Warning Against Apostasy (Hebrews 10:26-39)

Dire Consequences for Rejecting Christ

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27, NKJV).

Reaffirming earlier admonitions (2:1-3; 3:12; 6:4-8), here the warning is even more severe:

o   Condition: “If we keep on sinning” [hamartanóntōn – present act. participle] – not occasional but ongoing, continual, persistent, habitual.

o   Qualifier: “willfully” – not inadvertent or in ignorance or in a moment of weakness (cf. 5:2; 9:7); intentional, deliberate, presumptuous, defiant, rebellious (cf. 3:12; 6:4-6).

o   Timing: “after receiving the full knowledge [epígnōsis] of the truth” – speaking to enlightened (cf. v. 32) Christians (cf. v. 29 [“sanctified”]; 2 Pet. 2:20-21).¹

o   Resulting loss: “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (cf. 5:8-9; 7:27; 9:12-15, 24-28; 10:10) – God cannot and will not forgive unrepentant sin (cf. 6:6; Luke 13:3, 5).

o   Resulting consequence: “but some fearful expectation and a fury [zēlos] of fire which will consume the adversaries” – eternal damnation (cf. 12:29; 2 Thess. 1:6-9; Rev. 20:15).

“Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:28-29).

Rejecting the Law of Moses (cf. Deut. 17:2-7) resulted in harsh penalties; much greater punishment awaits those who reject the superior way of Christ. With greater knowledge and blessings comes greater responsibility (cf. 2:1-4; 12:25). Turning your back on Christ is equivalent to:

o   Trampling the Son of God underfoot – disrespect, contempt, disdain (cf. 6:6; Matt. 5:13; Luke 8:5).

o   Counting the blood (cf. 9:14-22; 13:20) of the covenant (by which he was sanctified, vv. 10, 14; 2:11; 13:12) a common [koinós]² thing (cf. 1 Cor. 11:27-29) – disregard its sacred value.

o   Insulting (outrage) the S/spirit of grace:³ the Holy Spirit who makes God’s grace accessible (cf. Eph.4:30; Matt. 12:31),⁴ or the spirit (intent, disposition) of grace⁵ (cf. Eph. 1:6-7; 2:5-8; 6:24).      

“For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

This is a quote from Deuteronomy 32:35, 36 (cf. Psa. 135:14) to illustrate the severe judgment of God. To the faithful child of God, it is a comforting thought to “fall into the hands of the living God” (cf. 2 Sam. 24:14). To the rebellious apostate, it is a terrifying prospect (cf. v. 27; 4:1; Ro. 2:3-11; 11:22; 12:19; 2 Cor. 5:11). 

Remember the Past to Press On to the Future

“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven” (Hebrews 10:32-34).

“But recall/remember⁶ the former days …” This indicates that the initial addressees had been Christians for some time (cf. 5:12-14). “After you were illuminated/enlightened” (cf. v. 26; John 8:12), early in their Christian experience. “You endured much struggle of sufferings ...” If Hebrews is directed to Jewish Christians in Rome, this could be a reference to Claudius’ edict of AD 49 (cf. Acts 18:2), or perhaps (less likely) to Nero’s persecution that began in AD 64.⁷ They were made a public spectacle (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9) through reproaches and tribulations. “They were held up to public scorn, taunted and jeered at, and even physically kicked about and abused” (N. Lightfoot, Jesus Christ Today 196).

They had become companions of/sharers with [koinōnos] (cf. Phil. 1:7) those who were so treated. “For indeed in the bonds⁸ you suffered together” (cf. 11:36; 13:3, 23); visited and took care of fellow-Christians who had been imprisoned (cf. 6:10; Matt. 25:36, 39, 43, 44), “joyfully accepted the plundering/seizure of your goods/property” (cf. Jas. 1:1-3; 1 Pet. 4:12-13; Acts 5:41; Rom. 5:3-4). What enabled them to endure: “knowing that you yourselves have a better and an enduring/abiding possession”⁹ (cf. 6:18-19; Matt. 5:11-12; 6:20).

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ‘For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:35-39).

Do not cast/throw away—opposite of “hold fast” (v. 23; 3:6, 14)—your confidence,¹⁰ which has great reward. For you have need of endurance (cf. v. 23; 2:1; 3:14; 4:11; 6:11) in order that having done the will of God you may obtain the promise [epaggelía]”¹¹ – salvation is conditional (cf. Acts 14:22).

Quote from Habakkuk 2:3, 4 (LXX; cf. Isa. 26:20). Although a number of commentators apply this to the imminent return of Christ, the Habakkuk text was written about 600 years before Christ’s first advent, and Hebrews was written almost two millennia ago. Christ has still not returned. NT writers affirm that the time of the Lord’s second coming is unknown (e.g., Matt. 24:36, 42; 25:13; Mark 13:32; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). Considering the context of Hebrews, this more likely applies to the Lord’s coming in judgment against Jerusalem in AD 70 (cf. 8:13; Matt. 24:1-34).¹² The admonition is to not retreat but to maintain saving faith: “But we are … of those who písteōs [have faith] to the saving of the soul.”

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ N. Lightfoot describes this state of affairs, “… a deliberate rejection of truth after truth has once been received, an extinguishing of light that has already shone in the heart, a conscious preference for the dark…. a state of sin” (Jesus Christ Today 193-94). 

     ² Unclean, profane, unholy, defiled (cf. Mark 7:2; Acts 10:14, 28; 11:8; Rom. 14:14).

     ³ Contrast the Law of Moses, “without mercy” (v. 28), with NT grace (cf. John 1:17). 

     ⁴ Every time the word pneũma (‘spirit’) is used in Hebrews for the Spirit of God, it is qualified with the adjective hágios (‘holy’) (2:4; 3:7; 6:4; 9:8; 10:15) except 9:14, which may indicate that in 9:14 the thought is Christ’s own eternal spirit. Other uses of pneũma in Hebrews include references to angels (1:7, 14) and to the human spirit (4:12; 12:9, 23).

     ⁵ Cf. Rom. 1:4 (“spirit of holiness”); 2 Cor. 4:13 (“of faith”); Eph. 1:17 (“of wisdom and revelation”); 1 Cor. 4:21; Gal. 6:1; 1 Pet. 3:4 (“of gentleness”).

     ⁶ Anamimnēskō = remind, remember (1 Cor. 4:17; 2 Cor. 7:15; 2 Tim. 1:6); cf. anámnēsis = memory, reminder (10:3); also mnēmoneúō = to remember, recall (Jn. 15:20; 16:4; Acts 20:31, 35; Eph. 2:11; 1 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 2:5; 3:5); mnēmē = memory, remembrance (2 Pet. 1:15); cf. 2 Pet. 1:9; Heb. 12:5.

     ⁷ Those who argue for a Palestine destination apply this reference to the persecutions in Acts 8:1 ff.; 12:1-3; etc. However, the fact that the readers had “not yet resisted to bloodshed” (Heb. 12:4) seems to argue against this application (cf. Acts 9:21; 12:2; 26:10).

     ⁸ The statement according to the UBS/NA text is tois desmíois sunepathēsate, “you showed sympathy to the prisoners” (NAS; cf. ESV, NIV, N/RSV); the Byzantine Majority Text reads tois desmois mou sunepathēsate, “you had compassion on me in my chains” (NKJ). The former appears to be the better reading (see B. Metzger, Textual Commentary 2nd ed. 600-601).

     ⁹ The Byzantine Majority Text adds en ouranois (“in heaven”).

     ¹⁰ “Confidence describes that bold attitude toward God, that firm assurance with which one approaches the throne of grace (4:16) and enters into the sanctuary (10:19), a confident outlook based on the sacrifice of Christ. For the Christian it involves also the unashamed confession of his faith, and as such is to be held on to (3:6) and not cast away as worthless” (N. Lightfoot, Jesus Christ Today 197). On the word parrēsía (3:6; 4:16; 10:19, 35); cf. Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 28:31; 2 Cor. 7:4; Eph. 3:12; 6:19; Phil. 1:20; 1 Tim. 3:13; 1 John 2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14.

     ¹¹ Noun (fourteen times): 4:1; 6:12, 15, 17; 7:6; 8:6; 9:15; 10:36; 11:9, 13, 17, 33, 39; cf. verb epaggéllō (four times): 6:13; 10:23; 11:11; 12:26.

     ¹² Compare Isa. 13:5; 19:1; Matt. 10:23; 16:28.

Related Posts: Heb 10:19-25, Perseverance of the Saints?

 

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The Weak and the Strong (Romans 14:1–15:13): Part 5 of 7

 “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble” (Romans 14:20-21, ESV).¹ 

Reiterating and thus reemphasizing what is said in vv. 13b-15, the idea of causing one to “stumble” is expressed here with the noun πρόσκομμα (as in v. 13b) and its verbal form προσκόπτω (as in 9:32), meaning to cause hurtful offense and/or induce to sin.² Though not the same word used earlier to describe a weaker brother’s spiritual demise (v. 15), here the term “destroy” [καταλύω], lit. “tear down,”³ is the opposite of the “upbuilding” image of the previous verse.  

Abstaining from Meat

While “food” [βρῶμα] (cf. v. 15)⁴ is generically applicable to whatever is eaten or abstained from, the modifier “clean” [καθαρός] would be more relevant to “meat” [κρέας]⁵ in the context of Jewish ceremonial protocol (cf. v. 14). Under Christ’s new covenant system, the eating of certain types of food or abstaining therefrom is neither enjoined nor forbidden. However, anything can be “wrong” or “evil” [κακός]⁶ if it causes unnecessary spiritual harm to oneself or to another. Therefore, “not only is lawful food sometimes bad, but abstinence from lawful food is sometimes good.”⁷

Whether an individual or the entire community is in view, the seriousness of the matter is magnified by the fact that “the work [ἔργον] of God” is impacted,⁸ especially when righteousness, peace, and joy are robbed from his kingdom (vv. 17, 19). Even though giving up something that injures others is an abstract principle easy enough to comprehend,⁹ it “can never be the rule of Christian conduct…. It does not define his duty, but only makes clear his responsibility …. looking with love at other Christians, and the effect of any given line of conduct on them, he has to define his duty for himself. All meat is clean, but not all eating.”¹⁰ It is necessary to appreciate, of course, the difference between radically coercive asceticism (e.g., 1 Tim. 4:3-4) and voluntary abstinence (e.g., 1 Cor. 7:1; 8:13).

