Hebrews 10:26-31
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Hebrews 10:26-31
10:26 The use of the first person plural in the opening conditional statement refers to those the author has been addressing in Hebrews 10:19-25. Indeed, they have received the knowledge of the truth, a technical expression used to speak of authentic Christian experience (1 Tim 2:4: 2 Tim 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1). These genuine Christians are then warned not to sin willfully. The faulty translation "keep on sinning" misses the point altogether. The context suggests that the author is thinking of a particular sin rather than a lifestyle in which one continues to sin.
First, he just admonished them in Hebrews 10:23 to "hold fast the confession," suggesting that he was concerned they might not do that (cf. Hebrews 3:6; 4:14). Second, the adverb willfully (hekousiōs) suggests a connection with what is known as "willful sin" in the OT, or "sin of a high hand" (Num 15:30-31) - the case where serious violation of the Law was done intentionally (with full knowledge and purposeful transgression). Moses used the combination of aekousios (an antonym of hekousiōs) and hamartanō ("to sin") in Num 15:27 to describe the concept of "sinning unintentionally," implying that the opposite idea ("to sin intentionally") would be expressed by hekousiōs and hamartanō - which is exactly what the author of Hebrews does. This observation is significant, for the issue in Numbers 15 was not persistency in sin, but a certain kind of sin serious enough to warrant physical death.
Furthermore this helps explain why the author of Hebrews says that for this case there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. When one had "sinned intentionally" according to Numbers 15, there was no sacrifice to offer that would avert God's judgment (i.e., temporal judgment of death).
10:27 The probable sin that the author has in mind (parallel to "intentional sin" of Numbers 15) is the sin of abandoning one's confession of faith (see Heb 10:23). For this sin there can only be a certain fearful expectation of judgment. The words fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries appear to be drawn from the LXX translation of Isa 26:11. The metaphor of fire was used in the OT to speak of Yahweh's anger toward His failing covenant people, in which He brought judgment resulting in their physical death without any suggestion of hell (cf. Lev 10:1-3; Num 16:35). The allusion to Isa 26:11 suggests he is thinking of the eschatological judgment that will befall the world in the Day of the Lord. Isaiah 24-27 describes this period of time (see especially Isa 24:3). Metaphorically God's judgment on the world at that time is compared to a burning fire (Isa 24:6). A similar fate of God's temporal judgment could await New Covenant believers who rebel.
10:28 The words dies without mercy are an allusion to Deut 17:6 in which the death penalty would be given for more serious sins such as murder (cf. Deut 19:15). Such cases necessitated two or three witnesses to testify against the guilty one. Committing this sin was tantamount to rejecting Moses' law, that is, rejecting the covenant obligations.
10:29 Consequently a worse punishment ought to be due the person who lives in outright rebellion against the greater New Covenant! He then describes the characteristics of New Covenant rebellion. First, the rebel, in essence, has trampled the Son of God underfoot. Although the word trample (katapateō) can mean literally to trample underfoot, it also carries the figurative meaning "to look on with scorn, to treat with disdain." To look on Christ and what He had done on the Cross with scorn would be a most grievous sin for a Christian.
Second, the rebel has counted the blood of the covenant as nothing more than a common thing. The author has in mind the blood of the New Covenant, that atoning blood of Jesus which is infinitely superior to the blood of goats and bulls (Hebrews 9:11-14). The words a common thing are actually one word in the Greek. Although this word (koinon) often means "common," here it is used in the sense of that which was defiling under the Law (note the use in Acts 10:14-15). How ironic (yet tragic!) that the very blood of Christ would be regarded similar to things considered "unclean" under the Law.
Significantly the author points out that it is this blood by which he (i.e., the New Covenant rebel) was sanctified. Some have sought to dodge the seriousness of this statement by claiming that the pronoun could be translated "it" rather than "he," implying that it is the covenant that is sanctified by Jesus' blood, not the person. Such an interpretation overlooks the author's use of this key term "sanctify" (hagiazō) in the epistle. Earlier in chap. 10 the author stated, "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (v 10; cf. v 14). In v 29, therefore, the author is clearly confronting true believers who have been sanctified by Christ's perfect atoning sacrifice.
Third, such a New Covenant rebel has insulted the Spirit of grace. There is no need to equate this statement with that of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:22-30), since the contexts differ significantly. Rather, the author is probably thinking of the Spirit as the agent who dispenses grace from the heavenly throne (cf. Heb 4:16). An abandonment of one's faith in Christ and His atoning blood was an insult to the Holy Spirit who had actively worked to make grace available to the Christian pilgrim on his way to God's greater rest.
10:30 Both quotations are drawn from Deuteronomy 32, a lament for Israel who worships idols (other gods) rather than Yahweh who had blessed her. Scholars debate whether these quotations (from Deut 32:35-36a) pertain to unfaithful Israel or her enemies that afflicted her. The more natural understanding is that unfaithful Israel is in view. The following verses (36b-38) focus on Israel being overwhelmed by calamity, so that her "power is gone." This will cause her to see the futility of her trust in idols (Deut 32:39). Thus God will execute "Vengeance" against His own covenant people Israel, and "repay" them for their sin of forsaking Him by turning to other gods. In doing so, "He will judge His people."
10:31 Finally, the author reminds his readers: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (cf. Heb 3:12). These words are drawn from 2 Sam 24:14, in which case David fell into the hands of the Lord, who sent a pestilence (temporal judgment) that caused seventy thousand Israelites to die.
