Willful Sin is a Fearful Thing 2

Hebrews 10:26-31

Theme:

Confidence in the Sacrifice of Christ enables us to respond to God in joyful obedience issuing into a holy life of faith. But God also warns against the fearful consequences of sinning willfully; that is drawing back and forsaking faith in Christ. Such behavior will be met with God 's fiery anger. 

Introduction:

Much is made of God’s blessings upon His people and rightly so; the Lord is gracious and kind to us. He daily visits us with benefits and opportunities that move us to marvel at His generosity. Like you, I have had occasions when God was so gracious to me that all I could do was weep in response. My mind and heart literally overflowed with thanksgiving, praise, and appreciation for His unmerited favor in my life and ministry. Yet, I was unable to articulate it in words...my gratitude issued in the form of tears racing down my cheeks. I could not help but weep in joy. His goodness was far beyond human words.... His love, mercy, assurance, forgiveness, and blessings dwarfed my ability to celebrate His awesome goodness. Our Lord God, our heavenly Father, truly is so good to every one of us. 

The modern emphasis on God’s nature and character highlight His gracious qualities. These endearing attributes seem to be far more pronounced in the average Christian book I read or the typical sermon I may listen to on the radio from time to time. The fact that our Father is kind, loving, merciful, patient, and forgiving are prominent themes. He is definitely depicted as such in holy writ. No doubt, much of what I have read, heard, written and preached in these regards are Bible truths. I love and enjoy highlighting the loving nature of our Lord God. However, it is important to be balanced and to observe here a well warranted caution. To only communicate these positive qualities while neglecting His other traits is to mislead our audiences and obscure the biblical portrait of the Almighty. In such a case we would have inadvertently created a god of our own imaginations…in our own image; idolatry is what we would be guilty of because the portrayal of God is incomplete. It is better to know God as He truly is than to relate to Him according to our mere thoughts! In doing so we set ourselves up for disillusionment and those we minister to will experience similar frustrations with God. Ultimately God is misrepresented by His representatives!

In the Book of Hebrews, we find a portrayal of the Almighty that is loving and severe. He is both gracious and just. His grace is seen in His suffering, sacrifice, salvation, and intercession. Hebrews also informs us of His righteousness, holiness, justice, wrath, and anger. He is Creator and Judge, Savior and Corrector, and He is the Sacrifice and consuming Fire. The same great heart that issued the rigid and binding OT Law also evidences immeasurable and extravagant grace without any conflict or contradiction. Throughout the Book of Hebrews, God instructs and inspires, but He also warns and chastens. This is a more comprehensive characterization of the Almighty.

We all cherish deeply the good news, hope filled accounts, and inspiring stories, but we must equally cling to the warnings, cautions, and rebukes from our Lord. I am aware that apparently negative ideas are unpopular and unwanted. We yearn more for affirmations and that which boosts our estimations of ourselves and our prospects. Subjects like divine anger and severe chastening are not particularly welcome; we struggle with appreciating these…it is difficult for us to value them. In fact, to say anything negative these days is automatically regarded as unhelpful and untrue. After all…only positive affirming messages are true…right?  Beloved, please beware. In this short passage, God takes our thoughts to some the sternest and strongest language in the New Testament—a warning of serious judgment and vengeance from the Almighty. Forsaking the Lord for whatever reason is no small issue with our heavenly Father; He takes such matters exceedingly serious!

Study:

What warnings does this passage give to people who turn away from their faith in Jesus?  What is the worst part of the judgment God has for an apostate member of His people? (Heb. 10:30, 31)

These verses warn against the chastening of God upon those who defect from the New Covenant of Christ. God, who holds the prerogative to discipline His people, will follow through to vindicate the blood of Christ and stir defectors to reconsider their decision. Certainly, the worse thing any Christian could face is an angry God with reasons and rights to deal severely with us. Please note the following three observations; they convey three things we know with certainty. 

A.              We Know Vengeance Is God’s Prerogative (Heb. 10:30).

1.     Willful repudiation of God’s beloved Son is a sin of immense magnitude (10:30).

                                                    i.     God will sit in judgment on all who are guilty of such willful sins.

                                                  ii.     It is a key principle of faith that God judges. He does not just let evil occur without resisting it; He historically upheld righteousness with punishments for violating His holy Law. He irresistibly enforced it when faced with those who despise it. How much more is this true with the newer and higher covenant of grace?

2.     Paul quotes two passages from Deut. 32 to support his claim that judgment belongs to the Lord and that God’s people are not excused from God’s judgment.

                                                    i.     He has said, “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense” (see Deut. 32:35). Vengeance in this sense means full justice. When used of God it has no thought of vindictiveness or of “getting even.”

                                                  ii.     It is simply the meting out of what a person deserves. Knowing the character of God, we can be sure that He will do as He has said by repaying the apostate according to what’s truly fitting.  Again, this is chastening of believers and not punishment in Hell for sinners.

B.              We Know Judgment Is God’s Promise (Heb. 10:30).

1.     No one should regard this warning, “I will recompense,” as an idle threat. God Himself has claimed the right to take vengeance and to judge His people. The passage Paul quoted twice is Deuteronomy 32:35-36; it most vividly rekindles images of God’s people suffering His retributive judgments (see Deut. 32:19-27).

2.     “And again, The Lord shall judge His people.” God will decidedly deal with those who truly belong to Him; he will scrutinize His people and censure according to guilt.

3.     In stating that this exhortation applies to believers today, but that it does not involve loss of salvation, I am not suggesting that chastening is unimportant. On the contrary, it is important that every Christian obey God and please the Father in all things. Dr. William Culbertson, late president of the Moody Bible Institute, used to warn us about “the sad consequences of forgiven sins.” God forgave David’s sins, but David suffered the sad consequences for years afterward (2 Sam. 12:7–15). David had “despised the commandment of the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:9) and God dealt with him. –Wiersbe, Warren W.

C.              We Know Reverence Is God’s Portion (Heb. 10:31).

1.     Those familiar with descriptions of God’s wrath against “His people,” agree: it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Every believer should live in holy respect of the living God.

2.     God’s power is awesome, and his punishment terrible. These words give us a glimpse into the awesome holiness of God. He is sovereign; his power is unlimited; he will do as he promises. Those who reject the covenant will be punished. For them, falling into God’s hands will be a dreadful experience. They will have no more excuses. They will discover that they were wrong, but it will be too late.—The Life Application Commentary Series

3.     The lesson for us is this: do not be among those who fall into God’s hands for judgment because it is a fearful thing (10:31). Yes, getting on the wrong side of God is to be feared!

4.     Nothing in this passage of Scripture was ever intended to disturb and unsettle the minds of those who truly belong to Christ. The passage was purposely written in its sharp, searching, challenging style so that all who profess the name of Christ might be warned about the terrible consequences of turning away from Him.—MacDonald, William 

5.     What should a believer do who has drifted away into spiritual doubt and dullness and is deliberately despising God’s Word? He should turn to God for mercy and forgiveness. There is no other sacrifice for sin, but the sacrifice Christ made is sufficient for all our sins. It is a fearful thing to fall into the Lord’s hands for chastening, but it is a wonderful thing to fall into His hands for cleansing and restoration. David said, “Let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are His mercies” (1 Chron. 21:13). –The Bible Exposition Commentary

Many professing Christians walk away from Christ claiming they no longer believe such fairy tales. Some claim they woke up to the reality that Christianity is not true, some because of social pressures forsake the Lord Jesus believing truth is no longer relevant, and yet others because of a fear that “faith” will cost them professionally or economically forsake the Lord. They all quit, stop believing, and refuse the biblical truth about Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Beloved, this is willful sin against the Lord Jesus and his holy cross! God will deal with His people who fall away.

No doubt someone will object saying, real believers cannot sin willfully. Others may claim that people indwelt by God's Spirit cannot forsake the Lord Jesus. I have a simple question here...to whom is the Book of Hebrews written? To whom is God referring when he says "his people" in Hebrews 10:30?  When the writer of Hebrews says, "we know Him," who are the "we" he readily identifies himself with? Again, in verse 26, he says, "if we sin willfully," including himself in this group to indicate a possibility of real believers committing this willful sin? I believe the writer is addressing real believers. Yes, there could have been lost church members in this group...yes, there may have been false brethren in these congregations, but this warning seems to address believers instead of hypocrites or pretenders. Besides...how can we forsake Christ if we were never with him? Furthermore, how can a person denounce a belief if they never really believed it?

Beloved, these are exceedingly serious matters. They are issues of eternal weight and significance and every one of us desperately needs to be right with God. Certainly, He can save us to the uttermost! We may fluctuate in our feeble minds, but God's saving grace is steadfast and unmovable. Salvation has never been based on our performance; it has always been by grace through faith in Christ's Gospel. In addition, I want you to know God is forgiving and he does restore sinning believers even when we have wandered far from Him into confusion and darkness. It’s time to come back to the God who saves and transforms lives. Remember, He promised believers He would forgive our sins if we confess and forsake them; He will even cleanse us from all forms of unrighteousness (1John 1:7-9). Please understand the consequences of forsaking Jesus Christ are too numerous to delineate and the agony of forgiven sins is something to be dreaded. Forsake your sin; do not forsake the Lord! Beloved, it is high time to get right with God.

If you were never actually saved, then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your faith right now. Trust Him for the forgiveness of sins today. Jesus died in our place for our sins; He was buried to demonstrate that He literally died. Yes, our sins were paid for entirely! On the third day, Jesus Christ arose from the grave and death. That is correct, Jesus is alive forevermore. This means He is superior to sin, death, hell, Satan, and everything else associated with these. They all represent the greatest threats to humanity and Jesus soundly defeated them all forever on your and my behalf. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and God. Finally, if you are a weak and wavering believer it is time to repent and believe God's stern warning here. Instead of making things worse by continuing in your rebellion, come back home to the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior today.