Today I came across Hebrews 10:29 during my journalling time. This verse rests in the middle of a passage intended to encourage the reader to persevere in their faith. Some portions of the Bible address perseverance through encouragement. Hebrews 10 uses warning. It says;
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How 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? 30For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:26-36
This passage is not aimed at people who reject Christ or who are living apart from relationship with Jesus but are exploring who he is. This passage is aimed squarely at people who have experienced the unmerited favour and grace of Jesus and are now rejecting that grace.
As I read this passage this morning I was struck by the strength of the author’s call to Christ-followers to persevere so that we don’t have to live with consequences of falling away from Christ. This is a tough passage. Many North American Christians follow Jesus when it is convenient, useful and/or comforting. Hebrews tells us that it is scandalous to treat Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf as if it were a commodity that is returnable at any time. I don’t know what the line is between struggle, faithlessness and “trampling the Son of God,” but it is clear from this passage that gift of grace is not something to be taken lightly.
At breakfast this morning I was listening to stories of Mennonite pastors who have been imprisoned repeatedly for thier faith and thier work as pastors. It was simply a reality of what it means to follow Jesus in thier context. I know in the next few days I will hear more stories of struggle, persecution and faithfulness in spite of circumstances and persecution.
As I listen I’m asking God to show me what it means to persevere in a country where it is so easy to be quiet about my faith not because I fear persecution but because it is not politically correct to speak out with conviction about being a Christ-follower. It is “un-Canadian” to be forthright about Jesus. The result is so many Canadian Christians live out their faith in silence and as a result our children don’t know what it means to follow Jesus and friends and neighbors think that Christians are just nice people who are part of weekend club that does some good things around the world. I don’t think Jesus died for that and is that close to “trampling” over Jesus?
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