"How much more severely do you
think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot,
who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified
him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?"
{Hebrews 10:29} (NIV1984)
This verse strikes fear in my
heart every time that I read it. I agree with the writer; a person who treats
the blood of the Son of God with contempt, who insults the Spirit of grace, deserves
far worse punishment than the punishment meted out under the old covenant. We
rejoice in the truth of the superiority of the new covenant; this is the flip side
of that truth.
This part of Hebrews 10 has been used by the devil to keep many
people from drawing near to God in repentance. Do not fall for his lies. Read
vs 10, vs 14 and vs 18 of this chapter, and realize the context of this verse.
Remember that the definition of grace is ‘not receiving what we deserve, but
getting good things instead’. The writer has said “since we have confidence”
vs 19, and has told us not to “throw away our confidence” vs 35, and
then ends by telling us that he is confident, “But we are not of those who
shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” vs
39.
So friend, let us not be people who continue in sin! We will go to the
cross daily, confess our sins, consecrate our bodies, draw near to God in
worship, hold unswervingly to our hope, consider how we can help each other,
and assemble together. We will love God with all our heart, mind and soul, for
perfect love drives out fear. 1 John 4:18
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