What does it mean to insult the Spirit of grace in Hebrews 10:29?

Having considered the value of the sacrificial death of Christ, the writer pronounces a solemn warning. If someone knows about the blood of Christ — which has such great value that God can found on it all the blessings of the new covenant — and despises it or regards it as ‘common’, that is if someone turns away from Christ as the way of salvation, there can only be righteous judgment for such a person.

When it says that such a person had been ‘sanctified’ by the blood of the covenant, we need to bear in mind that ‘sanctified’ means ‘set apart’. The letter was addressed to Hebrews. They had been set apart from other nations. This privilege was an outward or external one (as opposed to saving faith), but being a privilege it made the sin of despising the blood of Jesus so much more solemn.

Having considered the value of the sacrificial death of Christ the writer pronounces a solemn warning. If somebody knows about the blood of Christ - which has such great value that God can found on it all the blessings of the new covenant in grace - and despises it or regards it as 'common' or nothing special, i.e. if someone turns away from Christ as the way of salvation, only just judgement will remain for such a person.

When it says that such a person had been 'sanctified' by the blood of the covenant we need to bear in mind the true meaning of 'sanctified' ('set apart') and the fact that the letter was addressed to Hebrews: as members of God's earthly people they had been set apart from other nations. It was only 'with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah' that God would conclude the new covenant. This privilege was an outward or external one, related to being born an Israelite and has nothing to do with saving faith. But this outward privilege made the sin of despising the blood of Jesus so much more solemn.

This expression occurs in Hebrews 10: ‘who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and … has insulted the Spirit of grace’ (v. 29). It is a question of an unbeliever who knows about the gospel but refuses it and in this way insults the Holy Spirit. If he does not repent from this position he will suffer eternal judgement (John 3:36).

In its immediate context this verse refers to a Jew who had professed the Christian faith: one who had been sanctified by ‘the blood of the covenant’: he was set apart for God outwardly as belonging to God’s people and having professed to receive Christ as Messiah, and yet he now turned away from the sacrifice of Christ. But the principle and fate also applies to unbelievers today unless they accept Christ.

You will notice, also, that the apostle says: "The blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified." As we have already seen, "sanctification," in Hebrews, is outward and positional rather than that work of the Spirit of God in the soul by new birth. So far as the efficacy of the work of Christ is concerned, it is of eternal value; but it is always presumed that the objects of this work have a saving faith wrought in their souls in connection with the new birth. Thus, if a man in Israel was associated with the nation, he participated in that outward sanctification or setting apart to God which was done for the whole nation. The Hebrew was familiar with this thought, and therefore the expression would have no difficulty to those to whom the apostle was primarily writing. Nor can it easily be misunderstood by any of us. Neither here, nor elsewhere, as we well know, does Scripture mean to say that a single sheep of Christ can ever perish. Our Lord's own words: "I give unto them eternal life," "neither shall any one pluck them out of My hand" give the seal to this. But there is such a thing as positional, outward sanctification, and this is what is contemplated by the apostle.

The Spirit of grace has borne witness to the value of that blood of the covenant: therefore, to deny its value is a direct insult to the Holy Spirit. It is through Him that the precious truth of the accomplished Sacrifice and the sprinkled blood has been declared. His testimony has been given, as we read in the sixth chapter: the works of the coming age have been done by the power of the Holy Spirit. His testimony was unequivocal in the companies of those who had been led to true faith in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, for one to turn away from Christ would be a distinct insult to that Spirit of grace who had made Him known. How true it is, also, that sin against one of the persons of the Godhead involves sin against all. Thus, if the Son of God has been trodden under foot, theHoly Spirit has also been insulted, and God the Father, giver of the Son, has been denied.

This is no case of a weak believer giving way to sinful conduct, for in such a case there is a restoring remedy. Compare James 5:19, 20; Galatians 6:1; 1 John 2:1. But here there is no remedy. The greatness of the Person of Christ and the perfection of His sacrifices have been here discussed in wonderful fulness. The willful sin of verse 26 is therefore the cold, deliberate rejection of this marvelous revelation of God, in the very face of having been intellectually enlightened. Notice, it is after receiving the knowledge of the truth, - not receiving the truth itself, or "the love of the truth." as is expressed in 2 Thessalonians 2. Some Jews who had professed Christianity were already revolting against it. In acknowledging it, they were admitting the necessity for a sacrifice to take away sins. Now in refusing it, they were choosing a position where there was no sacrifice for sins whatever. How dreadfully hopeless! Positive, certain judgment was the only alternative, fiery indignation, which should devour the adversaries. For in such a stand they became the callous adversaries of the God of Israel.

