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.
outraged the Spirit of grace
This last of three actions by the one who has committed the deliberate sin of verse 26 is outraging the Spirit of grace. Some translations speak of insulting, or disdaining the Spirit of grace. With this phrase, the apostle caps off his description of the deliberate sin he is warning us of.
During our discussion of this passage, I have asked myself whether the apostle is speaking of a one time action, a situation in a believers life that might comprise of one sin, one deliberate action that brings about such a terrible outcome. Something that is so heinous, that it would fit into the apostles description above.
My answer seems to be back in verse 26, where the apostle speaks of “deliberate sinning” as an ongoing process in the believers life, something that is a continual attitude/action bringing about the apostacy the apostle is warning us of.
The tense and voice of “sinning” in the Greek is present active, indicating, as the English translation teaches, the continual action of this deliberate sin.
So, my concerns about one sin being enough to take the believer out of the loving care of the Savior’s hands are not valid at all. It is a continual, creeping action/attitude that pulls us from the Lord. It is the same message the apostle has been warning us of since the second chapter.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
A drifting. A slow, departure. Death by a thousand cuts, each cut at the time a seeming scratch, but the repeated scratches indicates a downward spiral.
Is this not the very condition we fight against each day, to follow Him in the little things, those things that come to mind but seem insignificant.
Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much…
Therefore, consider those little things we are faced with each day. Speak with grace. Regard others as better than yourself. Honor your parents in thier wisdom. Have patience in trials. Accept reproach to protect others. Show hospitality. Live in harmony with one another.
Need I go on? Each of these actions or attitudes, along with many more, are the witness of the Spirit in our lives, guidance from the Lord that is outside of ourselves. We are naturally bent to avoid the life of self sacrifice, of discipleship, of following the One who gave instead of took.
We are “tookers”, not givers be nature!
So when we come to our last phrase, and the apostle speaks of outraging the Spirit of grace, might he be talking of this general, extended, continual rejection of the Lord in His guidance, of insulting the Spirit of grace by simply ignoring His voice?
Now some may think this to be an extreme position, to be somewhat far fetched. The issue many clamor for is the actual break with the Lord, the point of apostacy.
When does the believer become apostate? Is that important? Is it such that we would be comforted by knowing the specific details and characteristics of the point of departure in order to find some comfort in it?
Story Time
It was decades ago when my brother told me this story. It turns out that during the building of the United States Postal Service, the pony express were hiring men to deliver mail across the mountainous regions of this great land.
In interviews, the USPS would ask applicants of thier driving skills, and as such, one proud driver spoke of his skill to drive within inches of cliffs and precipices with a covered wagon, at speeds that ensured fast and efficient delivery. He spoke of his skills as legendary, and he left the interview sure that he had impressed his future employer.
As he closed the door leaving the interview, little did he know that his resume, and any hope of having a position with the USPS was thrown into the dust bin. For you see, the USPS was looking for surety of delivery, not how close the driver could get to danger and yet avoid it. They would be happy with thier drivers staying away from the edge, staying away from danger!
Is it not very much like us, as we seek to “have our cake and eat it too”? Let us not be of those who outrage the Spirit by ignoring Him, by considering His direction to be of no importance. We have today to hear from Him, even in the “little” things as mentioned above. If we hear and obey the “little” things, – those daily actions and attitudes described in the Word as the believers character, we can enjoy the Lord’s presence in our lives.
There will be no creeping up of any “fearful expectation of judgement” if we stay away from the edge, listening to His Spirit speak!
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