11 Jul Hebrews 17: The wrath of God

Hebrews 10:26-39

Hebrews 10:26-31 – 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.

Have you ever ignored the warning lights on your car? I have a love-hate relationship with the warning lights on my car. When I first started driving, I had no idea how important it was to pay attention to the warning lights. Those yellow lights would appear on my dashboard, and I thought, “My car run just fine. I don’t need to pay attention to this yellow light.” So, I ignored it. And for the next few weeks, everything seemed fine. There was no problem whatsoever. Till suddenly my car broke down. Does anyone know what I am talking about? So, I brought my car to the mechanic, and they told me that if I only I had paid attention to the warning lights, it would only cost me a few hundred dollars to fix the car. But because I ignored it, I had to spend thousands of dollars to fix the car. That is why I hate the warning lights. Every time I see it, it reminded me of my stupidity. However, I also love the warning lights. The warning lights come on long before the car is about to break down. Paying attention to the warning lights helps keep the car running better and longer. And it saves me a lot of money in the long run. In the same way, God also gives us warning lights. And these warning lights function to keep us from self-destruct. We must pay attention to it before it is too late. We must learn to love the warning lights because there is a point where it is impossible to fix once we completely break down. And in this passage, the author of Hebrews gives us strong warning lights.

Tonight, we are dealing with what is possibly the heaviest passage in the New Testament. We are going to talk about the wrath of God. It is a very difficult topic to talk about. But it is very interesting how the heaviest passage in the New Testament comes just after one of the most comforting, mind-blowing passages in the New Testament. The author just finished his argument on the once for all sacrifice of Jesus. And then he gives us the strongest warning in the New Testament. This is one of the good things about preaching the book of the Bible verse by verse. I don’t get to skip the part that is hard to preach. Because if I have the choice, I will not preach this passage. I mean, who is excited about learning the wrath of God? Especially during a lockdown. Life is depressing enough already. Why make it more depressing? It is a very unpopular topic to talk about. But I think it is good. It is a hard pill to swallow but necessary for our souls.

Our culture loves the idea of the God of love, but it hates the idea of the God of wrath. They say that to believe in the wrath of God is primitive. And sadly, many churches adopt the same stance. They love to talk about God as the Good Shepherd. They love the idea that God is abundant in mercy and overflows in love toward his people. They say things like, “God has a plan for you. And it is a plan to prosper you and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” And I say big fat amen to it. But then they refuse to talk about the wrath of God. They say that the God of love cannot be the God of wrath. The gospel is good news. That’s what people need to hear. They do not need bad news. When people come to church, they need to be reminded of the good news. And that is true. But listen. What good is good news without bad news? And what do you do with the text in the Bible that speaks about God’s wrath like this one? And if there is no such thing as the wrath of God, then why would God send his only Son to die for us? The death of Jesus is useless if there is no wrath of God. Yes, God is the Good Shepherd, but he is also a consuming fire. We can’t just pick and choose the attributes of God that we like. If we do that, what we have is no longer the God of the Bible but the God of our own making. So, the question is not how we feel about the wrath of God but what does the Bible say about the wrath of God. If it is in the Bible, then we must talk about it no matter how we feel about it.

But let me take it a step further. How can we have a God of love who is not also a God of wrath? It is not possible. Think about it. If God is the God of love, how can he not show anger toward anything that harms his love? How can the God of love show impartiality toward injustice? Let me give you an example: Black Lives Matter. What triggered this movement was the death of an African American by the name of George Floyd. I am sure you know what happened. If not, get out of the cave. And here is what’s interesting. I am not an African American. I don’t have black skin. My skin is yellow. But when I watched what happened to George Floyd, I was angry. I was extremely angered by the injustice I witnessed. And if I, a sinful man, can be angered by injustice, how much more the holy God? The God who shows impartiality toward injustice cannot be the God of love. God cannot be good and loving without being just in his punishment of sin. It is because God is the God of love that he is filled with wrath toward sin. Are you with me? So let me give you a definition of the wrath of God. The wrath of God is God’s righteous response toward all unrighteousness. The God of the Bible is both the God of love and the God of wrath.

In this passage, the author of Hebrews is making an earnest appeal to his audience. Remember the context of the book of Hebrews. Remember that the recipients of the letter were Jewish Christians who struggled to follow Jesus. They were persecuted by both the Government and their Jewish communities. They experienced rejection from people around them. And they began to ponder whether it was worth it to follow Jesus. And throughout the letter, the author keeps pointing out to them that Jesus is better. Jesus is so much better than everything they left behind. But that is not the only thing he does. He also warns them of the consequences of walking away from Jesus. If you remember the sermon from last week, the author tells his audience the importance of meeting together. When they meet together, they are to encourage and rebuke one another to love and good deeds. This is how God sustains his people in the path of righteousness. But there were some people who made a habit of neglecting to meet together. To these people, the author gives the strongest warning in the New Testament. And the purpose of the warning is to get them back on the right path. If I can sum up his argument in one sentence, it is this. True Christians endure to the end and remain faithful amid difficulties.

I separate this passage into three parts: The warning; The exhortation; The confidence.

The warning

Hebrews 10:26-31 – 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.

This is a very stern warning. The author says that if we continue to sin deliberately after knowing the truth, we should not expect to receive God’s mercy but God’s wrath. What is waiting for us is not heaven but hell. And this is problematic. Because a few breaths earlier, the author tells us that we have Jesus as our eternal High Priest. Jesus is forever interceding on our behalf before God. It means that we are continuously forgiven and accepted in front of God. And now he says that if we continue to sin, there will be no more forgiveness for us. What happens? Does he contradict himself? I don’t think so. Pay attention to what he writes. Look at Hebrews 10:26 – For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. The author is not talking about Christians who fall into sin. He is talking about people who go on sinning deliberately. He is talking about people who live in deliberate continuous rebellion against God. He is not talking about Christians who fall into sin but people who live in sin. And these people are no stranger to the truth. They have the knowledge of the truth. They know the gospel. They understand the gospel, but they refuse to live by the gospel. And these people might be part of a church in the past. They showed interest in Christianity at first. They dressed and talked like Christians. They had outward conformity to other Christians. But they have no inward transformation. And to these people, the author says, “If you continue to live in sin and refuse to repent, there no longer remains a sacrifice for your sins. What you should expect is not God’s mercy but God’s judgement, a fury of fire that will consume you.”

Now, let’s chat. I meet people like this all the time. They seemed to have a personal encounter with God. They were willing to do anything for God. They heard the gospel, and they were baptized. They were at church every Sunday and they were never late. If the online service starts at 4 PM, they did not join at 4:20 like some of you but they were already waiting from 3:30 PM. They read their Bible every day. They never missed MC. They wore the gospel people wristband. Until they met him or her. They know that they should not date a non-believer but what can they do when they are in love right? So, they would tell me, “Well, it’s not like we are going to get married. We are just going to date for a bit and see how it goes. And maybe she will get to know God through me. You never know right? I prayed about it, and I felt peace. I felt like this is what God wants me to do. This is God’s will for my life.” And I would say, “I can assure you this is not God’s will for your life. God’s will for you is to share the gospel with her and make her the disciple of Christ. Not to date her while she is still an unbeliever.” “But Yos, she is hot.” “Yeah? So is hell.”

But of course, what does a single pastor know about love right? So, most of the time they ignored my warning. And very soon, they began to neglect meeting together and lived in sin. And to these people, the author of Hebrews gives a strong warning. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that just because you know the gospel that you will be okay. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you will be forgiven no matter what. You have rejected the gospel and you are in the path of destruction. And there is no forgiveness for you if you remain on this path.” But note carefully. The author is not saying that God will run out of grace to forgive us. God is abounding in grace and mercy. This is what the author is saying. If we continue to live in sin and walk away from the truth of the gospel, it is not that God will run out of grace for us, but we never receive God’s grace in the first place. How do we know? Look at what he says next.

Hebrews 10:28-29 – 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?

In verse 28, the author is making a lesser to greater argument. He is comparing the old covenant to the new covenant. In the old covenant, if you break the law of Moses, you will receive a death sentence. Let me give you an example. How many of you ever curse your parents? Raise your hand. Did you know that in the old covenant the punishment for cursing your parents was death? So, by the old covenant standard, none of us would be alive today. But for the death sentence to be carried, I couldn’t just say, “I think I hear Josh cussed at his dad and we need to kill him right now.” It needed evidence from two or three witnesses. Now here is the argument. If people were punished by death for breaking the law of Moses, how much more for rejecting Jesus? Because Jesus is so much better. That’s the argument that the author has been making. The new covenant that Jesus mediates for us is far better than the old covenant. So, if breaking the old covenant brought physical death, rejecting the new covenant brings eternal death. Can you see it?

