Does Hebrews 10:26 Mean That We Can Lose Our Salvation?
Q: I had a friend say they struggle with Hebrews 10:26, “If we sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sin is left.” A YouTuber told her that in such situations they had lost salvation. Advice?
A: Without getting into the complexities of the passage, let me just say that anybody who turns to the Lord and seeks Hs salvation, who believes and repents, will be received by God. The willful sin that’s being committed in this passage is a willful sin of rejecting the Lord altogether, of completely turning away from the Lord and His plan.
We can reasonably say God will not accept the person who turns away from receiving what God has given to them freely in Jesus Christ. But if we do turn to God’s sacrifice for sin, the sacrifice that He’s provided in and through the person of Jesus Christ, then that sacrifice can prevail. But if a person casts away Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, and leave it behind altogether, then it’s entirely true that there remains no other sacrifice for sin that can save them. It’s either Jesus’ way or the highway, and the highway that is not Jesus’ way is a highway to hell. That’s just how it is. Once someone has rejected Jesus like that, there’s no “Plan B” for their salvation. Simply put, there is salvation for all in Jesus Christ, but outside of Christ, there is no salvation. That is the essence of this warning in Hebrews 10.