The Apostate’s Doom, by A W Pink
Text: Hebrews 10:26-31 [bracketed statements, emboldening, and underscoring are mine]:
Hebrews 10:26 Heb 10:26 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. [ESV]
[NOTE: the post that directly preceded this one, on Christian Liberalism should be read before this post, as most Christians have been impacted, harmed, by Christian Liberalism in that it strays from the Bible. Pink is striving to address this passage from Hebrews as a biblical Christian; if you are unknowingly not a biblical Christian, then this post will not be received by you….]
Highlights of reading [these highlights leave out a lot and do not convey the weightiness of Pink’s words. Additionally, the list of highlights is quite long; I recommend listening to the reader of Pink’s document, over reading the highlights; doing both would be better]:
[I timed my reading of the highlights, it was 24 minutes — as opposed to 43, listening. You may be able to read it faster, but like I said above, the readers version is more weighty, and may move you to hear and to heed….]
- Verse 26, sin; verse 27 reference to punishment
- Verse 28 and 29, reference to the equity of judgment via law of Moses
- Verse 30 and 31, reference to the certainty of punishment by appeal to the character of God from His word
- The purpose of verses 26-31 is to call Christians to persevere in a state of godliness as exhorted in verses 22-24: Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
- The following camps have perverted the above scripture: Arminians and over-zealous Calvinists
- Arminian believers contend that the above passage describes one’s fall from grace to the lost state; over-zealous Calvinists believe that regenerated Christians are not addressed within the scope of that passage
- Pink stated that there is no reference therein to support claims of either group
- A third group, dispensationalists, missed the mark regarding the passage – he accused them with trifling with the word of God when they say that the passage applies only to Israel [in other words, it applies to all born-again believers]
- A serious difficulty is presented to many by this text – why has the Holy Spirit moved the apostle to even hypothetically describe this situation from which there is no rescue?
- Pink believes one must consider the text from two positions: 1 – considering the Christian as he exists in the purpose of God; and 2 – as he exists in himself
- The second point needs to be constantly held in mind: Romans 8:30 states that in the purpose of God, the Christian is already glorified: “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
- Yet, the Christian in himself is NOT yet so
- In Hebrews 10:26 the Christian is addressed according to what he still is in himself: in need of solemn warnings and exhortations
- 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 problem so many one-sided thinkers find in this text can be explained by their not considering both the following points regarding the passage above: what God has appointed in His eternal counsels; and the accomplishment of that via His appointed means
- [Pink will show that God included, in His eternal counsels, the means by which the ends are accomplished: that is, He has ordained that one who is regenerated WILL partake of the necessary means to reach the appropriate end of that regeneration]
- Some say that if God has ordained that a soul be redeemed, then that soul will be saved WHETHER OR NOT he exercises faith –
- Since partaking of God’s appointed means [Bible reading; prayer; hearing biblical preaching…] is to be done, per God, then those who say one can be redeemed without exercising faith err greatly
- Pink cited the following text: 2Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
- [That underscored statement requires partaking of God’s appointed means of grace: reading the word to be able to identify the truth; praying to God to be upheld, directed… as in Psalm 119:116, 117]
- Where God has appointed a person unto salvation, He will give him a saving faith; but the Holy Spirit will not believe for him, that person must exercise his faith
- God has eternally decreed that every regenerated soul shall get through [this wilderness] to heaven
- 1 Peter 1:5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- That is a reference to the human responsibility aspect of the passage being considered herein
- In himself, the Christian is likely to make shipwreck of his faith:
- 1 Timothy 1:19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,
- The born-again Christian still has a nature in himself that craves the vanity of the world
- [Pink’s word choice, “craves,” is very appropriate in my opinion, as I am seeing that besetting sins are addictions of sorts. If you have ever struggled with an addiction and gotten free of it, then you have a greater understanding of how one must engage in the spiritual battle against the world, flesh and the Devil]
