After taking a few minutes to recognize the milestone of our 900th weekly podcast, we pay a visit to another false assumption that the ministry of fear loves to pour on top of people. And yes, once again it involves plucking a Bible verse completely out of context from the book of Hebrews that will be advertised in a way that suggests a person may lose their salvation if they sin deliberately. They will imply the sacrifice of Jesus will not be able to save them for "willful" sins. We will point out who the writer is communicating to and some things they said over several chapters leading up to this "verse" which we hope will bring some peace of mind—because the gospel is supposed to be good news—not a message of discomfort.
The writer is explaining to Jewish people about the contrasts between the New Covenant of Christ and the former Old Covenant of law and animal sacrifices ... and how the old way was annulled. If they were to reject the sacrifice of Jesus which brought eternal forgiveness and took away sin once for all, there would be no sacrifice left for sins. So this is not referring to people who sin (as we all do), but it is aimed at those who reject the only sacrifice God provided to take away their sin.
There’s just something about those numbered Bible verses that seems to cause people to hone in on them and miss the surrounding context. One of these that we get asked about frequently is Hebrews 10:26-27. Christians who have been gifted with the righteousness of God suddenly become very fearful when looking at such a verse without taking into account all that was said leading up to it.
Chapters 7-10 in the book of Hebrews contain some of the most powerful information within the pages of Scripture as it relates to the finished work of Christ and the once for all forgiveness that came through His blood. He became the guarantee of a better covenant. We can add nothing to it because it’s based upon what He did … not what we do or don’t do. Faith places trust that what He did, and it was more than enough for those who don’t reject the one sacrifice for sins that God provided through His Son.
“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins …”
The problem with looking at a few Bible verses by themselves is that context gets lost and it can cause unnecessary fear and a misunderstanding of the good news. Our program this week tackles the last part of Hebrews chapter ten, where legalists and others have completely missed the point of what the writer has been saying throughout the book, leading up to this passage.
The main focus here isn’t about being in danger for sins committed (because everyone has done this), but it’s about rejecting the one sacrifice for sins which Jesus provided with the sacrifice of Himself, resulting in sins being taken away. The unbelief or rejection of this is what causes one to trample the Son of God underfoot, and regards as unclean the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified, thereby insulting the Spirit of grace. Only Jesus is the guarantee of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22).