Abstaining from Wine

To illustrate the avoidance of “anything”¹¹ that causes a brother to stumble, Paul uses the examples of “meat” [κρέας] and “wine” [οἶνος], probably as hypotheticals, given that both were part of the normal dietary habits of many Jews and non-Jews alike. Since forgoing meat could be related to the kosher laws of Judaism (v. 14) or to association with pagan sacrifices,¹² aversion to wine may similarly be motivated by non-Christian religious practices.¹³ However, the current circumstances under consideration are perhaps more complicated. 

With the prohibition against drunkenness [μέθαι] understood (13:13),¹⁴ there is a distinction in the NT between “wine” [οἶνος] that is “new” [νέος], prior to fermentation, and fermented “wine” [οἶνος].¹⁵ Abstention from either is not unprecedented in the biblical record.¹⁶

Jesus and his disciples engaged in eating and drinking,¹⁷ so when they drank “wine” [οἶνος],¹⁸ was it fermented or not? The Lord had table fellowship with sinners in order to lead them to repentance,¹⁹ whereas he condemned eating and drinking in drunken environments.²⁰ When he therefore turned 120-180 gallons (450-490 liters) of water into “wine” [οἶνος] for those who had already “drunk freely,”²¹ the “good wine” [καλὸν οἶνον] that he made appears to have been new and fresh, without having undergone the process of fermentation (John 2:1-10).²²  

But what about the consumption of fermented wine in antiquity? A fair assessment begins with recognizing the common “apples-and-oranges” fallacy of comparing the English word “wine” and its modern connotation with that of the ancient Mediterranean world.²³ As noted above, the so-called “wine” of biblical accounts was not always fermented,²⁴ and when it was, the alcohol concentration was significantly less than today’s standards. The alcohol content of modern wines, with added boosting agents (inoculation), is much more potent than the product of natural fermentation of the distant past. 

The sugar of grape juice can only ferment to 3 or 4% alcohol with wild yeast — airborne yeast. For grape juice to exceed 4% alcohol, then the winemaker must add yeast. The yeast added to ancient wines produced between 4-11% alcohol. Alcohol kills these yeast cells and prevents levels of alcohol from exceeding ~10%. Today, wines average 12-20% alcohol due to modern fermentation by adding sulfur dioxide and Saccharomyces (a cultured GMO yeast) to a late harvest of ripened grapes with higher fructose.²⁵

Reducing the alcohol concentration to avoid intoxication, the ancients routinely diluted fermented wine with water, sometimes as much as twenty parts water to one part wine.²⁶ The Greek rhetorician Athenaus of Naucratis (early third century), citing nearly 800 ancient authors and 2500 separate works in his fifteen volumes entitled Deipnosophistae (“Scholars at the Dinner Table”), documents the common practice, among society’s more sophisticated, of drinking wine diluted with water (of various water-to-wine ratios ranging from 1:1 to 20:1), regarding it uncultured to drink full-strength undiluted wine characteristic of barbaric Scythians.²⁷ The first-century Greco-Roman historian Plutarch speaks of recommended proportions of 3:2, 2:1, and 3:1, the greater part water making it harder to get drunk (Symposiacs 3.9). 

Concerning the Lord’s Supper, Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165) spoke of “bread [ἄρτος] and a cup (of wine) [ποτήριον] mixed with water [ὕδωρ] …. deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread [ἄρτος] and wine [οἶνος] mixed with water [ὕδωρ] over which the thanksgiving was pronounced …” (First Apology 65). 

Among the Jews of the intertestamental period, 2 Maccabees 15:39 states: “Just as it is unpleasant to drink wine by itself or just water, whereas wine mixed with water makes a delightful and pleasing drink, so a skillfully composed story delights the ears of those who read the work …”²⁸ In Talmudic times (post-70 to fifth century AD),²⁹ the normal dilution rate was three parts water to one part wine (Pesaḥim 108b), while 2:1 was considered “impure” (Niddah 2.7). According to rabbi Rava, “Any wine that does not hold one part wine diluted by three parts water is not wine. Wine must be sufficiently potent to be capable of being diluted with water three times its measure” (Shabbath 77a).³⁰ Moreover, grape juice was often boiled down to a concentrate before adding water.³¹

Mixing fermented wine with water may also have had a purifying effect, making water safer to drink,³² although the well-known practices of boiling and filtering were commonly used for this purpose.³³ At the same time, contrary to what is often assumed and alleged, clean water was readily available for drinking.³⁴ In fact, while extoling the merits of drinking only water, Athenaus observes, “He who has been accustomed from his earliest upbringing to drink water takes no pleasure in the cup” (Deipnosophistae 2:40-46).³⁵

Unless historical context is ignored, the recreational drinking of full-strength, fortified, ethyl alcohol is not biblically maintainable.³⁶ Paul’s allusion to “meat” or “wine,” notwithstanding the likely hypothetical nature of his point, is simply illustrative of whatever may cause a fellow-Christian to stumble and ought to be relinquished by considerate, loving brethren. “While freedom is a right, it is not a guide for conduct. Love serves that purpose. Rights are to be laid aside in the interest of love.”³⁷

Personal Faith

“The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:22-23). 

The second person singular pronoun “you” [σύ], with which v. 22 begins (cf. also vv. 4, 10), indirectly and emphatically identifies the convictions or personal “faith” [πίστις] each Christian has concerning matters that should not challenge or unsettle the objective faith all believers mutually share.³⁸ If a legitimate activity (related to the issues at hand) has the potential of adversely affecting the unity of the church or the spiritual well-being of a brother or sister in Christ, it is to be kept private “between yourself and God.”³⁹ No need to flaunt your religious freedom (cf. vv. 4-12). “For faith is in itself so good that we can afford to forego some points of its outward manifestation, and be satisfied to enjoy it in our own hearts and in the presence of God.”⁴⁰

Note the repetition of κριν- (assessment-making) words: “pass judgment” [κρίνω], “has doubts” [διακρίνω], “is condemned” [κατακρίνω]. The unacceptable judging of others (vv. 1-4, 10-13) extends to self-condemnatory “judging” [κρίνω] (cf. v. 5a). “Blessed” [μακάριος]⁴¹ (cf. 4:7, 8) or “happy” (ASV, NASB, N/KJV) is the one who avoids this pitfall. Otherwise, one is fraught by needless misgivings, uncertainty, and “doubting” [διακρίνω] – the opposite of a solid Abraham-like faith (4:20).⁴² If not fully convinced, one is “weak in the faith” (v. 1), trying to function as a Christian on tenuous footing, and “is condemned” [κατακρίνω] (cf. 2:1; 8:3, 34)⁴³ if engaging in an uncertain activity (like “eating” something about which one is unsure) that is “not from faith” [οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως]. This is in contrast to one “having faith” [πιστεύει] to eat anything (v. 2). 

The eating in itself is not the problem. Rather, eating when one thinks it may be wrong or when one is unconvinced it is right in the sight of God (vv. 14, 20) constitutes “sin.” This is the final occurrence of the word “sin” [ἁμαρτία] in the letter that has been thoroughly discussed, in both its noun and verbal forms, since chapter 2.⁴⁴ “For a Christian not a single decision and action can be good which he does not think he can justify on the ground of his Christian conviction and his liberty before God in Christ.”⁴⁵

In chapter 14 Paul seems to be using the noun “faith” [πίστις] and its verbal form (vv. 1, 2, 22, 23) in reference to “the confidence that one’s Christian faith permits one to do a particular thing, an inward liberty with reference to it.”⁴⁶ Yet here he establishes a general principle exceeding the representative samples he has noted thus far, applicable to “whatever” [πᾶν] is not “from faith” [ἐκ πίστεως], including “other matters in which believers might act contrary to what they believe is true.”⁴⁷

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The Byzantine Majority Text and Textus Receptus have the added, “or is offended or is made weak” (NKJV) [ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖ]. While many believe this is “a Western expansion … which gained wide circulation” (B. M. Metzger, Textual Commentary on the Greek NT [2nd ed.] 469), it is attested quite early and both readings “have good documentary support; either reading could be original” (P. W. Comfort, A Commentary on the Manuscripts and Text of the NT 310). Based on the longer reading, John Calvin observed a descending order of “falling” [προσκόπτω], “stumbling” [σκανδαλίζω], and “weakening” [ἀσθενέω], as Paul proscribes instigating the latter to avoid the more serious leading to the most serious (Commentary on Romans 433).

     ² Compare 1 Cor. 8:7-13.

     ³ Cf. 2 Cor. 5:1; Gal. 2:18.

     ⁴ 1 Cor. 6:13; 8:8, 13; 1 Tim. 4:3; Heb. 9:10 (incl. drink); 13:9.

     ⁵ The only other occurrence of this word in the NT is 1 Cor. 8:13.

     ⁶ Cf. 1:30; 2:9; 3:8; 7:19, 21; 12:17, 21; 13:3, 4, 10; 16:10.

     ⁷ J. A. Beet, Romans 358.

     ⁸ Cf. 1 Cor. 3:9-17; Eph. 2:10.

     ⁹ Cf. 1 Cor. 8:13; 9:12, 15, 19; 10:27-33; Gal. 5:13-15, 26; Phil. 2:1-4.

     ¹⁰ J. Denney, “Romans” 2:706.

     ¹¹ To complete the thought, the English pronoun “anything” is added by translators to the triple negative μή … μηδέ … μηδέ, which normally expresses a sense of urgency.

     ¹² Acts 15:20, 29; 1 Cor. 8–10; Col. 2:20-22.

     ¹³ Wine was used in Jewish drink offerings (Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5), and pouring out a libation of wine to the gods was a common practice among the Greeks, both in drinking wine and accompanying sacrifices (see W. Burkert, Greek Religion 70-73; L. B. Zaidman and P. S. Pantel, Religion in the Ancient Greek City 28-40). The Greek verb μεθύω (to “get drunk”), according to Aristotle, is derived “from the use of wine after sacrifice” (as reported by Athenaus of Naucratis, Deipnosophistae 2:40).

     ¹⁴ Cf. Luke 21:34; Gal. 5:21; also 1 Cor. 6:10; Eph. 5:18; 1 Pet. 4:3. The noun κώμοι in Rom. 13:13, translated “orgies” in the ESV and NAB, is more closely related to drunkenness in the sense of “reveling” (ASV, NRSV) or “carousing” (NASB, NIV).

     ¹⁵ Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-38. 

