The Negative Response
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2024 · 17 November 2024
We begin to study the negative response to the New Testament. It was presented to this community of Jews in Israel. The Holy Spirit is presenting the fact that Christianity is the answer to everything, that the new covenant far outshines the old, that it’s a better priesthood with a better priest who is a better mediator who made a better sacrifice, which sealed a better covenant.
There are only two choices. The first one He talks about in verse 19 - 25 where he tells them, be positive. Respond to the new covenant by coming to Christ. The second is a negative response, if you don’t, here’s what happens. And we’ve begun to study that negative response to the new covenant. What happens when an individual rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ?
People whose hearts had been warmed toward the gospel of Christ and who had made a superficial, but nevertheless, a manifest commitment of faith in Christ. They had said they believed. They had identified themselves, at least visibly, with the true Church. But the warmth of it all was wearing off and the excitement of it was kind of petering out and they were in danger of going back.
So there are some things that we shouldn’t get over, and very often one of those things is the conviction of the gospel when we hear it initially. Some people have heard it so much that it is water off a duck’s back. And this is even true of many Christians. But in terms of discipleship, you’ve heard it too much to respond to it. You’ve gotten over the penetration of the Word of God.
Now, we understand the unforgivable sin of knowing the truth, having full revelation, professing to believe, then getting over it and walking away. And the Bible calls this person an apostate. To know everything there is to know about the gospel and to identify as a part of it, and then to walk away, never having really been saved. And for the sin of apostasy, there is no forgiveness.
Now, the most known case of apostasy over Jesus is recorded when He was on earth. There’s apostasy in the Old Testament, apostasy in the time of Christ, and apostasy today. The rabbis got over Jesus so much that they decided He was from hell. Matthew 12:26, “Knowing their thoughts, He told them, “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”
Verse 30-31, “Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
This is called the unpardonable sin. God forgives sin and He forgives blasphemy. “But the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.” You say, what is the blasphemy against the Spirit? They had just attributed the works of Christ to Satan. It’s one thing to say that about Christ when you don’t know anything, it’s another to conclude that when you have all the evidence.
Why? Because there’s no repentance when you see the truth. This is not just an arbitrary statement, you said a few things against me, that’s it for you, and you’re damned forever. That isn’t the point. The point is when people have all the divine revelation that can come from the Spirit of God, and they conclude that it’s out of hell, there’s no way they know the truth so they can be saved.
Can that sin be committed in this age? Not as such. Why? Because Jesus isn’t here. This very special apostasy belonged in the day in the Jesus was alive. That was to see the works of Christ that manifested His deity and say Satan was doing it. And this idea that people believe today that if you say a word against tongues, you’ve blasphemed the Holy Spirit and can never be saved is wrong.
That’s why it says this: “It shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, and neither in the age to come.” Now to the Jew, what was the age to come? The kingdom. Then during the kingdom where is Christ? On earth again. That sin will be able to be committed again on earth when Christ is here. It is a sin that cannot be committed in this age in its special character as indicated here.
Apostasy today is not to see the works of Christ living on earth and attribute them to Satan, apostasy today is to hear all the truth of God that is revealed, to know it fully with all of his mind and to make some kind of a mental assent to it, and then turn around and walk away and stay away forever. That’s the apostasy in this age. But it all comes out as a rejection against full light, isn’t it?
Hebrews 10 warns us about apostasy. Ten chapters of Hebrews presented the new covenant with salvation through Christ. There’s only two ways a person can respond, either positively or negatively. Back in Hebrews 2 it says that the Lord first spoke the gospel, but it was spoken to them by those that heard the Lord and confirmed to them by signs, wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
There is worldliness, neglect, hardened unbelief, clinging to the old religion, you know, and they come nearly to Christ and they hang on the balance, and then something happens and they go. And they know what they’re rejecting and they do it willfully and they do it consciously and they decide in their minds, I don’t want this. I know everything there is about it. And they walk away.
Verse 26-27 says, “For if we deliberately go on sinning 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 is the nature of apostasy. The word “knowledge” is to have full knowledge - to have it all. This doesn’t mean you’re saved. It’s all in your head.
If a person persists in the deliberate and willful sin of rejection, was he ever really a Christian?” I do not believe he ever was. And I’ve said this many times. True believers always continue. True branches always abide in the vine. And in 1 John 2:19, we have clearly this statement, “They went out from us but they were not of us. If they had been of us, they would have continued with us.”
