Commentary - Hebrews 10:26-39

Bird's-eye view

In this crucial section of Hebrews, the author pivots from the glorious sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice to the terrible consequences of rejecting it. The passage is a cohesive whole, divided into two movements. The first (vv. 26-31) is one of the most severe warnings in all of Scripture, detailing the grim reality that awaits the apostate. It is a warning against high-handed, deliberate sin, which is defined as trampling underfoot the Son of God. The second movement (vv. 32-39) is a warm pastoral encouragement. After delivering the thunderclap, the author immediately applies the soothing balm of remembrance and exhortation, calling his hearers to recall their former faithfulness in the face of suffering and to persevere in that same confidence until the end. The warning is meant to fortify, not to terrify, the true believer.

The entire passage functions as a powerful argument for endurance. The terror of the consequences of falling away is set in sharp contrast to the glory of the reward for holding fast. This is not a passage intended to make saints doubt their salvation, but rather to be one of the very means by which God preserves them in it. It is a call to take the covenant seriously, to understand the stakes, and to live by the faith that preserves the soul instead of shrinking back to destruction.

Outline

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

v. 26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

The author begins with a conditional statement that sets the stage for this terrifying warning. The sin in view here is not the believer's daily stumble. The word "willfully" points to a deliberate, high-handed, and persistent rebellion. It is the sin of apostasy. After one has received the "knowledge of the truth", which means a clear and robust understanding of the gospel, to then turn one's back on it is the ultimate transgression. For such a person, there is no other recourse. Christ's sacrifice is final and singular. If that sacrifice is rejected, there isn't another one waiting in the wings. The Levitical system is obsolete, and Christ will not be crucified again. To reject Him is to reject the only remedy.

v. 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

For the one who repudiates the sacrifice, all that is left is not peace, but a "terrifying expectation of judgment." The conscience, once informed by the truth, now anticipates wrath. This is not a mild displeasure, but the "fury of a fire." God's holiness, when it encounters unrepentant sin without a sacrifice to mediate, is a consuming fire. The apostate is no longer considered a brother who has stumbled; he has made himself one of the "adversaries." He has crossed over to the other side, and the fire of God's judgment is what awaits those who have set themselves against the Lord.

v. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

Here the author employs an argument from the lesser to the greater, a common rhetorical device in Hebrews. He appeals to the standard set in the Mosaic covenant (Deut. 17:6). If contempt for the shadow, the Law of Moses, resulted in an inexorable and merciless death, what should be the consequence for showing contempt for the reality?

v. 29 How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as defiled the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

The logic is inescapable. The punishment must fit the crime, and the crime of apostasy is presented in three escalating phrases. First, the apostate has "trampled underfoot the Son of God," treating the King of glory with utter contempt. Second, he has treated the precious "blood of the covenant" as a common, or defiled, thing. This is the very blood that established the New Covenant. Notice the phrase "by which he was sanctified." This does not mean the person was genuinely regenerate and then lost his salvation. It refers to his objective, covenantal position. He was set apart within the visible church, a partaker of the external blessings of the covenant, just as an Israelite was set apart by circumcision. To profane that status is a grave offense. Third, he has "insulted the Spirit of grace," spurning the very agent of salvation and life. The punishment for such cosmic treason will be much worse than physical death.

v. 30 For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”

The author grounds his warning in the character of God Himself, quoting from Deuteronomy 32. God is not a passive observer. He is a God who judges, and vengeance belongs to Him. He will settle all accounts. And notice who He judges: "His people." Judgment begins at the house of God. The covenant community is not a safe zone for hypocrites and traitors. God Himself will purge His own people, separating the faithful from the apostate.

v. 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

This is the summary conclusion of the warning. The God we serve is not an idol, a concept, or a tame deity. He is the "living God." To be His beloved child and to fall into His hands for discipline is one thing. But to be His enemy and to fall into His hands for judgment is the definition of ultimate terror. There is no escape and no appeal.

v. 32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,

Having laid out the dire consequences of apostasy, the author now turns to encouragement. He does not believe his readers are in that apostate condition. His method is pastoral: he calls them to "remember." He points them back to the time of their conversion, when they were first "enlightened" by the gospel. Immediately following that enlightenment, they were plunged into a "great conflict of sufferings." True faith is tested faith, and they had already proven its reality.

v. 33 partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and afflictions, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.

Their suffering was not private. They were made a "public spectacle," shamed and abused for their faith. But their faithfulness was shown not only in how they bore their own suffering, but in how they identified with others who were suffering. They became "sharers" with their persecuted brethren. This is the mark of genuine Christian community. They stood together when it was costly to do so.

v. 34 For you also showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted with joy the seizure of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.

He gets even more specific. They showed sympathy to prisoners, a dangerous act of solidarity in the Roman world. And more, they "accepted with joy" the plundering of their own property. How is this possible? Because their faith gave them a different set of values. They knew that their true treasure was not on earth but in heaven, a "better and lasting possession." This is the kind of robust faith that sees the invisible and values the eternal over the temporal.

v. 35 Therefore, do not throw away that confidence of yours, which has a great reward.

The conclusion is logical. "Since you have already proven the reality of your faith in such costly ways, don't give up now!" Their "confidence" is not wishful thinking, but a bold assurance based on the promises of God. This confidence is precious, and it must not be thrown away. It is tied to a "great reward."

v. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

Here is the central exhortation. The Christian life requires "endurance." It is a marathon, not a sprint. Faith must be maintained over the long haul. This endurance is the means by which we do the will of God, and having done it, we will "receive the promise." The reward is certain, but it is for those who finish the race.

vv. 37-38 FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH, AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

To bolster their endurance, he quotes from Isaiah and Habakkuk. The end is near. "He who is coming will come." For these original readers, this had a powerful application to the impending judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Christ was coming to vindicate His people and dismantle the old covenant system. In such a time, the righteous man must live by "faith," trusting God's promises, not by sight. The alternative is to "shrink back," an act of cowardice and unbelief in which God takes no pleasure.

v. 39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

The author concludes with a statement of profound pastoral confidence. He includes himself with his readers: "we." He distinguishes them from the apostates described in the warning. There are two kinds of people, and only two. There are those who shrink back, and their end is "destruction." And there are those who have faith, a persevering faith, which results in the "preserving of the soul." This is the confidence that every true believer should have. The warnings are not there to make us doubt, but to make us run all the harder to the finish line.

Application

The modern church is often tempted to soften the hard edges of the Christian faith. We want a God of grace without a God of judgment. This passage forbids such a lopsided view. The grace of God is insulted when His covenant is treated lightly. We must recover a healthy fear of the living God, recognizing that apostasy is a real and terrible possibility for those who merely associate with the church but do not possess true faith.

At the same time, this passage is a deep well of encouragement for the suffering saint. We are called to remember God's past faithfulness in our lives. When we face trials, we should look back at how God sustained us before, and take heart. We must also cultivate a joyful indifference to worldly possessions, knowing that our true inheritance is in heaven. Finally, we must understand that endurance is not optional. We are in a race, and the warnings against quitting are God's way of spurring us on, reminding us that the reward for those who live by faith and refuse to shrink back is glorious and certain.