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NASB | Hebrews 10:26 ¶ For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 10:26 ¶ For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate], |
Subject: Is the consuming fire in Heb. hell fire? |
Bible Note: Ray, Excellent comments! They make sense, and you support them with scripture. I would like to add one additional thought to yours for everyone to consider: The Israelites who refused to believe the good report of Joshua and Caleb and instead believed the bad reports of the other 10 spies... what happened to them? Well, we know that they wandered in the wilderness because of their lack of faith for 40 yrs.. To quote one of your CRefs above (Heb 10:29) "Vengeance is mine. I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge HIS PEOPLE.' It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God." And earlier (in Deut. 9:5) - "The Lord your God is giving you this good land to POSSESS..." Now my contention is that Hebrews was written to Jews, but believers. The admonitions (5 warnings in Hebrews) are therefore written to believers... not to those who no longer believe, or to those who were apparently never saved in the 1st place. Now I realize that this may be a new way of viewing Hebrews for some, but bear with me for a moment. Those Israelites who died in the wilderness are not those who weren't saved. IOW, I expect that we will meet some of them... after Christ returns. They did not POSSESS the land - they didn't receive the inheritance. Let me quote from Hebrews 6:-12, right after the well known "impossible to renew to repentance" section: Heb. 6:9-12 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the *full assurance of hope* until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience INHERIT the promises. Notice the reference to realizing the "full assurance of hope" and "inheriting the promises?" This is truth for believers. It is believers who inherit. But if we are sluggish, and not faithful, then we will not inherit the promises... just as those other Israelites of old. But we WILL still receive the free gift of eternal life. We are heirs of God. We are fellow/joint heirs with Christ PROVIDED we suffer with Him... God will judge His people (that must be believers)... and it will involve fire. But let me suggest that the fire burns off the old vegatation, so that the ground may possibly, by God's power, be used by Him again. Earlier in Chap. 6 we are told that it is impossible to renew again to repentance. Unfortunately, we've been conditioned to read "repentance" as referring to eternal life salvation, and to read salvation as the same. I don't think it is referring to that in either Heb. 6 or the Heb. 10 passage here. The METAXOI (Gk. - those who are partners with him... a stronger word than the well-known KOINONIA - fellowship/partnership idea) are those who like Joshua and Caleb are joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:16 and 17. In this Romans passage we are told that we are heirs of God and fellow/joint heirs with Christ PROVIDED we suffer with Him...) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! And He will burn away the vegetation so that the new ground is perhaps ready to bear fruit worthy of salvation. Fire actually seldom refers to eternal damnation, IMO. Consider 1 Corin. 3, in which the useless works are burned off. We also read in 1 Peter 1:6,7 how our works more precious than gold are tested by fire so that they may be purified. Took a long time to write about that one thought! Thanks, Ray. Bob |