Christian Commentary Encouraging Devotions

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,

for He who promised is faithful.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,

for God can be trusted to keep His promise." Hebrews 10:23

God is faithful!

He's totally trustworthy.

That's the good news.

Here comes the small print...

It's not really SMALL print, but sometimes Christians gloss over it.

"If we deliberately keep on sinning

after we have received the knowledge of the truth,

no sacrifice for sins is left,

but only a fearful expectation

of judgment

and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." Hebrews 10:26-27

Note...this is talking about someone who has "received the knowledge of the truth".

They did not reject it. They received it.

I guess the argument could be made...on what level did they receive it?

Wholeheartedly? Or just non-chalantly?

Were they close to being saved but didn't sign on the bottom line?

Point is, they received it.

Read on...

"Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished

who has trampled the Son of God under foot,

who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him,

and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know Him who said,

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again,

"The Lord will judge His people."

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:28-31

Sounds pretty serious, right?

How serious are we about our walk?

How serious am I?

"Remember those earlier days...

after you had received the light," Hebrews 10:32

Is a person who has "received the light" a saved person?

Are there degrees of receiving the light?

"Think back on those early days after you had received the light

when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.

Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution;

at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.

You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,

because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence;

it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what He has promised.

For in just a very little while,

"He who is coming will come and will not delay.

But my righteous one will live by faith.

And if he shrinks back,

I will not be pleased with him." Hebrews 10:32-38

The opposite of living by faith here is shrinking back.

In other words, if you're not moving forward, you're sliding backwards.

It gets worse...

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,

we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction," Hebrews 10:39

Shrinking back leads to destruction. Sounds fatal.

"But (we are) of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39

The positive message in all of this?

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,

for God can be trusted to keep His promise.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Encourage one another,

especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:32-35