A TERRIFYING EXPECTATION
Hebrews 10:26-39
Some passages of Scripture defy simple explanations.
The most difficult in Hebrews is found in 10:26-31.
There is no simple detour around the concerns this passage raises.
Misunderstanding this message causes many to fear the loss of salvation;
to turn our focus away from what Christ has done for us and toward our own efforts.
That leaves us standing on a very shaky foundation!
The best way to resolve the confusion is to assure that we understand the true message.
It’s hard work, but it’s worth the effort.
If you don’t want to work that hard, turn off your hearing aid for the next 15 minutes.
I’ll call you when it’s time to come back.
The conclusion is what’s important, but we must look at the evidence to see how we got there!
So—fasten your safety belt—let’s go to work for a few minutes.
[You students thought it’s time for a summer break?!! ]
Hebrews speaks to believers who are about to give up and go back to Judaism.
It demonstrates that Judaism is bankrupt.
God is able to deliver them.
Turning back solves nothing, and will bring severe judgment,
So we should hang in there, and watch God work in our behalf.
Because of their previous faithfulness in the midst of persecution,
he’s confident they’ll trust God and remain faithful.
His purpose is to help us see God’s perspective; to encourage us to hang in there.
He issues a stern warning concerning the consequences of turning back.
Proper response for God’s people based on Christ’s superiority. 10:19-13:25
Trust God and remain faithful to Him.
Basis for faith 10:19-21
A better High Priest, Whose ministry is better, is the basis for our faith.
Call to faith 10:22-25 [ Since that is true, . . . ]
Let us draw near to God. Let us hang on to our hope. Let us spur one another on.
WARNING CONCERNING APOSTASY 10:26-31
The author explains the reason we should trust God and remain faithful.
Six issues need to be considered to rightly understand this warning:
1. The unity of the exhortation => 10:19-39
The conjunctions in 10:26 and 10:32 demonstrate that this is one exhortation.
“For” in 10:26 (NAS) introduces the reason for the preceding exhortations;
“But” in 10:32 (NAS) presents a contrast with the warning.
These verses must be dealt with as a unit; not separated artificially.
First and last section are addressed to believers; the middle section must be also.
2. The condition of the readers: Descriptions indicate they are Christians.
3:1 —”Holy brethren” —”Partakers of the heavenly calling”
6:9 —”We are convinced of better things of you; things that accompany salvation.”
10:34 —”You . . . joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,
because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.”
12:5-7 —”You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons . . .
God deals with you as with sons.”
The author uses “we” to identify with them, even in the warnings.
Content of warnings: keep on going in your faith–don’t turn back!
6:1 —”Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.”
6:11—”Show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.”
10:35—”So do not throw away your confidence.”
10:36 —”You need to persevere.”
Exhortations don’t correspond to what an unbeliever must do to be saved. An unbeliever isn’t capable of doing these things.
4:14 —”Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”
4:16 —”Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence”
10:22-24 —“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. . . . Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.”
3. The description of the sinner
The author includes himself among those who could commit this sin.
10:26 ”If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth“
He isn’t exempt from danger.
Therefore, the warning must be addressed to true believers.
10:26 The person who sins has already received the knowledge of the truth.
10:29 He has been sanctified by the blood of the covenant.
10:30 He is identified with God’s people. God judges them as part of His people.
He clearly considers them genuine believers!
4. The description of the sin
Summary description presented in 10:26: “if we go on sinning willfully”
Includes himself as a possible offender
“Keep on sinning” indicates this isn’t just a single deed; it’s a process.
“Deliberately” refers to sin which isn’t unintentional, but premeditated.
Development of argument based on Num. 12-15
Numbers shows parallels between this risk and the rebellion against Moses (12), sending of the spies (13-14), and attempt to go up after God closes the door (14:40-45 => Heb. 6).
Sacrifices are provided for redeemed people who sin unintentionally (15:1-29).
