Full Faith

From our Sunday service on March 15, 2026, Hebrews 10:19-39. This is part 7 of our Hebrews series. Watch the full message: Full Faith – Hebrews Series #7 on YouTube.

Today we’re in Hebrews 10, where we left off last week. We did half of the chapter last week, and we’ll finish it this week.

Last week we finished the second section of the book of Hebrews, which dealt with the new covenant. The author of Hebrews demonstrated through the Old Testament that God always meant for the Old Testament law to be replaced with the new covenant through Jesus Christ. Through the introduction of this new and better covenant, sealed with Christ’s blood, came the dissolution of the Mosaic covenant and the laws, rituals and images that came with it. That brought the last section to a close.

This week we’re moving into the final section of the book of Hebrews, where the author encourages struggling Christians to persevere in the faith. If you remember, the whole point of the book of Hebrews was to encourage Christians living in the Roman Empire not to give up their faith in the face of persecution. Not only had the Jews kicked them out of their synagogues, and not only were they considered a cult by their families, but the Roman Empire was also beginning to crack down on Christians, making it illegal for them to spread the gospel. Paul was already in prison by this time. Peter was soon to be there. And Nero was about to come to the throne as emperor and bring a persecution of the church like none seen up to that point. So God, knowing what was coming down the road, gave this book of Hebrews to encourage the people to keep the faith. That’s the section we’re now in.

God wants you to have full assurance of faith.

A New and Living Way

We’ll start in verses 19-21.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God;
Hebrews 10:19–21

This is the transition between the old section and the new, so we need to keep in mind what we’ve talked about. We’ve been talking about how Jesus is our great High Priest, and how the Old Testament picture of the priesthood foreshadowed Jesus as our representative to God. Under the Old Testament law, priests acted as go-betweens for the regular people and God. They offered sacrifices to cover the sins of the people temporarily. While those sins were never removed, it was a picture pointing us to Christ. He is our true High Priest, our main representative to God.

In the Old Testament, the high priest went into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, which you could also translate “the holiest place,” and offered an offering for the sins of all the people. Jesus, as our great High Priest, offered a sacrifice for sins for all people. When he had finished his work here on earth, he went to the cross, offered the sacrifice of himself, and spilled his perfect, sinless blood for all of humanity, to pay for the sins that humanity couldn’t pay for itself.

Consecrated by His Blood

Verse 20 says he has done this through the blood of Jesus, to offer “a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us.” What does “consecrated” mean? It means to dedicate, to sanctify, to set apart. Remember how we talked about how nothing in the temple was dedicated or sanctified without blood? Any item or utensil, whether it was a bowl, a fork, or something as large as an altar, could not be used until a sacrifice had been offered and its blood sprinkled on the item to dedicate and purify it.

Here it’s talking about Jesus’s blood. We can enter the holiest place through the blood of Jesus Christ, which has consecrated, dedicated and purified a road for us, a new and living way. What did Jesus say in John 14:6?

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6

Jesus is the one and only way, or road, that leads to God. Anybody who wants to meet God can walk that road. But that road didn’t just happen. It had to be purified and dedicated through the blood of Jesus Christ. And anybody who wants to walk that road also has to be dedicated and purified through the blood of Jesus Christ.

It’s because those Old Testament pictures have been fulfilled in Christ that we can have assurance of faith. That’s why, in the first two sections of his book, the author of Hebrews didn’t go straight into encouraging the people. He needed to lay down why we can have assurance of faith first. Assurance of faith doesn’t come from us and the things we accomplish. It comes fully and completely through the blood of Jesus Christ, a perfect sacrifice that isn’t just a way to God, but a living way, because Jesus is not in the tomb. Jesus is alive, and he is our representative to the Father.

Because our sins have been forgiven through the blood of Christ, the author of Hebrews reminds us that we should have full confidence, or as verse 19 says, “boldness to enter into the holiest,” to go before God. Why? Because Jesus is the forerunner who forged the road to God before us, and he awaits us there as our representative. There’s no longer a separation between God and man. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil, the wall that separated the holy place from the holiest place, was torn in two, because Jesus forged a road to God. He consecrated and dedicated that path for us. That was the picture of purification foreshadowed in the Old Testament in the dedication of the temple articles.

