Jesus said,
“Ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM (he), ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24 KJV)
The Pharisees during Christ’s Earthly ministry would not believe Jesus is the foretold Messiah that was to come and be the final blood atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:22 KJV). Of course, Christ did accomplish the Work of the Messiah and paid for the sins of the whole world. Apostle Paul tells us that in God’s economy of righteousness that,
“…the wages of sin IS DEATH; but the GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV)
Does Hebrews 10 Teach A Believer Can Lose Salvation?
In Hebrews 10, it clearly states that the annual blood sacrifices of ‘unblemished’ animals under the Law of Moses never removed sins FROM the people As A PAYMENT. They were only a TEMPORARY COVERING of the people’s sin for one year at a time. The people under the Old Covenant looked forward to the time when this foreshadowing would become a permanent situation when the foretold Messiah, The Christ, would arrive on Earth and be the final “once for all” blood atonement for the sins of the whole world.
“For the law having A SHADOW OF GOOD THINGS TO COME, AND NOT THE VERY IMAGE OF THE THINGS, can NEVER with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto PERFECT. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had NO MORE CONSCIENCE OF SINS. But in those sacrifices there is A REMEMBRANCE again made of sins every year. For it IS NOT POSSIBLE that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:1-4 KJV)
In stating this fact regarding righteousness, the writer mentions the ‘perfection’ of a person. That after the Messiah makes the FINAL PAYMENT for the sins of the world, that a believer should have ‘NO MORE CONSCIENCE OF SINS’ having had his sin debt paid in full for ever. And now Christ came and did just that! This is a truth many Christians have not fully grasped who still believe their sins after salvation can mean their loss of salvation. Those thinking they must be doing more good works and deeds to remain saved, as if Christ’s sacrifice was not sufficient. God forbid!
The writer in Hebrews 10 continues,
“9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.” (Hebrews 10:9 KJV)
The New Covenant has already come since Christ already came as Messiah and the cross event happened and He rose again. Jesus’ atonement was a ONCE FOR ALL deal! He paid for all sins of believers and also unbelievers (1 John 2:2) as a GIFT to be accepted unto salvation (Romans 5, Ephesians 2: 8-9) or rejected thus remaining condemned already (John 3:18).
Continuing in Hebrews 10, we read that every Jewish priest was still being seen,
” …STANDETH daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins:” (Hebrews 10:11 KJV)
This was no longer needed as Christ came. He paid the wages for all sins. This is speaking about the unbelieving Jews and they were pressuring Jewish believers to go back to animal sacrifices. Today, believers should also take note of this. Should believers today believe salvation is by God’s grace as a gift PLUS OUR sacrifices and good works in order to ‘REMAIN SAVED’? Not according to Hebrews 10 ! Although Christian religions do not have animal sacrifices many do preach completion of religious rituals and good works as a REQUIREMENT TO REMAINED SAVED. Yet, Christ already paid the wages of our sins. As eternally saved and righteous believers, we need to understand that these things will also NEVER TAKE AWAY SINS. Yes, believers SHOULD do good works in love for others; ABSOLUTELY. But only Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient and is continuously sufficient to keep us saved. In Romans 5, Apostle Paul shows how God’s grace is free and is continuously paying for a believer’s sins like waves covering the sand on an ocean, wave after wave, grace MUCH MORE abounds.
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” (Romans 5:20 KJV)
And Jesus Sat Down
“But this man, after he had offered ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, SAT DOWN on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by ONE OFFERING he hath PERFECTED FOR EVER them that ARE SANCTIFIED.” (Hebrews 10:12-14 KJV)
Notice that the unbelieving Priests ‘STANEDTH’ where Christ completed the atoning work for sin in finality and ‘SAT DOWN’. It is so important to understand this comparison the writer of Hebrews is making.
During the animal sacrifices in the Temple the high priest was VERY busy, always working, walking around, completing the sacrifices, following the rules etc. Busy busy busy!
When Christ became the final once for all blood atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, His work was DONE in saving us and paying for our sins! And so He SAT DOWN at the right hand of God. As Jesus cried out on the cross, “IT IS FINISHED” (an accounting term used in that day which in the Greek literally meant ‘a debt paid in full’) and when He rose again HE presented His finished work to the Father and it was sufficient to the Father to pay for the sins of the whole world.
Then, Jesus ‘SAT DOWN’!
What a powerful truth my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! By the ONE, Jesus Christ and by His ONE sacrificial blood atoning offering on the cross we have been perfected for ever. Apostle Paul wrote God MADE US the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST (2 Cor. 5:17-21), indwelt for ever by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), complete in Christ and already risen with Christ in the Spirit (Colossians 2).
“Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them AFTER THOSE DAYS, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I REMEMBER NO MORE. Now where remission of these is, there is NO MORE OFFERING FOR SIN.” (Hebrews 10:15-18 KJV)
When God looks at a believer in Christ, we are HIS. We are a purchased POSSESSION having been bought and paid for by the precious cleansing blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). All wages for our sins WERE already paid in full by Christ crucified. By our belief on Christ we are seen by God as righteous as Christ is (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Think about that truth! TRUE FREEDOM !!! Free to do good works in love for others, not to remained saved but because of what God did for us in love. From great gratitude and our new Spirit. Yes, we as believers still fail. Yes, we resist sinning but at times fail. But all our failures and sins were already paid by Christ, COMPLETELY!
Jesus truly meant it when He cried out,
“IT IS FINISHED.”
!! DO NOT ALLOW ANY PERSON
OR PULPIT TELL YOU OTHERWISE !!
” Let us HOLD FAST the profession of our faith WITHOUT WAVERING; (for HE IS FAITHFUL that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke UNTO love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25 KJV)
It is about the change in our core being, our Spirit and walking in our new Spirit of Christ in love to others. And sticking together in encouragement and support, knowing our chains of sin were both broken AND REMOVED.
The context in Hebrews 10 is THE ONE SIN (not all sins) of going back to animal sacrifices and the Law of Moses in unbelief in the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement for all sins of the whole world. That is the ‘wilful sin’ the writer is addressing through the book of Hebrews and where we read ,
“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)
These verses are being taught by some (even from pulpits!) as a believer losing salvation but that is completely false seeing the true context here. The writer is teaching by comparison to those still under the Law; that is the unsaved Jews who were persecuting and pressuring believers to go back to animal sacrifices. Those persecuting the believers kept sacrificing animals AFTER Messiah already came and ACTUALLY PAID for sins. They heard ‘the knowledge of the truth’ (hearing it does not make a person saved. Believing it does!) but rejected such a great sacrifice for our salvation. In comparison, the writer is warning and encouraging the saved Jewish believers to keep faith and trust on Christ alone because His sacrifice is the only one that saves us. The writer tells these early church Jewish believers that for the unbelieving Jews, it is a fearful thing they are facing without Christ. As believers, it is an enormous sin to go back to animal sacrifices under The Law to cover sins. It is stating UNBELIEF in the utter complete sufficiency of Christ’s payment for sins as the foretold Messiah. This is the very FOUNDATION of the Gospel! It should never be rejected! God forbid!
Babes in Christ could fall for the pressures of the Jewish unbelievers and so assembling and encouraging each other in persecution mattered much. We should take note of this today in these End Times as well.
“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? 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. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:28-31 KJV)
HIS PEOPLE are the Jewish people who had rejected the foretold Messiah. Despite the amazing grace of God to save anyone who will accept Christ’s free grace gift of salvation through His own shed blood, the Jewish people rejected it!
We see the writer now encourage FAITH (BELIEF AND TRUST in Christ alone) to abound among the Jewish believers,
“But WITHOUT FAITH it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God MUST BELIEVE that he is, and that he is A REWARDER of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)
What words of encouragement for these Jewish believers and for us today as well. As the saying goes, knowing the truth, believers today need to ‘Keep their eyes on the prize’, salvation through Christ alone by faith alone in the grace of God.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, from all over the world, persecution of Christian believers is on the rise. World events are showing us that the Biblically prophetic one world government and one world religion is almost upon the world. Persecution of believers will rise more according to the Godly inspired prophetic words of Scripture. The Church Age will soon end at the Rapture and then the antichrist system and rule is coming upon the whole world. The Jewish scholars in Israel are RIGHT NOW stating that they believe Messiah is about to arrive on the scene. The plans to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem exist now as foretold in the prophet Scriptures to happen in the time when the Antichrist arrives on the world stage.
Unfortunately, the Jewish have as a people, mostly not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah to this very day. They are still looking for the Messiah but will be duped to believe the Antichrist is their Messiah. But God is not done with Israel yet! God will raise up 144,000 Jews from the 12 Tribes of Israel to believe in Christ and His Second Coming event after the Tribulation Period. They will start evangelizing and a remnant of Jews, and many Gentiles, will come to believe that Jesus is the Christ.
In these times we live in believers, we need to KEEP THE FAITH. Jesus is coming for His Bride before the Tribulation and revealing of the Antichrist. Encourage and help one another under persecutions. Help to reach the lost for their salvation. Love others. Love your enemies. Time is shorter than ever before. The Church Age is nearing it’s completion. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture of Church Age believers can happen at any moment. The Lost need to hear the knowledge of the truth, The Gospel of Salvation Through Christ Crucified, Died and Risen more than ever before.
Share this.
