If we are worried about whether or not God has accepted our belief in Christ, we are not unforgivable. Our concern shows that our heart is still soft and that we have not passed a point of no return. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Ezekiel 23:1-49
Hebrews 10:18-39
Psalm 109:1-31
Proverbs 27:13
Read Today’s Scripture – Click Here
Click on the Play Button below to Listen to Today’s Scripture
New Testament: Hebrews 10:18-39
Summary: The Full Assurance of Faith
Evil deeds that God does not forgive
We like to study each verse of the Bible separately. But sometimes that method is not right. Each verse belongs in a longer passage. And sometimes we must understand the whole passage before we can understand the separate verses.
Hebrews 10:26 has caused difficulties for many people. The problem is that every Christian sometimes does wrong things on purpose. And that situation is what the verse seems to describe. That is why we need to look at the whole passage. Clearly, the author does not think that all Christians have lost their relationship with God.
We will find our explanation in Hebrews 10:29. There the author will explain what these people have done. But in Hebrews 10:26 the author just explains their attitude. On purpose they decided to do something that they knew to be very wrong. They have acted as if the most holy things are completely without value. And they intended to do that.
People’s attitudes matter very much to God. And that is especially true when they do wrong things. God allowed people to offer animals as sacrifices (gifts to God) when they did not do those wrong things on purpose (Numbers 15:22-29). But God did not accept sacrifices when a person decided on purpose to oppose God. If someone hated God so much, they could only expect punishment (Numbers 15:30-31).
Like everybody else, Christians do evil things. Their behaviour becomes even worse when they do those things on purpose. They ought to know what God’s law says about those things. So they should be humble, and they should confess their evil deeds to God. And when they do that, God promises to forgive (1 John 1:8-10).
Three men who received God’s mercy were Manasseh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Saul (afterwards called Paul). They all had done terrible things against God’s people, God’s house, or both (See 2 Chronicles 33:1-9; 2 Chronicles 36:17-19 and Acts 22:4). But afterwards, they changed their attitudes. They became humble in front of God. And each of them decided to serve God (2 Chronicles 33:12-13; Daniel 4:28-37; Acts 22:6-16).
When God shows no mercy
These men had made themselves enemies of God. They deserved only his anger and his judgement. But instead they received his mercy.
But we must not imagine that everyone will receive God’s mercy. If people do not change their evil attitudes, God will never forgive them. If human judges do not punish God’s enemies, then God will certainly issue his judgement against them. And then there will be no mercy.
Blasphemy against God’s Holy Spirit. Christ said that God never forgives this sin (Mark 3:29). ‘Blasphemy’ means evil words, but the person’s attitude matters very much too. We can see that from Hebrews 10:26. This is the attitude of someone who hates God with a complete hate. And that is not just an emotion that will change. It is a decision that the person has made on purpose. That person never wants God to forgive him; and God will never forgive him.
Through history, there have been many Christian leaders who have urged Christians not to be loyal to God. Or, they have acted in a manner that can spoil people’s relationship with God. Jesus warned that this is a very terrible thing to do (Mark 9:42).
For example:
· A Christian leader who decides not to teach the truth about the Bible ought to be afraid. He has offended both against God’s holy Word and against God’s holy people.
· Someone who uses his connection with a church in order to satisfy evil desires ought to be afraid too. God’s church is holy and the people in it are holy, too. In other words, they belong to God. The person who offends against even one of them, offends God (Mark 9:42).
· Sometimes people see something that God has done by his Holy Spirit. They know that it is God’s work. But they pretend, on purpose, that it is not God’s work. Such people ought to be afraid. You can read what Jesus warned about such behaviour in Mark 3:22-29. Everything that God does is holy. And if a person laughs at it, that person insults God.
· Someone may want to have more authority in the church. So he acts as if Christ is not really important in the church today. That person speaks about the great things that he himself has done, instead of the greatness of Christ. Such a person insults God’s Son. And God’s Son is very holy. God is angry with such behaviour.
· And some church leaders are afraid of what other people may say. So they decide not to speak about Christ’s death. Instead, those leaders ought to be afraid of God. Christ’s death is very holy and it makes people holy. There is no other way that God will save people. Christians ought to declare it at every opportunity (2 Timothy 4:2). They must never neglect the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18).
God has many ways to warn those who do such things. But some people still decide, on purpose, that they want to do these things. They will certainly not avoid God’s punishment.
From: usefulbible.com – by Keith Simons
Overview: Hebrews – Click Here
There is no possibility of these verses referring to losing salvation. Many Scripture passages make unmistakably clear that salvation is eternal (cf. Joh_10:27-29; Rom_8:35, Rom_8:38-39; Php_1:6; 1Pe_1:4-5). Those who want to make this verse mean that believers can lose salvation will have to admit that it would then also say that one could never get it back again. See Introduction: Interpretive Challenges.
So there’s the nature of apostasy. Received the truth, rejected the truth. And, as the writer wrote, there were potential apostates, and I think there may be some here tonight. I’m sure of it. Some of you who profess to believe in Jesus Christ. You’ve professed to receive Him as your Savior. You’ve professed His atoning sacrifice in your behalf. And yet you willfully and deliberately live in rejection. You’ve gone back to the former life. And what you’re essentially doing is denying Christ.
Maybe others of you haven’t gone that far. You’re still kind of lingering. And you’ve not come to Christ, and you’ve not denied Him yet. I warn you. I warn you. Come to Christ while you still can.
Now, friends, the only way a man will ever get into the presence of God is if he gets his sins removed. Right? The only way your sins can ever be removed is by sacrifice, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. So there must be a sacrifice for sin. The only sacrifice for sin is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. If you reject that, there is no other sacrifice for sin. If you turn your back on Jesus Christ, you shall die, as Jesus said, in your sins. “And where I go, you will never come.” That’s what He said.
Views: 28