Heb 10 | TNotes | STEP | 10:1 The old system under the law of Moses (literally The law ), like the Tabernacle itself (8:5 ), was only a shadow, a dim preview of a greater reality—namely, the good things that Christ inaugurated in the new covenant. Under the old covenant, sacrifices had to be repeated again and again because they were not able to cleanse worshipers permanently or in such a way that they could come into the presence of God perpetually.

10:1 ^a The old system under the law of Moses (literally The law), like the Tabernacle itself (8:5 ^b), was only a shadow, a dim preview of a greater reality—namely, the good things that Christ inaugurated in the new covenant. Under the old covenant, sacrifices had to be repeated again and again because they were not able to cleanse worshipers permanently or in such a way that they could come into the presence of God perpetually.
10:2 ^c The perpetual nature of the sacrifices demonstrates their inadequacy. If the sacrifices of the old covenant had offered true, lasting purity, they would have stopped.

• their feelings of guilt would have disappeared: Cp. 9:9 ^d, 14 ^e; 10:22 ^f; 13:18 ^g.
10:3 ^h Instead of removing guilt, the ongoing sacrifices actually reminded those who wished to come near to God, year after year, that they were guilty before God.
10:4 ⁱ The blood of bulls and goats in the sacrifices of the old covenant offered a degree of cleansing (9:13 ^j, 23 ^k), but that cleansing was limited in that it could not take away sins. It could not eradicate sin in a way that would offer permanent cleansing and peace with God (see Acts 10:36 ^l; Rom 5:1 ^m; 11:26-27 ⁿ).
Summary for Heb 10:5-7: 10:5-7 ^o These verses quote Ps 40:6-8 ^p. Psalm 40 ^q is a hymn of praise to God in which the psalmist confesses his desire to do God’s will. The author of Hebrews understands Christ to be the speaker. 10:5 ^r But you have given me a body to offer: God had prepared the psalmist to be obedient, ready to do God’s will; Hebrews now applies this idea to Christ. For Hebrews, the preparation of a human body, specifically Christ’s body, shows that God would use it as a superior sacrifice.
Summary for Heb 10:8-10: 10:8-10 ^s The author follows the flow of thought in the psalm with great precision.

• First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices ...”: The author of Hebrews understands this as God’s rejection of the old system of sacrifices.

• Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will”: The author of Hebrews takes this to be Christ’s willingness to be the supreme sacrifice for sins.

• The author of Hebrews concludes that because of Christ’s sacrifice, God has canceled the first covenant—God’s will, as shown by Ps 40:6-8 ^t, was that Christ would die for sins as a sacrifice, and this only had to be done once for all time.
Summary for Heb 10:11-14: 10:11-14 ^u Christ’s superior offering was decisive, in contrast with the sacrifices made by the priests of the old covenant. 10:11 ^v the priest stands: See Deut 18:5 ^w.

• day after day: E.g., 2 Chr 13:11 ^x.
Summary for Heb 10:12-13: 10:12-13 ^y Christ’s sacrifice contrasts with that of the earthly high priests in that he offered himself to God as a . . . sacrifice, rather than offering animal sacrifices.

• After the sacrifice was accomplished, he sat down in the place of honor (see Ps 110:1 ^z). Instead of standing daily like the priests of the old covenant (Heb 10:11 ^aa), he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet (Ps 110:1 ^ab).
10:14 ^ac made perfect: See study notes on 7:11, 28.

• those who are being made holy: What the author has in mind is complete purification from sins.
Summary for Heb 10:15-17: 10:15-17 ^ad The author again quotes from Jer 31:33-34 ^ae (see Heb 8:7-12 ^af) to support the statement in 10:14 ^ag, that Christ’s one offering under the new covenant has made worshipers perfect forever.

• God’s laws have now been placed in their hearts and on their minds. This has internalized the believer’s relationship with God.

• I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds: As the author has shown (9:11–10:14 ^ah), the superior sacrifice of Christ has made this new covenant reality possible.
10:18 ^ai The logical conclusion when sins have been forgiven—that is, when sins have been taken away completely and permanently (10:1-4 ^aj, 11 ^ak)—is that there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. Thus, the superior sacrifice of Christ has made the entire sacrificial system of the old covenant obsolete.
Summary for Heb 10:19-25: 10:19-25 ^al The author of Hebrews repeats words and concepts from 4:14-16 ^am to mark off and summarize the central section (4:14–10:18 ^an) and to introduce the exhortations that follow, offering a concise statement of the message of Hebrews: The new covenant, established by Jesus’ superior ministry, gives us a superior basis for drawing near to God and for persevering in the Christian life. 10:19 ^ao The earthly Most Holy Place was not freely accessible (see study note on 9:3). Now, however, the very presence of God in heaven (9:11 ^ap, 24 ^aq) is open because of the blood of Jesus in his sacrificial death (9:11–10:18 ^ar).
10:20 ^as By his death: Jesus’ death has opened a new and life-giving way for us through the curtain, an allusion to the curtain separating the first and second rooms of the Tabernacle (see 9:1-5 ^at). Believers now enter the Most Holy Place of God’s presence through Jesus’ sacrificial death.
10:21 ^au Jesus, as Messiah, is the High Priest and king who rules over God’s house, the people of God (see 3:1-6 ^av; 2 Sam 7:13 ^aw).
10:22 ^ax sincere hearts: Under the new covenant, believers have transformed hearts (8:10 ^ay; 10:16 ^az; Jer 31:31-34 ^ba).

