Ed Underwood

Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence and Reward! (Hebrews 10:32-39)

 

“My righteous one shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38).

We come to a great transition in the Book of Hebrews as the writer moves from teaching to application. He has masterfully presented Jesus Christ’s superior ministry (6:13-10:18). Proving that Jesus is better than every and any alternative and cautioned them against forsaking him and his followers, the writer now offers the most stern warning: Do not sin willingly and persistently because God severely judges his New Covenant people! 

The key Greek term parresia, confidence (vv 19, 35; 4:16) brackets the admonition. The message being that though true believers should live with a healthy expectation of judgment for contemptuous lifestyles that dishonor God and insult the Spirit of grace (v 29)—all who truly believe should desire the confidence that faith in Christ brings to our lives.

These paragraphs have a greater purpose than simply warning those who are tempted to walk away from Jesus. They’re designed to encourage all of us to draw near to God in enduring faith. We’ve already considered the first paragraph (19-25) that teaches us to draw near to God in community by resourcing our New Covenant blessings in Christ. We then looked at the warning itself: Do not be disloyal to Christ because God sternly disciplines His New Covenant people.

Now we close out our study as the author transitions from the consequences of walking away from Jesus to a reminder of the days when they were faithful. He’s hoping that these memories of the joy of serving Christ in sacrificial ways will spark repentance. He reveals his shepherds heart in this desperate plea to return to their past faithfulness and the joys they shared in community. 

 

 

Plea: We’ve come so far together; don’t throw away your confidence and reward.

 

 

The final paragraph recalls more faithful times when the joy of serving Jesus surpassed the pain of persecution, and then reminds them of what they’re throwing away if they walk away from the Lord.

 

I. Plea: Remember the joy we shared in serving Jesus in hard times? Don’t throw away your confidence and reward! (Hebrews 10:32-39)

 

A.The shepherd of this community reminds them of former times of faithfulness in spite of the pain as they lived for what really matters to the redeemed (32-34).

 

1.But remember the former days…after you were enlightened. This is speaking of those days following their belief in Christ when they served the Lord no matter what the cost.

 

2.You endured suffering, humiliation, and injustice. You risked visiting those who were thrown into prison for their faith (Matthew 25:36) while authorities and mobs were confiscating your belongings.

 

3.But, you did this gladly because you looked forward to what really matters—the better and eternal possession (I take this as the believer’s inheritance in the kingdom!).   

 

B.Now he pleads with them not to throw away their confidence and reward, but rather to have the faith to endure by doing God’s will as they look for Jesus’ return. In this context God’s will means faithfully serving Christ in spite of the cost. (35-39)

 

1.Those about to walk away should understand what they’re throwing away—their confidence (4:16; 1 John 2:28) and reward (Hebrews 1:14; 3:6, 14; 9:15; 10:19; Matthew 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10). 

The eternal inheritance laid up for them was so real in their eyes that they could lightheartedly bid farewell to material possessions which were short-lived in any case. This attitude of mind is precisely that 'faith' of which our author goes on to speak." (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 270)

 

2.The author speaks for himself as one of them who will continue to do God’s will with enduring faith as he waits for the soon coming of Jesus. He knows that God’s righteous ones (How could he be more clear that this is a warning to believers?) should not shrink away from living by faith. The alternative is to become God’s disappointing child. 

 

3.The author is counted among those who do not timidly shrink back from the cost of following Jesus and thus live wasted lives, but he is among those who have the faith that preserves physical life (soul is frequently to mean “physical life,” cf. James 5:20). I believe that the word translated perish (NET Bible), perdition (NKJV), destruction (NASV), is picturing the path that those who draw back decide to walk. The path toward destruction, I believe, in this context is loss of physical life. The Greek word speaks of waste. What a waste of a life when a New Covenant child of God refuses to live for the Lord Jesus.

 

II. There are five categories of people we will meet in life and the church:

 

A.In 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3, Paul describes three spiritual categories of human beings.

 

1.The natural man, or unbeliever (2:14). This person cannot receive the things the Spirit of God is teaching believers because only the Spirit can discern these messages. They do not have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), therefore the only message the Spirit is enabling them to believe is the gospel (1 John 2:2).

 

2.The one who is spiritual, or maturing Christian (2:15). This person is lead and taught by the Spirit and can scrutinize issues in life. He or she is accessing the mind of Christ as the Spirit teaches them the Scriptures in the context of community.

 

3.The people of the flesh, or carnal (flesh-dominated) Christian (3:1-4). This person continues to act as a mere babe in Christ, his or her mind dominated by self-centered thoughts that result in divisive behavior. 

 

4.The infant in Christ (3:1-4), who simply needs to grow out of the self-centered and divisive ways of the world.

 

5.In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus warns us against an extremely dangerous person we may encounter, the tare. The tare is a person sown into the wheat field of God’s people to do harm and disrupt. We can’t tell the difference between these stealthy insurgents and true believers until the end of the age. Note: Their behavior will be virtually identical to that of a carnal, or flesh-dominated Christian. 

 

III. Hebrews 10 and You! How should I respond to those who claim Christ while rebelling?

 

A.Rebuke. Warn them against the loving but severe discipline of the Father.

 

B.Remind. Recall stories of the joy of service when they first believed.

 

C.Re-evaluate. If this doesn’t resonate, consider the possibility that they are unsaved or a tare.

 

D.Resolve. To love them well, but do not trust them with your life or your community.