- The born-again (regenerate) Christian is still in a place of terrible danger, menaced by deadly temptation; only if he watches and prays against these is he preserved
- [Again, the fight of an addict applies herein because every time a temptation is encountered, it is like an addict being tempted by that thing which he has loved for so long, he wants to give in; it is a habit to give in… prayer to want what God wants for you is a must]
- The Christian is the immediate and incessant object of the Devil’s malice
- Only as the Christian takes unto himself the whole armor that God has provided, and uses it, can he withstand Satan
- [In another post, from John Calvin’s commentary, the armor of God from Ephesians 6 was shown to be a statement about God’s appointed means of grace: Bible reading; prayer; hearing the gospel preached; the Lord’s supper; and fellowship with Christians around the word, as in Bible study and discussing one’s walk…]
- Because of the above, the Christian urgently needs the exhortations and warnings of holy writ
- God has made clear what lies at the end of every path of self-will and self-indulgence
- God has mercifully placed a hedge across each precipice that confronts the Christian, woe to him if he pushes through that hedge, disregarding God’s warnings
- In this passage from Hebrews 10, the apostle is pointing out the sure connection between apostasy and eternal damnation
- TO SAY THAT A TRUE CHRISTIAN CANNOT POSSIBLY COMMIT THE UNPARTONABLE SIN, IS TO LOSE SITE OF THE CONNECTION GOD HAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN HIS PREDESTINED ENDS AND THE MEANS BY WHICH THESE ARE REACHED
- The end, eternal bliss in heaven
- The means, heeding His solemn warnings about that which would block one from reaching heaven; prayer…
- For you to scoff, would be like Joseph saying to the angel in Matthew 2, that there was no need to take the baby Jesus to Egypt away from Herod’s planned slaughter of male infants; and thinking that it would be impossible for the Christ child to be slain
- We must attend to the early signs of turning away from God’s word, as these can lead to apostasy [he gave 2 more illustrations]
- The SEED of eternal death is in us, that seed is SIN
- Only as grace is daily and diligently sought is that seed hindered from developing into a fatal end
- [He seems to be saying that the little things that feed this seed of sin and make it grow hinder our faith from growing stronger; to ‘mortify’ sin is to starve it’s root so it cannot grow, but withers; partaking in God’s appointed means does that via the Holy Spirit]
- Psalm 19:13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
- C H Spurgeon said that secret sin leads to presumptuous sin, …which leads to death
- To sin presumptuously, is to knowingly and deliberately ignore God’s commandments, defying His authority and recklessly going on in a course of self-pleasing regardless of the consequences God’s word states
- If you are there, then you are but one short step from committing the sin from which there is no forgiveness
- Some steps that lead to presumptuous sinning:
- When a professing Christian ceases to confess to God all known sins, his conscience is already asleep and is no longer responsive to the Holy Spirit’s voice
- If he praises God when in such a state, then he is actually mocking God
- Continuing therein, defending his sins…, he will be hardened such as leading him into greater sin, presumptuous sin?
- In these degenerate times [he died in 1952] the consciences of many [he said thousands, but considering the sizes of the Roman Catholic, the Charismatic and emergent churches…, the most accurate term would likely be millions] have been hardened by preachers who are likely unregenerate
- Such are doing Satan’s work, preaching that if a person once believed he was saved [recited the sinner’s prayer, signed a card…] then his eternal security is fixed
- The consequence of such preaching has been that a ‘carnal security’ has been imparted, such that in the midst of fleshly gratification and worldly living, the false peace of these spiritually deceived people cannot be disturbed or their consciences awakened
- Such professing Christians believe that if they fail to pick up their cross, deny themselves and follow Christ, then they will only sacrifice a crown or some reward… but not heaven
- However, the blood of Christ covers no sins that have not been truly repented of and confessed to God with a broken heart [see Psalm 32; 51; Matthew 5:3ff]
- Presumptuous sins are not easily repented of, as they harden the heart and make it steel itself against God:
- Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts.
