Gadfly's Muse

Hebrews 12: The Truth, Plainly Spoken

Image: "Stark Reality", 2013, Bar Harbor, Me

Hebrews 12:1–2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:3–5  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

Hebrews 12:10–11 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:28–29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

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If a modern advertising firm was tasked to "sell" the Biblical message I doubt they would package it using the teachings of this chapter.  Madison Avenue knows its customers.  They know the advertisements that "work", that gets America's attention and moves us to buy stuff, are empty promises.  The Marlboro Man is pictured as a ruggedly virile man, astride his horse, enjoying the scenery as he puffs his cigarette.  Madison Avenue would not picture him in a cancer ward after having one of his lungs removed.  You get my point.

In this chapter, we see the stark reality of a Christian life lived in a fallen world.  It is not pictured as a bed of ease, surrounded by rose arbors, with the gentle sounds of a classical quartet wafting gently in our ears.  No, what we see is the metaphor of a strenuous foot race, conducted in front of a huge audience of previous runners, who are intensely watching the event. (vs. 1)  We are the runners and it is no easy race.  Don't think of it as a flat track as in a college meet.  Think of it as a double marathon, run over the rough and hilly Scottish countryside.  It is easy to twist an ankle on the many large, loose rocks.  The hills are steep and the wind always seems to blow against you.  This race requires the very last ounce of your energy reserves and there are many who simply do not make it.

But we are told what every good runner knows: that we must focus on the end goal.  If we only see the immediate pain and hardship we will grow discouraged.  Our resolve will only be strengthened if we remember why we are running and recognize that whatever we have to endure, the end goal is worth it.  The author tells us that our end goal is indeed worth it:  It is Jesus Himself, the "author and finisher of our faith" who is there, at the finish line, excitedly awaiting our arrival.  He is our reward... and since He ran an even more difficult race than ours, we are His reward also.

The reason Madison Avenue would not advertise these truths is that Americans don't like the idea of "pain" and "chastizing."  An athlete does not build up his endurance apart from pain.  The old saying, "no pain no gain" is true in this regard.  So, Americans want "fun" and they spend their money on things that promise more "fun".  The Bible does not pander to this debilitating attitude.  The Bible proclaims the truth, plainly spoken.  Christianity is not always easy.  In fact, if it is always easy it is probably not Christianity at all. (vs. 8)  Christianity requires a developed discipline that culminates in endurance and God, prompted by His great love, coaches us through the training we need.

He "chastens those He loves". (vs. 6)  God knows that life in a fallen world is a dangerous journey (to mix metaphors).  Along the way, there will not only be obstacles to cross but enemies to withstand.  God's people must be spiritually tough.  The seeming paradox is that this "toughness" is manifested in meekness and humility.  When we face difficulties, rather than raging against our circumstances, Christians are called to accept the "stark reality" that difficulties are inevitable and then face them in a manner that glorifies God through Jesus Christ.  When we do this we find that it is to our "profit" (vs. 10) and it brings the blessed reward of being "partakers of His holiness."  Our struggles and chastening are direct contributors to advancing in holiness.  We are told that "afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it."  

That's what we have to remember, over and over again, as rising discouragement tempts us to just quit... to give in or to fall for Satan's whisper "what's the use?"  We must remember those who did fall and the shame of their failures. (vs. 14-17)  Let us renew our resolve, strengthen our knees, and remember the glorious prize for which we run:  the kingdom which cannot be shaken and the glorious God Who is a consuming fire. (vs. 28-29)

 

 

 

Hebrews 11: Sojourners & Pilgrims Going Home!

Image: "On The Lonely Way Back Home", 2013, Freeport, Me

Hebrews 11:13–16 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

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One of my favorite Kris Kristofferson songs is "The Pilgrim."  As a description of the restless poet walking through life, always "out of place", despising chains and obligations but always possessing a hollow space in the middle of his soul that only permanence could fill, it is excellent.  I never tire of hearing him sing:

He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home

A true poet is always seeking something beyond the mundane.  His or her eyes never rest contentedly on any beautiful vision before them because they know that it is only passing.  There is melancholy in every waking moment because, as the song says, he is "on his lonely way back home."

Though Christians, of all people, should not emulate such poets to any great degree, yet any person who possesses saving faith will have some overlap with them.  Christians know that they are to not despise the good nor despair over the transient beauty that is in it.  They know that every good thing comes from their good God above and that it is to be received with gladness.  Yet, at the same time, they also know that every good thing is a signpost, a one-way sign at that, pointing toward the end of their journey.  They are "going home" and there is a "hollow space" in their soul also, a restless yearning for the awaited promise to be fulfilled.

