The writer of the
letter to the Hebrews
writes to
Jewish believers,
in particular, to challenge
them
to regard highly
Jesus the Christ
and to
continually
focus on Him in faith.
Throughout the letter, the writer
offers warnings
to
help them understand
the
seriousness of
the
failure to focus on
Christ
(Hebrews 2:1–3a; 3:12–14; 4:1–11; 6:1–8; 10:19–31; 12:14–17; 12:25–29;
and 13:4–6). In Hebrews 10:31--
at the conclusion of one
of those warnings—the writer reminds
believers that it is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God
Hebrews 10:31
In Hebrews 10:19–25 the author provides important
content that believers should be attentive to. Because those who have believed in Jesus have been cleansed by Him, they can confidently
approach Him and hold fast to the hope He provides (Hebrews 10:19–23). Because of the finality of His work and the certainty we can have in Him, we should be encouraging each other to love and good deeds
and making effort to be together as believers (Hebrews 10:24–25).
It might seem strange that, in a section focused on
building the
confidence of the believer as to his eternal
destiny and the
certainty of his redemption in Christ, the writer would
remark that it is a fearful
thing to fall
into the hands of the living God
(Hebrews 10:31).
The writer explains that, if we continue to sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26)—in other words, there is no additional sacrifice that can be made. Jesus’ sacrifice was once for all and sufficient (Hebrews 10:19–23). The believer should have confidence in that. But if there is continual, willful sin, then the believer’s confidence can be shaken. It is appointed that after death there is a judgment (Hebrews 9:27), and willful sin makes looking forward to that judgment fearful rather than joyful. Consider, for example, the description of this judgment in 1 Corinthians 3:10–15. There is a testing of the believer’s works by fire, and if the works are burned up, even the believer suffers loss—although he does not lose salvation (1 Corinthians 3:15). So the willfully sinning believer looks forward to that judgment with fear rather than with the confidence that he should have (Hebrews 10:27).
The writer illustrates the seriousness of such a sinful walk by reminding readers of the consequences of this kind of sin under the Mosaic Law—death (Hebrews 10:28). If the person under the Mosaic Law was judged so severely, how much more penalty would a person deserve who has trampled the blood of Christ and insulted the Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29)? Yet, it is important to note that the writer does not say the believer will die or lose salvation; he simply questions what the believer would deserve. God is the judge, and vengeance belongs to Him (Hebrews 10:31).
Indeed, it is a fearful
thing to fall
into the hands of the living God
(Hebrews 10:31).
Because of God’s character,
He won’t ignore sin—and there is judgment even for believers, even though that judgment is not about salvation, but about rewards (or lack thereof). The writer of Hebrews challenges believers not to throw away their confidence, because there is great reward (Hebrews 10:35).
A clear conscience before God allows one to look forward to the day of judgment with confidence, whereas a believer with willful sin gives up that confidence—even though his position is secure, that future judgment day approaches, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). Because we cannot shrink back to destruction after being declared righteous by God (Hebrews 10:39), we ought not to continue in sin because God will deal with it, and that inspires fear and not the confidence that we are designed to have as believers.
Please note, this article takes the position that the warning passages in the book of Hebrews are written to born-again believers. For another view, see our articles on the warning passages, Hebrews 6, and Hebrews 10.
In Psalm 108:1–5, King David praises God for His great love and faithfulness. The words are taken directly from Psalm 57:7–11. Amid great adversity, David declares his total confidence in God’s protection: “My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!” (Psalm 108:1, ESV).
The word heart speaks of a
person’s inward being--
one’s mind,
will, emotions, and inclinations.
A “steadfast” heart is marked by
firm determination or resolution.
To be steadfast is to be established, permanent, steady, and unshakeable. David’s whole inner self—his soul--
was fixed and firmly settled on
trusting God.
With a steadfast heart, David would not be shaken by threatening circumstances or blown about by the winds of misfortune. He repeated the refrain twice in Psalm 57:7, emphasizing his concrete resolve to trust in God: “My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.” David wrote Psalm 57 as a heartfelt prayer for deliverance while hiding in a cave and being hunted down by King Saul. Despite the threat to his life, David voiced unswerving confidence in the
Lord to rescue him from a desperate situation.
Sin is the greatest threat to a steadfast heart. After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband, Uriah, David’s heart was tainted by sin. A year later, Nathan confronted him, and David acknowledged the seriousness of his offenses against God (Psalm 51:3–6). He confessed his transgressions and repented. David also accepted that his sin resulted from a compromised and corrupt heart. David prayed, asking God to remove the stain of sin and restore his steadfastness
of heart:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew
a steadfast spirit within me”
(Psalm 51:10, NKJV).
Having a steadfast heart is closely related to faithfulness (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:4). The quality of steadfastness belongs to a person who is faithful, reliable, and loyal to the end. Paul encouraged Christians to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV; see also 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:10; Titus 2:2, ESV). Jesus is the most excellent example of someone who is steadfast in heart (2 Thessalonians 3:5; Romans 15:3–5).
James encouraged believers to embrace trials that test our faith because they produce steadfastness in us: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4, ESV). The apostle Peter affirmed, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). James considered believers who remain steadfast “blessed” (James 5:11).