• fully trusting him: Christ’s work on our behalf gives us confidence that God will welcome us into his presence.

• our guilty consciences have been sprinkled ... our bodies have been washed: Christ’s sacrificial death has provided complete cleansing from sin (see 9:13-14 ^bb, 19-23 ^bc).
10:23 ^bd We are to hold tightly . . . to the hope we affirm, that Christ’s death is effective in winning us right relationship with God.
10:24 ^be Acts of love and good works characterize true Christian commitment (6:10 ^bf; 10:32-34 ^bg; Gal 5:13 ^bh; 1 Thes 1:3 ^bi; Rev 2:19 ^bj).
10:25 ^bk Some in this Christian community had evidently begun to neglect their meeting together in regular worship, perhaps to avoid persecution (10:32-39 ^bl).

• Our motivating one another to love and good works should be done in light of the day of his return, Christ’s second coming (9:28 ^bm; Luke 12:42-46 ^bn; 1 Cor 5:5 ^bo; 1 Thes 5:2 ^bp; 2 Pet 3:10 ^bq; 1 Jn 2:28 ^br).
Summary for Heb 10:26-31: 10:26-31 ^bs The author interjects a strong warning concerning the danger of rejecting God’s Son and his authoritative word. The warning challenges hearers to respond with a commitment to follow Christ.
Summary for Heb 10:26-27: 10:26-27 ^bt deliberately: Open rebellion against God’s laws was described as “sinning with a high hand” (see study note on Num 15:30-31). Here the author has in mind specifically a rejection of Christ and his work. Christ’s sacrifice for sins has done away with the sacrificial system of the old covenant (Heb 9:11–10:18 ^bu). If a person rejects the Son’s sacrifice, there is no other sacrifice—nowhere else to go—for forgiveness. A person who rejects Christ can only expect judgment as one of God’s enemies (cp. Isa 26:10-11 ^bv).
Summary for Heb 10:28-29: 10:28-29 ^bw The author argues from lesser to greater (see study note on 9:14). The lesser situation is the old punishment of death for a person who refused to obey the law of Moses (see Deut 13:6-11 ^bx). The greater situation concerns those who reject Christ and treat him with contempt.

• how much worse the punishment: Eternal damnation is the fate awaiting those who have rejected Christ.

• The blood of the covenant, which made us holy, is Christ’s perfect sacrifice (9:11–10:18 ^by).

• insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit: Those who reject the Spirit’s prompting and mercy deny the validity of the Good News and the superiority of Christ and his saving work (cp. Mark 3:22-30 ^bz).
Summary for Heb 10:30-31: 10:30-31 ^ca “The Lord will judge his own people”: Deut 32:36 ^cb; cp. 1 Pet 4:17-18 ^cc.

• That God will pay them back and will judge his own people shows the dreadful circumstances of those who have rejected Christ. Once God moves to judge a person, no one can rescue that person out of God’s hand (Deut 32:39 ^cd).
Summary for Heb 10:32-39: 10:32-39 ^ce The harsh warning (10:26-31 ^cf) is followed by a word of encouragement. The hearers’ own faithfulness in the past is used as a positive example for them to follow now. 10:32 ^cg when you first learned about Christ: The author reminds his readers of those early days, shortly after the community embraced Christianity, when their faith was tested. At that time, they remained faithful in the face of terrible suffering. Suffering is normal for a person who identifies with Christ and his community (13:12-13 ^ch; Acts 9:16 ^ci; Rom 8:17 ^cj; 1 Cor 4:12-13 ^ck; Phil 1:29 ^cl; Jas 1:2-4 ^cm).
10:33 ^cn public ridicule: They were insulted and disgraced.

• beaten: They were abused physically.

• At times they were direct recipients of abuse, and at times they stood with others who were suffering.
10:34 ^co those who were thrown into jail: Prisoners were dependent on friends and family for the most basic daily needs (cp. 13:3 ^cp).

• when all you owned was taken from you: At times, the Roman government evicted groups of people from their homes and forced them to leave a city (see Acts 18:2-3 ^cq). These Christians had faced this kind of persecution in the past and accepted it with joy (cp. Rom 5:3 ^cr; Jas 1:2-4 ^cs; 1 Pet 1:6 ^ct). They anticipated better things . . . that will last forever (see Heb 11:35 ^cu). God promises rewards to those who persevere faithfully.
Summary for Heb 10:35-36: 10:35-36 ^cv Based on their exemplary faithfulness in the past (10:32-34 ^cw), the author urges them not to throw away this confident trust in the Lord. The word translated confident trust is also used in Hebrews to speak of boldness in entering the presence of God (4:16 ^cx; 10:19 ^cy; cp. 3:6 ^cz). Those who remain faithful receive a great reward (see 1:14 ^da; 6:12 ^db; 9:15 ^dc; Jas 1:12 ^dd). Patient endurance is the key response needed in the face of persecution, as the author argues in Heb 10:32–12:17 ^de.
Summary for Heb 10:37-38: 10:37-38 ^df These verses quote Hab 2:3-4 ^dg to contrast the righteous and the wicked as they face God’s judgment (cp. Rom 1:17 ^dh; Gal 3:11 ^di).
10:39 ^dj The author ends this section with a statement of confidence in his hearers (see study note on 6:9).