Num. 15:30-31 refers to a member of God’s family who sins defiantly.
He’s cut off from God’s people because he takes God’s Word lightly.
Judgment is physical–separation from God’s people, and loss of blessing.
The Hebrews’ situation is similar.
They know what God expects.
If they’re rebellious and disobey, there’s no sacrifice for them either;
they’ll be turning away from the only sacrifice that can do them any good.
Therefore, they’re subject to God’s discipline, to physical judgment.
The relationship of this sin to the previous verses.
10:19-25 contains three exhortations addressed to believers:
—”Let us draw near to God” —”Let us hang on to our hope”
—”Let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds
—rather than abandon the gathering of God’s people”
10:26-31 explains why we should do this:
If we don’t do it, we’re sinning deliberately and face severe consequences.
The logical implications of this sin:
“No sacrifice for sins is left” 10:26
He has already demonstrated that O.T. sacrifices couldn’t take away sins.
The only sacrifice that can take away sin is Christ’s sacrifice.
O.T. looked forward to this sacrifice.
If they turn away from this sacrifice, what’s left? They have nothing.
In the O.T., when a just person sins unintentionally, sacrifices cover it.
When the sin’s intentional, no sacrifice is available. They suffer consequences.
“He has trampled the Son of God underfoot.” 10:29
Figurative expression can refer to lack of respect,
or to denial of Christ and His importance.
He “treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him” 10:29
“Unholy” (koiné) lit., refers to things which are “common” or “ordinary”
He treats Christ’s blood as common, ordinary blood.
By returning to Judaism, they make a statement that Christ is the same as any other dead religious leader. His death has no special value.
He has “insulted the Spirit of grace.” 10:29
Could refer to the persistent, merciful direction of the Spirit they reject.
By rejecting His direction, they reject Him as well.
5. The results of the sin
“A fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire” 10:27
Instead of the sacrifice for sins which gives confidence of fellowship with God,
they’re left with a terrifying expectation of judgment.
When God’s people rebel and disobey, they expect to be judged.
Numbers presents this picture in the following section, 16:25-35.
Story of Korah presents a horrendous expectation of judgment for those who deliberately rebel against God’s plan. It includes judgment by fire.
O.T. “judgment by fire” referred to (Is. 26:11), is normally a reference to destruction of a city resulting in the physical death of its inhabitants.
God can judge His people in the same way today.
He did that to Israel in A.D. 70. (Cf. Acts 5; 1 Cor. 11; 1 John 5).
Vengeance and divine judgment 10:30
While this could refer to judgment of those who sin, the quotation comes from Song of Moses in Deut. 32:35-36. God promises protection for his people.
The introductory formula in Heb. 10:30 indicates that this is another basis to trust the Lord and endure persecution: “We know Him Who said this”.
God has promised to protect His people and repay their adversaries.
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” 10:31
This warning is not directly stated anywhere in the O.T., but it is everywhere true.
This is a two-edged sword.
For His people it is a promise of God’s protection from the enemy,
But it is also a declaration of judgment for sinners.
6. Relationship of this passage to the argument of Hebrews.
Hebrews is an exhortation to continue growing in faith.
Christ has obtained direct access into God’s presence.
Therefore, draw near to God, hang on to our hope, and encourage one another.
Israel failed to do that. They suffered severe consequences.
Verses 26-31 give the reason why WE should obey:
If we don’t do it, we have only God’s judgment to look forward to.
We will deserve worse punishment than Israel.
We know Him who can deliver us from persecution and give us victory.
For Israel, judgment occurred in A.D. 70 when Roman armies moved into the city and wiped out the unbelieving people of God.
Those who knew the truth but chose to identify with Israel,
suffered with them in the judgment also. They ALL died there!
If you turned off the hearing aid at the beginning, it’s time to rejoin us.
I want to be sure we understand the main thought in this passage.
The writer is addressing believers on the verge of giving in under the weight of persecution and returning to Judaism.
