18/12/16 Hebrews 10:15-27 “If
we sin wilfully, there is no further sacrifice for sins”
Hebrews 10:15 – [Whereof] the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he
had said before,
Whereof – de (but,
moreover, and, etc.) – a continuative or contrasting primary particle or
conjunction. Primary particles do not have any grammatical function on their
own, and the KJV indicates that this word doesn’t exist (putting it in
italics). However, it is an actual term in the Greek, and appears to be a
conjunction here, with various commentaries suggesting “moreover”, “but”, “and”,
“now” and “wherefore”. I tend toward “moreover” – this verse, while a new
sentence, clearly appears to follow on or continue from Vs 14.
witness – to be a witness; to bear witness; to affirm that one has
seen or heard or experienced something. The same word is used twice in John 15:26-27 – 26 But when
the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear
witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
and once out of 79 New Testament
occurrences in Revelation 22:20 – He which testifieth these things saith,
Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
(for) after that he has said
before – what He (the Holy Spirit) has already said.
That is, “Moreover, the Holy
Spirit bears witness (testifies) to us (concerning what we are talking about):
(for) after previously saying” (…. what is about to be quoted from Jeremiah
31:33-34).
Hebrews 10:16-17 – 16 This [is] the
covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith
the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their
minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I
remember no more.
Taken from the underlined in the
following:
Jeremiah 31:33-34 – 33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the
Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least
of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for
I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
into & in – upon; on; at; by; before. The laws will
be put upon their hearts and also written upon their minds. This
is established by the second covenant, for the first covenant would have
already been in place in Jeremiah’s day. But now the first covenant has been
taken away (Hebrews 10:9). However, for the majority of Israel, being
spiritually blinded, the second covenant won’t happen until the end times.
Romans 11:25-27 – 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of
this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in
part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the
Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as
it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this [is] my covenant
unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
after those days – This suggests the time leading up to the second coming. Note
the similarity with the following:
Matthew 24:29 – 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
This phrase has some similarity to
“in those days” which often relates to end-times prophecy.
Joel 2:31-32; 3:1-2 – 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 32 And
it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be
deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall
call.
1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when
I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I
will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of
Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my
heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my
land.
Jeremiah 50:4 – In those days, and in that time, saith the
Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah
together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God.
Jeremiah 33:14-16 – 14 Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the
house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 15 In those
days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up
unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 16
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell
safely: and this [is the name] wherewith she shall be called, The Lord
our righteousness.
Hebrews 10:18 – Now where remission
of these [is, there is] no more offering for sin.
remission – release from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness or
pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed);
remission (cancellation) of the penalty. (remitted = to refrain from exacting a tax or penalty)
That is, where the sins are
cancelled (and not just atoned for, or covered), there is no need for any further
offering for sin, as the payment for sin has been cancelled, that is, remitted.
This was an important issue for
the Hebrew Christians, as most, if not all of them, would have attended the
temple, involved with the offerings and sacrifices required by the law of the
old covenant. Many of them would have found the new covenant somewhat
disturbing as it would have appeared to require so much less physical
application than the old covenant. They would have felt more comfortable with
the old covenant (somewhat like many feeling comfort in the rituals of some
churches such as communion or mass). Just putting aside all their temple ritual
would have felt almost like putting God to one side. The writer to the Hebrews
is trying to get them to understand that the old ritualistic worship no longer
had any value. It never had any value in itself, and now God had removed its
imputed value (which had rested upon the sacrifice of the second covenant all along).
Hebrews 10:19 – Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
the holiest – the true sanctuary not made with hands, and the context
says this is the most holy place (Hebrews 9:24-25)
boldness – freedom in speaking; liberty of speech; free and
fearless confidence. It is used 3 other times in Hebrews – “hold fast the confidence” – 3:16; “come boldly
before the throne of grace” – 4:16; “cast not away therefore your confidence” – 10:35.
“boldness” suggests that a hard
decision may have to be made concerning the putting aside of their old covenant
practices.
So now, after the writer has spent
some time on the differences between the old and new covenants, he now assumes
that their lessons are completed and thus they now have to apply to their lives
what they have learned. That is, if they believe what has been taught, then put
it into action; practice what has been preached!
The first step here is to enter
the heavenly sanctuary with boldness (confidence), trusting in the new covenant
God has made available to us through the blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
The implication is that in order to do this properly, they will have to put
away their trust in the old covenant ordinances.
Hebrews 10:20 – By a new and living
way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh;
new – newly slain; lately slaughtered; freshly killed;
recently made; new. Only used once in the New Testament, in this verse.
living – living, or metaphorically to be in full vigour of life.
Thus, “By a newly slain and living
way…” Note “in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain” (Revelation
5:6 – different word used, though)
Galatians 2:20a – I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me:
consecrated – dedicated. Only used twice in the New Testament; the
other is ….
Hebrews 9:18 – Whereupon neither the
first [testament] was dedicated without blood.
That is, the new and living way
was inaugurated (initiated; dedicated) through the veil (the sacrifice of
Christ’s flesh and blood) in order to commence service. It related to the
sprinkling of the blood in order to cleanse, in order to prepare people to come
closer to God, but the new and living way required a better sacrifice, made
available for us through the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God.
Hebrews 9:21-23 – 21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and
all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are
by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23
[It was] therefore necessary that the patterns of things in
the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these.
The way was opened up (note the
temple veil) through the crucifixion.
Matthew 27:51a – the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom
Hebrews 10:21 – And [having] an
high priest over the house of God;
high – megas
(great, of age, rank or position) That is, a mega-priest!
Here it denotes greatness of rank
and position, the One who is over all others. Not only have we a new and living
way through the sacrificed Christ, we also have a great (superior) priest
(Christ) to minister for us.
the house of God – can mean the household of God, God’s people.
1 Peter 4:17 – For the time [is
come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first
[begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the
gospel of God?
Hebrews 10:22 – Let us draw near with
a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
That is, having boldness
(confidence) to draw near (enter the sanctuary; approach the mercy seat)
through the flesh of Jesus Christ our great priest (the implication being that
it’s not through the sacrifices of the law), let us draw near ….
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need.
…. in full assurance (most certain
confidence) of that in which we have placed our faith (trust), that is, our
salvation in Christ ……
2 Timothy 1:12b – I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day.
having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience – our hearts are
purged clean by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ such that we are freed
from our guilty consciences, something that could never be possible under the
old covenant Hebrews 9:9 – Which [was] a figure for the time then present, in
which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did
the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
our bodies washed with pure
water – Christians as a royal priesthood must
be cleansed for service. The old covenant law never had anything irrelevant.
Exodus 30:20 – When they (Aaron and his sons) go
into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water
Ephesians 5:26 – That he might
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the
profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful
that promised;)
faith – actually should read “hope”. Translated “hope” 53 out of
54 occurrences. This is the only time it is translated “faith”!
Hebrews 6:11 – And we desire that
every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope
unto the end:
Hope is a sure and certain
expectation of that which is ahead of us.
Titus 2:13 – Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ;
Here’s another of those
admonitions to hold onto: to hold fast to the profession (confession) of our
hope in the finished work of Christ. Hold on! Don’t give up! Don’t let go! Do
it without wavering! Why should your hope ever change?
James 1:6 – But let him ask (for wisdom) in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Don’t be driven around all over
the place with false doctrines. Test all things and then stand firm on the truth
so obtained. Note 2 Timothy 12b again (see above – I know whom I have believed …).
For the One who has promised us
all these things is faithful and will not turn away from His promises. God is
truth; He will not lie. There should be no doubt at all.
Numbers 23:19 – God [is] not a
man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he
said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make
it good?
Hebrews 10:24 – And let us consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
provoke – paroxysmos
(incite; irritate; provoke into action) Note paroxysm. From a root word meaning
“to make sharp” or “sharpen”.
good – genuine; approved; praiseworthy.
They were to show enough
consideration (understanding) for their fellow-Christians such that if there
were a need for something to be done to protect them from apostasy, it would be
done. To provoke means to annoy to the extent that you get a reaction. To get
oxen moving you would use a stick with a sharp point on the end, called a goad.
In Acts 9:5, Paul (then Saul) was told that it was hard for him to kick against
the pricks (of the goad). The Hebrews were being told to provoke their brethren
in similar fashion, in order to get the responses of love and good works.
Another way of looking at this
could be that some of them may have been provoking others into responses other
than love and good works, and the writer is simply teaching them to focus their
goading into more productive areas!
Note that the emphasis has to be
on the end result: namely, to produce love and good works. In particular, as
some apparently were in the habit of not being part of the gathering
(assembling) together (Vs 25), a provoking to put more effort into this might
have been meant as well. The context does, of course, appear to teach that the
Hebrews were to grow in their Christian living by learning more about maturing
as Christians (see Hebrews 6:1-3), as included under “good works”.
