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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: What sort of judgment is this? |
Bible Note: You wrote: 'Notice the portion I highlighted between *s. "by which he was sanctified." Unbelievers are not sanctified.' Depends what you mean by "sanctified." If the passage is talking about the Holy Spirit's progressive work in the life of the child of God, I agree. However, to be sanctified means to be "set apart" as well. I come from a biblical understanding that the visible church is the covenant people of God. The visible church contains all professing believers and their children. However, not all professing believers (i.e. those in the visible church) are indeed truly regenerate. Every descendant of Jacob was a member of the Mosaic Covenant, but not every Israelite was a covenant keeper. Many showed themselves to be not God's people by being a covenant breaker. The author of Hebrews alludes to them in Hebrews 10:28, and Paul refers to them in Romans 9 when he says that "For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel." These are people who were set apart by the covenant ("sanctified"), but who showed themselves to be enemies of God by rejecting the Messiah. Likewise, everyone in the visible church could be said to have been "set apart." Baptism is the initiatory rite into the visible church, but I think that you and I would both agree that not everyone who has been "sanctified" outwardly is indeed a child of God. Jesus himself spoke of "wheat and tares" in Matthew 13, spoke of false brethren in Matthew 7, and 1 John 2 indicates that there were people departing from the visible church because "they were never of us." Therefore, the grammatical question regarding Hebrews 10:29 would be whether it is the BLOOD that sanctifies them or the COVENANT that sanctifies them. Because not all who are visibly sanctified within the context of the New Covenant are truly of the invisible communion of saints. Let me know what you think. Also, what about the contrast in verse 39? You didn't respond to that in your last post. Thanks! --Joe! |