Jesus now presides over each of us, the church, as our High Priest. And we, the church, are God’s temple. The Spirit dwells in us. As the body of believers, we are now a holy nation of dedicated priests to the Father. Because of this, we are to have assurance and boldness in our faith.

Healthy Faith

Let’s read about healthy faith in verses 22-25.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:22–25

“Let us hold fast the profession.” Another way you could translate that is “confession”: “I have confessed that I believe in Jesus Christ.” Let us hold fast our profession of faith without wavering. Is it because we’re faithful? No. It says, “for he is faithful that promised.” Another way you could translate “faithful” is “trustworthy.” It’s the same word in Greek.

Here the author of Hebrews begins his word of encouragement to the church. He wants us to know how we can have full assurance of our faith. Not some, not a part, not a concept of full assurance, but full assurance, full confidence in our faith. Where does that confidence come from? Does it come from inside ourselves? From our good works? From our ability to always be like Christ? No. It doesn’t come from us and what we think or do. It comes from Christ’s work. Hold fast your profession without wavering, not because you never waver in your faithfulness, but because God never wavers in his.

The reason we can believe in Christ’s work is twofold. Verse 22 says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,” having two things: first, “our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,” and second, “our bodies washed with pure water.”

Hearts Sprinkled from an Evil Conscience

The first thing is that our hearts have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood. What did I just say Christ’s blood does? How was the road to God dedicated and purified? Through the blood of Christ being sprinkled on it. The road to God wasn’t the only thing dedicated, the only thing sanctified, with Christ’s blood. Anytime you see the word “sanctified” or “holy,” that’s hagiazo in the Greek. It simply means to be dedicated. When someone is called a saint, it’s saying “the dedicated ones.” So what does it mean that our hearts are sprinkled with Christ’s blood? Our hearts have been dedicated and purified through Christ’s blood.

That tells us we can have our hearts sprinkled “from an evil conscience.” In other words, from the guilt that holds us back. Under the Old Testament law, what was constantly shoved in your face? The Old Testament law was there to teach you that you’re not good enough. You need to say you’re sorry, but you can never say sorry enough to make yourself right with God. You need to offer a sacrifice. You touched a dead animal? You need to go purify yourself. You need to get out of the camp. You’re excommunicated for seven days until you get right with God. Time and time again, the guilt of the law stood over the head of the believer.

But through Christ, guilt is not the theme. Redemption is. When your heart is purified, it is purified. It’s not covered. It’s changed. It’s transformed. He’s saying, “Don’t worry about that guilt anymore.” The guilt of the Old Testament was there to point you to Christ. Now that you have Christ, you don’t have to hold on to that guilt and shame anymore.

You know what’s going to weaken the assurance of your faith? Holding on to the guilt that drags you down. You might wonder, “Am I really saved? Am I really a Christian?” If you focus on all the sins you’ve committed: there’s no Christian in this room or in the world who has walked a sinless life. That’s the whole point of Christianity. The only one who could do that is Jesus. If we hold on to the guilt that Christ has already purified and removed, of course we’re going to doubt our faith. But the author of Hebrews says, “Don’t doubt your faith because you have guilt. Christ paid the price to remove that guilt. It’s not there to help you anymore.”

Satan wants to put that guilt back in your life to hold you back, to stop you from doing what God wants you to do. Because if you say, “I’m guilty. I’m sinful. I’m broken,” you won’t want to do what God calls you to do. When God calls you to give the gospel to somebody, you’ll say, “I don’t know if I can do that. How can I talk about Jesus when I lashed out at my spouse this morning? How can I tell that person about Christ when I don’t look anything like him?” That’s what Satan wants. He wants you to focus on the guilt rather than on doing what God’s called you to do. But the author of Hebrews says, “Don’t doubt your faith because of your guilt.” Your guilt is there to tell you to do right. It’s not there to stop you from doing right.

