Hebrews 10:26-39 The Scariest Passage in the New Testament

Bible Study Series: Jesus in Hebrews - Better by Far!

Bible Study Lesson: Hebrews 10:26-39 - The Scariest Passage in the New Testament

by I Gordon

Welcome! We have been studying the book of Hebrews and we come today to a passage in Hebrews 10 that could be called the scariest passage in the New Testament. It begins with these ominous words 'For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.' And that is just the start. But it is more than enough to get you to sit up a little straighter and pay more attention to what is being said!

So here is what we will do today:

• We'll explore this scary and difficult passage. What does it mean, who is the writer speaking of, and why is there so much controversy over this passage? 
• We'll look at the different positions people have held over the centuries on this passage and what the first century context was 
• We'll examine the writers exhortation to press on in the faith and not shrink back

So we will study the rest of the chapter, verses 26-39, but let's begin with the passage that has kept people awake at night!¹ I'll include more quotes and information than normal in the footnotes for those who want to dig a little deeper.

A passage to make your hair stand on end!

Heb 10:26-31  For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  (27)  but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (28)  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  (29)  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted 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 terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

J. Vernon McGee says "This is the most solemn warning of all. In fact, it makes your hair stand on end!" To be fair mine does anyway even at the best of times, but this passage doesn't help! Now if you are like me, a passage of judgment like that raises several questions in your mind:

• Who is it addressing?
• What exactly is the willful sin in this context?
• Why does there no longer remain a sacrifice for sins for one who sins willfully in this way?
• How do you trample under foot the Son of God and insult the spirit of Grace?
• And why is it then such a terrifying thing for such a person to fall into the hands of the living God?

This is actually the fourth of five warnings given in the book of Hebrews and as mentioned, it is a passage that has scared many Christians, especially those that are very sincere, right down through the ages. I remember when I first went to Bible College, many moons ago, and the first biblical discussion that I had with my roommate started with him saying 'Have you seen the warning in Hebrews 10? If you deliberately sin after salvation there is no more sacrifice for that sin and only judgment remains.' Now we were both very young Christians at the time and didn't have the best understanding of the passage, but we certainly knew this - it didn't sound good... for someone anyway!² But the 'who' remained somewhat of a mystery. Was it really that there was no covering for sins committed deliberately after salvation? How would that tie in with the rest of the New Testament's teaching about Jesus' complete and final victory over sin on the cross? And what exactly is this 'willful sin' that the writer was warning against? Many, many questions for some young concerned Christians starting their theological training at Bible college! So the passage is quite clear right? If you willfully sin after becoming a Christian, that's it - just a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume you awaits. Have. A. Nice. Day. Is that what it means? That is how my concerned young Bible College roommate took it. And yes, a surface level reading of the passage can leave unsecure Christians thinking that. Which, if you think about it, would be terrifying for all of us, for which of us, even as believers, haven't committed a sin willfully?

An important, often overlooked first word... 'for'

So what does this passage mean and what was the context and background? The first thing that I will draw your attention to is the important first word of the passage - 'for'. This links the passage back to the preceding thought and describes for us what willful sin the writer had in mind. So what does the proceeding verse talk about? 'Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some...' The writer is now speaking about those that have done that very thing. The 'willful sin' he wrote to these Jewish believers was in forsaking the assembly of believers and going back to their Jewish roots under the law of Moses. In other words it is returning to the Old Testament sacrifices and not relying solely upon Christ's sacrifice anymore. Their 'willful sin'³ was not pride, lust, anger, jealousy or anything of the sort. It was denying the person and work of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, for salvation. They were saying that His sacrifice was not enough as they returned to the Old Testament law and sacrificial system. John MacArthur writes on 'sin willfully': 

"The Greek term carries the idea of deliberate intention that is habitual. The sin is rejecting Christ deliberately. These are not isolated acts. According to the Mosaic legislation, such acts of deliberate, premeditated sin required exclusion from the congregation of Israel (cf. Num_15:30-31) and from its worship (cf. Exo_21:14). Such sins also excluded the individual from sanctuary in the cities of refuge (cf. Deu_19:11-13)."   

Now while it is important to see the context into which it is written, we certainly shouldn't consign this passage to history for it speaks and gives a warning for those in our day as well. 