Having a steadfast heart is a quality of someone who trusts God under all circumstances. Such a person’s life reflects the confident inner conviction that God is sovereignly in control over everything. The New Living Translations renders Psalm 108:1 like so: “My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!” No matter how hostile the conditions or how menacing the enemy,
a steadfast heart
will find the
courage to sing out
praises to the Lord.
Psalm 103
opens with this rousing exhortation:
“Bless the LORD,
O my soul, and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!”
(verse 1, ESV).
The same command
to “bless the Lord, O my soul!”
is repeated
in the next verse (Psalm 103:2, NKJV),
at the end of the psalm (verse 22),
and twice again in Psalm 104,
verses 1 and 35. Psalm 103 begins with an individual blessing the Lord with his soul, and it
ends with the angels and all of creation joining in (verses 20–22).
The phrase O my soul refers to the author’s total being—his inner self. The New Living Translation renders the meaning of soul here in Psalm 103:1 more transparently: “Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.” When we bless the Lord with our soul, we are praising Him with our whole hearts—with all that we are and
everything we have within us.
In addition to “soul,” the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon gives several English meanings for the original Hebrew word (nephesh), including “heart,” “myself,” “self,” “the breathing
substance,” “living being,” “inner being of a
person,” “the man himself.”
To “bless” the Lord is to praise Him. The author of Psalm 103 reminds himself and the people of God always to remember to praise the Lord with wholehearted concentration for His love, goodness, compassion, forgiveness, and salvation: “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed
like the eagle’s!” (Psalm 103:2–5, NLT).
We bless the Lord with our soul when we shake off apathy, absentmindedness, and any negativity that may have crept into our lives. As we use our minds to remember all that God has done for us, we stir up a passionate response of praise and worship that bubbles up from our innermost being.
When the people of Israel recognized that the Lord had not dealt with them according to their sins, they praised Him enthusiastically for His unfailing love: “He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:7–12, NLT). In the same way, when we wholeheartedly give voice to our thankfulness for God’s mercy and grace toward us as sinners, we bless the Lord with our soul.
Psalm 103 is profoundly evangelical and a favored anthem of sinners. Similar exhortations to bless the Lord with our whole being can be observed throughout Psalms: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5; see also Psalm 42:11; 43:5; 104:1). From the people of ancient Israel to the humblest of sinners today, we bless the Lord with our soul when we think of God’s graciousness toward us and His abounding, steadfast love: “The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust” (Psalm 103:13–14, NLT).
We bless the Lord with our soul when we don’t hold anything back in our praise and worship of Him: “My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies” (Psalm 108:1–4).
The writer of Hebrews writes to encourage readers that Jesus is supreme and to challenge readers to walk focused on Him (Hebrews 12:1–2). In chapter 11 the author highlights a number of portraits of faith to illustrate that, while they all gained approval (justification) through their faith, God’s promises to them would include betterment for us as well (Hebrews 12:39–40). The writer begins the “Hall of Faith,” as chapter 11 is sometimes known, by asserting that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). But what does it mean that faith is the evidence of “things not seen”?
In Romans 8:23 Paul illustrates a principle of hope in that we wait eagerly for the redemption of our body—something we don’t currently see as a reality. He adds that in hope we have been saved and that hope that is seen is not hope—for if it were seen, then there is no more need for hope because what we were hoping for would be reality (Romans 8:24). Because we don’t yet see it, it remains hope, and we wait eagerly with perseverance to see it (Romans 8:25). Similarly, Paul suggests that we can endure momentary light affliction because of the weight of glory it produces in us (2 Corinthians 4:17). Anticipating that future result, we are looking at things that are not currently seen because the things that are not seen are future things—eternal things, in this case (2 Corinthians 4:18). Working from the same essential principle, the writer of Hebrews reminds readers that faith is “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The term translated “evidence” is the Greek word elengchos, which often refers to an argument or a case being made. Faith is an argument for that which is not yet seen. Of course, faith doesn’t prove something that is not yet seen—only the One who made the promise can prove the promise by fulfilling it. Faith, though, is the certainty of something that one does not see and an argument for its validity.
Elsewhere, Paul argues for the superiority of love over faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8), but faith will one day be unnecessary, as it will be turned to sight, and hope will be realized and be unneeded after that. Love, on the other hand, will sustain throughout eternity. The author of Hebrews makes a similar case that faith is vitally important, for through faith comes justification (Hebrews 11:1), but the author is also quick to point out that faith is only as good as the object of that faith. In this case, the author directs us to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfector of the faith (Hebrews 12:2). In so doing, we can run the race before us without growing weary (Hebrews 12:1). The power of faith, then, is not on its own merits, for faith is temporary. Rather, the power of faith is in the One who began the faith and who will complete the faith. Because He is trustworthy, the faith itself is an assurance, an argument for—and the evidence of—things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Because of the cloud of witnesses that has preceded us and that has modeled putting faith into action, we can be encouraged in our own lives that, just as God will fulfill His promise to them, He will fulfill His promises to us. Until we see that come to pass, our faith in Him is an evidence of things not seen.