The meaning of Hebrews 10:26?

[Supercryptid]

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins," ~Hebrews 10:26

Quite frankly, this Bible verse scares me.

Now I am a christian. However, I know that I have sinned after becoming a christian, and some of those sins have been done willingly (in that, I knew that it was wrong, but I did it anyway). There's also a sin, that I'd rather not mention, that I am now habitually doing. I'm trying to stop doing it, but I keep falling back into it. I have asked for forgiveness of these sins everytime that I do them, but has God forgiven me? If Hebrews 10:26 is interpretted at face value, it would seem that He has not...

[Soldier4Christ]

Hi Supercryptid,

We all have sinned even after accepting Christ as our Saviour for "all have sinned and com short of the Glory of God". We on our own cannot maintain a life free from sin. It is through the righteousness of Jesus that we are made righteous and nothing that we have done or can do. You say that you have willfully sinned, but you also said that you felt convicted of this sin. This shows that you have not rejected the Gospel of Christ but rather have just not leaned on Him when you felt tempted. When you feel tempted to do such again turn to Him and away from the sin. Rely on His strength and not your own.

[nChrist]

Hello Supercryptid,

I understand your concern with this portion of Scripture. This Scripture must be carefully read in context of the Chapter and the Book to understand it. The context of the Chapter will answer many of your questions.

This Chapter of Hebrews contains a strong contrast and comparison with a time of the Law. Start reading and studying from Verse 1 to understand the beautiful TRUTH. We are no longer under the Law, and we no longer make sacrifices when we sin. JESUS CHRIST was and is the perfect Sacrifice once for all. You will even see references here to the Old Testament sins unto death under the Law of Moses.

Now, please make a comparison between the Law of Moses and the Gospel of the Grace of God. The Law of Faith in JESUS CHRIST has set us free from the curse of sin and death. I am not hinting that we have a license to sin because of the finished work of JESUS CHRIST on the Cross. All Christians know that sin hurts us and grieves God. We can also expect to be chastised and corrected when we don't do the Will of God. I like the illustration of an earthly family and an earthly father when one of his sons disobeys. The son will be punished and may even lose part of his inheritance, but he will still be a son.

Hebrews is a beautiful Book, but it must be studied carefully, and everything must be considered in context. I hope this helps you some.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 5:8-9 NASB  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

[RLOWE]

Following are definitions of "willingly" for this verse

voluntarily, willingly, of one's own accord
to sin wilfully as opposed to sins committed inconsiderately, and from ignorance or from weakness

( from The NAS Strong's Version Strong's Number: 1596, Original Word = ekousioß  @ http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=1596&version=nas )

[dandirom]

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins," ~Hebrews 10:26

Quite frankly, this Bible verse scares me.

Now I am a christian. However, I know that I have sinned after becoming a christian, and some of those sins have been done willingly (in that, I knew that it was wrong, but I did it anyway). There's also a sin, that I'd rather not mention, that I am now habitually doing. I'm trying to stop doing it, but I keep falling back into it. I have asked for forgiveness of these sins everytime that I do them, but has God forgiven me? If Hebrews 10:26 is interpretted at face value, it would seem that He has not...

'If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.  I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death.  There is a sin that leads to death.  I am not saying that he should pray about that.  All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death...'  1Jn5:7

'The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, ealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.'  Gal5:19-21

Those are the sins unto death that you can't do unless you make a conscious decision to do them, hence 'sin wilfully.  The Bible is clear that ANYONE who does those sins mentioned CANNOT inherit His kingdom. 

[nChrist]

Dandirom Said:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, ealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.'  Gal5:19-21

Those are the sins unto death that you can't do unless you make a conscious decision to do them, hence 'sin wilfully.  The Bible is clear that ANYONE who does those sins mentioned CANNOT inherit His kingdom.

Hello Dandirom,

First, I see that you are new, so WELCOME!

It appears that you are doing what many do in reading these portions of Scripture:  1) confuse Law with Grace, 2) fail to study the portions of Scripture in context to see what they really mean.

The biggest single mistake many people make is considering the speaker, the audience, the purpose, and determining the application - before or after the CROSS.

After the CROSS, there is only one "unforgivable sin":  rejecting JESUS CHRIST as Lord and Saviour.

I might also add that you didn't list the "sins unto death" under the Mosaic Law", but that's not material since we aren't under the Law, rather we are under GRACE. One must first remember that the thought is the same as the deed according to the Holy Bible. Regardless, all, including Christians, are guilty of multiple violations of the sins you have listed. So, nobody would be saved according to your standards. HERE, you have the secret of why JESUS died on the CROSS. No man has ever been able to keep the Law, and the Law has never saved a single person - NOT ONE.

Christians do not have the power or capability to cause GOD to break a single one of HIS PROMISES. I would suggest that you go back and read he portions of Scripture in context to determine what they are really saying.

Love in Christ,
Tom

Romans 11:33 NASB  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

[dandirom]

Hello there. Actually, we are under grace NOW but that does not mean we have a license to sin. The sins 'unto death' stated in Galatians were written to Christians who are NOT under the law - anyone who commits those sins cannot inherit His kingdom.  One cannot draw near to God while commiting adultery, fornication, Idolatry, etc. In Hebrews the contrasts between the law before its relationship to us now are very clear - the old has gone the new is come.  But in Hebrews 10:26-31 it is clear that the author is talking about those who are NOT under the law - in 28 he says, 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?

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace?  God forbid...Romans6

[nChrist]

Hello Dandirom,

Maybe we are on two sheets of music, or maybe we just disagree. I suspect that we disagree. If so, we will simply have to agree to disagree.

Let's find out if we are on two sheets of music or if we will have to agree to disagree.

1 - Are you saying that a born again Christian loses Salvation if they commit a sin, intentional or otherwise?  Yes or No

Let me also give you a little bit of food for thought that you can use for future Bible studies. There is a huge difference between physical death and God condemning someone to hell. David clearly lived under the Law, and he committed adultery intentionally. David was not physically put to death under the Law. Now, here's a harder question that will require considerable thought: David committed a sin unto death, so was David lost when he did physically die?  If so - why?  If not - why? I might add that there is a definite and quite Biblical answer, and we are definitely talking about a time under the Law - before the CROSS. Let me add one more thought and fact to help you out some: David was a man after God's own heart.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 3:23-24 NASB  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

[Allinall]

Hey Dude!  You're right!  That is a scary passage!  Namely because, as New Testament believers, we apply New Testament Theology to Old Testament ensample.  Remember, "...these things were written for our ensample."  The examples throughout the book of Hebrews (Note: It's written to the Jews!), are full of Hebrew failure to enter the promised land.  Applying a N.T. Theology to this O.T. ensample is to imply that entering into the land promised to Abraham is equivalant to salvation.  That, would be an incorrect implication.  Entering in to the rest of the promised land was victory to the Hebrew.  Entering into a life not conquored by sin is victory to the believer. 

As Pastor Roger said, the simple fact that you confess and repent of your sin shows that God's forgiveness is active in your life.  Remember, God has already forgiven your sins!  He's already paid the price!  He just wants you to agree with Him that you're wrong, He's right, and you need Him to get right and empower you to stay right.

For those who refuse to repent (and there are believers who do), "there remains no more sacrifice."  If the sacrifice that brought them to Christ isn't enough to keep them faithfully, not perfectly but faithfully obedient, then there's nothing new God will give them to help them out.  Basically, He did it all at the cross.  If that's not good enough for a believer...then that's their problem!  But by the grace of God He works in us to keep us from being stiff necked and hard hearted.

Hebrews to me is a warning of failing to give my all to the God Who gave me His Son, and standing before that Son someday with only His blood to show for it.

[dp]

Dear Supercryptid,

Our Lord Jesus said all manner of sin shall be forgiven men, except the unforgiveable sin against The Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31).

As said in some of the above posts, it's important to keep that verse in context of the Messages within the Book of Hebrews. (I'm going to use Paul as the writer of Hebrews in this, though I realize many scholars disagree on that point, and others here may also).

Note Messages like at the end of Hebrews 5 about the "strong meat" vs. the milk. He (I think Paul) was rebuking the Hebrews about not coming to the level of understanding in God's Word they should have been at, since God first gave Israel the "oracles" involving His Plan of Salvation through The Savior Jesus Christ. Those Jews should have understood those Messages about the change to a better Covenant through Christ Jesus, and ready to see its fulfilling right before their eyes, because The Gospel was first written of in the Old Testament they had possession of.

So after the rebuke about the 'milk' understanding vs. the "strong meat" learning, he continues in Hebrews 6...

Heb 6:1-9
1   Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2   Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3   And this will we do, if God permit.
4   For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5   And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6   If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.

At that time in history, the orthodox Jews were vehemently against Christianity and The Gospel. Instead the corrupt Pharisee system ruled over them in the seat of Moses, as the priesthood had become corrupt through the Babylon captivity of the "house of Judah" (hinted at within Ezra and Nehemiah, and histories by the Jewish historian Josephus). That system still sought to be justified by following The Law, religious dogma, animal sacrifices and ceremonial ritual, as it still desires today under the name of Judaism. So that is what those Jews Paul was speaking to came out of, believing on The Savior Jesus Christ. And to fall away from Christ after having come out of that, having been enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, then to go back into that old Phariseeism of unbelief would be like crucifying Christ all over again.

Heb.6:7   For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8   But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9   But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
(KJV)

The thorns and briers are symbols for the fruit of the workers of iniquity, those who follow darkness. Those symbols were given by our Lord Jesus in His parable of the sower (Matt.13). Those symbols are linked to the parable of the "bramble" in Judges 9, when the 'trees' (people) finally asked the bramble (symbol of Satan) to be king over them, and the bramble said only if they would trust in his shadow. A bramble thorn bush doesn't cast much of a shadow of protection, so it was all a lie, showing their mistrust and misplaced faith (see also Luke 6:44 about the trees and fruit). So the comparison of good fruit and thorns made in those verses are about God's blessings depending on who and what is followed. The thorns will be burned, thus showing in this what those Jews would be going back into if they fell away from Christ to go back into their old ways of unbelief.

Heb 10:26-30
26   For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27   But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

That warning Paul gave in the above Hebrews 6 example goes with this one. Note the idea of Christ's adversaries being devoured in God's judgment is mentioned here again. This goes with that idea of falling away from Christ and wanting to come back being like crucifying Christ all over again. So these examples help us to understand better a type of wilfull sin he was talking to them about, which is about unbelief, denying The Savior and the heavenly gift, etc., in order to turn back to the ways of this world among the children of darkness (thorns and briers to be burned in the fire).

Heb.10:28    He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29   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?
30   For we know Him That hath said, "Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord." And again, "The Lord shall judge His people."
(KJV)

Those who worked iniquity and wickedness in Old Testament times refused the Old Covenant, and they died without mercy for that. That again shows us the level and type of sin he is talking about. So the question is, have you "trodden under foot the Son of God"? I don't think so, because your words don't show that. Have you counted the blood of the Covenant "an unholy thing"? Again, I don't see that in anything you expressed. Have you done spite unto the Spirit of grace? I would say no, you haven't done that either. And that's the level of willful sin being spoken about there, not little habits we fall into that we have a hard time breaking because of our flesh weakness, while repenting and trying to get back on track in following The LORD.

In Christ Jesus,
Dave

[dandirom]

Hello Dandirom,

Maybe we are on two sheets of music, or maybe we just disagree. I suspect that we disagree. If so, we will simply have to agree to disagree.

Let's find out if we are on two sheets of music or if we will have to agree to disagree.

1 - Are you saying that a born again Christian loses Salvation if they commit a sin, intentional or otherwise?  Yes or No

Let me also give you a little bit of food for thought that you can use for future Bible studies. There is a huge difference between physical death and God condemning someone to hell. David clearly lived under the Law, and he committed adultery intentionally. David was not physically put to death under the Law. Now, here's a harder question that will require considerable thought: David committed a sin unto death, so was David lost when he did physically die?  If so - why?  If not - why? I might add that there is a definite and quite Biblical answer, and we are definitely talking about a time under the Law - before the CROSS. Let me add one more thought and fact to help you out some: David was a man after God's own heart.

Hi Tom,

You're right, when David commited those sins, Christ still had not given the ultimate sacrifice - which is what makes the author of Hebrews state in 10:28
'He that despised Moses' law died without mercy, under two or three witnessess:
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted th blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite (insulted, in NIV) unto the Spirit of Grace?'

And in Hebrews6:4-8 'If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God AFRESH, and put him to an open shame.'

As to your question about my post, yes, it is entirely possible according to the Bible for a Christian to lose his or her salvation if he or she commits a sin unto death. 

David himself knew that fact - 'Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation...'

[nChrist]

Hello DandiRom,

We'll have to agree to disagree. I'll simply say that we live in the Age of Grace, not the Law. We also live in a time after the CROSS where the completed and perfect work of Salvation was finished by JESUS. I have 100% assurance of Salvation, and there is nothing I can do or say to cause God to break any of the Promises he has made to me or any other born again Christian. My Salvation was and is faith alone in Christ alone, and Christ hasn't changed. Salvation has to be a gift because no man can earn or deserve it, and no man can do anything to keep it since we are kept by GOD HIMSELF according to His Promises. No power in the universe can pluck us out of His Mighty Hands.

I won't argue with you at all. I'll simply ask you to read about the Promises of God to His Children and ask you if God has ever broken a single Promise. You should really study the list of things that are done by God at the point of Salvation and ask yourself who has the power to undo them. One example is the Holy Spirit living in the heart of the believer and the heart of the believer being SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT as a pledge and promise. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN BREAK THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN CAUSE GOD TO BREAK A SINGLE ONE OF THE PROMISES THAT HE MAKES TO HIS CHILDREN. So, 100% assurance of Salvation is not only possible, it was and is intended by GOD. I would never hint that God would ever break a promise, but you saying that God would break a promise is up to you.

