Hebrews:

The background of the epistle to the Hebrews is pretty universally agreed upon. The purpose of the letter was to urge those Jews who had believed in Christ to continue in their faith. They were in danger of slipping backwards into Judaism. The writer helped them by arguing for the superiority of Christ and the things of the New Covenant. He demonstrated how many Old Testament rituals and promises found their fulfillment in Christ.

That the recipients of the letter were born again believers is proven by the following: (1) they were addressed as "holy brethren" who had Jesus as the High Priest of their confession (Heb. 3:1); (2) they had accepted the basic teachings of the faith and were partakers of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 6:1-5); (3) they had already demonstrated works that accompany initial salvation (Heb. 6:9-11); (4) they were already assembling together in Christian fellowship (Heb. 10:25); (5) they had already been persecuted for their faith in Jesus (Heb. 10:32-34); (6) they were already in the Christian race, surrounded by a cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1); (7) they were considered by the writer as sons of God who had been born in spirit (Heb. 12:7-9).

Therefore, if we are to be honest in our exegesis, we must consider the admonitions of this book as being addressed to born again believers. With this fact in mind, we need to look at the five major warnings to the recipients of the letter. The Arminian camp has already agreed that the warnings are real and solemn warnings to believers. However, they again err in thinking that these warnings portray the possible loss of eternal salvation. Rather, these warnings point to negative reward in the coming age, decided by the righteous, impartial Judge at His Judgment Seat.

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will. For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak. (Hebrews 1:14-2:5 ASV)

The word "salvation" is a Greek word simply meaning deliverance from a negative situation into a positive one (see a good concordance for the usage of the verb sozo). The context of the word must determine what salvation is at issue; every usage is not eternal salvation.

The salvation, or deliverance, at issue here is future, one to be possessed in the world to come, which world belongs to the millennial age. If you read the verses following this quote, these verses further describe that world as one where the rulership of Christ is exercised - the 1,000 year kingdom age. To neglect future salvation, which should be ours, which involves ruling with Christ in the millennium, is to invite a negative recompense from God at the coming Judgment.

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also was Moses in all his house. For he hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honor than the house. For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; but Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end. Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried me by proving me, And saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways; As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end: while it is said, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For who, when they heard, did provoke? nay, did not all they that came out of Egypt by Moses? And with whom was he displeased forty years? was it not with them that sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he hath said somewhere of the seventh day on this wise, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; and in this place again, They shall not enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience, he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience. (Hebrews 3:1-4:11 ASV)

Jesus is our sabbath rest. However, the Bible also speaks here of a future sabbath rest that is entered by diligence [obedience according to the entire context] - a matter of works. This is the promise of the sharing of the blessings of the Kingdom (millennial Kingdom) by the faithful believer. There are many other passages that could be brought to bear on this promise (and I can share them with you if you wish).

For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God: but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak: for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister. And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fulness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 5:12-6:12 ASV)

Above, the writer of Hebrews is encouraging the believers to move on toward maturity. They had laid a basic foundation of repentance and faith, but needed to mature. If such fall away from the path, contextually probably meaning an apostasy from Christ with a reversion to Judaism, it may become nigh "impossible" to be renewed unto repentance . This may mean that while such ones are in such an apostate state, a return to their initial repentance may be near impossible.

Then the thought of blessing or judgment by God comes in for those who should be maturing. If they bring forth the proper fruit after they have drunk the rain (received the Spirit), then there will be blessing. But if "thorns and thistles" are produced, such ground is near a curse (not acutally cursed) and its end is burning (signifying severe judgment). The fruit are things that "accompany" salvation (not salvation itself), and the writer indicates that at this point he is persuaded that the works of these believers is classed as "better things" that God will not forget.

The indication is that they are continuing in good works, and are thus "okay" in God’s sight. However, they need to be diligent in these works until the end in order to be assured of inheriting the promises.

^{18 Now where remission of these is, there is no
more offering for sin. ¹⁹ Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰
by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the
veil, that is to say, his flesh; ²¹ and having a great
priest over the house of God; ²² let us draw near with a true
heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, ²³ let
us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he
is faithful that promised: ²⁴ and let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and good works; ²⁵ not
forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but
exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day
drawing nigh. ²⁶ For if we sin wilfullly after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a
sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful
expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the
adversaries. ²⁸ A man that hath set at nought Moses law dieth
without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses: ²⁹
of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged 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? ³⁰
For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will
recompense. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. ³¹
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(Hebrews 10:18-31 ASV)}

Who is the "we" of verse 26 above? It must refer to the "brethren" of verse 19, along with the writer of the letter. These brothers are those who already hold fast a confession of hope, and are being encouraged by the writer to provoke one another to love and good works. These would be those Jews who have trusted in Jesus as their Messiah and were assembling together as New Testament believers. But, the temptation to drift back into Judaism with its practices was there, and some had already forsaken the assembling as believers.

With this background we can interpret the key "scary" verse, number 26. The willful sin in context here is the abandonment of the New Testament way by these converted Jews. Verse 26 is linked to 25, which speaks of forsaking the assembling they had begun as believers. This forsaking is tied to the same thought of abandoning the New Testament economy in Christ that is indicated in verse 29, where one is trodding underfoot the Son of God and regarding the blood of Christ as common - the blood by which he was already sanctified.