In these verses, we are given a fairly concise and elegant description of saving faith.  We see that there is an "otherworldly" aspect to it.  It consists of being "assured" of something not present... something "seen afar off" but yet is "embraced."  Like the poets, they readily "confess" that they are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth."  They earnestly desire "a better, ... heavenly country" where God has promised, and Jesus Himself guaranteed, that a "city" has been prepared for them.  

Saving faith has this effect on a person, inevitably.  It changes the way they see the universe and themselves in it.  They, of all peoples, even beyond that of godless poets, can have their hearts soar when contemplating something beautiful in this life, and yet, in a seeming paradox, they yearn for that ultimate beauty for which the present vision is only a down-payment.

Saving faith means that a person "embraces" this life.  The original word fundamentally means to "greet affectionately."  "Embrace" here is that of a joyful hug extended to a beloved friend or relative after a long separation.  The "next life" is very near and real in saving faith.  It is not some abstract philosophical premise.  It is inherent in the fabric of the life of faith itself.  When it is truly "embraced" then death loses its terror.  It was remarked of Christians in ancient Rome that: "They know how to die."  This is because to a person with saving faith, the long-desired "home" has drawn near.  They are apprehensive about the experience of death, of course, as is every person.  But they are not apprehensive about being dead.  

The old Gospel song proclaimed that one day "I'm gonna sit down beside my Jesus... and rest a little while."  Home is where the journey ends... there's no other place a person longs to be... nothing is missing... contentment, at last, is not only possible but attained.

Saving faith is just these things but these things are never absent from it.  This world must lose its hold on us before "saving faith" is fully present.  All of the Old Testament saints mentioned in this chapter had it.  All the NT saints had it in spades in an even more intense form.  Our joy in this life awaits only that we accept this life as passing and thus discount the bad, embrace the good, and understand that this is all part of the "lonely way back home."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hebrews 10:19-38 Let Us Draw Near... In Holy Fear

Image: "Approach With Care", 2010, Vicinity of Bertram, Tx.

Hebrews 10:22–24  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

Hebrews 10:30–31 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:36–38 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

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In this chapter, the author maintains a beautiful balance.  On the one hand, he exhorts us to embrace the incredible privilege we have been granted.  He calls on us to "draw near" to our God, fully assured that our High Priest has completely cleansed us from anything which would detract from our access.  He tells us that we must only "hold fast the confession of our hope" in this.  In other words, our faith is exactly trusting that we have been granted this privilege through the grace and mercy of our God and the mediation of our Christ.  Clinging to that faith is what gains us access to our God.  It is His gracious edict and is His covenant rule.

But, on the other hand, the author clearly states that the God to Whom we are called to draw near is the Almighty, Holy, Most Righteous, Jealous God.  He is the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, yea and amen.  But He is also the God of Moses, bringing down terrible judgments on Egypt and its Pharaoh.  This is He who rained down fire from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah as well as on the pagan offerings and the priests who insulted Elijah.  He is the God who healed the lame as proof that the apostles were indeed His emissaries, but He is also the God who struck down Ananias and Sapphira for their hypocritical arrogance and pride.  Is the picture becoming clear?

Here we read that after being exhorted to draw near in faith, we are told that if we sin willfully, in other words, we cling to our old sinful ways and want to have it both ways, that no "sacrifice" for such sins is possible.  He reminds us that even among those who profess to believe that there are "adversaries" (vs. 27) who have only the "fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation" awaiting them.

Our God is a loving God Who blesses us beyond measure and faithfully forgives the sins of those who sincerely strive to serve Him in righteousness and holiness.  But He is also the jealous God who declares that "Vengeance is Mine.... and ... I WILL repay."  In saying this He is not speaking to those nasty pagans outside.  He is speaking to "His people" whom He will judge. (vs. 30)

Then the author sums it up in the famous declaration:  "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."  Draw near in faith... but... approach with care.

As James will clearly teach us in his writings, God has zero-tolerance for "double-minded" professors of faith.  Our sin does not pose an absolute barrier.  Jesus paid a price sufficient for the redemption of the whole world... everybody that has ever lived.  But the price Jesus paid is efficient only for those who draw near to God in sincere faith, who have thrown all their lives down at His feet and said, in effect, "here am I, do with me as you will, O God, and thank you for the privilege of my salvation."

Modern ears don't like to hear these kinds of things.   We live in a culture where every child gets a prize for just showing up.  We cannot imagine a God so "narrow-minded" as to require total submission.  We are aghast at the idea that a loving God could also be an angry God.  We want a God who is "nice."  That means, we want a God who makes no demands and requires no obedience.  That may be what we want but it is not the God who confronts us and declares that we are responsible before Him for embracing Him as He is... not as our sinful hearts might prefer Him to be.

As was said earlier.  Our loving God has shown Himself faithful and long-suffering.  But He has also revealed that He is not a God that conforms to our will and desires... He is the God who requires that we conform to His!

 

 

 

Hebrews 10:01-18 - Perfected Forever!

Image: "Impressive Display", 2010, Hill Country, Tx

Hebrews 10:1  For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.

Hebrews 10:9–10  then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:11–14  And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

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A field of flowers such as the above presents a brilliant tapestry to our gaze.  Not everyone appreciates the same mix of colors in such images but given a mix they do enjoy, such a vision is entirely pleasing.  When viewed in large the individual flowers appear perfect, each adding its own shape, texture, and hue to the overall effect.  We know, of course, that if inspected closely we would see defects in each.  There would be insects crawling here and there, perhaps a jagged leaf or petal, or even some wilt.  But those things are not visible from a more distant perspective.  In fact, the flowers appear "perfect."

Throughout the years I have been thrilled by the biblical insight that God's purpose for all history is to build His own tapestry.  When viewed from the back, and up close, a tapestry appears to be nothing but a bunch of knots and woven threads, but turn it over, and the individual threads interact to produce a beautiful and complex design.  God's tapestry is constructed from individual lives, individually selected by Him, and woven into His History of Redemption.  Up close and personal, during this age, each life certainly has its defects and shortcomings, but one day, when the end of the ages has arrived, that tapestry will be "turned over" and there, beautifully laid out before God's eyes, will be His perfect composition.

Each thread, each life, that comprises that tapestry will be, on that day, perfect.  There will be no defects, no clashing hues, no detracting features at all, anywhere.  This tapestry accomplishes God's purpose to have all His creation shine forth before Him in God-glorifying brilliance.  A perfect achievement.

In these verses, the writer of Hebrews lays out for us how each of those individual "threads" will be made perfect.

Every human being born into the fallen world, apart from Jesus of Nazareth Himself, enters life defective.  Apart from intervening grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, each person so born will degrade even further.  Sin accumulates in our lives and there is no earthly cure for the damage it wreaks.  Needless to say, the only way a composite image of the human race can appear "beautiful" is if it is looked at from a distant perspective indeed.  Obviously, mankind is aware, in some manner, of this intrinsic degradation in all of us.  Over the centuries many human "cures" have been offered, usually in the form of various religious practices, mystic philosophies, or other such.  But, as verse 1 makes abundantly clear:  any "law" which men adopt and follow, seeking a way to heal their defects, will never and can never, make anyone perfect.

But God's eternal plan will not be stymied, not even by sin.  He, in His incredible wisdom, saw that the perfection of humanity has to be accomplished externally to each of us.  God Himself has to wash away the filth, rid the "flower" of attacking pests, and inject brilliance into faded colors.  And, what we must realize, is, that what God makes "perfect", no power in heaven or on earth can reverse.

Here we see the incredible power of verse 14:  For by one offering, He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.  The Lord Jesus Christ, by His one offering of His own body and blood, has accomplished what no mere human power could do.  He has made us perfect.  

That's hard for us to accept because we live "up close and personal" with ourselves and we are way too familiar with our imperfections, to say the least.  But though not perfect in this age we are already perfect in the age to come.  God does not exist in time and space as do we.  He is perfectly able to contemplate our actual, eternal status now.  He sees us as we really are, our eternal reality, not our present, passing, mutable self.  This is why the apostle John, in a very surprising verse, says that God's people "cannot sin".  What he means is that not even our present sinfulness in this age can alter that eternal reality.  God's grace has abounded in the face of abundant sinfulness.

Having done this, once and for all, obviously there is no need for any further offerings.  Once God has sanctified us and made us eternally holy, what further cleansing could be supplied?  There is none, of course.  Anyone who even suggests some further need for it is diminishing the work of our Christ and is to be soundly repudiated.

But for us, the beneficiaries of Jesus' work, what is left for us is to worship in passionate gratitude for this privilege and blessing.  We have been chosen to be beautiful in God's sight and that is worth any challenges we have to endure to fill our spot.

 

 

 

Hebrews 9: Ultimate Worship

Image: "Beautiful Sanctuary", 2010, Severn Run E. P. Church, Millersville, Md

Hebrews 9:7–9  But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—

Hebrews 9:12–14 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:27–28  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

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It's all about worship.  That's a bit oversimplified but not by much.  The purposes of God, which govern and occasion all that He does, is unto the end of His own glory.  All things exist unto the glory of God.  The scriptural metaphors speaking of creation bringing glory to God do so in terms of singing His praise.  (cf. Psalm 148)  Similarly (Psalm 150), God's people are to praise Him with all the instruments at their command.  These are the images of worship.  Worship is where the peaks are reached in bringing glory to God.  It's all about worship.

But we fallen men and women are unable to attain the peaks of worship.  The best we can hope to do is walk a bit up the path toward them.  We cannot even bring pure tithes and offerings because all of our possessions reflect our fallen status.  Now I must hasten to say that for Christians, those who have been born again into fellowship with God through Christ, we can indeed worship though still hampered by sin.  In this, we are blessed far above and beyond those outside of Christ who do not possess the necessary faith to even take the first step.  If they participate in a worship service their praise is insincere and worthless.  In a real sense, it is blasphemy.  So, Christians are greatly blessed in the degree to which they can worship truly and bring glory to God.

But we know that it is still inadequate.  Our present worship actually builds up the hunger inside us for the ultimate worship that one day we will be able to render.  We know that soon, perhaps very soon, we will be able to give God what He truly deserves.  We know this because here in Hebrews 9 we read of another "tabernacle", another "sanctuary", that has been perfectly sanctified unto the end of perfect worship.

All previous "tabernacles" (vs. 1-5) can only go so far.  They are "types" and "metaphors" for that heavenly sanctuary that yet awaits the people of God.  We have come a long way though.  The old Mosaic Covenant worship was far more deficient than our present worship. (vs. 8)  Jesus came in due time, however, as the "High Priest of the good things to come."  (vs. 11)  As such, He offered up His own blood on the cross (vs. 12) as the only perfect sacrifice for sin and thereby obtained "eternal redemption" for all His people.  This same blood is then "sprinkled" on the consciences of those who believe and thus purify them from all forms of "dead works" in earthly worship so that they may do works of true worship ("serve" - vs. 14) even now.  

Jesus did all this in order to guarantee that His people will receive their "eternal inheritance" with Him and will be able to sing songs of praise with Him (Heb. 2:12) without any spot or stain on their worship.  That will be the day of ultimate worship and it is absolutely secured for us by the work of Jesus Christ.

On earth, our worship is halting and limited, but the heavenly worship, having been purified by the blood of Christ as offered by our High Priest, the risen Jesus Himself, will know no limits nor imperfection.  Our Christ was "offered once to bear the sins of many" and we "who eagerly wait for Him" will render up perfect worship to Him when He appears "a second time, ... for salvation." (vs. 26-28)

Even now, though Easter is yet a few weeks away, we can pause in our daily busy-ness to rejoice in our blessed hope and praise God and give Him glory for the beauty of His salvation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hebrews 8: New and Much Better!

Image: "Opening A New Day", 2010, Millersville, Md

Hebrews 8:6  But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

Hebrews 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Hebrews 8:13  In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

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Perhaps my favorite flowering tree is the cherry.  Other trees, like the magnolia and pear, are also beautiful but the cherry tree excels in exuberance.  It has a relatively long blooming season and when a grove is fully decked out the effect is a "gladdening" of the soul and a rising joyful optimism.  Whatever is wrong with the world, yet this can be said, it has cherry blossoms.

We get that same sense of elevating joy in this chapter of Hebrews.  The writer has carefully laid out the superiority of Christ and the superlative benefits of a Priest from a different order than Mosaic priests.  This Priest, fulfilling the "type" of Melchizedek, will be eternal and "able to save to the uttermost."  What chapter 7 proclaimed regarding Him is joyously affirmed in verses 1 & 2 of chapter 8.  Hebrews 8:1–2  Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

This is the "main point" of all that has been said before.  The wondrous reality of the present age is that God has spoken to us through a Son.  This Son is superior to all the angels because He is just that, God's Son!  He is the One to whom we should give our every attention and every obedience.  And because He humbled Himself to become man and learned obedience, God has glorified Him to this very status of eternal High Priest where He sits at the right hand of God Himself.  He is a "Minister of the sanctuary of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle" which God Himself has erected. (vs. 2)

Please note that Jesus as our High Priest is seated.  The usual stance of a priest is standing, to deliver a blessing.  Jesus being seated combines His High Priesthood with His Royal Lordship.  He is Priest and King.  He is thus not only able to intercede for His people but also to rule and guide them.  He is sovereign over their salvation and redemption as well as their service and obedience.  Thus, in these combined roles, He certainly has attained "a more excellent ministry" (vs. 6).  

This represents a dramatic departure from the Mosaic covenant where the offices of priest and king were rigidly separated.  Thus Jesus has initiated a "better covenant" than that of Moses.  It is "better" not only because Jesus has assumed this status but also because it is grounded on "better promises."  A new day has arrived.  "Spring" has come in the season of God's People.  Rising expectations and hope are freely encouraged and bountifully rewarded.  What are these dawning promises so gladly embraced?  They are the benefits of the "new covenant" God has wrought for us.

In verses 7-12, God tells us that the prophecy given to Jeremiah centuries before has now come to pass.  Now God will be dealing in a new and exciting manner with His people.  Now He will not engrave His commandments on tablets of stone but will write them on the softened hearts of His people.  His Holy Spirit will transform their minds and humble their pride.  God's laws will be "in their mind" and they will meditate on them both day and night. (cf. Psalm 1)  They will "know the LORD" in the deepest, most intimate manner possible in this fallen world.  They will rejoice in the central proclamation that God is "their God" and that, out of His sheer love for them, they are His special people.  

Each day will dawn with promise and hope, something not really possible under the old Mosaic dispensation.  That is why we are told that it became obsolete and was "ready to vanish away." (vs. 13)  "What a joy divine" the old gospel song sings and it certainly is true.  When we, as Christians, truly soak ourselves in the wonders of our covenant relation to God, secure in the knowledge that our blessed Redeemer is our living Priest and King, then the sun shines brilliantly on our every waking day.  

Satan continually seeks to distract us and shift our focus to worldly ideas and false hopes.  He is a defeated foe whose sole vicious agenda is to add to our misery.  Hebrews chapter 8 is the effective antidote for all Satan's stratagems.   We have a temple, not built with human hands, which is the actual truth about all creation.  It is the eternal, holy precincts in which our ever-living Christ serves as our Priest and ensures no temptation shall defeat us.  Creation is also the promised land wherein God will one day complete His eternal plan to dwell with Men on earth (Rev. 21) in joyful fellowship and love.  Every day is Spring for us if we can only keep these promises before our eyes and treasure them in our hearts.  Every tear shall pass but God's love is certain and what He has said, He will do.

 

 

Hebrews 7: A Perfect, Guaranteed, Path...

Image:  "The Path Ahead", 2008, Covenant Village, Clearville, Pa.

Hebrews 7:3 (This Melchizedek)... without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

Hebrews 7:11–12  Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.

Hebrews 7:15–16  And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.

Hebrews 7:19  for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 7:24–25  But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.

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What we all want is a "sure thing."  Most of us don't like "taking a chance" on something.  If we are going to walk across a wooden bridge over a swampy gully, we want to know that the bridge will support us. (image above)  Although the thrill of gambling is the danger of losing, yet we rightly consider those addicted to it as having a mental illness.  When our lives are on the line, we want some guarantee.

How much more important is the case when eternal life is on the line?  

One theologian once answered an atheist with something like this:  If I am wrong and you are right, then after our death we will both be null and void and it won't matter.  However, if I am right and you are wrong, after death there will be a great difference between us.  In other words, the atheist was betting his life on a very tenuous idea.  When the stakes are this high, we should be seeking the greatest assurance we can find for the choice we make.

In this chapter, the writer of Hebrews is telling us that we have a "sure thing" right before our eyes.

To understand what he says we need to adopt the Biblical teaching about the "law of salvation."  This is important because the author tells us that there has been a "change" in the law.  (vs. 11-13)  Here he is not talking about the eternally unchanging law of "righteousness" summarily contained in the ten commandments which reflect the character of our glorious God Himself.  No, the "law of salvation" is God's gracious opening up to us the prescribed manner by which we are to seek and find salvation through faith and repentance.  This was the gracious "law" given in the OT in the form of sacrifices and priestly mediation.  We must not think that this law was somehow "works" oriented. It was not.  God, before sending His Son into our world, pointed His people's eyes toward this coming redemption by using "types" and "shadows."  Both the sacrifices and the priesthood were "types" in this sense.  Both pointed toward something "better" which was coming.

What the author here clearly proclaims is: when that which is "better", to which the old things pointed, actually comes, then those old things are obsolete.  The "law" changes because now there is a "better" sacrifice and a "better" priesthood.

And what a glorious sacrifice and priesthood it is.

Whereas the old sacrifices had to be done over and over again, the new sacrifice is once and for all.  It is done and cannot be repeated.  Whereas the old priesthood was made up of fallible men who were imperfect mediators of the coming salvation, the new Priest is of an entirely different "order" than they.  He is human as we are, yet He is perfect.  He is not just a new and improved man.  He is a Man of an entirely different category.  Like the OT "symbol" of Melchizedek, He lives forever and possesses a priesthood so far greater than that of the OT that, in effect, He was the source of whatever good things they did at all.  In effect, He it was who "blessed" the Aaronic priesthood. (vs. 6-10)

This new Priest is our "sure thing."  Because He "continues forever", He is "able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him!"  That's an unusual phrase, "save to the uttermost."  Salvation seems to us to be a binary thing.  We are either "saved" or we are not.  What the author is saying is that this Priest is able, through His eternal mediation, to save us from every possible instance that might reverse our blessed end.  He is saying that, as our eternal Priest, Jesus stands before God, in every instance and moment of our lives, and effectually pleas for our continued blessedness.  No matter what we do, no matter how weak we may be, no matter how shaky our steps, we will be saved "to the uttermost."

This is our "sure thing."  He is our guarantee that we can and should, "draw near to God."  His eternally active Priesthood opens up access to the Holy of Holies, the immediate Presence of our Father.  

How can we not place our entire lives on the line based on this assurance?  What further incentive should we require?  There can be no better seal offered.  Our Christ, Jesus, is the "surety" that has been given. (vs. 22)  He is all we need.

 

Hebrews 6: Broken Beyond Repair

Image: "Beyond Hope", 2013, Peggy's Cove, NS

Hebrews 6:4–6  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Hebrews 6:9–10  But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Hebrews 6:17–18 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

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This chapter contains one of the more difficult passages in all Scripture.  The questions raised by verses 4-6 occasioned much discussion in the earliest days of the Church, specifically with regard to those who, under torture or the threat of it, denied Christ and/or performed pagan worship practices as proof.  The "Novatians" argued that apostasy, for any reason including torture, was an unforgivable sin.  It was and is a prickly question.  On the other side, some early Fathers of the Church did not think the entire epistle should be granted canonical status because of this verse.  

But the church came to recognize the obvious power of the Holy Spirit in this epistle and has, for 2000 years, embraced it, and with good reason.  But that makes it even more important that we face the challenge of these verses and learn from them.

The key point to keep in mind, I think, is the centrality of Christ.  This is the principal doctrine of this entire epistle and it is certainly central here.  So, let's distinguish a couple of things.  This passage does not mean that committing external sins, under coercion, is unforgivable.  A Christian may find some threats intolerable.  Perhaps the idea of having his family slaughtered before his eyes is just too horrible to allow.  Yet, in his heart, he does in fact believe.  I do not think external acts, though they will be a great burden on his conscience, in such circumstances means the individual is eternally lost.  He does not have to "crucify Christ" again.

So, the issue then resolves to those people who truly, in their heart of hearts, turn away from Christ as their only hope for salvation.  These folks may have been raised in the faith by Christian parents, or had an emotional "conversion" and displayed the zeal of those discovering something "new."  But, like the second seed in Jesus' parable, the gospel did not find fertile ground and in time, they departed for some other "new" idea or returned to their old sinful lives.  

These folks have cut themselves off from Christ because they know the truth, to some extent, but reject it.  It is an act of their will. What this passage teaches is that as long as they reject Christ as He is offered in the gospel, as the One who has once died for the sins of His people and has thus offered up the only sacrifice there is for sin, then no other pathway is open to them.  Jesus would have to be sacrificed "again", in other words, He would have to offer some other sacrifice beyond what He has already accomplished.  This is blasphemy.

Therefore, we have to be careful with this passage.  We must not allow those, perhaps weaker, brothers and sisters, who have fallen into sin after confessing faith, to believe that they have no hope for salvation.  As long as there is faith, even that of a grain of mustard seed, repentance is possible and the joy of their salvation can be renewed.  God has sworn (vs. 17-18) that He will welcome all of those who flee to Him for refuge.  That refuge is found in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, and His perfect sacrifice on behalf of our sins.  If that hope remains in us, if we cling to it, though battered by Satan, tempted in the extreme, and sometimes falling, then we are not "broken beyond repair."  This is the strong "anchor of the soul" that safely moors us to our eternal inheritance.

However, returning to those whose apostasy is total, we must not hold out false hope.  If they have departed the true faith and laid hold on one of the many false religions clamoring for their souls, then they must be told that Christ has offered only one sacrifice for sins.  There is no other "way" to God.  No matter how strictly moral they are (eg. the Novatians mentioned above were strict moralists), their external "goodness" will be as filthy rags when standing before the judgment seat of God.  Their boat is, indeed, broken beyond repair.

 

 

 

 

Hebrews 5: He Learned Obedience... Incredible

Image: "Sympathetic Souls", 2013, Park Scene, Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, NS

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 5:5  So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”

Hebrews 5:7–9 ... who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

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There are some truths that are indeed imponderable.  By that I mean they simply are beyond penetration by thought.  The statements are true, absolutely, but the question "how can they be true?" is simply unanswerable by mortal minds.  We know that our One God is in Three Persons.  How is that possible?  It is possible because it is true.  It is confirmed by God's inerrant Word.  That's as far as we can go.

The verses before us today pose another such imponderable:  though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience! (vs. 8)  Let's pause for a moment... step back and simply let that sink in.  God called Jesus "Son"... therefore in some inscrutable manner Jesus as the Christ participated in the very Divine Nature that is God Himself.  He was of the same essence as God the Father.  As the Son, He was eternal though the concept of "time" does not apply to God's Triune sphere of existence.  Yet, as the eternally begotten Son, the Christ entered into the sphere of time and space and became the temporally begotten Son, Jesus of Nazareth.  He was joined to human nature without sacrificing any of His Divinity nor of transforming Jesus' humanity.  We are still in a state of wonder... how can we hope to comprehend these things?

But it goes further!  The Christ of God, by being joined to human nature, by participating in His own creation, "learned obedience!"  How can the All Sovereign God "learn obedience?"  There is no Higher Law to which He conforms.  The Triune God, with the Son included, is the source of all authority, power, and glory.  He is that which we call "right" and He is, in His Person, the opposite of that which we call "wrong."  He conforms to justice and righteousness because those things are defined by His Person.  He does not submit to righteousness... He IS righteousness.  Therefore the whole notion of "obedience" becomes perplexing to us.

Yet these verses say that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God did this very thing.  They also teach that He had to do these things.  The Divine Nature of Jesus Christ, properly that aspect of His Being which we call the Christ of God, somehow entered into the obedience which His human nature undertook and performed.  God learned what it meant to obey!  What does that mean?

God, in His Transcendent and Immutable Essence, is beyond human experience.  He cannot suffer since He is eternally content!  He dwells in incomprehensible splendor and eternally delights in His love.  How can He shed tears or bear grief?  These words are all we can say.  We can only wonder.  

But as a transcendent God, He is cut off from perfect "sympathy" with His suffering people.  The writer of Hebrews speaks of this in 5:1-4.  At the core of priesthood is the requirement for sympathy.  To minister to those who suffer, a priest has to know their pain, their grief, their heartache.  He must know them intimately for himself through experience before the plight of those to whom he was sent (vs. 4) becomes more than a simple academic understanding.  As a transcendent Being, the Son was, suggested in all humility, somewhat limited as an intercessor.  He was not fully "qualified" to be our High Priest.

But by being joined to a human nature a path was opened to Him.  He entered into human suffering with a vengeance.  He learned what it was to offer vehement prayers and heart-rending pleas.  He became acquainted, first hand, with what it meant to possess godly fear.  He suffered... He suffered more than any other human being that has ever been born of a woman.  He felt the burning power of rejection, betrayal, and contempt.  He knew the soul-agony of gripping terror that caused Him to sweat drops of blood.  He faced the reality of eternal Hell opened before His eyes with all its horror revealed and He knew, with deadly conviction, that He must drink the cup of God's wrath to the very last swallow.

This is obedience.  Few of us know "obedience" in any manner approaching this knowledge.  But Jesus, the Christ, learned it, and having learned it, he became fully qualified to be our High Priest.  We have a God, in Christ, who knows our pain and is fully sympathetic with us in it.  He knows the deep challenge of total submission to the will of God.  We face nothing in this life that will shock Him or confuse Him or be beyond His thorough understanding.

