Hebrews 6
1 “Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection; not laying again the foundation
of repentance from dead works,
and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying
on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment.”
Wherefore (since it is so
incumbent on us to advance out of the state of milk-fed
infants), leaving
the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us press on unto
perfection (τελειότητα – teleiotaeta – perfection; maturity = continuing the
image of maturity). The proper translation of τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ
Χριστοῦ λόγον –
ton taes archaes tou
Christou logon – the principles of the
doctrine of Christ;
the of the beginning of the Christ word - is doubtful, the question being whether
τῆς ἀρχῆς (the beginning) is to be connected with λόγον (doctrine; word) as an
adjective genitive (so taken, as above, in the Authorized
Version; compare ch.5:12,
στοιχεῖα τῆς ἀρχῆς – stoicheia taes archaes – first
principles; elements from the
beginning),
or with τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the word of the beginning of Christ, meaning
discourse concerning the first principles of
Christianity. A further question is
whether the writer merely expresses his own intention of proceeding
at once in
this Epistle to the more advanced doctrine, or whether he
is exhorting his
readers to make spiritual progress, using the first person plural, φερώµεθα, -
pherometha – we
should be being brought - (as in ch. 2:1 and 4:1, φοβηθῶµεν –
phobaethomen - we may
be being afraid) out of sympathetic courtesy.
The correspondence of this delicate form of exhortation
with that of the
earlier passages, the very words φερώµεθα, “let us be
borne on,” “press
forward” (implying more than mere passing to a new line of
thought), and
τελειότητα (which expresses personal maturity, not advanced subject
of
discourse), as well as the earnest warnings that follow
against falling back,
seem to necessitate the second of the above views of
the meaning of this
verse. The writer has, indeed, in his mind his intention of
proceeding at
once to the perfect doctrine; for he hopes that what he
thus exhorts them
to do they will do, so as to be able to follow him; but
exhortation, rather
than his own intention, is surely what the verse expresses.
Not laying
again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
towards God, of
the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands,
and of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. What was
meant by τἀ στοιχεῖα (the elements; principles,etc.),
and τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς
(from
the beginning, etc.),
is here specified under the new image of a
foundation on which a superstructure should be raised (for
the same
figure see I Corinthians 3:11, a further instance of Pauline
modes of thought).
Of course no disparagement of the importance of this
foundation is implied:
it is necessary for the superstructure: it has in itself
the elements of the
superstructure, which rises from it in the way of growth.
What is meant is,
“With us this foundation has been already laid; I will
not suppose any need
for laying it anew: let us, then, go on to contemplate
and understand the
building that rests on and rises from it.” The
fundamentals enumerated are
six — two essential principles of the religious life, and
four heads of doctrine;
for the word διδαχῆς – didachaes – of
teachings rules
βαπτισµῶν – baptismon –
of baptizings and the three succeeding
genitives, but not µετανοίας
– metanoias –
of repentance and πίστεως – pisteos – of faith which precede. These are the
fundamentals, or first principles, of
Christianity; but (as has been
intimated)
so defined as to express no more, by the
language used, than what even
enlightened Jews might accept and understand.
Fully understood, they carry
the Christian superstructure; but they are such as a “babe” in Christ might
rest content with; without seeing their
ultimate bearing. The principles first
mentioned are repentance and faith, the requisite qualifications for baptism,
the essence of John the Baptist’s
teaching, and announced by Christ at the
commencement of His ministry as
the first steps into His kingdom: “The
compare also Acts 20:21). By the dead works, from which repentance is
to be,
the Fathers generally understand simply sinful works, which may
be so called
because of
sin being a state of spiritual death, and having death for its wages
(comparre
“dead in trespasses and sins,” Ephesians 2:1), or as being in
themselves barren and fruitless (τοῖς ἔργοις
τοῖς ἀκάρποις
τοῦ σκότους
–
tois ergois tois
akarpois tou skotous – the unfruitful works of darkness
Ephesians 5:11). In an enumeration of elementary principles
like this,
the allusion, supposed by some commentators, to the deadness of “the
works of the Law,” as set forth by Paul,
is not likely to have been
intended. The faith spoken of is not faith in
Christ, but simply “faith
towards God,” which is, of course, the foundation and necessary
preliminary of Christian faith. The reason for the
expression is to be found
in the writer’s intention to specify only the first
principles of the gospel, in
which the Christian was still on common ground with the Jew
(John 14:1,
“Ye believe in God, believe also in me”). The four fundamental doctrines
follow.
(1) Of baptisms. Observe, the word is not βἀπτισµα – baptisma, invariably used
elsewhere for Christian baptism, but βαπτισµὸς – baptismos – dippings;
washings, and
that in the plural, βαπτισµῶν (of baptizings). In other passages
βαπτισµοὶ, denotes the various
lustrations practiced by the Jews — “washings of
pots and cups” (Mark 7:8); “divers washings” (ch. 9:10). Hence we may suppose
these to be included in the general idea, and also the
Jewish baptism of proselytes.
On the other hand, the elementary doctrines of the gospel
being here spoken
of, there can be no doubt that the doctrine of Christian
baptism is in the
writer’s view, but only with regard to the first simple
conception of its
meaning, which it had in common with other symbolical washings,
the
significance of which was understood by enlightened Jews
(compare John
3:10, “Art thou a master of
(2) The doctrine of laying on of hands. This
also was a Jewish rite,
understood as signifying the bestowal of blessing and of
power from above
(compare Genesis 48:14; Mark 10:13), and was, as well as
baptism, adopted
into the Christian Church, acquiring there a new potency.
The apostles practiced
it for conferring the gifts of the Spirit after baptism
(Acts 8:17; 19:6), for ordination
(Acts 6:6; 13:3; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6), and also
for reconciling penitents
(I Timothy 5:22), and for healing’ (Mark 16:18; Acts
28:8). Mentioned here
immediately after “the
doctrine of baptisms,” and in an enumeration of elements
in which all Christians were concerned, we can hardly fail to understand special
reference to the imposition of hands after baptism, i.e. to confirmation.
The two
remaining doctrines of:
(3) the resurrection
of the dead, and
(4) eternal judgment, were also understood and generally accepted by
enlightened Jews, and at the same time are necessary to be
mentioned for a
complete account of the foundations of the Christian faith.
These foundations are, as has been seen:repentance and
faith (qualifying
for admission into the Church), and then the
doctrine of remission of sins
(expressed and conveyed by baptism), of enabling grace
(expressed and
conveyed by confirmation), of the life hereafter,
and of final judgment. Of
these an elementary conception was level to even babes in
Christ, fresh
from Jewish training; fully
understood, they form the basis of the whole
structure of the highest CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. It is obvious from the
purport of the passage why neither the historical articles
of the creed in which
Christians were instructed (see I Corinthians 15:1-8; I
Timothy 3:16), nor the
doctrine of the Eucharist (which belonged to the more
advanced teaching),
are included in this enumeration of the στοιχεῖα (elements; principles).
3 “And this will we do, if
God permit.” i.e. press on to
perfection, as aforesaid,
if only (as we firmly hope and trust, see v. 6, etc.)
you are still in a state in which
God will permit advance; for (as is set forth in the
following verses) there may
be a retrogression
from which recovery is impossible.
The Evil of Inability to Apprehend the
Deeper Truths about Christ
(ch. 5:11-ch. 6:3)
This begins a parenthesis continued to end of Hebrews 6.
The writer has
come to the chief illustration of his great theme — the preeminence of the
Lord Jesus; but
he has hardly entered on this section before he feels himself
unable to give full utterance to what he sees of the Redeemer’s greatness,
because of the dullness of spiritual perception in his
hearers. He fears their
religious condition will prevent their following him as he
tries to scale the
more inaccessible heights, and he cannot restrain an utterance of sorrow,
and a solemn warning of the connection between ignorance
of these things
and apostasy from the Son of God. The subject of the whole parenthesis,
therefore, is — The danger of apostasy which lies concealed
in the
immature
apprehension of Christian truth; but of the part, in these verses,
the following is the subject — The evil of
inability to apprehend the deeper
truths about
Christ.
LORD JESUS. “Of
whom we have many things to say” (ch. 5:11),Why
should the writer preface this
particular part of his subject with a reference
to its difficulty, since no such
reference is attached to the equally profound
truths of previous chapters?
There is no necessity to attach this reference
only to what follows; it may
look backward as well as forward. The apostle
is in the midst of his theme — the greatness, the fullness, the preciousness
of Christ, which he knows not
how to utter — and is more likely to feel
its
difficulty there than at the
beginning.
Ø The
treasures hidden in Christ are, of necessity, infinitely great,
because He is the Revelation of the character and will of
God.
“In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
(Colossians 2:9)
o
He is the perfect expression
of God’s love to man.
o
He is the Fountain of
all good.
o
He is the embodiment
of what the Father desires us to
have and be.
o
He is the utterance
of what God would say to man.
When we think of Christ,
therefore, we are but children standing
on the shore of an ocean
whose further side has never been seen
nor reached, and whose depth no human line can fathom.
Ø But, in as
far as this is revealed through God’s Word, IT IS
INTENDED TO BE UNDERSTOOD!
It will
require an endless
life to understand
it perfectly.
Growing knowledge resulting in
growing gratitude, love, and
devotion, — this,
perpetuated without
end, is the bright
future before us. But, however much we cannot
know in the present, Scripture contains a revelation of such
fullness in the
Savior as the wisest and best have not
yet understood
and appreciated; and what is
revealed here and now, is obviously
intended here and
now to be apprehended. We cannot
overrate the
Savior’s desire to reveal
Himself, the deep things of His heart, and
the best glories of His nature
to His beloved, nor the Father’s will
that, as far as on earth it can
be received, that revelation should be
theirs.
TREASURES. “How is it that ye do not understand?” (Mark 8:21)
Why do we know so little about
Christ? Why are the Scriptures to us
to a great extent sealed? This
passage reveals three reasons for this.
Ø
Spiritual feebleness. The Hebrews had lost
their early religious vigor.
