But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [ruin or loss]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Heb. 10:39
“Not only must we have the true conception of this word ‘saving’, but we must also be sure that we have no traditional warp regarding the expression saving the ‘soul’. It is used in evangelical preaching and literature as though it means the salvation of the sinner, but the striking thing is that Paul has no use for the expression. Peter uses the words ‘the salvation (soterian, not peripoiesis) of your souls’, but not in the sense usually employed, for he speaks of it as the end of their faith and of ‘salvation ready to be revealed in the last time … at the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1 Pet. 1:5-9). So far as the present is concerned, believers are exhorted rather to lose their souls than to save them; which, however, is not a popular expression today. The moment we see this we are on the track of the truth of Hebrews 10, and Matthew 16 supplies the key: ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life (soul) shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his soul for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works’ (Matt. 16:24-27). (Soul and life translate the one Greek word psuche). The man who denies himself, and takes up his cross, loses his soul in this life. If he turns back to the good things that he has relinquished, making his belly his god, and finding his glory in his shame, he saves his soul in this life, but becomes the enemy of the cross, for he has refused to bear it. The one who is willing to lose his soul for Christ’s sake will find it when the Lord gives reward at His Coming. All this is intended by the words of Hebrews 10:39. Here, as in Hebrews 6, hope is the anchor of the soul, is connected with the obtaining of the promises, enters within the veil, and belongs to those once ‘enlightened’. Hebrews 11 which immediately follows contains a list of Old Testament saints who lost their souls for Christ’s sake, to find them in the better resurrection. We trust that the close parallel that is observable between Matthew, Philippians and Hebrews will not be without salutary effect upon us all. Let us go on unto perfection; let us remember the awful waste of precious opportunities that will be ours if we ‘neglect so great salvation’, if we neglect to ‘work out our own salvation’. The body of our humiliation is soon to be fashioned like unto the body of His glory. A little while and the time will come, ‘the appointed time’ for which we wait. Let us then take heart. We have need of patience. Let patience have her perfect work, that we may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.” 1Perfection or Perdition an Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews by Charles H. Welch pg. 159
“…preserving or saving one’s life…” 2Word Pictures in the New Testament (A. T. Robertson)
The “preserving of the soul” is equivalent to “saving the life” (cf. James 5:20). (J. Moffatt) This meaning agrees well with the exposition of 10:32-39. The readers were to live by faith in the midst of difficult times. The result of obedience to the Word of God would be a life-preserving walk instead of temporal discipline, the loss of physical life. (K. Oberholtzer) Hebrews Benjamin W. Brodie October 20083http://www.versebyverse.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/heb.pdf
In 1 Tim 6:9, Paul warns that the desire to get rich can “plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
“For, says he, in a further affirmation of his essential confidence in them, and including himself among them, ‘we are not among those who shrink back and are lost; we maintain our faith and win through to life’. They had begun their Christian career in that carefree spirit which accepts without questioning the assurance of Christ that ‘whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s shall save it’ (Mark 8:35). Let them maintain that spirit of faith to the end, and they would certainly gain their souls and “lay hold on the life that is life indeed”. That this will prove true with our author and his readers alike is his firm assurance.” 4F.F. Bruce The Epistle to the Hebrews p274
“Each warning becomes increasingly more severe culminating in the threat of fiery judgement that ‘will consume the adversaries’ (10:27) and bring ‘destruction’ (10:39). Many link this catastrophic event to the judgement immediately following the ‘second’ coming of Christ (9:27–28) and therefore assume that Hebrews 10:26–31 warns of ‘eternal judgement’ or ‘damnation’ (9:27).4 Others regard it as a warning of severe physical punishment leading to loss of life but not final judgement.5 This would explain the noticeable absence of ‘damnation’ terminology commonly found throughout the New Testament and contemporary Jewish literature.6 When speaking of final judgement Jesus warned of the ‘unquenchable fire of hell’ (Mt. 5:22; 18:9; Mk. 9:43–48), ‘eternal fire’ (Mt. 18:8; 25:41), and ‘eternal punishment’ (Mt. 25:46). Similarly other NT authors spoke of ‘eternal destruction’ (2 Th. 1:9) and ‘punishment of eternal fire’ (Jude 7). In light of the frequent use of the term ‘eternal’ (αἰώνιος) throughout Hebrews (5:9; 6:2; 9:12, 14, 15; 13:20), its absence in the warning passages is significant, particularly if the author intended to warn his readers against the finality of judgement in the life to come.7 Final judgement mentioned in Hebrews 9:27 occurs after death (‘it is appointed for men to die once and after this [comes] judgement’) and therefore should be distinguished from the immediate threat they ‘see…drawing near’ in their present circumstances (10:25). Some have suggested that the author has in view the coming Roman invasion of Palestine that would soon bring an end to the Temple sacrifices (8:13) and the destruction of Jerusalem (13:14).8 If so, he could be warning his readers of physical harm or even death if they seek refuge in Judaism instead of Christ. This study seeks to understand the severity of the warning in Hebrews 10:26–31 through an examination of its Old Testament citations and allusions in light of the impending destruction of Palestine, Jerusalem, and the Temple during the first Jewish revolt (AD 66–70).5GLEASON: Eschatology of Warning in Hebrews 10
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