A Community That Flees From Sin – Hebrews 10:26-31
Nov 21, 2025 7
[26] For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. [28] Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. [29] How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (ESV)
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The Seriousness of Sin
This is one of the most sobering passages in Hebrews. And it’s meant to be. The writer is warning against deliberate, persistent sin after knowing the truth about Jesus. Not stumbling. Not struggling with temptation. But a settled pattern of turning your back on Christ and living as if his sacrifice means nothing.
Verse 29 describes it in three ways: trampling the Son of God underfoot, treating the blood of the covenant as unholy, and outraging the Spirit of grace.
That’s apostasy. That’s rejecting Jesus after having known him. That’s saying, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll go my own way.”
And the writer says there’s no other sacrifice for sins. Jesus, is it. If you reject him, there’s nothing left. Just “a fearful expectation of judgment.”
Cheap Grace vs Costly Grace
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about the danger of cheap grace. Grace that costs nothing. Grace that asks nothing. Grace that says, “God forgives, so it doesn’t matter how I live.”
But that’s not the gospel.
Bonhoeffer said, “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”
Costly grace, on the other hand, is grace that cost God the life of his Son. And because it cost God so much, it can’t be cheap for us. Costly grace calls us to follow Jesus. It calls us to put sin to death. It calls us to a changed life.
The warning in this passage isn’t meant to make you doubt your salvation every time you sin. We all sin. We all stumble. But there’s a difference between struggling with sin and trampling Jesus underfoot. Between confessing and repenting, and deliberately rejecting Christ.
A Community That Flees From Sin
So what does this mean for us in our church communities?
It means we take sin seriously. We don’t treat grace as a license to do whatever we want. We don’t presume on God’s mercy.
It means we help each other flee from sin. We call each other to holiness. We remind each other that we’re saved by grace, and that grace changes us.
And it means we keep trusting Jesus. We hold fast. We don’t drift. We don’t turn back.
The Good News Is…
The good news is that Jesus has dealt with sin. Through his once-for-all sacrifice, he’s made a way for us to be forgiven, cleansed, and made right with God.
And if you’re trusting in Jesus today, you’re not trampling him underfoot. You’re drawing near. You’re holding fast. You’re part of his people.
So don’t let this passage terrify you. Let it sober you. Let it remind you that grace is costly, that Jesus is better, and that turning away from him would be the worst thing you could do.
Keep trusting Jesus. Keep fleeing from sin. Keep running to him who gave everything to save you.
Reflection
Is there sin in your life that you’re treating lightly? Something you’re holding onto instead of fleeing from? Remember today that grace is costly. Jesus gave everything. Turn away from sin and run to him.
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