But we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.
Parallel translations
- WEB But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.
- KJV But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
- BSB But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
- NKJV But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
- NLT But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
But we are not those who shrink back and are destroyed; we are those who have faith and are saved. The author confidently identifies his readers with persevering believers.
Overview
The chapter closes on a note of confidence: 'we' are not of those who draw back to ruin, but of those whose faith leads to the saving of the soul. This both encourages the readers and transitions to chapter 11's great exposition of faith. True faith endures and results in salvation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 27
- 1 Jn 5:5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
- 1 Pet 1:5who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- Mark 16:16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
- 2 Th 2:12–14that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
- 1 Jn 5:16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.
- 1 Sam 15:11“It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; and he cried to Yahweh all night.
- 2 Pet 3:7But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
- John 20:31but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
- Heb 11:1Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
- 1 Th 5:9For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
- Luke 11:26Then he goes, and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
- John 6:40This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
- Ps 44:18Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,
- John 3:15–16that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- Acts 16:30–31brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- John 17:12While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
- Heb 6:6–9and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.
- Prov 1:32For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
- Rom 10:9–10that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
- 2 Th 2:3Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,
- Prov 14:14The unfaithful will be repaid for his own ways; likewise a good man will be rewarded for his ways.
- Heb 10:26For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
- John 5:24“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
- 1 Tim 6:9But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
- Rev 17:11The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.
- Jude 1:12–13These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
- Rev 17:8The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
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Christ at the center
Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.
How Hebrews 10:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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