Read the passage here.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been exploring how the author of Hebrews presents Jesus as the superior High Priest and the superior sacrifice.  Last week’s passage emphasized the sufficiency of Jesus, and His sacrifice, over and above the old priesthood and sacrifice – the New Covenant is superior to the Old.  And we pointed out, in particular, v. 14 which talks about how we have been made perfect and yet are being made holy.  And we discussed how, throughout Hebrews, the theology is always accompanied by exhortation.  Our passage today emphasizes that exhortation. 

The first paragraph establishes the main point of our passage today, which is the exhortation to remain faithful (vv. 22ff.).  But let’s take a look at how that is developed: 

^10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

In the first place, the “therefore” obviously flows out of last week’s passage.  And again, 10:1-18 focused on Jesus as the superior sacrifice, and superior because Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient (unlike those sacrifices under the old covenant).  That section closes with verse 18 which reads: 

^10:18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

“Sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary,” because Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient.  As it also says, “¹⁴ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” 

“Therefore,” our passage today says,

^10:19 …brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Now with the mention of “the curtain,” the author draws us back (again) to previous verses:  firstly those we looked at last week where he mentions the duties of the priests which need to be repeated day after day: 

^10:11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

And it also draws us back to those verses we looked at previously, which describe the practices of the old covenant: 

^9:2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. ³ Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place…

And…

^9:6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. ⁷ But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. ⁸ The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.

And so our author is telling us today that what was once an obstacle (that is, our sin), what was once forbidden because of our sin, has been overcome by the blood of Jesus.  A new and living way has been opened for us through the curtain.  Because of the blood of Jesus, our sins have been fully and finally forgiven, and we can have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place. 

Now by this point in the letter, the truth of that should be well and firmly established.  And something we’ve been pointing out throughout the letter is brought out in these verses.  We have been pointing out how the author has both a theological purpose (to establish the superiority and sufficiency of Jesus) and a pastoral purpose (to encourage the readers to continuing and on-going faithfulness).  Last week, we phrased it as such:  Theology is always accompanied by exhortation.  And we’re seeing that here; and again, this seems to be the main thrust of this passage.  That is:  Because of the reality of what Christ has done (theology), let us draw near to God (exhortation). 

^10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

And the exhortation continues: 

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As we can see, then, the exhortation contains three clauses: 

1. Let us draw near to God
2. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, and,
3. Let us consider how we may spur one another on

All of these might be said to be elaborations on what we’ve noted before – that the author is encouraging the readers to remain faithful.  Now we might be tempted to draw some conclusions about what might be going on in the community based on these (and other) verses, but we have to be careful in making assumptions.  Therefore, all we can really do is consider what the author is actually saying. 

With that, in vv. 26-31, we read: 

²⁶ If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Now I want to be clear that I am not convinced that the author is arranging this passage in this way – it’s really just a convenient way for me to think about it.  But we might read this as an elaboration on the second exhortation that we saw, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.”  Because clearly what’s being described here is precisely “swerving.”  [The first clause, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us…” would arguably arise out of the verses previous; those establishing the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.  But as I said, I am doubtful that this is the author’s intention]

In vv. 26-30 what we read is that if one keeps on sinning, no sacrifice for sins is left.  We might say that if one rejects the forgiveness that is provided by Christ’s sacrifice, there is no sacrifice for sins, and therefore, there is only judgement.  The author goes on to say that such rejection or trivialization of Christ’s work is even greater than a rejection or failure under the Mosaic covenant (the Old Covenant), because those sacrifices were never truly efficacious.  But to reject Christ’s sacrifice is to reject God’s true and final promise. 

In effect, by doing so (if one were to do so), one is letting go of, or rejecting, the hope that we have in Christ.  Rather, let us hold onto that hope, the hope that is made possible because of the blood of Jesus. 

The last verses of our passage have to do with standing firm and not giving up.  They read: 

^10:32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. ³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”

 ³⁸ And,

“But my righteousone will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”

³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

I can’t be sure, but it sounds to me like the author is making reference to his audience’s specific history and saying something like, remember where you came from.  Remember how great the salvation you received once was (in your understanding).  He seems to be saying that, in those early days of their new lives, his readers were willing and eager to withstand all sorts of trials and tribulation for the sake of the gospel.  

And I want to be clear – I don’t think the author is saying that the readers should go backwards, or that things were even better back then.  It seems that he is merely reminding them that, at some point, the trials and tribulations and whatever else is wearing them down did not speak so loudly.  Rather, what they had received was so great that it overshadowed everything else. 

And so the exhortation to continuing in faithfulness is based on the eschatological reality of the promised coming in Christ.  “³⁵…do not throw away your confidence,” says the writer.  “It will be richly rewarded.”  And “^36… In just a little while, he who is coming will come.” 

Now again, I’m not certain by any means that the author is organizing his thoughts in this way, but it seems to me that this line of reasoning (don’t give up because the day is coming…) lines up reasonably well with what he says in v. 24-25.

^10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

So obviously, I’m connecting this eschatological orientation in vv. 32 ff. with the author’s words, “all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  But in vv. 24-25, what we really see is that this exhortation is not just to not give up, but to not give up as a community.  And while it’s possible to read too much into this sort of thing, all of the exhortations (all of the imperatives) in vv. 32-39 are likewise plurals (that is the “yous,” stated and implied, are all plural).  The standing firm, the remaining faithful, does not happen by isolated individuals but in and through the encouragement and building up of one another. 

So again, what we are seeing in today’s passage is the working out of a theology that leads to exhortation.  What we believe (or what we claim to believe) must be borne out in how we actually live.  And in this particular case, we see that what we believe has eternal implications and therefore eternal obligations. 

We don’t know what was really going on in the community to which the author of Hebrews is writing.  But whatever was specifically going on, the author was compelled to remind them, over and over, to not give up, to trust in their salvation, and to remain faithful.  Whatever trials and tribulations, whatever doubts and discouragement, whatever challenges they were facing, that is not the end of the story, says the author.  To put it another way, we are called to more than just what we experience in the here and now. 

And this is undoubtedly difficult for most of us.  We are all aware of how difficult it can be to live for what feels like a nebulous future when the realities of the present press upon on us so powerfully.  Like the audience of this letter, in our day to day living, in our present moments, each of us also faces trials and tribulations, doubts and discouragement, and challenges of all kinds. 

Perhaps this is why we are encouraged to encourage one another.  Perhaps this is why we are called to spur one another on – to good works, to continue to meet together, to encourage one another.  Because left to ourselves, all we can see is what’s in front of our own eyes.  But as we commit to one another, we can encourage each other to remember the hope to which we have been called.