Bodies Washed with Pure Water

That’s the first thing: our hearts sprinkled with Christ’s blood. The second is that our bodies are “washed with pure water.” It’s not talking about physical baptism. We’ve got the baptistry right here; that’s not what it’s talking about. What does the water represent in baptism? It represents immersion in the Holy Spirit. The believer is saved through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being immersed in the Spirit and having God in his heart.

So we should have full assurance of faith, because we’re no longer separated from God. We’ve been washed with pure water. We have the Spirit of God dwelling in us. Just as the temple of the Old Testament was a place where God dwelt, the believer is the place where the Spirit of God dwells. We have God with us at all times. Why should we doubt our faith when God lives in our heart? If we’ve been purified and sanctified as a temple for the Holy Spirit, why do you lack faith in your salvation? Why do you think you’re not good enough, if God has already paid the price to dedicate you as his home? Don’t you understand your position, church? Don’t you understand your importance, church?

Hold Fast Without Wavering

Then verse 23 says that because we should have this full assurance of faith, we ought to act like we have it. Let’s read it again: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;).” We should have full assurance, and we should act like it. We shouldn’t waver. That is, we shouldn’t be shaky or unconfident. Why? Because God is the one who made the promise, and the one who makes the promise to us is trustworthy.

Once again, he laid down this truth before bringing it to us as encouragement. He talked about how God made the promise to Abraham and swore by himself. God’s promises on their own are faithful, because God cannot lie. But on top of that, he swore by his own name, the highest authority in the universe. So what God has promised is doubly reliable.

Now he takes that Old Testament truth the Jews believed in and turns it into a New Testament truth: if you lack assurance of faith, you’re trusting in the wrong thing. You’re trusting in yourself and not in the promises of God. These Jews believed the promises of God in the Old Testament, but when it came to themselves, they didn’t believe them. They said, “I’m not good enough for God’s promises to apply to me.” So the author of Hebrews says, “Since when does the goodness of God have anything to do with the goodness of you?” Never. Never once has the goodness of you changed the goodness of God.

If God says something, he means it. If God promises something, he’s going to do it. If God says he’s going to save your soul and purify you and transform you, he’s going to do it. Your lack of confidence in yourself won’t change that. Your lack of confidence in yourself will just remove your ability to do what God’s called you to do. We shouldn’t waver. We shouldn’t be shaky in our faith. We have confessed that we believe Christ. We made a profession of faith. We said, “I believe in Jesus. I believe I’m a sinner. I believe I need him to get to heaven. I know I’m not good enough to get there. I put my faith in him.” We’ve made the confession. We’ve professed Christ. Now we need to act like it.

Provoke One Another

Let’s read verses 24 and 25 again: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

We have this faith, and it’s not supposed to be shaky. It’s not supposed to waver. But the truth of the matter is that we’re people. Anybody here agree that you’re a person? You’re going to be shaky from time to time. So what do we do about it? Because we’re not perfect and we’re going to have doubts, it says, “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” Because we’re flawed, we need each other. This is often overlooked in modern Baptist churches. The church members need each other. Why? To provoke each other to love and good works.

Our faith wavers because we’re not encouraging each other. We’re not lifting each other up. We’re not encouraging people when they do what’s right and correcting them when they do something wrong. We’re not loving them like Christ loved them. We’re just going to church, sitting on the other side of the building, not talking, not interacting, not encouraging, and going home. If you want a healthy church and a healthy faith in Christ, the church needs to encourage each other.

What does that look like? We need to encourage each other to love like Christ and to keep doing good works. As a church, we should encourage people not just to do good works sometimes, but to make them part of our lives: to keep doing good deeds toward other people, and to love other people like Christ loved. And when we see it in others, we should encourage them: “That was so nice of you. Thank you for sharing the love of Christ with them. I saw Christ in you today.” Do you know what will happen when you do that for a fellow believer? Their confidence in their faith will be strengthened. They’ll be encouraged, and their walk will be better. The number one place you’ll be able to provoke one another to love and good works is inside the church.

