Hebrews – Chapter Ten XXXVII

by Ed Urzi

“How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).

This passage draws our attention to the emotionally charged language that our author uses to identify those who defiantly reject the Son of God. For example, the word-picture behind the phrase “trampled underfoot” involves the act of rejecting with disdain. (1) It also evokes a sense of insulting neglect in respect to Jesus’ sacrificial death. (2)

However, one does not need to be not openly disdainful of Christ to fall within this category. Much as an undiscerning person might unknowingly cause substantial damage without realizing it, an irreligious person who cares little for the things of God may just as easily be someone who carelessly “…walks all over God’s Son” (CEB).

For instance, we can find one such example in the attitude of someone who uses Jesus’ name as an exclamation or an expletive. Then there are those who refer to Jesus in a trivial, frivolous, or dismissive manner. At a minimum, these expressions flow from an attitude of indifference or disrespect for Christ. At worst, they reveal a sense of contempt for Him whether or not the speaker realizes it.

Another example involves someone who has “…counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing” (NKJV). One Biblical scholar shares an important nuance behind this passage: “The word ‘counted’ in the Greek text refers to a conscious judgment resting on deliberate weighing of the facts. Here it implies a deliberate, contemptuous rejection of the Messianic sacrifice of the Son of God.” (3)

In light of these things, we can say that such individuals profane “the blood of the covenant” in assuming that Jesus’ death is no more important than the passing of anyone else. Thus, those who engage in such practices have “…insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us” (NLT). In other words, they demonstrate a lack of respect and reverence for the God who secured our salvation at the cost of His Son’s life.

Although we may not intentionally seek to insult the Holy Spirit in such a manner, we effectively do so when we reject Christ, for “Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us” (Acts 4:12 GNT).

(1) G2662 katapateo, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2662/kjv/tr/0-1/

(2) Ibid, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

(3) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament (Hebrews 10:29) Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.