Hebrews 10:19-39

v19-21: Here is a wonderful truth: “Believers have access into God’s very presence.” We can “enter into the gracious presence of God” and “into communion with God” where “he communicates to [us] good words and gives [us] good things, until [we] are prepared to enter his glorious presence in heaven.” This access is by the way of a crucified Saviour and “to those who believe this he is precious.”

v22: With this access to God available to us through Christ, “it would be the greatest ingratitude toward and contempt of God and Christ to still keep far away from him.” Let us draw near to Him then by “conversion... in holy lives... in humble adoration... in holy trust... in a careful attention to God’s conduct toward us... in conformity to God and in fellowship with him.” When we approach God we must do so in the right way, with a faith that is confident “that when we come to God by Christ we will be heard and accepted,” and with hearts that have been cleansed by the blood of Christ “from guilt, from filth, from sinful fear and torment, from all aversion to God and duty, from ignorance, error, and superstition, and whatever evils human consciences are subject to because of sin.”

v23: “Our spiritual enemies will do what they can” to remove from our hands, “our faith, hope, holiness, and comfort,” but we must hold firm to our profession of faith, accepting “all the truths and ways of the gospel,” and not “seeing how far we can play with temptation to commit apostasy.”

v24-25: It is Christ’s will that His disciples meet together “for the worship of God and for mutual edification.” This is one of the means He has given to us to prevent us from drifting or backsliding in the faith. It is our duty to “exhort one another... warn one another... watch over one another... and care for one another” until Jesus returns.

v26-29: The sin of apostasy is “sinning wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth” and “against the truth that we have had convincing evidence of.” Total and final apostasy is “when with a full and fixed will and resolution people despise and reject Christ, the only Saviour,” and “despise and resist the Spirit, the only Sanctifier,” and “despise and renounce the gospel, the only way of salvation and the words of eternal life” and all this “after they have known, acknowledged, and professed” Christ.

v30-31: Everyone who has not sought refuge in the salvation Christ offers in the gospel, will experience that eternal misery of falling “into the hands of the living God,” and receive the punishment they deserve “from God’s own hand.” Those in hell, “will find that God is there, and his presence will be their greatest terror and torment.” God the living God who lives forever “and will punish forever” those who reject His love and mercy.

v32-34: How do we endure suffering due to our faith in Jesus? By remembering that the happiness of heaven “is substantial, something of real weight and worth,” and is better than anything we “can have or lose here.” In heaven everything will be better and will “make up for all [we] can lose and suffer here.”

v35-39: “I hope we are not of those who shrink back. I hope that you and I, who have met with great trials already and have been supported in them by the grace of God strengthening our faith, will not at any time be left to ourselves to shrink back to destruction, but that God will still keep us and bring us to salvation by his mighty power through faith.” To “live by faith and die in faith” will mean that “our souls will be safe forever.”