     ¹⁶ Num. 6:1-4; Jer. 35:6-14; Dan. 1:8; Luke 1:14; 7:33.

     ¹⁷ Matt. 11:19; Luke 5:30, 33; 10:7.

     ¹⁸ Luke 7:33-34; John 2:1-11; 4:46. In the NT the word “wine” [οἶνος] is never used with reference to the Passover meal or the Lord’s Supper, notwithstanding some modern English paraphrastic versions. Rather, the terminology used is simply “cup” [ποτήριον = “drinking vessel”] as a metonymy (Matt. 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:17, 20), and “the fruit of the vine” [τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου] (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18).

     ¹⁹ Luke 5:29-32; cf. Matt. 9:10-12; Mark 2:15-17.

     ²⁰ Matt. 24:48-51; Luke 12:45-46; cf. Prov. 23:19-21; Eccl. 10:17; 1 Pet. 4:3-5.

     ²¹ The verb μεθύω and its transitive form μεθύσκω mean to “get drunk” only when intoxicants are involved (Luke 12:45; Eph. 5:18; 1 Thess. 5:7). Otherwise, the sense of “indulging” or “overindulging” (cf. Rev. 17:2, 6) would include excessive eating (1 Cor. 11:21), as well as drinking “freely” or “fully” without inebriation (John 2:10).

     ²² The description “good” does not imply fermentation, although “old” [παλαιός] (fermented) wine, as opposed to “new” [νέος] (unfermented) wine, is usually preferred by those who have developed a taste for it (Luke 5:37-39), especially when addicted (cf. Prov. 23:29-35). See also Prov. 20:1; Hab. 2:15. Elsewhere in John’s Gospel, the adj. “good” [καλός] always applies to Jesus (10:11, 14, 32, 33); note also the comparable ἀγαθός (1:46; 5:29; 7:12).

     ²³ The Greek word οἶνος reportedly came from Oineus, the name of the first person to have used the term for what he squeezed into cups from the clusters of grapevines, according to Hecataeus of Miletus (6th-5th century BC Greek historian and geographer), Melanippides of Melos (5th century BC Greek poet), and Nicander of Colophon (2nd century BC Greek poet, grammarian, and physician); reported in Deipnosophistae 2:35 by Athenaus of Naucratis (ca. 228).

     ²⁴ Cf. Gen. 49:11-12; Num. 18:12; Deut. 11:14; 32:14; 2 Chron. 31:5; 32:28; Neh. 10:37; Prov. 3:10; Isa. 16:10; 27:2; 62:8-9; 65:8; Jer. 40:10, 12; 48:33; Joel 1:10-12; Amos 9:13.

     ²⁵ S. J. Shifferd, “What Kind of Wine Did Jesus Drink?” The Breath of God (retrieved 29 March 2024), <Link>; cf. J. Chorniak, “Wild Yeast: The Pros and Cons of Spontaneous Fermentation,” WineMaker (retrieved 29 March 2024), <Link>; J. L. Jacobson, “Upsides of Wild Fermentation,” Wines & Vines (April 2012), <Link>; “Wine Alcohol Content,” Alcohol Content Database (retrieved 29 March 2024), <Link>. 

     ²⁶ See E. Ferguson, “Wine as a Table-Drink in the Ancient World,” RQ 13 (1970): 141-53. 

     ²⁷ See The Deipnosophistae of Athenaus, LCL Vol. 4; also available online. On the reputation of the Scythians as uncultured barbarians and drunkards, see B. Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe 52-54.

     ²⁸ USCCB translation, © 2019-2024.

     ²⁹ Granted, the rabbinic teachings were recorded after the earliest period of the Christ movement, but since undiluted wine became commonplace in later Jewish tradition, greater moderation in earlier times is assumed.

     ³⁰ From the William Davidson edition of the Babylonian Talmud, trans. A. Even-Israel Steinsaltz. On the question of using unfermented grape juice for the cup of blessing at Passover, R. Rava affirms: “One can squeeze a cluster of grapes and say Kiddush over [the juice]” (Bava Batra 97b).

     ³¹ J. Kulp, Mishnah Yomit: English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim, USCJ Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem (retrieved 21 March 2020), <Web>.

     ³² E. Ferguson, “Wine as a Table-Drink” 146.

     ³³ Athenaus, Deipnosophistae 2:45. “The Greeks and Romans used different methods to improve the quality of the water if it did not satisfy their quality requirements. From written sources and archaeological excavations, we know that using settling tanks, sieves, filters and the boiling of water were methods used during antiquity. At least boiling of water, which was widely recommended by the medical authors during antiquity, would have diminished the biological risks of poor quality water” (P. S. Juuti, T. S. Katko, and H. S. Vuorinen, eds. “A Brief History of Water and Health from Ancient Civilizations,” IWA Publishing [retrieved 30 March 2024], <Link>).

     ³⁴ See Mark 9:41; John 4:7-13; 1 Tim. 5:23a; Jas. 3:11-12.

