Hebrews 10 and Ultimate Redemption — Part 5

A friend asked me to reconcile Ultimate Redemption and the supposed unpardonable sin found in the Letter to the Hebrews. In Part 1, we established that the part of our Bibles labeled the “New Testament” is about the end of the Old Covenant Age and System and the anticipation of the fully established New Covenant Age. It’s about the overlapping of those two ages. In Part 2, we determined that the Old Covenant Age and System (hereafter OCAS) was still fully operational by the time the Letter to the Hebrews was written. In Part 3, we’re addressed Jesus as a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. We saw that he was serving at the true holy of holies — God’s presence — and would soon return to the waiting people, bringing their salvation with him. In Part 4, we looked at some warnings in the New Testament which showed us how the people of the first century had to continue in their faith “until the end” to receive their full redemption.

This progression looks like this:

— Jesus appeared at the beginning of “last days” of the Old Covenant Age and System (OCAS) and the beginning of the New Covenant Age (NCA).

— His death, resurrection, and ascension were signs of God (quite literally) birthing the NCA into existence. 

— The events recorded in Matthew – Revelation transpire during the roughly 40 year New Exodus.

— During this time, Jesus was in God’s presence, the true holy of holies, securing redemption with his own blood.

— Concurrently, the people of faith were promised salvation but had yet to receive it. In order to do so, they must continue in their faith “until the end” of the OCAS.

— Even though the OCAS was still fully operational at the time this letter was written to the Jewish followers of Jesus (ca. 67CE), it would “soon disappear.”

— Jesus would soon return again “to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (i.e., the people he left, the first century followers of The Way). 

With the foundation laid, let’s finally turn our attention to the passage in question. 

The Unpardonable Sin and Ultimate Redemption 

The verse in question is found in Hebrews 10:

Hebrews 10.29 (NIV[1]; cf., 6.4-8):

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

My friend said a pastor once stated regarding this passage, “Jesus doesn’t send anyone to Hell. He lays himself at the gates of Hell and they must trample over him to get there.” Apart from misunderstanding the hyperbole, the pastor misses the context, too.

As we’ve established previously, Jesus was in God’s presence — in the true holy of holies when this letter was written. He’s not laying down “at the gates of Hell” to be trampled on by people going there. That’s clearly not what this verse is saying. It’s hyperbole. The writer used poetic language to emphasize the point.

And what’s that point?

It seems to me it’s the punishment of the person who walks away from following Jesus. The question we must ask is, “What’s meant by ‘punishment’ here?” And, tied closely to that, “Does this mean that not all people will be saved?” The pastor seems to think the punishment is “Hell” and, therefore, all people won’t be saved. But where does that come from? It’s certainly not in the verse. Let’s pull back and look at the context to see what’s going on.

Chapter 10 starts by contrasting the System of the Old Covenant Age with the New Covenant Age. As we’ve already seen, it states that the OCAS was only a “shadow of the coming good things and not the real things themselves” (verse 1; CEB[2]). Because the OCAS was only a shadow, the sacrifices under that system could never make the people perfect. If they could, the writer contends, then they would have stopped making sacrifices (verse 2). Instead, the annual sacrifices were a reminder of sin, “because it’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (verse 4).

The writer then states that when Christ came, he came not to offer sacrifices (because they were required under the OCAS) but to do God’s will (vv. 5-9a). And by doing God’s will, the writer contends, “He puts an end to the first (i.e., the OC) to establish the second (i.e., the NC). We’ve been made holy by God’s will through the offering of Jesus [the] Christ’s body once for all” (vv. 9b-10; CEB; adapted).

This point is driven home in the next section (notice the present / past tense verbs) — 

Hebrews 10.11-14 (CEB; adapted):

Every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices over and over, sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But when this priest (i.e., Christ) offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right side of God. 13Since then, he’s waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for his feet, 14because he perfected the people who are being made holy with one offering for all time.