“When by reason of the time [since ye became Christians] ye ought to
be,”etc. Their condition was one of retrogression. (See what
they
had been once: “Ye endured a great fight of afflictions” – ch.
10:32).
They had become vacillating, and ready to return to Judaism. A feeble
and deteriorated
piety was one reason for their dullness of hearing.
That is natural. Christ’s riches
are spiritual, and can only be
understood
by spiritual perception. Let spiritual power
decline, and ability
to
understand Divine truth declines
with it. “The
fear of the Lord is the
beginning of
wisdom” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10); “The secret of
the Lord is with them that fear Him and He
will show them His
covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)
Ø
Intellectual prejudice. They desired to return to Judaism; its ancient
glories still fascinated them,
and they were predisposed to accept any
teaching aimed to show the
untruth of Christianity. That was enough to
account for their being dull of
hearing. Skepticism is made, more than by
anything else, by
unwillingness to receive the
truth. The mind that allows
its personal desires to decide
what is truth must become
increasingly
incapable of
discerning truth when it is placed
before it. Nothing more
surely blinds than prejudice.
Ø
Sinful inattention. “Every one that partakes of milk [i.e. not able to
partake of the solid food of
Divine truth] is without experience
[i.e.
has not made himself acquainted
by observation and. study] of the
Word of righteousness;… but solid food is for full-grown
men, even
those who,”etc. That is, spiritual
discernment, an apprehension of
God’s deep
things, IS
THE RESULT OF USE! Inability to
understand IS
THE JUDGMENT ON INATTENTION. Scripture
is a sealed, book
to THE HEART THAT NEGLECTS IT!
HINDRANCES OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY IS TO BE ATTAINED.
Ø
For Christ, as revealed in the Word, is spiritual nourishment. The
truth about Christ is “milk”
and “strong
meat.” Christ is the essence
of Scripture, and He is “THE BREAD OF LIFE!” (John 6:48)
What nourishing food is to
the body, therefore, the Word of God
is
to the Divine
life in man. On participation on it
that life depends.
Ø There is a
distinction drawn here between those truths which merely
sustain and those which increase life. What is the “milk”?
Those first
necessary principles recorded in
vs.1-2. There we have the
essential life-giving points (not quite such a “simple gospel” as
some
think!). The doctrines of:
o
repentance,
o
faith, the Holy
Spirit,
o
Christian service,
o
the resurrection, and
o
the judgment –
these are the “milk.” What is the “strong
meat”? The deeper, fuller
truths about Christ set forth
here. His:
o
character,
o
work,
o
relation,
o
grace,
o
Son of God and Son of
man,
o
our Prophet, Priest,
and King,
with the height and depth,
and length, and breadth of meaning all
this involves.
(Ephesians 3:16-19)
Ø Christian
maturity depends on the partaking of truth in these higher
forms. They ought to be “babes” no longer, but “strong
men;” and
how? “Let us cease to
speak of the first,” etc. The method by which
this Epistle seeks to arouse a
lukewarm and enfeebled Church to
higher things is the presentation
of these higher TRUTHS
CONCERNING THE SURPASSING GLORY OF THE
SON OF GOD!. “Grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ!”
(II Peter 3:18)
4 “For it
is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have
tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy
Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the
world to come, 6 If they
shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son
of God afresh, and put Him to an
open shame.” It is not, of
course, implied that the Hebrew Christians had fallen
into the condition thus described, or were near it; only that
such a condition might
be, and that, if
they went back instead of advancing, they might
arrive at it. The
process intimated is that of COMPLETE
APOSTASY from the faith after real
conscious enjoyment of the gifts of grace. In such a case the
hopelessness of the
fall is in proportion to the privileges once enjoyed. This is the
drift of the
passage, though other views have been taken of its meaning,
which will be
noticed below. “Once enlightened” denotes the first
apprehension of the
light, which could be but once; when those that saw not
began to see
(John 5:39); when the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ shone
once for all upon believers (II Corinthians 4:4); when
(according to the
cognate passage, ch.10:26; compare Ibid. v. 32) they
received the knowledge
of the truth. The verb φωτιζω – photizo - means in the Septuagint “to
enlighten by
instruction,” and was in common use in the
early Church to
express the enlightenment that accompanied baptism; whence
baptism itself
was called φωτισµὸς – photismos - light. Since the
expression was thus
commonly used as early as Justin Martyr, there may probably
be in the text a
special reference to baptism as the occasion of the
enlightenment. But, if so,
more is meant by the phrase than “those who have been once baptized:” an
inward spiritual illumination is plainly pointed to; and it
would not have
been said of Simon Magus (Acts 8:13) that he had been “once enlightened”
in the sense intended. And this is indeed the real meaning
of φωτισµὸς
as applied to baptism by Justin Martyr, as his explanation,
above quoted, shows.
(I deleted the quote as it was Greek and it would take too
long to translate
and then I probably wouldn’t have gotten it right! CY – 2014)
So also
Chrysostom (‘Hem.’ 116.), “The heretics have baptism, but not
enlightenment (φωτισµα); they are baptized indeed
as to the body, but in
the soul they are not enlightened; as also Simon was
baptized, but was not
enlightened.” This consideration is important in view of
one misapplication
of the passage before us, which will be noticed below. But,
further, those
whom it is impossible to renew unto repentance are supposed
not only to
have been enlightened, but also to have “tasted
of the heavenly gift,” the
emphatic word here being apparently γευσαµένους – geusamenous – tasting;
have
tasted - they have had experience as
well as knowledge (compare Psalm 34:8,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;” and I Peter 2:3, “If so be ye have tasted
that the Lord is gracious”). The word δωρεᾶς – doreas – gift - is elsewhere used
both for that of redemption generally (Romans 5:15-17), and
especially, and
most frequently, for the gift of the Holy Ghost (compare II
Corinthians 9:15,
“Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift”). They have become also
partakers of the Holy
Ghost, not merely been within the range of His
influence, but actually
shared it; and tasted (the same word as
before, and
with the same meaning, though here followed by an
accusative) what is
further spoken of. The expression ῥήματα – rhaemata - occurs, Joshua 21:45;
23:15; Zechariah 1:13, for gracious Divine utterances. The idea of the
Word of God being what is “tasted” may be suggested by Deuteronomy 8:3,
quoted by our Lord in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proeeedeth out
of the month of God.” By the powers
(δυνάµεις - dunameis) are to be especially understood (as in ch.2:4 and
elsewhere in the New Testament) the extraordinary ones in
which the gift
of the Holy Ghost was manifested, the χαρίσµατα – charismata – gifts –
of the apostolic Church. But why said here to be µέλλοντος
αἰῶνος –
mellontos aionos – of the impending eon; of the world to come? For the
meaning of this expression, see under ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡµερῶν τούτων
(these last days - ch. 1:2), and οἰκουµένην τὴν µέλλουσαν (the world to
come – ch.2:5). It denotes the predicted age of the Messiah’s
triumph. And
if (as has appeared most probable, and as µέλλοντος
here seems evidently
to imply) that age was regarded as still future, not
properly beginning till
the second advent, still the “powers” spoken of are of
it, being earnests and
foretastes of a new order of things (compare Ephesians 1:14, where the
“Holy Spirit of promise” is called “the earnest of our inheritance;”
also
II Corinthians 1:22; 5:5). There
are other passages in which Christians are
regarded as already in the dawn of the future daybreak, and irradiated by
the coming glory. The falling away (παραπεσόντας – parapesontas – falling
aside) after
such enlightenment and such experience means (as aforesaid)
TOTAL APOSTASY from the
faith. This appears from the
expressions that
follow, and still more from those in the cognate passage,
ch.10:26-31. Such an
utter apostasy was possible to Hebrews oscillating between
Church and
synagogue: they might be so drawn at last into the
atmosphere of the latter as,
with the unbelieving Jews, to reject with contumely, and so
to themselves
re-crucify, the Son of
God. The force of “to themselves” is illustrated by
Galatians 6:14, where Paul says that he so glories in the
cross of Christ that
through Christ the world is crucified to him, and he to the
world; i.e. all
fellowship between him and the world is broken off. So here
the ἑαυτοῖς –
heatois – to
themselves - implies the breaking off of all
fellowship with what
a man is said to crucify. They crucify again the Son of
God, repeating what
their fathers had done formerly when they gave Him over to
the death of the
cross; and this, be it observed, still more culpably, since
it is after personal
experience proving Him to
be “the Son of God.” And
they not only make Him
as one dead to themselves: they also expose Him (παραδειγµατίζοντας –
paradeigmatizontas – put Him
to an open shame; holding Him up to infamy –
compare
Numbers 25:4, Septuagint) to the reproach and mockery of the
world.
Be it observed next what is said of those who do this — not
that no repentance
can henceforth avail them, but that even unto repentance
it is impossible to renew
them. Such falling
away after such experience precludes the possibility of
repentance. On such persons
the powers of grace have been exhausted.
It is not in the nature of things that they should return
to Christ, or see the
things that belong unto their peace any more. The correspondence
between
the state here described and the consequence of the “blasphemy against the
Holy Ghost” (Matthew
12:31; Mark 3:28-29; Luke 12:10) suggests itself at
once; our Lord’s words, in speaking of that unpardonable sin,
being rightly
supposed to point to obduracy
in spite of experience of the Holy Spirit’s
power. Especially obvious is the correspondence with Luke’s
account
of the Savior’s warning — one of the not infrequent
instances of
resemblance between our Epistle and the writings of that evangelist.
For
Luke records the saying as spoken, not to the Jews on the
occasion of
their attributing Christ’s works to Beelzebub, but to the
disciples
themselves, after a warning to them against “the leaven of the Pharisees,”
and against being moved by the fear of men, and immediately
after the
words, “He that denieth
me before men shall be denied before the angels of
God.” Compare also
the “sin unto death” spoken of by John (I John 5:16).
Misconceptions of the drift of this passage, once
prevalent, or
possible, remain to be noticed.
