Hebrews 12:18

Misinterpretations of Hebrews 12:18 often include viewing it as a dismissal of the Old Testament Sinai event as irrelevant or inferior without recognizing its role in revealing God's holiness and preparing for Christ, leading to an unbalanced supersessionism; others erroneously apply it literally to forbid physical gatherings or outdoor worship associating with mountains, ignoring the metaphorical contrast between old and new covenants; some misuse it to justify antinomianism by suggesting the law's terror is entirely obsolete without heeding the chapter's call to reverent endurance in discipline and holiness.

Hebrews 12:18 contrasts the believers' current spiritual reality under the new covenant with the terrifying approach to God at Mount Sinai under the old covenant, where the mountain was marked by touchable fire, blackness, darkness, and tempest, evoking fear and inaccessibility; the core truth is that Christians now draw near to God not in dread of condemnation but in the grace and assurance of their heavenly citizenship in Mount Zion, highlighting the superior intimacy and safety of the new covenant relationship.