ and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, ⁴ and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, ⁵ then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. ⁶ On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

So basically anyone found to have violated the law of Moses was put to death on the account of at least two witnesses. The writer is calling his readers to put their thinking caps on. Basically he is saying , if this is how those who violated the law of Moses ( we proved in the earlier chapters that Jesus far exceeded Moses in glory because He is the Son Of God) were judged , how worse would be the punishment and fate of those who have trampled the son of God. Once again we see here that the deliberate sin that the writer is mentioning is synonymous to showing utter contempt to Jesus by considering as worthless His blood spilled on the cross that is supposed to sanctify the worshiper. I don’t think anyone who displays such an attitude is a believer. We talked about the rocky ground in the parable of the sower,

 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

I’m sure not everyone in the church the writer was addressing was saved, they might have made a profession of faith, yet under persecution and trials, they quickly folded thus proving that it might have been only lip service. The writer was sending out a serious warning to his hearers so that they could examine themselves. Moreover by deliberately rejecting the new covenant and treating Jesus blood as common, they were also outraging the Spirit of Grace. They were insulting the Holy Spirit who is the one who applies the grace of God to the believer. 

We talked about the infinite worth of the blood of Christ in the earlier chapters. So rejecting Christ’s offer of Salvation is not a small matter, it is calling the wrath of God on yourself, it is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. And the penalty for that is eternal wrath. The writer was right in mentioning this and I think it’s imperative that I do so as well.

• Verses 30-31

After issuing a very strong warning, he finishes this section with some encouraging words. To interpret this correctly, we need to look at the context of the passage. These are people who are under severe trials, on the verge of giving up, because they can not fight their persecutors. So the writer reminds his readers that God is the one who would avenge them by quoting Deuteronomy 32:35-36

35 

Vengeance is mine, and recompense,

    for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. For the Lord will vindicate  his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. 

He again finishes this section with another sobering verse.

• Verses 32-35

The writer is now reassuring his readers after issuing some very strong warnings. I’m sure he was convinced that many of those he was addressing were genuine believers. He wanted to make sure they didn’t wallow into despair so he reminds them of the steadfastness they had displayed when they initially were converted. Many of them had already experienced persecution in their earlier days. And even those who didn’t experience persecution gladly identified with the other brethren who were being afflicted to show solidarity. Some of them lost their property as a result of their faith, some were thrown in jail and they all gladly accepted their fate since they were confident that their true possession was secure in Christ. Scriptures tell us in Matthew 6:19-20

19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

He is reminding his readers not to throw away their confidence, which has a great reward, he’ll be mentioning that reward shortly. He is telling them why they are struggling- they have need for endurance in order that after doing the will of God , they may receive what is promised ( the reward). They were very weary and even though they had displayed great endurance in the beginning, after years of constant struggle, they were on the verge of giving up, so he wanted to remind them of the long-suffering of the Christian, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. We all need to hear these words today. Sometimes in the middle of our afflictions, we might be tempted to completely turn away from God. Seeds of doubt can begin to germinate and it’s important that we fully rely on the Holy Spirit and other believers to stay the course.

• Verses 35-39

James the brother of Christ shares the same sentiment the writer of Hebrews is sharing in these verses in James 5:7-11. I don’t know for certain if both authors were referring to the second coming of Christ or the comfort of God in the midst of the trial. James says the following “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” God eventually showed up and strengthened Job after his long suffering. It wasn’t without the purpose, Job grew strong in the process, and God showed up. So the writer might be referring to this type of “coming”. And in this portion he introduces the concept of living by faith ( he will elaborate on that in chapter 11).  He says that to avoid shrinking back and turning away from the Lord, the righteous must live by faith. And he reminds his readers that they are the called ones, those who persevere unto salvation.

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