(1) It has been from
early times a main support of the strict Church
discipline according to which deadly sin committed after
baptism precludes
readmission to Church communion. It was so cited by Tertullian as early
as the second century (‘De Pudicitia,’
cf. 20), and in the third used to
justify the Novatians in their
refusal of communion, even after penance, to
the lapsi. The
passage, as above explained, was really irrelevant, since it
refers, not to the treatment by the Church of penitents,
but to the
impossibility of some persons being brought to penitence at
all.
(2) The Catholic
Fathers, rightly rejecting the Novatian position,
generally
understood the text as forbidding the iteration of baptism;
thus turning it
against the Novatians, who
re-baptized those who joined their communion.
So Ambrose, Theodoret, and
others. But, though their position on this
subject was in itself sound, the passage, as above
explained, is as irrelevant
to it as to that of the Novatians.
(3) This, and the
other texts referred to in connection with it, have led
some Christians to despair of salvation, however anxious
for it, under the
idea that they had themselves committed the unpardonable
sin. This
desperate view goes beyond that of the Novatians,
who only precluded
from Church communion, not of necessity from the mercies of
God
(Socrates, ‘Hist. Eccl.,’ 4:21).
But the very state of mind of those who
entertain such fears is a sign that they are not of those
to whom this text
applies. They cannot have entirely fallen from grace, if
they have the grace
to repent and long for pardon.
(4) Calvin’s predestinarian views compelled him and his followers to do
violence to the plain meaning of the passage. Holding the
doctrine of the
indefectibility of
grace, which involved
(a) that one really regenerate cannot
fall away, and
(b)
that consequently one who falls away cannot have been really
regenerate, he had to explain
away the clauses descriptive of the grace
enjoyed, as meaning only a
superficial experience of it. With this view he
laid stress on the word γευσαµένους (have tasted) as meaning “summis
labris gustare” (to get a light taste of). Only dogmatic prejudice could
have suggested such a sense of
the word as intended in this place, any
more than in ch.2:9, where it is
plainly inadmissible. Nor can an impartial
reader fail to see in the whole
accumulation of pregnant clauses an intention
of expressing the very reverse
of a mere apparent and delusive experience
of saving grace. The depth of
the experience is, in fact, a measure of the
hopelessness of the fall. Article XVI. of the
against all the erroneous
conclusions above specified.
The Relapse for Which There is No
Restoration (vs. 4-6)
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted
of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the
Holy Ghost, And have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of
the world to come, If they
shall
fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him
to an open shame.”” Let us
honestly and earnestly endeavor to lay aside our
theological prepossessions, and
to apprehend and set forth the
meaning of this solemn portion of sacred Scripture.
We have in the text:
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,” etc. Here is a cumulative
experience of gospel blessings.
Ø
Spiritual illumination. “Those who were once enlightened.” The mind
and heart of the unrenewed man are in a condition of spiritual
ignorance and
darkness. The wicked are “darkened
in their
understanding.” (Ephesians 4:18) In conversion men “turn from
darkness to light.” (Acts 26:18)
In the case described in the
text man has been enlightened as
to his spiritual state, his need of
salvation, and. the salvation
provided in Jesus Christ (compare
Ephesians 1:17-18).
Ø
Experience of gospel blessings. “And tasted of the heavenly gift.”
Tasted is not to be taken in the
sense of a mere taste, but personal
experience, as in ch.2:9, “Taste
death for every man;” and I Peter
2:3, “If so be ye have tasted that the
Lord is gracious.” In the case
before us, man, through Christ,
experiences the forgiveness of sins,
and peace with God, and
spiritual strength.
Ø
Participation in the
presence and influences of the Holy Spirit.
“And were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.” They share in His
instructing, comforting,
sanctifying presence and power. “The
Spirit of God dwelleth in” them (I Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9).
Ø
Experience of the excellence of God’s Word. “And tasted the good
Word of God.” Probably
there is a special reference to the comforting,
encouraging, strengthening power
of the inspired Word. Or the good
“word.” is the word of promise, and the tasting of it is the experience
of its gracious
fulfillment. The use of the Hebrew
equivalents supports
this view (see Joshua 21:45;
23:15; Jeremiah 29:10; 33:14; Zechariah
1:13).
Ø
Experience of the spiritual powers of the gospel age. “And tasted the
powers of the world to come,” or “the age to
come.” The expression
“signifies a personal experience of the mighty energy and saving
power of the
gospel.” Here, then, the religion of
Jesus Christ is
exhibited as;
o
a gracious light in the intellect,
o
a blessed experience in the heart, and
o
a practical redemptive power in the life.
How complete and exalted is
the personal
Christian experience thus
delineated!
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him
to an open
shame.”
Ø
Of falling from an exalted spiritual condition. We have noticed the
advanced development of
Christian character and the full enjoyment of
Christian privileges sketched by
the writer; and now he speaks of falling
away from these great and
gracious experiences. The higher the exaltation
attained, the more terrible will
be the injury sustained, if one should fall
from such a height.
Ø
Of incurring the darkest guilt. “They crucify to
themselves the Son of
God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” The crucifixion of
the
Lord Jesus was THE BLACKEST CRIME in all the dark annals
of
human wrong-doing. And
if any one having really and richly enjoyed
the blessings of the gospel of Christ should
fall back into sin, renouncing
Christ and Christianity, he would repeat in spirit that terrible
crime. It is
often said, “My sins nailed him to the tree!”
There is a sense in which
this contains a deep truth The crisis of the conflict between
the
kingdoms of good and evil took
place in the death of Christ: the
highest manifestation of good in
Him, the highest manifestation
of evil in the persons of those
who saw the divinest excellence,
and called it Satanic evil. To call evil good, and good evil, to call
Divine good Satanic
wickedness, — there is no state lower than this.
It is the rottenness of the core
of the heart; it is the unpardonable
because irrecoverable sin. With
this evil, in its highest development,
the Son of man came into
collision. He died unto sin. The prince of
this world came and found
nothing congenial in Him. He was his
victim, not his subject. So far
as I belong to that kingdom or fight in
that warfare, it may be truly
said, the Savior died by my sin .... I am
a sharer in the spirit to which
He fell a victim.” But is such a fall as
this really possible? To us it
seems that the teaching of the Bible and
the moral nature of man admit of
but one reply as to this possibility.
o
The hypothesis of the
text is not an idle one. It is inconceivable
that the Holy Spirit of God should have
inspired the writer to
mention so awful a fall if it
had been an utter impossibility.
o
The many warnings
against apostasy which are addressed to
Christians in the sacred
Scriptures witness to the possibility
of such apostasy. This
letter to the Hebrews is one long and
powerful warning,
persuasion, and exhortation against falling
away from Christ.
o
The constitution of
our nature shows this fall to be possible.
We are free either to
loyally serve God or to wickedly rebel
against Him, and must ever
remain so, or moral distinctions
would no longer be applicable
to us.
renew them again
unto repentance.” This “impossible” may not be
enfeebled into “very difficult,”
or other similar expression, as may be seen
by an examination of the other passages
of this Epistle in which it is found
ch. 6:18; 10:4; 11:6). The reason of this impossibility is
the moral character
and condition of those of whom
(should there ever be any of such
character) it is predicated.
Having once experienced the Divine renewal,
they have utterly fallen away
from it, and now scornfully reject the
only power by which
their renewal could be effected. The mightiest
spiritual influence in the
universe, even the love of God in the death of
Jesus Christ for the salvation
of sinners, is derided by them. “They crucify
to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
They tear him out of the recesses of their hearts where he had
fixed His
abode, and exhibit Him to the
open scoffs and reproach of the world, as
something powerless and common”
(compare ch.10:29). If men have
insulted God, poured contempt
upon His Son, counted the blood of the
covenant as an unworthy thing,
grieved and quenched the Holy Spirit,
what can possibly remain of a
remedial kind? The inquiry is one on
which
reason may expend its powers.
What remains after God has been exhausted?
Let the Christian earnestly heed
the solemn warning of our text. “Watch
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation;” (Matthew 26:41)
“Give diligence to
make your calling and election sure; for doing these
things, ye shall
never fall.” (II Peter 1:10) The surest way of guarding
against this terrible fall
is to aim at and seek to realize constant spiritual
progress. “Therefore leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Christ,
let us go on unto
perfection,” (v. 1).
The Critical State of Backsliders (vs. 4-6)
Passages like this we naturally avoid. There is reluctance
to face its
difficulties. We dread lest a hasty admission of certain
premises may lead
us to terrible conclusions. But
since backsliding, falling away, is a
melancholy reality among believers, it is above all things needful that the
possible results of backsliding should be considered. The backslider’s
present condition we know; but one thing we may not
distinctly apprehend
until it is pressed upon us by solemn utterance of the Holy
Spirit, and that
is the future into which the present may lead.
EXCEEDING GREAT PRIVILEGES. He who was enlightened by a great
steady light, shining on him
once for all, has yet fallen back into practical
darkness. He is not in darkness
because the light has gone, but because he
has shut it more and more from
the inward eye. The light is there, more
and more rejoiced in by
persevering believers, but he has become
willingly
negligent of the
benefits. The free, peculiar gift of
Heaven, Jesus Christ
Himself, once accepted, is now
despised. The Holy Spirit of God, the great
Pentecostal communication dwelling
with the backslider, is yet shut out
from the sympathies of his
heart. Renewing and sanctifying work has
ceased. The good Word of God, heavenly truth, heavenly promises,
all that
God has given as
daily bread for the hungering inward life, all that shows
how man liveth
not by bread alone, but by every word proceeding out of
the mouth of God, — all this has lost
its relish. The powers of the age to
come, so much greater than
any powers of the present age, are little by
little left
unused. We have an actual instance of
the backslider in Demas.
“Demas hath
forsaken me, having loved this present world.” (II Timothy
4:10) Demas had been put in the midst of heavenly light and
heavenly food
— nay, more; he was in the
companionship of one who had received all
these heavenly things to the
full, and profited by them as much as any man
ever profited. It is not a little treasure from which the backslider turns,
under the dominion of carnal
affections.
