If we sin deliberately... Heb 10:26-27

[spectre49]

In ongoing e-mails with a Protestant friend about faith and works, I brought up this passage: “If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries.”

He responded with the following:

Within Hebrew literature, there is an important distinction to be made between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge connotes understanding, while wisdom is understanding accompanied with congruent action. The word used in v. 26, (epiginosko) can be defined as knowledge or understanding. If wisdom, of understanding with application, were intended, the word (Sophia), meaning wisdom, would be a much better choice here. Based on that, these people have heard the truth of the gospel, and may even understand it, but have actually rejected it based on their lack of positive action and now become enemies of God. This is also why the author calls these people adversaries in verse 27.

It sounds as if it came off a Protestant web site, but is he correct in saying that this scripture applies more to a non-believer who later sins than a believer (Christian) who later sins?

And even if it does mean that, it is any less a teaching for Christians?

 

[SteveT]

I am no Greek scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I recall from a Tim Staples tape series that “ginosko” means “experiential knowledge”, as opposed to a head or intellectual knowledge. The prefix “epi” means a fullness of that knowledge. The compound word, epignosko, thus means a “full experiential knowledge”, and is used to describe an intimate personal relationship, as for example when the Greek OT says Adam “knew” Eve, and Cain resulted.

2 Pt 2:20 uses the same word, “epignosko”, and describes those who had that “knowledge” as having (past tense) “escaped the defilements of the world” through it (c.f. also, 2 Pt 1:3-4). Now most Protestants will agree that the only way to escape the corruption of this world is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - i.e., a full experiential relationship, in Greek, an “epignosko”.

 

[Todd_Easton]

Was the author of the letter to the Hebrews a Christian? Was he writing to Christians? Because Hebrews 10:26 says, “If** we** sin…”, it appears that the author of Hebrews was including himself and his readers, i.e., Christians, as the subject of the sentence in question.

 

[Church_Militant]

spectre49:

In ongoing e-mails with a Protestant friend about faith and works, I brought up this passage: “If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries.”

He responded with the following:

Within Hebrew literature, there is an important distinction to be made between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge connotes understanding, while wisdom is understanding accompanied with congruent action. The word used in v. 26, (epiginosko) can be defined as knowledge or understanding. If wisdom, of understanding with application, were intended, the word (Sophia), meaning wisdom, would be a much better choice here. Based on that, these people have heard the truth of the gospel, and may even understand it, but have actually rejected it based on their lack of positive action and now become enemies of God. This is also why the author calls these people adversaries in verse 27.

It sounds as if it came off a Protestant web site, but is he correct in saying that this scripture applies more to a non-believer who later sins than a believer (Christian) who later sins?

And even if it does mean that, it is any less a teaching for Christians?

You might point out to him the FACT that all the NT epistles were written to Christians w/in the early church…NOT to unbelievers. the Gospels ( & maybe Acts ) are the good news to unbelievers.