Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
Luther’s reaction to Hebrews includes: “This seems…to be against all the gospels and Saint Paul’s epistles,” and he questions whether Hebrews is apostolic; what does it reveal about the human heart (and our doctrine-protecting instincts) when a clear passage like Hebrews 10:26–29 feels so threatening that we want to dismiss the book rather than adjust our theology?
Another way to ask: What does it show about our hearts when a passage like Hebrews 10:26–29 feels so threatening that we want to reject Hebrews instead of rethink our theology?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The speaker portrays this as the human heart protecting a cherished system: when Scripture threatens “my gospel,” the instinct is to downgrade the passage—or even the whole book—instead of letting the full New Testament correct us.
- Luther’s words show the threat he felt: Hebrews “seems… to be against all the gospels and Saint Paul’s epistles,” and he doubts glosses can fix it because “the words are so clear.”
- The speaker interprets Luther’s move as an attempt to “erase Hebrews” because it “didn’t fit into Luther’s gospel.”
- Hebrews 10:26–29 is quoted with its severe warning about willful sin and “fearful expectation of judgment,” and the speaker contrasts it with “once saved, always saved.”
- He says Luther’s overall strategy was to create a gospel by “sweeping much of the New Testament under the rug.”
- He criticizes the proof-text habit: Luther’s doctrines can be supported by “plenty of proof texts,” but they “fall apart when we embrace the teachings of the entire New Testament.”
- He calls it dangerous to treat God’s Word like a document you can selectively ignore, comparing it to an attorney telling a judge to skip parts of a will.