As has been indicated, there is considerable disagreement among Christians as to the real nature of this sin. The problem, in brief, is whether it refers to:
1. True Christians who subsequently turn away from Christ and are lost.
2. True Christians who backslide but who are still saved.
3. Those who profess to be Christians for a while, identify themselves with a local church, but then deliberately turn away from Christ. They were never truly born again, and now they never can be.
No matter which view we hold, there are admitted difficulties. We believe that the third view is the correct one because it is most consistent with the over-all teaching of Hebrews and of the entire NT.
Here in verse 26 apostasy is defined as sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth. Like Judas, the person has heard the gospel. He knows the way of salvation; he has even pretended to receive it; but then he deliberately repudiates it. For such a person, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. He has decisively and conclusively rejected the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. Therefore God has no other way of salvation to offer to him. There is a sense in which all sin is willful, but the author here speaks of apostasy as a willful sin of extraordinary seriousness.
Believers Bible Commentary

So let's break it down, verse by verse, with some potentially helpful points. And let me just say, as MacDonald did, that it is a difficult passage, like Hebrews 6:4-6 is, no matter what position you hold. 

• For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 
  The 'for' as mentioned, links it to the previous verse of departing from the assembly of believers and speaks of those that are walking away from the faith and went back to Judaism. That is why there is no longer a sacrifice for sins. The author is saying that under the Old Testament sacrifices are no longer accepted by God. Jesus was and is the final sacrifice for sins. Without Him there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. And without Him all that does remain is a terrifying expectation of judgement! This is a solemn warning for those that are not placing their hope and trust in the sacrifice of Jesus for their sins.
  
  
• Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  
  Let's be clear: You do not trample the Son of God underfoot by sinning generally. You trample the Son of God underfoot by saying that His sacrifice is not enough. His work is not enough. You trample the Son of God underfoot by deciding that you will 'do it your way' and turn from God's plan of salvation. This is said to deserve much severer punishment.⁴ It reminds us of how Peter said, "For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them" (2Pe_2:21). The story of Judas certainly comes to mind here!⁵ This is said to be insulting the spirit of grace. You do not insult the spirit of grace by seeing your sin and your need of grace. That is pleasing to the Lord. You insult the spirit of grace by saying that your own works are good enough and you don't need His grace. You insult the spirit of grace by rejecting His offer of forgiveness and saying that the way of salvation provided is not for you. And you, like I, will know people that are doing that very thing! And many who do this can look like they were true believers for a while.  Ray Comfort writes in The Evidence Bible: “It is the false convert who is like a dog that returns to his vomit and the pig who goes back to the mire. A genuine convert would rather die than despise the Spirit of grace and trample the blood of Christ under his feet. 3:21 See Psalm 50:22-23.”
  Now there is a difficulty in this verse. It says the one who has rejected Christ 'has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified.' So by saying that he was sanctified, does this mean he was genuinely saved at one point?⁶ Sanctified doesn't always mean that. The word means 'set apart' and is even spoken of an unbelieving husband married to a believing wife (1 Cor 7:14), even though he is not saved himself. And used here, I believe, of those that were positionally set apart when associated with the believing community before turning and leaving.
  
  
• For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay."⁷ And again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
  Another difficulty exists in this passage where it says 'The Lord will judge his people'. So in what sense are those being judged, 'His people'? This is a quote from the Old Testament in Deut 32:36. We know from the Old Testament that all of Israel were God's covenant people though not all had personal faith and were saved. Thus the author uses this quote to show, in like manner, that not all those that come into the Church are saved. Like Israel of old, personal ongoing faith is required. And for those that hold not to sacrifice that Christ made for them, yes, it is a terrifying thing. 

The Hands of God - A study in Contrasts!

Let us be clear: To those who reject the work of Christ, the hands of God are not there for comfort. To them it is said:

Heb 10:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God

Without a Savior, with no covering of your sins, you will pay for your own sins and quite clearly, there is nothing more terrifying than that. This is why we don't want to play games when it comes to our faith and with God. We want to be certain of Him whom we trust for forgiveness and salvation and not waver in our faith. That is why Peter would say:

2Pe 1:10-11  Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,  (11)  and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And to quote another frightening passage for those that are trusting in themselves and their own works, while still naming the name of Christ, we don't want to be those that say:

Mat 7:22-23 ...'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Yet in contrast to this, to those that are truly born again, being in the hands of God is the most secure and protective place of all. To them, His true sheep, Jesus gave this wonderful promise:

Joh 10:28-29  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

Those hands will hold us safe for all eternity!

The Eternal Perspective - Even in the face of persecution!

