Interesting. It appears that the Church has ALWAYS had to deal with apostates, so it is not surprising that men will fall away. I believe in the very earliest Church, apostasy was considered the worst of sins - even unforgiveable. But I believe Jesus also admitted that such would not be the end.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Mat 24:5-6
Many will believe they have the answer in contradistinction to the Church's proclamation of the Gospel - have fallen away from the community - but the end is not yet...
Have you gone on sinning willfully after coming to a knowledge of Christ? Do you feel there still remains a sacrifice for sins in your case?
Me personally? I can't remember when I willfully committed a deadly sin, after my reversion. If I had, I am certain that I had confessed it and had returned to Christ, as the Prodigal Son.
Regards
People make the mistake of thinking apostates are those who lose their salvation. I would say (with the support of John) that they never really had it to begin with. They are the people who, like Balaam, prophesy in God's name but never are true believers and are those who cry our, "Lord, did we not prophesy in your name...". They exist to lead the flock away from God.
I can't remember when I willfully committed a deadly sin, after my reversion. If I had, I am certain that I had confessed it...
It doesn't say a "deadly" sin. It says that if you sin "willfully" and, of course, you have willfully committed a sin after you came to Christ. We all have. We're rebellious children. If we were to take your interpretation then once we willfully commit a sin Heb 10:26-27 states there is no longer a "sacrifice for sin". Pretty scary and, no, it doesn't give us an option of confessing our sins. It plainly states that if we sin "willfully", we're doomed.
I'm simply showing that Hebrews verse cannot be interpreted the way you're interpreting it without ALL of us losing our salvation. It ties in nicely with what John and Paul talks about Christians no longer "practice sin" which is what I believe the writer of Hebrews is saying - there are those who hear the word but they continue to practice sin. Putting aside all the Calvinistic nuances, they have the laws and ceremonies. If once they have heard and received the "knowledge of truth" (in the sense of the gospel of their salvation) and revert back to their own ceremonies, there is no sacrifice for sins. They can go to the temple and kill all the fated calves they want but it won't do any good.
I’m not a good person to be talking to about Hebrews. Most writers from various persuasions believe that this section is about apostates. A few believe it talks about people losing their salvation. In my mind, and at the risk of sounding pompous (why stop now right???) :O), they’re both wrong. I believe Hebrews (and particularly chapter 10) is nothing more than an altar call to the Jews. Christians have tried to glean Christian applications from it where there are few. In fair warning I believe I’m the only one who interprets this book this way so it puts me outside the normal teachings of the fathers-any fathers and I may be a HERETIC on this matter. I rarely quote from Hebrews and I don’t like discussing Hebrews because I don’t interpret it the same way everyone else does. It doesn’t have anything to do with Calvinism. I’ve held this view of Hebrews for a long time.
The Church fathers (and Luther) want to leave Hebrews out. I kind of think it’s interesting that God would leave it in as a perpetual call to the Jews; a tad ironic.