One-way ticket

August 12, 2022 (Friday)

 

I am saddened when people who should know better become deniers. I’m not talking about things like denying the Holocaust. That was a horrible event in human history that cannot be forgotten or allowed to be repeated. I’m talking about the denial of Biblical truth. Let’s jump into one the most confusing ideas in the Bible.

 

Hebrews 10:39 states, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." [ESV] What is this idea of "shrink?" Who can "shrink?" If we back up a verse, we read, "but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." [Hebrews 10:38 ESV] Most modern translations italicize this verse to show it is quoting (or copying) another verse. It seems to reference Romans 1:17. The KJV even reads, "Now the just shall live by faith…" [Hebrews 10:38a KJV] We also see this idea in Galatians 3:11 and Habakkuk 2:4.

 

I think modern translations are trying to make verse 38 about a specific individual (Jesus) and not about "the just" in general. However, it’s that second clause in verse 38 that is troubling and carried forward to verse 39. In verse 38, the idea of "shrink" is to be cowardly or to conceal. Verse 39 expands the idea further, meaning, shrink. The implication is to shrink into apostasy.

 

On the surface, these verses seem to destroy the doctrine of final and unconditional perseverance. This is the danger we fall into. Just because we may not like what the verses say, does not mean we can explain them away. There are times when God is simply not clear to the honest mind and we have to take something by faith. Simply put, it is possible to shrink back from our faith. Maybe this was done in a moment of weakness. Maybe this was done under duress. The danger here is that this path leads to destruction. The Greek gives the image of utter and complete destruction. Throughout the book of Hebrews, this path seems to be a one-way ticket with no possible return. Which suggests, if it’s possible to return, then we haven’t crossed the boundary we so nervously want to avoid. If we couldn’t care about returning, we won’t (while the rest of us watch in horror).

 

Maybe the point is clearer if we read verse 39 this way: "But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved." [CEB] There are two types of people. The fearful, who will shrink or draw back in a critical moment, and those whose faith will see them through any crisis. It’s like he’s saying, you have watched people abandon the faith... you are not going to be one of them.

 

Which begs the question, why is anyone worried about, arguing for, or denying “final and unconditional perseverance?” Keep your eyes on Jesus, stick to an absolute trust in Jesus, and the question (or should I call it fear?) will ultimately be meaningless.