Vengeance is Mine, I Will Repay | God Will Judge His People

(Hebrews 10:26-31 – Vengeance is Mine, I will Repay)

There is a powerful message in the words of these verses. Vengeance is mine, I will repay. These are the words of God to His people. He is the great judge and His righteous judgement will come upon all people, for good or for evil. No person will escape the judgement of God, either in this age or the next. The Day of Judgement approaches. A day of reckoning will come to pass.

But beneath these words there is a powerful message for the people of God. If judgement belongs to God, and it does, then we are not to judge. God is the judge, not us. We have been called to learn mercy and compassion and forgiveness. These are aspects of God’s love and as we walk in and with Christ we are called to learn His love.

We do not know what God is doing with and in other people. They may have to go into all kinds of situations that are difficult, even sinful. But the Lord may also be preparing them to see the light. Often a person does not see the light until they recognise the darkness they are in. And in that recognition they seek the light and repentance. But for those who choose to stay in the darkness and reject God, His righteous judgement will come upon them. As He says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”

Vengeance is Mine – On Sinners

There will be a day of vengeance on all who choose to sin. Every person who has or will ever live is born subject to sin. The sin factor is “baked in” to human nature. We inherited this sin factor from our forefather, Adam. No-one is righteous as this scripture tells us.

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands, no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:9-18)

Every person is in the same position when they are born. And all sinners will suffer the judgement of God.

But there is an even more important lesson in the words of Hebrews 10:26-31. Consider this scripture:

26 For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

Judgement on Christians

In these words from Hebrews 10 we should note that it is especially addressed to Christians. It is telling us that there will be judgement against Christians who continue to do wrong. And it isn’t talking about those who slip up and make mistakes. These are those who deliberately sin after coming to Christ. And it is against Christians as well as the world that God says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

The writer of Hebrews opens this section talking about those who have come to a knowledge of the truth. And I am afraid to say that many people in the modern church are not yet in this place. They have not received the knowledge of the truth. That is a problem for the ministers of the church. If they do not have the knowledge of the truth, then how can they teach others? And I know this may be a provocative statement that many will reject, but that rejection is based upon ignorance.

Jesus came to save sinners. As John the Baptist stated in John 1:29

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

And also Jesus said;

31 Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

So, if Jesus came to take away, not just forgive but to take away the sins of the world, then why do so many Christians still believe they are sinners? And Jesus Himself said that the “Truth will make you free.” So, if you have been set free by the truth, why do so many Christians suffer under the slavery and bondage to the laws of Moses? You have been set free, but while you continue to accept the bondage of the law, you cannot be free.

And there are many other scriptures that talk about freedom from sin, righteousness by faith, freedom from law, and more. Just read the book of Galatians and the chapters 3 to 8 in Romans that talk of these things. This is why I say that many Christians have not yet received the knowledge of the truth. Their churches do not teach it and so how can they learn?

So, back to Hebrews 10, the writer is speaking about Christians who are quite advanced in the knowledge of the truth. It is they who will be harshly judged by God if they DELIBERATELY sin. These are the ones he is writing about when it says, “The Lord will judge his people.”

The Warning – Vengeance is Mine, I Will Repay

Finally, we see in these words that we must all take warning in these words. God is a just God, righteous and holy in all His ways. His justice will prevail in all situations, and He will take vengeance upon all who sin.

And we must remember that the judgement of God is just. He will repay everyone according to what they have said or done in the most appropriate manner. His judgement is just and appropriate because He knows and understands the minds and hearts of those who will be judged. He knows those who will reject Him and those who have simply made a mistake, but continue looking towards Him. His justice is not harsh. His justice is fair and appropriate.

Man’s justice is often disproportionate to the crime. In some cases man judges harshly against those who do not deserve it. And sometimes man does not judge harshly enough when a more severe judgement is called for.

But this is not the case or the way with God. His justice is always appropriate to the sin. This is why He said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” rather than leaving judgement and vengeance in the hands of men.

We are not called to be judges. We are not called to repay or take vengeance on others, even if they have hurt us. Our call is to pray for our enemies and show them the way of God through our behaviour, in the hope they will seek Christ.

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