WEAKNESS. The theory
of many is that if good things be put before a
man he is sure at last to
welcome them to his heart, and get all that they
have to give, even to their
innermost influences. But the fact for
which
God’s Spirit
would ever prepare us is that this present world is an object
very
fascinating. These glorious gifts of
God in Christ Jesus mean that we
must persevere in an arduous and
lengthened effort to get at their fullness.
The backslider is one who does not trouble to pierce the phenomena of
grace, and so lay hold of the
spiritual realities. He forgets his
weakness, or
rather he does not
rightly believe how weak he is. Here
is a new meaning
of the saying, that when we are
weak then we are strong; for, knowing our
weakness, we distrust ourselves,
and keep ourselves open to the inflowing
of God.
PASSAGE. It is
impossible to renew the backslider again to repentance.
So the passage plainly says; and
if we take it in isolation and in bald
literalness, it gives the backslider but a poor prospect. And yet the
backslider is the very one who
needs encouragement. We must not,
therefore, let this word “impossible”
so fill the field of thought as to
exclude the most hopeful
considerations. Jesus said it was easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to get into the
kingdom of heaven. But it is
impossible for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle. Therefore it is
impossible for a rich man to get into the
kingdom of heaven. It must be distinctly put before the mind WHAT A
BARRIER WORLDLY
POSSESSIONS ARE and then the hope-inspiring
word comes in, “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Yea,
with God it is
possible to turn the backslider into the right way again, and
set him forward
with a recovered love and a strengthened heart. We do
not know but what Demas came back again, and
furnished in the end a
crowning proof of how great are
the opowers of the world to come.
7 “For the
earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon
it, and
bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom (for
whom) it is dressed,
receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth (But if it beareth)
thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be
burned.” (literally, for burning; compare Isaiah 44:15, ἵνα ᾖ ἀνθρώποις εἰς καῦσιν –
hina hae anthropois kausin – Then it shall be for a man to burn; In
order to be
human in burning ). The illustration is apt and close. Observe that the “land
which
hath drunk,” etc., is the
subject in v. 8, as well as of v. 7, as is shown by the absence
of an article before ἐκφέρουσα – ekpherousa – bringing
forth; that which beareth.
Hence the unproductive as well as the fruitful
soil is supposed to have received,
and not only received but imbibed also,
abundant supplies of rain. Its failure is
its own fault, and it is regarded as responsible for it,
and deserving of its final fate.
This exactly illustrates the case of those who “fall away” after not only receiving
abundantly, but also taking in so as to be filled with the “gracious rain” of the
Holy Spirit. The only difference is that in their case, free-will being
a constituent
of their productive power, the responsibility figuratively
attributed to the land
is real (compare Ἑκουσίως γὰρ ἁｵαρτανόντων
– Ekousios gar hamartanonton –
For
if we sin wilfully, ch. 10:26).
For similar illustrations drawn from
unproductiveness in nature in spite of culture, compare Isaiah 5:4 and Luke 28:23.
The ”blessing from God” refers to the
view, pervading the Old Testament, of
fruitfulness being the result and sign of the Divine
blessing on the land (compare
Genesis 27:27, “The
smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath
blessed”).
And it is further implied that
incipient fruitfulness is rewarded by
more abundant blessing,
according to our Lord’s words, Matthew 13:12,
“Whosoever hath, to him shall be given,” and John 15:2, “Every branch
that
beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it
may bring forth more fruit.” The “thorns
and
thistles,” connected
with a curse on the ground, seem suggested by Genesis 3:17-18,
ἐπικατάρατος
ἡ γῆ
ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου …… ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους
ἀνατελεῖ σοι -
epikataratos hae gae en tois
ergois sou……akanthas kai tribolous
anatelei soi –
cursed is the ground for your sake…..thorns
also and thistles will it bring for to
you - Septuagint
(compare “Cursed shall be the fruit of
thy land,” Deuteronomy
28:18). It is to be observed, further, that the land, though bearing thorns instead
of fruit, is not spoken of as yet under the final curse, but only nigh unto it, so
as
to avoid even a remote suggestion that the Hebrew Christians had actually reached
THE HOPELESS STATE. But, unless fruitfulness should ensue, they
are warned
of the inevitable end by
the fate of thorns and thistles, which is, not to be garnered,
but to be burnt (compare
II Samuel 23. 6, “The
sons of Belial shall be all of them as
thorns thrust away....
and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place;”
compare also Deuteronomy 29:23, “The whole land thereof is brimstone, and
salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth
thereon” — A STATE OF FINAL HOPELESS BARRENNESS).
No Standing Still in Religion (vs. 1-8)
This thought underlies the whole passage. To pass into
God’s kingdom means
TO MOVE WITH IT! It is impossible to
maintain a halt in the Christian
life; to stand still is to fall away.
This perfection is twofold:
o
maturity in
religious knowledge, as a means;
o
full development
of spiritual life, as the end.
It is sinful to remain only a
babe in Christ, and. to have no wish to grow.
Note, that to “leave
the first principles” does not mean to abandon them.
Rather, we are to leave them as
a tree leaves its root, and yet never lets it
go; as a full-grown man leaves slop for solid food, and yet does not abjure
the use of milk; as a building
leaves its “foundation” (v. 1), and yet rests
its whole weight upon it. When
the foundation-principles are once securely
laid, that work should be
regarded as settled and done with; what remains
is, to proceed with the
superstructure. The apostle instances, in vs.1- 2,
a few of the elementary
principles, connecting them together in couples.
Ø
Two inward experiences. (v. 1.) Repentance and faith, being
indispensable to the very
beginning of the life of piety, occupy
a primary place among the
foundation-doctrines of Christianity.
Ø
Two outward ceremonies. (v. 2.) Rites
and forms are merely the
external framework of religion.
Advanced piety uses them only
as means and helps to
spirituality.
Ø
Two future events. (v. 2.) The doctrines of the
resurrection and of
the judgment, with its eternal issues, are rudimentary doctrines;
because the idea of responsibility to THE
SUPREME is one of the
simplest conceptions
connected with religion. Of such elements as
these six was “the simple gospel” composed in the apostolic age.
If to our minds these
clauses savor of
“strong
meat” rather than of
“milk” is not that an indication that Christians in these times are
troubled with weak digestion? We
need grace to
appreciate the
apostle’s admonition (v. 1)
and to realize the hope which he
expresses (v. 3).
4-8.) These verses drop from the
apostle’s pen like live thunderbolts. There
is a solemnity in them which it
is impossible to exaggerate. This passage is
confessedly difficult — to all,
at least, who accept the doctrine of the
perseverance of
the saints. As we believe, however,
that this doctrine is
very clearly taught in
Scripture, both by our Lord and His apostles, the
declension here referred to must
be that of professed believers who were
never true
believers. Notice, then:
Ø
The lofty privileges which apostates may enjoy. (vs. 4-5.) An
unrenewed man may be well instructed in the doctrines of grace,
may enjoy the study of saving
truth, may experience the operations
of the Spirit, may be filled
with the happiness which the gospel brings
(Matthew 13:20), and may even obtain glimpses of the eternal glory.
But these
attainments will avail him nothing so long as HE
REMAINS UNRENEWED! That faith is spurious
and ephemeral
which is based only upon the
moral evidence of the truth, and which
is not
connected with GENUINE CONVERSION WITH GOD!
Ø
The aggravated wickedness which apostates may commit. (v. 6.)
They may “fall away” FINALLY and IRRETRIEVABLY. “By
their fruits ye
shall know them.” (Matthew 7:16) Sooner or later
the unfruitful field will be
covered with a harvest of “thorns and
thistles” (v. 8). False professors may abandon the gospel:
o
to return to Judaism,
or
o
to plunge into atheism, or
o
to sink into immorality, or
o
to degenerate
into worldliness.
And in the bitterness of
their malice against the cross in which they
once professed to glory,
such persons take rank with the long
succession of those who in
their lives repeat spiritually the dreadful
CRIME OF
Ø
The fearful destruction into which apostates may fall. (vs. 6, 8.)
Deliberate apostasy from Christ,
on the part of one who has known
Him intimately, destroys by a
natural law the very capacity for
REPENTANCE and SPIRITUAL LIFE! Confirmed
impenitence
extinguishes the eyes of the
soul, and makes the heart “past feeling.”
(Ephesians 4:19) High-handed,
malicious resistance of the Holy Spirit,
culminating in
outspoken blasphemy of Himself and His work,
— THAT IS THE
UNPARDONABLE SIN! Those who commit
such wickedness are“rejected” even here; and THEIR
FINAL
DOOM shall resemble that
of the barren land, “whose end is to be
burned.”
In spite of all appearances —
only he is a Christian who has undergone THE
NEW BIRTH and who is living
the new life of LIKENESS TO CHRIST which
flows from it.
Teaching From the
Here is a reminiscence of the parable of the seed in the
four kinds of
ground. The soil becomes invested with a kind of personality.
One thinks,
too, of that fig tree which the Lord withered up. And it
may not be so
entirely fanciful, as at first it appears to give land a
sort of individuality; so
that one piece of soil will behave in one way, and another
in another. If, for
instance, there be any real basis for the reputation
attaching to certain
vintages, it must come from some indefinable quality of
soil. At any rate,
we can imagine two different kinds of land, such as are set
before us in this
passage.
POSITIONS WITH REGARD TO THE BENEFITS OF DIVINE
GRACE. Just as two
contiguous pieces of land have the same copious
showers falling on them, so two
men may come under the same religious
influences. There may, perhaps, be
peculiar spiritual advantages in one
district which are lacking in
another, though even so much as this has to be
said guardedly; for we must
believe that in the end all men shall have
enough light to throw upon them
the responsibility of neglecting salvation.
(“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men.” - Titus 2:11) But one
thing we do see, that men, so far as we can
judge, under the same spiritual
influences, meet those influences in quite
different ways. One is attentive, the
other negligent. One is receptive,
the other unresponding. Nay, as the illustration puts it, both may be
receptive, but differently receptive, so
that there are very different
ultimate results. The earth is represented as drinking
in the oft-recurring
showers. One man drinks in the grace and.
truth of God so that they
energize all the powers of his
heart, and
he puts forth corresponding
fruit. Another drinks in God’s
truth, seems to
appreciate it, but when
the result is looked for nothing
comes but noxious
growths.