This is our High Priest!  This is what He had to do in order that He might take up that mantle.  Let us flee to Him and confide in Him and beg of Him!  He will not turn us away.  He knows our weaknesses and fears and stands with arms widespread, inviting us to Himself.  And, as the Son, His prayers on our behalf are effectual beyond question.  What a Savior, what a Friend, what a High Priest!

 

 

Hebrews 4: Resting In Faith...

Image:  "Soothing Power", 2013, Lepreau Falls, near St. Johns, NF, Ca

Hebrews 4:1–3  Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:8–10 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Hebrews 4:11  Let us, therefore, be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:13  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

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The writer here states, unequivocally, that "the gospel was preached to us as well" as the ancient Israelites.  That can be a bit perplexing but the context makes it plain enough.  When we think of "the gospel" as it was preached in Acts as the proclamation of the "Christ event" (His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension) that was still a mystery in the OT.  However that doesn't mean that there was no "good news = the gospel" preached to them.  Our ancient brothers and sisters had the "good news" in terms of a promise; a promise that would be fulfilled in God's timing and which would be ushered in by the promised "seed" of Eve and Abraham.  As Adam and Eve had the sacramental gift of the Sabbath, a day of rest, provided to them along with the promise inherent in the "tree of life", so all the ages of mankind passed with the goal of "eternal rest" as the coming Sabbath of God, held up before their eyes.

This "good news" was preached to the Israelite tribes and they desperately needed to hear it.  They were facing an arduous, perilous journey toward a "promised land" that must be wrested from the hands of deadly and determined enemies.  They faced a future full of toil and turmoil.  The promise of rest was good news indeed.

What our writer intends for us to understand is that we also have that promise.  These Hebrew Christians to whom he first wrote were also facing deadly foes and an arduous journey. They had to understand, as we must understand, that it is a journey of persevering faith.

Perhaps we should more carefully consider vs. 3 - For we who have believed do enter that rest... This verse points to some kind of present reality.  The writer speaks to all who have indeed believed... we who have believed... and then declares what that means:... are entering into rest!  The "believing" is an accomplished state but the "entering" is a process.  That's what the underlying original language imparts.  We might interpret it this way:  We who have believed are discovering rest.  The writer here teaches us that by embracing the risen Lord Jesus Christ and recognizing His rule over all things and our duty to serve Him in our daily lives, we find rest and peace, and joy.  Biblical "rest" is not inactivity.  Biblical rest is more akin to shalom, the state of being content in the knowledge of our own blessed state.  

When we first believe this state of "rest" may not be as all-encompassing as it could and should be.  As we grow in our faith we discover more and more depth to the Lord's sovereign authority in our lives.  All those things which once were causes of deep distress, anxiety, fear, turmoil, etc. begin to be less so.  Those things which contribute to the actual quality of life like trust, the optimistic expectation of blessing, self-control, sincere love of others, etc. more and more dominate our walk.  Thus we "enter into" rest in this life as an outworking of the living seed of faith in us.  

But the writer does not let us begin to wonder if "this is all there is!"  As comforting and encouraging as the rest we faith brings in this life, yet he says: "there remains a rest for the people of God."  (vs. 9)  Now we can see that it just gets better and better.  Whatever we experience of the peace of God in this life, we are assured that the rest that awaits us is a magnitude of difference better.  Our ultimate rest will not be different in essence from what we experience here but it will be tremendously different in degree.  So much so that we could almost say that it is "night and day" different.  This prospect gives even greater depth to our enjoyment of God in this life as we reflect on our experiences with Him through faith and understand that it's just a taste of what we shall have.

Truly we who have believed are entering into our rest.

Perhaps someone reading this might think:  "I don't have a clue what he's talking about!"  Perhaps "rest" is not a first-hand experience for you.  This might make you think that you must not really believe since faith is the key that opens the door to faith.  On the one hand, you may be right.  If that is the case then perhaps you should reach out to a trusted Christian friend of pastor/elder and ask about finding peace.  However, on the other hand, you may, in fact, have faith that is only the size of a mustard seed.  If that is the case then know for certain, that if that seed is watered and nurtured, it will bring forth the fruit of peace.  Again, any trusted pastor or Christian friend could help with this. 

The bottom line:  Jesus Christ died so that we (read "you") may have peace with God and with our fellow man.  Let us not fall into unbelief as did our ancient brothers and miss out on that peace as they did.