Victor (Sung-Yul) Rhee 42 knowledge of the truth.”29 The Christological implication of the verse hinges upon the meaning of “the deliberate sin.” Which sin does the author have in mind in this verse? The use of the language in 10:26–31 suggests that the sin is unbelief, namely, the rejection of Jesus.30 The expression, “after having received the knowledge of the truth” (10:26a), refers to the enlight- enment they received with the reception of the gospel. A similar phrase is also used in the Pastoral Epistles to denote the conversion experience (1 Tim. 2:4; 4:3; 2 Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Tit. 1:1).31 Therefore, the immediate context reveals that “sinning deliberately” is rejecting the revelation that God provided through Jesus Christ. The consequences of rejecting the truth are described in the apodosis (10:26b–27). The expression “there no longer remains a sacrifice concerning sins” (10:26b) is the reflection of the “once for all” nature of Christ’s sacrifice for sins (7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:2, 10). The judgment described in 10:27, “a certain terrifying expectation of judgment and razing fire are about to consume the adversaries,” speaks of the final outcome of those who reject Christ willfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth, not the temporary discipline for believers. The deliberate sin refers to “a complete rupture of allegiance to Jesus Christ.”32 Thus it seems clear that this warning has a Christological basis.33 Second, the Christological orientation of faith may be observed from the comparison of the punishment between the old and the new covenant (10:28–31). The comparison is made by the use of a literary device called an a fortiori argument. The background of a violation in 10:28 is found in Deuteronomy 17:1–6, which indicates that the sin is referred to as “turning to serve other gods”. The implication of the argument is clear: “if the punishment of the offense in the Old Testament was physical death, how much more do you think the spiritual consequence of rejecting the Son of God is?” The result of the apostasy under the new covenant is far more severe than that under the old covenant. The participle of genitive absolute ἁμαρτανόντων in 10:26 expresses the condition. 29 Thus, this clause functions as the protasis in the structure of vv. 26-27. The present tense of the verb justifies translation of “if we continue to sin . . .” This idea is described in various ways throughout the epistle, such as “to drift 30 away (παραρέω) (2:1); “to fall away (ἀφίστημι) from the living God (3:12); to commit apostasy (παραπίπτω) (6:6); to sin deliberately (ἑκουσίως ἁμαρτάνω) (10:26); to reject (ἀποστρέφομαι) Him (12:25). Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 292. 31 J.K. Solari, The Problem of Metanoia in the Epistle to the Hebrews (S.T.D. diss., The 32 Catholic University of America 1970) 108. Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 292. 33