And then in verse 29, the author gives us three characteristics of those who rejected the gospel. And I think this makes it clear that the author is not talking about believers who struggle with sin. First, they trampled underfoot the Son of God. What does it mean? The word trample is used by Jesus to describe a pearl that was thrown into a herd of pigs. The pigs would trample over the pearl. In other words, this is an attack on the person of Christ. To trample on Jesus is to reject the identity of Jesus. Second, they profaned the blood of the covenant. The word profane means to disregard something holy as casual. For example, one time, Nadab and Abihu, priests in the old covenant, offered strange fire to God which God has not commanded. They did their priestly work without proper care and God consumed them with fire on the spot. This is what it means to profane. In other words, this is an attack on the works of Christ. To profane the blood of the covenant is to disregard the infinite value of Jesus’ blood. Third, they outraged the Spirit of grace. The author describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of grace. And to outrage the Holy Spirit means to insult the ministry of grace that makes forgiveness possible. It is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and Jesus calls it the unforgivable sin in Matthew 12. Why is it unforgivable? Not because the Holy Spirit is more sensitive than Jesus. To reject the Holy Spirit is to reject the new covenant. It is the Holy Spirit who applies all the promises of the new covenant. The Holy Spirit is the one who applies the works of Jesus in the lives of people. And if they reject the Holy Spirit who applies the works of Jesus, then there is no longer forgiveness of sins. And it is not because God runs out of patience but because they reject the very means by which they may receive forgiveness.

But here is the question that we must ask. Who is this warning directed toward? Can believers commit unforgivable sin? If you’ve been in RSI for a while, then you know my answer. But I don’t want you just to know my answer. I don’t want you to think, “Ah okay, Yosi wears Calvin Klein. And some other pastors wear Armani. It doesn’t really matter which is which. But since I am in RSI, I’ll just follow the trend and wear Calvin Klein.” That is not good enough. That is to disregard the word of God. If we believe that the Bible is the word of God, then we must do everything we can to understand it rightly. By the way, we are not talking about literal Calvin Klein and Armani. We are talking figuratively. So, don’t go online and start buying Calvin Klein. This has nothing to do with it. So, let me show you the problem in this passage and how I solve it. The problem lies in Hebrews 10:29 – 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? Do you see that phrase “by which he was sanctified”? That’s the problem. So, these people that the author describes were sanctified and yet what is waiting for them is the wrath of God. What happens? Three possibilities.

The first possibility is true believers can lose their salvation. So, they say that it is very possible for genuine believers to lose their salvation if they walk away from their faith in Christ. If you read the description in the earlier verses, it seems to indicate that the author is referring to genuine believers. They received the knowledge of the truth. They were part of a church. But then something happened, and they walked away from their faith in Christ. And then the author says that it is impossible for them to receive the forgiveness of sins since they are mocking Jesus and his sacrifice by what they did. So, Christians can lose their salvation if they are not careful. This is a very popular view. However, there is one massive problem with this interpretation. It ignores the rules of interpreting scripture. Scripture never contradicts itself. And the rest of the book of Hebrews and New Testament teaches us the assurance of salvation in Jesus. Just a few verses earlier, the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 10:14 – For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. It means that Jesus’s death at the cross has perfected all salvation for all time. It means every believer is already perfect in the sight of God in one single moment. If believers have been perfected, how can they fail in the process?

The second possibility is this is a warning to believers. This warning is given to help believers stay on the right path. Believers cannot lose their salvation because the works of Jesus and the Holy Spirit guarantee it. So, this passage serves as a reminder for believers to persevere in their faith. It’s like when parents warn their children, “Don’t play on the streets or you might get hit by a car, and you will die.” They are not telling their children that they will die but the warning is given so that they might avoid a situation where they might die because of it. And this is certainly true. There are a lot of warnings in the Bible that are written for this very purpose. And to some extent, this warning is given to us so that we might not experience the wrath of God. But I am not happy to leave it here. Because it still does not answer the problem that these people were sanctified. Which lead me to the third possibility.

The third possibility is this is the descriptions of some people in the church. Another meaning of the word sanctified is to be set apart. So, these people are people who experienced external separation from the world. They became Christians by association. They might grow up in a Christian family and attended church for years. They confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. They were baptised. They were involved in ministry. They looked and smelled like Christians. They were in the church and participated in all of God’s blessings toward the church. From the outside, they were visibly set apart from the world. They were sanctified by association. But they were not true believers. They knew about the grace of God but continued to live in sin. And in doing so, they were rejecting Christ. They were trampling the Son of God, profaning the blood of the covenant, and outraging the Spirit of grace. And to these people, the author says that there is no forgiveness of sins. Because they rejected the very means by which God’s mercy is poured out. And if that’s the case, what’s waiting for them is God’s wrath. In other words, people who walk away from the Christian faith and never return are never true believers in the first place.