He exhorts them to endure by faith, for God is able to deliver them
and Judaism can’t help them.
Disobedience in the light of God’s clear revelation solves nothing and will bring judgment.
This sin parallels the deliberate sin of Israel in the wilderness
when they refused to trust God and disobeyed His voice.
For such sin there was no sacrifice. It resulted in physical death (cf. Num. 15:30-31).
Unbelief in the present situation, followed by throwing over their profession and returning to Judaism, will subject them to God’s judgment on that generation,
when the Romans destroy the city and wipe out the people in A.D. 70.
Therefore they should keep on striving and watch God work on their behalf.
Pentecost: By going back, “they would be re-identifying with a nation under judgment, and there would be no escape when that judgment fell. The apostle is not threatening them with loss of salvation; he’s warning them that the physical, temporal judgment that was to come on the adversaries of Christ and His followers would fall on them as well.”
Faced with this kind of affliction, they have two alternatives:
1. Faith They can trust God to save them in this situation
They can keep going in spite of the suffering.
2. Unbelief They can decide that so much suffering costs too much.
They can decide it would be better to escape and return to Judaism.
10:26-31—he warns them of the danger of unbelief.
10:32-12:27 —he shows them the importance of faith.
[His] EXPECTATION OF [their] FAITH 10:32-39
They have already suffered greatly for Christ 10:32-34
Because of their previous faithfulness in persecution,
the author is confident they will trust God and remain faithful.
They ought to keep going with faith and patience 10:35-39
His purpose is to remind us, help us see God’s perspective, and encourage us.
He wants us to see our affliction from the perspective of eternity, and stand firm.
How significant will our present affliction seem
when we look back from the perspective of eternity?
WHAT LESSONS SHOULD WE LEARN FROM THIS PASSAGE?
FOR THEM: What is the application for his Hebrew readers?
Trust God and wait for His deliverance.
Those who refuse to trust God–who refuse to wait for His deliverance–
will return to Judaism and die in the judgment of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
That risk is unique to their situation.
Those who trust Him will be delivered from judgment.
FOR US: What is the lesson for us today?
Like them, we trust Christ for salvation, but not just for salvation.
We trust Him daily, especially for help in times of affliction.
Danger of unbelief: Those who refuse to trust Him can expect severe consequences.
God disciplines His children when we don’t obey.
That’s as true for us today as it was for the readers in that day.
We could suffer physically. We could even die physically. Cf. 1 Cor. 11.
We know that you can’t play games with God and walk away unharmed,
but we don’t often see it happen.
People who take God’s Word lightly and bring His name into disrepute can expect severe consequences, even physical judgment and death.
Trust Him and obey the exhortations He addresses to us as God’s children (12:5): “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” 12:7
Hang in there, and trust Him, even when we walk in the dark!
What kind of adverse circumstances are you facing this week?
Are you in the middle of a long dark tunnel?
Do you wonder if someone has turned out the light at the end of the tunnel.
Have you begun to wonder if God is there? If He cares?
If He’ll ever do anything?
God tells us to trust Him in the dark.
The darkness may seem long and hard. But He is trustworthy.
We can trust Him in the dark! Hang in there! Don’t throw in the towel!
Trust Him; wait to see His solution! We can expect victory in the end!
We’re called to trust Him and patiently endure, while we wait to watch God work.
Louis Evans tells about Leonard Picker, a Hollywood producer. He lost his home in the Bel Air fire in 1960. In a community refuge, his wife was wearing oversized trousers held up by safety pins, he shared his gratitude. “Three years ago I had my spiritual birth; yesterday I had a “material birth;” I was born free of material possessions.”
An angry young executive listened, then responded, “What’s he so happy about?
Doesn’t he know he’s lost everything?” No. He hadn’t lost everything.
He still had the most important things.
He still had Jesus, and that was enough for Him!
The writer understands this invaluable prize; He doesn’t want US to let go!