Hatred For Christ

March 4th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 10:28-29 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

In Deuteronomy 17:2-7 God gave Moses the stipulation for anyone accused of idolatry, bowing down to the sun, moon, or stars of the sky. After the accused had been investigated thoroughly, having at least two or three witnesses attesting to their idolatry, he or she would be put to death. A harsh penalty without mercy for a harsh crime—the breaking of the first commandment to have no other gods before the Almighty God (Ex. 20:3). This is what the Hebrews author is talking about in v. 28. But this argument is only the first part of his a fortiori argument—arguing from the lesser to the greater. His point is that if a Jew under the old covenant of Law was given the death sentence for willful sin (the lesser argument), “how much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” in v. 29 (the greater argument). If it was grave under the old covenant to sin willfully, it will be far worse in the new covenant (cf. vv. 26-27).

Note that the greater judgment under the new covenant for willful sin stems from three mockeries that characterize all apostasy. First, the one who has had the truth of the gospel preached to them but who has fallen away after initially receiving it (the apostate), “has trampled under foot the Son of God.” To “trample” (Gr. katapateō) means to stomp on; tread heavy upon with one’s feet. This word conveys hatred and disdain; inflicting merciless pain. So, to apostatize is a metaphor for taking the Son of God down to the ground and crushing Him. In short, when one willfully turns away from their Christian faith, they ruthlessly attack the person of Christ.

Second, the apostate “has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified.” Since Christ’s shed blood of the new covenant represents His life—a life He willingly offered for the payment of our sins to cleanse our guilty consciences—it accomplished what animal blood could not. So, to turn away from one’s faith in Christ is to regard His blood as “unclean,” the very blood that “sanctified”—made holy—the believer the moment he or she trusted in Christ. In essence, the apostate says, “I find Jesus to be repugnant to my sensibilities.”

Third, the apostate “has insulted the Spirit of grace”—the Holy Spirit who gives eternal life to sinners deserving eternal death. The Holy Spirit regenerates the unregenerate, seals believers, and indwells us—sanctifying us from unbelievers by setting us apart unto God. So, to apostatize is to “insult” (Gr. enubrizō) Him—to disrespect and offend the third person of the Trinity. Elsewhere, Jesus said, “I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:31-32, NIV).

The lesser argument made by the Hebrews author was that under the old covenant of Law on the witness of two or three a person would be put to death, losing his physical life. The greater argument under the new covenant, however, is that he who turns away from his faith in Jesus Christ will usher in his own spiritual death—the merciless eternal fires of hell. The entire a fortiori argument is quite sobering! Certainly it is no minor sin to trust in Jesus one day with full knowledge of the gospel and to willfully turn away from Him the next. This is not a warning about simple backsliding; it’s a warning about apostasy—all out rejection of Jesus Christ.

Food For Thought
There is an anti-Christian tract called “Dear Believer” published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation that captures the essence of what it means to trample Christ under foot. After mocking God and His creation, the tract addresses Jesus, saying, “And Jesus is a chip off the old block. He said, ‘I and my father are one,’ and he upheld ‘every jot and tittle’ of the Old Testament law. He preached the same old judgment: vengeance and death, wrath and distress, hell and torture for all nonconformists. He never denounced the subjugation of slaves or women. He irrationally cursed and withered a fig tree for being barren out of season. He mandated burning unbelievers. He stole a horse. You want me to accept Jesus, but I think I’ll pick my own friends, thank you. I also find Christianity to be morally repugnant. The concepts of original sin, depravity, substitutionary forgiveness, intolerance, eternal punishment, and humble worship are all beneath the dignity of intelligent human beings.