     ³⁵ In 1 Tim. 5:22b-23, prompted by the reminder to “keep yourself pure,” Paul inserts the parenthetical comment: “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” The present active imperative verb ὑδροπότει (from ὑδροποτέω, to “drink water”), is suggestive of Timothy’s ordinary means of hydration, drinking water exclusively and total abstinence from wine. The young evangelist is therefore encouraged to alter his customary routine to address his digestive problems and other “frequent ailments.” He is not instructed to imbibe or indulge but to “use” [χράομαι] (cf. 1:8), for medicinal purposes, a small amount [ὀλίγος] (cf. 4:8) of “wine” [οἶνος], the only explicit exception to the apostle’s earlier stance against “much wine” (3:8).

     ³⁶ See K. L. Moore, “Here’s Why I Don’t Drink Beverage Alcohol,” Moore Perspective (28 Sept. 2013), <Link>.

     ³⁷ R. Mounce, Romans 257-58.

     ³⁸ As per Rom. 1:5, 8, 12; 3:28; 5:1-2; 10:17; et al.; cf. also 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:4-6, 13; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:23.

     ³⁹ Lit. “before” [ἐνώπιον] God: cf. Luke 1:74-75; 12:6-7; 16:15; Acts 7:46; 10:31; 1 Cor. 1:29; 2 Cor. 4:2; 8:21; Gal. 1:20; 1 Tim. 2:3; 6:13; Heb. 4:13; 13:20-21; Jas. 4:10; 1 Pet. 3:4; 1 John 3:18-21. Note also 1 Cor. 14:28.

     ⁴⁰ J. A. Beet, Romans 358.

     ⁴¹ The adj. μακάριος means “blessed, fortunate, happy, usu[ally] in the sense privileged recipient of divine favor” (BAGD 486). While the Latin beatus, from which the English term “beatitude” is derived, means “fortunate,” “blissful,” or “happy,” the word “blessed” is probably the better sense in most biblical texts, wherein the focus is directed upward and implicitly acknowledges God from whom the blessings proceed (cf. Matt. 5:3-11; Col. 3:2; Jas. 1:12, 17, 25).

     ⁴² Compare Matt. 21:21; Mark 11:23; Acts 10:20; 11:12; Jas. 1:6; Jude 22-23.

     ⁴³ As Paul consistently uses the expression (cf. also 1 Cor. 11:32), this is not merely self-condemnation but divine condemnation. 

     ⁴⁴ Verb ἁμαρτάνω, Rom. 2:12; 3:23; 5:12, 14, 16; 6:15. Noun ἁμαρτία, 3:9, 20; 4:7, 8; 5:12, 13, 20, 21; 6:1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23; 7:5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 23, 25; 8:2, 3, 10; 11:27; 14:23.

     ⁴⁵ H. N. Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology 291.

     ⁴⁶ C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:728-29. Cranfield also speaks of the word’s “limited applicability,” which he says contextually “refers only to matters which have been under discussion, the matters at issue between the weak and the strong …” (ibid.); cf. also 697-700.

     ⁴⁷ C. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans 526.

Related Posts: The Weak and Strong: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7

Related articles: Patrick Swayne, Was Jesus a Drunkard?

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Deliverance from the Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:1-11)

 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.¹ For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1-2, ESV). 

No Condemnation in Christ

Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” all accountable persons are subject to God’s wrath and judgment in need of redemption (3:5-23). The prospect of forgiveness offers reconciliation to God (5:10-11), implying a prior separation due to sin. This pre-conversion predicament is described as “death” (5:12-21; 6:16, 23), essentially meaning “condemnation” (5:16, 18). Having laid the preliminary groundwork in the previous chapters, Paul gives his sanctified readers (1:7) the assurance of “no condemnation … in Christ.”²

To be “in Christ” is to be integrated into the only spiritual realm wherein God’s gracious blessings are available, including “redemption” (3:24), “alive to God” (6:11), “eternal life” (6:23), “no condemnation” (8:1), and “free … from the law of sin and death” (8:2). These and all other spiritual blessings³ are provided to penitent believers “who have been baptized into Christ Jesus …” (6:3-4; cf. Gal. 3:26-27), synonymous with “baptized into one body …” (1 Cor. 12:13). To be “in Christ” is to be incorporated into his emblematic “body” – the church, the community of the saved.⁴

Also “in Christ Jesus,” that which “has set you free” is elsewhere identified as obedience “from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (6:17-18, 22). As opposed to “the law of sin and death,” here we have “the law of the spirit of life.” The “spirit” [πνεῦμα] is parallel to the “heart” [καρδία] just as “law” is parallel to the “standard of teaching.” Although most translators and commentators interpret this as a reference to “the Spirit,” it immediately follows the apostle’s affirmation of serving “the law of God with my mind,” in opposition to “my flesh” (7:25). In the previous chapter, “spirit” (7:6) is synonymous with “inner being” (7:22) and “mind” or “will” (7:22-25), whereby one is able to “determine,” “wish,” or “desire” (7:15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21). In chap. 8 the same contrast continues between “flesh” and “spirit,” with particular reference to walking/living “according to flesh” and walking/living “according to spirit” (vv. 1-17). The use of φρονέω (“set the mind”) in v. 5 and φρόνημα (“‘mind”) in vv. 6-7 further points to one’s inner spirit.

“Spirit” or “spirit”?

