A Study on the Book of Hebrews

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31

“This was meant to be a frightening verse to those readers who were being tempted to commit apostasy. The writer is trying to get their attention before it is too late and they make the fateful, fearful choice of rejecting the only refuge of escape from the hands of the Living God. Believers should apply the truth of this passage to their life! There is a tendency to think “Sure, I’ve sinned, but I can just confess it.” We can just confess it. This is true, but we need to ask the Spirit to help our heart develop a proper balance between holy fear of offending God and God’s holy mercy when we do offend Him. And inherent in confession is repentance from that sin” (Precept Austin, Commentary on Hebrews 10:31)

“We can just confess it. This is true, but we need to ask the Spirit to help our heart develop a proper balance between holy fear of offending God and God’s holy mercy when we do offend Him.” Paul will pick up this idea in his Romans letter: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:1-5)

These very words are used in our rite for burial in the Lutheran liturgy. Christ died for our sins so that we will not have to pay the same penalty that Christ paid for sin. That alone should help us to not only celebrate Grace, but to pursue a life of righteousness.

Pastor Dave