Not Forsaking the Assembling

Verse 25 says, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” Already at this point in the New Testament church era, some had stopped coming to church. Some of them said, “You know what? A week off? Is it really going to hurt if I don’t come?” The author of Hebrews says, “Yes, it’s going to hurt.” Part of your job as a Christian is to encourage one another and be encouraged by other believers. If you want to be strong in your faith, you’ve got to assemble with believers and encourage each other. You need to hear the word of God and know whether you’re on the right track.

He says some had made it a habit to avoid assembling with believers. Is that a good thing? No, it’s a harmful thing. It harms those who do it. Why? Because we need the body of Christ. We need it for our own faith. And as we get closer to the Lord’s return, we’ll need it more and more.

A lot of people debate whether, when the Lord returns, Christianity will be doing really well or really badly. Based on this verse, I would say things are going to get really rough before the Lord’s return, because it tells us that as the Lord’s return approaches, we’ll need a lot more encouragement. We’ll need the church a lot more, because the world doesn’t get better. As the world gets further and further from Christ, it needs Christ more and more. And there will be more and more temptations for us to waver in our faith, to be shaky in our faith, to be less faithful. So it says, “so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Things being bad out there doesn’t mean we do nothing about it. It doesn’t mean we stop having faith in Christ or stop spreading the gospel. It means we need to work harder to encourage each other to continue in the work, even when it seems like nothing is happening.

The Warning Against Falling Away

In verses 26 and 27, the author of Hebrews gives the warning: do not fall away.

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.
Hebrews 10:26–27

This passage is often used out of its context. You’ll see its context as we continue, but we need to deal with it now because that’s where we are. Here we see a different group of people. Not the believers, not those who have full assurance of faith, but the opposite group: the apostates. The word “apostate” means those who fall away.

The Parable of the Sower

You might remember the parable of the sower that we talked about in our parables series. It’s so important. Jesus said, “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” If you don’t understand the parable of the sower, you won’t understand any of the others. That’s why I focused on it so much early in my pastoral ministry. In the parable of the sower we see the apostates. It’s the case where the plant begins to grow, but its roots find no good soil, and it withers away in the heat of the sun and dies in adversity, never growing the fruit of salvation.

We understand the parable of the sower. The gospel is the seed. It goes into the soil and takes root. Salvation is a process, because that faith has to grow into the fruit of salvation. It doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s very rare for there to be a one-day transforming experience where somebody hears about Christ and believes in that moment. What more often happens is that the seed takes root and begins to grow.

In verse 26, that would be “received the knowledge of the truth.” The plant has begun to grow. They’ve received the gospel. They’ve begun thinking about it. They begin studying what the Bible says about salvation, and they start to wonder whether it’s for them. So the roots go down, but for one reason or another they don’t accept it. These people have been told the gospel. They’ve been watered by the Holy Spirit. That is to say, the Holy Spirit has convicted them. God has drawn them. They’ve already felt the conviction in their hearts. Their faith took root as they began to realize the truth in the word of God. They began to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ.

A person at this point in the journey of faith believes and is convinced of the reality of God. He understands that he needs a Savior and that Jesus is the only pathway to God. But at this point in his walk, if he chooses sin instead of Christ, there’s nothing more that can be done. If people say that what God teaches is bad for them and that they know a better pathway than what Christ offers them, then they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and denied their Savior, and the root of faith that began shrivels up and dies. After this there is nothing more that can be done. There is no other way to be saved. They have rejected the one and only path to salvation. They have made themselves adversaries, enemies, of God.

They Know It’s the Truth

That’s why verse 26 says, “if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth.” Understand it in its context. They have received knowledge of the truth, which means they know it’s the truth, and yet they choose sin. We don’t have to worry about being in this group. The author of Hebrews did not want us to think we’re in this group, and he’ll show us that later. They received knowledge of the truth. They know it’s the truth, but they chose sin.