Again, the sacrificial system under the OCA, “can never take away sins.” But the sacrifice Christ made “perfected the people who are being made holy.” Once more we see this was a process. The OCAS could never accomplish what the NCA accomplished because it was only a shadow, it pointed away from itself to the time when sin would be removed forever. This is stated in the next section:

Hebrews 10.15-18 (CEB; adapted):

The Holy Spirit affirms this when saying,

16 This is the covenant that I’ll make with them

After these days, says YHWH,

I’ll place my laws in their hearts

and write them on their minds.

17 And I won’t remember their sins

and their lawless behavior anymore.

18When there is forgiveness for these things, there is no longer an offering for sin.

The next four sections (or one big section) are words of encouragement. The Hebrews can now “enter the holy of holies” with confidence “through a new and living way” because of Christ’s blood (vv.19-21). The contrast to this is they can’t “enter the holy of holies” under the OCAS because it was an “old and dying way” that would “soon disappear.”

They can now “draw near” to God’s presence with a genuine heart that comes through faith because their hearts “are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and [their] bodies are washed with pure water” (verse 22). This is something they could never achieve under the OCAS because that system could “never take away sins.”

They’re encouraged to hold on to this confession of hope because Christ, who promised it to them, is faithful and reliable (verse 23).

Finally, they’re encouraged to consider ways to inspire each other “for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds.” They should continue to meet together and exhort one another, “especially as you see the day drawing near” (vv. 24-25). “The day,” here, was a shorthand way of talking about Christ’s return (see 1 Corinthians 1.8; 2 Thessalonians 1.7-10; 2 Timothy 1.12, 18; 2 Timothy 4.8). Notice that those Jewish followers of the Way of Jesus could “see the day drawing near.” This, once more, shows us that “the end” in sight is not something we can extrapolate into our time. It was specific for their time. Jesus, as the high priest, was returning to the people he left, bringing their salvation, and they could “see the day drawing near.”

Now we turn to the section containing the verse in question.

Hebrews 10.26-29 (CEB; adapted):

If we make the decision to sin after we receive the knowledge of the truth, there isn’t a sacrifice for sins left any longer. 27There’s only a scary expectation of judgment and of a burning fire that’s going to devour God’s opponents. 28When someone rejected the Law from Moses, they were put to death without mercy on the basis of the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much worse punishment do you think is deserved by the person who walks all over God’s Son, who acts as if the blood of the covenant that made us holy is just ordinary blood, and who insults the Spirit of grace? 

This passage is a parallel from earlier in the letter:

Hebrews 6.1-6 (CEB; adapted):

So let’s press on to maturity, by moving on from the basics about Christ’s word. Let’s not lay a foundation of turning away from dead works, of faith in God, 2of teaching about ritual ways to wash with water, laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and [age-enduring] judgment — all over again. 3We’re going to press on, if God allows it.

4Because it’s impossible to restore people to changed hearts and lives who turn away once they have seen the light, tasted the heavenly gift, become partners with the Holy Spirit, 5and tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age. 6They’re crucifying God’s Son all over again and exposing him to public shame.

While I can see where the imagery of Hell came from (10.27), this is not a passage about people going to Hell. For starters, “hell,” as we’ve been taught to understand it, is foreign to the people of the Bible. The current view of hell held by most Christians in the West originated during the medieval period and was solidified by the Italian poet Dante and his poem, The Divine Comedy. But during the New Testament time, there really wasn’t a defined belief of Hell. Ancient Judaism really didn’t have a concept of Hell, even though there were views of the afterlife during the Hellenistic period. One thing is certain, though, the view espoused by the pastor (and more like him) is not what’s going on in this passage. It’s being read into the text.

So, if this passage is not about people going to hell, what’s it about?

In both passages, the writer is using hyperbole to make the point. People weren’t literally crucifying Jesus again or “[walking] all over” him; these are used to exaggerate the insult to Jesus’ life and death. The writer is stating people who started with them and now being tempted to go back into Judaism would be insulting Christ if they returned. Why would going back to Judaism be an insult to Christ? Because, as Paul put it, “Christ is the goal (or end) of the law…” (Romans 10.4; CEB). That is, the OCAS was only a “shadow” of the then “coming good things” and not the reality to which it pointed (Hebrews 10.1-4; Colossians 2.17).