Hebrews 10:25 – Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but
exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.
Given the context here, Hebrews
was written to Christians. There is no open statement of the gospel (as there
is in Romans, for instance) and all the teachings appear to assume the
recipients to be Christian, albeit generally immature or new Christians. It is
also likely that many of them were reconsidering their new-found faith in
Christ, and re-assessing whether it might be indeed advantageous to return to
the sacrificial law of the old covenant in which they probably found more
worldly comfort and satisfaction. It was, after all, what they were used to;
they’d grown up with it.
It is likely that some (maybe
many) of these Hebrew Christians were indeed wavering between the old and new
covenants; they were aware that the new covenant had benefit for them, but the
old covenant was still, to their minds, too valuable to be left out. They were
trying to hold fast to the new way, yet weren’t willing yet to let go of the
old way with which they had grown up. Many would have been wavering between the
synagogue or temple (the old) and the Church (the new), with the possibility of
apostasy by going back to the synagogue or temple, representing the old
covenant.
The word used for “the assembling”
is episynagoge
(a gathering together in one place; the religious assembly of Christians), used
instead of the word synagoge
(“synagogue” = a bringing together, a gathering). episynagoge is only found in one
other place, where the meaning clearly relates to Christian gatherings.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 – Now we beseech you,
brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering
together unto him,
Note Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three are gathered together (synago) in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
But exhort (exhort; entreat; instruct;
admonish; encourage) one another, especially even more when you see the coming
Day of the Lord (sometimes known as the Parousia of Christ, or the Second
Coming, something we’ll be looking at a bit next time.
Hebrews 10:37 – For yet a little
while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
As that day approaches, the need
for encouragement will greatly grow.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 – Let no man deceive
you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition;
Hebrews 10:26 – For if we sin
wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
sin wilfully – sin voluntarily, willingly, of one’s own accord; sin
wilfully as opposed to sins committed inconsiderately, and from ignorance or
from weakness. That is, to sin while knowing that it is sin, and not from
ignorance. If we know what is right and wrong and then wilfully choose to do
wrong, then we have sinned wilfully. “For” indicates that this is as a result
of disregarding the previous three verses.
If there remains no more (no
further) sacrifice for sins, then it can only mean one thing: such a person has
already been forgiven, been saved by the sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ on
the cross, and has then rejected it wilfully.
Note Hebrews 6:4-6 – 4 For [it
is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And
have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an
open shame.
The logic is sure: (a) Jesus died
on the cross to be a propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2);
(b) all were offered the free gift of justification as a result of Christ’s
once-for-all-time sacrifice (Romans 5:18); (c) there was only one sacrifice for
all sin for ever, never to be repeated (Hebrews 10:12); (d) a person may only
accept that free gift once. (Because only one sacrifice was offered, then
likewise only one free gift is offered for justification.)
Therefore, the gift of
justification is offered only once to all, and should ensure eternal life for
all who receive it. However, if a person were to receive that gift, and then to
reject that gift, there remains no further gift of justification for such a
person. The gift will never be offered twice, nor will there be a second sacrifice
to provide such a second gift, for that would assume that there were
imperfections in the first and only sacrifice (of the new covenant). The first
(and only) gift of justification was offered to all, once only,
once-for-all-time, and if that isn’t sufficient for the task, then no further
sacrifice remains that could then justify for sins once the first gift had been
accepted, then rejected.
2 Peter 2:20-21 – 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are
again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than
the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to
turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
For those who maintain that these
must never have been Christians in the first place, then that also means that
they haven’t yet accepted their free gift resulting from the once only
sacrifice of Christ. On the other hand, if the penalty were merely for the rejection
of the gospel (as some may claim), how many times may a person reject the
gospel before accepting salvation? Clearly, if the answer is more than once,
then it cannot be talking about merely rejecting the gospel! Thus, it must be
to do with receiving the free gift of justification, and then rejecting that
gift.
Hebrews 10:27 – But a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries.
indignation – zelos
(the fierceness of indignation; punitive zeal) Note that “zealous” comes from
this word.
All that remains for those who
have accepted the sacrificial gift of Christ, and then rejected it, is a certain
fearful looking for (expectation) of judgment leading to fiery indignation
(punitive zeal) which shall devour (consume) the adversaries (those opposing).
Hebrews 12:29 – For our God [is] a
consuming fire.
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