Moses' law, with which the Jews were familiar, sternly demanded death in the case of any who rebelled against it, when the case was established by competent witness. But the revelation of God's glory in the Person of His Son infinitely transcends God's speaking by the law of Moses. If the judgment under law is so severe, then the far greater enormity of the crime against the Son of God demands a far greater judgment. Three solemn charges are brought against the apostate; first, his treading underfoot the Son of God. This is similar to Ch. 6:6. It is cold contempt for the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is God manifest in flesh. How dreadful an insult to the Eternal God! Secondly, the blood of Christ he treats as unholy, despite the fact that God's covenants with Israel demanded shedding of blood. Thus if the Son of God Personally is cast aside, so is His great work of redemption. Such a man plainly has never been born again, yet is said to have been "sanctified" by the blood of the covenant. Taking a public stand with Christians, he had been publicly set apart by the acknowledgment of the virtue of the blood of Christ. But his heart had not actually been reached: all was merely on the surface.

Thirdly, "the Spirit of grace" is despised. The Spirit of God revealing the marvelous grace of God in the present dispensation, attending this with clearest demonstration for Israel, with miracles and signs, has been deliberately insulted with haughty contempt. This compares with the sin against the Holy Ghost, which shall never he forgiven (Mark 3:28-30).

In the gospel there is presented to us, first, the Son of God; second, His precious blood, as the blood of the new covenant; third, the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of grace. Now what is it that the apostate does — especially the Jew, who having professed Christianity, abandons it, and reverts to Judaism. He treads under foot the first. The second he counts an unholy thing. The third he utterly despises. He treats with the utmost scorn and contempt the very things that bring salvation. There is nothing beyond them, nothing but judgment. He will deserve every bit of judgment he gets. All this, be it noted, is a vastly different thing from a true believer growing cold and unwatchful and consequently falling into sin.

They who despised the law of Moses died without mercy. What then would not those deserve at the hand of God, who trod under foot the Son of God, counted the blood of the covenant, by which they had been sanctified, as a common thing, and did despite to the Spirit of grace? It was not simple disobedience, however evil that might be; it was contempt of the grace of God, and of that which He had done, in the Person of Jesus, in order to deliver us from the consequences of disobedience. On the one hand, what was there left, if with the knowledge of what it was, they renounced this? On the other hand, how could they escape judgment? for they know a God who had said that vengeance belonged unto Him, and that He would recompense; and, again the Lord would judge His people.

Observe here the way in which sanctification is attributed to the blood; and, also, that professors are treated as belonging to the people. The blood, received by faith, consecrates the soul to God; but it is here viewed also as an outward means for setting apart the people as a people. Every individual who had owned Jesus to be the Messiah, and the blood to be the seal and foundation of an everlasting covenant available for eternal cleansing and redemption on the part of God, acknowledging himself to be set apart for God, by this means, as one of the people — every such individual would, if he renounced it, renounce it as such: and there was no other way of sanctifying him. The former system had evidently lost its power for him, and the true one he had abandoned. This is the reason why it is said, "having received the knowledge of the truth."

Heb. 10:29. If the gospel heard at B is rejected, he "has trodden under foot the Son of God," and has "counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing," for he was "sanctified" through the blood of Christ by being brought to B (or perhaps as we have seen, been born at B), severed from the darkness of A, and he "has done despite to the Spirit of Grace," refusing His convictions of sin, and all His other testimony.

That blood of the covenant which sanctifies unto God, which, as it were, has been sprinkled upon the mercy-seat — the very throne of God; which has purged the heavens and cleansed every guilty soul who has come beneath its value — what can be so holy or so precious? It is the basis upon which the very throne of God abides in the midst of His people. It is the foundation upon which the whole new creation rests immovable, and for eternity. Take the word of God and see what His thoughts are of the blood. Trace it all through the Old Testament, from the sprinkling of the blood upon the door-posts at the the Passover, through all the countless sacrifices provided; then pass into the New Testament and collect every reference that is given by the Spirit of God to the precious blood of Christ, and see what an unpardonable insult it is to count this an unholy thing! And notice it is not said that they count the blood an evil thing. The word is really a "common," as contrasted with a sacred thing — an ordinary matter, the blood of a mere martyr, of one who was living before his time and suffering the necessary persecution of those who would introduce reformation and break up the established order of things. There are plenty of men who would declare that the blood of Christ was this. Amongst his own kinsman according to the flesh we will find, at this time, those who will speak in terms of praise of "the liberality of Jesus," that He was a true Jew, a genuine patriot, that He suffered, as all leaders must suffer, at the hands of those who were reactionary and behind the time. If that is all they have to say of the blood of Jesus, they are counting it a "common thing."

We have heard the expression that the gospel of the grace of God, that which is based upon the precious blood of Jesus Christ, is "a religion of the shambles" and not for intellectual men. Oh, beloved, we can only say that if such expressions issued from those who once received the knowledge of the truth, who once confessed Christ, whom now they consider merely as a man, alas! — that is the apostasy spoken of here. The blood of the covenant has been despised and counted as a common thing!

Hebrews 10:29 does not either. The Spirit is specially set up as an object. The sin was worse by His being the Spirit of grace.