‘IF WE SIN WILFULLY ——’
‘If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins … It is a fearful thing to fall into the bands of the living God.’
To whom do these words refer?
I. He who has received the knowledge of the truth.—These Hebrews had been enlightened; their difficulty was not darkness of mind, but unwillingness of heart. This passage has nothing to do with sincere seekers who cannot discover what the truth or what the method of salvation is.
II. He who is compared to the despiser of Moses’ law who died without mercy.—Both sins are regarded as of the same character. Under Moses’ law the sentence of instant death was not for offences in general; atonement could be made and joyfulness secured for them; but for the sin of deliberate rejection of God (see Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Deuteronomy 17:2-7). The Jew referred to, then, is he who deliberately renounced Jehovah to serve other gods; and he of whom the Apostle writes is compared with him.
III. He who rejects with contempt the Son of God, the blood of the covenant, the Spirit of Grace.—The idea in these most solemn words is clearly that of contempt. He does not count the blood of the covenant a common thing who longs to feel its efficacy, nor despise the Spirit of Grace who seeks His help, nor tread underfoot the Son of God who desires to possess Him.
IV. Why God cannot save such.
(a) God cannot save him, because he repudiates the only remedy for sin (Hebrews 10:26).
(b) God cannot save him, because His judgment is eternally righteous (Hebrews 10:28-29).
(c) God cannot save him, because His Word is inviolably true.