Listen to the way John puts it. 1 John 2:19 – They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. It cannot get clearer than that. John is saying that those who do not persevere in their walk with God never experienced the saving grace of God in the first place. If they truly have salvation, they never lose it. And if they lose their salvation, they never truly had it. Note carefully. Perseverance in faith is not the criteria of salvation but the fruit of salvation. Those who have tasted the glory of the gospel will remain to the end. It does not mean they will never fall into severe sin. True believers can fall into great sins. But when they do, they repent and trust Jesus to forgive and sustain them. But for those who continuously reject the gospel, what is waiting for them is God’s wrath.

That is why the author continues to say in Hebrews 10:30-31 – 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. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Why? Because God is the ultimate Avenger. Yes, God is a merciful God. He is the God of love. But he is also the God of vengeance. If our view of God does not have space for the wrath of God, we have a distorted view of God. We must not play around with God. Think about it. The love of God provides escape from the wrath of God by sacrificing the Son of God. That’s the gospel. But if we reject the gospel, then we have no escape from the wrath of God. And God will come and demand payment for our sins. He will judge us. Our choice is either we are covered by Jesus’ blood, or we will experience a fury of fire for eternity. That’s the first point of my sermon. Don’t worry, my second and third points are not as long.

The exhortation

Hebrews 10:32-35 – ³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

After giving a strong warning, the author then gives his exhortation. He tells his audience to do two things: look back and look forward. First, look back. Remember the context of Hebrews. Many Jewish Christians were considering whether it was worth it to follow Jesus. The author tells them to recall the former days when they just experienced the gospel. What happened? They endured a hard struggle with sufferings. They experienced public persecutions for being Christians. And not only that, but they were also being partners with other Christians who were persecuted. This is amazing. It means that when they saw other Christians being mistreated, they did not shut their mouth, locked their doors, and pretended nothing happened. They were not afraid to identify with the persecuted Christians and being persecuted even more because of it. This is extremely counterintuitive. We are accustomed to thinking first about our personal safety, our family, our job, our comfort, our security etc. But not them. They publicly identified with other Christians who were persecuted. They did not hide but they embraced the other persecuted Christians and partnered with them. But look at verse 34. This verse leaves me pondering for days.

Hebrews 10:34 – For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. The word that keeps me pondering for days is the word “joyfully”. Think about it. Imagine if your house is robbed. How would you react? I can think of two responses. First, passive resignation. “Oh well, there is nothing I can do about it anyway. It already happened. So, let’s forget about it and move on.” Or second, anger. “How dare they rob my house? Don’t they know how hard I worked to buy that PS5? I am going to find out who did it and I am going to make them pay ten folds.” Am I right? But who would joyfully accept that their house is robbed because of their faith in Jesus? Tolerate, yes. Rejoice? It does not make any sense.

But the author then gives us the answer in the second half of the verse. “Since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” This is how we can rejoice amid unfair treatments. Because we know that we have a better possession and an abiding one. Better possession means that whatever we have in this world, it is nothing in comparison to what we have in Jesus. We might have a Lamborghini, a private helicopter, a mansion, and 12-digit bank accounts. But those are nothing in comparison to what we have in Jesus. We have a better possession. And not only better but it is also an abiding one. Every possession we have in this world has its expiry date. Our today’s treasure is tomorrow’s garage sale. But what we have in Jesus is everlasting. No one can take it away from us. This is how we can rejoice even when we experience many losses. We can rejoice amid losses because we know that we have a better and an abiding possession in Jesus.

Let me get Yo-yo Jr. to help me. Let’s say that Yo-yo Jr. is crying. I ask him, “Junior, why are you crying?” Yo-yo Jr. replies, “My friend at school took my $1 coin.” So, I comfort him. I tell him that he does not need to worry about the $1 coin that his friend took. It might mean much to him now, but it won’t mean much in a few years. But Yo-yo Jr. continues to cry. So, I say, “Why are you still crying? You are not an orphan. You are my son. If that $1 is all you have, then it’s fine for you to cry. But you are my son. All that is mine is yours. Daddy has so much more in the bank. Well, not so much because Daddy is a pastor but enough to make you not have to worry about losing $1 coin. You are not losing anything by losing that $1. Because all that is mine is yours.” Friends, do we realize, that even if we lose everything in life, we can only lose $1? Because we have Jesus. This is how we can rejoice amid adversity. When we know what we have in Jesus, it frees us to love sacrificially. It kills our desire for personal safety and comfort. And we can have the confidence that what we have in Jesus is so much better because of what Jesus has done for us. That’s what the author is saying. Jesus is the only one that can give us access to God. Jesus is the one that guarantees our eternal inheritance. Jesus is the one who gives us a better and abiding possession. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus. So don’t throw away our confidence in Jesus which has a great reward. That’s the first exhortation.