The term πνεῦμα (“S/spirit”) occurs nineteen times in chap. 8, in contrast to only four times before and seven times after this chapter. The Holy Spirit does not seem to be the focal point until perhaps v. 9b, which reads: “since [the] Spirit of God [πνεῦμα θεοῦ] dwells in you.” However, the accompanying references to having “[the] spirit of Christ” [πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ] (v. 9c) and “if Christ [is] in you” (v. 10a), followed by the contrast between “body” that is dead because of sin and “spirit” that is life because of righteousness, raise additional questions. Are the allusions to “Spirit of God” and “spirit of Christ” to be understood separately or interchangeably? Are they to be viewed in the sense of the mind, will or disposition of God and Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 2:16; Phil 2:5)? Is Christ to be understood as indwelling the Christian representatively through God’s Spirit (cf. 1 John 3:24)?

Our Cooperation with God

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4, ESV).

Near the end of the previous chapter, Paul asked: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24). The answer is implied by his immediate response: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25). Here the question is explicitly answered: “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do” (cf. 6:19; 7:5, 18, 25), accomplished “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.” Jesus was never guilty of sin, but he did become a flesh-and-blood human being, susceptible to temptation, to conquer sin’s stranglehold on the rest of humanity.⁵ Thus, “he condemned sin in the flesh” (cf. v. 37).

This enables “the righteous requirement of the law” to be “fulfilled in us” (cf. 3:31; 7:12), as long as we “walk not according to the flesh …” (cf. 7:5). Conversely, walking according to πνεῦμα is part of the extended “flesh-spirit” dichotomy (7:5–8:18), which seems more likely to be in reference to the renewed “spirit” (cf. 1:9; 8:16; 12:11) of the redeemed rather than the more popular rendering “the Spirit.” Parallel to the “heart” (2:29), “inner being” (7:22), and “mind” (7:22-25), we walk according to our renewed spirit, “in newness of life” (6:4), “properly” (13:13), and “in love” (14:15). 

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:5-8, ESV).

Here Paul employs the verbal φρονέω (v. 5)⁶ and cognate noun φρόνημα (vv. 6, 7, 27),⁷ yet there is no single word in the English language that exactly corresponds to or captures the full sense of the Greek. Nor is there consistency in any standard Bible translation in how the verb form is rendered in English.⁸ The corresponding noun φρήν (1 Cor. 14:20) refers to the diaphragm or inward parts surrounding the heart; metaphorically the inner self that regulates external behavior. The fundamental idea is “a pattern of judgment that involves thinking, feeling, and acting.”⁹ It describes “a state of mind, an inward disposition. It signifies sympathetic interests and concern, reflecting the action of the ‘heart’ as well as the ‘head’.”¹⁰ When Paul speaks here of the “mind,” it intrinsically involves thinking-feeling-doing activity.¹¹

The apostle continues to contrast πνεῦμα (“spirit”) and σάρξ (“flesh”) as two mutually exclusive ways of living or distinct lifestyles (v. 4), distinguished as per the following: (a) different mindsets: fleshly-minded vs. spiritually-minded (v. 5); (b) the end result of the respective mentalities: death vs. life (v. 6a); (c) opposing relationships with God: enmity vs. peace (vv. 6b-7a); and (d) diverse responses to God’s law: implicit rebellion vs. submission (v. 7b).¹² Notwithstanding the obvious contrast between the outward and inward components of humans (2:28-29), the biblical concept of “flesh” does not exclude an internal pattern of thinking (8:5-8; Col. 2:18), nor is “spirit” divorced from an external mode of behavior (8:4; Gal. 5:16, 25). 

Those “in the flesh,” driven by “sinful passions” (cf. 7:5), have developed a corrupt disposition “hostile to God” that can neither “submit to God’s law” nor “please God” (cf. 1:18–23). This is descriptive of the “natural” [ψυχικός] person (1 Cor. 2:14), who is earthly-minded, cannot understand with this mindset spiritual things, and considers them foolish (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-25).¹³ It is also comparable to “those who are perishing,” blinded to the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3) because of prejudices and predispositions that render them incapable of receptivity, unwilling to understand and obey, leading to spiritual demise (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18, 23; 2:14; 2 Cor. 3:14-15). They have allowed themselves to fall into “the snare of the devil, having been captured by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Tim. 3:7; 6:9).

The Indwelling Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9, ESV).

In contrast to those “in the flesh,” the sanctified ones in Rome (1:7), as baptized believers with God’s indwelling Spirit (5:5; 6:3-4a), having been set free “in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (8:1-2), are now walking “in newness of life” (6:4b), living “according to spirit” (8:4), and “serve in newness of spirit” (7:6). They are among the spiritual [πνευματικός] ones (1 Cor. 2:15), open to God, discerning spiritual truths, and rightly judged only by God’s standard rather than man’s.¹⁴

When qualifiers like “holy” or “of God” are added to πνεῦμα, the reference is clearly to “the Spirit of God” (8:9, 14; 15:19), i.e., “the Holy Spirit” (5:5; 9:1; 14:17; 15:13, 16). However, as the wording changes to “the Spirit of Christ,” instead of being equivalent to the aforementioned Holy Spirit (as most commentators assume), “Christ’s spirit” [πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ]¹⁵ seems more likely to be in view. In fact, the flow of thought easily becomes “Christ in you” in the following verse. No doubt God’s Spirit is part of Paul’s focus in the ensuing discussion (8:14, 16, 26-27), but note also further contrasts with “body” and “flesh” (8:10, 11, 12, 13, 23; cf. 7:5–8:13) and the distinction between “a spirit of slavery” and “a spirit of adoption” (8:15). Moreover, the emphasis on Christ continues (8:11, 17, 29, 32, 34, 35, 37, 39), including the concepts of being “joint heirs with Christ” (8:17, 32) and “conformed to the image of [God’s] Son” (8:29). The Christian’s renewed spirit, in the image of God’s Son, seems to be the sense of having the “spirit of Christ” and thus “Christ in you.”