I'll let you have the last word on this issue, as I won't debate it. However, someone else might want to debate it with you.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

John 10:28-29 NASB  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

[dandirom]

Hi Tom,

I do believe we are saved BY GRACE, and GRACE ALONE, NOT BY WORKS.  But the Bible is also very clear about what is expected of us once we are saved.  In the verse in Ephesians 2 that you shared it is clear we are not saved 'as a result of works', but after receiving His salvation we should prove our faith by what we do for we are 'His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.'

The Bible clearly states, and I quote the NASB version that you shared, that 'no one will snatch them out of My hand'. 

True, no question there.  But what if that person chooses to go out of the Father's hand?  We all have been given free will, the choice of life and death, blessing and cursing.  I do believe a Christian is secure in Christ but the Bible does give conditions for remaining in His love. 'If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as i have kept my father's commandments, and abide in his love'.  'If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.' I don't think that the conditional security of the believer belittles God's mercy, the fact that He died for us 'while we were yet sinners' is proof enough of God's love for us but He is also a just God - He cannot condone sin.

'Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith, Be not high-minded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, IF THOU CONTINUE in his goodness: OTHERWISE THOU ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF.
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.'

I would like to clear up your statement about my saying God will break His promise.  I claim no such thing and I would like to point to my preceding posts that I said no such thing.  True, God has promised salvation to those who believe - but He has also given His word about what will happen to those who don't believe or forsake Him.  He cannot break those promises too.  He clearly states in His Word what He will do to those believers who make a choice to forsake Him and to those who don't listen to His Word - those are promises that He cannot break.  The Bible reiterates that salvation is for those who believe, for those who love Him - and the Bible is clear that to love Him and to believe in Him is to obey Him. You're right, God has never and will never break a single promise to His Children - just don't forget that He always gives us two choices.  If we choose His righteousness He has a promise for that, and if we choose to do evil even after we have received Him God also made a promise about that - and remember, you yourself stated, and rightly so, that 'ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN CAUSE GOD TO BREAK A SINGLE ONE OF THE PROMISES THAT HE MAKES TO HIS CHILDREN'.

'And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.
He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.'

'They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation' - Yes, we did not receive salvation because of works but He did give a condition that once we receive Him we should obey Him. 'And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?'

His sacrifice is so precious and so sacred that when we sin wilfully we are treading 'under foot the Son of God' and counting 'the blood of the covenant' wherewith we have been sanctified, 'an unholy thing' and are doing 'despite unto the Spirit of Grace'.

'What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid, How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?'

'What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.'

Being under grace does not give us a license to sin - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has also given a promise about what He will do to those who continue in Sin or go back to sin despite having tasted of the heavenly gift.

'For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.  They are godless men, WHO CHANGE THE GRACE OF OUR GOD INTO A LICENSE FOR IMMORALITY and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.  Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered His people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.'

'But if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will APPOINT HIM HIS PORTION WITH THE UNBELIEVERS.' - We all know what the portion of the unbelievers is.

And take Matthew 22 verse 1-14 for example.  The wedding parable is about God's invitation to salvation.  The guests are those who accepted His invitation. But when you accept the invitation, you are suposed to take of your old nature and clothe yourself with His righteousness. 'And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:   (Romans13:13-14 has something about clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ)
And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called, but few are chosen.'

He is a merciful and loving God - but He is also a just and fearful God.  Time and again, He destroyed those of His chosen people who did not believe. 'Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted...Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents...Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.'

As I stated at the start, Salvation is by grace and grace alone - ABSOLUTELY NOT of works. But we need to remember that Christ died to save us from sin - to continue in sin after receiving Him and to claim that a person is still saved is a claim the Bible clearly and explicitly repiudates.  It's tantamount to saying that God condones sin - it totally defeats the purpose of His sacrifice on the cross.  Yes, NOBODY can ever claim to be without sin but God has laid down the sins that are unto death.  Sins that NO ONE who does them, saved or not, could ever inherit HIS kingdom.  Those are the WILFULL SINS. When you snap at someone, or say something wrong, or lose your temper - those aren't premeditated sins, not wilfull sins.  'Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication...Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred...murders, drunkenness...and such like" of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.' When a Christian commits adultery or fornication those are sins where he or she has to make a conscious decision to sin - to trample on His death and insult the Spirit of grace.  That is wilfull - one cannot say, oh, I just stumbled and next thing I knew this girl was right there. The problem I have with the doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved (aside from the fact that there is absolutely no verse in the Bible that says that) is because many of its proponents actually claim that even if you die while commiting adultery, if you commit suicide, if you die in the act of fornication, if you had accepted Christ before you are still saved.  That is not grace but a disgrace.  Where is the purity of Christian life? How are we different from the world if Christ has no standards? 

'Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot?' 'What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?'  - It is very clear that His Spirit will never be one with an harlot so the moment a Christian commits that sin the Spirit will surely leave that person and we know that anyone who dies WITHOUT the Spirit has no seal because the Spirit is the seal.  Or are we to believe that the HOLY SPIRIT (I believe we all know what HOLY means) will continue to stay in a person while that very same person is commiting a sin unto death and actUally 'insulting the SPIRIT OF GRACE'?

[Needhelp]

Dear Supercryptid,

Our Lord Jesus said all manner of sin shall be forgiven men, except the unforgiveable sin against The Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31).

As said in some of the above posts, it's important to keep that verse in context of the Messages within the Book of Hebrews. (I'm going to use Paul as the writer of Hebrews in this, though I realize many scholars disagree on that point, and others here may also).

Note Messages like at the end of Hebrews 5 about the "strong meat" vs. the milk. He (I think Paul) was rebuking the Hebrews about not coming to the level of understanding in God's Word they should have been at, since God first gave Israel the "oracles" involving His Plan of Salvation through The Savior Jesus Christ. Those Jews should have understood those Messages about the change to a better Covenant through Christ Jesus, and ready to see its fulfilling right before their eyes, because The Gospel was first written of in the Old Testament they had possession of.

So after the rebuke about the 'milk' understanding vs. the "strong meat" learning, he continues in Hebrews 6...

Heb 6:1-9
1   Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2   Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3   And this will we do, if God permit.
4   For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5   And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6   If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.

At that time in history, the orthodox Jews were vehemently against Christianity and The Gospel. Instead the corrupt Pharisee system ruled over them in the seat of Moses, as the priesthood had become corrupt through the Babylon captivity of the "house of Judah" (hinted at within Ezra and Nehemiah, and histories by the Jewish historian Josephus). That system still sought to be justified by following The Law, religious dogma, animal sacrifices and ceremonial ritual, as it still desires today under the name of Judaism. So that is what those Jews Paul was speaking to came out of, believing on The Savior Jesus Christ. And to fall away from Christ after having come out of that, having been enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, then to go back into that old Phariseeism of unbelief would be like crucifying Christ all over again.

Heb.6:7   For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8   But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9   But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
(KJV)

The thorns and briers are symbols for the fruit of the workers of iniquity, those who follow darkness. Those symbols were given by our Lord Jesus in His parable of the sower (Matt.13). Those symbols are linked to the parable of the "bramble" in Judges 9, when the 'trees' (people) finally asked the bramble (symbol of Satan) to be king over them, and the bramble said only if they would trust in his shadow. A bramble thorn bush doesn't cast much of a shadow of protection, so it was all a lie, showing their mistrust and misplaced faith (see also Luke 6:44 about the trees and fruit). So the comparison of good fruit and thorns made in those verses are about God's blessings depending on who and what is followed. The thorns will be burned, thus showing in this what those Jews would be going back into if they fell away from Christ to go back into their old ways of unbelief.

Heb 10:26-30
26   For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27   But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

That warning Paul gave in the above Hebrews 6 example goes with this one. Note the idea of Christ's adversaries being devoured in God's judgment is mentioned here again. This goes with that idea of falling away from Christ and wanting to come back being like crucifying Christ all over again. So these examples help us to understand better a type of wilfull sin he was talking to them about, which is about unbelief, denying The Savior and the heavenly gift, etc., in order to turn back to the ways of this world among the children of darkness (thorns and briers to be burned in the fire).

Heb.10:28    He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29   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?
30   For we know Him That hath said, "Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord." And again, "The Lord shall judge His people."
(KJV)

Those who worked iniquity and wickedness in Old Testament times refused the Old Covenant, and they died without mercy for that. That again shows us the level and type of sin he is talking about. So the question is, have you "trodden under foot the Son of God"? I don't think so, because your words don't show that. Have you counted the blood of the Covenant "an unholy thing"? Again, I don't see that in anything you expressed. Have you done spite unto the Spirit of grace? I would say no, you haven't done that either. And that's the level of willful sin being spoken about there, not little habits we fall into that we have a hard time breaking because of our flesh weakness, while repenting and trying to get back on track in following The LORD.

In Christ Jesus,
Dave