The believer struggles with sin. The unbeliever doesn’t struggle with sin. That’s the difference, if you want to know whether you’re saved. If you’re unsaved, sin isn’t a struggle. If you’re saved, you struggle with sin. That’s what this is talking about. If you receive the knowledge of the truth, and you sin wilfully, and that’s A-OK with you and you go on with your life, then at that point “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” Why? Because Jesus is the only sacrifice. If you reject the one and only sacrifice, there remains no sacrifice for you.

What do you have instead? “A certain fearful looking for of judgment,” in other words an awaiting of judgment, “and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” If you put yourself in the position of rejecting the only way to heaven, and say, “I despise Christ. He is my enemy, because he wants something for me that I think isn’t good for me,” then you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and there is no hope.

A Fearful Thing

In verses 28-31 we see how the rejection of God is the most serious sin one can ever commit.

He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:28–31

Here he gives the warning once again, going back to the Old Testament. Under the Mosaic law, if two people witnessed you commit a murder, you could be put to death for it. For any crime under the Mosaic law, two witnesses could prove your guilt. He says, “God is three in one. You’ve got three witnesses against you on whether or not you rejected Christ. When you stand before God and have to give an account of whether or not you accepted Christ as your Savior, do you think you’ll be able to convince God that somehow you did when you didn’t?” There are three witnesses against you. That’s more than enough to condemn you. That’s why, if you reject Christ, only judgment and indignation await you. There is no hope. You’re just waiting through your life for a day of judgment.

If you think Moses was able to punish people for those sins, how much more severe a punishment do you think there will be when you know that God sent his Son to die for your sins? He purified a pathway to God with his own blood, and you trample that blood and say, “I despise it. I reject it. I don’t need it. It’s unholy. It’s useless. I don’t want the Holy Spirit. I send him away.” How much more severe a punishment do you think God has for those who blatantly and purposefully reject him? I would say it’s pretty bad.

The Bible doesn’t tell us too much about hell, but what it does tell us is that it’s absolutely horrible and nobody wants to be there. We don’t know exactly what the punishment is like. We don’t know whether the fire is metaphorical or literal, or whether burning alive is just the best way to put it into words we can understand. But let me tell you, anybody who’s there will know that burning alive probably wasn’t the worst possibility. Hell is much, much worse.

So he says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord,” and, “The Lord shall judge his people.” You who reject God, don’t think you’ll get away scot-free. Don’t think that just because God is merciful, you can reject him, call him evil, and still get into heaven. No, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” If you reject God, you should be terrified to meet him.

Cast Not Away Your Confidence

But we are not part of that group. Verses 32-35 encourage us about this.

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Hebrews 10:32–35

Here we get to see why he talks about the warning. He’s comparing the severity of judgment with the greatness of the blessing. He doesn’t want the believer to think he’s condemned. He’s making the comparison: if the unbeliever is so condemned, how much more will the believer be blessed for his faith?

In verse 32 he talks about these messianic Jews who had already gone through phases of persecution. They’d already defended their faith. He has said, “Hold fast your profession of faith.” Those who are true believers will hold fast to their profession. And he doesn’t leave them wondering, “Have I done it? Am I really saved?” He says, “No, you did it. Remember the hardship you went through? Remember how you were pressed, and when all that happened you said, ‘Even though this is happening, I still believe my God’? You had your profession of faith. You’ve already proved you had the fruit of salvation in your life. So why are you doubting now? You’ve already shown the fruit of the Spirit in your life.”

Verse 33 says they had already been victims of suffering: “made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.” Not only did they suffer and praise God anyway, but they also saw other people suffering, and instead of saying it was those people’s problem, they went and encouraged them. “Why are you doubting your faith now? The fruit of the Spirit has already been in your life, because you’ve been serving the Lord this whole time.”

A Better and an Enduring Substance

Verse 34 says, “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.” Here he draws out just how severe the persecution had gotten. At this point, the author of Hebrews had already been arrested by Rome for preaching. Free speech was not a thing there. He was preaching Christ, and he had spent time in prison. He had spent time suffering.

