Hebrews 10:26-27 (CSB)
26 For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.
This used to be a verse I would frequent when defending the now inaccurate fact that you could lose your salvation. I must say, I do love the way this is worded, especially verse 27.
Question . . .when we sin . . .how many of us are doing it deliberately? Doesn't it take a conscious decision on our part in the first place? Isn't that what Paul was also adressing with the infamous passage "I know what I "should" do and don't, and I know what I "shouldn't" do and do it anyway . . ." Was he not making deliberate decisions against his better judgment? We all do it all the time. So . . .is there now no forgiveness for us either? It goes back to "I can do whatever I want, but not everything I do is beneficial to me . . ." In other words . .there are consequences for our bad decisions. Are we now doomed forever? Absolutely not. But you also need to know that because we allow the carnality in us to influence our decisions, that sets us up for a fire experience to purge, to consume that adversarial nature (remember . . ."satan" literally means "adversary") with in us. The focus isn't about falling away from God. It's about being restored back to the Father.
There's another passage that "appears" to say something that really is another misleading assumption by most.
Matt 13:41ff:
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, *let him hear.
It "appears" to be saying the sinners are thrown into hell and the saints will finally shine. Yes?
Has it ever occurred to anyone that perhaps the law-breakers and the righteous that shine forth may be one an the same? There's another furnace mentioned in Daniel as well. And it was law breakers that were put in it . . .bound . . .it was the fire that burned away that which bound them and they walked out not just "alive" but news their experience spread across the land as lightning flashes from the east to the west . . .their faithfulness "shined forth as the sun".
That's what our furnace experiences is all about. That's what Jesus' commssion included . .setting the captives free. We've been taught that "while" God throws 99% of us in hell, the rest will shine forth as the sun . . .aren't the righteous "already" supposed to be shining forth anyway? In our fleshly state, we are drawn to the pain of the furnace. Remember Peter was rebuked for that kind of thinking when Jesus began explaining to his disciples that he was to go to Jerusalem to die, be bured and rise again. Peter interrupted, or tried to interrupt his plan and Jesus rebuked him . .called him satan even!!! Why? Because all Peter's mind heard was . . .Jesus was going to die and be buried. Peter never realized that the actual plan was for Jesus to overcome death . . .to bring us resurrection . . . and that's how our carnal minds work, we can't seem to comprehend the true purpose of the furnace experiences . . . we think that if we're good, we'll avoid the fire. The truth is, if you're born in the flesh at all, you are destined to go through the fire.
In this world, you will have trials and tribulation, BUT . .be of good cheer . . I've over-come the world.
