Hebrews 10:39
Hebrews 10:3939But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
"We are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith" (NWT 2013). The Watchtower reads "shrinking back" as abandoning organisational loyalty — leaving the Truth, associating with former members, or failing to endure in service. Faith is then read as continuing active loyalty demonstrated through programmed activity.
is the positive half of the faith-versus-retreat antithesis that runs through the book. The "shrinking back" the author warns against is specifically retreat into the old sacrificial system — Jewish-Christian readers tempted to go back to animal offerings rather than trust Christ's one offering. Verse 38 cites ("the righteous will live by faith") and verse 39 contrasts the faithful with those who shrink back. Faith here is what saves — "of those who have faith and preserve their souls" — not a specific form of organisational participation. The verse is an encouragement to endure in trusting Christ, not an exhortation to preserve membership in a specific religious institution. Pair with (Christ has "perfected for all time those who are being sanctified") for the ground that makes endurance possible.