Continuing in the Bible book of Hebrews, the early audience of this document had remained confident through persecution before, and chapter 10 reminded them that they needed to keep doing so. However, in contrast to those who were thinking about giving up, the next mini-series of articles begins a famous chapter in the Bible about those who did not give up when it would have seemed easier to do so.
While you may have heard sermons and lessons on Hebrews 11 before, let’s start with what I think is a key transition verse from chapter 10.
But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
Hebrews 10:39 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.10.39.NIV
There are two groups described here:
- The first group is made up of those who “shrink back”. When trials, hard times, or persecution show up, they want to back away from their faith. When they leave their faith behind, though, they have abandoned their only lifeline – their only way out of sin’s consequences. As a result, they “are destroyed”.
- The second group is made up of those who have faith. This verse does not say that their lives are somehow exempted from trials and trouble while they walk this fallen world, but it does remind us that our faith keeps our soul safe. (And, by the way, this faith isn’t in ourselves; this faith is in an all-powerful and loving God who can be counted on to fulfill His promises, including His promises to save us.) We – like the faithful in the first century – will be saved in the end if we keep our faith in Jesus Christ.
I want to be careful here, and remain sensitive to current events, but let’s consider those around the world who have been attacked by bombs dropped from aircraft, missiles, or attack drones. Specifically, I am thinking about those who happen to have a robust system of bomb shelters nearby, where people can go when an alert sounds. (Residents of London during the second World War would be a historical example.)
Let’s imagine that a bunch of citizens are in the same shelter, and there is an active bombing going on – so much so that leaving the shelter and going up and out onto the street is almost certain to leave you right in the path of incoming explosives. However, in this semi-hypothetical situation, an argument breaks out, and one person is really laying into someone else. Maybe one sheltered resident doesn’t like the other one, or maybe two people of different ethnicities (or nationalities or faiths) are there and there is animosity between them.
So, when one of these two parties decides they have had enough, what do they do? Do they endure the persecution and get through it, all the while remaining safe within the shelter? Or, do they just leave the protection of the bunker and walk back out on the street, where they are certain to be killed?
As I see it, faith in Jesus Christ (along with God’s faithfulness) is the shelter that protects us, both in this life – especially when we are under attack – and in eternity. As a result, our faith – our or lack of faith – has real consequences. And, no petty squabbles on this earth, or even great trials and suffering that we might endure during this mortal life, are worth abandoning our faith for.
And, our choice whether or not to believe in God and trust that He is good – that choice is expected to impact both His actions towards us, and our own choices. So, while the latter part of chapter 10 reminds us that we need to remain in the faith, chapter 11 provides some concrete examples of what that looks like.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for April 12, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
