An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews 10:26-27, by John Owen.
Hebrews 10: 26, 27
Ἑκουσίως γὰρ ἀμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκ ἔτι περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπολείπεται θυσία, φοβερὰ δέ τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως, καὶ πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν μἐλλοντος τοὺς ὑπεναντίους.
Ver. 26, 27.—For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
~ Leviticus 4:13
And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
~ Daniel 5:22-23
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
~ James 4:17
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
~ Isaiah 33:14
And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
~ Numbers 16:35
Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
~ Deuteronomy 32:43
In these verses the apostle gives a vehement enforcement of his preceding exhortation, from the dreadful consequences of a total neglect of it, or uncompliance with it. And this he doth, 1. By expressing the nature of the sin which lies therein. 2. By an impossibility of deliverance from the guilt of it. 3. The punishment that would unavoidably follow upon it.
Interpreters have greatly perplexed themselves and others in the interpretation and exposition of these verses, and those that follow. Their conjectures in great variety have proceeded principally from a want of a due attendance unto the scope of the apostle, the argument he had in hand, the circumstances of the people unto whom he wrote, and the present state of God's providence towards them. I shall not trouble the reader with their various conjectures, and censures of them; but I shall give such an evident sense of the words as themselves and the context do evince to be the mind of the Holy Ghost in them.
Ἑκουσίως. 1. As unto the words wherein the sin and state of such men is expressed, "If we sin wilfully," he puts himself among them, as is his manner in comminations: both to show that there is no respect of persons in this matter, but those who have equally sinned shall be equally punished; and to take off all appearance of severity towards them, seeing he speaks nothing of this nature but on such suppositions as wherein, if he himself were concerned, he pronounceth it against himself also. "We sinning," or, "if we sin ἑκουσίως," "wilfully," say we: our former translations, "willingly;" which we have now avoided, lest we should give countenance unto a supposition that there is no recovery after any voluntary sin. "If we sin wilfully;" that is, obstinately, maliciously, and with despite; which is the nature of the sin itself, as is declared verse 29: but the word doth not require, nor will scarce bear any such sense. "Willingly," is of choice, without surprisal, compulsion, or fear; and this is all that the word will bear.
The season and circumstance which state the sin intended is, "after we have received the knowledge of the truth." There is no question but that by "the truth," the apostle intends the doctrine of the gospel; and the "receiving" of it is, upon the conviction of its being truth, to take on us the outward profession of it. Only there is an emphasis in that word, τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν. This word is not used anywhere to express the mere conceptions or notions of the mind about truth, but such an acknowledgment of it as ariseth from some sense of its power and excellency.
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