Hebrews 10:26 is often misunderstood.
I think it has something to do with how church leaders use the scriptures to keep parishioners from growing.
Here's the full passage:
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?"
Certainly there are many warnings about partaking of sin once one is born again.
This section, however, is about how it is impossible to be born again after being born again.
It is impossible to renew such a person in the manner in which they were brought into salvation.
Now that they are a child of God they will face correction, punishment, or even excommunication with the intent to produce godly sorrow so that they might confess their sins and turn from their ways. The writer ends the passage with this:
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
So this is about correcting the wayward believer who is willfully sinning NOT about losing his place in Christ.
Furthermore, no man may crucify the Lord for themselves. It is impossible.
And no man may bring shame upon the Lord. That is also impossible.
The believer caught in sin cannot, AGAIN, be born of the Spirit. But because he is born of the Spirit and of the house of God, he will face the correction that God brings to him; first through the saints and lastly by His own hand. It is always best to heed the word of correction spoken by the elders than to have the Lord intervene directly.
“For
if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”
Hebrews 10:26-27 KJV
It seems like they question should be what does willfully mean there ?
if I sin and I act like I’ve done nothing wrong won’t confess it as sin and repent it’s willful .
If I’ve sinned and when I realize I’ve sinned it bothers me and greives my heart and so I co fess tbat I’ve sinned and ask the lord to forgive my sin ….this shows tbat my Will isnt to keep sinning ( sincerity of course being necassary )
she’s basically saying if we are using Jesus death for our sins as a reason to keep on sinning claiming “ I’ll never be held accountable so I can sin freely now “
Bit if you understand Jesus death as a propitiation and atonement for your sins you are going to come to repentance where it’s just not okay with you when you sin anymore it bothers you you’ve heard the call to repentance and so when you realize you have sinned it’s troubling and you want to talk to the lord like a person when you have offended them .
willful sin is when you use Christ as an excuse to continue on without repentance , repentance and confession of sin as sin shows your Will is not to keep sinning .
i would say ( just a fools opinion ) this can reveal if our sin is willful or if it’s not
“but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
1 John 1:7-10 KJV
I think recognizing and confessing my wrongs or ignoring and pretending it doesn’t matter if I sin or not anymore “thier all on Jesus now “ type thinking shows us how we are forgiven of sin and not forgiven notice there’s sin either way but
how we respond to it and how we recognize our own actions as sinful makes the difference between forgiven and making god a liar and having no truth in us
I think recognition of our own actions in the light of Christs word and how we respond to it really shows of sin is willful or not
a crude example is if I throw a bottle soda to a friend and I accidentally hit another person in the head … I’m probably going to realize I made a mistake and tell them oh I did that I’m sorry I apologize I feel terrible for that lump on your head . “
Your planned intent wasn’t to hit the person with the bottle but your action still manifested thier bump. But you didnt deny you did it and pretend tbier big head was on the way either you acknowledged what you did wrong .
In just a lot of situations this makes all the difference but if o do it then scoff at you and call you a baby and complainer or deny I did it or made a mistake then this is totally different
If I planned on hitting you then it was willful I wanted to hit you so I might deny it or laugh at you even make you out to be wrong somehow but not me to didn’t do anything wrong “
sin happens in the world even by believers but repentance means we aren’t going to be alright with it anymore when we recognize it in ourselves it’s going to bring recognition a bit of sorrow and confession to God repentance …..
Sincere repentance shows somthing wasn’t willful .
If we argue and we’re lifelong friends but I say something in anger I didn’t actually mean . Then I tell you I didnt mean that I shouldn’t have said it bro please forgive me “
Im assuming your thinking “ already forgiven man “
But if instead the same thing happens and I continue saying it the next day then start spreading rumors about you and telling the same thing to everyone …..you then begin to realize “ this is something he’s actually meaning to do “
now you still of course aren’t gonna as a Christian hold a grudge but we aren’t gonna be friends anymore unless I repent at some point either . You can offer forgivness to me but if I keep the beef going on my end there’s still not going to be reconciliation ….
we have to turn to the light from the darkness willfully even though we’re imperfect and when we know we have sinned we should recognize and acknolwedge it so it doesn’t become something we just live daily . If we don’t acknowledge it sin we might just continue on in it and be making Jesus into the reason we can keep sinning … doing “ spite unto the spirit of grace “
“but a
certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
He that
despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of
how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
Hebrews 10:27-29 KJV
We need to turn against sin and see it as a problem and evil ……then we’ll not feel right doing it as we are enlightened by his word