- Preachers cannot be too stern in seeking to alarm the consciences of those secure, self-confident, presumptuous sinners in our midst, as every sin against light and conscience is a step towards the tremendous precipice described by the apostle
- Satan has done his work, through the Bible teachers, so well, that without a work of the Holy Spirit the consciences of those self-confident, secure sinners will not be alarmed
- Most have come to see God as a doting old man who is blind to their faults, like an old grandfather who lets his grandchildren do what they will and tolerates it
- Millions will find that to not be true of God
- Pink stated that the purpose of this long introduction has been to alarm the consciences of those who trust their misguided leaders [those who have not been like Paul calls us to be in Acts 17, as the Bereans, who were careful to check the credentials of those whose instruction they received]
- Hebrews 10:28 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?
- He cited God’s judgment of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and that to come in Revelation
- At the 22-minute mark, he begins his commentary on the passage Hebrews 10: 22-31, going through the individual verses and restating some of what he opened with, but slightly differently, it is very brief
- Regarding verses 28 and 29, he emphasized that Christians who despise (have little or no regard for; reject; defy…) the grace of the New Covenant will be much more severely dealt with than those under the law of Moses in the previous covenant
- The apostle was likely thinking of passages such as Deuteronomy 13:6-9 [about the consequences of yielding to enticement to follow other gods]; or 17:2-7 verse 2 “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, in transgressing his covenant, [the rest of the passage explains more what that means and the consequences]
- Those who despise the Lordship of Christ shall discover that a far hotter place in hell has been reserved for them than those who rejected or broke Old Testament law, as seen in the following:
- John 19:11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
- Luke 12:47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
- Three things specified by the apostle in the following phrase: “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God”
- “Son of God” was used instead of Jesus, or Christ, to emphasize that trampling His blood underfoot is a very serious matter; the phrase is such as was used in Matthew 7:6 of pigs trampling something good
- Two: those who have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith He was sanctified an unholy thing…. The second aggravation of this sin is its opposition to the office of Christ, especially His priestly office and the sacrifice He offered, called herein, the blood of the covenant. [Pink was quoting John Owen.]
- Quoting from his explanation of Hebrews chapter 9, wherein he sought to show in what sense the blood of Christ was the blood of the covenant: It was that whereby the new covenant and testament was confirmed and made effectual unto all its grace to those who believe, being the foundation of all God’s acting towards Christ in His resurrection, exaltation and intercession
- Compare 13:20, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant”
- The backslider and the apostate does, by his conduct, treat that precious blood as though it were a worthless thing
- There are many degrees of this sin, but when we give reign to our lusts and are not constrained by the Love of Christ to render Him that devotion and obedience, His due, we are despising the blood of the covenant
- Thirdly, …”and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace, the greatest aggravation of all:”
- Luke 12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
- By the Holy Spirit, the Christian was regenerated, enlightened, convicted and brought to Christ; by Him, he is led, fed, taught and sanctified
- What reverence, as a divine Person is due the Holy Spirit?
- What gratitude, as a divine Benefactor?
