“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”
My Notes
What Does Hebrews 10:26 Mean?
The writer of Hebrews delivers one of the most sobering warnings in Scripture: if we sin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. The warning is specific: deliberate, knowing sin after receiving truth.
"Wilfully" (hekousios) means voluntarily, deliberately, with full knowledge. This is not accidental failure or momentary weakness. It is calculated, conscious rejection of known truth.
"After that we have received the knowledge of the truth" — the person knows the truth. The rejection is not ignorance. It is informed rebellion. The knowledge was received and then deliberately violated.
"There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" — the one sacrifice of Christ has been rejected. If you reject the only sacrifice that exists, nothing else can take its place. There is no Plan B. The rejection of Christ's sacrifice leaves you without remedy.
The verse is not about believers who struggle with sin. It is about people who knowingly, deliberately, and persistently reject the truth they once received — treating Christ's sacrifice with contempt.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What distinguishes 'wilful sin' from the ongoing struggle every believer faces?
- 2.How does 'no more sacrifice' reveal the uniqueness and sufficiency of Christ's offering?
- 3.Why does this verse terrify sincere believers — and why should it not?
- 4.Who is this warning actually for — and how do you know if it applies to you?
Devotional
If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth. Wilfully. Deliberately. With eyes wide open. Knowing what you know. Choosing to reject it anyway.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. The one sacrifice — Christ's — has been refused. And there is no other. The rejection of the only remedy leaves you without remedy. The medicine was offered. You poured it out.
This verse terrifies many sincere believers who struggle with sin. But the sin described is not the struggle of a conflicted heart. It is the calculated rejection of a settled mind. The person who worries about this verse is probably not the person it describes.
The warning is for those who received the truth clearly, understood the sacrifice fully, and then deliberately, persistently walked away — not in weakness but in willful rejection. The sin is not failure despite faith. It is the abandonment of faith despite knowledge.
The severity serves a purpose: it reveals the seriousness of the sacrifice you have been given. Christ's offering is not casual. It is the only one. Treating it with contempt — through deliberate, informed, persistent rejection — exhausts the only provision that exists.
If you are struggling with sin and afraid this verse condemns you — the fear itself is evidence of a heart that has not abandoned the faith. The warning is for those who have stopped caring.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture