Hebrews 10:26-31
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Hebrews 10:27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,
Who is the subject of this phrase in the middle of this verse? This is the common question that seems to be the lynchpin of this passage. It all centers around the identification of who “he” that was sanctified is.
There are three possibilities to consider.
A Professor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the church out of curiosity, one who has not become a true believer but has joined the group externally through actions and rule keeping, not internally, by faith and love.
This identification hinges on other passages outside of the book of Hebrews, where a person is considered “sanctified” but is obviously a non-believer.
A popular example is in 2 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 7:13-14 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy (sanctified) because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy (sanctified) because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (sanctified).
This passage in 1 Corinthians raises a number of questions in my mind, but since we are in Hebrews this morning, I will leave this passage for my reader to consider on their own.
A Possessor
The passage is describing the person who has joined the body out of a repentance of sin, of acknowledging the person of Jesus as the expected Messiah, and is living as an organic member of the congregation.
I suppose identifying the one “sanctified” as a true believer finds support in the passage itself, with the author including himself in the audience, when he offers the phrase “If we sin willfully..”
Also, within the book of Hebrews, we find the author repeatedly referring to believers as sanctified.
Hebrews 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
Hebrews 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 13:12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
The Christ
Both of the previous identifications take the “he” as being a member (in some way) of the church. There is the possibility the One who was sanctified by the blood was the Christ Himself.
Consider the Messiah sanctified Himself for the purpose of our sanctification.
John 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
It is also interesting that of these three phrases regarding willful sinning, this is the only one that has an additional description attached to the action of sin.
- One who has trampled underfoot the Son of God,
- One who has profaned the blood of the covenant
- by which he was sanctified,
- One who has outraged the Spirit of grace?
However my reader considers this passage, it does leave us with questions that may never be answered. It may be wise to hold to our understanding of this passage with velvet gloves, showing grace to those who understand differently.
Yet I cannot esccape the fact that it is one of five warning passages we find in the book. When we consider the book is focused on the believers estimation of the Christ, their faith in His work, and the continuance of their faith in Him, it is difficult to image the author directs his argument to those who are unbelievers.
For this post, let us focus on the action we are being warned about. To profane the blood of the covenant.
The word profane is the Greek word κοινός koinós, and is often translated as common, as something that belongs to all.
Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
Acts 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Notice that κοινός koinós (common) is sometimes coupled with the idea of uncleanness, implying that to be common is not necessarily to be unclean.
Acts 10:14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Acts 10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
Acts 11:8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Ok, so to be profane is to imply ordinary, of no special ownership or use. It is something that is available to all, or in other words, associated with nothing that is outstanding, specific, or particular. Ok – so profane or common is “nothing special” in my vernacular.
What about holy? Usually profane and holy are considered opposites, and rightly so, but why? As a young believer, I automatically assumed holy meant sinless, and it certainly includes that concept, but there is more to the term. A principle definition of holy is to be separate. God is separate from sinners, separate from creation, separate from everything. He is holy, and because He is holy, He is different.
Now to drag He who is completely separate into the common is an afront to Him, is it not. To consider He who is apart from everything, apart from everything created, as “one of the common, of no special category or class is surely an insult of the highest degree.
He is not “nothing special”.
The Holy One entered a sinful world, resisting every temptation, was tortured for His identity, and finally shed His blood, blood that no other man shared in.
But let’s remember that the profanity in this verse is associated with the blood, the holy (separate) blood of the covenant.
My friend, how special is that blood, the blood that the Holy One shed. To consider it common is surely, without a doubt, an afront of the highest degree to the One who is Holy..
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