- How dreadful then, the sin which treats Him with insolence, which scorns, which despises His gracious entreaties
- While the most malignant form of this sin is imputing unto Satan the works of the Spirit, yet there are milder degrees of it
- Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- But yield yourself to be led by Him: Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
- Along the practical way of holiness [Isaiah 35]
- Isaiah 66:2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
- We should tremble at this passage from Hebrews under consideration; but those who are in that state are not able to tremble because of the hardness of their hearts
- We should tremble lest we begin a course of backsliding wherein, if un-arrested, should lead us to the unpardonable sin
- 1Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
- Pray that you goings be upheld by God
- He reviews Hebrews 10: 28-30 to emphasize the severity and certainty of God’s judgment on apostates; he adds some to his earlier definitions
- We need to be pondering God’s divine attributes: almighty power; ineffable holiness; unimpeachable veracity; exact justice; absolute faithfulness; and terrible severity
- Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [Said the Lord Jesus Christ of the Father]
- The better we know God’s character, the easier it is for us to heed Christ
- Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ [the apostle was referring to this text in Heb. 10:30]
- Romans 9:22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
- Nevertheless, God will pay to every transgressor the full wages of their sins
- He was patient 120 years while Noah built the Ark, then the flood
- He was patient with the sodomites, until He rained down fire and brimstone (Gen. 19)
- He tolerates the immeasurable wickedness of the world, but the day is quickly approaching when He will avenge Himself upon all who defy Him
- Heb 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
- This is a reference to Deuteronomy 32:36 wherein God protected His people by judging other nations
- God judged his people in the past: [see below]
- 1Corinthians 10:5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. [they were judged]
- God will do so again in the future: [see below]
- 2Th 1:7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- The rule which is demonstrated above, regarding all scripture, is that it is equally applicable to all cases of like nature – that is, what God says He will do to the enemies of His people, becomes applicable to His people should they break His covenant
- Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
- We should take these words as the King in the following verses did:
- Daniel 5:2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together…
- To fall into the hands of the living God, is to be helpless about what is about to happen as a consequence of your sins
- Proverbs 1:28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me
- Ezekiel 8:18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”
- The wicked now believe that they will placate God by their tears on the day of judgment – not so
- 2Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.
- We should walk softly before God and spare no pains to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:5-10)
- 2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness… 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
The following link is to a post in this blog that explains the ‘armor of God’ for Ephesians in terms of the ‘appointed means of grace’ using John Calvin’s commentary on Ephesians. The purpose was to provide a simpler, user-friendly description of the Armor so that one might know how to put it on.
https://sheeplywolves.com/ephesians-610-18-the-armor-of-god-john-calvin-commentary-excerpts/
The following narrative and links accompanied the above video at YouTube:
Christian Sermons and Audio Books
This message by A. W. Pink is one I was particularly blessed by, and one I feel compelled to share with others. May those who listen find it a great blessing as well.
The Apostates’ Doom – A. W. Pink / Studies in the Scriptures / Christian Audio Books
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Arthur Walkington Pink (1886-1952) evangelist and Biblical scholar
Pink was born in Nottingham, England on April 1, 1886 and became a Christian in his early 20’s. Though born to Christian parents, prior to conversion he migrated into a Theosophical society (an occult gnostic group popular in England during that time), and quickly rose in prominence within their ranks. His conversion came from his father’s patient admonitions from Scripture. It was the verse, Proverbs 14:12, ‘there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death,’ which particularly struck his heart and compelled him to renounce Theosophy and follow Jesus.
Desiring to grow in knowledge of the Bible, Pink immigrated to the United States to study at Moody Bible Institute. In 1916 he married Vera E. Russell, who was from Kentucky. However, he left after just two months for Colorado, then California, then Britain. From 1925 to 1928 he served in Australia, including as pastor of two congregations from 1926 to 1928, when he returned to England, and to the United States the following year. He eventually pastored churches Colorado, California, Kentucky and South Carolina.
In 1922 he started a monthly magazine entitled Studies in Scriptures which circulated among English-speaking Christians worldwide, though only to a relatively small circulation list of around 1,000.
In 1934 Pink returned to England, and within a few years turned his Christian service to writing books and pamphlets. Pink died in Stornoway, Scotland on July 15, 1952. The cause of death was anemia.
After Pink’s death, his works were republished by the Banner of Truth Trust and reached a much wider audience as a result. Biographer Iain Murray observes of Pink, “the widespread circulation of his writings after his death made him one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the twentieth century.” His writing sparked a revival of expository preaching and focused readers’ hearts on biblical living.
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Please watch: “A Call to Separation – A. W. Pink Christian Audio Books / Don’t be Unequally Yoked / Be Ye Separate”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBDg7…
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