We have found ourselves here once again. The author brings to bear the harsh reality of what happens to those who refuse to follow Jesus after having heard the truth. As we have seen in previous chapters he is dealing with the issue of those who are slinking back into their prior Judaism to avoid the persecution they had begun to experience because of their profession of Christ. The author wants them to see the consequences that await those who do not follow through in their commitment to Christ but also to show them how he believes his readers are not those who fall away.
Therefore the key idea of the section is there is no other way to eternal life except through repentance and faith in our high priest Jesus. Those who shrink back from the promise are lost.
I. Painful Rebuke
The first characteristic of this discourse is a painful rebuke. As a surgery to cure a deadly condition may be painful yet necessary so the author feels the sharp blade of a painful rebuke is necessary to prevent the worse complications of saying nothing. He notes the terrible danger of those who continue to sin willfully after having received knowledge of the truth. There are three aspects to the painful rebuke that he administers to his readers.
A. What do those who sin willfully have?
The first aspect to the painful rebuke is what do those who sin willfully have? What is it that they possess? There are three descriptions of what it is they possess. We find this in vv. 26-27. He tells us here, “For if we go on sinning willfully after having received 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.”
1. No forgiveness
The first description of what they possess is no forgiveness. At the end of verse 26 he says that if an individual finds himself in this condition “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” What the author shows here is a conclusion from his material in chapters 9&10. If you remember the author said that Jesus offered up one sacrifice for sins. If a person will not repent and accept Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins then there is no other sacrifice available. If a person comes to understand that no one comes to the Father but by Jesus and then chooses to reject that sacrifice there is no forgiveness available to Him.
A person having made this choice has no other options. He cannot find salvation in what he thinks will make Him most comfortable. You must recognize that if you have to trust Christ as Savior then there can be no other way. But the individual here has made his choice. He has heard the argument for salvation through Christ. He has seen that it may very well involve difficulty and hardship. And he has heard the argument from the world’s side. You don’t need to suffer. Have religion and have comfort and happiness too. In making the decision to align himself his desires he has forfeited any forgiveness offered through the sacrifice of Christ. Unfortunately as we will see this comfort and happiness he has chosen for himself is temporary. It is only in Christ one finds eternal comfort and true joy. This individual is left with no forgiveness.
2. No faith
The second description of what they possess is no faith. As we noted previously in the book those of whom the author tells us are people who have had an initiation into Christian teaching and fellowship but have never mixed the message they have heard with faith. The message sounded good but their response never came from a heart of repentance. Somehow it was always about them instead of God. The apostle Paul defined true repentance in 1 Thessalonians 1 when he said, it consisted of turning to God from idols. People may want to turn to God (for their benefit) but never turn from their idols. In this they have not experienced repentance flowing out of true faith. And this is the condition of those here who go on sinning willfully after having received a knowledge of the truth. As long as they see things to their advantage they will go along with the flow but when they discover that following Jesus will cost them something or they will experience some pain then they are through with it. Why? They possess no real faith.
The danger of such a position is that if someone comes to this point and because of persecution or hardship turns away from the Lord they are in a serious condition of no return. The phrase to “go on sinning willfully” does not refer to someone struggling with sin or those who have been ignorantly led astray but to a rebellious refusal to repent and receive Christ. According to one author it is “continuing a lifestyle of rejecting God’s Word” (Guthrie 355-56). This willful sin and position of no return is found in Numbers 15:27-31. There it is called blasphemy because a person knows what God’s Word has said and yet has “despised the word of the Lord.”
An example of this position of no return is found in Numbers 13-14. Here the nation of Israel has been led to the edge of the Promised Land. Moses has sent in spies to reconnoiter their situation. And ten of the twelve spies tell the people that the inhabitants of the land will crush them like bugs. It causes the entire nation to grumble against the Lord and they refuse to enter. The sad part is that they have seen the miracles of God throughout their journey. They crossed the Red Sea; they had bread and water provided for them supernaturally. And yet they did not have faith. They refused to believe God could deliver them from these larger than average size people. And so they rebel against God’s plan to go into the land. So God tells them their punishment will be to die in the desert while they travel in circles for the next 40 years. The people don’t like this so they repent (outwardly) and say, “Oh we’re sorry God. We’ll head right into that Promised Land right now and go in and conquer it.” And so they try but are quickly repulsed by the armies of the land. How do we know that they repented only outwardly instead of in sincere faith? Because if they had repented in sincere faith they would have acknowledged that their punishment to wander in the desert was just and they deserved this for their sin and would have accepted it in faith. But instead they took off on their own way again. They wanted what they wanted and would get it. They had no faith. They saw all these mighty miracles and yet they doubted. Yet people today will stand before God and say, “If only I could see some miracle I will believe!” You would not. If you can’t believe God’s Word now without a witnessing a miracle then you wouldn’t believe if you did see a miracle. The Israelites saw and were still devoid of faith. Those who decide to go on sinning willfully likewise do not possess any faith. So don’t be that way. Believe His Word. Take the Scripture and tell God that you will submit yourself to what it says regardless of the outcome. Sometimes the consequences for obeying may seem to be worse than ignoring His Word and doing your own thing. But real faith follows the path of obedience instead of rebellion. Don’t go on sinning willfully after having received the knowledge of the truth. Later you may find yourself unwilling to come to God, or worse, unable to come to God.
3. No future
The third description of what they possessed is no future. As we pick up the end of verse 26 into 27 we read, “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversary.” Those who go on sinning willfully after having received a knowledge of the truth can only look forward to judgment. And this is the most awful part. Those who have received a knowledge of the truth understand that judgment awaits them. This is their expectation. In a sense their guilty conscience causes them to experience hell on earth. They are tormented by the spirit of Christmas future with no hope of escape. I think this is why Peter said in his second letter, “It would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.” Not only do they now experience a fraction of their fateful grief but when they come to their reward, their torment will be even greater for rejecting what they knew to be true.
One who desires to go on sinning willfully cannot hide under the banner of once saved, always saved. I believe that statement, “once saved, always saved” is true. When God has saved a person it is a done deal. But a person who can willfully sin with impunity, without discipline of his Heavenly Father, does not understand the grace of God. A willful sinner cannot use that banner as a cloak for their evil and think they have assurance. The apostle Paul said there is a just condemnation for those who declare, “Let us do evil so good may result.” Let no one be deceived. Let no one play the part of a Christian who has not truly exercised faith in Christ with the repentance that leads to life.
So what is it those who go on sinning willfully have? They have absolutely nothing. They have no forgiveness, no faith, and they have no future. It is like Jesus’ parable of those who were given money to use for their master until he returned. The one who hid the money because he didn’t truly know his master ended up with absolutely nothing. Jesus’ words were “whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” Some people think they have Jesus because with their mouths they confess Him. But if will not put their faith in Him and trust His Word in repentance even what they think they have will be taken from them.
B. What do those who sin willfully do?
We looked at what those who sin willfully have, now the second aspect of this painful rebuke is what do those who sin willfully do? I wish we could say, “absolutely nothing,” as in the previous material but in verses 29 and 30 we see, “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.” The author tells us in these verses there are three acts that those who rebel by sinning willfully do.
1. Reject the Son’s love
First, the author says they reject the Son’s love. They do this by having, as the author notes, “trampled under foot the Son of God.” This term was used as one of the greatest ways to show contempt to a person. Someone who rejects the Word of God does not reject a set of dogma or teachings. He does not reject a creed or a church. He rejects a person, the very Son of God and he rejects His love for him. It is He, as the Scripture says, who loved us and gave Himself for us. He died for us because we were all dead in our sin. God demonstrated His love for us in this very way that Christ died for us. He endured the torment we deserved and yet these who refuse to trust Him spurn that love He showed. The love of Christ controls us who know Him as Savior but those who refuse to trust Christ and follow Him in His path reject His love and trample upon it. Those who reject Him look at His demonstration of love on the cross and say I don’t want you. Their stubborn refusal to follow Him regardless of cost or outcome rejects His love for them entirely.
2. Reject the blood’s cleansing
Second, the author says they reject the blood’s cleansing. We read that this individual has “regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified.” What does he mean by “the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified?” Does he mean this person had once been sanctified by the blood of Christ? To prevent a misunderstanding of the text, we could be better translate it, “the blood of the covenant by which one is sanctified (or by which an individual is sanctified).” It isn’t saying that this person had been sanctified by the blood and now rejected it but that the cleansing blood he rejects is that by which a person may be sanctified. We know this is true because in 10:14 we read, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” If an individual has been sanctified they are perfected for all time in God’s sight.
What is being taught here? The word unclean means common or in a sacrificial sense it means it is unsatisfactory as an offering. The person who continues in this stubborn refusal of willful sin describes the blood that Jesus shed as worthless to cover their sin. They might say, “I’m just fine thank you. I don’t need Jesus’ sacrifice. My sin is taken care of by my good works.” There are those who declare every path to God as adequate and acceptable. He is referring to people who have heard the truth of the Gospel and continue to see every path as adequate. These people reject the cleansing work of Jesus’ blood shed for them.
You must be absolutely exclusive concerning the cleansing power of the Jesus’ blood. What I mean is you cannot embrace the notion that there are other ways to God. If there were other ways to God then God would be a monster to make His Son die for us. If there were other ways that people could come to God why should such energy and effort be expended in the sacrifice of His Son? If there were other ways to God then why did Christ experience the depth of suffering and anguish that God poured out on Him. When a person declares there are other ways to God beside the cross that person has regarded the blood of Christ as an invalid and unnecessary sacrifice. If in your mind there are other ways to God except through faith in Christ’s sacrifice alone then you are despising the blood of the covenant that God calls precious.
3. Reject the Spirit’s grace
Third, the author says they reject the Spirit’s grace. The end of verse 29 reads, he “insulted the Spirit of grace.” God offers free pardon to sinners who recognize their need of a Savior. And God’s Spirit works in the lives of individuals to set them free from the bondage of sin. But God’s Spirit works only so long in a person’s life. In Noah’s day God said His Spirit would strive with mankind only 120 more years before the flood came. But there comes a time now when in His wooing and working in a person’s life he or she insults the Spirit of God. Without getting off the subject this passage speaks of the personality of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is not a force but a personal being like you and me and He can be insulted.
The Spirit knows when a person understands enough of the Gospel message. And if that person continues to reject the message though the Spirit has been graciously revealing the truth to Him, at some point the Spirit will leave off His work in that person’s life. This happened to the Pharisees because of their stubborn refusal to see the miracles of Jesus as the work of the Holy Spirit. This was a personal sin against the Holy Spirit. And it caused the Pharisees to be confirmed in their coming condemnation.
Who can say when a person has had enough understanding to actually insult the Spirit of grace? We don’t know. But the Spirit knows. And when a person resolutely refuses to believe even though the Spirit has plainly revealed His truth to them they insult the Spirit of grace and reject Him.
C. What do those who sin willfully receive?
The final aspect of this painful rebuke is what do those who sin willfully receive? We might say it this way; they receive a punishment worse than death. In verse 28 we see, “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 receive?” And in verses 30 and 31 the author tells us, “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The LORD will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
The new covenant is based on better promises, it contains a better sacrifice and a better high priest. How much more severe a punishment should those receive who reject this greater revelation? There is no temporal punishment that occurs to those who reject the promises of the New Covenant. They aren’t taken out and stoned. But there is a greater punishment. It is an eternal and frightening punishment. Jesus describes it in Mark 9 as “unquenchable fire where their worm does not die, and the fire in not quenched.” That doesn’t sound like annihilation to me. If we could imagine one moment in hell we wouldn’t wish it upon the worst of our enemies nor want it ourselves. It will be so terrible that it is described in Scripture as torment and the lake of fire. I do not know what it will be like but God makes it clear we do not want to experience it. But it awaits those who go on sinning willfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth.
And so I plead with you today as the author does with his people, do not make such a foolish error as refusing to repent and receive Jesus as your Savior. Do not allow everything you have learned to be turned into your torment, as you will recognize forever that you knew the truth but refused to embrace the truth. Let this be for you who have sought to walk the line for far too long. Let this admonition be for you who know the truth in your head but refuse to humble yourself in your heart. Don’t allow this warning to pass you by but receive Jesus as your Savior and give up your pride.
But for you who have received Christ let this be to us a warning to not grow complacent in our desire to see people come to know Christ. If you have been freed from the penalty of sin do not be timid to share your faith with others. For we know that apart from the blood of Christ and the grace of Christ given to us by the love of Christ there is no hope for them. Oh let us not grow weary in doing good for we will reap in due season if we faint not. And let us look forward to the encouragement the author has for us in the following verses as we meditate on this passage this coming week.