Topic: Danger of Willfully Sinning
Hebrews 10:26 says, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.”
The writer of Hebrew warns against the sin of apostasy. Apostasy is an intentional falling away or defection. Apostates are those who hear the gospel, move toward Christ, and are on the verge of saving faith, but reject what they have learned and turn away.
“Willful sinning” in this passage carries the idea of consciously and deliberately rejecting Christ. To know God’s way, to hear it preached, to study it, and then to turn away is to become apostate. Sinning willfully carries with it the idea of sinning continually and deliberately. The willful sinner sins because of an established way of thinking and acting which he has no desire to give up.
Apostates have knowledge but no application of said knowledge. They can be found in the presence of the light of Christ, mostly in the church, among God’s people. Judas Iscariot is the perfect example. He had knowledge but he lacked true faith. No other rejector of the truth had more or better exposure to the love and grace of God than Judas. He was part of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples—eating, sleeping, and traveling with Him for years. He saw the miracles and heard the words of God from Jesus’ very lips, from the best preacher the world has ever known, and yet he not only turned away but was instrumental in the plot to kill Jesus.
The results of apostasy are terrifying:
•There is no more forgiveness. (v. 26)
Anyone who rejects the sacrifice of Christ for our sins will not find any other means of removing their sin. If you reject the one and only path that God has provided to heaven, then you have in essence committed the unforgivable sin. (Hebrews 10:1-18)
•There is greater judgement.
The greater the sin, the greater the judgment. Since apostasy is the worst sin, it will have the worst judgment. Verse twenty-seven reveals. “but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
Three signs you might be in danger of apostasy:
1. You have never surrendered your life to Christ.
2. You know more of the Bible than you live out in your life.
3. You continue to hear God’s word, are convicted, but never make a personal application.
The good news is that Jesus is the cure for apostasy because He saves and secures.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem