The Letter to the Hebrews concludes its tenth chapter with a line of demarcation: “But we are not among those who shrink back and are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved” (Hebrews 10:39). This is not a passive statement of identity; it is a call to a rugged, resilient form of faith. While popular culture often paints a portrait of the faithful as merely “meek and mild,” the biblical narrative and the annals of history suggest something far more robust. True faith is not the absence of fear, but the refusal to let fear dictate one’s stance in the face of injustice.
History is replete with the stories of those who refused to shrink back, but few examples are as piercing as that of Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds. In January 1945, at a German POW camp, the commandant ordered Edmonds—the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer—to identify the Jewish soldiers among his men. Edmonds knew that to comply was to send his brothers-in-arms to their deaths.
Instead of yielding, he ordered all 1,292 of his men to stand together in front of their barracks. When the commandant, seeing the entire line, drew his pistol and demanded that the Jews step forward, Edmonds did not flinch. He looked into the barrel of the gun and said simply, “We are all Jews here.”
Edmonds understood a fundamental truth: if we allow the “othering” of one, we lose the humanity of all. He saved over 200 Jewish soldiers that day, but he also saved the souls of every man standing in that line.
It is easy to admire Edmonds from the safety of the present, but his story serves as a mirror for our own era. We often wonder how we would respond if faced with a literal gun to our head, yet we are faced with quieter, more insidious tests every day.
Today, we witness a troubling resurgence of anti-Semitism, the systemic targeting of religious and racial groups, and a growing hostility toward the very concepts that protect the marginalized. In some circles, words like diversity, equity, and inclusion have been reframed as threats rather than goals. When we see the vulnerable being isolated or the language of dignity being stripped away, we are standing in that same prison yard in 1945.
The warning in Hebrews is stark: those who shrink back are “lost.” This loss is not merely a future theological concern; it is a present erosion of the self. When we remain silent while others are targeted, we lose our integrity, our purpose, and our connection to the divine image within us.
If we wish to be among “those who have faith and are saved,” we must recognize that our salvation is tied to our willingness to stand in the gap for others. Like Roddie Edmonds, we must find the courage to look at the forces of division and declare, “We are all one.” If we fail to find that voice, we are truly lost; if we find it, we honor the faith that refuses to retreat.
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