Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
There are many ways to “draw back” from the truth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It seems that the Christian Hebrews had a tendency to “draw back” into a perversion of the Old Testament’s legalistic system which required some form of sacrifice or work to secure their salvation. Many believed that circumcision was absolutely required. In our day there are many types of works systems professed as necessary to either obtain or to secure one’s Eternal Salvation, most notable is baptism. In His final words on the Cross, the Lord denied all these works systems when He plainly and strongly declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30); that is, He alone had finished everything necessary to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). To “draw back unto perdition” is to have drawn back to the point that the Lord withdraws His Divine provision and protection, resulting in “perdition”; that is, the destruction of one’s life. This “perdition” is much like what the Lord told the northern nation of Israel, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.” (Hosea 13:9). To be so “destroyed” is to have been stripped of all joy and peace and happiness and reduced to a miserable state. Those who faithfully cling to the Lord, no matter what strange doctrines and practices are introduced to them, “believe to the saving of the soul”; that is, to save themselves from a living death of misery and anguish. It is a pitiful think to look upon those who have destroyed their lives by their unfaithfulness. Paul described it this way, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:1-3)! There is a salvation from misery and anguish, in this present life, for the Children of God who remain faithful to the simple and sincere truth of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God!