.<\/em><\/p>\nThe sacrificial system was based on fear, accusation, blame, and scapegoating, and Jesus came to set us free from all such things. But if one rejects the revelation in Jesus, then the only other option is to return to that broken and sinful system.<\/p>\n
And what did Jesus reveal?<\/p>\n
He showed us that we have nothing to fear from God. It is as John writes, the perfect love we have seen in Jesus casts out all fear, because fear has to do with punishment (1 John 4:18).<\/p>\n
In Jesus we have learned that God does not punish, and therefore, we have nothing to fear. <\/strong><\/p>\nYet those who have not yet seen or understood this revelation of God in Jesus Christ, still live in fear of God. They do not know what God is like and so are afraid of God and live in fear of His judgment.<\/p>\n
This explains the fiery indignation that the author of Hebrews has in mind.<\/p>\n
Fear makes people feel that they are being unjustly judged. Fear causes a person to feel that the one whom they fear will not judge them correctly or justly.<\/p>\n
Only when a person knows they are loved by the one doing the judging will they feel that this judge has their best interests at heart and will make sound judgments.<\/p>\n
So when people fear the judge, they become indignant and resentful of the judgment they receive. They feel that all the facts were not properly considered or that extenuating circumstances were not factored in.<\/p>\n
And so when people fear God, they become indignant and upset that God will judge them for the actions which they feel they were forced to commit by life\u2019s circumstances. They become upset, thinking that God only wants to punish them, regardless of the reasons for their actions. They develop a raging indignation against God, or a fiery zeal based on incorrect ideas about God (cf. Rom 10:2).<\/p>\n
This inner indignation consumes them. It devours them from the inside out.<\/p>\n
The author of Hebrews is warning the readers that if they reject what is revealed in Jesus, then they also reject the love and forgiveness of God that is revealed in Jesus. <\/strong><\/p>\nIf they reject this, then there is nothing left but the inner turmoil of fiery jealousy and indignation which consumes people from within.<\/p>\n
This is not eternal torment in the flames of hell, but the inner, psychological turmoil that comes from having an incorrect view of God.<\/p>\n
But what about Hebrews 10:29, 31, and 39?<\/h2>\n
These verses contain references to punishment, perdition, and how fearful it is to fall into the hand of the living God. Do these references prove that some sort of punishment from God is in view?<\/p>\n
They do not.<\/p>\n
What is the “Punishment” of Hebrews 10:29?<\/h2>\n
In Hebrews 10:29, the Greek word for punishment<\/em> is tim\u014dria<\/em>. This is the only time this word is used in the New Testament.<\/p>\nIn other Greek literature, it most often refers to helping someone who has been wronged by assisting them against those who committed the wrong. It is giving the offender what he deserves by doing to him what he did to others.<\/p>\n
In other words, it carries the idea of a sin against someone else coming back and falling upon the person who committed it. This idea is nearly identical to the concept of indignation from Hebrews 10:27.<\/p>\n
The fiery indignation was not from God, but was from inside a person who misunderstands God, and therefore, the indignation is a sin that consumes and devours the person who commits it. The word for punishment <\/em>here has the same idea. Sin bears its own punishment with it.<\/p>\nWhat is the “fearful thing” of Hebrews 10:31?<\/h2>\n
Similarly, when Hebrews 10:31\u00a0says that \u201cIt is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,\u201d the author has in mind the exact same concept that was expressed in Hebrews 10:26-27.<\/p>\n
When people reject the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, that God is only loving and always forgives, then the only alternative view of God is that God is out to judge and destroy them.<\/p>\n
And for those who have this view of God, for them, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a God who wants to judge and kill. But for the rest of us, who have seen God in Jesus Christ, we need not fear God in such a way.<\/p>\n
Yes, God is a judge (Hebrews 10:30), but Jesus shows us what kind of judge God is. Yes, vengeance belongs to God and God alone will repay people for what they have done (Hebrews 10:30), but in Jesus, we see that divine vengeance looks like mercy and that repayment for sin looks like forgiveness.<\/p>\n
When we have this view of God, then we see that God is love (1 John 4:8), and the knowledge of this love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).<\/p>\n
What about the “Perdition” of Hebrews 10:39?<\/h2>\n
Finally, we must consider the word perdition<\/em> in Hebrews 10:39. The Greek word is ap\u014dleia, <\/em>which means \u201cdestruction\u201d (cf. Matt 7:13; Rom 9:22; Php 1:28; 3:19; 2 Pet 2:1, 3; 3:16) or \u201cwaste\u201d (Matt 26:8; Mark 14:4).<\/p>\nThe word itself refers to utter loss or complete ruin. It does not have anything to do with eternal damnation (2 Pet 2:3 in the KJV is poorly translated).<\/p>\n
It simply means that a person is inviting destruction into their life, and into the lives of those who follow them and their teachings. This is exactly what happened with Judas, and what will happen with the antichrist, both of whom are called \u201cthe son of perdition\u201d (John 17:12; 2 Thess 2:3).<\/p>\n
The phrase \u201csaving of the soul\u201d in Hebrews 10:39\u00a0also does not refer to escaping hell and going to heaven, but to delivering your life from premature physical death (cf. Jas 1:21; 5:19-20; 1 Pet 1:9).<\/p>\n
What is Hebrews 10:19-39 warning about?<\/h2>\n
So although Hebrews 10:19-39\u00a0is indeed a dark and ominous text, it is not teaching that some Christians can end up in eternal hell.<\/p>\n
It is teaching that those who abandon Jesus after believing in Him and receiving the knowledge of the truth that He reveals will experience many negative and harmful consequences in their life.<\/p>\n
They will become indignant toward God, feeling that He has unjustly judged them, and this fiery indignation will consume them from the inside out.<\/p>\n
They will live in fear of God, rather than in the experience of His unconditional love.<\/p>\n
And ultimately, if they continue on this path, they will bring destruction and utter ruin into their life. It is indeed a serious mistake to reject the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, for He alone brings love, hope, and encouragement into our earthly lives (cf. Hebrews 10:19-25).<\/p>\n<\/a>Do you have more questions about hell?<\/strong> Are you afraid of going to hell? Do want to know what the Bible teaches about hell? Take my course \"What is Hell?\" to learn the truth about hell and how to avoid hell.\r\n\r\nThis course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group<\/a>, you can to take the entire course for free.\n