Indeed, if a converted Jew turns back to the Judaistic way, following its rituals, the word spoken here indicates that a sin sacrifice that might be offered in accordance with the Old Testament Law is now totally meaningless, because "there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins." (v. 26) This interpretation is supported by the earlier declaration in verse 18 : "there is no more offering for sin." Verses 26 and 27 should be interpreted in this way then: "For if we [converted Jewish believers] sin wilfully [abandon God’s New Testament economy in Christ and revert to Judaism]. . . there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins [the Jewish sacrifices are of no effect for us], but [on the other hand] a certain fearful expectation of judgment [awaits those who have so abandoned Christ]."

To return to the blood sacrifices of the Temple is to put aside the blood [Christ’s blood] of the New Testament (v. 29). Such a forsaking of the way of faith by a genuine believer is cause for severe punishment by God, and verse 30 indicates that the punishment will be a "recompense" carried out by God, seemingly when He judges His people (upon Christ’s return). Such a prospect should be a fearful thing (v. 30). If believers had such a fear of God’s judgment, they would be much more likely to live for God. "And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil." (Pr. 16:6b ASV)

Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise. For yet a very little while, He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry. But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition; but of them that have faith unto the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:35-39 ASV)

The passage above must be studied carefully. The reward is tied to the promise, which is dependent upon patience (better translated endurance) in completing a course in doing the will of God. Once again, we see works is in view, linked with reward. And, again, we see that if one falls short, God will be displeased.

Then, how shall we interpret the phrase, "but we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition, but of them that have faith . . .?" Does this mean that all Christians will automatically persevere with no faltering or shrinking back? I do not believe so, because the book of Hebrews itself, the rest of the New Testament, and even this chapter portray the possibility of backsliding. I believe the meaning of "we are not of them" is that who we are, in our new nature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), our "stock", if you will, is not of a "shrinking back" character. The new creation that we are in Christ (in our regenerated spirit; 1 Cor. 6:17) is fully able to persevere, not shrinking back. This phrase was written as a word of encouragement to the believers that they "have the right stuff" to make it, if they live in the spirit in contact with the overcoming Christ within them.

But what about "perdition" and "the saving of the soul?" Isn’t this talking about "salvation", not "reward"? The word here for perdition is apoleia (Strong’s #684), which like any word can carry various meanings dependent upon the context. Basically, the word means a destruction, a loss, a ruin or a waste. It does not necessarily carry a "theological" meaning of eternal loss of salvation. It is used of the waste of the ointment in Mark 14:4, for example. In this verse in Hebrews it does stand in opposition to the "saving" of the soul. The word translated here for "saving" is peripoiesis (Strong’s #4047), which carries a meaning of obtaining or acquiring. By implication here it means a preservation of the soul, as opposed to some type of ruin to the soul.

But the question remains: "What is the possible loss to the soul here?" This opens up a new realm in the Scripture, of which you have probably never heard. As there is a difference between the soul and spirit of man (1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12), so God deals with these parts of man differently in His plan.

It is man’s spirit where God’s work begins. It is man’s spirit that is born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:6; Heb. 12:9). It is here, in the deepest part of man, that God has given His life. Through God’s justification in redemption, our spirit is made alive (Rom. 5:18; 8:10). This justification insures the preservation from loss of our spirit, where our new nature in Christ lives. Paul declared that the spirit of the sinful believer in Corinth would be preserved in the next age, and Paul declared this even before there was evidence of repentance on this sinning brother’s part (1 Cor. 5:5).

However, as we shall prove by further exposition later in this letter, the salvation (preservation from loss or ruin) of a believer’s soul is an altogether different matter, and is linked to works. Any loss to the soul of the believer, however, is limited to the 1,000 year Kingdom period only, not eternity. I am sure this sounds most unusual to you (simply because you have never heard of it), but please bear with me. This matter will be expounded shortly.

Suffice it to say for now that what is at issue here in Hebrews 10:35-39 is reward, which is based upon endurance in obedience (works) by the believer. This reward involves the preservation of the soul. Conversely, a lack of endurance will cause the Lord to be displeased with the believer when He returns, resulting in a loss to the soul of the believer. And think about this: if the salvation of the soul in Hebrews 10:39 is interpreted to mean eternal salvation of the believer, then such salvation is based upon a continuance in obedience in order to receive it; it is not a matter of grace received by faith in a moment of time. The whole context of verses 35-39 (which follows the doings of the believers in earlier days) is a continued doing of the will of God unto the end.

Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears. (Hebrews 12:14-17 ASV)

The twelfth chapter of Hebrews contains the fifth series of warnings to the Hebrew believers. That the ones warned are believers is evident if you read Hebrews 12:7-10, where the writer is telling the believers that they are sons of God and, as such, are under His chastening in order to produce practical holiness. The thought of practical sanctification is continued in the verses quoted above.

The warning advises that Esau is an example for us. Although he is a son of Isaac, and as the firstborn is eligible for a special blessing, he lost this blessing due to his desire for a fleshly enjoyment. So here is a warning about a loss of privilege and blessing, a loss that will no doubt be regretted by tears as Esau later regretted his loss. The lost blessing is not explicitly defined here, but it has to do with the blessings available to the believer in the Kingdom age, as is portrayed elsewhere in the book. There is some good exegesis available on this passage by G. H. Lang, if you wish to study it further (see Lang’s The Epistle to the Hebrews, and his book entitled Firstborn Sons: Their Rights & Risks).