Hebrews 10:26–31
Bible Verses. Also called Hebrews 10:26-31, Heb 10:26-31, Heb. 10:26–31.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
Hebrews 10:26–31 is a passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews that sternly warns against apostasy, the abandonment of faith. Its words "if we sin wilfully... there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" make it a frequent text in discussions of whether salvation can be lost and of the perseverance of the saints.
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Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
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Context
The author of Hebrews is not known with certainty. The epistle addresses Christians who were in danger of abandoning their faith amid persecution and discouragement, and it argues at length that Christ is superior to the old sacrificial system. The passage immediately before this one, Hebrews 10:19–25, urges readers to draw near to God with boldness and not to forsake assembling together. Hebrews 10:26–31 warns against disregarding that exhortation. It is commonly counted among the five warning passages in Hebrews. Verse 28 recalls the provision of the Law under which the death penalty was carried out on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6), and verse 30 quotes Deuteronomy 32:35–36. In the verses that follow (32–39), the author turns to encouragement and reminds the readers of the sufferings they had endured in the past.
Interpretation
In the phrase "sin wilfully," the Greek adverb means "deliberately," and the verb "sin" is in the present tense. For this reason, many interpreters hold that the verse refers not to inadvertent sin but to a state of deliberate and continuing rejection of Christ.
- Reformed (Calvinist) reading: The Calvinist tradition does not take this passage to mean that a truly regenerate believer can lose salvation. One explanation holds that it refers to people who outwardly belonged to the church community and then departed. Another holds that the warning itself is a means by which God preserves the saints to the end. This interpretation is connected with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.
- Arminian and Wesleyan reading: The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions read the passage as a real warning that even those who have genuinely believed can fall from grace through willful unbelief. This understanding is widely held in Methodist, Holiness, and Pentecostal circles.
- Rigorist reading in the early church: In antiquity some groups reportedly cited this passage and Hebrews 6:4–6 as grounds for holding that grave sins committed after baptism could not be forgiven. The church as a whole, however, did not accept this view.
Debates and Issues
One point of dispute is the phrase in verse 29, "the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified." Arminian interpreters regard it as evidence that the person in view was a genuine believer. Reformed interpreters explain it as outward participation in the covenant community or interpret it in other ways.
Voices in a number of denominations also point out that applying this passage to every sin a believer commits after conversion, and thereby instilling fear, takes it out of context. Rather than being read as a denial of the very possibility of repentance, the passage is often discussed alongside blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Mark 3:28–30 and the "sin unto death" in 1 John 5:16. In pastoral counseling, a common explanation is that "the very fear of having committed this sin is itself a sign that one has not rejected Christ." This, however, is pastoral counsel rather than interpretation.
Related Passages
See also 8
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