Few verses have caused more fear than Hebrews 10:26.
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” — Hebrews 10:26
Many sincere Christians have been told this means that a believer who commits a serious sin loses salvation. Others fear they have committed the “willful sin” and are now beyond forgiveness.
But is that really what Hebrews 10 is teaching? To answer that question, we must read the verse in its context.
Hebrews 10 is not primarily discussing every individual sin a believer might commit after conversion. The chapter is centered on the superiority and sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” — Hebrews 10:14
That is the controlling thought of the chapter: one offering, once for all, perfected forever. Hebrews contrasts Christ's finished work with the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant.
This is why Hebrews 10 should be read together with Hebrews 10:14 Explained and Does Hebrews 6 Teach You Can Lose Salvation?.
The word “wilfully” means deliberately. But the key question is: what deliberate sin is in view?
The context points to a deliberate rejection of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice after receiving the knowledge of the truth. Hebrews repeatedly warns against turning back from Christ to the old covenant shadows.
The issue is not an ordinary believer struggling with sin while still trusting Christ. The issue is rejecting the only sacrifice God has provided.
If someone rejects Christ's sacrifice, what sacrifice remains?
None.
The old covenant sacrifices could never permanently remove sin. The writer has already made that clear. Christ is God's final and sufficient sacrifice. To reject Him is not to lose access to another sacrifice; it is to reject the only sacrifice that saves.
Christians still sin. The New Testament repeatedly addresses sin, correction, confession, chastening, and spiritual growth in the lives of believers.
If Hebrews 10:26 meant that any deliberate sin after conversion causes loss of salvation, then every Christian would be hopeless. Who has never knowingly sinned after believing?
The passage must be understood according to the argument of Hebrews: rejecting the sufficiency of Christ leaves no other sacrifice for sins.
The writer speaks of one who has:
This is not the language of a struggling believer grieved over sin. It is the language of contempt toward Christ's sacrifice.
That is why this passage should not be used to terrify believers who still trust Christ and desire forgiveness.
Hebrews 10 does not end by telling believers they have lost salvation.
“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” — Hebrews 10:39
After the severe warning, the writer expresses confidence concerning his readers. He expects them to continue in faith rather than draw back in rejection.
Difficult warning passages should be interpreted in harmony with the clear promises of Jesus.
Jesus said the believer hath everlasting life. He said the believer shall not come into condemnation. He said His sheep shall never perish.
Those promises are plain. Hebrews 10 does not overturn them. Rather, Hebrews 10 magnifies the only sacrifice by which those promises are secured.
Many Christians live in unnecessary fear because they think Hebrews 10:26 means one intentional sin can undo eternal life.
But the chapter points us to the opposite foundation: the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our confidence is not in flawless performance. It is in the once-for-all sacrifice of the Son of God.
For the larger question, see Can Salvation Be Lost? and What Must I Do To Be Saved?.
Hebrews 10:26 is a solemn warning, but it is not teaching that every deliberate sin causes a believer to lose eternal life.
It warns that if Christ's sacrifice is rejected, there remains no other sacrifice for sins. The old covenant cannot save. Religious effort cannot save. Human performance cannot save.
Only Christ saves.
And the same chapter that warns against rejecting Him also proclaims that by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.