Daily Bread 2011 - Hebrews 10

A Call to Persevere
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

What Does This Mean?
The writer has reiterated how Jesus has become the once and for all sacrifice for our sin, and now we enter into God’s presence by His grace. God does not delight in burnt offerings or sacrifices any more, but God has now written His laws on our hearts. We have been forgiven, and there is no more need for the forgiveness of sin, it has been finished. But then what comes next?

The author stresses having confidence as we enter in the Most Holy Place by the blood of Christ. And then there are several “let us” statements. Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we promised for God is faithful. Let us spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together. Let us encourage one another and all the more as the Day approaches. This is a good summary of our life of faith together.

Importantly there is a word of warning and judgment for those who deliberately keep on sinning after receiving God’s grace. The idea is that those who try to take advantage of God’s grace and treat as unholy the sacrifice Jesus has offered are in a dangerous position. Finally it ends on an ominous note, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

What Does This Mean For Us?
Does this mean we are to live in constant fear if we sin that God will somehow judge us? I don’t think that is the sense of the passage. This condition is described as someone who “deliberately keeps on sinning”. For example, someone who has received the grace of God and then says, “I am going to keep on living a sinful life trampling on Jesus’ sacrifice.”

There is a delicate balance of receiving grace realizing we could not earn our own salvation, and then the living out our lives in confidence in what we have received. Importantly to avoid this scenario we need to remember all the “let us” statements. Within these statements we see that our faith life is lived out in community not alone. I.e. Don’t forget meeting together – Sunday morning worship or small group. Secondly, we all need encouragement to live a life of love and good deeds. The Christian life is a marathon not a sprint, and we will need cheerleaders to get us through quitting points.

If you know someone in danger of trampling on the grace of God through deliberate sinfulness, you might want to warn them in love of the possible consequences. Meanwhile, we can continue to rely on the grace of God and once and for all sacrifice of Jesus, as we draw near to our God in full confidence in what He has done.

Heavenly Father help us to draw near to you by the confidence we have through Your Son. As we look forward to your return some day may we spur each other to love and good deeds and not forget to meet and encourage one another often! Amen.