Adding Insult to Injury

What Should Happen to Those Who Insult, Jesus, the Son of God?

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." ³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)  

Here are five take-aways I want to highlight from this passage:

1   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.”

First, it must be said, that according to this passage the greatest insult to Jesus comes from people who claim to be Christians. We find here a word of warning to people who follow Jesus; to people who call themselves Christians or “Christ-followers”. What do people who genuinely follow Jesus look like? Or let's ask this question: What life-changing steps have genuine Christians taken ?

a.       They have confessed the Truth that God and His Law is holy and that they are sinners unable to keep God’s Law and cannot save themselves from the death penalty their sins deserve.

b.      They have repented of their sins (renounced their sins and turned toward God).

c.       They have trusted that the death penalty their own sins deserved was paid in full when Jesus was punished as a sinner on the cross even though he knew no sin at all.

d.      They have received eternal life, the gift of God’s grace and love.

For so-called Christians to go back and intentionally pursue a life of sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth the gospel would be like trampling all over the blood Jesus spilled in order to rescue them from their sins and eternal death. For people like this there “no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice – there is nothing else that can be done. So such a person has proven that he or she is not indeed a follower of Jesus and can look forward to nothing but judgment and “a fury of fire” in Hell – such a  one has numbered himself among God’s “adversaries” who will be “consumed.”

2     ²⁸ “Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” 

Although the "law of Moses" was initially delivered to the ancient people of Israel, this Law inasmuch as it is a representation of God's holiness and requirements for all humanity, is required of everyone. Everyone who has disregarded the 10 commandments that God originally gave to Moses, and does not keep them with all his/her heart deserves the penalty of death without mercy because setting aside the Law of Moses is sin. This death penalty under Moses points to the eternal death of Hell that everyone who has not pleased God perfectly can expect on the final Day of Judgment. But God has brought an even better covenant through Jesus than the covenant under Moses (this is one of the main points of the book of Hebrews). Therefore…

3     ²⁹ “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” 

Insulting Jesus is even worse. This is true of everyone. No matter whether we are talking about people who claim to follow Jesus but actively and willingly pursue a sinful lifestyle or those who have rejected Jesus outright as the Son of God they have all “profaned the blood of the covenant” of Jesus. Such profaning outrages the “Spirit of grace” (another title for the Holy Spirit who is God himself). This is saying that all those who insult God by spurning Jesus, the Son of God, deserve a much worse punishment than those in Moses’ day who rejected him. 

But how will this punishment be executed…? 

4   ³⁰ “For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."

God said he would take his own vengeance. How? Does he use an army of people on earth to do this? Is it our duty to mete out judgment on people who insult Jesus? i.e. What kind of vengeance does God take? The two verses just before this passage (vv. 24-25) gives us the answer:

“²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

What “Day” is the author talking about? As we have seen throughout this passage he is talking about what the Bible calls the great and terrible Day of the Lord or Judgment Day. That is when God will take his bring punishment on all those who insulted Jesus, the Son of God. When it comes to insulting Jesus, God  does not need us to execute His justice. He will do that Himself and God will be completely just in his judgments. We cannot do it because we are not righteous like God. All of us, even if we are forgiven through Jesus, were all born in sin and have not lived perfect lives. Only a perfect eternal Judge can execute the punishment for breaking perfect eternal laws. And that Judge is God alone, and the law of God that condemns those who spurn the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is an eternal law (not just a law of the land).[1]

So, how should followers of Jesus respond to those who insult Jesus? What are Jesus’ followers supposed to do until Judgment Day comes? At this point we must point out that God is not only a God of Judgment but also the God of Love, (Pslam 118; 136; 1John 4:8), the God of mercy (Psalm 119:156), the God of compassion (Psalm 103:13), the God of deliverance (Psalm 68:20), and the God of forgiveness (Psalm 130:3-4). Because of this Jesus’ followers must imitate God in these godly attributes. Jesus told his followers:

Matthew 5:11-12  "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:43-48  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

Such counter-intuitive love in the face of persecution, insult, and threat can only be shown by the Grace of God at work in your life. And you can only receive such grace by trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus and then in God’s grace, by following the life & commands of Jesus.

5.       ³¹ “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

So do not be counted among God’s adversaries by spurning Jesus, the Son of God. Instead be reconciled to God through Jesus.

e.      Confess the Truth that God and His Law are holy and that you as one born in sin are unable to keep God’s Law and cannot save yourself from the death penalty your sins deserve.

f.        Repent of your sins (renounce your sins and turn toward God).

g.       Trust that the death penalty your own sins deserved was paid in full when Jesus was punished as a sinner on the Cross even though he himself committed no sin at all.

h.      Then receive eternal life, the gift of God’s grace and love.

When you have shown this fruit in your life then Titus 3:4-7 is true of you:  “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,  ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,  ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Finally, you are also given the ability to truly love others because of the love God showed you:

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1John 4:8-10)

The word “Propitiation” means simply appeasing the wrath of someone. So, God sent Jesus into the world to die on the cross as a sacrifice that satisfied God's punishment and to appease His own wrath against our sin. The result is forgiveness of sin, deliverance from hell, and a new life where you are given the ability to love others, your enemies, even your enemies who insult Jesus, and leave the justice to God.

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[1] However imperfect human judges can execute human laws of the land because both are imperfect – even if they are reflections of God’s perfect law (embodied in the 10 Commandments etc., for example, “Do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness.”).