Heb 10:32-34  Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.  (33)  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  (34)  You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

Now against that background, the author of Hebrews has some encouragement and exhortations. Remember those early days. Remember when you stood your ground in the face of opposition and suffering. Remember how you didn't waiver in your faith. And it is good to remember our start as well, when we first made that decision to follow Jesus no matter what. It is also good to remember what many others go through to follow Christ. I keep hearing recent reports coming out of Nigeria especially where Islamists are bursting into villages and churches giving the believers an ultimatum: 'Renounce your faith, turn to Allah or face the consequences.' Many have been martyred, unwilling to renounce Christ! Oh, bless them... Great will be their reward!

The Jewish believers of the first century faced some similar circumstances for following Yeshua. The Believer's Bible Commentary states:

"Now when a Jew left the faith of his forefathers, he was looked on as a turncoat and an apostate (meshummed), and was often punished with one or more of the following:

• Disinheritance by his family.
• Excommunication from the congregation of Israel.
• Loss of employment.
• Dispossession.
• Mental harassment and physical torture.
• Public mockery.
• Imprisonment.
• Martyrdom."

And note again what the writer says to these Hebrews: 'You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.' Some were imprisoned. Others joyfully accepted the confiscation of their property! And we start to moan if God takes longer than we like in answering a prayer! And why were they able to do this? Because they knew they had better and lasting possessions. This is developed in the next part of our text.

Richly Rewarded at the Return of Christ

Heb 10:35-39  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  (36)  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  (37)  For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.  (38)  But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."  (39)  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

The writer continues, reminding them, and us, that there are eternal rewards, even if all is lost on this earth. So he says don't give up! Don't throw away your confidence in Christ! He says that Christ is coming and will not delay. Hold onto your hope! It will be richly rewarded and you will receive what is promised. And what is that? A heavenly home in the New Jerusalem... eternal joy without pain or suffering ever again... the presence and fellowship of God!.. rewards for service... reigning with Jesus and serving Him... It is what our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ hold onto in the face of persecution and even martyrdom. Again, may God bless them! And may we learn to focus on eternal things as well! Peter said it like this:

1Pe 1:3-5  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,  (5)  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

And note how this chapter ends. Though he had given a grave warning for those that reject Jesus, he writes 'But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.'

The Believer's Bible Commentary writes:

The writer quickly dissociates himself and his fellow believers from those who draw back to perdition. This separates apostates from genuine Christians. Apostates draw back and are lost. True believers believe and thus preserve their souls from the doom of the renegade. With this mention of faith (“believe” and “faith” are the same root word in Greek), the groundwork is laid for a fuller discussion of the life that pleases God. The illustrious eleventh chapter follows quite naturally at this point.

We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. You will note that the other great warning in Hebrews 6:4-6 (which also has caused sleepless nights for concerned Christians) ends in the same way. After giving that warning the writer ends with encouragement for the true believer writing:

Heb 6:9  Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation.

And truly there are much better things planned for those that have salvation!

Conclusion 

So as we conclude, yes... it is fair to say that this passage in Hebrews 10:26-31 is a scary passage for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God... without a Savior. And we don't want to minimize that thought for those that are not trusting in Jesus as their Savior. As our scripture said, 'How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God?' But nor do we want this passage to alarm those that are trusting in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. D. J. De Haan writes: 

Today’s text speaks of trampling underfoot the precious Son of God. This warning, along with Hebrews 6:1-8, has caused untold agony to many sensitive Christians. It’s as if Satan uses Hebrews 6:4 and 10:26 to create hopelessness and despair. But what do these passages teach? F. F. Bruce points out that they refer to people who have deliberately abandoned reliance on the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Raymond Brown said that theirs is not a single act of falling away, but a state of willful, determined renunciation of all dependence on Christ’s atoning work. God has no other plan for saving those who regard Christ’s sacrifice as useless.
D. J. De Haan

Run to the Cross and Remain in the place of safety!

Our Daily Bread gives the following illustration: "Whenever a tsunami warning is given on the northern coastline of Maui, Hawaii, the people living in Hana rush up the side of a mountain to a high place of safety. Nearby is a tall wooden cross that was placed there many years ago. For their physical safety, people run to the area where the cross is located. In a similar way, all of us need a place of spiritual safety. Why? Because the Lord gives us these warnings in His Word: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “the wages of sin is death”...Because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, that place of safety is available. Have you run to the cross?"

So while it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God without a covering for your sins, being in those same hands as a believer is the safest place there is. In fact being 'in Christ' is the only safe place there is! So the exhortation then, as it is now, is 'Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.' And the confident expectation of the writer is that 'we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.' So like our friends in Hana, Maui, when under the threat of a tsunami, may we run to the place of the cross, the place of safety, and not depart from our trust and hope in the only Savior - Jesus Christ!

God Bless!

FOOTNOTES