A few years after Hebrews was written, God proved it when He destroyed the whole sacrificial system in the sack of Jerusalem. Since 70 A.D., no Jews have offered sacrifice. The whole ritual has become symbolic. And God knows why they don’t have sacrifices anymore. Because none of them are effective. If a person turns from the sacrifice of Christ to some other sacrifice, he’s finished.
Verse 28, “Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” In Numbers 15:30 it says, “But the person who acts defiantly, whether native or resident alien, blasphemes the Lord. That person is to be cut off from his people.” I’ve broken laws. Praise God for grace. But if you live outside of grace in Christ, you’re going to live in law and go to hell.
Jesus acknowledges that there are degrees of sin. And there are degrees of punishment to go along with degrees of sin. Luke 12:47-48, “And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required.”
Yes, in the Old Testament God wiped out whole groups of people sometimes in punishment. Maybe on some occasions some of them were believing people and they’re today in heaven and their punishment was chastisement. Maybe some of them were not believing people. But the hell that they experience will not be the same as those who lived in defiance of God and rejection of His Son.
Verse 29 says, “How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” What does it mean to “trample”? It signifies an object as worthless. Now, that is characteristic of some rejecters who would trample over a worthless thing.
Christ was set apart. The word sanctified means set apart. The word holy means set apart. The blood of the covenant was sacred. It was the blood shed on the cross by Jesus Christ. By that shed blood, Christ was set apart to God as the perfect sacrifice. He entered into the Holy of Holies and, there, having borne the perfect sacrifice, He then entered into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat.
Christ bearing His blood, finalized that sacrifice and established the new covenant. So the covenant was sealed in blood. There are apostates who count that blood set apart to seal the covenant as an unholy thing. The statement was a rejection of God who exalted the Son. This is a rejection of Christ who set Himself apart as the perfect sacrifice. So the apostate rejects God and rejects Christ.
Verse 30 says, “For we know the one who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, and the Lord will judge his people.” Here He quotes from Deuteronomy 32:35-36, two Old Testament passages that talk about the vengeance of God. If God had vengeance on His own in the Old Testament when they broke Moses’ law, what vengeance will He have on those who violate Jesus Christ?
Verse 31 says, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” That’s far different than the apostate falling into the hands of judgment. So we see the nature of apostasy and the results. Let’s look at the deterrent to apostasy. Do two things. Here is the positive encouragement not to go back if you know the truth. Number one, remembrance. The first thing is to remember.
Verse 32, “Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.” Do you remember when you first came to Christ and when you came to the fellowship of believers and you heard about Christ. You could sense it and you showed up and you liked it. But little by little you grew cold and indifferent and you began to fade.
Verse 33, “Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.” You were a spectacle, just with the rest and you weren’t ashamed. You used to stand with us. The persecutors have gotten to you, but remember what it was when you first began. Don’t fall now. Just hanging around us got you in trouble.
Verse 34, “For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the taking of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.” Apparently, they had communicated somehow to him of some prison situation. I mean you at least knew that there was something better than the worldly goods and you didn’t mind giving them up.
Verse 35, “So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.” Remember that if you really come to Christ and you stick in there, God’s got some wonderful things in store for you. The one place He didn’t want them to look was right where they were at because that’s when they got hassled. Quit looking at the persecution. Remember how wonderful it is going to be.
Verse 36, “For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.” You have need of patience. “After you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.” The ‘may’ there doesn’t mean it’s possible, it’s an exacting statement. And it means you will receive it. Don’t can the whole deal now because you got a little trouble.
Verse 37, “For yet a little while, and He that shall come, will come and will not tarry.” Hey, don’t get discouraged. The Lord will be here. Just be patient. You may suffer a little bit. Hold on. Because the Lord will be here. That’s the promise and we believe it. He tells them the nature of it, the results of it, and the deterrent to it. Just don’t get trapped in looking at your problems.
Verse 38, “But my righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him.” The just shall live by faith. Hey, you’ve come this far. Believe all the way. They hadn’t really gotten the faith yet, but hang onto what you’ve got and believe all the way. How do we live our life? By faith. No man who draws back has saving faith. Saving faith is continuing faith.
We have to trust God. I have never seen God yet. I have never seen Jesus. I have never seen heaven. I have never seen hell. I have never seen anybody who ever wrote any page on this Bible. But you know I believe it as much as I believe I’m standing here. But I believe it not by sight but by faith. My whole existence is by faith. Believe what you’ve seen is from God.
Verse 39, “But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” We’re not of those that go back; we’re of those that believe to the saving of the soul. Lots of people believe. The Bible says the devils even believe and tremble. He says don’t fall back; go forward. It’s saying Jesus Christ provided salvation. Believe it! Let’s pray.