What then is the "fearful thing" the apostate should expect? Since the author does not say that it is loss of eternal life (which, in any case, cannot be lost), we should not presume that. For God to remove a believer by physical death and for that believer to experience eternal loss of reward certainly constitutes a "worse punishment." The remainder of the chapter confirms this.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - The Willful Sin, Hebrews 10:26-31
(Salvation) Interpretation: Those who sin willfully cannot be forgiven and lose their salvation or prove they are not saved and will suffer in hell.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: Those who sin willfully by departing from the Christian faith will be severely disciplined by God.
The immediate context reminds us again that this warning is written to Christians, among whom the author includes himself in verse 26. Interpreting the passage as (Discipleship teaching) is unavoidable. These readers "have received the knowledge of the truth" (v. 26), are sanctified (v. 29), know God and are "His people" (v. 30), "were illuminated" and suffered for their faith (v. 32), and have "an enduring possession" in heaven (v. 34).
What is the willful sin and its consequences? Since the Bible uniformly teaches that a person once saved cannot lose his or her salvation, the loss of salvation cannot be in view here. Besides, most sins are intentional or willful to some degree. However, the Bible recognizes some sins that are unintentional (Num. 15:22-29). Perhaps neglecting to pray for someone, like you promised, would be an example of an unintentional sin. But in most cases, the perpetrator knows that he or she is committing a sin.
Some interpret the willful sin as continual sin (e.g., NIV: "If we deliberately keep on sinning"), but this is reading too much into the present participle used for "to sin." The author of Hebrews apparently has a particular sin in mind, which becomes evident as we consult the context and remember previous passages. He had exhorted his readers previously to hold fast to their confession (Hebrews 3:6; 4:14) and has warned them about the dangers of not pressing on in their faith (Hebrews 6:1-8). He reinforces this concern in the verses just before this warning about the willful sin (Hebrews 10:23-25). The readers were on the verge of abandoning their confession of faith in Christ and returning to the Mosaic Law and its sacrifices.
Similar to Hebrews 6:1-8, the willful sin would be a deliberate abandonment of their confession of the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice for a return to insufficient Jewish sacrifices. The author had argued that "Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many" (Hebrews 9:28), that "by one offering, He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14), and that once forgiven, "there is no longer an offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:18). The Law offered them nothing since it looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:1-10). Should they turn back to the Law, Christ's perfect and eternal sacrifice would be sufficient to cover even that great and willful sin soteriologically, but they would still face a severe non-soteriological judgment. The author had just referred to an approaching "Day" (v. 25) implying that there will be an accounting, which we know is the Judgment Seat of Christ taught in so many other places in the New Testament (e.g. Rom. 14:10-12: 1 Cor. 3:11-15: 2 Cor. 5:10).
The background for understanding this passage is very likely Numbers 15:30-31. There we see that for certain serious (or presumptuous) sins, no sacrifices were stipulated. Therefore, those who committed those sins were "cut off" from their people (put to death). The author is saying that if the readers of Hebrews abandon the only sufficient sacrifice for their sins, they too will be judged severely. Turning back to Judaism and its sacrificial system would be tantamount to giving one's approval to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, or trampling underfoot the Son of God, counting the blood of His covenant a common thing, and insulting the Spirit of grace (v. 29).
Again, we see that because the author uses strong language ("fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation") and speaks of a punishment worse than death (v. 30), many conclude he is threatening them with eternal hell fire. But because they are Christians who cannot lose their salvation and because he has in view the Judgment Seat of Christ, this cannot be. The exact judgment is not specified, only its severity.
The possibility of a negative assessment at the Judgment Seat of Christ is a fearful prospect for those who have not done good (cf. 2 Cor. 5:9-11). The "fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries" (literally "fiery zeal") refers to the zeal of God's judgment toward sin. Believers can experience the same zeal of judgment toward their sin as God's enemies experience toward theirs, though the results are different. As Hebrew Christians, the readers might also understand this as a warning about the impending national judgment of a fiery destruction of Jerusalem which occurred only a short time later (A.D. 70), something they would know about from Jesus' warnings (Matt. 23:27-24:2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6; cf. Acts 2:40). It is possible the readers could suffer both judgments.
The author speaks of a "worse punishment" than that under the Mosaic Law (v. 29). It is hard to imagine a judgment worse than death, but human experience does testify that there are occasions when death is more enticing than severe suffering (Jonah is an example; Jonah 4:3). The author is comparing this judgment to the death penalty for the presumptuous sin of Numbers 15:30-31, which was the severest penalty dictated at that time. But in light of New Testament revelation about the Judgment Seat of Christ, we know that a more severe judgment would be a negative assessment there because of the eternal implications.
In the end, these readers who would be judged are still "His people" (v. 30; a quote from Deut. 32:35-36). They will not fall into hell, but "into the hands of the living God" (v. 31). This warning is for God's children and therefore (Discipleship teaching).
Some Christians think they have committed an unforgivable sin and have lost their salvation, or at least they worry that they might. But Jesus Christ died for all sins, even willful sins. There is no other refuge from sin's penalty than the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ shed on behalf of undeserving sinners. This should be a warning to us also to look only to Jesus Christ for forgiveness because of His fully efficacious death and resurrection. We can add nothing to that, nor can we improve what He has accomplished. Should we deny or spurn this grace, we will be judged severely at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Nevertheless, there is comfort in the truth that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more (Rom. 5:20).