The Strand Study Bible

HEBREWS HEBREWS Christians here, he used the Greek word for “synagogue” instead of the Greek word for “church” HNNOKσLD ( ekklesia ). The Jewish Christians would have been more familiar with the term HSLσXQDJZJKQ ( episunagogen ) than with HNNOKσLD ( ekklesia ). Regardless, every Christian (whether Jewish or Gentile) should assemble themselves together “once a week” for fellowship and support. Even our Lord assembled with other people “weekly” for fellowship and support (Lk 4:16). It was that important. Question: How important is it for you to assemble together with other believers? Is it important enough to you to schedule it into your life? Assembling ourselves together on the first day of the week (Jn 20:1 and Rev 1:9-10) means: * reading the Word of God together (Lk 4:16-19 and Neh 8:1-6,8) * hearing the Word of God together (Lk 4:20) * learning the Word of God together (Lk 4:21) * applying the Word of God together (Lk 4:23) * allowing the Word of God to reprove, rebuke, and exhort us together (Lk 4:24-28 and II Tim 4:1-5) NOTE - Sadly, for many of God’s people the Word that saved them (I Pet 1:23) isn’t worth gathering around on a weekly basis in order to sanctify them (Jn 17:17). 10:25 b Ever go to church, but not be there? Don’t just show up. Grow up and get involved ( exhorting one another ). 10:26-31 There are three schools of thought when it comes to these verses. The first school of thought believes that verses 26-31 deal with apostate unbelievers (people who profess Christianity, but don’t possess Christianity). Apostasy is to be distinguished from ignorance or a lack of knowledge, as well as from heresy, which is mistaken knowledge (II Tim 2:25-26). Men can be saved from ignorance but not from apostasy. It is characterized by a deliberate rejection of Christ’s deity (I Jn 2:22-23; Jude 4) and His atoning death (Phil 3:18; II Pet 2:1; Heb 10:29). 1 Lawrence O Richards in Bible Reader’s Companion notes: Here the writer confronts apostasy, a deliberate choice to return to the old system of sacrifices and so “trample underfoot the Son of God.” 2 The second school of thought believes that verses 26-31 deal with believers who have lost their salvation. Certain post-Jewish MESSIANIC movements ( Gal 3:1-3 – point #4) use these verses to prove that it is impossible to keep one’s salvation ( there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins ) if one shames the Son of God as a believer. The third school of thought believes that the entire context relates to believers who have erred ( For if we sin willfully - vs 26) because of immaturity, not believers who have fallen from salvation because they crossed some line. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary note: 2071 NOTE – For those who wish to associate this portion of Scripture with apostate unbelievers (the first school of thought), remember, the Greek word DSοστDσLD ( apostasia ) is not used here. The word is used only twice in the NT (II Thess 2:3 and Acts 21:21). For those who wish to associate this portion of Scripture with believers who can lose their salvation (the second school of thought), there is a warning –Don’t fall but once! According to the words “ there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins ,” a believer who fa l l s once can never be saved again. T h us, these verses are not speaking of Christians losing salvation, but of Christians crossing the line of God’s mercy ( Num 14:23,29 ) and losing future rewards ( I Cor 3:15b & 5:5b ) because they sinned against great light ( I Jn 5:16a,b ). 10:30 It is never wise to take matters into your own hands. Vengeance is a God thing (Deut 32:35, Psa 94:1, Rom 12:19, Heb 10:30 and Rev 6:9-11), not a good thing. Our job is to let God be God and allow Him to repay the governments that call evil good and good evil. 10:39 Every Christian believes in the saving of the soul ( I Cor 15:45 ). Yet there are certain versions of the Bible that omit the translation of the word “soul” in their English versions, , even when the Greek word for “soul” (ψ X χη 9 ) is actually present within the text. Some of the newer translations even omit the translation of the same word in Matthew 12:18 and Hebrews 13:17. One of those versions (the NIV) completely removes 45 verses of the Bible, either in the footnotes (Mt 12:47 & 21:44, Mk 16:9-20, Lk 22:43,44 and Jn 7:53-8:11) or from the text itself (Mt 17:21 & 18:11 & 23:14, Mk 7:16 & 9:44,46 & 11:26 & 15:28, Lk 17:36 & 23:17, Jn 5:4, Acts 8:37 & 15:34 & 24:7 & 28:29, Rom 16:24 and I Jn 5:7), while altering others ( Lk 11:2b ). WARNING: Advocates of certain translations of the Bible who love to debate why their “version” is best would do better to start obeying that version before they start promoting it. English translations of the Bible (including the KJV) are just that – translations, and some will have more problems than others ( Acts 7:45 and Lk 3:36 & 10:22 ). 1 Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia . Chicago, ILL, Moody Press, 1975. Print. 2 Richards, Lawrence O. Bible Reader’s Companion , Colorado Springs, CO, Cook Communications, 1991,2004. Print. 3 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary , USA, Scripture Press Pub., 1983. Print. 4 Willmington, Harold L. Willmington’s Bible Handbook , Wheaton, ILL, Tyndale, 1997. Print. A Christian who abandons “the confidence [he] had at first” (3:14) puts himself on the side of God’s enemies and, as the writer had already said, is in effect “crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace” (6:6). Such reprehensible conduct can scarcely be worthy of anything but God’s flaming indignation and retribution. This, however, as stated earlier (cf. comments on 6:8), is not a reference to hell (cf. comments on 10:29)… 3 Harold L. Willmington in Willmington’s Bible Handbook agrees. He notes: For those who “deliberately continue sinning” after knowing the truth, there is “no other sacrifice that will cover these sins” (10:26), only judgment. The phrase “The Lord will judge his own people” (10:30) suggests that the author may have had believers in mind. 4