John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 10:26

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins," — Hebrews 10:26 (ASV)

For if we sin willfully, or voluntarily, and so on. He shows how severe a vengeance of God awaits all those who fall away from the grace of Christ; for being without that one true salvation, they are now, as it were, given up to an inevitable destruction.

With this testimony Novatus and his sect formerly armed themselves, in order to take away the hope of pardon indiscriminately from all who had fallen after baptism. Those who were not able to refute his calumny chose instead to deny the authority of this Epistle rather than to subscribe to such an absurdity. But the true meaning of the passage, without help from any other part, is quite sufficient in itself to expose the effrontery of Novatus.

Those who sin, mentioned by the Apostle, are not those who offend in any way, but those who forsake the Church and wholly alienate themselves from Christ. For he does not speak here of this or of that sin, but he condemns by name those who willfully renounced fellowship with the Church. But there is a vast difference between particular falls and a complete defection of this kind, by which we entirely fall away from the grace of Christ. And as this cannot be the case with anyone unless they have already been enlightened, he says, If we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth; as if he had said, “If we knowingly and willingly renounce the grace which we had obtained.” It is now evident how widely apart this doctrine is from the error of Novatus.

It is clear from the whole passage that the Apostle here refers only to apostates, for what he is dealing with is that those who had once been received into the Church should not forsake it, as some were accustomed to do. He now declares that no sacrifice for sin remained for such people, because they had willfully sinned after having received the knowledge of the truth. But as for sinners who fall in any other way, Christ offers Himself daily to them, so that they do not need to seek any other sacrifice for expiating their sins. He denies, then, that any sacrifice remains for those who renounce the death of Christ—an act not committed through any lesser offense, but only by a total renunciation of the faith.

This severity of God is indeed dreadful, but it is presented for the purpose of inspiring terror. He cannot, however, be accused of cruelty; for since the death of Christ is the only remedy by which we can be delivered from eternal death, are not those who destroy, as far as they can, its virtue and benefit worthy of being left to despair?

God invites to daily reconciliation those who abide in Christ; they are daily washed by the blood of Christ, their sins are daily expiated by His perpetual sacrifice. Since salvation is not to be found except in Him, it is no wonder that all those who willfully forsake Him are deprived of every hope of pardon: this is the meaning of the adverb ἔτι, more.

But Christ’s sacrifice is efficacious for the godly even to death, though they often sin; indeed, it ever retains its efficacy, because they cannot be free from sin as long as they dwell in the flesh. The Apostle then refers only to those who wickedly forsake Christ, and thus deprive themselves of the benefit of His death.

The clause, after having received the knowledge of the truth, was added for the purpose of aggravating their ingratitude; for whoever willingly and with deliberate impiety extinguishes the light of God kindled in his heart has nothing to allege as an excuse before God. Let us then learn not only to receive with reverence and prompt teachableness of mind the truth offered to us, but also firmly to persevere in the knowledge of it, so that we do not suffer the terrible punishment of those who despise it.