“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:10-11, ESV).

While Paul’s “in Christ” theme is predominant in his writings, here he conversely speaks of Christ “in you.”¹⁶ The contrast is between the σῶμα (“body”) that is dead because of sin and the πνεῦμα (“spirit”) that is life because of righteousness. If “Christ is in you,” the old sinful self (“in the flesh”) is replaced “by a new focus of personality, Christ himself,” displaying “more and more the character of Christ,” so “the objective for believers going on in the Christian life is that they become like Jesus.”¹⁷ Surely this is the significance of having “the spirit of Christ” (v. 9).¹⁸ As the emphasis on Christ continues (vv. 11, 17, 29, 32, 34, 35, 37, 39), the divine purpose for believers is affirmed: “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (v. 29).¹⁹

Because of the ambiguity of Paul’s use of the term πνεῦμα (“spirit”), at times there seems to be a merging of allusions regarding the Spirit of God, the spirit of Christ, and the renewed spirit of the Christian. Seeing that the believer’s renewed spirit is sealed with God’s Spirit and molded into the spirit of Christ, the ambiguity may be intentional to avoid pedantic dissecting and narrowing of what God is doing in our lives. Note the simultaneous intercession of the Spirit and of Christ before God’s throne on behalf of his children (vv. 26-27, 34). 

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The Byzantine Majority Text has the added, “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (NKJV), also affirmed in v. 4.

     ² Despite one’s individual (“I”) struggles portrayed in the previous chapter (7:14-25), in God’s family no one is ever really alone. Note the heavy concentration in this chapter of words attached to the συν- (“with”) prefix: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit …” (v. 16); we are “heirs with Christ … we suffer with him” (v. 17); “the whole creation groans with and agonizes with …” (v. 22); “the Spirit helps with our weakness …” (v. 26); “all things work together with …” (v. 28); “how will he not also with him freely give us all things?” (v. 32).

     ³ Eph. 1:3; cf. also 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 1:7, 11; Col. 1:14; 2:10; 2 Tim. 2:10; et al.

     ⁴ Cf. Rom. 1:6-7; 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30; Col. 1:18, 24. 

     ⁵ See K. L. Moore, “Jesus Christ: the Son of Man,” Moore Perspective (25 Jan. 2017), <Link>.

     ⁶ Elsewhere in Romans eight other times in 11:20; 12:3, 16; 14:6; 15:5. Its heaviest concentration is in Philippians.

     ⁷ These are the only occurrences of this noun in the NT.

     ⁸ For example, in Phil. 1:7, as Paul expresses heartfelt gratitude for the saints in Philippi, English translators have rendered his words, “just as it is right for me to think this of you all …” (NKJV), and “It is right for me to feel this way about you all …” (ESV). The challenge is finding an English equivalent for the present infinitive φρονεῖν. While expressing something current and ongoing, the word “think” misses the emotional aspect, the word “feel” leaves out the cognitive component, and neither conveys the behavioral overtones.

     ⁹ J. W. Thompson and B. W. Longenecker, Philippians and Philemon 30.

     ¹⁰ I.-Jin Loh and E. A. Nida, A Translator’s Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 54.

     ¹¹ See K. L. Moore, “Lost in Translation: A Closer Look at the NT Greek Term PHRONÉŌ,” Moore Perspective (15 April 2020), <Link>.

     ¹² Adapted from J. A. Fitzmyer, Romans 488-89.

     ¹³ Cf. Matt. 5:8; 16:23; Mark 6:52; John 8:43-47; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Phil. 3:19. 

     ¹⁴ Cf. 1 Cor. 4:3; 11:32; Gal. 6:1. 

     ¹⁵ Besides here, the same terminology is used in 2 Cor. 3:17, and “the spirit of his Son” in Gal. 4:6. Outside of Paul, cf. Acts 16:7 (although note the textual variant as per the BMT omitting Ἰησοῦ); Heb. 9:14; and 1 Pet. 1:11. 

     ¹⁶ See also Gal. 1:16; 2:20; 4:19; 2 Cor. 13:5; Eph. 3:17; Col. 1:27. In contrast to the Romans, the “senseless Galatians” needed to heed the apostle’s rebukes and directives “until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19).

     ¹⁷ J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Galatians 119-20.

     ¹⁸ See also 1 Cor. 2:16; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 2:5; 2 Cor. 3:17; Heb. 9:14; cf. Acts 16:7; 1 Pet. 1:11.

     ¹⁹ When we are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), we “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27), i.e., we take on Christ’s character, virtues, and intentions (cf. BAGD 264; A. Oepke, TDNT 2:319).

Related Posts: No Law, No Transgression (Rom 4:15), Baptism: Death, Burial, Resurrection (Rom 6:1-4), Struggle with Sin (Rom 7:15-25), Adopted into God's Family (Rom 8:12-18)

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