And it says that these people had lost some of their possessions. It turns out that some people in the Roman Empire had decided, “We’re just going to seize the assets of the Christians. They don’t belong to you anymore.” You could just take things from them. They had no right to keep them. The emperor didn’t like them, so he said Christians’ things were free to take. Some of these Christians had all their possessions stolen.

And do you know what they did? Did they cry out, “God’s not fair to me”? No. They said, “I have something better in heaven than anything that can be taken on earth. You can take away all the goods I have in my home. You can empty my bank account. But I’ve got something waiting for me that’s way better.” So the author of Hebrews says, “Why do you doubt your faith? It was so clear before. Why don’t you have full assurance now? You’ve already gone through so much.”

He says, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” Don’t throw away your assurance of faith now. Don’t doubt that God is good enough now. He’s already been so good in your life. You’ve already shown your faith in him. So keep up the good work.

The Just Shall Live by Faith

Verses 36-39 wrap it all up.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 10:36–39

Once again, we are not the apostates. The apostate didn’t accept Christ. But he says that if the apostate is so condemned, how blessed will you be for being faithful? If God punishes the wicked, isn’t he going to reward the righteous? He says what you really need is endurance. You don’t need to worry about your faith. You just need to learn to have a little more patience, a little more trust in God’s promises, a little more faith that what God says, he will do.

We don’t see all of God’s promises fulfilled all at once. Our salvation starts here on this earth, but the complete process isn’t done until we get to heaven and receive our sinless bodies there. Our rewards are waiting for us. Of course here on this earth we’re going to struggle. Of course we’re going to waver from time to time. Of course we’re going to sin. Our salvation isn’t complete. Our transformation isn’t finished. But one day Christ will return, or we will lose this mortal coil, as they say, and go to heaven, and that won’t be a problem anymore. There will be a great reward waiting for us, and our faith will be rewarded.

He says one day Jesus will return and restore all things: “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come.” I think we can look around and say things are a little crazy. There’s a lot of chaos in the world, and it’s hard to know how to feel about it. Let me tell you, 2,000 years ago it was exactly the same. The Jews looked around at Rome and the instability of the emperor, and how one day wasn’t the same as the next. The encouragement then is the same encouragement now: tarry a little while longer. Soon you’ll meet your Maker. There’s work to do. There’s faithfulness to keep. Time is short.

Verses 38 and 39 remind us that “the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” In other words, the righteous will live by their faith, but the apostates are going to do what apostates do. They’re going to fall away. They’re going to reject the truth. But we are not that group. So we shouldn’t be discouraged, because “we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

Conclusion

As we look at this passage as a whole, the message becomes clear. Because Jesus has changed everything for us, God does not want his people to live in uncertainty, fear or doubt. God wants you to have full assurance of faith.

That assurance reveals itself in several ways. We can approach God with boldness and confidence. We can hold tightly to our profession of faith without wavering, because his promises are true. We can encourage one another to love and good works. And we can gather together as the body of Christ to strengthen one another as we await the Lord’s return.

We’re also reminded of the seriousness of rejecting Christ. To turn away from the only sacrifice for sins is to reject the only pathway to salvation. We saw a serious warning, because the choice here is between eternal life and eternal damnation.

But the author of Hebrews does not leave the believers holding on to this fear. Instead, he reminds them who they are. They’re people who have already endured hardship and persecution. They’ve already shown their faithfulness. They’ve already chosen Christ over the things of this world and have demonstrated the fruit of true salvation. So their encouragement is simple: don’t throw away your confidence. Be patient. Continue in the faith. The promises of God are still coming, and one day Christ will return, and on that day those who live by faith will receive the reward God has prepared for them.

So the question today is very simple. Will we be like those who shrink back in fear, the unsaved, the apostates? Or will we be like those who persevere in their faith? Because of Christ, we can live every day in full assurance of faith, so long as we choose to live in him. God wants you to have full assurance of faith. So live as a confident Christian today.