CORRESPONDING JUDGMENT.
If one man is fruitful of good
works, and another fruitful only
of evil ones, then God will treat the men
correspondingly. Compare with
the illustration here, the parable of the
talents. God is not arbitrary. It is we who determine how God shall treat us
ultimately, for He treats men on great eternal principles. It is for
men to be
wise and diligent in time, and
recognize the principles. It is sometimes
asked why thorns and briers and
wasting weeds have ever had existence.
The answer may be that these
were first of all made to be illustrations to
men. Thorns and briers are burnt
without hesitation, that the very seeds
and germs of them may, if possible,
be blotted out of existence. And if men
will put out from their lives —
from lives that have been so divinely blessed
— nothing but thorny and briery
products, then they must expect these to
be for burning. ALL
EVIL THINGS MUST PERISH! Our folly is in
building up the evil which must
go, rather than the good which will remain.
9 “But,
beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that
accompany salvation, though we thus speak.”
Here, as in ch.4:14, warning is
succeeded by words of encouragement and hope. The reason for
not only a hope,
but even a persuasion, that God
will keep them from apostasy, is given
in the
following verse.
10 For God
is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love,
which ye have shewed
toward his name, in that ye have ministered
to the saints, and do minister.” It appears that the Hebrew Christians had
formerly (some especial occasion being probably referred
to) been active in
their charity towards fellow-Christians in distress, and
that such charity had
not ceased. On this is grounded the persuasion that they
will be kept steadfast
in the faith. Those who had so shown their faith by their
works would surely
not be allowed to lose it. The very idea of the Divine
justice implies that the
use of grace, thus evidenced, will
be rewarded by continuance of grace.
Compare Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very
thing, that he which
hath begun a good
work in you will perfect it (ἐπιτελέσει – epitelesei –
will perform it
until
the day of Jesus Christ;” where also there is reference
to deeds of charity, shown in the case of the
Philippians by their sympathy
with the apostle in his bonds, which
charity he prays may “abound yet more
and more in
knowledge and in all discernment.” (Ibid. v. 9)
No difficulty
need be felt in this reference
to God’s justice, as though it involved the
doctrine of human merit, de congruo or de condigno,
claiming reward as of
debt. The simple and obvious
view,
that God, in virtue of His justice, will be
most gracious to those who have used
His grace, by no means contravenes
the doctrine of all grace being the free gift of His bounty (compare I John 1:9;
Romans 2:6, etc.). Observe, too,
as bearing on the idea of this passage, how
the will to do the will of God is said by our
Lord to be followed by knowledge
of the doctrine (John 7:17), and
how works of charity are the very tests of the
final judgment (Matthew
25:31-46m).
Ministering to the Saints (v. 10)
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work,” etc. Our text leads us to
consider the ministry to the saints in three aspects.
still do
minister.”
Ø The nature of
this ministry. Pecuniary
aid to the poor. Saints may
be in secular poverty. Lazarus the saint was an afflicted
beggar;
the man who was not a saint
was “rich, clothed in purple and fine
linen, and fared
sumptuously every day.” (Luke 16) “Did
not God
choose them that
are poor as to the world to be rich in faith?”
(James 2:5). The persons
addressed in our Epistle probably
sent contributions of money to
certain of their fellow-Christians
who were in poverty (see Acts
11:29-30; Romans 15:25-26;
I Corinthians 16:1; II
Corinthians 8 and 9). Sympathy
with the
afflicted and
persecuted. “Becoming partakers with
them that were so used”
(i.e. reproached and persecuted).
“For ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds,”
(ch.10:32-34). A worthy tribute this to most noble and
beautiful
conduct. Such ministering to the saints was especially becoming
in the disciples of Him who “bore our griefs and carried
our
sorrows,” (Isaiah 53:4) and who “came
not to be ministered unto,
but to minister,” etc. (Mark 10:45)
Ø
The continuousness of this ministry. “And still do minister.”
Their
kind feeling did not expend
itself in one effort or in one contribution.
Their conduct in this
respect is exemplary. We shall do well if we
imitate them (ch.13:16;
Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:10; I John 3:17).
Name.” They ministered to the saints because they loved God. This
is the
noblest of motives. Let us
consider it. It involves:
Ø
Gratitude to God. They ministered to
those who were His, because He
had done so much for them.
Gratitude eagerly inquires, “What shall I
render unto the
Lord for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalm
116:12)
We serve Him by serving His
saints.
Ø
Devotion to God. This ministry was expressive of
more than gratitude to
God. The Christian’s love to God
is more than gratitude to Him. It
includes reverent admiration of
Him, and willing consecration to Him of
the heart’s holiest feeling and
the life’s best service. And ministry to His
saints for the love which we
have for Him Hhe accepts as ministry to
Himself. “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
(Matthew 25:40, 45).
Ø Recognition of
the common relationship to God of both the givers and
the receivers of this help. They showed their
love toward His Name by
this ministry, because they felt
that they and those to whom they
ministered were alike His
children. They realized their common
brotherhood, hence they voluntarily shared their afflictions. This is
the most exalted motive for
Christian service — love to God. It is
most disinterested, most
inspiring, most sustaining.
work,” etc. But did this ministry to the saints give the
ministers a claim
upon God for reward? Would He
have been unjust if He had not
remembered and rewarded their
works? Two facts compel us to answer,
“No;” viz.
(1) that all the good works of Christians are imperfect;
(2) that the inspiration for every good work proceeds from Him.
The righteousness of God spoken
of in our passage is that which leads,
guides, and governs every man
according to the particular stage of
development which he occupies.
It is here affirmed of God that He
does not give up to perdition a
man who can still in any way be saved, in
whom the new life is not yet
entirely extinct, and who has not yet entirely
fallen away; but that He seeks
to draw every one as long as they will allow
themselves to be drawn. It would not be just in God to withdraw His
gracious assistance from one who
was producing the fruits of Christian
faith; for He has pledged His word that He will save such persons, He
will
not forget their
work and labor of love. God will not forget you, for that
would be ceasing to be God. If God were to forget
for one moment, THE
UNIVERSE WOULD
GROW BLACK – VANISH – RUSH OUT
AGAIN FROM THE
REALM OF LAW AND ORDER INTO THE
CHAOS AND
NIGHT! Most encouraging are
the declarations
of this truth in the Bible (see ch. 13:5; Deuteronomy 4:31; Isaiah 49:14-16).
This not forgetting their work
and the love which they showed toward His
Name implies:
Ø
Preservation from apostasy. This is the point of
connection with the
main argument. Their production
of the fruits of Christian faith was an
evidence that they were not
falling away from Christ. And God would
keep those who out of love to
Him ministered to His saints.
Ø
Generous recognition of their services. Nothing is
overlooked,
nothing of Christian work
is unrecognized or unacknowledged by
Him.
Ø
Gracious reward of
their services. (See Matthew 10:42; Mark
9:4
Let us imitate this Christian
ministry. Let us produce the fruits of good works out
of love to God, and we most effectively preclude spiritual
defection or decline.
11 “And we
desire that every one of you do shew the same
diligence to
the full assurance of hope unto the
end:” But (however hopeful may be your
charity, still more is needed) we desire (ἐπιθυµοῦµεν
– epithumoumen – we are
yearning - expressing earnest desire - that every one of you (all of you
without
exception) do show
the same diligence unto the full assurance (or simply fullness;
for the meaning of πληροφορίαν – plaerophorian –
assurance- compare
ch.10:22;
I Thessalonians 1:5; Colossians 2:2) of hope even to the end (i.e. evince
the same
diligence in this regard as you have already shown in your
works of charity.
12 “That
ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith
and patience inherit the promises.” That ye become not slothful (νωθροὶ -
nothroi – slothful;
dull -, the same word as was used in ch.
5:11, νωθροὶ …ταῖς
ἀκοαῖς – nothroi….tais akoais – dull ….of
hearing There,
with regard to
intelligence, they were accused of having already become
so; here, where a
hopeful view is taken of their prospects, the writer
delicately avoids
implying that they were so yet in regard to their desire of
making
progress), but
followers (i.e. following the example — surely a better
English word than imitators) of them who through faith and patience
inherit the
promises. The present participle κληρονοµούντων
– klaeronomounton –
inherit; enjoying the allotment - does not confine the sense of the expression to
those who are now so inheriting. Abraham being presently adduced as an
example,
it refits to all who at any time so inherit, equivalent to,
“the inheritors of.” The drift
is — Faith and patience are ever required in order that the
Divine promises, however
assured, may be
inherited: these qualifications (in opposition to your being
νωθροὶ - slothful; dull) are what you want for securing your own inheritance.
Imitating the Inheritors of the Promises (v.
12)
“Followers of them”
We know nothing of the life and condition of those who
have left this world.
The ancient heathens speculated as to the state and
circumstances of the departed. The Old Testament Scriptures
afforded some light
on the question; but not very much. “Our Savior Jesus Christ
abolished death, and
brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel.” (II Timothy
1:10) But
still at times anxious inquiries arise within us. When the
awful subject has been
pressed upon us as we have looked upon some one passing
through the experience
of death, the questions arise, “Where is he? Where are the
departed? And
what are they? Are they asleep or awake? In heaven or in
hell? or in some
not final, intermediate state?” In addition to the light
which comes directly
from Christ, we learn from our text that the good have
entered upon the
promised blessings, have taken possession of their
patrimony. This should
afford us great satisfaction and encouragement. We may
profitably dwell
upon three facts suggested by our text.
POSSESSION OF THE BLESSINGS PROMISED BY GOD TO HIS
FAITHFUL PEOPLE. “Them
who through faith and patience inherit the
promises.” What are these promises? What is this inheritance? It is
variously described:
Ø
“Perfection” (v. 1);
Ø
“the joy of our
Lord” (Matthew 25:21);
Ø
a “mansion” in our
“Father’s house” (John 14:2);
Ø
the rest which remaineth for the people of God (ch.
4:9);
Ø
“an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, reserved
in heaven for
you!” (I Peter 1:4).
In a word, it is
“eternal life” — heaven. There are some
who have taken
possession of this
inheritance. With them it is not future, but present; not
believed in, but realized;
not hoped for, but enjoyed. The eleventh chapter
of this Epistle refers
to a great number who have entered upon the inheritance.
John saw “a great multitude, which no man
could number,” (Revelation
7:9-10). Millions more have
joined them from prison-cells, from the
martyr’s gory block and fiery
stake, from dread battlefields, from wrecks
on furious seas, from the wards
of noble hospitals, and from the quiet
chambers and gentle ministries
of loving homes. The countless hosts are
increasing every hour. How
inspiring is this fact!
EXERCISE OF FAITH AND PATIENCE. Faith in the existence of
the promised blessings and in
the promise to bestow them, is what is meant
here. Faith in the unseen, in
the future life, in heaven, in God and His
promises. Many who inherit the
promises were giants in faith (ch.
11:33-35). And patience. They were sorely
tried, but they patiently
endured. They had to wait the
fulfillment of the promises, and they
waited patiently. But “patience” here does not simply mean
passive
endurance, but active fidelity;
not merely quiet waiting, but diligent
working. It is “patience in well-doing” (Romans 2:7). By
these means
they entered upon the
inheritance — faith, patience,
and diligence;
believing,
waiting, and working.
EXAMPLES TO US. “That
ye be not slothful, but imitators of them,” etc.
We are greatly influenced by
examples. We are imitators by nature. To a
great extent we have become what
we are by imitation. Unconsciously we
imitate others. Unconsciously
others imitate us. But as to intentional
imitation — whom shall we imitate?
There is but One whom we may
imitate in all
things; but ONE PERFECT EXAMPLE! But to a certain
extent all holy men are examples
to us; all who have entered heaven are
worthy of imitation in some
respects. We tread the same path which they
trod — “the King’s highway of holiness.” (Isaiah 35:8) We aim at the
same end — perfection, eternal
life, heaven. They have gained their end,
succeeded in their pursuit,
reached the goal. Let us imitate them:
Ø
In their faith. Believe
in God’s promises of perfection and
blessedness. But this involves faith in Jesus Christ;
because:
o
He revealed to us
perfection, eternal life, and heaven;
o
He is for us the
only way to perfection and heaven.
“In none other is
there salvation,” (Acts 4:12). Hold
fast your
confidence in eternal life,
and trust in the Lord and Savior for
its attainment.
Ø
In their patience. In darkness and
tempest, in sin and sorrow, let us not
lose heart or hope; but trust
and wait. And, like theirs, let our waiting be
joined with working. “Be
not slothful.” Their lives were active and
earnest. Shall we be
slothful in an age like this? slothful in a life like
ours? slothful when heaven
is at stake? Let us be imitators of
the
illustrious host who inherit the
promises. “Be
ye steadfast, immovable,
always abounding
in the work of the Lord,” (I
Corinthians 15:58).
Are any of you imitators of those who
inherit the threatenings? Change
your course; for
your way is evil and the end terrible.
“Come thou
with us, and we will do thee good!” (Numbers 10:29)
13 “For
when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear
by no greater, He swear by Himself, 14 Saying,
Surely blessing I will bless
thee, and multiplying I will multiply
thee. 15 And
so, after he had patiently
endured, he obtained the promise.” Abraham — the
ancestor of the Hebrews,
the first recipient of the promises, the father of the faithful
— is now appropriately
adduced as an example. He (Genesis 22:16-18), as is the case with
you (Psalm 110.),
was assured of
his inheritance by the Divine oath; and so he
obtained it, but only
through “faith and
patience.” You have the like assurance,
but attended with the
like conditions. And then this Divine oath, the
significance of which is set
forth in vs. 16-18, is made a link of connection between
the hortatory section
(ch.5:11-6:20) and the
coming argument about Melchizedek.
This is one
instance of the artistic way in which, throughout the
Epistle, the interposed
hortatory passages are so turned as to connect the divided
sections of the
argument. But what is said about Abraham (here) has been
variously
understood. It is connected with v. 12 thus: “Be ye followers of them who
inherit the
promises through faith and patience: for
God, in His promise to
Abraham, swore by Himself in confirmation of it; and so (καὶ
οὕτως – kai houtos
– and so; and thus) through patience
he obtained the
promise. Be it here observed that µακροθυµήσας
– makrothumaesas –
having patiently endured
- in
v. 15 Authorized Version) corresponds with
διὰ …..µακροθυµίας
– dia makrothumias – through
…..patience in v. 12,
and expresses essentially the same idea. The aorist
participle
µακροθυµήσας
(having patiently endured) does not in itself imply that
the
patience was previous to the obtaining; it expresses only
that by patiently
enduring he obtained. Observe
also that καὶ οὕτως -
(and so
-compare Acts 7:8;
27:44; 28:14) denotes the consequence from what
has been previously stated;
i.e. that µακροθυµήσας
ἐπέτυχεν
– makrothumaesas epetuchen – being
patient
he obtained - followed
from the Divine oath ensuring the fulfillment of the promise.
Both his eventually obtaining and his patience in awaiting
fulfillment were in
consequence of the assuring oath. But then how and when
did Abraham himself
obtain the promise? Not even the temporal fulfillment in the multiplication of his
seed and the inheritance of the Promised Land, much less the spiritual fulfillment
in Christ, was during his own life. Both he could but see “afar off.” (ch. 11:13)
In respect to the
latter it is expressly
said (Ibid., v.39) that the patriarchs did not
receive
the promises — µὴ κοµισάµενοι
τὰς ἐπαγγελίας
– mae komisamenoi
tas epaggelias – not having received
the promises: οὐκ ἐκοµίσαντο
τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν
–
ouk ekomisanto taen
epaggelian – received not the promise. What, then, is
meant
by µακροθυµήσας
ἐπέτυχεν (being patient he obtained)? Some understand
the
time of the oath (Genesis 22),
when the promise was irrevocably assured, to have
been the time of obtaining. But
more than this is suggested by the phrase,
ἐπέτυχεν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας (he obtained the promise – compare ch.11:33), as well
as by καὶ οὕτως (and so) , viz. the actual
attainment of the blessing
assured to him by oath. There are two other ways of
explaining:
(1) to identify
Abraham with his seed, in whom, though not in his own
person, he may be conceived to have obtained, — of which
view it may be
significant that πληθυνῶ τὸ
σπέρμα σου –
plaethuno to sperma sou –
I will multiply your seed greatly - of the Septuagint. (Genesis 22:17) is changed
in the Epistle to πληθυνῶ σε – plaethuno se – I will multiply
thee.
(2) to regard
Abraham, still alive in the unseen world, as himself enjoying
the fulfillment of the ancient promise. So Delitzsch, who, dwelling on the
thought that nothing less than the blessing of Abraham
extended to the
whole world (compare κληρονόµον τοῦ κόσµου
– klaeronomon tou kosmou –
heir of the world - Romans 4:13)
can be regarded as complete fulfillment, says,
“God’s oath-sealed word of promise is now fulfilled in
Christ, and Abraham,
while living on in the unseen world, is conscious of and
enjoys that fulfillment,
and so may be said to have obtained the promise.” This view derives some
support from ch. 11:13-16, where
the longings of the pilgrim patriarchs is so
beautifully represented as reaching to a heavenly
fulfillment. On the other
hand, the aorist ἐπέτυχε (obtained) is against it,
and hence view (1) may be
accepted as a sufficient explanation of the expression (see
below, or ch.11:39).
With regard to the general drift, it is obvious how µακροθυµία
(patience), as
well as πίστεως – pisteos - faith, in respect to the promise first made to him
“in Charran,” is strikingly displayed in Abraham’s recorded life.
16 “For
men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is
to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to
shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of His counsel, confirmed it
by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in
which it was impossible for
God to lie, we might have a strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge
to lay hold upon the hope set before
us: 19 Which
hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and
which entereth into that within the
veil;
20Whither the forerunner is for us
entered, even Jesus, made an high
priest for ever after
the order of Melchisedec.” For men swear by the greater:
and of every dispute of theirs (literally, to
them), the oath is final (literally,
an end)
for confirmation (εἰς βεβαίωσιν – eis bebaiosin – for
confirmation - being
connected
with πέρας – peras – end - not, as in the Authorized
Version, with ὅρκος – horkos –
oath). Here begins the explanation of the meaning and purpose of the Divine oath,
already cursorily touched on in v.
13. God thus, for full assurance, condescends
to
the form of confirmation most binding
among men when they promise to each other.
They appeal to one greater
than themselves to intervene between them. He, having
no one greater than Himself to appeal to, appeals (so to speak) to His own
immutability, and thus may be said to intervene with an oath (ἐµεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ -
- emesiteusen orko
– confirmed it by an oath; mediates; interposes - v.17), the verb
being neuter, with the sense of “mediate”
or “intervene,” not, as in Authorized
Version, “confirmed
it.” The reason is not that the Divine promise is not in itself
enough, but that God,
willing to show more
abundantly to the heirs of the promise
the immutability
of
His counsel, is pleased to grant
them this additional
confirmation; that by
two immutable things (first the promise, in itself
sufficient;
and secondly the oath, for
more abundant assurance), in which it is
impossible
for God to lie, we
may have a strong consolation (παράκλησιν – paraklaesin –
consolation, bearing elsewhere this
sense, and also that of exhortation, as in
ch.
12:5; 13:22; which latter sense is understood here by most
commentators as
uniting best the drift of the passage with the general
notion of encouragement)
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set
before us. The course
of thought has now passed again from Abraham to Christians,
the transition
having been prepared for by the general expression, τοῖς κληρονόµοις
τῆς
ἐπαγγελίας - tois klaeronomois
taes epaggelias –
the heirs of the promise - in v. 17.
