If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Hebrews 10:26,27
We all have memories of the best possible experiences in our lives. You know what I mean, those events and times when you just sit back and say, “What could be any better?” We’re on top of the mountain of life and the view is breath taking. We wish that we could just stay there for the rest of time.
I don’t know what those times looked like for you, but it’s a good experiment to think back through your life for these moments. To flip through the pages of your memories for the absolute best times of your life. Where it seemed like everything was just about perfect. In no particular order, here are three of mine.
On our honeymoon, I made reservations for what I thought was just another steak place in Tampa. But when we arrived, it was the most perfect dining experience of my life. Long before the internet, I had stumbled into Bern’s Steak House[1], one of the premier restaurants in the country.
On our first trip to the Grand Canyon, Mary Ann and I drove through windy, snow-covered mountain roads without any guardrails. We saw the great beauty and majesty of the canyons with only the company of a giant mule deer with a huge 14-point rack of antlers.
Without any warning, I received an unexpected commission check. When I saw the amount, my eyes almost popped out of my head. Immediately calling my boss, he explained that because someone else sold a large account in my territory, I shared in the commission. After writing a check to thank God, I ran to the bank and paid off our mortgage years early.
Yes, we all have great memories that live with us for the rest of our lives. But we have to remember that no matter how great they were, that they are nothing compared to what the future in Christ holds for us. When we see him face to face, we will be transformed and made like him[2].
Because the guaranteed future with Jesus is so much better than anything in this world, the writer is encouraging the Hebrews to stay faithful. Yes, the circumstances of persecution are real and painful. Yes, they have gone through a lot and their future here on earth doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better. But the future is going to be better. Way beyond their wildest dreams.
The warning is to not abandon Jesus’ and replace him with doing their own thing. Because when they deliberately turn around and walk away from Jesus, they’ll start down a road that’s filled with sin. Sin after sin. After sin. After sin. They’ll replace God’s one-time sacrifice for all sin with a life where they only and on purpose turn away from him.
Here's another way to think about it. God has given his very best solution to our sin problem. He sent his one and only son to take care of all our sin, brokenness, and isolation from God once and for all[3]. What could be better than that?
And what’s their reaction and response to this? Not to accidently make a mistake every once in a while and then run back to Go. Not to blow it and ask forgiveness. It’s not even to repeat the process of sinning and then coming back to God to be made clean and whole again.
This is a warning about a point where the Hebrews are headed. And it’s not a good destination. Some of them are leaning towards continually sinning over and over again without any care for what God thinks. In spite of all that God’s done for them in Jesus, they’re purposefully going against what God’s said and done
They may not have said these words, but their actions and attitudes are saying something really awful. They’re looking at God’s one-time sacrifice in Jesus and then saying that they can do better. God can’t offer a good enough sacrifice, so we’ve got to make up for what God can’t do.
Nobody put a gun to their heads and forced them to think this. They made up their minds. They thought through it long and hard. The conclusion is that to get right with God they had to abandon Jesus’ one-time sacrifice for all sin and head back to the temple to offer sacrifice after sacrifice. After sacrifice. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like the worst possible trade in history. Walking away from God’s guarantee of full and free forgiveness and replacing it with our own efforts.
Let me ask you a question, how do you know when you’ve offered a sacrifice correctly? Completely? Perfectly? Isn’t there that nagging doubt in the back of your head, wondering if you did it right? Was it enough? Were you enough? And that’s the power of the good news. God knew that we couldn’t, so he stepped in and took care of us and our sin once and for all. So I ask you, what could be better? The short answer is nothing, that’s why all we have to do is receive it.
Noodling Questions
Share one of your most favorite memories. What made it so special?
How does receiving Jesus fix our greatest problem?
Explain how abandoning Jesus is the worst mistake in the universe.
[2] 1 John 3:2
[3] John 3:16
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