Hebrews 10:26-31 (NMB NT) For if we sin willingly after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful looking for judgment and violent fire, which will devour the adversaries. 28 He who despises Moses’ law dies without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 of how much sorer punishment do you suppose that person will be counted deserving who treads under foot the Son of God, and counts as an unholy thing the blood of the testament by which he was sanctified, and does dishonour to the Spirit of Grace? 30 For we know him who has said: Vengeance belongs to me; I will recompense, says the Lord. And again: The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
V26 “For if we sin willingly after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins…” The key to understanding this is “sin willfully.” Considering the tense of the verb, it is better translated as “Because, if we keep on sinning deliberately after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there doesn’t remain any more sacrifice for sins,” Thus, it is not one sin but continuously sinning without repentance. For these people, there is no other sacrifices since the sacrifice of Jesus was a one time event.
V27 “…but a fearful looking for judgment and violent fire, which will devour the adversaries.” The might refer to hell fire or refining and testing fire. At the Bema seat judgment, there is a testing of our deeds by fire (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). The Bema Seat judgment is for rewards. It is not for giving a sentence to heaven or hell. Adversaries are those who lack faith, practice disobedience to the Law of Christ, and refuse to repent of sin when convicted by the Holy Spirit.
V28 “He who despises Moses’ law dies without mercy under two or three witnesses…” If a person under the Mosaic Law despises God and His law, then death. Obedience yields life and blessing; disobedience yields death and curses. This was especially noted in Mosaic Law as seen in Deuteronomy 28. If there is repentance before judgment and proven by an obedient life (faith), then the sinner will experience God’s mercy. Compare Ezekiel 28. We cannot be sinless in this life. God expects us to be blameless (without offense), which is sinning but asking for forgiveness. The Greek word for “offense” as in Philippians 1:10 is (GG677) ἀπρόσκοπος apróskopos, which means not to trip up or stumble. Word Study Dictionary states: “Applied to the conscience, not stumbling over or impinging upon anything for which our heart condemns us.” The Greek word “blameless” is in Matthew 12:5-7 is (G338) ἀναίτιος anaítios, which means (Vine): “”guiltless.” What God wants from us when we sin is to ask forgiveness from Him, the forgiver, and from whomever we offended. Most sins are unintentional.
V29 “…of how much sorer punishment do you suppose that person will be counted deserving who treads under foot the Son of God, and counts as an unholy thing the blood of the testament by which he was sanctified, and does dishonour to the Spirit of Grace?” Treads under foot the Son of God is an idiom of total disrespect towards the Lord Jesus as if He were nothing but a rug to walk on. “Counted deserving” is God’s verdict of a continuously disobedient, defiant, and unbelieving person. The blood of Jesus is what is accepted by God for atonement for sins. If one has that attitude of hate and rejection of the sacrificial ministry of the Lord Jesus, there is no hope. “Dishonor to the Spirit of Grace” is rejecting, despising, the Holy Spirit of God.
Quotes:
Wuest Word Studies: “Counting the blood of the New Testament an unholy thing, is a sin against God the Son who shed His blood. The word “counted” in the Greek text refers to a conscious judgment resting on deliberate weighing of the facts. Here it implies a deliberate, contemptuous rejection of the Messianic sacrifice of the Son of God.”
“Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, made a statement that certainly sounds reasonable that if we grieve not the Spirit (Eph. 4:30), quench not the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19-20), and walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-note), we will be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-note). I would “adjust” it slightly because I think that there is no way to obey the command to walk by the Spirit unless we are filled with, controlled by and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The negative commands if broken (grieve, quench) clearly will effectively “neutralize” the power of the Spirit in our lives. For that reason, in some ways those two negative commands are two of the most important commands in the Bible for a believer pursuing sanctification/holiness (Heb 12:14-note)!
Compare Isaiah (Isa 63:10) But they rebelled And grieved (Heb = atsab = to hurt, pain; Lxx = paroxuno = to provoke to wrath, irritate, cause to be upset) His Holy Spirit; Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.” (Source: https://www.preceptaustin.org/hebrews_1028-29#10:29)
“John Phillips explains that “There are three ways in which the Holy Spirit can be opposed. He can be grieved, He can be quenched, and He can be resisted. Only a Spirit-indwelt believer can grieve the Holy Spirit. The word grieve is a love-word. We can grieve only someone who loves us and who stands in a special relationship to us.” (Source: ibid)
V30 “For we know him who has said: Vengeance belongs to me; I will recompense, says the Lord. And again: The Lord shall judge his people.” For the first quote, see Deuteronomy 32:35 and Psalm 94:1). For the second quote, see Deuteronomy 32:36 and Psalm 98:9. The application is we are not to seek vengeance. Regarding forgiving others, we forgive, that is, do not seek vengeance so pray to God to take care of it. If there was a crime committed, we MUST report it. There may be forgiveness, but the crime must be reported to hold the criminal accountable and to alert others of the danger of this person.
V31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Truly, the wrath of God is not to be laughed at or ignored. This verse does need to be preached from the pulpit.
We learn:
- If we continuously sin a particular sin, then we are not saved. No change in life = no change of heart. For example, if we are a thief, but after believing (?) in Jesus, we still work as a thief, there is no salvation.
- There are consequences for sin.
- If we worry about being saved or not, then we are saved.