Indeed, the oath to him was an assurance to us also, we
being the final inheritors
of the promised blessing. Then finally, in the two concluding verses, the subject
to be treated in ch. 7. is again
beautifully led up to by a natural sequence of thought:
Which (hope) we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and
entering into that which is within the veil; whither as a
Forerunner Jesus entered
for us, become a High Priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek. Our hope
(ἐλπίδος – elpidos – hope;
expectation), regarded in v. 18 objectively,
assumes here
a subjective sense: it is our anchor cast upwards beyond
the heavens through which
our Forerunner has passed (compare ch.4:14, διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς –
dielaeluthota tous ouranous – one having
passed through the heavens), and, in
virtue of the promise and the oath, fixed there
secure and firm. “That which
is within the veil”
(καταπετάσµατος - katapetasmatos
– veil; curtain - the word
invariably denoting the veil in the temple, is the heavenly holy of holies, of which the
earthly was symbolical, as is fully set forth in ch. 8. This first mention of the veil is an
instance of the manner in which, throughout this Epistle,
ideas to be
afterwards expanded are often intimated by way of
preparation beforehand.
Another Exhortation to Steadfastness (vs.
9-20)
Each stage in the argument of the Epistle is relieved by a
hortatory passage
intended to confirm and cheer the Hebrews in their
Christian faith. Indeed,
the one duty upon which the whole book lays stress is that
of believing
steadfastness.
Ø
“Be not sluggish.” (v. 12.) The Hebrews, in the perplexity of their
situation by reason of the
temptations of Judaism, had begun to sink
into spiritual
listlessness. We, too, are extremely prone to carry our
Christian profession without
earnestness, and to do our Christian
work without energy.
Ø
“Show the same diligence.” (v. 11.) The Hebrews had bestirred
themselves in bestowing sympathy
and succor upon their afflicted
brethren, and the apostle longs
to see them equally energetic in other
departments of Christian duty.
Success in spiritual life, as in any
other sphere, can only be
attained in connection with diligence.
Ø
Seek “the full
assurance of hope.” (v. 11.) They must not waver
between Christianity and
Judaism, but cherish an unfaltering
persuasion of the reality of
gospel blessings, notwithstanding
that the full fruition of these is reserved for the future life.
prolong the terrific strain of
the preceding verses. To continue it longer
would have but depressed the
hearts of his readers, and defeated his own
benignant purpose towards them.
So, after we have, as it were, trodden
(vs. 4-8) upon the hot lava of a
volcano, we now enter (v. 9) upon a
smiling and beautiful landscape,
all carpeted with green and blossoming
with flowers. “A
bruised reed shall he not break,” (Isaiah 42:3; Matthew
12:20) expresses the spirit of
the passage now before us. We have here a
variety of encouragements.
Ø
The fruit which their faith had borne already. (vs. 9-10.)
Brotherly
love is a principal trait of the
Christian character; and the Hebrews
had been kind to their afflicted
fellow-believers, for Jesus’ sake.
God had not forgotten their
liberality; and to the apostle it had
seemed as an evidence of the
reality of their conversion. The
spiritual attainments which a
believer has already reached should
encourage him to perseverance.
Ø
The example of their sainted ancestors. (v. 12.) Imitation
occupies
a principal place in our
life, and is an important factor in the
development of character.
It wields immense power in the domain
of morals and
religion. So, the Bible is very largely
a Book of
biographies; and these are
given us to incite us to follow the
footsteps of the good and
true. We, as well as these Hebrew
converts, should be “imitators” of
the peerage of Old
Testament heroes (ch. 11.). And we of this age should imitate,
besides, the great soul-stars of
Christendom, the fathers of our
own Church, the sainted men of
our town, the departed of our
own sanctuary, and of our own
fireside.
Ø
God’s faithfulness to His word and oath. (vs. 13-18.) Having
singled
out particularly the
steadfastness of Abraham, and quoted God’s oath
to him (Genesis 22:16-18), the
author shows that this oath is still a
strong encouragement to
Abraham’s children who have embraced
Christianity. (Romans 2:28-29) For the Divine promise and oath
to Abraham were spiritual rather
than temporal; they have been
continued to us; and they have
been confirmed by the cross of
Christ, and sealed by His
resurrection and ascension (II Corinthians
1:20).
Ø
The greatness of the Christian’s hope. (vs. 19-20.) The
Jewish
temple and the institutions of
the theocracy were very soon to pass
away forever; so that it was
unreasonable to place reliance upon them.
The one sure
anchorage of spiritual hope is in that heavenly sanctuary
which Jesus has
entered for us as our everlasting High Priest.
Instructive in this chapter is the view presented of Divine purpose in
relation to human will. The Divine purpose may have been evinced by
supplies of grace so abundant as to remove all doubt of the
possibility of
success; yet through the human
will there may be failure: the very
Divine
oath may have ensured fulfillment of the promise; yet, as
to Abraham, so to
individual Christians, faith
and patience are the conditions of fulfillment. It
is evident that the Divine purpose and the Divine promise
are all along
referred to, not to dishearten any for fear that they may
not be included in
them, not to encourage remissness in any on the ground of
certainty of
attainment, not so as to suggest any idea of arbitrary
selection irrespective
of desert, but simply to
incite to perseverance on the ground of assurance
of success, if the human conditions are fulfilled. And this is the practical
application of the doctrine of predestination found also
elsewhere in
Paul’s Epistles (compare Romans 8:28-39). Predestination
and free-will may
be to human reason theoretically irreconcilable, though
reason, as well as
theology, may compel us to acknowledge both. The problem
may properly
be left unsolved, as among the many deep things of God. But
it is of
importance to observe how
the doctrine of-predestination is practically
applied in Scripture as bearing upon human conduct.
The Anchor of the Soul (vs. 19-20)
“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,” etc. Christians have been
exhorted to imitate “them
who through faith and patience inherit the
promises.” There
are most excellent reasons for their doing so; for GOD’S
PURPOSES AND PROMISES ARE MOST SURE! They were not lightly
or hastily made; they are most solemnly confirmed; they are
“immutable
things,
in which it is
impossible for God to lie;” and they
supply the strongest
encouragement to the Christian’s hopes (vs.13-18). Notice:
stated in the text; but it is
implied in it, and it may be gathered from the
argument of the writer. We may
define it as the attainment of his destiny,
or the perfection of his being.
But to mention some particulars:
Ø
Freedom from sin and suffering. The rest which remaineth for the
people of God certainly includes deliverance from sin, and from pain
of body, and distress of mind,
and darkness and sorrow of spirit.
We must become free from sin, or
our salvation will be neither
complete nor true; for sin would
mar the fairest realms, and
fill them with discord and
misery. (That is why it will never
be in the New Creation of God –
II Peter 3:13 – CY – 2014)
Ø
Attainment of spiritual perfection. “Let us press on
unto perfection”
(v. 1). We hope for more clear, more
correct, more comprehensive
knowledge; for purity of heart
which will be perfect in its kind,
though not in its degree; for
love which shall be perfect in like
manner; and for harmony between
our purposes and performances,
our willing and doing. We are inspired by the sublime hope of
becoming like
unto our Lord and Savior (I John
3:2-3).
Ø
Enjoyment of
heavenly blessedness. Through Christ God will bring
“many sons unto
glory.” (ch.
2:10) Jesus, has entered heaven as our
Forerunner, and we hope to
follow Him thither. We are “looking for
the blessed hope,” (Titus 2:13). “God hath
begotten us again unto a
living hope,” (I Peter 1:3-5). This glorious hope is “set before us” as a
prize to be won (like at a fair,
except it is for our souls - CY – 2014);
it is “set before us” to animate our spirits,
to strengthen our hands in
Christian work, and to quicken
our feet in the Christian race, Contrast
this with any inferior object of
hope; e.g. worldly possessions, worldly
pleasures, worldly honor’s. These
do not satisfy; that does. These
degrade the soul; that exalts
it. These will fail those who have
attained and cherished them;
that will lead to splendid and
perpetual
fulfillment.
have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and entering into
that which is
within the veil.” This hope is the
stay of the soul amid a
tumultuous world. It is clearly
implied:
Ø
That the voyage of life is marked by storms. These storms are
occasioned by bodily
afflictions, temporal anxieties and losses,
family trials,domestic
and social bereavements, and spiritual
conflicts. (I recommend Thomas Cole’s The Voyage of Life
paintings for thought provoking
images – use browser – CY –
2014)
Ø
That these storms try and imperil the soul. There is danger of
striking
upon the hidden rock of some
subtle and insidious sin, of being driven
by the wild winds of passion
against stern and stony cliffs, or of being
hurried helplessly onward by
fierce storms of sorrow. The dangers in
navigating the sea of life are
numerous and various. Many a noble soul
has reached the desired haven
sore damaged in life’s storms, while
some, alas, like Hymenaeus and Alexander (I Timothy 1:19) have
made shipwreck concerning
the faith.
Ø That the
Christian’s hope, as an anchor, will enable him safely to
outride the storms. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and
steadfast.” Two figures are here, not so much mixed as,
in a very elegant manner, combined.
The author might compare the
world to a sea, the soul to a
ship,
the future still concealed glory to
the covered bottom of the sea,
the
remote firm land stretching beneath
the water and covered by the
water. Or he might compare the present
life upon earth to the
forecourt, and the future blessedness to the
heavenly sanctuary, which is
still, as it were, concealed from us by a
veil He has, however, combined
the two figures. The soul, like a
shipwrecked mariner, clings to
an anchor, and sees not where the
cable of the anchor runs to,
where it is made fast; it knows,
however, that it is firmly fixed
behind the veil which conceals from
it the future glory, and that if it only keeps fast hold of the anchor,
it will, in due
time, be drawn in with the anchor by a rescuing
hand into THE HOLIEST OF ALL! This hope enables the
Christian in deep distress to
say, “Why
art thou cast down, O
my soul?” (Psalm 42:11). And in wildest storms it inspires him to
sing, “God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in
trouble!” (Ibid. ch. 46:1-3, 7).
“Hope, as
an anchor firm and sure, holds fast
The
Christian’s vessel, and defies the blast.”
(Cowper.)
And thus “we are saved by hope.” (Romans 8:24)
Two things assure us of the
fulfillment of our hope.
Ø
The character of the anchor and the anchorage. The anchor is
“both sure and
steadfast, and entering into that which is within
the veil” (compare Romans 5:1-5; II Thessalonians 2:16; I Timothy
1:1).
Ø
The presence of Jesus as our Forerunner in heaven. “Within the veil,
whither as
Forerunner on our behalf Jesus entered.”
The veil spoken
of is that which divided the
holy of holies from the holy place. “Within
the veil” is a figurative expression for heaven. The presence of the Son
of man in heaven is a guarantee of
the realization of the hope of every
believer in Him. He entered heaven as our Representative, and “as a
Forerunner on our
behalf.” “Where
I am, there shall also my servant
be.” “I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where
I am, there ye
may be also!” (John 14:2-3). Mark, then, the absolute
necessity of vital union with THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST! One
with Him by faith here, we shall be one with Him in
blessedness
hereafter. “Christ in you, the Hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)
Your life is hid
with Christ in
God. (Ibid. ch. 3:3) When Christ,
who is our Life,
shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him
be manifested in glory.” (Ibid. v. 4)
Our Anchor and
This text suggests, first of all, that the Christian life
is a life of storm. It is
exposed to storms of persecution, of doubt, of remorse, of
inward
corruption, of outward adversity, and to the last great
storm of death. But,
blessed be God, believers
possess complete security in the midst of these
storms.
graces — faith, hope, love — hope
is the one which often receives least
prominence in our thoughts.
Faith is the root, and love the full-blown
flower, of piety; whereas hope occupies
an intermediate position. Here is,
in fact, just one of the first
developments of faith — a sprout from the root
of faith. The object of faith
may be either good or bad; but the object of
hope is always good. Hope in its
essence is just the desire of good, with the
expectation of by-and-by
obtaining it. Now, hope has this blessed
function
— it soothes and calms and
cheers the mind in the midst of storm and
trouble. Even natural hope is “as an anchor of the soul.” What drudgery
would the world’s business be
apart from hope! Where would our great
statesmen, our inventors and
discoverers, come from, were it not for hope?
“Every
gift of noble origin
Is
breathed upon by Hope’s perpetual breath.”
(Wordsworth.)
It was hope that buoyed up poor
hearted Livingstone. But, as
ancient seamen called the strongest anchor of
their ships “the sacred
anchor,” and reserved it as “the last hope” for times
when the vessel was in real
peril; so, gospel hope is the sacred anchor of
every good man. And, truly, this hope is the most influential of all hopes.
It
is the hope
of eternal life; — the hope of looking upon Christ in his glory,
of seeing the
King in his beauty, Notice, also, the
properties ascribed to
this anchor.
Ø
It is sure. In substance
strong and firm, and of weight proportionate to
the tonnage of the vessel — in
every way worthy of the greatness of
our nature. No fear that it may
fail: this “hope putteth not to shame.”
(Romans 5:5)
Ø
It is steadfast.
It takes a firm grip of the
holding-ground, and will
neither break nor drag. No
force of wind or current will be able to
tear it from its hold. How
comes it that spiritual hope has these
essential qualities? It is “both sure and steadfast” because it is the
gift of God, and therefore good and perfect, like all other Divine
gifts. It is so, also, because it is essentially connected with
the cable
of faith in the promise and
oath of God.
before us into heaven, through
the blue “veil” or ocean of the sky; and our
hope follows Him thither.
Ø
Our holding-ground is in heaven. Happy are all who are
convinced
that there is no safe
anchorage for their souls anywhere below! Each
of us has had many earthly
hopes that have been baffled; but the hope
which finds its object in
heaven is “a living hope.” Its holding-ground
is beyond the frontiers of
change, and out of reach of the touch of death.
God help us amid the storms
of life to look, not so much down upon the
fierce floods which are
beating about our feet, but rather upward to the
quiet, holy heaven, and to our great Hope that is there!
Ø
Our holding-ground is Christ Himself in His perpetual
priesthood.
Even heaven is nothing at
all to the believer apart from Christ. The
Lord Jesus Himself is “our
Hope.” HE IS THE SON OF GOD,
who knows all our troubles,
and has power to control and subdue them.
He is the Son of man, and
full, therefore, of warm, human sympathy.
He is our “High Priest,”
ever-loving, interceding, armed with
authority
and overflowing with
tenderness. And He is our
“Forerunner,” who
has entered heaven in our
name, and left the golden gate open behind
Him, because He has
arranged that we are to follow (John 14:1-4).
The sinner’s only safety is to CAST ANCHOR IN CHRIST!
The Encouragements to Cherish the Hope of
Eternal Life (vs. 13-20)
These assume that there is a strong disposition in men to
doubt the veracity
of the Divine promise, and in adorable condescension God
gives us ample
evidence to justify our faith and perseverance. It must be
confessed that the
abandonment of the Jewish Law, separation from the
synagogue, the
surrender of earthly pleasure, and submission to manifold
trials, require
varied reasons to convince and to maintain the conviction
of the claims of
the gospel. The encouragements consist of the following
facts:
TO ABRAHAM AND SINCE GLORIOUSLY REALIZED. The
patriarch was called by the
voice of God to offer up his son on
It was the highest proof of his
faith in Jehovah, and although he received him
back in a figure of a nobler
sacrifice (ch. 11:19), “to will was present,”
and
God accepted the purpose of his
believing soul. “In the mount of the Lord it
was seen” (Genesis 22:14) that where there was the sternest trial of his faith
there came the most blessed manifestations of the Divine favor, both for
himself, his descendants after
the flesh, and his more numerous spiritual
progeny. God said, “By myself have I sworn, for because thou hast done
this thing, and
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in
blessing
I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of
the heaven, and
as the sand which is upon the seashore”
(Ibid. vs.16-17).
He waited patiently, and
obtained the promise in the birth of Isaac; and
afterwards he saw the day of
Christ, the seed in whom all nations are
blessed. (John 8:56)
The latest portions of the New Testament verify
the promise contained in the
earliest part
of the Old; and John said,
after the sealing of the hundred
and forty and
four thousand of the
tribes of
no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and
palms in their hands; and cried with a loud
voice, saying,
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10). “And if ye be Christ’s,
then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise”
(Galatians 3:29).
PROMISE, AND SANCTIONED BY THE OATH, TO ALL
BELIEVERS. The words
of grace which were spoken to Abraham retain
their force and application to
all who are his children by a living faith. “The
Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the
gospel is preached
unto us.” (I Peter 1:25) The
patriarch was the heir of the
world, a trustee for the future
generations of believers. THE OATH IS
STILL VALID and the promise is made by One who cannot lie, and
whose
self-sufficiency and omnipotence
raise Him above the temptation and
possibility of deception. The oath in human affairs is final, and is an
end of
all strife (v. 16); and, to
remove all doubt, Jehovah
condescends to adopt a
human form of
appeal, to assure believers of the immovable ground of
confidence which they possess and enjoy. The freeness of the promise
tends to confirm the confidence
of the righteous;
for it is the unexpected,
unextorted utterance of
Divine love to cheer and inspire believers in
their
way to heaven. Both furnish strong consolation,
which is adequate to disarm
all earthly sorrows and assaults
of their
terror, and recalls those cheering
images of the Divine love which ancient
psalmists often introduce in their
exultation and gratitude after deliverance from
adversaries, and with
cheerful hope of future safety;
for “He that
dwelleth in the
secret place
of the most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will
say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress: my God; in
Him
will I trust” (Psalm 91:1-2).
not unnatural to imagine that
the writer may have thought of the wild and
stormy ocean, from whose waves
and turbulence the mariner hastens to a
port of safety, and. then drops
his anchor in the calm waters of the haven.
The anchor descends below and
grasps the solid earth, and holds the vessel
fast amid the raging of the wind
and the darkness of the sky. It resembles
hope in its retentive capacity,
which, amid winds of doctrine, failure of
some who go back and walk no
more with Christ, temptations from the
world, the flesh, and the devil,
keeps the believer from leaving his
position
and surrendering
his profession of the gospel. The
thought of the anchor is
qualified by the connection of
our hope with heaven, which our Lord has
entered. IT ATTACHES ITSELF TO HIM
who has entered as the
Forerunner. Here we note a striking and glorious difference between
the
high priest of the temple and
the office of the Redeemer. The Aaronic
high priest had no one with him
in the holiest of all, and stood and ministered
in awful solitude before God.
Our Lord is the Forerunner, and awaits the
arrival of His followers. He is
the Captain of salvation, who will bring many
sons into glory; for He is a
High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, who,
as a sublime type of the Lord
Jesus, is presented to our consideration in the
following chapter.
And so our great hold and safety is to be in the invisible. We are to make sure of the
reality of God’s plan; that He has a plan, that it is a plan immutable; that it is indeed
a plan of God, not subject to the collapses which come through human caprice, infirmity,
and shortsightedness. Hence God announces and exhibits His plan through two
immutable things. What are these?
and deliberate of speech, wants to be taken in an unusually serious way when
he adds to what he has to say a solemn adjuration.When God speaks, His word
is always serious; but He has His own way of calling man’s attention to its
seriousness.
priesthood of Jesus. Behind
the veil constituted by the visible world there
is a God who has
sworn the solemn oath with respect to that
inheritance which
all inherit who by their faith are children of Abraham;
and there also
is the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, “the
same yesterday,
and today, and for ever.” The anchorage thus being given, there is the
anchor also to be considered. And here we are to consider the anchor, not
so much as something which we fling into the unseen, as something which
out of the unseen is realized to us. It is as if, when a ship is drifting towards
a dangerous shore, a beneficent hand should suddenly reach out of the
waves and fling a rope to be fastened to the ship. Our great confidence,
hope, and joy should be in this, that Jesus,
vanished into the unseen, has
still a living and active connection with A NEEDY WORLD! Note how
full this whole passage is of strong words. Examine the passage in the
original, and this will come out very dearly. Strong words in ordinary speech
are too often the resort of weak men; but here they have to be used at every
turn in order to
set before us the stable anchorage and THE
SOLID,
WELL-FORGED
ANCHOR which have been furnished to us by
GOD HIMSELF!
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