Remember, this letter is addressed “To the Hebrews,” first century Jewish people who were following The Way of Jesus. If they return to Judaism, they would be “[making] a decision to sin.” As the writer has stated, there’s no sin in Christ — his sacrifice forever removed sin and “perfected the people” (10.14). The only way to sin would be to go back to the system that reminds people of their sin every year (Hebrews 10.3-4).

But the OCAS was under God’s “fiery judgment.” In roughly three and a half years from when this letter was written, the Roman Army would destroy the city of Jerusalem and Temple. The writer is trying to encourage the people to continue on in their faith in Christ — that’s the only way forward. The OCAS would “soon disappear.” 

As we’ve seen throughout this post, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews has been contrasting the Old Covenant Age and System with Christ and the New Covenant. The context of this passage shows that, even though the OCAS was still being used, it could not remove anyone’s sin. The only way someone’s sin would be removed is through Christ and the New Covenant. To “sin,” then, would be like the sin of the Israelites during the Exodus. They didn’t continue in their faith in God. They rebelled and wanted to return to what they knew; they wanted to go back to Egypt (Exodus 14.12; 16.3). And because of their unbelief, “most of them … were struck down in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians10.5; CEB). Likewise, some of the Jewish followers of Jesus were tempted to return what they knew; they wanted to return to the OCAS. If they did, they would be caught up in God’s judgment upon that age, which was carried out by the Roman Army.

And that’s exactly what this passage (and the one from chapter 6) is about.

But it doesn’t stop there!

Hebrews 10.32-39 (CEB; adapted):

But remember the earlier days, after you saw the light. You stood your ground while you were suffering from an enormous amount of pressure. 33Sometimes you were exposed to insults and abuse in public. Other times you became partners with those who were treated that way. 34You even showed sympathy toward people in prison and accepted the confiscation of your possessions with joy, since you knew that you had better and lasting possessions. 35So don’t throw away your confidence — it brings a great reward. 36You need to endure so that you can receive the promises after you do God’s will.

37 In a little while longer,

the one who’s coming will come and won’t delay;

38 but my righteous one will live by faith,

and my whole being won’t be pleased with anyone who shrinks back.

39But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved (emphasis added).

Once more we see the writer of this letter encouraging the original readers to continue on in their faith. Notice the personal pronoun “you” here — it’s used roughly fourteen times. Clearly, the writer has the original readers in view. The writer is reminding them of their progress — of how they’ve suffered for the faith, not only when they “stood [their] ground” when their own lives and possessions were in jeopardy, but when they stood up for others in the family of Christ, too. “Don’t throw it all away,” the writer pleads. “In a little while … the one who’s coming will come and won’t delay” (verse 37). “It’s almost over! Just hold on a little longer!” To turn back now would be such a waste! They’ve come so far, they must continue on a little while longer. If they “timidly [drew] back” now, they’ll “end up being destroyed” in the war with Rome.

Conclusion 

The message of this letter is one of encouragement and hope for “the Hebrews,” some first century Jewish followers of The Way of Jesus. They had “stood [their] ground” when “exposed to insults and abuse in public.” They’d “[become] partners” with their sisters and brothers who were treated the same way. They even “showed sympathy toward people in prison and accepted the confiscation of [their] possessions with joy.”

But some of them were starting to waver. It’d been almost 40 years since Jesus’ ascension and the persecutions had become a “tribulation” (Revelation 1.9; ESV[3]). The writer of this letter is trying to inspire them to not quit; not when they’ve come so far and the end is quite literally in sight! For those who fall back into Judaism, there’s only a fiery judgment waiting for them in the horrors of war with the Romans. 

With all of this laid out before us, I hope we can see that the verse in question has nothing to do with people throughout time (or, more directly, our time) trampling on Jesus supposedly on their way Hell. It’s a warning to the first century Jewish followers of Jesus (the Hebrews) about what would happen if they strayed from the faith back into Judaism. It’s a literal fiery judgment, in this life, upon first century Judaism carried out through the horrors and tortures of war with the apex killing machine that was the Roman army.

~~~

In the Love of the Three in One,

Br. Jack+, LC

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[1] Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

[2] Scripture quotations marked (CEB) are taken from The Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.

[3] Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the English Standard Version, Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.