The second exhortation is to look forward. Hebrews 10:36-38 – ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷ For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; ³⁸ but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” The author tells his audience to look forward to the future reward that they will receive when Jesus return. He does so by quoting the book of Habakkuk. What happened was, Habakkuk was complaining to God about the godlessness and disobedience of the people of Israel. Many people walked away from God and served other gods. And God responded to Habakkuk by telling him to be patient. God’s judgement would come at God’s time. But for Habakkuk, he was to live by faith and not shrink back. Because if he shrank, God had no pleasure in him, and he would not receive what was promised. And this is what the author of Hebrews is telling us and his audience. This is why it is important for us to not neglect meeting together. Because we need to remind and warn one another. We need to help one another look back and look forward. We need to help one another look to Jesus and his superior worth. Whatever the world has to offer, Jesus offers us a better and more abiding possession. There is no comparison. Jesus is far better. So, we must not walk away from Jesus so that we may receive what is promised to us. And look at what the author says next. It is amazing.

The confidence

Hebrews 10:39 – But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

I love the way the author concludes his argument. After giving them the strongest warning about the wrath of God, he is confident that his audiences are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed but those who have faith and preserve their souls. This is breathtaking. How can he have the confidence to say that? Because that’s what he has been telling us throughout the book of Hebrews. Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him. Jesus will not fail. How we can be sure? Because Jesus experienced how fearful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. He experienced firsthand the agony and despair of it. On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane to pray. And he prayed, “Father if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” The cup is the symbol of God’s wrath in the Bible. And God the Father remained silent. There was no answer. Jesus knew exactly what would happen to him. He understood the horror that he about to experience and his sweat became like great drops of blood. Jesus knew that at the cross, he would not only experience the pain of crucifixion.

At the cross, Jesus took the infinite wrath of God toward sin upon himself. In those few hours of agony, Jesus experienced what we would never experience, a separation from God the Father. Jesus was abandoned by God the Father and God unleashed his wrath on Jesus. Jesus might only stay on the cross for few hours, but each minute of agony was an eternity in itself. Sin is that dreadful. The justice of God requires infinite payment for every sin against the infinite God. The cross of Christ reveals the severity of sin. It shows us that God is the God of wrath. But that is not the only thing the cross shows us. The cross of Christ also shows us that God is the God of love. The cross of Christ reveals to us how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is his love for us. God did not set aside his justice and ignored his wrath toward sins. But Jesus took the wrath of God upon himself so that we don’t have to. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice and satisfied the wrath of God. And he is right now at the right hand of God interceding for the salvation of his people with his perfect work. And he will not fail. This is the gospel. This is the source of our confidence. What is outrage is not that God should judge sinners with his wrath but that sinners would reject the free offer of the gospel.

Let me close with this. There are only two categories of people. Those who fall into the fearful hands of the living God, or those who fall into the warm embrace of the loving Father. There are only two sides. Are you God’s enemies? Or are you on God’s side? There are only two choices. Are you recipients of God’s wrath? Or are you recipients of God’s mercy? There is no neutral ground. You cannot be on your way to heaven and live like a child of hell. If you are listening to this message but you have yet to surrender your life to Jesus, I implore you to put your faith in Jesus. This sermon might be God’s warning light for you. Do not ignore it. God is calling you to himself. Do not harden your heart and reject the Holy Spirit. Today might be the day of your salvation. Bow the knee before it is too late. Receive the free offer of grace. And once you are in grip of God, there is nothing that can take you away from him. Once you are his, you are forever his. Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

1. Explain the relationship between the love of God and the wrath of God. Why is it impossible for the God of love to have no wrath?
2. Can you see the tendency in you to ignore strong warnings in the Bible? Explain.
3. Look at the three desciptions listed in verse 29. Explain how this verse cannot describe true believers.
4. How do we tell the difference between Christians who fall into severe sin and those who never experieced God’s grace and fall into severe sin?
5. Read Hebrews 10:32-35. What strikes you the most about this early Jewish Christian community?
6. What is the source of our confidence that we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed?