PREFACE
This volume does not contain an
exposition of Hebrews. Its purpose
is rather to carry out, so far as the Lord may enable, the injunction to exhort
one another daily, so long as it is called “To-day.” Another “Day”
is soon coming; indeed, we can clearly see it approaching. In that day it will be too late to give
heed to the exhortations found in this portion of God’s Word, and to gain
the recompense of the reward that depends upon the heed given thereto.
The Epistle is addressed to
“Hebrews,” and the individual
most frequently and most prominently mentioned in it is Abraham, who is
specifically designated “the Hebrew”
(Gen. 14: 13). Those acquainted with the Hebrew tongue
tell us that the word signifies one who passes over or through.
We may, therefore, regard a Hebrew as a “passenger”; and certainly the message of the
Epistle is for those who are passengers in this age, who have here no
continuing city, but seek one in the age
to come. The message is not for
Israelites, who have a place in the world and a
mission to the nations thereof, but for Hebrews, who are simply passing through the world, having no place or
standing therein.
The true Hebrew is one who has come
out of the country of his
birth, leaving all its advantages and associations, because he has heard and
believed the report of a better country which he has never seen; and he is now passing through the
intervening territory, not settling therein, and not mindful of the country
whence he came out, though having opportunity to return thither. Of such it is written that God is not
ashamed to be called their God, and He has prepared for them a city.
Abraham was not an
Israelite. Abel, Enoch, Noah,
Sarah, Isaac, Rahab were not Israelites. Moses was rather a Hebrew than an
Israelite, for he never had a place in the
The Scriptures speak of many
things that God has prepared for them that love Him - things which are in the
nature of rewards, not gifts,
and are quite distinct from remission of sins and eternal life. These later are gifts bestowed upon all
who believe; but not all believers will obtain the rewards.
Great is the reward promised to
those who maintain the character of Hebrews “to
the end”; and correspondingly great is the loss that will be
incurred by those who, through neglect or unbelief, turn aside from the
pilgrim’s path. In view of
this, we would point out, as plainly as possible, the dangers to which
God’s pilgrims are exposed, and the provision that He, in wondrous grace,
has made to safeguard them from those dangers.
May it be the purpose of both
writer and readers to be “not slothful, but
followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises."
It may be of interest to the
reader to learn that the writing of this book was begun and finished on the
memorable voyage of the. Steamship Carpathia which was interrupted by the rescue of
the survivors of the Titanic, and by the return with them to the
SS. Caipathia, May 2,
1912.
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GOD’S PILGRIMS.
THEIR
DANGERS, THEIR RESOURCES,
THEIR REWARDS.
CHAPTER
1
Introductory Remarks and Explanations.
The
Message, its Substance, and to Whom Addressed.
It is manifest that the Epistle
to the Hebrews has a special message for God’s people, the strangers and
pilgrims on earth, who are living in the last days of this age. It speaks with special emphasis to those
who are awaiting the Son of God for salvation (9:
28), and who are come to a point from which they can “see the Day approaching” (10: 25).
It voices the desire of the Spirit that these should go on to full
growth (that is, to the state of adult sons), and that each one of them who has
received the first principles of the doctrine of Christ should show the same
diligence unto the full assurance of hope unto the end (6: 1, 11).
The people of God who are upon
earth at the end of this age must of necessity meet peculiar trials, must
experience peculiar needs, and be exposed to peculiar dangers. Many Scriptures testify to this. But God has made special provision for
those who have to encounter the special conditions of the last days. The Epistle to the Hebrews is of
particular value for them. It
points to the age to come as something imminent. It declares that it is but a “very little while” until He Who is coming will
actually come; and in view of that fact its chief exhortation is to the
exercise of patience or endurance to the end (10: 36, 37, &c.). Up to the very last moment there remains
the possibility of failure and loss.
The conspicuous feature of this
“age to come” will be the
manifestation of the Son of God in the character of High Priest after
(corresponding to) the order of Melchisedec, who was both a King
and a Priest. That
manifestation of the Son of God will be in fulfilment of all that is shadowed
forth in the type of Melchisedec; and particularly will it be the fulfilment of
what is prophesied by Zechariah, “He shall build
the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule
upon His Throne; and He shall be a Priest upon His Throne” (Zech. 6: 13).
Hence the prominent subject of
the Epistle to the Hebrews is the Melchisedec Priesthood of the Son of God, Who
is now seated on the Right Hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
awaiting the joy that was set before Him when He endured the Cross. That joy will be His when He receives the
promise made to Him in Psalm 45., repeated in Heb. 1: 8; “Thy
Throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre
of Thy Kingdom.”
“This,” says the writer of
Hebrews, “is the sum of the things which we have
spoken” (8: 1). Apart from what is written in the
Epistle to the Hebrews, we should know practically nothing of the present
ministry of the Son of God in the Presence of God, as a Minister of the true
sanctuary, or of His perpetual office as High Priest after the order of
Melchisedec.
Therefore it will be seen that
the Epistle to the Hebrews occupies a place of peculiar importance in the Word
of God. Its scope and contents are
unique, and this must be borne in mind in seeking the special message it
contains for the saints of God. The
difficulties that have been encountered in reading it, and the misapplication
of some of the statements it contains, are due chiefly to a lack of apprehension
of the scope of the Epistle, and a failure to distinguish its special
purpose. By giving heed to a few
distinguishing features of this great Epistle, the reader, if a confessed
stranger and pilgrim on earth, will be greatly aided in comprehending and profiting
by the Divine communication it contains.
Let it be noted, in the first
place, that Hebrews does not set forth, except incidentally, the message of the
Gospel of God’ grace to sinners; nor does it contain the doctrine and
effect of the Gospel. It is in this
respect to be sharply distinguished from Romans, and also from those parts of
other Church Epistles which speak of the crucified and risen Son of God as the
Righteousness of God, and as the Giver of eternal life, to all who believe on
Him. The Epistle to the Hebrews is
concerned solely with a people who have been already redeemed from the bondage of sin and the
dominion of death, and whom God is bringing “unto
Glory.”
The
“salvation” spoken. of in Hebrews is not the justification of the sinner from his
sins. It is not the reconciliation to God,
through the Death of His Son, of those who were by nature enemies and aliens in
mind through wicked works.
It is of the utmost importance that the reader take
notice of this; for otherwise the special significance of the letter to the
Hebrews cannot be understood. The
Son of God is not a Priest on behalf of the unconverted. He does not intercede for them, but
solely for His own redeemed people.
To the unconverted the Gospel is preached with the Holy Ghost sent down
from Heaven. The work of the Son of
God on their behalf is “finished”
and awaits their acceptance. But
the offices of the priest are not for them until they have become
believers. The priesthood was not
instituted in Egypt, but in the wilderness, after the people of God had been redeemed
by the blood of the paschal lamb (Ex. 12.),
and had been “saved” out of the land
of Egypt, the house of bondage, by the mighty power of God displayed at the Red
Sea, typifying the Death and Resurrection ,of Christ (Ex. 14.; Rom. 6.;
1 Cor. 10.). The priesthood was instituted after
God’s people had become “strangers and
pilgrims,” and were journeying on to the Land of “the Promise.” The types which have their fulfilment in
Hebrews belong entirely to the wilderness.
They relate wholly and solely to God’s dealings with His own
redeemed people, and not at all to His dealings with unpardoned and
un-reconciled sinners. The
sacrifices mentioned in Hebrews do not include that of the paschal lamb slain for
redemption in
We repeat, and beg the reader to
notice carefully and to keep clearly in mind, that the “salvation so great, which began to be spoken by the Lord”
is not the justification of sinners, but the
bringing of many sons unto glary. It
is not what is represented by the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt,
but what is represented by bringing the survivors into the Promised Land, which Land is a type of “the habitable earth to come whereof we speak” (Heb. 2: 5).
The remission of sins spoken of in Hebrews is not the forgiveness of the
sins of unconverted men upon believing the Gospel of the Crucified and Risen
Saviour. It is the forgiveness of
the “sins of the people” (Heb. 2: 17);
that is to say, the people of God, who constantly need propitiation for their
sins.* The message of Hebrews. is
not addressed to men in their sins, urging them to accept the pardon and life
which have been provided by the grace of God through the Cross of Jesus
Christ. The message is addressed to
“holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,”
urging them to lay hold of the hope set before them, and to hold the confidence and rejoicing of that hope, firm to
the end.
[* The
word “reconciliation” in Heb. 2: 17, A.V., is an unfortunate
mistranslation. It should read
“to make a propitiatory offering for the sins of
the people.” See the
R.V.]
Undoubtedly much confusion has
resulted from a failure to observe the distinctions indicated above, and which
are clearly marked in the text. We
often hear the passage “How shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation?” used in preaching to the unsaved, and presented as a warning
to them of the danger of neglecting the forgiveness and justification which God
has made available to all who believe His Gospel. It needs but the slightest attention to
the passage to make it perfectly clear that the “we” who are in
danger of suffering loss through neglect of the “so great
salvation” mentioned there, are the redeemed people of God, the children
of God, and heirs of salvation.
The “faith” spoken of in Hebrews is not believing
unto righteousness (
It is also needful to
distinguish between the truth revealed in Hebrews and that revealed in
Ephesians. There are several points
of contrast that should be carefully noted.
(1) In Ephesians, the elect
saints who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and
predestinated ,to the place of sons by God unto Himself, are viewed collectively, as forming “one Body,” even the Body of Christ. The blessings and responsibilities are
collective, to be shared by all saints.
In Hebrews, the redeemed people
are viewed individually as having individual responsibility. We find there such expressions as
“lest there be in any of you,”
“lest any of you should seem to come short,”
“lest any man fall,” “lest any man fail of the
grace of God,” “lest there be
any fornicator or. profane person.” Hebrews
speaks of blessings and privileges in the nature of rewards, to be gained by
individual obedience, and endurance, and which may be lost by neglect,
unbelief, or disobedience.
(2) The blessings mentioned in
Ephesians, which are for the present enjoyment of the saints, are located in
heavenly places. God “has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in (or with) Christ.”
He has quickened us together with Christ, and has raised us up and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
In Hebrews, however, the
blessings have their location in, “the habitable
earth to come.” The Kingdom of the Son is brought into
view - that glorious Kingdom wherein all things shall be placed in subjection
unto Him Who, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. It is the dominion of the Son of Man
which was the subject of the first revealed counsels of God (Gen. 1: 26), and which is specifically foretold in
the Eighth Psalm: “Thou madest
Him to have dominion over the works of Thy Hands; Thou hast put all things
under His Feet. All
sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the
fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea. 0 Jehovah, our Lord, how excellent is
Thy Name in all the earth” (Psa. 8: 6-9). We learn by the second chapter of
Hebrews that this prophecy will be
fulfilled when the Son of Man, Who is now at God’s Right Hand, shall come
again into the habitable part of His creation, and shall take up His great
power, and reign. That shall be the reign of the Son of God on
earth as. the Priest-King, to which attention is
specially directed in Hebrews.
(3) The blessings of the saints
mentioned in Ephesians are available in the time now present.
God has blessed us, with all
spiritual blessings. He has accepted us in the Beloved, in Whom we have obtained an inheritance.
God has sealed us with that Holy Spirit of promise, and has given us the Spirit as the earnest of
our inheritance. He has quickened us, raised us up, and seated
us together in heavenly places. The
future is referred to only in an incidental way, mention being made of the
dispensation or economy of the fulness of times, and of the age to come (Eph. 1: 10, 14; 2: 7); but the emphasis is
entirely upon the present relations of he saints as connected with the Risen
Christ, now at God’s right Hand, forming His Body, supplied by Him with
everything needful, loved by Him, in process of being built upon Him, and
growing into a holy temple in the Lord.
In Hebrews, on the other hand,
the blessings are future, pertaining to the age to come, when the enemies of the
Son of God shall have been placed as a footstool for His Feet; when the many
sons shall have been brought unto glory, and shall have entered into the
enjoyment and satisfaction of the rest that remaineth unto the people of
God. God’s people are not
viewed in Hebrews as being at the present time in the place of blessing, but as
being in the place of trial, of danger, and of suffering; in one word, as in
the wilderness The things
spoken of in Hebrews are things “we see not yet”;
and we are referred for our encouragement and example to those whose earthly
course was determined by things which they had heard, but had “not seen as yet.”
The “grace” revealed in Hebrews is not the grace
wherein the saints have been made accepted in the Beloved, and wherein God has
abounded toward them in all wisdom and prudence (Eph.
1: 7, 8). It is not the
grace whereby we have been saved through faith, and raised up and seated in
heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2: 5, 6). It is the grace that is sent down to us
for meeting our daily need on earth, while journeying through this great and
terrible wilderness, and which must be constantly sought at the throne of
grace.
(4) Lastly, and of chief
importance, are the relations of Christ to the redeemed people of God as
presented respectively in these two Epistles. In Ephesians, His relation to them is
that of Head to the members of His Body, associated with Him as sharers of a
common life. The offices He
performs on behalf of His people are such as the head of a body performs for
the members, nourishing and cherishing them as. a man cherisheth his own flesh; “for
we are members of His Body, of His Flesh, and of His Bones” (Eph. 5: 29, 30).
In Hebrews, Christ sustains
towards His people an official relation. He is gone into heaven as their
Representative, to make propitiation for them, to maintain them in a fit state
or approach to the holy Presence of God as worshippers. He is also the Great, Shepherd of the
sheep, tending and guiding them through the wilderness; and He is set before
them as the Royal Priest of the coming age, the High Priest after the order of
Melchisedec, who was first King of Righteousness, and after that King of
Peace. The great character in which
He is here presented is that of SON. As such He is the Builder and the Ruler
of the Father’s House in the widest sense, and is the responsible
priestly Representative of the members of the household, those whom He is not
ashamed to call His “brethren,”
those who are the “children”
committed to His care. Being
charged by God with responsibility for the welfare of those “many sons” He is faithful to God Who appointed
Him, ever living to make intercession for them.
By noting these important
distinctions, which might be greatly amplified if time permitted, the reader,
who has been begotten again unto a living hope by the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ [out] from
among the dead, and who is no longer a babe, unskilful in the word of
righteousness, will be greatly assisted in laying hold of the instruction
contained in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Many of the difficulties which are ordinarily encountered will disappear
when once it is perceived that the experiences therein described are those of a
redeemed people. The dangers
against which we are warned are those to which God’s own people are
exposed. Nothing is said of the
doom awaiting those who have rejected the Gospel of God’s grace, and who
are lost eternally; but much is said of the loss which the people of God
themselves may incur by failing to take heed to the things they have heard, or
to exercise diligence in respect thereto, and by neglecting the salvation so
great, whereof the Lord Himself began to speak, which was confirmed to us by
them that heard, God Himself bearing witness with signs, and wonders, and
divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own Will.
The writer’s purpose in
the present volume is not to explain the difficult passages found in the
Epistle to the Hebrews for the intellectual satisfaction of his readers; but to
aid his fellow travellers (“Hebrews”)
in securing the benefit of the warnings, exhortations, comforts, and
encouragements in which this portion of God's Word so richly abounds.
[* PAGE 17. See Appendix.]
Since the Epistle to the Hebrews
has to do solely with the experiences of a redeemed people, it follows that
certain passages (6: 4-6 and 10: 26-31) which are sometimes taken as indicating
the eternal condemnation of the persons to whom they refer, cannot have that
significance. That the people of
God can bring upon themselves great suffering and loss is clearly set forth in
many Scriptures. But it is equally
clear that they cannot themselves be lost.
In Hebrews we learn what may befall the sheep in the wilderness; and it
must not be forgotten that the Good Shepherd has Himself declared concerning
them, “I give unto them eternal life and they
shall never perish”
(John 10: 28). How could those perish for whom He laid
down His Life, and for whom He now intercedes in resurrection life and
power? That could not be; but there
is, on the other hand, the gravest danger that they may, through perversity, disobedience, unbelief, sloth,
or neglect, incur serious loss. It
is on this account that the Holy Spirit so earnestly urges them “to-day,” and so long as it is called “to-day,” to hear His Voice, Who now speaks from
Heaven, in order that, when the crucial hour arrives, that may not befall them,
which befell God’s people of old, who, when the opportunity came for
entering into the possession of the promised inheritance, hardened their heart
to His Word, provoked His indignation, and so could not enter in because of
unbelief. Those whom God has
redeemed from the bondage of sin and the fear of death can never be lost. Their security rests upon the finished
work accomplished by Christ upon the Cross; and what He has accomplished stands
for ever. But beyond any question
there is the possibility that they may fall after the same example of
disobedience, and so may fail to inherit “the
blessing.” And in view
of that possibility we are here most solemnly warned that such as draw back
from entering into the reward promised to patience and obedience, cannot be
renewed again unto repentance, that is to say, they cannot be permitted, upon
change of mind (which is the meaning of “repentance”),
to enter into that blessing from which they wilfully turned away.
We are prone to slight the
warnings of Scripture, and are all too ready to assign them to others than
ourselves - to “the Jewish remnant”
for example. Let us be on our guard
against the deceitfulness of our own hearts, as well as against the
deceivableness of sin. We cannot
afford to neglect the warnings of Scripture; and there is no room for doubt as
to those for whom the warnings of Hebrews are intended. They are, beyond question, for those who
have been redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ. They are for those on whose behalf He is
gone into Heaven, and for whom now He intercedes. If we apply to ourselves such passages
as “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest
that has passed into the Heavens” (4:
14), we must also of necessity accept the application of the words that
occur in the immediate context, “Let us labour,
therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief” (lit., ‘disobedience’). It is impossible to read the warnings contained
in this Epistle without perceiving that tremendous consequences hinge upon the
attention given to them.
It being clear then, that the
redeemed people of God may fail to obtain “the
promise,” and to secure to themselves “the recompense of the reward,” it becomes a
matter of highest importance for them to give their most earnest and
intelligent heed to the warnings which God, in His faithfulness and kindness,
has vouchsafed them; and also to avail themselves of the provision which His
grace extends to meet their need and to help their infirmities.
CHAPTER 2
“The Things which we Have
Heard.”
GOD has spoken.
This is a tremendous and a
solemn fact. Well may the creature tremble
before the utterance of God, while counting it a matter of the highest
privilege to hear and to comprehend what God has said. But we are called upon to listen, not to
a proclamation from the Creator to His universe, or even to mankind in general.
God has spoken “unto us.”
The same God Who of old spake in many parts and in many ways to the fathers, has in these last days spoken unto us. He has given
a message directly to us, and which vitally concerns us.
It appears at the outset that
the Spirit’s object in the Epistle to the Hebrews is to impress us with
the weightiness of the message spoken to us, and to this end He shows us that,
important as was the message given to the fathers of old, the message spoken to
us in these last days is of far greater importance. And this appears from the fact that the
Word of old was spoken by (or through) angels (2: 2), whereas God has spoken to us
in (or as) the SON. (The original reads “in Son,”
and its force cannot be rendered in English by mere translation. The idea is
that GOD HIMSELF has spoken, the character.
He has taken for this purpose being that of “Son.”)
Many times it is written in the
Old Testament that “the Word of the Lord came”
to one and another of the prophets; but generally it is not stated how the Word
came to them. It appears, however,
from what is said in the Scriptures now before us, that the Word was sent by
angels, or messengers. We read that
the Word of the Lord was brought in this way to Daniel (Dan. 9: 21, &c.).
Moreover, in Galatians 3: 19 it is
said that the law was “ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator.”
Thus it appears that God’s customary way of communicating with the
prophets was through angels; though He spake of old time “in many ways,” as by dreams, or visions, or by
directly moving the tongue (Gen. 41: 25; Numb. 12:
6; Psa. 45: 1).
But now God Himself has spoken.
He Who is the Effulgence of God’s Glory and the express Image of His
Substance, by Whom also He made the worlds, and Who upholds all things by the
Word of His Power, has now spoken to us with Human Lips, uttering words of
familiar human speech, which words, nevertheless, are Spirit and Life, words
such as never man spake, words of eternal life which shall never pass away.
Attention is directed to this great
difference between the Word spoken of old to the fathers and the Word spoken in
these last days to us, to the end that we should give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard. The first
chapter of Hebrews is largely occupied with references to the Old Testament
Scriptures which set forth the excellence of the Son of God, as compared with
the angels who are His “ministering spirits,”
and who are bidden to worship Him when He condescends to come into the
habitable earth in human form and nature (ver. 6). This contrast, so carefully and forcibly
made, between the Son and the angels, is not merely for the purpose of
establishing and guarding the Deity of Christ but is given also in order to
impress upon us the supreme importance of the special message spoken to us by
the Son Himself, as distinguished from that spoken to the fathers through
angels. The reason why this
contrast is given us at the very beginning of the Epistle clearly appears from verse 2 of chapter 2. “For if
the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord?”
There is, then, unspeakable
advantage to be gained by paying heed to the things spoken to us by the Lord;
and it necessarily follows that there is a corresponding loss to be incurred
through failure to believe and obey His Word.
“Therefore,
we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard, lest
at any time we: should slip away.”*
[*It is not, lest the words slip
away from us, but lest we through failure to heed the Lord’s words,
should ourselves slip and fall.]
The plain meaning of this is
that if the Israelites of old were bound to give earnest heed to the Word of
the Lord sent to them, in order to secure their own welfare, we are bound to
give the more earnest heed to the Word spoken to us, because that Word was
spoken by the Lord Himself, and moreover, it puts before us a reward far
greater than that offered to the Israelites. The heed which an Israelite was
required, to pay to the words spoken to him by the prophets is stated in such
passages as Deut. 11: 18, 19; 28: 1, 2; and 32: 46,
47.
What, then, is this “salvation” to which the Spirit of God applies
the expression “so great,” and which
began to be spoken by the Lord?
Surely this is a question of the utmost importance. We cannot afford to be in ignorance, or
even in uncertainty, about it; and surely God would not have us to be either
ignorant or uncertain as to a matter of so great moment to us. The cause of the confusion that exists
upon this subject is the usage among Christians of the word “salvation,” which is commonly taken as meaning
justification or the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ, and as
being limited to that meaning. But
the word “salvation” is seldom used
in the New Testament as equivalent to justification, that is to say, the change
which takes place in the sinner’s relations with God when he believes on
the Son of God. The salvation of
God goes far beyond that; and the word “salvation”
itself, as used in Scripture, generally refers, to something future. Thus, in Rom.
5: 10, “reconciliation” is
spoken of as a thing already accomplished for the believer, while salvation is
yet future; “For if, when we were enemies we WERE
RECONCILED to God by the Death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED by His Life.”
Likewise,
in Romans 8. it is declared that there is no condemnation to those that
are in Christ Jesus, and believers are spoken of in that chapter as children of
God; but they are said to be “saved in hope,”
that is to say, their “salvation” is
yet future. See also Rom. 13: 11, 12, “Now
is our salvation nearer than when we believed,” etc.
So also the apostle Peter speaks
of those who have been redeemed,
and begotten again, as still awaiting the salvation that is about to be revealed (1 Pet.
1: 3, 5).
In the Epistle to the Hebrews the
word “salvation” is used as
signifying the future blessing into which the people of God are to be brought,
whereas redemption is regarded as having been already accomplished. Christ has entered into the holy place “having obtained eternal redemption.” On the other hand, those who have been
redeemed are addressed as “heirs of salvation,” literally as those
“who are to inherit salvation” (1: 14),
and as awaiting salvation. (The
literal reading of Heb. 9: 28 is “and a second time, apart from sin, shall He appear unto them
that await Him for salvation.”)
It clearly appears from chaps. 3. and 4.
that the “so great
salvation” of chap. 2. is something of which the
The “so great salvation” of Hebrews
2: 3 is defined in verse 5 as being
identified with “the habitable earth to come.” By that passage it is made known to us
that God has not put in subjection to angels “the
habitable earth to come whereof we speak”; and then the eighth Psalm is cited and quoted to prove that the
glorified and perfected works of God’s Hands, delivered from the curse,
and rejoicing in the blessing of God, are, in the coming age, to be put under man,
even under the Son of Man; and Jesus, the blessed One, Who for a little while
was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death, but now is crowned
with glory and honour, is announced as that “Son of Man” in Whom
the prophecy is to have its fulfilment.
The habitable earth to come is
thus declared to be the subject “whereof we speak.” That is what the Apostle connects with
the so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord. It
is the glorious Kingdom of the Son, when He shall occupy the place of
“First-born,” in all that is
signified by that great title. The First-born is the Father’s might, and
the first-fruits of His strength, the Pre-eminence of dignity and Pre-eminence
of power (Gen. 49: 3). He is Head and Ruler of the
Father’s House - taking the word “house”
in the broadest sense. The same
thought occurs in the third chapter where Christ is spoken of as Son over His
Own House (3: 6); and the connection is
still closer in the .original, the word rendered “world” (“world to come” or “habitable earth to come”) chap.
2: 5, and that rendered “house”
in 3: 5, 6, being of the same derivation.
The Scriptures make it clear
that “this present evil age” (Gal. 1: 4), during which the people of God are
strangers and pilgrims in the earth, because the latter is the scene of the
dominion of sin and death, is to be succeeded by an age of blessing and glory
in which the earth and all created things will be under the rule of the Son of
Man, with Whom will be associated all
those who shall be accounted worthy to participate with Him in the
administration of the affairs of that Kingdom. This is the salvation so great whereof
the Lord Himself spake, as for instance in Matt. 13.,
where, in announcing what is to happen at “the
end of this age,” He said,-
“The
Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His
Kingdom all things that offend, and them that do
iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear”
(Matt. 13: 41-43).
Manifestly the same event is
referred to in Heb. 2. The angels are sent
forth to minister for them who are about to inherit salvation (Heb. 1: 14).
The righteous shining forth in the Kingdom of their
Father, are the “many sons” whom God
is bringing “unto glory” (verse 10).
That event will be the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isa. 8: 18,
quoted in verse 12, when Christ will say,
“Behold, I and the children which God has given Me.” The “furnace
of fire” is the “fiery indignation
which shall devour the adversaries” (Heb.
10: 27). The words of solemn
warning, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear,” have their echo in
the words “We ought to give the more earnest heed
to the things which we have heard,” things, “which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord”
(Heb. 2: 1, 3).
Again, on the occasion when
Simon Peter, by the revelation of the Father, recognised and confessed the Lord
Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living
God,” the Lord “began”
to show unto His disciples that He must fulfil what was written concerning the
sufferings of the Christ (Matt. 16: 21), and
then He went on immediately to speak of the glory that should follow, saying:
“For the Son of Man shall, come in the glory of
His Father with His angels; and then shall He reward every man according to his
works” (Matt. 16: 27).
We do not stop to comment now
upon this exceedingly important Scripture, expecting to return to it. We wish at this point only to direct the
attention of the reader to certain specific Scriptures wherein the Lord Himself
began to speak of the glory of the age to come when He, as Son of Man, shall,
reign in righteousness over the earth.
In the foregoing passage the reference to the “Son of Man,” His sufferings, Death and
Resurrection, the glory of His Father in which He will return, the angels, and
the “reward” of men’s works, show clearly that the subject is
the same as that of Hebrews 1. and 2.
CHAPTER 3
The Son:
His Person, His Power, His Kingdom.
Having obtained a general idea of what is meant by the
salvation so great, which began to be spoken by the Lord, we would look more
closely at the contents of the first chapter of Hebrews. We quickly perceive that it is all about
the SON. The Spirit is here giving Him the
pre-eminence, and is fulfilling Christ’s own Word, “He (the Spirit) shall glorify
Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you ALL THINGS that
the Father hath are Mine; therefore said I that He shall take of Mine, and
shall show it unto you!”
We are told of His “Being,” Who He is – “Being the Effulgence of God’s Glory and the express
Image (or exact expression, lit., the character) of His
Substance.” His wealth
is also declared. The Father has
appointed Him “Heir of all things.” His creative wisdom is then set forth;
for by Him He made the worlds or ages.
His power is announced; for it is He Who, upholds all things by the word
of His power. His mighty work of
redemption is brought to mind; for it is He Who by Himself purged our
sins. And then the place to which
He has been exalted is declared; for He is seated on the Right Hand of the
Majesty on high. There is no other,
no angel or any created being, who could occupy that place. Yet it is as a Man that He has gone into Heaven.
He has taken humanity to that exalted position. He appears there as Man, and for
men. But He is, at the same time,
God over all, and blessed for evermore.
Therefore, after His Deity has been declared, the Spirit refers to Him
as the Man Who has been “MADE so much BETTER than
the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they”
(verse 4). This should be read in connection with
the passage in chapter 2., “We see Jesus, Who was MADE for little while LOWER than the angels”
(verse 9). He came as Man to do the Will of God by
tasting death for everything, being made, for that purpose, and for a little
time, lower than the angels. Now,
as the Man raised from the dead, He is made so much
better than the angels, as the Name which He has obtained “by inheritance” (not His own Divine Name) is
more excellent than theirs. He, as
Man, has obtained by inheritance the Name that is above every name (Phil. 2: 9; Eph. 1: 21; Acts 4: 12). It is very significant that the first
thing here asserted of the Son is that God has appointed Him the “Heir of all things.” Thus our attention is at the very outset
directed to the prominent subject of the Epistle, namely the glorious
Inheritance of the Son of Man. The
frequent recurrence of the expression, “All
things,” is worthy of notice.
Our attention is next called to
certain prophetic Psalms which are to have their fulfilment in this glorified
Man - the Son of God and Son of Man.
The fulfilment of these prophecies will be the “salvation so great” spoken of in chapter 2.
These are Psalms 2., 45.,
102., 104.,
and 110. Psalms 8. and 22. also are quoted in chapter 2.
The Second
Psalm is of surpassing interest and importance. In it the Lord is saluted of God as
“My Son.” From Acts
13: 33 it appears that this was the greeting God gave Him when He raised
Him up [out]
from the dead to sit with Him on His Throne; and the begetting there spoken of is
that whereby He became the Beginning of a new creation “the
First-begotten of every created thing, the First-begotten from the dead, that
in all things He might have the pre-eminence (Col.
1: 15, 18; Rev. 1: 5).
Having been thus greeted and exalted
to the highest place, after having made peace by the Blood of His Cross, in
order to reconcile all things unto the Father, He awaits the moment when He
shall ask of the Father, and shall receive, the nations for His Inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession (Psa. 2: 8).
The Lord Jesus has already
received some of those whom the Father gave Him out of the world (John 17: 6, &c.). They constitute “His inheritance in the saints” (Ephes. 1: 18). But even these are not yet “perfected.” The Church has not yet attained to
the “full-grown man, to the measure of the
stature .of the fulness of Christ” (Eph.
4: 13). It is not yet ready for Him to
“present it to Himself, a Church of glory, not
having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph. 5: 27).
Therefore we may say that He has thus far received only an earnest
of His inheritance in the saints, as they have received an earnest of
theirs. But, in the age to come, He
will receive, not only the perfected and glorified Church, His Body, to which
God has given Him to be Head, over “all things,”
but also the nations for His inheritance.
At the present time He has, in the world, only a feeble people for His
own Possession (Titus 2: 14 - the word
“peculiar” means “for a possession,” see also 1 Peter 1: 9); but then He will have “the uttermost parts of
the earth for His Possession.”
In view of this universal
dominion that is to be exercised by the Son, the kings of the earth and the
rulers, who (as stated in Psalm 2: 2) set
themselves and took counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ,
are admonished, in verses 10-12, to be wise,
and to be instructed, and to kiss the Son, because in a little while His wrath
will be kindled (R.V.). Regardless,
however, of all that the kings of the earth and the rulers may plan and do, the
purpose of God is declared, and will be carried out: “Yet have I set my King upon My holy hill of Zion”
(verse 6).
Surely it is a point of great
significance and importance that the very first Scripture cited in Hebrews is
that which ,declares God’s blessed and
unalterable purpose to place His Son in absolute authority over the whole
earth. This is the great salvation
that is in prospect for the sons of God.
It is the great feature of “the world to
come whereof we speak,” which God has not put in subjection to
angels, but unto Him Who stooped to become the Son of man, and unto those who
shall be associated with Him, that is to say, unto “all them that obey Him” (Heb. 5:
9). The closing
words of Psa. 2. doubtless
refer to those: “Blessed are all they that put
their trust in Him.”
Heb. 1: 5
contains also a quotation from the Lord’s message by Nathan to
David. In that message occurs this
promise, “Also the Lord telleth thee that He
will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou
shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy Seed after thee which shall
proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish His Kingdom HE SHALL BUILD A
HOUSE FOR MY NAME, AND I WILL ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM FOR
EVER. I WILL BE HIS FATHER AND HE
SHALL BE MY SON” (2 Sam. 7: 11-14).
The last words of this promise
are quoted in Heb. 1: 5 as being fulfilled
in Christ. We know that Solomon
failed, and that his direct line was cut off in Jehoiakim,
the last wicked king of Judah, whose sons were slain before his eyes, and of
whom God declared that none of his seed should sit upon the. throne
of his father David (Jer. 22: 30; 36: 30). Hence the descent of Jesus Christ is
traced through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3: 31). At the same time Christ was the adopted
Son of Joseph, who was descended from David through Solomon, and thus was, by
Jewish law, the rightful heir to the throne (Matt.
1: 7, 11) although not of “the seed”
of Jehoiakim.
In the next verse of Heb. 1.,
we read that “When He bringeth in the First-begotten into the world
(habitable earth) He saith, “And let all the
angels of God worship Him.”
Although He was made for a little while lower than the angels, nevertheless
when He comes into the habitable earth the angels are commanded to worship
Him. This coming scene of the
revealed glory of the Son of Man was made known by the Lord to Nathaniel, the
guileless Israelite, who believed His Word. To him He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall seer Heaven opened, and the angels of God
ascending and descending unto the Son of Man” (John 1: 51). That “hereafter”
is the age to come [upon this earth]; and this is another instance where the Lord began
to speak of that so great salvation that is ready to be revealed.
At this point Psalm 104: 4 is quoted: “Who maketh His, angels spirits, and
His ministers a flame of fire”; and then, by way of contrast, Psalm 95. is quoted. In that Psalm the Holy Spirit, by the
tongue of the Psalmist, speaks of “a good matter,”
even of “the things touching the King.” No other prophetic Scripture speaks so
clearly, with such detail, and in such glowing terms, of God’s King. The words quoted are verses 6 and 7 of the Psalm. “Thy
Throne, 0 God, is, for ever and ever; the sceptre of Thy Kingdom is a right
sceptre. Thou lovest
righteousness, and hatest wickedness (lawlessness); therefore God,
Thy God, has anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.”
Here again the Kingdom of the
Son is brought into view, for it is “unto the Son”
that God saith “Thy Throne, 0 God, is for ever
and ever.” He is
saluted as “God,” and is also spoken
of as the “anointed” One, that is,
the Christ, being anointed, not with the oil of consecration for suffering and
death, but with the oil of gladness for reigning in glory.
Attention should be paid
particularly to the words “above Thy fellows.” This glorious and blessed One has
companions or associates, taking part with Him in the responsibilities of His
Kingdom, and participating in His glory.
There is no difficulty in recognizing these as the “many sons” whom God is bringing “unto glory,” whom Christ is not ashamed to call
“brethren.” The connection is very clearly seen in the
original, for the word rendered “fellows”
in Heb. 1: 9 occurs again in two passages in
chap. 3.,
and those occurrences should be carefully noted. In 3: 1,
we read “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
(fellows) of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our confession, Jesus.” These “holy brethren” are the “fellows” or companions, or
associates, of God’s anointed King, Jesus.
The next
occurrence is in verse 14, and it calls for
special notice. “For we are made partakers (fellows)
of the Christ (the anointed King) if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the
end.” Thus we
are plainly told that being made an associate of God’s anointed King in
the glories of His reign, which is soon to begin, is dependent upon the steadfastness of those who are called to that great
honour. Those who are seen coming
forth with the Faithful and True One, when He issues from the opened Heaven,
bearing upon His vesture and upon His Thigh the Name written “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS,” are not only
“called,” and “chosen,” but also are “faithful” (Rev. 19: 11-16 with 17: 14).
The next
Psalm quoted in Hebrews
1. is the 102nd. This Psalm speaks of the time when the
Lord, Who endures for ever, shall arise, and shall have mercy on
The succeeding verses refer to
the work of Christ in the. days of His flesh, when His
strength was weakened and His days were shortened; and then follow the words
quoted in Hebrews 1. “Of old
hast Thou laid the foundation of the. earth; and the
heavens are the work of Thy Hands.
They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure. Yea, all of them shall wax old
like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them
and they shall be changed. But Thou
art THE SAME, and Thy years shall have no end.”
He Who
is soon to take up the sovereignty of the earth, and reign over it, is “the Same” Who of old laid its foundations, and
created all things therein. He alone
knows the secrets of nature, the marvellous properties of matter in its
countless forms, and He will bring to light and put to their intended uses all
the properties and forces of nature.
At that day it will be seen that the wise and learned men of this day,
the “men of science” (falsely so
called, for they are really men of ignorance) are but stumblers
in the darkness. At that day the
wisdom of this age will be seen by all to be utter foolishness.
He is also the One Who changes not. “Thou art THE
SAME”; and this blessed truth, full of comfort and assurance for
those who are enduring the sufferings of this present time, is repeated in the
last chapter of Hebrews, in those well-known words, “Jesus Christ, THE SAME yesterday, to-day, and for ever.”
The last quotation in Heb. 1. is
from Psa. 110.
This contains the germ of the great subject which is expounded in the
Epistle to the Hebrews, and nowhere else in the Word of God, namely, the office
of the Son as a High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. Again the
[Holy] Spirit
of God directs our attention to a Psalm which speaks clearly of the Kingdom of
the Son, pointing to the time when the Lord shall send the rod of His strength
out of
Such are the Scriptures which
are brought to our notice as showing what is meant by the great salvation which
is to become a manifested reality in the habitable earth to come whereof we
speak. In view of such a
revelation, in view of the wonderful things we have heard, can there be
anything more important for us than to examine ourselves as to how much heed we
have paid, and how much we are now paying, to these things? And if, as the result of such
examination, we find that we have been
paying even less heed to these things of Christ and His coming Kingdom, than to
the perishing things of this present evil age, shall we not make haste to
present ourselves at the throne of grace, where the High Priest of our
confession is now seated, that we may “obtain mercy” for these past
failures and perversities, and “find grace to
help” in this present time of need? The wonderful “things that we have heard,” whereof a beginning
was spoken by the Lord Himself, transcend the human mind and understanding.
They constitute a salvation so great that the imagination of man can form no
conception of its greatness.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them
that love Him.” Paul
could say for himself, “God hath revealed them unto us by His
Spirit”; but he could not write them unto the Corinthians, because they
were babes. He could not speak to
them as unto spiritual men, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ (1 Cor. 3: 1). Hence the importance
of the exhortation to be no longer babes, but to “go on to full
growth,” of which exhortation we hope to speak later on.
CHAPTER
4
The Apostle and High Priest of Our Confession.
There are two exhortations to
which special prominence is given in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The first is that we, God’s
pilgrims of this dispensation, should give to the things that we have heard
more earnest heed than God’s people of old gave to the things announced
to them. The reasons for this
exhortation are, that the things we have heard are vastly “better things” than those spoken of old time to
the fathers; and chiefly that the One Who began to speak to us of these “coming good things,” is the Son Himself, by Whom
and for Whom all things are and were created.
The second great exhortation is
that which stands at the beginning of chapter 3., namely that
the holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, should attentively
consider the Apostle and High Priest of their confession, even Jesus. (The word
“Christ” is lacking in nearly all
the texts.)
The second exhortation follows
logically from the first. Having
given earnest heed to the things that we have heard, we are led thereby to
devote our best consideration to Him Whom God has set before us, by revelation
of His Word and Spirit, as the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Having given heed to the things that we
have heard, we perceive that those
things have to do with the future period of the visible glory of the Son of
God, when He shall assume, in the eyes of the whole creation, the Headship over
all the works of God's Hands.
What that means to Him is, of course, far beyond our comprehension. But as we give the more earnest heed to
the things that we have heard, and as we attentively consider Him, in the
capacity of Apostle, and in that of High Priest, we shall find ourselves
gaining in the apprehension of the hope that is set before us. This fast approaching day of the glory
of the Son of God is the joy that was set before Him, when He endured the
Cross. How great will be that joy
we cannot say. We have no means
wherewith to measure, and no terms wherewith to describe it. But this we know, that so great will be
that joy to Him, that the mere anticipation of it enabled Him not only to
endure the Cross, but even to despise the shame.
That “glory” and that “joy”
He desires to share with those who are the objects of His grace; for His
present work is on behalf of those many sons whom the Father is bringing unto
glory, and His special interest is in those to whom He shall say, in that day,
“enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
It seems very clear, after an
attentive study of the text of this Epistle, that the way to avoid the dangers
to which God’s pilgrims are exposed, and to gain the reward that is set
before them, is by heeding and obeying
these two leading exhortations, which are the burden of the first four chapters
of Hebrews. Parts of those
chapters, and the whole of other chapters following them, are occupied with the
things that we have heard, “the better things,
and things that accompany salvation,” and with special revelations
from the [Holy]
Spirit of God, whereby we may be enabled to consider Him Who is the Apostle and
High Priest of our confession.
Then, in chapter 12., these two leading exhortations
appear again. In verses 1 and 2
we are exhorted to run with patience the race that is set before us, “looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith.” The words “Author” and “Finisher”
correspond respectively with “Apostle”
and “High Priest.” As the “Apostle”
of our confession He is the Author or Beginner of faith,
and as High Priest He is the Finisher of faith. Then, at verse
25, occurs again the warning, given in the most impressive language, to
“refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him
that spake on earth (Moses), much more shall not
we escape if we turn away from Him that speaketh from Heaven.”
The purport of all this, briefly
and simply stated, is that God is now leading a people out from the present
evil world and its seen things, unto a coming world consisting of “things not seen as yet,” and which at present
are apprehended only by faith.
These are “the things that we have heard,”
but they are realities, and God’s announcement concerning them is capable
of exerting an influence upon those, and only those, in whom it is “mixed with faith.” The seen things are “the things that can be shaken,” and which will
therefore be “removed.” The great danger is that those whom God
has called (partakers of the heavenly calling) may occupy themselves with, give
their attention to, set their hearts upon, the seen
things, thus refusing Him that speaketh, or, in other words, neglecting that
great salvation which is “the Kingdom that cannot
be shaken.” In such
case, the warning is given, and given
too clearly to admit of being misunderstood or explained away, or relegated to
the Jewish remnant, that they who neglect that great salvation shall not escape
the loss of a share they might otherwise have had in that Kingdom. In order that we may escape so great a
loss, we are urged first to give earnest heed to the things we have heard, and not
to refuse Him that speaketh, and second to consider, that is, be
occupied with, Himself, especially in His offices of Apostle and High Priest.
The words “holy brethren,” which define those
to whom the second exhortation is addressed, connect directly with verses 10-17 of the preceding chapter, whereof the
subject is His “brethren.”
They are “holy” or “sanctified” by His own act, as stated in 2: 11 :
“He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified
are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” They have been by Him “sanctified,” that is to say, set apart for a
special purpose, which, in this instance, is that they should become members of
a priestly house, a household of sons, built up and presided over by the Son
Himself. This is more fully brought
out in chapter 3: 6. 7. “But
Christ as Son over His own House, Whose house are we, IF we hold fast the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”
To become a member of that
Household is a matter of reward and privilege. It is a privilege so high that the danger of neglecting it through lightly
esteeming it, as the Israelites slighted the land promised to them, and as Esau
slighted the privilege of the birthright, is very great indeed. Membership in that Household is a reward
promised to those who do, the Will of God in the particulars now under our
consideration. Of this the Lord
began to speak, saying, as He looked on those who “sat about Him”
at the time when the rulers and the nation rejected Him, “Behold My
mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall DO THE WILL OF GOD, the same is My
brother, and My sister and mother” (Mark 3:
34, 35; see also Matt. 12: 49, 50). With this agrees the words of the
Epistle; “For ye have need of patience that,
AFTER YE HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, ye might
receive the promise” (10: 36).
These “holy brethren” are “partakers of the heavenly calling,” that is to say, a
calling into the Household of the Son, to be associated with Him in the
authority, dignities, honours and glories, of His Royal Priesthood. In order that they may make their
calling and election sure, they are exhorted to fix their attention steadfastly
upon the Apostle and High Priest of their confession. The word “confession”
probably embraces the whole of that for which they have been apprehended in
Christ Jesus, and for which He assumed the characters of Apostle and High
Priest; but especially it would seem to, refer to their present status in the
world as strangers and pilgrims.
They have the example of those who confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth (11: 13).
This is the character they are called upon to maintain, and of those who
seek to maintain that character, Christ is the Apostle and High Priest.
The word “Apostle” signifies one sent forth on a special
mission. Hence, the work of the Son
of God as the Apostle embraces all that He did in the days of His Flesh as the
Sent One of God. His work as the
Apostle of our confession is finished.
He, being eternal Deity, came forth from God, assumed the form and
nature of man, and thus brought to man all that man required of God. Having finished that work, He, as true
Man, returned to God, bringing to God all that God required of man. That is His present office and work as
High Priest within the true sanctuary.
It is not His character of High Priest after the order of Melchisedec that
is spoken of here. He will not
appear in that character until He comes forth again to assume the office
of King in addition to that of Priest.
His present ministry is rather the fulfilment of what is typified by the
ministry of the Aaronic high priest on the Day of Atonement, when he entered
into the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sin-offering. This clearly appears from chapters 8.-10., in which Christ is revealed as a Minister
of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, but is not spoken of as High
Priest of the order of Melchisedec.
Nevertheless, He has been already “saluted
of God as High Priest after the order of Melchisedec” (verse 10), though yet waiting to be revealed as
such. What He is awaiting is,
amongst other things, the perfecting [in, and
at the time of their resurrection] of the
“many sons” who are to be associated
with Him in that Royal Priesthood.
The work of the Son of God as
the Apostle of our confession is not specially described in Hebrews. For that we must refer to other
Scriptures. It embraces all His
words - the words which the Father gave Him to speak - and all His works,
especially His work on the Cross, where He bore the sins of many, and put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
This redemption-aspect of the work of the Cross is mentioned in Hebrews,
though not specially described there (9: 12). The following passages, among others,
refer to features of His work as the One sent forth from God.
“When He had by Himself purged our sins” (1: 3). “Jesus,
Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death; that
He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every one (or every
thing).” “Forasmuch, then, as the children were partakers of flesh and
blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil, and deliver
those who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” “He Himself hath suffered being tempted” (2: 9, 14, 15, 18).
“Who,
in the days of His Flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with
strong crying and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from (out of) death,
and was heard in that He feared, though being Son yet learned He obedience by
the things He suffered” (5: 7,8).
“Who needeth
not daily to offer up sacrifice ... for this He did once, when He offered up Himself”
(7: 27).
“The
blood of Christ Who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot
to God” (9: 14).
“Now
once in the end of the age hath He appeared to, put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself” (9: 26).
“Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many” (9: 28).
“Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me) to do Thy
Will, 0 God :.. By the which
Will we are sanctified, through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once
for all.”
“This
Man, after He had offered one Sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down at the
Right Hand of God ... For by one Offering He hath perfected for ever them that
are sanctified” (10: 7, 10, 12, 14).
“A new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us
through the vail, that is to say, His Flesh”
(10: 20).
“Who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame”
(12: 2).
“Jesus
also, that He might sanctify the people with His own Blood, suffered without
the gate” (13: 12).
The foregoing passages, found in
the Epistle to the Hebrews, call our attention to special features of the work
of the Son of God as “Apostle of our confession.” It behoves us, therefore, to bestow upon
them our attentive consideration.
But chiefly are we urged to pay
heed to the Words He spake as the One sent of God. It was of old foretold of Him that He
would speak the words of God, and it was shown in advance that great
consequences would hinge upon hearkening to His words. God said by Moses:-
“I
will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH; and He
shall speak them unto all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever
will not hearken unto My words, which He shall speak in My Name, I will require
it of him” (Deut. 18: 18, 19). The Holy Spirit, by the mouth of the
apostle Peter, cited this prophecy, varying it to read thus: “And it shall come to, pass that every soul (psuche) which will not
hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the
people” (Acts 3: 22, 23).
The Lord Himself referred frequently to this feature of His
ministry as the Apostle of God. For
instance, we read, “He Whom God hath sent
(i.e., Christ as Apostle) speaketh the Words of God”
(John 3: 34). The reader is also referred to John 5: 46; 6: 14; 6: 63, 68; 7: 46; 12: 48-50.
In the prayer recorded in John 17., where the Son of God declared to His
Father that He had finished the work given Him to do, He referred to Himself as
the Apostle of God – “Jesus Christ Whorn Thou hast sent” - and He spoke specially
of His ministry to “the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world.” The items of that ministry which He
there mentions are these:-
“I
have manifested Thy Name unto the men which Thou gavest
Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me.” (This is like the passage in
Hebrews, “Lo, I and the children whom God has
given Me”).
“I
have given unto them the Words which Thou gavest Me” (verse 8).
“I
have given them Thy Word” (verse 14).
From this we may learn the great
importance which God attaches to the words spoken unto us by the Son. Special attention is called to verse 13:-
“And
now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have
MY joy fulfilled in themselves.”
This
seems to be a reference to the joy set before Him when about to endure the
Cross, and which will be fulfilled in
the coming age in those for whom He then prayed. The burden of that prayer was that the
Father would keep them through His Name, which Name He (Christ) had manifested
(verse 11), and would sanctify them through
His truth; and His Word, which Christ had given them, is truth (verse 17).
He prayed not that they should be taken out of the world, for it
is in
the world that they must be tried and perfected; but that the Father would keep
them from (out of) the evil (verse 15). And again He refers to Himself as the
Apostle, saying, “As Thou hast SENT ME into the
world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (verse 18).
In the world He did the Will of the Father, and learned obedience by the
things He suffered. Even so
“they are sent to do the Will of God, and
become heirs of the eternal [age-lasting] salvation whereof He is the Author unto all them
that obey Him” (Heb.
10: 36; verse 9).
Finally we would call attention
to verse 22, “And
the glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given them.” This glory “given” to Him as the Finisher of the work of
redemption, is different in character from the glory He speaks of in verse 5; “the glory
which I HAD with Thee before the world was.” That glory is His Own, which He does not
give to another; but the acquired glory, given Him as the Author of eternal salvation, He shares with those whom
He is not ashamed to call His brethren.
By all this we are clearly
taught that, in carrying out the exhortation to consider the Apostle of our
confession, we should pay earnest attention to the words spoken by Him and
recorded for us in the Gospels, especially that of John.
CHAPTER
5
The High Priest of our Confession.
In the preceding chapter we
presented for the reader’s consideration some points in connection with
the “Apostle” of our
confession. We now proceed to
consider Him in the capacity of “High Priest.” His work as Apostle ceased when His Life
was taken from the earth (Acts 8: 33); but
His work on behalf of “His own which were in the world” (John 13: 1) and whom the Father has given Him out
of the world, does not cease. It
takes a new character, and is accomplished in “the
power of an endless life.”
He now appears “in the Presence of God for
us,” (9: 24) taking up
ministries on our behalf which He could not discharge on earth, “For if He were on earth, He should not be a Priest, seeing
that there are priests (on earth) that offer
gifts according to the law” (8: 4). The revelation which has been given us
of the Son of God, in His office of High Priest and Minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle, is contained almost wholly in the Epistle to the
Hebrews. Other Scriptures tell us
that, when “received up in glory,”
He sat down at the Right Hand of God (Mark 16: 19;
Acts 7: 56; Eph. 1: 20; Col. 3: 1; 1 Pet. 3: 22), but they do not speak
of His present occupation. Rom. 8: 34 states briefly that He is “at the Right Hand of God,” where He “also maketh intercession for us”; and in 1 John 2: 1, we are told that “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
Righteous.” These are
the only Scriptures, outside of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
that refer to the present ministry of the risen and glorified Son of
Man.
The first reference to Him as
the High Priest occurs in Hebrews 2: 17, “Wherefore,
in all things it behoved Him to, be made like unto His brethren, that He might
be a MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people.”
[* First
paragraph of PAGE
41. See Appendix.]
This statement is of the deepest
interest to the people of God who, though redeemed, pardoned, reconciled, and
for ever freed from the condemnation of sin, are yet
exposed to temptation and defilement, and are liable to the commission of
sins. To meet this need, the
infinite resources of Divine grace have provided for the people of God the
services of a merciful and faithful High Priest, Who incessantly devotes His exhaustless energies, and
His infinite merits, to making propitiation for their sins. But for the
efficacy of this ministry, none of the people of God could approach His holy
Presence for worship. Thus they
would be deprived of the priceless privilege of worship, and the Father would
be deprived of what He is seeking, namely, true worshippers, who shall worship
Him in spirit and in truth (John 4: 22).
In His office of High Priest,
Christ is “merciful” to the people
of God; for having suffered Himself, being tempted, He is able to help them
that are tempted. Thus the Throne
on which He is seated has become “a Throne of grace,” where we may
“obtain mercy.” He is
“faithful” to God, in discharging fully the
responsibility which He, as High Priest, has assumed towards God, on behalf of
the people of God. Those whom He
represents are God’s own people; and He is “faithful” in His service on their behalf to God, Whose people
they are. The first thing asserted
of Him after the exhortation to consider the High Priest of our confession is
that he was “FAITHFUL to Him that appointed Him”
(Heb. 3: 2).
We cannot conceive what we owe
to the services of this merciful and faithful High Priest, nor
what energies He has to put forth on behalf of a people so ignorant, foolish,
and perverse; but this is eminently a matter which it behoves us to “consider.”
We have a High Priest Who is faithful to God Who appointed Him. The unfaithful priest neglects the
interests of God and of God’s people, and looks after his own interests;
and under the administration of such a priest, the enemies of God prevail over
God’s people. An illustration
of the conditions arising under the administration of an unfaithful priest is
given us in the case of Eli, to whom God said, “Wherefore
kick ye at sacrifice and at Mine offering which I have commanded in My,
habitation, and honourest thy sons above Me, to make
yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel, My people.” Therefore God pronounced a curse upon
the house of Eli, the unfaithful priest, and cut off his two sons in one
day. Moreover, God at that time
spoke this great promise:
“And
I will raise Me up a FAITHFUL PRIEST, that shall do according to that which is
in Mine Heart and in My Mind; and I will build Him a SURE HOUSE; and He shall
walk before Mine Anointed FOR EVER” (1
Sam. 2: 27-36).
We have
now the fulfilment of this promise in the One Who glorified not Himself to be
made an High Priest, and Who is “faithful to Him that appointed Him.” And God also is faithful to Him, for He
is building Him a “sure house,” -
“Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end”.
In order
that we may not cast away our confidence, or relax our grasp upon the hope of a
place in that priestly household of sons, God would teach us our continual need
of the services of this merciful and faithful High Priest. Therefore, after speaking briefly of the
“house” over which Christ as Son
presides, the Spirit of God gives us instruction as to our present state and
position, the risks to which we are exposed, and the loss which we may suffer
through carelessness, unbelief, or disobedience. We are referred to what befell the
Israelites on their journey through the wilderness, at the time when God had
brought them to the very border of the Promised Land. The practical value and importance of
this lesson to the people of God, at the present moment, are beyond all
computation. Therefore, we purpose
discussing this section of the Epistle (3: 7; 4: 13)
in some detail later on. At this
point we are seeking to carry out the exhortation that bids us “Consider the High Priest of our confession.” Accordingly, we would merely mention the
purpose for which our attention is directed to the “Provocation,” in the day of temptation in the
wilderness, which purpose is to put us on guard against ourselves. We have, in our own natural hearts,
precisely the same traits, inclinations, and appetites, which caused the
Israelites to provoke the
indignation of God, and because of which they were irrevocably shut out of the
promised inheritance. Let us be fully warned, therefore, of the
danger that confronts us. It is
of the same nature as that which the Israelites encountered, and it arises from
the same causes. There is, however,
this great difference: that the promised “rest”
offered to us is incalculably greater and more glorious than that which
God’s people of old failed to enter.
The “rest” of Canaan was but a “shadow” of the habitable earth to come whereof
we speak, the glorious Kingdom of the Son of
And again, at this solemn and
critical point in our study, we would, in view of the extent to which these
important warnings have been heretofore neglected, most earnestly urge our
readers to give heed thereto. We
are aware that, in the process of “dividing the
Word of Truth” (which is not always “rightly dividing” it), the warnings contained in Hebrews are,
by some godly teachers of deservedly good repute, apportioned to the “Jewish remnant.” But if we are bold to say that those
warnings are, every one of them, for the people of God of this dispensation
now drawing to a close, and
in a special way are for us who are enjoying the benefits of the ministrations
of God’s faithful High Priest, while awaiting His appearance, the second
time, for salvation. If there could
be any uncertainty as to the application of those warnings, arising from the circumstance
that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is not mentioned in Hebrews, that
uncertainty could not remain in view of what is written in 1 Cor. 10. The experiences of the Israelites in the
wilderness are there referred to, and it is clearly stated that “ALL these things happened unto them for ensamples (types): and they are written
for OUR admonition, upon whom the
ends of the world (ages) are come.”
And the plain warning is added. “Wherefore let him that thinketh
he standeth (lit., ‘that thinks to stand’)
take heed lest he fall (1 Cor.
10: 11, 12). In Hebrews we
have the same admonitions “Take heed,” and “lest
any
man fall after the same example of disobedience” (3: 12; 4: 11).
We should apply our hearts
diligently in the endeavour to get the sense of these warnings, which God will
surely impart to us if we “take heed”
thereto; and having learned the gravity of the danger confronting those who are
confessed “Hebrews,” especially at
the critical moment when they are brought within reach of the promised [millennial]
inheritance, we shall the better be able to appreciate the value of the
resources which God has provided for us, as stated at the end of this section
of the Epistle. It is in view of
the gravity of the danger and the irrevocable character of the loss we may
incur, that our attention is directed again at the close of this section to the
“Great High Priest.” The term “great”
is here added to the previously used terms “merciful” and “faithful.”
For a great emergency
“we have a great High Priest, that is passed into (through)
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,” Therefore,
we should “hold fast our confession.” At the beginning of the passage we are
exhorted to consider the High
Priest of our confession, and the result should be a determination to hold fast
that confession. And we should not be discouraged because of our
infirmities; “for we have not an High Priest
Who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (4: 14, 15).
And finally our attention is
directed to the blessed fact that God has made available to us a “throne of grace.” Here is our great resource; and the real
danger is that we may neglect it, and thus “fail
of the grace of God,” during the period of trial and in the hour
of danger. We must learn (and none
but God Himself can teach us) the need of the grace that is
dispensed at that throne, else we shall fail to seek it. Unless we know of the “time of need” we shall not be likely to look for
grace to help in such a time. It
is, therefore, of the utmost importance for us to pay heed to the warnings
which God has, in His goodness, given to us.
The place to which we have
access is “a throne.” That word speaks to us of the power and
royal authority of Him, Who, being our Representative before God, is seated
there. All authority has been given
unto Him in heaven and earth. He is
“gone into heaven, and is on the Right Hand of
God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him”
(1 Pet. 3: 22). Therefore His grace is mighty, and by it the feeblest pilgrim can be empowered
to overcome all that obstructs his pathway or resists his progress; but
without that sovereign and irresistible grace the strongest must “fall.” “Let us
have grace, therefore” (12: 28);
and the way to have grace is to seek it constantly at the Throne of
Grace. The supply cannot fail, nor
will any needy saint be denied who seeks grace there; for it is dispensed by One Who is touched by the
feeling of our infirmities, Who was tempted in all points like as we are, yet
without sin, and Who, having suffered in being tempted, is able to help them
that are tempted. So shall it
not be with us as with
[* The word at the end of 3: 19 is
“unbelief.” That at the end of 4: 6 and 4: 11
is a different word, which is more adequately rendered by the English word
“disobedience.”]
The subject of the High Priest
of our confession, Whom we are exhorted to “consider,” continues in subsequent chapters of
the Epistle, unfolding new and more glorious features as it progresses. In chapter 5. comes
the revelation of the fact that the Risen Son of God is a Priest after
the order of Melchisedec; and this
is declared to be a matter of adult knowledge, whereof the significance is not
to be understood by those who are unskilful in the word of righteousness, who
are babes.
Between the several doctrinal
statements concerning the present and future Priesthood of the Son of God, are
found extended passages containing practical instruction. The doctrinal statements have received
much attention from expositors; the practical instruction very little. It will, therefore, be our special aim
to call attention to the lessons that have been given for our profit in chapters 3. and 4.
CHAPTER 6
The
Provocation
In Heb.
3: 4, 5, 6, Christ is compared with Moses, who was faithful as a servant
in all God’s House, for a testimony of the things which were to be spoken
subsequently (which we take to be “the things
which we have heard”).
Christ, however, is not a servant in God’s House, but Son over His
House; and then follows the statement that directly concerns us: “Whose house are we if
we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” What follows is given for the purpose of
teaching us what is meant by holding fast the confidence and rejoicing (or, as
it has been otherwise rendered, the boldness and boasting) of the hope firm to
the end. That such is the purpose
is evident from the fact that the next words are “Wherefore (omitting the parenthesis to end of verse 11) take heed lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the
living God.” For information as to what is meant by departing from
the living God as the result of unbelief, we are referred to the ninety-fifth Psalm, the last part of which is
quoted in full and declared to be the saying of the Holy Spirit.
From this we learn that the
period denominated “To-day” is the
present day of our sojourn and pilgrimage on earth; and that “the
end,” unto which we are again and again admonished to hold fast our
confession and our confidence, is the end of our pilgrim journey. We learn further that the danger against
which we are so pointedly and earnestly warned is something that corresponds to
the “provocation in the day of temptation in the
wilderness,” the dire consequence of which was that God swore in
His wrath that those who provoked should
not ‘enter into His rest’. What, then, was the “provocation,” and what does it stand for as a
type? Turning to Numbers 14.
we find at verse 11 the words “And the Lord said unto
Moses, How long will this people PROVOKE
Me and how long will it be ere they BELIEVE
Me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?” And at verse 23: “Surely
they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any
of them that PROVOKED Me see it.”
Here we have the provocation and
the penalty. The provocation was - not a single act, but - the culmination of a
series of acts. The Lord’s
question was “How long will this
people provoke Me?” And in verse
22 He spoke of them as “those men which
... have
tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened unto My Voice.” Therefore, it will be profitable to
trace the steps which culminated in provoking the irrevocable punishment
inflicted on those whom God still owned as His people, and over whom He still
continued to watch in the wilderness where they were condemned to remain. If we take care to avoid the first step
of the provocation we shall not incur the indignation.
In the latter part of Numbers 10. we read of the journeyings of the Israelites under the
guidance of Jehovah, the Shepherd of Israel, the Ark of the covenant going
before to search out a resting place for them; and we read also the wards that
Moses uttered when the
The next incident is recorded in Numb.
11: 4-6:-
“And
the mixt multitude that was among them fell a
lusting; and the children of
So the next step in the
provocation came through the “mixt multitude” which had come up with them out of
The manna which God supplied to
His people in the wilderness stands for the Word of God on which His people are
privileged now to feed, that they may be “nourished
up in the words of faith” (1 Tim. 4: 6). From this we may learn that it is a very
serious matter to slight the Word of God.
To do so is to neglect the appropriate spiritual food which God, in His
goodness, has supplied, in order that we may be nourished and strengthened to
bear the trials of the way.
Disinclination to feed on the Word is a common complaint among
Christians, particularly among such as have fellowship with the mixed multitude
of Christendom, who have no taste at all for the bread
of life. Let us take careful note
of this, and not permit either the habits of our neighbours or the pressure of
things about us, to divert us from the daily, deliberate, meditative reading of
the Word of God. Regular attention
to this important matter will go far towards fitting us to overcome the severe
trials that surely lie in our path.
The reading matter of the day, that is devoured by the
people of the world, and by the mixed multitude, is utterly unfit for
the people of God. Not only is it
quite void of spiritual nutriment, but it vitiates the taste therefor. Much
of the religious literature of the day is no better, and some of it is
even worse. The attempt to make
spiritual things palatable, by means of artistic and literary expedients, is
sure evidence of a state of spiritual decline, which may end in apostasy. It is written of the Israelites that
they subjected the manna to culinary expedients in order to make it more
palatable, not relishing it in the state in which God gave it to them. For “the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in
mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it”
(Numb. 11: 8). But that did not satisfy them; for
eventually they came to such a pass as to say, “Our
soul loatheth this light bread” (Numb. 21: 5).
It is safe to say that, of the literature of the day, not the thousandth
part contains any spiritual nutriment; and beside that, it must be remembered
that the very soundest and most
spiritual books cannot take the place of the Word of God. This admonition
applies to the old and young alike.
To despise the provision which
the Lord has made for His people is to despise the Lord Hiniself, as He said on the occasion we are now
considering, “Ye have despised the Lord Who is
among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?” (Numb. 11: 20).
God has taken pains to teach us
very plainly and forcibly the seriousness of neglecting our spiritual food,
which He supplies, namely, the words of eternal life. The incident of the preference of the
Israelites for the food of
Again in
Psalm 106. the incident is recited in detail; and, as we have already
seen, Psalm 95. refers
prominently and pointedly to the provocation in the day of temptation in the
wilderness.
Proceeding with the record given
in Numbers, we find in chapter 12. the sedition of Aaron and Miriam against Moses, which
amounted to rebellion against the Word of God, Who spoke through Moses. Aaron and Miriam wished their utterances
to have the same authority as those of Moses. “And they
said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath He not spoken also by us?” Many among professed Christians are
saying the same thing to-day, putting the uninspired words of man on the same
level with the Word of God. Those
who were most closely related to Moses “refused him that spake on earth”
(Heb. 12: 25), and they did “not escape”
punishment.
Chapter 13. relates another step in the
departure of the Israelites from the living God, giving a further manifestation
of the existence in themselves of “an evil heart
of unbelief.” The
subject of this chapter is the sending of the spies to investigate and report
upon the Promised Land. They
believed not God’s report concerning the land. His announcement did not profit them,
not being mixed with faith in them that heard. So they sent chosen leaders to spy the
land, with instructions to “SEE the land, what it is;
and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or
many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and
what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents or in strong holds; and
what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein or
not” (verses 18, 19, 20).
From Deut.
1: 22 we learn that the sending of the spies was the act of the people,
God permitting them in all these matters to have their own way, which they
preferred to His. They saw His
works, but did not know or desire His ways. Moses in his farewell words to the
people said:-
“And
I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the
Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the
land before thee. Go up and possess
it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee. Fear not, neither be
discouraged” (Deut. 1: 20-22).
This surely should be enough for
those who had faith in God. But
“their heart was not right with Him.” They did not hold the beginning of their
confidence, in which they set out from
“And
ye drew near unto me, every one of you, and said, We will send men before us,
and they shall search us out the land and bring us word again by what way we
must go up and into what cities we shall come” (verse 23).
Two things are prominent in this
action of the congregation of Israel; first, that they had more confidence
in the report of men than in that of God; and, second, that they had more confidence in the
guidance of human leaders than in that of God, notwithstanding that He, as
Moses reminds them, “went in the way before you
to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night to show you
the way ye should go, and in a cloud by day” (verse 33).
Taking the two accounts (that in
Numbers and that in Deuteronomy) together, we may see that God was virtually
ignored by His people. They did not
consider His purpose or will in the matter, or even consider whether He had a will as to their entering the land of
their inheritance. They disregarded
His promise made to them in
Can it be denied that there are
Christians - in name, at least, and probably in fact as well - who are acting
similarly with reference to “the things which we
have heard” concerning the habitable earth to come, the Rest that
remaineth unto the people of God?
We apprehend that the number of such is great. “Let us
fear, therefore, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any
of you should seem to come short of it.”
Let it be noted that it was
those who had heard the announcement of
God that provoked Him by the way in which they acted with regard to the things
announced. “For some, when they had heard, did provoke” (Heb. 3: 16).
The announcement was perfectly
plain. It could not be
misunderstood, although it could be treated with indifference, slighted and
neglected.
Now, it is expressly stated that
good things have been announced to us, “as well
as unto them” (Heb. 4: 2). This is not the preaching of the gospel
of God’s grace to the unconverted.
It is the announcement by God Himself of good things to come, which He
has prepared for those who love Him and manifest their love by [their obedience and] holding fast the beginning of their confidence in
Him steadfast unto the end. This is
the “word” which will not profit, if
not mixed with faith in us who have distinctly heard it.
The action of the congregation
of Israel in the matter of the spies teaches plainly the lesson that when the
people of God are lacking in the energy of faith, by reason of insufficient
spiritual nourishment, due to their own neglect of the Word of God, the effect
is to throw them back upon the resources of nature, and upon the methods and
means of the natural man, even in matters connected with their spiritual
concerns. This is a condition that
widely prevails at the present day.
On every hand we see attempts at producing spiritual results by means of
natural agencies, and the consequences are deplorable indeed. All these fleshly activities are outward
manifestations of the inward presence of an evil heart of unbelief; and the
source of it all is the failure to heed, believe, and obey the Word of God.
The spies returned and reported
to the congregation the things that they had seen, which, in the state of their
heart towards God, outweighed the things that He had spoken concerning the
land. “They brought up an evil report of the land which they had
searched” (Numb. 13: 32). God describes the action of the spies as
“bringing up a slander on the land” (Numb.
14: 36). In Psalm 106.,
God says, “Yea, they despised the pleasant land,
they believed not His Word” (verse 24). And this unbelief culminated in the
rebellion recorded in Numb. 14: “And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let
us return into
In studying this incident, in
the light of what is said of it in the Psalms and in Hebrews, we observe that
the action of the congregation of
Special attention should be paid
to the consequences of the provocation,
as announced in these words of the Lord to Moses: “Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their
fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me
see it.” “As I live, saith the Lord, AS ye have spoken in My Ears, SO
will I do to you. Your carcases
shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to
your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured
against Me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land which I sware to make you
dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and
Joshua the son of Nun” (Numb. 14: 23,
28, 29, 30).
Briefly, then, the punishment
visited upon the Israelites consisted in giving them what they had preferred. They preferred not to enter the land;
and God granted them their choice.
It seems that, when the people of God desire their own ways, in
preference to His, He often allows them to have their desire. When they longed for the food of Egypt He
gave them a surfeit of flesh; but “while the
flesh was between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was
kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great
plague” (Numb. 11: 33). So in the Lord’s dealings with His
people to-day, those who long for the enjoyments, indulgences, pleasures etc.,
which this world affords, are often permitted to have them; but sometimes ere
they can derive any satisfaction therefrom – “ere it was chewed” - they are cut off in the midst
of their carnal pleasures according as it is plainly declared, “if ye ([regenerate] believers) live after the
flesh ye shall die” (Rom. 8:
13).
In the words of Psalm 78: 29-31: “So
they did eat, and were well filled; for He gave them THEIR OWN DESIRE; they were not estranged from their lust. But while the meat was yet in their
mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and
smote down the chosen men of
Once more, when the people
wished to investigate the land for themselves by chosen representatives, God
again gave them their desire. He
allowed the whole congregation to be halted for forty days, while the leaders
of
And finally, when the people
turned back “and tempted God, and limited the
Holy One of Israel” (Psa. 78: 41), and said, “Would God we had died in this wilderness” (Numb. 14: 2), God again gave them their wish,
saying, “As ye have spoken in Mine Ears so will I
do to you” (14: 28).
This should teach us to search
our hearts, by the light of God’s Word, for any desires which are not in
accord with His revealed purpose for us.
In the particular case which we are now studying, it is God’s revealed
purpose to lead many sons unto glory; and it is necessary to the accomplishment
of this purpose that they should give heed to, and obey, the word spoken to
them. This purpose of God is not,
for their satisfaction only, or chiefly. It is primarily for His own satisfaction, and for the glory of His
First-Begotten, Who glorified Him in the earth, and Who
is now waiting for the joy that was set before Him when He endured the
Cross. It is an exceedingly serious
matter to hinder this purpose of the
Father. He has graciously made it known to
us, and great will be our loss if we set not our hearts in line with its
accomplishment. If, therefore, we
allow and cherish in our hearts desires for the seen things of this age, giving them preference over the
things “which we have heard” but have “not seen as yet,” then, regardless of our Christian name and
profession, we do provoke God, and render ourselves liable to such consequences
as the Israelites brought upon themselves; that is to say, we may fail to enter
into the “Rest” that God has announced
to us, and be condemned instead to have our portion in the wilderness of this
age, and in the things that pertain to it, according to the desire of our
hearts.
It is important to observe that
those who provoked God in the wilderness by their unbelief and disobedience,
and who were in consequence shut out of the Promised Land, did not cease to be the Lords
people, and that He did not
refuse to pardon their iniquity.
Moses interceded for them, as he had done at Sinai, and said, “Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people,
according to the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast forgiven this people,
from
By this we are taught that
God’s pardon to His children does not mean the remission of the
appropriate consequences of their wrong-doing. That is what we usually mean when we
ask forgiveness of our sins; but God’s pardon is something different from
that. It is written that every
transgression and disobedience receives a just recompense of reward (Heb. 2: 2); and again, that “whatsoever a man soweth that shall
he also reap” (Gal. 6: 7). And again, that everyone shall receive
the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad (2 Cor. 5: 10).
And again, “He that doeth wrong shall receive for
the wrong which he hath done” (Col. 3:
25). God’s pardon
means that He does not cast away His people though He punishes their sins; as
said the Psalmist: “Thou answeredst them, 0 Lord
our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest
vengeance of their inventions” (Psa. 99: 8). He shut the disobedient people out of
the
God’s dealings with David
impressively teach the same lesson.
Immediately upon David’s confession of sin, Nathan said,
“The Lord also hath put away thy sin” (2
Sam. 12: 13). Nevertheless,
the punishment
for the sin was not remitted or abated. The sword never departed from
David’s house, and the other items of his punishment were fully carried
out, according to the Word of the Lord (2 Sam. 12:
10-12).
As we have seen, the righteous
retribution which God visits upon His people, frequently takes the form of
permitting them to have the preference of their own hearts. It was thus when the people said,
“Give us a king to judge us” (1 Sam. 8: 6).
God first warned them clearly by His prophet Samuel what would happen to
them if they rejected Him and chose a human king to rule over them (verses 9-18).
“Nevertheless, the people refused to obey
the voice of Samuel, and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us, that
we may be like all the nations” (19-20). So God gave them a king in His anger,
and not only so, but He gave them just such a king as their own hearts desired.
On another greater and more
solemn occasion, a choice was presented to the people. The choice then offered them lay between
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Barabbas, the
murderer. And they all cried
saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas”
(John 18: 40). The apostle Peter subsequently reminded
the people of
Before leaving the record of the
provocation in Numb. 14., we would direct attention to
the remarkable promise found in verse 21: “But as
truly as I live, all the earth shall be
filled with the glory of the Lord.” It
is a very significant fact that the Lord, in pronouncing the judgment that
excluded the disobedient people from the
The essence of the lesson put
before us in the incidents of the “Provocation”
is that, when God, having redeemed for Himself a people at a great price, and
having revealed to them His mighty power and His tender mercy, speaks to them
of a place of wondrous blessing which He Himself has chosen for them, and into
which He purposes to bring them; and when those to whom this purpose is
revealed despise “the pleasant land”
and manifest a preference for the things they are leaving behind them,
God’s fiery indignation is aroused against them, insomuch that He shuts them out of the promised blessing,
and leaves them to a dreadful alternative.*
[* That
‘alternative’ is remaining in Hades
until after the Millennial
The same lesson is taught by the
Lord Himself in the parable of the great supper (Luke
14: 16-24). The Lord had
been speaking of recompense at the Resurrection
of the just whereupon one of
those that sat at table with Him said: “Blessed
is he that shall eat bread in the
How, then, shall we
escape if we, after the same example of unbelief, make light of and
neglect “so great salvation,”
whereof a beginning was spoken by the Lord?
CHAPTER 7
The Rest that Remaineth. The Works of
Wisdom, and Her Children.
Many hundred years after the
Provocation in the wilderness, the Holy Spirit inspired the utterance of the Ninety-fifth Psalm. It begins with a note of praise “to the Rock of our Salvation.” Then it speaks of the Lord as a great
God and .a great King. It brings to
mind the works of His Hands, making mention of the deep places of the earth,
the strength of the hills, the sea, and the dry land. Then follows an invitation to come and
worship before Him; and then they to whom this invitation is given are called
“the people of His pasture and the sheep of His
Hand.” The parallel
between these verses and the contents of Hebrews is obvious.
The second part of the Psalm
consists of the warning quoted in full in Hebrews 3.;
and it should be carefully noted that the warning, “To-day, if ye: will hear His Voice, harden not your hearts as
in the provocation” is addressed to “the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His Hand”; and it
should be further noted that the subject spoken of, regarding which they are
urged to hear His Voice, has to do with “salvation”
and with the material creation - the sea and the dry land.
This
Psalm is beyond all doubt prophetic.
It belongs to a series (93 - 100)
which speak in glowing language of the salvation to be manifested in the age to
come, when “the Lord reigneth,” when
the heavens shall rejoice and the earth be glad, the field be joyful, and all
the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord, “for
He cometh to judge the earth.” We cannot comment extensively upon these
Psalms, but advise the reader to study them carefully.
The Epistle to the Hebrews fixes
definitely the period of the fulfilment of these prophetic Psalms. It tells us that “the rest” which God offered to the Israelites
was but a shadow. Joshua did not,
in fact, give them rest, “For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He
(God) not afterward have spoken of another
(rest) day” (Heb.
4: 8). And it tells us quite
plainly that the people of His pasture, to whom the warning. “Harden
not your heart” is addressed, are the redeemed people of this age,
the “Hebrews,” those who are
passengers, through the wilderness of this world, and who have the privilege of
coming into His Presence to “worship.”
The application of the warning
is made for us with a definiteness that leaves little room for
misunderstanding. The point of the
matter is that we should fear lest “a promise
being left us of entering into His rest, any of us should seem to come short of
it; and that we ought to give diligence to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of disobedience.”
By reference to Scriptures which
speak of the Rest of God, we may obtain light whereby many and exceedingly
precious details of this subject can be perceived.
In the fourth
chapter of Hebrews, two “rests” are spoken of, namely, the rest of the
old creation (verse 4), and that of the new
creation (verses 5, 9, 10, 11). In Genesis 2. God spoke “of the seventh day on this wise, and
God did REST the seventh day from all His works” (verse 4).
Then subsequently, “in this place (i.e. in Psa. 95.)
again He spoke of a rest, saying, If they shall enter into My rest” (verse 5).
Having spoken in, Gen. 2. of a certain day of rest (which rest was broken by the
entrance of sin into the world) God again, after so long a. time, limited a
certain day (of rest), saying in David “To-day,
etc.” And by this He could
not have meant the rest of
This is the conclusion of the
argument beginning at verse 3, the sense of
which appears to be this: Although the works of God were completed from the
foundation of the world (for the Seventh day is specifically named as the
period when God rested from all His works) nevertheless, at a much later time,
God speaks again of “My rest,” and
speaks of it as something [still] in the future.
What does this mean? What
are the works from and in which God will rest, .and into which He is now
bidding some men to enter? The
explanation appears in verse 10, pointing to
the rest that will ensue from the works which Christ finished on the Cross,
where He Who is the Beginning, made peace through the Blood of His Cross, to
reconcile ALL THINGS unto Himself (Col. 1: 18, 20). “For He (Christ) that is entered
into His rest, He also hath ceased from His Own Works, as God did from His.” This is the [future] rest into which we [who
are regenerate] should labour to enter. It is
a rest far more glorious than that ensuing upon the works of the six days of Gen. 1., for it will be based upon the mighty work
of Redemption, accomplished upon the Cross of Calvary, where the Incarnate Son
of God put away sin by the Sacrifice of Himself, and through death destroyed
him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil.
BY
“God’s rest” is not meant
recuperation from the fatigue of labour, for we cannot think of God as being
fatigued by His labours. It means
the satisfaction and enjoyment which God takes in the finished and perfected
works of His Hands, the productions of His creative wisdom and power. “Rest,” therefore, is
associated with God’s “works.” When God had set the world in order by
the work of the six days recorded in Gen. 1.,
and had filled it with living creatures, and had “blessed” them, and had seen that all was “very good;” He then rested on the seventh
day. That rest was broken by
sin. The world was again thrown
into confusion, being filled with corruption and violence. God could not rest in such an evil state
of things; so He took up another and a mightier work, that
of redemption, looking to a new creation based upon reconciliation, and to an
eternal and glorious rest therein.
The
works of God, wherein He finds rest or satisfaction, are the products of His WISDOM, as it is written: “0 Lord how manifold are Thy works! IN
WISDOM hast Thou made them all. The earth is full of Thy riches; so is
this great and wide sea” (Psa. 104: 24,
25). “To Him that BY WISDOM
made the heavens” (Psa. 136: 5). “The
Lord BY WISDOM bath founded the
earth” (Prov. 3: 19).
“WISDOM hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars”
(Prov. 9: 1).
These
passages, and others which refer to the wisdom of God, have an important
bearing upon our subject, as we shall endeavour to show; for the supreme works
of Christ, Who is the Power
of God and the Wisdom of God (1 Cor.
1: 24), will come into display, for the enjoyment and satisfaction of
God, and of those who enter thereinto, in
the age to come.
Hence we
find in the Scriptures many foreshadowings of “that
rest.” Particularly would
we direct attention to Prov. 8., where Wisdom is represented as crying,
standing in the top of the high places, crying at the gates, and at the doors:
Wisdom’s call is addressed not unto angels, but unto men: “Unto you, 0 MEN, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.” To them she cries, “Hear, for I
will speak of excellent things” (verses 1-6). She speaks of fruit better than gold,
and of revenue better than choice silver, and declares that her purpose is to
lead in the way of righteousness, “That I may cause those that love me to inherit
substance, and I will fill their
treasures” (19-21). Then comes the
announcement: “The Lord possessed me, the BEGINNING of His way, before His works of
old I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, ere ever the earth was”
(22, 23). Then the creation is brought into
view. God here speaks with delight,
as He ever does, of the works of His Hands, the earth, the fountains of waters,
the mountains, the hills, the fields, the clouds, and the seas. Thus speaks the Wisdom of God: “When He gave to the sea His decree … When He
appointed the foundations of the earth.
Then I was by Him, as one brought up (or as another translation
renders it His Artificer), and I was daily His
delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the habitable part of His
earth; and My delights were with the SONS OF MEN” (29-31).
“For not unto angels hath He put in
subjection the habitable earth to come, whereof we speak.”
There is, at the present time, a
teaching which finds much acceptance, to the effect that the blessings of the
Church are wholly of a “spiritual”
nature, and are confined to “heavenly places,”
having nothing to do with the habitable earth to come. It is regarded as “un-spiritual” to anticipate material blessings,
which are (according to this teaching) assigned to
Let us, then, listen to these
words, which are intended for our ears: “Now, therefore,
hearken unto Me, O YE CHILDREN, for blessed are they that keep My ways.”
Surely this is addressed by Christ to the children that God has given
Him; and of whom also He speaks in Matt. 11: 19, “Wisdom is justified of her children.” Let us therefore prove ourselves to be
the children of Wisdom by hearkening to these things; for at that very
time. “Jesus answered and said, I thank
Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” And then He tells how, by bearing His
yoke and learning of Him, they may find rest unto their SOULS (Matt. 11: 25-30). To this important saying of the Lord -
another instance where He began to speak of that salvation so-great, the coming
“rest” - we will return later on.
In these Scriptures we see the
Christ of God, Who is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God, by Whom all the
works of God are wrought, looking forward to the time when He will rejoice in
the habitable part of [this] His earth, and have His delights with the sons of
men. That was the joy set before
Him when He endured the Cross.
In this connection, we would
commend to our readers the study of that remarkable passage (1 Cor. 1: 17 to 2: 16) wherein the Apostle Paul contrasts the
wisdom and power of God with the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness
with God, and which has been confounded and brought to nothing by the Cross of
Christ. We can but indicate a few
of the leading points. Paul’s
ministry among the Corinthians was to preach the “foolishness” of the Cross, by means of which it pleases God
to save them that believe (1: 17-23). Among
them he had determined to know nothing else (2: 2). “However,” he says, “we do speak WISDOM among them that are perfect,”
that is, full-grown. This relates
the passage to Hebrews, where the sons of God are urged to go on to perfection
(full-growth). But the wisdom which
the Apostle speaks to the mature saints is not the wisdom of this age, nor of
the rulers of this age, who are coming to nought. He speaks the wisdom of God, the wisdom
that was hidden in mystery, that is to say, kept secret, the wisdom that God
predetermined before the ages for OUR
GLORY (2: 6, 7). This is the purpose of God,
predetermined before the ages, and which is referred to in Hebrews, namely,
“bringing many sons unto GLORY.” This wisdom, no one of the rulers of
this age has known, for had they known it they would not have crucified the
Lord of THE GLORY. The One Whom the rulers of this age -
the leaders of the thought of this age and the representatives of its wisdom -
put to shame upon the Cross, is the Lord of that GLORY, into which God, during
this very age, is bringing His many sons.
That wisdom, hidden from the wise and prudent (comp. Matt. 11: 25 and 1 Cor. 1: 19) is now declared to be what the prophet
speaks of in Isa. 64: 4 - a wisdom not understood by the learned
men of this world, “But as it is written, Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man THE
THINGS which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (2: 8, 9).
These “things” prepared by
the Wisdom of God, things which pertain to the glory of the sons of God, were
not disclosed to the Corinthians, and the Apostle’s reasons for not revealing
them to the saints at Corinth was not because they were too spiritual, but for
the very different reason that they were “babes,”
being “carnal”; and the evidence of
their spiritual immaturity and carnality is pointed out in chap. 3: 3.
“For ye are yet carnal:
For whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not
carnal and walk as men?” (i.e., as men in the flesh, for they were
“babes in Christ.”)
Let it then be carefully noted
that chief among the things that hinder spiritual growth are envying, strife, and divisions. “Wherefore,”
says the apostle Peter, “laying aside all malice,
and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
as new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby”
(1 Pet. 2: 1, 2).
Paul goes on to say that God had
revealed those things to him (or to “us,”
Paul and Sosthenes) by His Spirit, Who searches all
things, they having received, not the spirit of the world which knows nothing
of those things, but the Spirit that is of God, in order that they might know
the things that are freely given to us of God (verses
10-12). Those “things that are freely
given to us of God,” are the same “things
which God has prepared for them that love Him.” Still speaking of the same things Paul
tells how he communicates them to others.
Even as, in preaching the Cross, he used not excellency of speech or
enticing words of man’s wisdom (verses 1
and 4), so in communicating these deep
things of God, he spoke not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but
in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, communicating SPIRITUAL THINGS by
means of SPIRITUAL (WORDS). (We
think there can be no doubt that the substantive to be supplied after “spiritual” at the end of verse 13 is “words.”
The grammatical construction
indicates it, and the sense of the passage demands it.)
We thus learn that the things
prepared by God for the coming age, which are “for
our glory,” are “spiritual things,” notwithstanding that they are the material
works of His creative wisdom. And
not only are they spiritual things, but they are communicated by means of
“spiritual words”; and they must be
“spiritually discerned” (verse 14).
CHAPTER 8
The Eternal Purpose of God in Christ. Bringing
Many Sons unto Glory.
In connection with the subject
of the preceding chapter we would also refer briefly to a passage in Eph. 3.
The first chapter of that Epistle, which reveals a mystery
or secret, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, closes
with an unmistakable reference to the eighth Psalm,
which is found in verse 22, “And hast put ALL THINGS under His Feet.” Those are the created things
specifically mentioned in Psa. 8.
But the same verse contains also the announcement of something entirely
new, “And gave Him to be the Head OVER ALL THINGS to the Church, which is
His Body.” The Church
which is His Body is thus declared to be united with Him, as a part of Himself,
over the “all things” of Psalm 8., Heb. 2.,
Matt. 11: 27, Rom.
8: 32, and other Scriptures.
Turning now to chap.3.,we find the
revelation “by the Spirit” of the
secret, not known in other ages, namely that, by means of the gospel, whereof Paul
was made a minister, Gentiles should become joint-heirs and joint partakers
(same word as rendered “fellows” in Heb. 1: 9, and “partakers”
in Heb. 3: 14) of God’s PROMISE IN CHRIST (verses 5, 6). This “promise”
is said to embrace “the unsearchable riches of
Christ.” It is the
fellowship, or sharing together of
elect Jews and Gentiles, of the mystery which, from the ages, was
hidden in God, “Who CREATED ALL THINGS by Christ
Jesus.” And this is to
the intent that now to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places
might be known, by the Church, the MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD, according to the
purpose of the ages, which He purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord (verses 9-11).
Here we
have God’s “purpose of the ages”
in Christ Jesus, by Whom He created all things (comp. Heb.
1: 2), in the carrying out of which is made known His manifold Wisdom, that purpose being carried out in the
Church, which is Christ’s Body.
What is that purpose of the ages?
By looking closely at the text we may get a clear answer. At the end of verse
11, Paul turns aside to make an important parenthetical remark, breaking
off for that purpose the main thread of the discourse, as is common in his
writings. In this parenthesis, verse 12 and part of 13,
Paul declares that in Him (Christ) he has BOLDNESS and access with CONFIDENCE,
by the FAITH of Him. Boldness and confidence by faith are the very things which the
Hebrews “are exhorted to “hold
fast” and not to “cast away.” Wherefore, since Paul has these
essential things, he desires that they faint not at his tribulations for
them. Here ends the parenthesis,
which contains a complete topic in itself, the words “which is YOUR GLORY”
completing (as we believe) the topic interrupted up to the end of verse 11.
The suggested reading of the passage is as follows. “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in
the heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God,
according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (in
Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him) which (purpose) is your glory.” That is to say, God’s purpose of
the ages in Christ Jesus, our Lord, is “your
glory.” This reading
brings the passage into full accord with what is stated in chap. 1. (see
particularly verses 5, 6, 9-12), and with
other Scriptures. The tribulations
of Paul could not be the “glory” of
other saints; but it is the purpose of God in Christ to present to Himself a
“
[* I am not aware whether the parenthetical
character of Paul’s reference to himself in
verse 12 and first part of verse 13,
has been pointed out in any of the commentaries on Ephesians. For this valuable suggestion I am
indebted to a brother in the Lord.]
Another distinct foreshadowing of God’s rest to come is
given to us in the history of Noah, whose very name signifies “rest” or “comfort.” His father, Lamech,
“called his name Noah, saying, This
same shall COMFORT us concerning the
work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed”
(Gen. 5: 29). This passage conveys a strong intimation
that the rest to come will ensue upon
the removal of the curse that God laid upon the earth,
because of the sin of Adam. It also
presents to us a foreshadowing of the One Who will give complete rest
concerning the work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which God has
cursed. We know now that the
removal of that curse is one of the results of the work of Christ on the Cross,
where He bore the curse Himself and tasted death for everything.
Noah is the third on the list of
true “Hebrews” given in Heb. 11. “By faith,”
he prepared an ark for the SALVATION
of his house.” The “salvation” of Noah’s house consisted, not
merely in escaping the doom of the world that then was, which perished in the
flood, but in being brought into the
possession and occupation of the renewed earth, after the waters of judgment
had subsided.
The ark of Noah “rested” on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th
day of the seventh month. The
reason why this date was recorded is now apparent. It is the day of the Resurrection of
Christ, when He, having finished His works, entered into the rest of the new
creation, as the Beginning, the First Begotten of every creature. The Paschal Lamb, was killed on the 14th
day of the seventh month (afterwards made the first month of the Jewish
calendar, see Ex. 12: 2, 18), that being the
day on which Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us; and three days later, that
is to say, on the seventeenth day of the same month, which was the anniversary
of the day when the Ark rested on Ararat, He rose from the dead.
Noah’s first recorded act
upon entering the purged earth was to build an altar, and offer burnt offerings
thereon. “And the Lord smelled a savour OF REST” (Gen. 8: 21 marg.). This
Scripture stamps the scene as a type of God’s rest to come, which will be
the fruit of the true Burnt Offering of the Son of God in the Body of His
Flesh, when He, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot unto
God. God perceived the savour of
that rest to come in the sacrifice offered by Noah.
Isaiah 11. contains a distinct prophecy
concerning the rest of God that
remaineth, and verse 10 defines in one significant word the character of that rest:
“And His rest shall be GLORY” (the original word is the noun “glory,” not the adjective “glorious.”)
The context speaks of the One on
Whose works that rest will be based.
“There shall come forth a Rod (or shoot) out
of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots; and the Spirit
of the Lord shall Rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
Lord” (verses 1, 2). Some of the leading features of that
rest are mentioned. First He will
judge (do justice to) the cause of the poor, and reprove with equity on behalf
of the meek of the earth (comp. Matt. 5: 5);
and shall smite the earth with the rod of His Mouth, and with the Breath of His
Lips shall He slay the Wicked One (Comp. 2 Thess. 2: 8).
“And righteousness shall be the girdle of
His Loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His Reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion,
and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (verses 5, 6).
There is no need to quote this
Scripture in full. The important
point for our present purpose is that this blessed scene of glory, when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea” (verse 9),
is specifically called “His rest.” Inasmuch as the Scriptures speak only of
one rest to come, “a rest that remaineth,” there can be no doubt
but this prophecy deals with the same subject as the fourth of Hebrews. “We should labour, therefore, to enter into that rest.”
We would specially commend the eleventh, and twelfth ,chapters of Isaiah to the attention of our readers.
In connection
with the foregoing Scripture, we would notice several passages in second Thessalonians, in which is found a similar
reference to “that Wicked (One) ... whom the Lord shall
consume with the Spirit of His Mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of
His Coming” (2: 8). This is evidently the same event as
referred to in Isa. 11: 4, quoted above. In the same chapter (2 Thess. 2: 13) Paul
gives thanks because God has chosen those saints “to SALVATION, through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” This is evidently the [future] salvation to
be enjoyed in the coming age, for it is defined in the next verse as “the obtaining of the GLORY
of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
With this we may compare 1 Thess. 5: 8, 9, where Paul exhorts us who are of the
day, to “be sober, putting on the breastplate
(guarding the heart) of faith and love, and for an helmet (guarding the thoughts) the HOPE OF
SALVATION. For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to OBTAIN
SALVATION by our Lord Jesus Christ.” This salvation [yet
to come] is one that is to be obtained, and hence is yet future.
Returning to 2 Thess. 2., we find in this connection
exhortations similar to those which occur in Hebrews: “Therefore, brethren, STAND
FAST, and HOLD the traditions
which ye have been taught” (verse 15).
In the first
chapter of 2 Thess., Paul gives
the reason for the assurance he had concerning those saints, namely, “because that your FAITH
groweth EXCEEDINGLY, and the love of everyone of you all toward
each other aboundeth” (verse 3). This is the answer to the
apostle’s prayer in 1 Thess.
3: 10, 12; 4: 9, 10. Continuing at verse 4 of 2 Thess. 1. we read: “So that we ourselves
glory in you in the Churches of God for your patience [perseverance] and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure.” Here are the things mentioned in Hebrews as
essential. What follows is specially important.
“Which is a manifest
token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be COUNTED WORTHY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, for which also ye suffer.” This is in full agreement with many
Scriptures which testify that the reward of sufferings for Christ’s sake
is to be the participation with Him in the
We have seen that God’s
Rest, as to its character, will be “glory.” The Scriptures further inform us that,
as to its location, it will be MOUNT
ZION. “There is the city of our God, the mountain of His
holiness. Beautiful for situation
is
CHAPTER
9
The
“Glory” to be Revealed
In Us.
Another Scripture which presents
remarkable points of agreement with the truth set forth in the first four
chapters of Hebrews, is found in the eighth chapter of Romans,
verses 14 to 39. The prominent subject of this passage is
the “SONS of GOD,” and it carries our minds to the period
of “the GLORY to be revealed in us,”
the age of “the liberty of the GLORY of the
children of God.”
The passage begins by defining
the “sons of God,” saying, “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God.” It is obvious
that one may be born of the Spirit of
God without being led by the Spirit; for many children of God
are manifestly walking and living, not according
to the Spirit, but according to the flesh.
Sharing with Christ in the
inheritance is also mentioned in this passage. “If
children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.”
But there is an “if” at this point,
“if so be that we SUFFER with Him that we may be GLORIFIED
together.” Many
Scriptures testify to the fact that the
glory depends upon the suffering (2 Cor. 4: 17; 2 Tim. 2: 12; 1 Pet. 4: 13; 5: 10,
etc.). This explains why Paul so
earnestly desired to know “the fellowship of
Christ’s sufferings” (Phil. 3:
10). May the Lord give to
all His saints the same intense longing. To encourage this desire, we have the
assurance that “the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the GLORY that shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8: 18).
This
present world is the place of Christ’s sufferings, and is the place where
His saints are appointed to suffer with Him. If this truth be grasped it will be seen
that it is a very grievous thing in His Eyes for His saints either to seek
gratification in the world, or to take part with the citizens of the world in
their schemes for improving and embellishing the world, with a view to making
it a place of satisfaction and enjoyment.
To these saints the word of the prophet Micah
is applicable. “Arise ye and depart; for THIS IS
NOT YOUR REST. Because it is
polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction” (Mic. 2: 10).
The line is clearly drawn; the choice
is clearly presented to the people of God between this present evil age, and
the age to come. Those who seek
their “rest” in this place will surely find to their sorrow and
shame that, because it is polluted, it will destroy them with a sore destruction. Those who in their hearts turn back to
the things of this age, as Demas did, are they “that
draw back unto destruction” (Heb. 10:
39).
Continuing our examination of
Creation, moreover, became
subject to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him (Adam) who subjected
the same. But, though subject to
the bondage of corruption, it is subject “in hope
that creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
liberty of the GLORY of the children
of God” (verses 20, 21).*
[* The words “in hope” at the end of verse
20 manifestly belong to verse 21.]
Through the first man, Adam,
creation became subject to bondage.
Through the Second Man, Jesus Christ, creation, will be delivered from that
cruel bondage, and will become the scene of the liberty of the glory of the
children of God. It will then be
subject, not to vanity, but to the glorified Son of Man. “For not
unto angels hath He (God) put in subjection the habitable earth to come, whereof
we speak”; but He has put all things in subjection under the Feet
of Him, Who was made, for a little while, lower than the angels, that He, by
the grace of God, should taste death for everything.
And not only does creation
groan, but “we also ourselves, who have received
the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the
redemption of our body” (Rom. 8: 23). This reference to the Holy Spirit is
very important. In Eph. 1: 14, it is stated that the Spirit is
“the earnest of our inheritance.” Also in Heb.
6: 4, reference is, made to those who “were
made partakers of the Holy Ghost.” In all these Scriptures, the complete
inheritance that awaits the sons of God, whereof the Spirit is the earnest or
first-fruit, is in view. This is prominent in Hebrews and Romans 8.,
as has been already shown. In Eph. 1., also, the passage relates to those whom
God predestinated to the “adoption”
through Jesus Christ unto Himself (verse 5),
according to His, good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself that, in the
dispensation (or economy) of the fulness of times, He might gather together into one (lit., might “head Up”) ALL
THINGS in the Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth, in, Whom
(Christ) we have obtained an inheritance (verses
9-11). The “all things” that are to be “headed up” in Christ in the dispensation of the
fulness of times, constitute the “purchased, possession” (verse 14).
Those who have received the
first-fruits of the Spirit do not rejoice or take pleasure in the present condition of the things they are to inherit. In proportion as they are led and taught
by the Spirit, and are made aware of the pain in which creation now groans and
travails, they also within themselves awaiting the adoption, the redemption of
our body, when the groans of creation will cease, and will give place to
rejoicing. For then the heavens
shall rejoice, and the earth be glad, and the field be joyful and all that is
therein; then all the earth shall make a joyful noise unto the Lord, and sing
praise; then the floods shall clap their hands, and all the trees of the wood
rejoice, and the hills be joyful together before the Lord (Psalms 96‑98).
The word “adoption,”
occurring in Rom. 8: 15, 23 and Eph. 1: 5, is compounded of two words “sons”
and “placing”; so that we may take it as signifying the act or
ceremony of placing the sons of God in the position appropriate to that high
and holy relationship, and of investing them with the honour, wealth, and
glory, which it is the good pleasure of the Father to bestow upon them. The “adoption,”
then, will be the consummation of the Father’s purpose in “bringing many sons unto glory.” We thus see that the connection between
Another effect of receiving the
Spirit as the earnest or first-fruit of our inheritance, should be to place and
keep us in the attitude of “awaiting”
the happening of something, which is about to take place, according to the Word
of the Lord spoken to us. The word
“awaiting” (sometimes rendered
“looking for”) is a prominent and
important word in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The Son of God Himself is “henceforth expecting (same word rendered awaiting) until His enemies be
made His footstool” (Heb. 10: 13);
and He will appear the second time to those who look for (await) Him for
salvation (9: 28). The “waiting” state is that which essentially
characterizes the true Hebrew. It
makes a vast difference whether one is adapting himself to his surroundings
with a view to making the best of them, or is waiting, and holding himself
constantly in readiness for something entirely different. That was what distinguished
“Abram, the Hebrew” from
Let us, then, submit ourselves
to be searched by these Scriptures, that we be not led off by any specious
arguments, to participate in the affairs of this world, that we be not hardened
through the deceivableness of sin, and that we may know whether or not we are
really awaiting the adoption, the appearance of Christ for salvation.
That is clearly what the apostle
is speaking of in
These verses speak of [a future] salvation,
hope, patience, and waiting for things not seen, which are the very subjects to
which prominence is given in Hebrews.
This is so obvious that we need not take the time to point it out to the
reader. The “salvation,” which we “see not,” but “hope
for,” is the “placing of the sons of
God” in the “glory” of the renewed earth, delivered
from the bondage of corruption in the age to come. If we truly “hope for” so great salvation, then will we “with PATIENCE [perseverance] wait for it.” “For ye
have need of PATIENCE, that, after ye have done the Will of God, ye might
receive the promise” (Heb. 10: 36).
Finally, we would call attention
to the “purpose” of God as set forth
in Romans 8., which is the same as stated in
Hebrews with respect to the “holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling.” In
It is clear, then, that in this
passage in
It is not easy for us to
harmonize in our minds the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in the election
of His saints, and that of the responsibility of those to whom the Gospel of
God’s grace is preached to repent and believe that Gospel. But the doctrine of God’s
election, and the doctrine of men’s freewill and responsibility, are both
clearly taught in the Word of God.
Our part, therefore, is not to exercise our ingenuity in trying to
reconcile those doctrines, but simply to believe them.
In like manner it may not be
easy to reconcile the doctrine of God’s sovereign and irresistible
purpose with reference to the glorification of all the members of the Body of
Christ, as stated in Rom. 8. and Eph. 1., with the
doctrine of the responsibility of those who are called, as stated by the Lord
in the Gospels, and by His apostles in Hebrews, Peter, and elsewhere, to make
their calling and election sure, by obedience, steadfastness, endurance of
tribulations, diligence, and hope, unto the end. But again, our part is not to devise a
reconciliation of these several doctrines, but to believe them implicitly, and
especially to give earnest heed to every warning and admonition spoken to us by
the Spirit of the Living God, through His living Word.
CHAPTER
10*
[*This chapter can only be
found in the author’s initial publication!]
Judgment Beginning at the House
of God.
The application of the foregoing
Scriptures is, as to their main features, at least, clear enough; though as to
some of the details there may be room for questions, and need of further light.
From the Scriptures discussed
above we understand that the entrance into the glory of that Kingdom is a ‘prize,’
or reward. A man must be born
again in order to enter, or even ‘see’ the
We also understand from the
Scriptures that the prizes or rewards of the Kingdom are graded and
proportioned to the endurance, faith, and obedience of the children of God. There will be many places and stations
in that Kingdom, more or less honourable, according to their nearness to the
Person of the King. The Epistle
speaks of the “habitable earth to come” of a “country” which will be in the earth, of a it “city” which
will be in the country, and of a “house”
which will be in the city.
The dominion and authority of
the Son will, of course, extend over the whole creation, which is broader even
than the “habitable earth to come.” But we know that, even on earth, there will
be nations who will render to the Lord only “feigned
obedience,” and whom He must rule with rigidity with a rod of
iron. Those nations will rise in
rebellion after the millennium (Rev. 20: 8). During all the Kingdom of the Son, there
will be “enemies.”
“Rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies”
is the word of Psa. 110.;
and in Psa. 45. we read, “Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s
enemies.” The Son must
reign until He hath put “all enemies”
under His Feet; and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. And when all things shall be subdued
unto Him, then will He deliver up the Kingdom to God even the Father (1 Cor. 15: 24-28).
From these and other Scriptures
it is evident that there will be, within the domain ruled by the Son, locations
varying widely as to their conditions, from positions of the highest honour,
glory and blessedness in “His own House,”
to positions just the reverse among His “enemies.” There will be both the light of His own
Presence within, where there is rejoicing and singing, and there will be also
the “outer darkness, where [there] shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25: 30). The idea, which many Christians
entertain, that the conditions prevailing in the coming Kingdom will be those
of uniform blessedness, all saints being on exactly the same level, is certainly not according to the teaching
of Scripture. On the contrary, it very clearly appears from the testimony
of the Word of God, that there will be conditions of very diverse character;
insomuch that each [regenerate] believer may be assigned to just such a place as,
according to the righteous judgment of the Lord, Who will review all his works,
not overlooking so much as one “idle word,”
he has merited.
According to our understanding of
the teaching of God’s Word on this most solemn and important subject, all
[‘accounted
worthy’ (Luke 20: 35)]
believers who sleep will he raised [resurrected], and all believers who are alive and remain at the
Coming of the Lord, will be changed and clothed with immortality, and all
together will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Cor. 15: 23, 51-54; 1 Thess. 4: 13-17). “For we
Must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that EVERY ONE may receive
the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether GOOD or BAD”
(2 Cor. 5: 10). In view of this judgment of the
believer’s works and conduct, the apostle adds, “Knowing, therefore, the TERROR OF THE LORD, we persuade men”;
a comment he certainly would not have been inspired to make, if nothing but
rewards and blessings were to be bestowed at the judgment seat of Christ.
Inasmuch as judgment must begin
at the House of God (1 Pet. 4: 17), we
believe that at Christ’s judgment seat, the works of every saint of this dispensation
will be passed upon, and each saint will be assigned to an appropriate place in
the Kingdom of the Son. Whether or
not, during the thousand years, there will be opportunity for gaining
promotion, is not revealed in the Bible, so far as the writer is aware. But certainly, not all who stand at Chris’s judgment seat will be assigned
to places of honour, glory, and blessing.
The apostle John urges the little children to abide in Him “that (as the A.V. reads) when
He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His
coming” (1 John 11, 28). This rendering does not give the force
of the passages. The apostle says,
“And NOW,
little children, abide in Him, that WHEN
HE SHALL BE MANIFESTED, we may have confidence, and not be PUT TO SHAME FROM BEFORE HIM at His Parousia.” Abiding in Him now, at the present time,
will give confidence then, and will insure us from being sent away in disgrace from His
Presence.
Other Scriptures, particularly the
words of the Lard Jesus Himself, add their clear warnings. In Matt. 25., where the
Lord is speaking to His own disciples, not to the multitude, He instructs them
as to the importance of watching, and of serving with diligence in regard to the responsibilities
severally committed to them. He
clearly states that the faithful servant will hear the word,
“Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” and will be made
“ruler over many things,” while the slothful and unprofitable
servant will be cast into “the outer darkness,”
where shall be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”
(Matt. 25: 14-30). It should be
observed that this judgment takes place just before “the Son of Man shall come in His glory” (verse 31).
So also, in Matt. 24.,
He describes the conditions on earth just previous to His coming, as similar to
those existing in the days of Noah, just before the flood. “For as in
the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark, and knew
not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of
the Son of Man be” (verses 38, 39). The Lord does not speak here of the evil
deeds and immoralities that the men of that day committed, but merely of the
fact that, disregarding all warnings,
they continued wholly absorbed in the things of this life, as if its course
were never to be interrupted.
In view of this, He counsels His disciples to “watch,” and says, “Therefore, be YE also ready,
for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.” Inasmuch as a like warning is given to
the Church in 1 Thess. 5:
6, we shall greatly err if we
think the above quoted words of the Lord have no meaning for us. In that connection, the Lord declares
what the punishment of the wicked servant would be, namely, that “the Lord of that servant shall cut him asunder, and appoint
him his portion (or share) with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth” (verse 51). The hypocrites, according to
Matthew’s Gospel, are the Scribes and Pharisees. The extent and duration of the “portion,” or share, which the wicked servant
will receive with the hypocrites, is not indicated. Doubtless, it will be determined
according to all the circumstances of each several case. In passing judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar,
the heavenly messenger said, “Let his portion be
with the beasts of the earth; ... and let seven
times pass over him.” In another Scripture (Luke 12: 45-48), the Lord indicates that the
punishment will be proportional, saying, “And
that servant, which knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to His Will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit
things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of
him shall be much required.”
Again, in another place He said to His own disciples, “And take heed TO
YOURSELVES, lest at any time YOUR
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon YOU
unawares. For as a snare shall it
come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch YE, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be ACCOUNTED WORTHY
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son
of Man” (Luke 21: 34-36). To stand before the Son of Man will be
the privilege of those who are accounted
worthy of entrance into the Kingdom.
That these words apply to [regenerate] believers of the present dispensation is evident from
Paul’s words to the saints at Thessalonica, when he spoke of their
growing faith and abounding love, and of the tribulations they endured, as a
token of God’s righteous judgment that they might be “COUNTED WORTHY of the Kingdom of God for which they suffered”
(2 Thess. 1: 3-7);
and when he further said, “Wherefore also we pray
always for you, that our God would COUNT
YOU WORTHY of this calling, and
fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith, with power”
(verse 11).
Let us, therefore, give heed to
the things that we have heard, and let us give all diligence to enter into that
glorious rest that remaineth to the people of God.
Having considered the rewards
promised to those who have heard the call to become Hebrews, and who have held
the beginning of their confidence firm to the end, and having also considered
the dangers to which they are exposed, let us again, at this point, bring to
mind the resources that God has made available to offset those dangers, and to
save His pilgrims therefrom.
First of all, we have a great High
Priest Who has passed through the heavens - Jesus, the
Son of God. He is able to save to
the uttermost - that is, from every danger that threatens, and to every blessing that
God’s grace has provided, them that approach God by Him. Therefore we should approach with a TRUE
HEART in full assurance of faith (10: 22). Our approach is perfect, because it is
in virtue of a perfect Sacrifice; whereas the sacrifices offered under the old
dispensation were imperfect, and “the law could
never with those sacrifices make the corners thereto (the approachers) perfect” (Heb. 10: 1). The approach must be in the assurance of faith.
“Without
faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that
cometh unto God (the approacher to God) must
believe that He is, and is a Rewarder
of them that seek Him” (11: 6). Hence we should in faith seek constantly
the services of our Great High Priest.
Second. In
addition to the One Who makes intercession for us above, we have another
Intercessor with us here below.
“The Spirit Itself [Himself] maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered” (Rom. 8: 26). Our High Priest is “touched with the
feeling of our infirmities”; and the “[Holy] Spirit also helpeth our infirmities.”
Third. We have access every moment to a Throne
of Grace. The Word of God exposes
the thoughts and intents of our hearts, revealing the presence there of
inclinations and desires contrary to the purpose of God, and which, if followed, would cause us to turn aside,
and to depart from the living God.
Hence the provision of “mercy”
and “grace.” If the thoughts and intents of our
hearts were what they should be, we would not need either; because mercy is for
the erring, and grace is for the undeserving.
Wonderful and blessed is the
provision that God has made for His pilgrims to save them from dangers and to
help their infirmities.
CHAPTER 11
An High
Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec.
Going on
to Full-growth.
(Hebrews 5. and 6.).
We have seen that chapters 2. and 3. of Hebrews contain a section which begins and
ends with a reference to the High, Priest of our confession. So likewise in chapters 5.
and 6. is a section of the Epistle (5:
6 to 6: 20) which begins and ends
with a reference to the Son of God as High Priest forever after the order of
Melchisedec.
Christ did not glorify Himself
to be made an High Priest. It was God Who thus glorified Him (5: 4).
Every high priest is taken from among men; but no man can take that
honour to himself. He must be
called of God, as was Aaron, (Ex. 28: 1). So Christ, having been perfected for
that office by His Sufferings in the days of His Flesh, and, though being Son,
having learned obedience by the things He suffered, became the Author of
eternal* [* Gk.‘aionian’]
salvation to all who obey Him,, having been greeted by
God as High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec (5: 5-10).
[* ‘Aionian,’ here
translated ‘eternal’ must, in this
context – a context of works - mean ‘age-lasting’
salvation. Eternal salvation can
only be received by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2: 8).
There are Bible students who know this truth but are unwilling to
disclose it to others!]
Having thus introduced the
subject of the new order of Priesthood, the
apostle indicates the great importance of that subject, and at the same time
states the difficulty of communicating it to those who have become sluggish in
hearing. He says, “Of Whom we have MANY THINGS TO SAY,
and hard to. be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing”
(verse 11). Rendered literally, this verse would
read, “Concerning Whom our discourse (Gr. logos) is much,
and difficult of interpretation to utter, since sluggish ye have become in
hearing.”
We note, then, that failure in
regard to the first exhortation of the Epistle (i.e. to give the more earnest
heed to the things we have heard) keeps the believer in a backward state, or
condition in which he cannot receive information on the subject here presented. Note should be taken. of
the word “sluggish” (rendered
“dull” in the A.V.), because it
occurs again in this section:
“And we desire that ye be not slothful (sluggish), but imitators of them who
through faith and patience [perseverance] inherit the promises” (6: 11,
12). The principle involved
is that announced by the Lord Himself, Who said: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Take heed what ye hear ... and unto YOU THAT HEAR shall more be given”
(Mark 4: 23, 24).
The Melchisedec order of
priesthood is very different from that of Aaron. Some of the differences we will briefly
note.
1. The Melchisedec order is the
more ancient of the two. The first
occurrence in Scripture of the word “priest” is in connection with
Melchisedec (Gen. 14: 18).
2. Melchisedec was not only a
Priest, but a King as well. He was
first King of Righteousness (that being the meaning of his name), and after
that King of Salem, which is
King of Peace. This speaks clearly
of the two leading aspects of the coming [Millennial] Kingdom of the Son, namely, Righteousness and Peace:- Righteousness first, and after that Peace, based upon, and the fruit of,
established Righteousness. The
attempts of' the politicians and money-powers of our day to establish peace,
regardless of righteousness, provoke the wrath of God, and invite “sudden destruction,” from which the false
peacemakers “shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5: 3).
3. The priesthood of the family
of Aaron was instituted for men in the flesh. Priests of that order were made
according to the law of a carnal commandment (7: 16),
and they serve, not unto heavenly things, but unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. The Aaronic order was part of a system
of types and shadows which passed away when Christ, Who is the Substance and Fulfilment
of all types and shadows, came into the world, and fulfilled His mission there.
4. The Melchisedec order of
priesthood is for those who are of faith, and especially for those
who are walking and living in the energy
of faith. The brief, but highly
instructive, glimpse given of Melchisedec in Gen.
14., shows him as meeting Abram when he was returning, the victor in the
energy of faith, from the slaughter of the Kings, as specially noted in Heb. 7: 1.
The ministry of this Priest of the Most High God was confined to
Abraham, the man of faith, whom he “blessed,”
and of whom he received tithes.
This shows the superiority of Melchisedec to Abraham, who was the father
of Aaron.
5. The chief duty of the Aaronic
priests was to offer sacrifices, day by day, in a wearisome round of
repetitions, for the sins of the people.
No sacrifices are mentioned in connection with Melchisedec. The Son of God was not saluted as High
Priest after the order of Melchisedec until after He had offered
Himself a Sacrifice for sin, and had been raised from the dead. Melchisedec, on the other hand, brought
forth something - bread and
wine. Christ will fulfil this type
when He appears the second time, apart from sin, unto salvation.
6. Finally, in connection with
Melchisedec, a special Name of God was revealed. He was the priest of the “MOST HIGH GOD, POSSESSOR
OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.” This title is of special significance in
connection with the main subject of Hebrews - the habitable earth to come. Although the heavens are at the present
time occupied by “hosts of spiritual wickedness”
(Eph. 6: 12), and the earth is in possession
of rebellious man, Satan being the “prince of
this world,” nevertheless, God makes Himself known to the man of
faith as the “Possessor of heaven and earth.” That title contains, moreover, a
prophecy of the approaching day, when the Devil and his angels - the evil
principalities and powers - shall be cast out of heaven (Rev. 12: 9), and when the
At that day it will be proclaimed with a “loud
voice,” -
“Now
is come SALVATION, and STRENGTH, and
the KINGDOM Of
OUR GOD, and the AUTHORITY OF HIS
CHRIST” (Rev. 12: 10).
That will be the proclamation of
the “so great salvation which began to be spoken by the Lord”; the
“eternal [age-lasting] salvation,”
whereof He became the Author to all who obey Him, having been
saluted High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
The effect upon Abraham of the meeting
with this priest of the Most High God was remarkable. It strengthened him in his character of
true “Hebrew” to such an extent that
he would not accept from the King of Sodom any reward whatever, from a thread
to a shoe-lacing. Having made the
acquaintance of the priest of the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth,
Abraham would not be enriched to the slightest extent out of the possessions of
the King of Sodom. The men who went
with him were free to take their portion; but Abram the Hebrew lifted up his
hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth, and said to
the King of Sodom, “I will not take from a thread
even to a shoe-latchet, I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou
shouldest say, I have made Abram rich” (Gen.
14: 22, 23).
How important then is it that
those who would be true Hebrews should know that Blessed One Whom God has, with
the word of the oath, made an High Priest for ever
after the order of Melchisedec!
Those who come to the knowledge of Christ in that office of Priest-King
are rich in faith, and they will not
accept, much less will they seek, favours from the rulers of this present evil
age. By the word and the oath,
wherewith He was made a High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, they have a
strong encouragement to lay hold of the hope set before them (6: 17, 18).
But this knowledge is not
enjoyed by all Christians. Indeed,
there are but few who have the faintest apprehension of it. This knowledge is not milk for babes,
but solid food for those who are fully grown, who, by reason of habitual use,
have their senses exercised to distinguish both good and evil. Only those whose faculties are so exercised can distinguish the real
character of the so-called “good works,”
in which the majority of Christians participate with the unregenerate, and
which have for their object the betterment of this present evil age, which, no
matter how much cultivation is bestowed upon it, brings forth thorns and briers
whose end is to be burned.
This brings us to another
characteristic exhortation. “Therefore, leaving the first principles of the doctrine
(discourse,
same word rendered in 5: 11, things to say) of Christ, let
us go on to full-growth”; (the word “perfection” here, and in other passages in Hebrews, is the
same word rendered “of full age” in 5: 14, signifying
maturity, the adult state); not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, etc. And this will we do if God permit” (6: 1-3).
The things recited are “foundation”
things. They are called the “first principles of the doctrine of Christ.” Certainly, everyone who has accepted
those principles, having experienced repentance from dead works and faith
towards God, is in Christ, and is eternally saved from
condemnation. Those first
principles, however, pertain to the state of spiritual infancy. Therefore, the exhortation is to “go on” from them “to
full growth.”
A passage of similar import is
found in Eph. 4: 8-16. Christ, having ascended up on high, gave
gifts of ministry - namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and
teachers, - for the equipment of the saints for the work of ministry, with the
object of building up the Body of Christ, until we all come into the unity of
the faith, and of the KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD unto the FULL-GROWN MAN, unto
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, to the end that WE BE NO
LONGER CHILDREN. All
true ministry of Christ has this for its object, namely, the building up
of the Body of Christ to its full dimensions and complete stature. This growth comes through “the knowledge of the Son of God.” As we gain in that knowledge, we advance
from spiritual childhood to spiritual maturity. “And this
will we do, if God permit.”
The words “if God
permit” are not a mere pious sentiment. The acquisition of the knowledge of the
Son of God as High Priest of the coming good things carries with it such grave
responsibilities, and involves the possessor thereof in such serious dangers,
that God, Who knows our hearts, may not
“Permit” all who are on the
foundation of the first principles of Christ to come to that knowledge. It is far better to enter. the Kingdom as a “babe”
in Christ than, having become enlightened as to the truth now under consideration,
to be put to shame from before Him at His Coming. There
is no, blessedness in merely acquiring spiritual knowledge. There is no blessing pronounced on those
who know these things. The Lord said not to His disciples
“Happy are ye if ye know these things,”
but “IF ye know these things, happy are ye IF YE DO THEM” (John 13: 17). Better
far not to know them, than, knowing them, not to do them. " For if any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer,
he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he
was. But whoso looketh into the
perfect 'law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be BLESSED in HIS DEED
(literally, ‘in his DOING’)” (James 1: 23-25).
And this is precisely what we
find set forth in forcible language in verses 4-6
of Heb. 6., which have given rise to so much
discussion. This passage states
that it is better not to know these things than, knowing them, to fail in the
doing of them. The reason why there
is a question if God will permit -
the immature saint to go on to full-growth in the doctrine of Christ, is that it
is impossible for those once enlightened, and who have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word
of God, and the works of power of the age to come, if THEY should fall away, to renew them again to repentance; seeing
that the apostasy of such as have
obtained those great benefits would be equivalent to crucifying for themselves
the Son of God, and exposing Him publicly.
What is called for at this point
is the exercise of faith and obedience on the part of those who have the
capacity to distinguish in spiritual things between “good” and “evil”;
and specifically they are called upon to make a choice between - the “good things”
of the age to come, which God has announced to them, and the things of
“this present evil age” (Gal. 1: 4).
God specifically described the
The application of the lesson is
clear. Christ gave Himself for our
sins that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the
Will of God and our Father (Gal. 1: 4). Moreover, He has testified of the world
“that the works thereof are evil” (John
7: 7). On the other hand,
the coming age is an age of “good things” (Heb. 9: 11;
10: 1). The Word of God
concerning that [millennial] age is a “good word.” Those who,
“have tasted the good word of God, and the powers
of the age to come” are
in a position similar to that of the Israelites who had tasted the fruit of the
good land, and had an opportunity to enter in and take possession of it. If
such as have this opportunity presented to them turn back to the things of this
present evil age, they incur a just and severe penalty. Since the Son of God died for their sins
in order that He might deliver them out of this present evil age, according to
the declared Will of the Father, those who turn back are said to crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and to expose Him publicly.
It is not necessary to our
instruction as God’s pilgrims that we should be able to settle the
meaning of every detail of this weighty passage. We shall refer to the details presently;
but first will look at the main points of the argument, and these are not
difficult to grasp.
First, then,
we learn that those who have gained the knowledge of the Son of God as High
Priest after the order of Melchisedec, and of the eternal salvation whereof He
is the Author, are said to be
“enlightened,” to have “tasted the
heavenly gift,” etc.
In other words, that knowledge is equivalent to, or includes, the five
things mentioned in verses 4 and 5.
Second, we learn that, if those who come
to that knowledge of the Son of God should apostatise, that is, should turn
back from the things thus made known to them, and should become occupied with
the seen things of this age, as the Israelites turned back from the land into
which God promised and offered to bring them, they cannot be renewed unto a
change of mind. That is to say,
after coming to the knowledge of these things and turning from them, they
cannot turn to them again. The
Israelites tried to change their minds the next day after the provocation. “They rose
up early
in the morning, and gat them
up to the top of the mountain saying, Lo, we be here and will go up unto the
place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned.” But it was too late for repentance
(change of mind [by God]);
and instead of gaining the Promised Land, they were smitten before their
enemies (Numb. 14: 39-45).
Looking now at the details of
the passage, we would suggest the following comments upon the several items of verses 4 and 5.
“Who were
once enlightened”; that
is to say, who have received by the Word and Spirit the knowledge of
God’s eternal purpose in Christ, which is to be fulfilled in the age to
come. That purpose lay eternally in
the depths of the counsels of God.
Its accomplishment involves the highest expression of His Wisdom and His
Power. Those to whom it is made
known are recipients of the highest privilege the Creator can bestow upon His
creatures. It is a perilous thing
to be entrusted with the knowledge of that greatest and most cherished purpose
of God, which has to do with the [coming] glory of His Beloved Son. Those
who attain knowledge of the coming era of His glory, and turn in their hearts
to the things of the present era of His humiliation and rejection, do thereby
incur the righteous judgment of being bound to their own choice.
“Who
have tasted of the heavenly gift”. We understand the heavenly gift to be
“the Holy Ghost Who is
GIVEN to us” (
And were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost. This seems to be something more than tasting of the heavenly
gift. We take it as signifying
what is spoken of in such Scriptures as Eph. 1: 14,
which refers to those who have been sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise,
Who is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession; and Rom. 8: 23, which also
speaks of those saints who have received the Spirit as the first-fruit, and
hence are awaiting the “adoption” [as first-born sons of God.] Those
saints are no longer babes. They
have been made “partakers of the Holy Ghost,” having received, not
the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is of God, in order that they may know
the things that have been freely given them of God (1 Cor. 2:
12). For such to turn to the
things of the world is a very serious matter, for it is an insult to the Spirit
of Grace, entailing much severer punishment than was awarded to those who set
aside the law of Moses (Heb. 10: 29).
And tasted the good Word of God.
The expression “Word of God”
occurring here is not the same expression as that used in chapter 4: 12, but a different one, signifying,
not the Word of God in its living energy and searching power, killing and
making alive, but a good thing spoken to us by God. It signifies, doubtless, the good things
connected with the age to come, the things which we have heard and the “excellent things” which the Wisdom of God speaks
to the children concerning the blessing of those that keep His ways. Those who have come to the knowledge of
the Son of God as High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, have had a taste
of the good Word of God pertaining to the era when He will exercise that
Kingly-Priesthood; and if they, after tasting that good word, turn back to the
things of the present era, they bring serious consequences upon themselves.
And the
works of power of the age to come. The coming
[millennial] age will be the ‘day’ of Christ’s power. This is said in
the Psalm which promises Him the Priesthood after the order of
Melchisedec. Some of these “works of power” [i.e., miracles]
have been wrought in this age. Chapter 2. speaks of these as having been wrought by God for the
purpose of “bearing witness” in
confirmation of the so great salvation reported to us, whereof a beginning was spoken by the Lord (2: 3, 4).
The word rendered “miracle”
in chap. 2: 4, is the same word rendered
“powers,” literally, “works of power” in 6:
5. It should be noted that,
in chap. 2: 4, the works of power are
associated with “gifts of the Holy Ghost,”
as in the passage we are now considering.
Whatever room there may be for
questioning as to the full, and exact significance of the several clauses of
this passage (and certainly they are worthy of far more study than the present
writer has given to them), there can be no doubt that they refer to the state
of those who have come to the adult knowledge of the Son of God as High Priest
after the order of Melchisedec. And
of such it is said with unmistakeable clearness, that, if they fall away, i.e.,
apostatise, or turn back, they
cannot be renewed again unto repentance.
They will be precisely in the case of the Israelites who sought
repentance, saying, “We have sinned,” after the provocation in the
wilderness, and in the case of Esau, who, after having despised and parted with
his birthright [as his father’s
first-born son], found no place of repentance
or change of mind in Isaac, his father, though
he sought it CAREFULLY and WITH TEARS (12: 17).
Now, as to the reason given why
those referred to in this passage cannot be renewed again unto repentance, it
has been supposed that, because of the saying that “they crucify to themselves the Son of God,” it
could not apply to believers. But
it seems to us that this saying could
not apply to any but to [regenerate] believers. Unbelievers cannot do any act which
would amount to crucifying to themselves the Son of God. They may reject the grace of God,
continuing in their sins, refusing the pardon and life offered to them as the
fruit of the Cross of Christ; but one and all are alike in that respect. They are dead in sins. Christ was crucified for them. They
cannot crucify Him for themselves.
Furthermore, those who are said
to crucify to themselves (or for themselves) the Son of God, are expressly
declared to be those who apostatized
after having been enlightened, after having tasted of the heavenly gift, after
having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, etc. It is impossible to apply these
statements to unbelievers, or to those who make merely a profession of Christianity. They describe believers and indeed a
class of believers, who are specially “enlightened” and are therefore no longer in the
state of spiritual infancy.
Then again, only a believer can
“fall away.” The unbeliever has nothing of God from
which he can fall away. The thought is similar to that expressed in
chap. 2: 1 “Lest any of US (believers,
heirs of salvation) should slip away.”
And, finally, the passage speaks
of the impossibility of renewing the persons referred to again. The unbeliever has
not been “renewed” at all. Consequently, the passage could not
apply to such.
In seeking the meaning of the
words “crucifying for themselves,”
etc., it should be noted that there is no word in the original corresponding to
the word “afresh” in the A.V. The passage reads literally, “crucifying for themselves the Son of
God, and exposing Him publicly.” Those who, having come to the knowledge
of the Son of God as the One saluted of God a High Priest after the order of
Melchisedec, that is, the High Priest of the good things to come, turn back from Him Whom they
have thus known, do crucify Him for themselves, and expose Him publicly. This we must accept as a fact upon the
Word of God, even though we fail to understand it. We should not be surprised at finding
difficulties, for we are notified that the present subject includes things hard
to be uttered [explained] (5: 11).
The Holy Spirit, in the Epistle
to the Hebrews, is drawing a sharp contrast between the present evil age, in which
the Son of God was publicly crucified, and the age of blessing to come, in
which He will be publicly glorified.
The Christians, who have come to the knowledge of that age, and who do not walk as belonging to it, but turn back,
identifying and associating themselves with this present age, do thereby repeat
for themselves that which characterises this age, namely, the crucifying of the
Son of God. In so doing, they not
only bring sore punishment upon themselves, but they dishonour Him. Those true “Hebrews” of the present era, who like Enoch,
Noah, and Abraham, walk with God as perfect strangers to the
present age, awaiting the things not seen as yet, which God has reported to
them, do thereby condemn the world. They take God's view of the One Whom the
rulers of this age crucified. Those who. on the contrary, after being enlightened, walk according to the flesh, and
according to the course of this world, make the Cross of Christ of none effect,
utterly disregarding, as they do, that line of separation which the Cross makes
between the believer and the world. Christ gave Himself for their sins to the
end that He might deliver them out of this present evil age, according to the
Will of God the Father (Gal. 1: 4). Therefore, those who, after being
enlightened concerning the Will of the Father, “turn
back,” do thereby crucify to themselves the Son of God.
We understand the thought of
this passage to be similar to that expressed in Philippians
3: 18. The latter passage speaks
of pressing toward the mark for attaining the PRIZE of the HIGH CALLING
of God in Christ Jesus; and closes with a description of those, whose
citizenship (political status) is in heaven, and who are AWAITING (the word so often used in Hebrews) the Lord Jesus Christ
to come from heaven AS SAVIOUR, to
transform the bodies of their humiliation, and fashion them like unto the Body
of HIS GLORY. In contrast with
these, Paul speaks, even weeping, of another class of persons [within the redeemed family of God] who are THE
ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST, whose end is destruction, whose god is the
belly, (i.e., the appetite that
craves present gratifications), the GLORY
of whom is in their shame (i.e., in
the present state of mankind, which is that of degradation and humiliation);
who mind (that is, have an inclination for) earthly things. It is clear that only Christians [i.e., not
nominal but regenerate] could be spoken of in
these terms, for which reason Paul speaks of them even weeping. Particularly is it clear that the
expression “enemies of the Cross of Christ,”
could be used only of Christians.
They are not enemies of Christ, but are antagonistic to what His Cross
has done for them as regards the world.
They enjoy the friendship of the world, which is “emnity against God” (James
4: 4). They glory in their
shame, instead of in the Cross of Christ, whereby the world is crucified to the
saint, and he to the world (Gal. 6: 14). Peace and mercy are invoked by the
apostle on those who “walk according to this
rule,” that is, the rule of separation from the present evil age (Gal. 6: 16). But of the many who were walking
otherwise, he declared, that they were enemies of the Cross, whose end is
destruction (Comp. 2 Thess.
1: 9; and Heb. 10: 39, reading
“destruction” instead of “perdition”). The difference here pointed out (and
where shall we look for one greater or more important), is precisely that
between Paul and Demas.
Paul’s place in the world was a dungeon. There he could say with exultation,
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished my
course, I have KEPT the faith,” and his mind was set upon “that day”
in which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give him the crown of
righteousness, and not to him only, “but unto all
them also that LOVE HIS APPEARING.” But “Demas,” he says, “hath
forsaken me, having LOVED THIS PRESENT
AGE” (2 Tim. 4: 7-10). This is the difference. It is a matter of the state of the
heart. Which age do we love? This present age or
the age of His Appearing? Whichever
it be, the clear lesson of the Scriptures we have
examined is that we will have our portion in the things of that age upon which we set our
hearts. Do we truly love His Appearing?
Are we truly awaiting the Lord Jesus Christ to come out of heaven as
Saviour? Are we truly waiting for
Him to appear the second time for salvation? If so, let us prove it by so walking in
this present scene as to honour Him and condemn the world with all its doings;
and may we submit ourselves to God in this matter, to be searched by His Word,
in order that the thoughts and intents of our hearts may be shown to us.
CHAPTER
12
Two
Kinds of Ground; that which Receiveth Blessing from God, and that which is
Rejected.
Jacob and Esau.
“For
the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth
forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God;
but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing,
whose end is to be burned” (Heb. 6: 7,
8).
The contrast between ground that
produces herbage fit for the use of those by whom it is tilled, and ground that
brings forth thorns and briers, is apparently given as an illustration of the
two ages we have been discussing, namely, the present evil age, which is like
the ground that bears thorns and briers, and the age to come, upon which the
frequent rain of Heaven, the blessing of God, descends, and which brings forth
fruit to those who till it.
The present age is “rejected,” being nigh unto a curse. The end of the things it produces is
“to be burned” (literally “for burning”). The coming age; on the other hand,
receives blessing from God. The
mountains of
This is entirely a Divine view
and estimation of the present age and its things. That this age is “nigh to a curse,” and that the boasted products
of its scientific civilization are “thorns and
briers,” whose end is “for burning,”
is a fact which few Christians believe, and fewer still act upon. Yet this is a fact which the Word of God
sets forth with unusual fulness and clearness. “The Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire” (2 Thess. 1: 7, 8). “The
harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels. As, therefore, the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire, so shall it
be AT THE END OF THIS AGE”
(Matt. 13: 40). “Whose fan
is in His Hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat
into the garner, but He will burn up the
chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt.
3: 12).
In view of these clear warnings
of what will surely take place “at the end of
this age,” it is sad indeed to see the time, energies, and money
of Christians expended in raising a crop of thorns and briers to feed the
flames of that day, when the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort
it is. For the fire-test will be
applied to the works of those who are on the true Foundation, as it is written:
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if
any man build upon THIS FOUNDATION, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay,
stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall RECEIVE A
REWARD. If any man’s work SHALL BE BURNED, he shall SUFFER LOSS: but he himself
shall be saved, yet so as by (through) fire”
(1 Cor. 3: 11-15).
The case of
It should not be overlooked that
Lot was given a special warning and opportunity to get clear of
So
The bringing forth by the earth
of thorns and briers, is not a normal thing. It is wholly abnormal, being the result
of the curse which Adam, by his sin, brought upon the ground. Indeed, it is the thing which specially
bears witness to the fact
that a curse rests upon the ground.
Therefore, we are confronted at this point with truth that is
fundamental, truth that lies at the very bottom of the evil state of human
society. When God set the earth in
order for the occupation of mankind, He said, “Let
the earth BRING FORTH grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree
yielding fruit after his kind.” And God, after creating the man, put him
in the garden to dress it and keep it.
Thus, so long as creation was in its normal state, the earth brought
forth herbs, meet for them by whom it was dressed. But when, by Adam, “sin entered the world” (Rom.
5: 12), God cursed the ground for his sake, and said, “Thorns also
and thistles shall it BRING FORTH
unto thee” (Gen. 3: 17, 18).
The fact, therefore, that the
ground brings forth thorns and briers is a testimony that the man who dresses
it is still under the dominion of sin and death. “Thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth UNTO THEE,” that is, unto Adam, the natural man, now
indwelt by sin. So long as the
earth is possessed and occupied by the race of Adam, the natural man, it will
bring forth thorns and briers. But
when, in the age to come, creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty
of the GLORY of the children of God - those “born not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” - then it
will no longer bring forth thorns and briers, but will yield herbs meet for
those by whom it is dressed.
The production of thorns and
briers is, therefore, the characteristic of the natural man, and of this
present age. Hence, when the Second Man, the Lord out of Heaven, came in the
Body of His Flesh prepared for Him, wherein He offered Himself a Sacrifice for
SIN, He was crowned with THORNS, signifying that He Himself bore the curse. Having borne the curse, He is qualified
to deliver the purchased possession from the effects of the curse. In the age to come He will wear, not the
crown of thorns, but the “many crowns”
which show Him to be “the Blessed and only
Potentate, the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19: 12, 16; 1 Tim. 6: 15). Therefore, the choice now offered to the
saints of God is between the age in which their Lord
and Saviour was crowned with thorns, and that in which He will wear the many
diadems.
The
The song of the vineyard in Isaiah 5. shows
that, even under the best possible conditions, the natural man cannot bring
forth fruit that is meet for God.
The reason for the failure of
Therefore, the Lord pronounced
judgment, saying, “And now, go to; I will tell
you what I will do to MY vineyard:I
will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the
wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be
pruned nor digged: but there shall come up BRIERS and
THORNS; I will also command the clouds that they RAIN NO RAIN UPON IT.”
(verses 5, 6). This passage connects the song of the
vineyard with the sixth of Hebrews.
Moreover, the Lord Himself applied the song of the vineyard in Matt. 21: 33-45. That Scripture contains the parable of
the vineyard, and the Lord, in uttering that parable, uses almost the identical
words of Isaiah 5. in
describing the vineyard. The
parable shows that the Lord’s judgment on His vineyard was put into
execution only after God had sent unto them His Son, saying, “They will reverence My Son”; but the husbandmen,
when they saw Him, said, “This is the Heir; come,
let us kill Him, and seize on His inheritance.” And the parable also shows that the “inheritance”
is the Kingdom of God; for the Lord said, “Therefore
say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation BRINGING FORTH THE FRUITS THEREOF.”
So
But deliverance from the curse
is promised to them through the Son of God, coming to His vineyard, and
submitting Himself to the wicked will of the husbandmen, and being Himself made
a curse. In Isaiah 53.,
He is described as the Lamb brought to the slaughter, wounded for our
transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and pouring out His Soul unto
death. Then in Isaiah 55.,
is described the deliverance accomplished .and through the Cross of the
Redeemer, when “the mountains and the hills shall
break forth ... into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their
hands. Instead of THE THORN shall
come up the fir tree, and instead of THE BRIER shall come up the myrtle tree;
and it shall be to the Lord for a name, and for an everlasting sign that shall
not be cut off” (verses 12, 13). That will be also a time of the rain
coming down, as indicated by verse 10:
“As the rain cometh down, and the snow from
heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that
it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.” This speaks of a land that receives
blessing from God, drinking in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth
forth, in place of thorns and 1riers, herbs meet for them by whom it is
dressed.
The Epistle to the Hebrews gives
the names of a number of persons who were true pilgrims, holding fast their
confession to the end. In contrast
with these, but one person is named.
That unenviable prominence is
given to Esau. His case, therefore,
falls for special consideration.
What is related of Esau in Hebrews is that he so lightly esteemed his
birthright as to sell it for one morsel of food; and that afterwards, when he
would have “inherited THE BLESSING, he was
REJECTED: for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it, carefully
with tears” (12: 16, 17).
Esau, therefore, is the Divinely chosen type of those who prefer the immediate
gratification of the natural appetite to “the
blessing” for which the heir must “wait.” Hence, he became like the ground that
receives no “blessing” from God; but
is “rejected.”
On the other hand, we read in Gen. 27. that Isaac, in
blessing Jacob, supposing him to be Esau, said, “See,
the ,smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath BLESSED: therefore,
God give thee of the DEW OF HEAVEN, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of
corn and wine” (verses 27, 28).
Believers are children of God,
being “born of God” (John 1: 12). They have therefore a birthright, as Esau had; but like Esau, they may
hold their birthright in such light esteem as to forfeit it; and the way in
which this great loss may be -
incurred - a loss which, when it takes place, is absolutely irretrievable - is
by choosing in their hearts the things which the present age offers them for
their immediate enjoyment, instead of the things of the age to come, of which
they have heard through the Word of God, but have not seen as yet, and for
which they must wait.
Upon reading the incidents
recorded in the Book of Genesis concerning Esau and Jacob, we should infer
that, in respect of natural disposition or character, Esau was much to be
preferred to his brother Jacob. But
Jacob was the true sojourner and pilgrim.
We see him journeying alone in the land promised to his fathers and to
himself for an inheritance, and lying down to sleep with a stone for a pillow (Gen. 28: 10-15). And there he sees the vision of a ladder
set up on the earth, its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God
ascending and descending. Thus is
he marked as the heir of salvation, to whom the angels are sent forth to
minister; and the Lord God of Abraham and of Isaac appears to him, and gives to
him the land on which he lies, a lonely pilgrim.
Moreover, God adds this gracious word: “And
behold, I am, with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will
not leave thee until I HAVE DONE that which I have spoken to thee of.”
Jacob’s infirmities of
character did not defeat the purpose of God; for the “God of Jacob” is the “God of all
grace.” So may the God of
peace work in us that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus
Christ, to Whom be glory for ever.
We may follow Jacob in his
pilgrimage and see the Hand of God dealing with him, often by means of sore
affliction, but surely accomplishing thereby that which He had purposed. And so when Jacob, many years after,
stands before Pharaoh, the ruler of the world, it is as a confessed pilgrim and
the descendant of pilgrims; for this is his confession, “The days of the years of my PILGRIMAGE, are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the
days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the
years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage” (Gen. 47: 9).
Nevertheless, Jacob, though a confessed, pilgrim on earth, took no
blessing from Pharoah. On the contrary, “Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh”
(verse 10); “And
without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better” (Heb. 7: 7).
And finally, it is recorded of
Jacob, that he, “by faith, when he was a dying,
blessed both the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his
staff” (Heb. 11: 21). Thus Jacob was, at the very end, a
worshipping pilgrim, for, even, “when he was dying, he still leaned upon
the pilgrim’s staff, worshipping God, and speaking of things not seen as
yet.
The forty-ninth
chapter of Genesis contains the last
words of Jacob to his twelve sons.
In one of the most beautiful, powerful, and sublime passages in all the Bible, he tells that which shall befall them in the
last days. In it he speaks of the Shepherd and the Stone of Israel, of Shiloh,
of the Sceptre, and of the Lion of the tribe of
Surely, there is great encouragement
here for the Lord’s pilgrims.
CHAPTER 13
The Hope Set before Us.
An Anchor of the Soul.
Although grave risk and
responsibility are incurred by those Christians who become enlightened as to
the things of the age to come, in which the Son of God shall appear in the
character of Priest-King, the Apostle does not hesitate to encourage the saints
to press on. He says, “But we
are persuaded better things of you, beloved, and things that accompany
salvation, though we thus speak” (chap. 6., verse 9).
Although he puts before them plainly and forcibly the
grave consequences of departing from the living God after becoming. enlightened as to His eternal purpose, he is persuaded
better things of them. Of those saints
he expects, not things that are connected with drawing back to destruction and
loss, but things connected with pressing
on to SALVATION. The recurrence
of the word “salvation” at this
point connects the passage with what precedes, namely, the “so great salvation” of chap.
2., and
the “eternal [aionian ‘age-lasting’] salvation,” whereof Christ became the Author to
all that obey Him, spoken of in 5: 9.
With this passage we may
profitably compare what is said in chap. 10: 26-29:
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have
received the knowledge of the truth (i.e., have become enlightened), there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries” (as the thorns and briers will be consumed by the
flames). But though the Apostle
thus speaks in the plainest terms of the consequences of wilfully turning back,
he says, “But we are not of those drawing back
unto destruction, but of them who are OF FAITH TO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL” (verse
39). The word “perdition” in the A.V., should read “destruction.” There is no perdition for the saint; but
there may be “destruction” (which
signifies great and irreparable loss), as the Scriptures already cited abundantly
and clearly testify.
The words “of faith to saving the soul” in 10: 39, are of similar meaning to the words of 6: 9, “things
connected with salvation.”
It is not justifying faith that is here spoken of, i.e., believing unto righteousness, but believing unto saving
the soul, which is a very
different thing. (See chapter 14).
The reason why the apostle took
so hopeful a view of the prospects of those saints, and was persuaded better
things of them, was that God would not be unrighteous to forget the work and
labour of love which they had shown to His Name, in having served the saints,
and in continuing so to do. This
passage (6: 9, 10) shows clearly that the
warnings of this chapter are addressed to believers. It is simply inconceivable that it could
be said of unconverted sinners that they showed a labour of love to the
Lord’s Name in ministering to His saints. Moreover, the passage speaks of
a righteous reward of God for
their work. The works of sinners
are dead works for which there is no reward. The first of the foundation principles
mentioned at the beginning of the chapter is “repentance
from dead works.” It
requires the Blood of Christ to purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God (9: 14).
Therefore, serving the saints is
an acceptable ministry, since it testifies love to the Name of the Lord. But the Apostle desires something
more, namely, that each one
of them should show the same diligence to the full assurance of the hope unto
the
end. The “same
diligence” seems to mean, the same they had already shown in
ministering to the saints. In order
to insure fully the hope, the same diligence must be maintained to the end.
Another desire of the Spirit,
speaking by the Apostle, is that the saints be not slothful, or sluggish, but
be “imitators” of those who, by
FAITH and LONG PATIENCE, inherit the promises. The word rendered “patience” in this verse and in verse 15, is not that occurring elsewhere in the
Epistle, as in 12: 1, “run with patience,” and which latter word means
really “endurance.” The word occurring in verses 12 and 15
of chap. 6. signifies
long waiting for a postponed promise, as, Jacob waited for God’s
Salvation, and as Abraham waited for the promised heir. In verse 15
the rendering of the same word is “after he had
patiently endured.”
Literally, it reads, “and so, having had
long patience, he received the promise.”
The incident here called to mind
is the strong encouragement God gave to Abraham in confirming His previously
given word of promise by an oath.
This oath of the Lord was given to Abraham after the testing of his
faith in the matter of offering Isaac, of whom God had said, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Then it was the Lord sware, saying,
“By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, 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 heaven, and as the sand
which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; and in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast OBEYED MY VOICE” (Gen. 22:
16-18).
This word, confirmed by an oath,
had not to do with the inheritance of the
Let it be noted, then, that the
faith of Abraham, exhibited in the incident recorded in Gen. 22., was the obedience of faith, as the Lord said, “Because
thou hast obeyed My Voice.” That is what gives it pertinence to the
lesson enforced in Heb. 6. This word and the oath of the Lord are
the two immutable things whereby God has been pleased to show to the heirs of
promise the unchangeableness of His counsel, to the end that we, who have fled
to Him for refuge, according as it is written, “The
God of Jacob is our Refuge” (Psa. 46: 7),
might have a strong consolation (encouragement) to lay hold upon the hope set
before us.
Laying hold of the hope set
before us is in contrast with
turning back to the things of
this age. The period of the fulfilment of all the promises that have been made to
the heirs of promise, is the coming age. Christ made no unconditional promise to
His disciples for the present age except that of tribulation. “In the
world ye shall have tribulation” (John
16: 33). Of course, the
saints have many blessings and promises available at the present time, but none
connected with, or proceeding from, the world. From that quarter they can count upon
nothing with certainty but tribulation.
We should not, however, faint in tribulation, but rather “glory” therein, because “tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, and
experience, HOPE” (Rom. 5: 3, 4). Therefore, in order that we may be
stimulated to lay hold upon the hope set before us, we have the Word of God
confirmed by an oath.
In seeking a more definite idea
concerning the nature of this hope, help may be derived from the connection in
which the same words, “set before,” are used in chap. 12.
There we read of “Jesus, the Author and
Finisher of faith, Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross.” The joy set before Him, which He will
have in those whom He is not ashamed to call His “brethren,” is closely connected with the hope that is set before them.
This
hope is likened unto an anchoria, a massive stone embedded firmly in the ground near the
water’s edge of a harbour, to which a line from a vessel might be
fastened, so, that the vessel might thereby be drawn to the shore when it could
not beat its way in against wind or tide.
Our hope enters into that within the veil, whither as Forerunner is for
us entered Jesus, made an High Priest for ever after
the order of Melchisedec. The hope
we have is, therefore, connected directly with the Son of God in the character
of High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. This brings before us once more the
lesson that the knowledge of the Son of God in this character is that which
distinguishes adult sons of God from babes, showing the great importance of
laying hold of this knowledge.
There is an instructive parallel
between the word and oath of God to Abraham, and the word and oath of God to the
Son, in Psalm 110. The “word” is found in verse 1, “the Lord
SAID unto my Lord”; and the oath in verse
4. “The. Lord SWARE, and will not repent,
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” That
the parallel is intentional is evident from the fact that the oath to Abraham
is, mentioned in direct connection with that to the Son (comp. Heb. 6: 13 and 7: 21);
and in the same connection the meeting of Melchisedec with Abraham is
described. Surely, that incident
foreshadowed the coming meeting of the great Antitype of Melchisedec with the
seed of Abraham who are overcomers by
faith, teaching that the word of promise to, Abraham, which God confirmed
by an oath, will have its fulfilment in that One Whom God, by “the word of the oath” (Heb.
7: 28), made a Priest for evermore.
It must be remembered that,
while Abraham did not have in his lifetime the fulfilment of the promise
recorded in Gen. 22: which is the most
extensive of all the promises, he did obtain the promised son, Isaac, through
whom it, and all his other promises, were to have their fulfilment. The promises were all attached to
Isaac. So with
Abraham’s spiritual seed, the heirs of salvation. They have not yet receive
the fulfilment of the promise; but God has imparted to them the knowledge of
the One in Whom all God’s purposes are to be fulfilled. Every promise attaches to Christ, Who is
now entered within the veil as the “Forerunner”
for us. Therefore, our hope, which
attaches to Him, enters into that within the veil. It attaches to that which is “sure and stedfast.” That attachment cannot fail or become loose. Hence, we have simply to, hold fast to the end.
Furthermore, in another aspect
of the matter, Christ being Himself the Seed of Abraham, as it is written,
“He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as
of one, And to thy Seed, Which is Christ” (Gal. 3: 16), we who
are begotten again in Christ, are established in Him as the spiritual seed of
Abraham and therefore are [potential] heirs of the [conditional] promises.
The doctrine of the Melchisedec
Priesthood of the Son of God, which occupies the seventh chapter of Hebrews,
has been so often and so fully commented upon that we shall not dwell long upon
it here. The main thing for us to
notice is that the establishment of another Priest after a different order from
that of Aaron, the Priest of the new order being established with an oath, and
being the Antitype of the Priest-king of Salem, who was much greater than
Abraham, marks a profound charge in the dealings of God with His people. We are specially admonished at this
point to “consider how great this man was unto
whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils”; and
it is also pointed out that Levi, the father of the Aaronic priests, in effect
paid tithes to Melchisedec.
It follows from these
considerations that the entire system connected with the Levitical
priesthood, the covenant, the law, the sacrifices, the ordinances, and the services,
was of necessity set aside and abolished when the Risen Son of God was saluted
of God the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, Who was made High
Priest, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an
endless life. The Excellency of
this High Priest is so incomparably greater than that of the Levitical order, that the system, whereof He is the Centre,
leaves no room whatever for any part of the old order. “The
priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change of the law also” (verse 18). “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment
going before, for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof; for the
law brought nothing to full-growth” (18,
19).
The covenant
also was displaced, because Jesus became the Surety of a BETTER
COVENANT; the new covenant being as much better than the old as the Priest made
with the oath was better than those made without an oath (20-22).
The sacrifices also ceased, because such an High Priest
as became us, Who was made higher than the heavens, needs not daily, as those
high priests of the old order, to offer up sacrifice; for this He did once for
all when He offered Himself (26, 27).
Our hope, therefore, being
attached firmly to the High Priest of the new and eternal order, entitles us to
all the benefits of the new system.
On the other hand, the relatively smaller benefits of the old system no
longer exist; since that entire system has been abolished by Him Who
established it. Its purpose was
temporary, and has been attained.
It was composed of “shadows,”
whereof the Substance, Christ, has now come. Jews may continue to observe the
remnants of the old ordinances, and Christian denominations may devise forms of
“worship” (so-called) in imitation
thereof; but the system itself was, and “of
necessity,” utterly brought to an end by the Death and
Resurrection of Christ.
Now, the great point involved in
this part of the Epistle, and the point which is of chief importance for our
purposes, is the effect which the new system has in the perfection, or maturing
of the sons of God. This is the
practical end in view, as is evident from the fact that the entire section
begins with the exhortation, “Let us go on to
perfection” (6: 1); and the
teaching of the section proves that, in order to go on to perfection
(full-growth), it is necessary to attain to knowledge of the Son of God as High
Priest of the New Order. In
pursuance of this practical point, the Apostle asks, “If, therefore, PERFECTION were (attainable) by the Levitical priesthood, what
further need were there that another (lit., a different) Priest should
arise after the order of Melchisedec?” (7:
11). It appears by this question that the PERFECTING OF THE SONS OF GOD
was the practical object in view in consecrating the Son of God as the High
Priest of a new and unchangeable order.
This links the subject of the Melchisedec Priesthood of Christ with the
purpose of the Father, stated in chap. 2., namely,
“bringing many
[not every] sons unto glory.”
Again,
it is distinctly stated that there has been “a
disannulling of the commandment going before,” that is the fleshly
commandment, according to which the Levitical
priest-hood had been established, which disannulment was decreed on account of
“the weakness and unprofitableness thereof”;
and the weakness and unprofitableness of that law consisted in this, that it
“made nothing perfect.” On this account, and on no other, so far
as stated in the text, the old system of the Levitical
Priesthood was abolished. God must
have, for the accomplishment of His great purpose, a Priest able to save to the
uttermost. Therefore, the old
priesthood, and everything connected with it, had to be displaced, and
superseded by a different order, and an order capable of bringing the sons of
God to full-growth.
The conclusion, then, of the
whole matter is that the inauguration of the new system, i.e., the new priesthood, the new covenant, and the new manner of
worship in the true Sanctuary, had for its grand object, the perfecting of the
many sons whom God is bringing unto glory.
Surely, the knowledge of this truth will animate us with a fixed
determination to “go on to perfection.”
How, then, is this purpose
furthered by the great change here described? Two things that contribute to this end
are first,
the bringing in of a BETTER HOPE (7: 19),
mentioned, and, second, the
INTERCESSION of the High Priest (verse 25).
As to the “better hope,” we have nothing to add at this
point, having fully set forth our understanding on that subject. We would, however, for the sake of
clearness, give the reader a literal rendering of verses
18 and 19, the meaning whereof is
obscured by the A.V. rendering.
“For
there is a disannulling of the commandment going before, because of its
weakness and unprofitableness (for the law brought nothing to maturity);
and (there is also) the
introduction of a better hope by which we draw near unto God.” In other words, two things are said to
have taken place; first, the disannulling of the old commandment, and, second, the introduction of a better hope.
The intercession of the great
High Priest, Who ever liveth, is a mighty factor in the perfecting of the many
sons. He is “able.”
All the necessary power is lodged in Him; and He never ceases putting it
forth for the accomplishment of the Father's purpose. He is “Merciful,”
He is “faithful,” He is “able.”
What more do we require in order to confirm our confidence in Him, and
to encourage us to maintain it “unto the end”? He is able to save them completely -
that is, to bring them into the right state for participating in the salvation
whereof this Epistle treats - who approach to God by Him. The old priesthood availed nothing to
that end. By means thereof the
purpose of the Father could not be carried out. Therefore the Son of God came into the
world to do the Will of His Father.
On earth He accomplished that Will by suffering and dying in the Body
prepared for Him, as a Sacrifice for sin; and now He ever lives to complete the
purpose of the Father by interceding for those who are the called according to
His purpose. “For such an High Priest became us, Who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens”
(7: 26).
CHAPTER 14
The Minister of the True Tabernacle.
The Worship of God’s
Pilgrims.
At the
beginning of chapter 8. the writer of the Epistle sets forth “the sum,” that is to say, the chief or capital
point, of the things whereof he has spoken. That chief or essential matter is that
“we have such an High
Priest, Who is set on the Right Hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the
heavens, .a Minister of the Sanctuary, and of the true Tabernacle, which the
Lord pitched, and not man.”
The language here used is such
as to call very special attention to the truth set forth. At this point everything pertaining to the service and worship
of God is transferred from earth to heaven, from the tabernacle which man
pitched by the Lord’s command, to the true Tabernacle which the Lord Himself
pitched; from the holy places made, with hands, which were but the figures of
the true, into heaven itself.
Moreover, the service of God is taken out of the hands of an order of
priests composed of men in the flesh, and placed in the hands of the risen Son
of God, Who has obtained a ministry as much more excellent than that of the old
order of priests, as the covenant, whereof He is the Mediator, is better than
the old covenant, and the promises on which it is based are better than the old
promises (verses 5, 6.)
The previous portions of the
Epistle had to do specially with the trials, dangers, and difficulties
besetting the path of the pilgrims, on which account stress is laid upon
the prospect before them in the
The matter of worship is one of
great practical importance to God’s pilgrims, and has much to do with the
perfecting of the sons whom He is bringing unto glory. The leading characteristics of the life
of the true Hebrew are symbolized by two objects, the tent and the altar. We have been thus far occupied mainly
with that which pertains to the tent, that is to say, with that which marks out
the true Hebrew as a sojourner in the earth. We shall now give our attention briefly
to that which pertains to the altar.
We shall not dwell upon this subject at great length, for the reason
that the nature of true worship, as taught in this Epistle, has been explained
in many excellent treatises. We,
however, are exploring this portion of the Word of God with the special object
of noting the bearing it has upon the revealed purpose of God with respect to
those whom He has, in love, predestinated to the position of sons unto Himself
by Christ Jesus.
The services of God’s
priests of the Levitical order were available to all
His people, and some of those services, such as the “continual burnt offering” offered day by day (Numb.. 38: 3-8), were of general application and
efficacy for all the people, being a continual daily reminder to God, morning
and evening, of the true Burnt Offering.
This is true also of the service of the high priest on the great Day of
Atonement, when the sin offering for the whole congregation was slain according
to the solemn rites appointed by God, and its blood was taken into the Holy of
Holies by the high priest (Lev. 16.). The service of the day
of Atonement is the type that has its special fulfilment in the present
ministry of Christ in the heavens, as very clearly appears from the text of
this portion of Hebrews (8: 1; 10: 25). It was expressly commanded that “there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation
when he (the high priest) goeth in to make
atonement in the holy place until he come out” (Lev. 16: 17).
The congregation awaited the reappearance of their high priest. Thus there was enacted once each year a
scene typical of what is set forth in Heb. 9: 24-28.
Christ appeared once in the end of the age (preceding this), to put
away sin by the Sacrifice of Himself as the Sin-Offering of the Atonement for
the whole congregation. Then He
entered, by His own Blood, into the holy place (heaven itself), now to appear
in the Presence of God for us; and He will presently come forth to those in the
outer court who wait for Him for Salvation.
But while the services of the
priesthood were available for all, they were profitable mainly to
those who approached the tabernacle to avail themselves thereof. The law contemplated voluntary,
individual offerings. “If any man
of you bring an offering unto the Lord” (Lev. 1: 2, etc.). “And when
any will
offer,” i.e., offers of his own will, “a meat offering unto the Lord … he shall bring it to Aaron’s
sons, the priests” (Lev. 2: 1, 2).
All the five offerings described in detail
in the opening chapters of Leviticus (the whole burnt offering, the meat
offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering),
were to be made by individuals. The
priest acted only in an official capacity, to present to God, in the prescribed
manner, the offerings voluntarily made by the people. Unless the people brought offerings
there would be nothing for the priests to present on their behalf to God.
Therefore, at the outset of this
part of the Epistle it is written: “For every
high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices; wherefore it is of
necessity that this Man have somewhat also to offer.” The saints of this dispensation have not
to offer the blood of animals, for the Blood of Christ has been offered by
Himself (9: 11-14), and this is effective to
purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God. But there remains
for us also a “continual” offering,
to be offered “day by day”; as it is written, “By Him, therefore, let us offer the SACRIFICE OF PRAISE to
GOD CONTINUALLY, giving thanks to (literally, confessing
to) His Name” (Heb. 13: 15).
Surely, in respect of worship
the saints of this era, who have access to God through Jesus Christ, the great
High Priest, and the Mediator of the new covenant, should not fall below the
standard set for the Israelites.
They offered every day, morning and evening, the memorial lamb, besides
all the voluntary offerings. They
were taught scrupulously to present to God of the best that He had given
them. For an Israelite to appear
before God with empty hands would be to say that God had not blessed him. Surely then, it is for us to fill the
Hands of our High Priest with sacrifices of praise continually, presenting to
God thanksgivings for the unspeakable Gift of His love to us.
Our sacrifices are to be offered
“by Him,” “confessing to His Name.” This admonishes us of a fact that is
commonly lost sight of, namely, that men can approach God only through a priest
duly appointed for that purpose by God Himself. Although the saints of God on earth have
received a new birth from God, the washing of regeneration, nevertheless they
have sin in them, and are occupying the mortal (death-doomed) bodies of their
humiliation. Therefore they may
approach God only through the High
Priest, the Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle. “For
THROUGH Him we both have access by
one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2: 18). Christ said, “I am the Way, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14: 6). So also it is written in Hebrews,
“Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way” (10: 19, 20); and again, “By Him let us offer continually” (13: 15).
Unquestionably, this command is
intended to be carried out just as literally as the similar commands given to
the Israelite. It cost the latter
time and trouble to procure his offering and present it at the door of the
tabernacle. So, if we are faithful
in regard to our sacrifices, it will be at the expense of time and
diligence. God was not honoured by,
nor would He accept, anything but the very best of that with which He had
enriched His people; and our offerings to Him, to be acceptable, should be of
the very best of our time, especially the early hours of the day, and of the
most excellent of our praises.
If one is poor in his knowledge
and appreciation of the riches that are his in Christ, his offering of praise
will be correspondingly meagre. But
the more he possesses of “the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ,” the richer will be his offering. Therefore, poverty in the sacrifices of
thanksgiving is due to lack of diligence in reading and meditating in the Word,
by which comes “the knowledge of the Son of God”
(Eph. 4: 13).
“Confessing
to His Name,” or offering praise or prayer in His Name, does not
mean using His Name as a closing formula.
His Name stands for Himself, and for His
relations to God and to men. To
offer in His Name is to present our offering to God in all the merit of His
Person, and of the work whereby He glorified God in the earth. He Himself, therefore, should form the
very Substance of our praises, for, in praising God for Christ, we praise Him
for all. In Christ all fulness
dwells, and He is all and in all.
May we, then, be strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man
that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. If He dwells in our hearts, then the
praises of our hearts will be unto God a sweet savour of Christ. So let us give thanks “always for all things unto God and the Father in the Name of
our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5: 20).
Mention is made in Hebrews, and
in other Scriptures, of other sacrifices which are acceptable and well-pleasing
to God. “But to do good and to communicate
(or distribute to other saints of what we have), forget
not. For with SUCH SACRIFICES God
is well pleased” (Heb. 13: 16). This applies to material and also to
spiritual things.
The essence of love is the
giving or sacrificing of oneself.
In this the children of God are bidden to be “imitators of God.” “Be ye,
therefore, followers (imitators) of God as beloved children; and walk in love, as Christ also
hath loved us and given Himself for us, AN OFFERING AND SACRIFICE to GOD for a
sweet smelling savour” (Eph. 5: 1, 2). The reference here is to those offerings
which were known as “sweet-savour offerings,”
namely, the whole burnt offering, the meat offering, and the peace
offering. In like manner the saints
are called upon to offer themselves for others by walking towards them in love.
In regard to this matter of
doing good and communicating, viewing it as a
sweet-savour offering to God, when done in the Name of Christ, Paul highly
commends the saints at
These Scriptures instruct us
clearly as to the sacrifices; which are acceptable and well-pleasing to God
from His pilgrims of this era.
Therefore, among the exhortations with which this section of Hebrews
closes occurs the following.
“And let us consider one another, to
provoke unto love and, good works” (10:
24).
That exhortation is preceded by
another, to which the chief prominence is given in this portion of the Epistle,
namely:-
“Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the, holiest by the Blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil,
that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, LET
US DRAW NEAR” (10: 19-22).
This
drawing near, or approaching to God,
is the act of worship in spirit and truth.
It is essential to the character of God’s pilgrims. They approached Him by means of a
sacrifice, offered in faith. The
Perfect Sacrifice has now been offered for us. Because of the Blood of Jesus we may
have “boldness to enter the holiest.” We approach by the new and living way
that has been consecrated “FOR US.” Therefore, and because we have such an High Priest over the House of God, our approach should be
“in the full assurance of faith.”
Availing
ourselves of the privilege of worship has much to do with securing the great
salvation spoken of in Hebrews, Our High Priest is able to save to the
uttermost them that approach to God (as worshippers) by Him. Therefore, it is
written: “Having a High Priest over the House of
God, let
us approach in full assurance
of faith,” that is to say, believing God implicitly as to the
access we have through Christ, as to the value of His Blood, and as to His
present ministry before God for us, which are unseen things, that exist only
for faith.
Point is given to this lesson in the next chapter, where it is brought to mind
in regard to Enoch that, before his translation, he had witness borne him that
he had been well-pleasing to God
(11: 5). From this it is deduced that he must
have exercised faith towards God, for “without
faith it is impossible to please Him; for he who APPROACHES TO GOD must believe
that HE IS (exists as a living God), and is a
Rewarder of them that seek Him out” (verse
6, Gr.). This proves also
that the manner in which Enoch approached God in faith, and thus found favour
with Him, was in the appointed way, by means of a sacrifice, as did Abel, Noah,
Abraham, and the other “Hebrews.”
This lesson is of the utmost
importance. According to the Word
of God, man is a sinner and justly under the condemnation of death. His only hope is in a God Who raises the
dead, and through a Sacrifice which fully pays the penalty of his sin. None but God Himself could supply a
Sacrifice adequate to discharge that penalty. Hence, He sent forth His own Son,
in the likeness of sinful flesh, to be a Sacrifice for sin. The One Sacrifice, offered by Jesus
Christ once for all, is the heart of the work of redemption; and believing God
as to that fact is absolutely essential to acceptance with Him. Therefore, when the man of faith of old
approached God with an innocent victim, and sacrificed it before the Lord, that
man confessed himself a sinner, deserving the death suffered by the victim; and
he also confessed his faith in God as the Author of a way of redemption for the
death-deserving sinner. To us, the
meaning of those oft-repeated sacrifices, which could never take away sins, or
make the “approachers” perfect (9: 9; 10: 1, 4), has been made plain. By the Will of God we .have been
sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all (10: 10).
Therefore, we ought continually to approach, in full assurance of faith,
availing ourselves of the powerful ministry of our Great High Priest, in order
that thereby the purpose of the Father may be accomplished in us.
CHAPTER 15
Sinning Wilfully. The Discipline of the
Sons of God.
The
Cloud of Witnesses,
and the Easily-Besetting Sin.
The passage beginning at chap. 10: 26, contains warnings. similar to those of chap. 6.,
which have been already referred to.
There are, however, some further comments that may be made to the profit
of the reader.
“For
if we sin wilfully, after that we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which
shall devour the adversaries” (26, 27).
This passage further declares
the risk we [who are regenerate] incur “after we have
received the knowledge of the truth.” The penalty described in
this passage is that for sinning “wilfully.” This. brings to view an important distinction which the law of God
made between what were called “sins of ignorance” (Lev. 4: 2, 13, 22, 27, etc.) and “presumptuous sins.” An instance of the latter is given in Numbers 15.
Sins of ignorance or errors are described in verses
22‑29; and for sins of this class sacrifices were provided. “And the
priest shall make an atonement for the soul that SINNETH IGNORANTLY, when he
sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him, and it
shall be forgiven him” (verse 28). “But the soul that doeth PRESUMPTUOUSLY
(or highhandedly), whether he be born in the land or a stranger, the same REPROACHETH THE LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from among his
people. Because He bath
despised the Word of the Lord, and hath broken His commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off; his
iniquity shall be upon him” (30,
31).
Then is related, as an instance
of presumptuous sin, the case of the man who violated the sabbath and was stoned to death.
This distinction is observed in
the Epistle to the Hebrews. At chap. 9: 7 is a reference to the atonement which
the priest made for the “errors,” literally, the “sins of
ignorance,” of the people.
The passage quoted above from the tenth chapter of Hebrews brings to
mind that, for a wilful sin by one of God’s people, there was no sacrifice provided, but instead, there was a certain
expectation of judgment, namely, the cutting off of that soul.
The reason for the severity of
the punishment prescribed or presumptuous, or high-handed sins, was that he who
committed such a sin had reproached the Lord, despised His, Word, and broken
His commandment.
A sin of this nature, committed
by one who has “received the knowledge of the
truth,” is a yet more serious matter, and deserving of sorer
punishment; for such an one has trodden
under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
He was sanctified an unholy thing, and has done despite to (insulted) the
Spirit of Grace.
The Apostle is certainly
speaking here of sins committed by the [redeemed] people of God; for, in support of the warning, he
quotes the Scripture, “The Lord shall judge His PEOPLE” (verse 30).
We understand that sins of the
kind here spoken of are what the Apostle John refers to in the passage, “If any man see his brother sin a sin
which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He (God) shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. THERE IS A SIN UNTO DEATH: I do not say
that he shall pray for it. All
unrighteousness is sin. And there
is a sin not unto death” (1 John 5:
16, 17). The “death”
here spoken of is physical death, being “cut off”
- not eternal death or perdition (compare Rom. 8:
13). The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was of the
kind referred to as a “sin unto death.” The Apostle Peter defined their offence as
lying to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5: 3, 4).
Manifestly, the sins here
contemplated, and for which so, severe a penalty is awarded, are of a very
grievous nature, such as the deliberate and intentional defiance of God by one
who knows Him, has experienced His kindness and redeeming love, and who knows
His commandments. The reference to
the “judgment and fiery indignation which shall
devour the adversaries,” that is, those who high-handed withstand
God, carries us to the rebellion of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, who were priests of the
Lord. Of the judgment passed upon
them it is recorded that “there went out FIRE from the Lord and DEVOURED
them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev.
10: 1, 2).
In every
one the examples given us of the offences that are visited by an irrevocable
judgment, cutting off the soul from the
blessing and inheritance promised to the people of God, there was,
on the part of the one thus punished, a conscious, intelligent choice made, and
that choice was made by one who knew the will and purpose of God, and knowing
it, deliberately made choice of that which was contrary thereto. Such was the case of Esau,
and that of the Israelites in the day of the trial of their faith in the
wilderness; and so it was with
On the other hand, we have for
our encouragement the record of the grace of God to David, after an act of
great moral wickedness, and to Peter, after the denial of his Lord; and we
ourselves have access to the throne where that grace is dispensed to all who
seek it there. Wherefore, let us not be downcast or discouraged
because of our past failures and present infirmities. Doubtless, the great Opposer of the purpose of God
delights to plunge the children of God into despair concerning their prospects
for the age to come, and to make them think they have been irrevocably cut off.
The very circumstances which
cause depression of our spirits may be in reality the evidences of the
discipline of the Father, whereof all sons are partakers. Therefore, a most important exhortation
is given us in chap. 12., not to forget that whom the
Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth
every
son whom He receiveth. If we are enduring discipline, that
should not tend to discourage us, but quite the contrary, for it is a clear
proof that God is dealing with us as with sons; for what son is there whom the
Father chasteneth not? *
[* We introduce
at this point the comments we wish to make on chap.
12., passing over for the present the concluding verses of chap. 10. and the whole of chap. 11. We return
to this section in our next chapter. ]
For those who endure trial, affliction,
and distress, the Word of God abounds in comfort. Their part is to recognise and to
despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor to faint when rebuked of Him. For if, when the fathers of our flesh
corrected us we gave them reverence, shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father
of spirits,
and live? Our Father knows that no
chastening at the time seems a matter of joy, but rather of grief. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised by it. It is by means of chastening that the
soil of our hearts is prepared, that it may bring forth fruits meet for those
by whom it is dressed.
Wherefore, being thus instructed
by the Word of God as to the real significance of trials and sufferings, let us
not be discouraged. Lift up the
hands that hang down, and the enfeebled knees, and make straight paths for your
feet, lest that which is lame be turned aside; for God’s will is, not
that it be turned aside, but rather that it may be healed.
The test
or trial of faith is to be expected by the children of God, and they should not
wish to avoid it; for the trial of their faith is more precious to God than
that of gold which perishes (1 Pet. 1: 6). Therefore, they should greatly rejoice
in the “living hope” of “the salvation that
is ready to be revealed in the last time,” even though
at present they be in heaviness through manifold trials (verses 3-6).
The object is that the faith, when tested, may be found unto praise, and
honour, and GLORY, at the appearing
of Jesus Christ.
The saints have one great,
unfailing, and all-sufficient Resource in the time of affliction. Therefore, in Heb.
12., they
are exhorted to “look away unto Jesus, the Leader
and the Finisher of faith.”
In order to run with endurance the race set before them, they must be like Moses, who endured as seeing, that is, just as if he
actually saw, Him Who is invisible.
Thus does faith always, in the testing time, prove that it is
faith, by resting upon that which is “not seen.”
In like manner, the Apostle
Peter, in the passage referred to above (which may be profitably studied in
connection with Hebrews), after referring to the reward of tested faith at the
appearing of Jesus Christ, adds, “Whom having NOT SEEN ye love; in Whom, though now
ye see Him not, yet BELIEVING YE
REJOICE, with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your
faith, the SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS” (1 Pet. 1: 8, 9).
We would note again that the end
in view, in the perfecting of the sons of God through trials and afflictions,
is the saving of their SOULS,
whereof we purpose to speak later on.
But at present it is the testing of faith that we are considering, and
in concluding this subject we would say that since the saints of God know not
when nor how the test will come, it is above all
things important to be prepared for it. Among the lessons taught in Hebrews, one
of the clearest is this, that the way to insure preparation for the “day of temptation in the wilderness” is first,
to pay constant and earnest heed to the things that we have heard, which are things not seen (for “faith
comes by HEARING,” and is “the
conviction Of THINGS NOT SEEN”); and, second, to “consider
the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus,” even,
looking away from ourselves and from the seen things unto Him, from Whom our
faith originated, and by Whom alone it can be finished. Thus may we be strengthened in faith to
meet the trial when it comes.
The subject of the race which
the saint is called upon to run is introduced by words which are very familiar,
but perhaps not generally understood.
“Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the
sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus” (12:
1, 2).
The “great cloud of
witnesses” is often taken to mean the exemplars of persevering faith
named in the preceding chapter, as if they were viewing or witnessing, as
spectators, the race we were running.
But careful attention to the text shows that this is not the sense of
the passage at all. There is no
warrant for supposing that the departed saints are occupied as spectators of
our course on earth; nor are we to be spurred with the thought of acquitting
ourselves well in their sight. Such
a thought is quite repugnant to the teaching of Scripture. The departed saints are not the cloud of
encompassing witnesses. In fact
they do not encompass us at all.
The sense of the word “witnesses”
is to be learned from the use of the same word in chap.
11. Unfortunately, the presence of that word in chap. 11. is
concealed by the rendering of the A.V.
Hence the erroneous inference as to the meaning of chap. 12: 1. Chap. 11: 2
reads literally: “For by it (faith) witness was borne to the elders,” that is, borne
from God; and the incidents of the
entire chapter illustrate this statement.
By faith witness was borne to Abel as being righteous, God
bearing witness to his gifts (verse 4). By faith witness was borne to Enoch that
he was well-pleasing to God (verse 5).
The
“witness,” then, is from God; and we
also are compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses from God, for the
support and assurance of our faith.
We take it that the reference is to chap. 2:
3, 4, which mentions the witnesses that have been borne to us, regarding the great salvation before us,
which is the goal of the race.
Of this salvation the Lord Himself, Who is the “faithful and true witness,” began to speak. It has been confirmed to us by those,
His chosen “witnesses” (Acts 1: 8; 2: 32; 10: 39), who heard Him, “God also BEARING WITNESS, both with signs and wonders, and
with divers, miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own Will.” This we take to be the “cloud of witnesses” with which God has
encompassed us, and which testify to us that we
should lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us, and look
away from all seen things unto Jesus, the
Author and Finisher of [the] faith.
It is
easy to understand what is meant by laying aside every weight. Whatever adds to the difficulty of our
progress towards the better country we are seeking is a “weight,” and should be laid aside. But the expression “and the sin which doth
so easily beset us” is not so readily understood. The
common phrase “besetting sin,”
signifying some special sin to which one
is disposed, which may be one thing in the case of one person, and another in
the case of another, does not correctly
represent the sense of this passage.
The word rendered “easily beset”
furnishes the clue to the meaning.
The idea expressed by this verb is that of something which surrounds and
clings to the person, as a close-fitting mantle, and impedes the freedom of
motion of the wearer. Therefore it should be laid aside. This involves a struggle, since the
nature of sin is to cling to us.
The words of verse 4, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin,”
indicate the effort required to thrust aside the impediment of sin which
presses close upon us.
Sin is our environment. It easily surrounds us, urging its
things upon us. They are deceitful
things, having a false attractiveness, an appearance of harmlessness. The attractions that surround the
would-be pilgrim, and which he must resolutely thrust aside if he would press
forward to the country whereof he has heard, often wear the guise of
innocence. It is easy to persuade oneself, for alas! thousands of
Christians have done and are doing so, that these pleasant things have been put
here for our immediate enjoyment.
And so they become hardened to the Voice of God by the deceitfulness of sin.
This is the reason for the warning, “Take
heed, brethren, lest there be in any (one) of
you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one
another daily (literally, encourage yourselves
every day) while (so long as) it is called ‘To-day,’ lest any (one) of you be HARDENED THROUGH THE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN”
(3: 12, 13).
Nothing is plainer than the
commandment, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of THE FATHER is not in
him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vain-glory of life, is
not of THE FATHER, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that DOETH THE WILL OF GOD abideth
forever” (1 John 2: 15-17). These words are addressed to the little
children, especially for those at the time of the end, for the next words are,
“Little children, it is the last time.”
This, then, is the choice set
before the children of God, namely, a
choice between the Father and the world. “By one man sin entered the world,” and sin has filled the
world with its deceitful things, things which gratify the desires of the flesh (the natural heart) and of the eyes (which are always
restlessly looking for some new sights), and things which contribute to the vain-glory of the life that now is. These things, however harmless they may
seem to those who “judge by appearance,”
are, according to God’s Word, not of the Father, but are of the
sin-cursed world. And the world
passes away, and the desire thereof - for when the world shall have been
righteously judged none will desire it any more than
The Son of God, in the hour of
His rejection, said, as He stretched forth His Hand towards His disciples,
“Behold My mother and My
brethren. For whosoever shall DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER which
is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and
mother” (Matt. 12: 49, 50).
These Scriptures show how very
important it is that we should do the Will of God. Wherefore it is also written in the
passage we are now considering, “Ye have need of ENDURANCE, that, AFTER YE HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, ye might receive the promise”
(Heh. 10: 36).
The case of Moses is cited to
illustrate the lesson now before us.
Moses made a deliberate choice, and committed himself to that choice for
life. Being fully advised of
what he was doing, he chose rather “to suffer
affliction with the people of
God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season.” He
estimated “the reproach of Christ (to be) greater riches than the treasures of
Therefore, in order that we too,
though having in ourselves no powers wherewith to resist the pressure of the
things that beset us, may be able to run with endurance the race that is set before us, let us
consider well Him Who endured so great ,contradiction
of sinners against Himself, to the end that we be not wearied, fainting in our
souls* (Heb. 12: 3).
[* The word in the original is
not “minds,” but “souls,” i.e., the natural life, the psuche.]
CHAPTER 16
Faith to
the Saving of the Soul.
We come now to the important
words which bring the tenth chapter of Hebrews to a close, and introduce the
great theme of chapter 11: “Now the just shall live by faith, but if he draw back MY SOUL shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back
unto destruction, but (of them that are) of FAITH TO SAVING THE SOUL” (10: 38, 39).
The foregoing is a literal
rendering of the original text; and we would at the outset call attention to several
corrections that need to be made in the A.V.
1. The words “any man” are introduced by the translators as
the subject of the verb “draw back”;
but they are wholly without warrant in the original. The antecedent subject is the “just man,” who is to live by faith. The expression is the same that Paul
used of himself in Gal. 2: 20, “the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son
of God.” Jesus Christ
is not only the Author, but also the Finisher of faith. As already seen it is only the believer,
the man who has been justified by faith, that can “draw
back.” The unbeliever
has not come to anything from which he could “draw
back.” There is no
question at all as to the correctness of the reading, “if he draw back.” The drawing
back to destruction is put indirect contrast with the living by faith, and going
on to the saving of the
soul. It is true that the believer
cannot draw back from his standing in Christ. He
cannot draw back from eternal life.
But he can draw back from the pilgrim’s place, and return to the
world.
2. We have already seen that the
word “perdition” should be “destruction.” The difference is important. The people of God will surely suffer
destruction if they draw back into the world. Because it is polluted, it will destroy
them with a sore destruction (Mic. 2: 10); that is, will involve them in great and irreparable damage or loss. But they will never come into
“perdition.”
3. The words “of them that believe,”
should read “of faith.” The original has not a verb “that believe,” but a noun “of faith”; and that word “faith” is a most important one because it leads
into the theme of chap. 11., which is given
to the people of God for the very purpose of instructing them as to the character or nature of that “faith” that is effectual to, saving
the soul. The next words are “Now faith,” (that is, the faith by which the
soul is saved), “is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence (or conviction) of things not seen.” Then follow examples of those who lived,
to the end of their days, according to that faith which is the substance (that
which stands under and thus
supports) things hoped for, and the conviction as to the reality of things
heard of, but not seen.
So far as
the present writer is aware, the subject of the salvation of the soul has not been satisfactorily treated in any of the books
of teaching now in the hands of the people of God. The manner in which this expression is
commonly used, indicates that “saving the soul”
is regarded as meaning the saving of
the individual man from condemnation, that is to say as equivalent to the
justification of the sinner, and the impartation of eternal life upon believing
the Gospel of God. In other words,
being “born again,” and “saving the soul,” are, generally taken to be
identical. But according to the
Scripture, the two are very different. In every case where the salvation of the
soul is mentioned it is distinctly referred to as something future, and as something conditional upon
the behaviour of the individual himself. Eternal life is the gift of God, freely bestowed on every believer in Christ. But the saving of the soul is distinctly
set forth in many Scriptures, particularly in, the words of the Lord Himself,
not as a gift, but as a reward to be earned by diligence, stedfastness, and obedience to His commands.
The chief reason for the
misconception that exists on this point is the failure to distinguish between
soul and spirit, a distinction which is carefully made in the Scriptures, as we
shall take pains to show. The matter is of such surpassing
importance, and so great consequences hinge upon it, that we strongly urge
our readers to pay the closest attention to the sayings of the Lord Jesus, and
to the other Scriptures cited, in this chapter.
As an instance of the mention by
our Lord of the saving and losing of the soul, we quote Matt. 16: 25-27, calling attention to the fact that the word
rendered “life” in verse 25, is the same word rendered “soul” in verse 26: “If any man will (is willing, that is, has finally
resolved, to) come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross and follow Me.
For whosoever will (is willing to) save
his life (soul) shall
lose it; and whosoever will (is willing to) lose
his life (soul) for
My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his soul?
Or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the
glory of His Father, with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according
to his works.”
We see clearly from this
Scripture that the saving or losing of the soul is a matter of the will or choice of the man himself; and this is the
teaching also of every Scripture that deals with this subject. We see furthermore also that the time
when those who choose to lose their souls now for Christ’s sake will gain
their reward, that is, will find their
souls again, is to be when
the Son of Man shall come in the GLORY OF HIS FATHER, with His ANGELS.*
From this Scripture alone it is clear that by the salvation of the soul is not
meant salvation from eternal condemnation.
The salvation of the sinner from the wages of sin.
is not dependent upon denial of self, taking up his
cross and following the Lord Jesus; but is the gift of God’s grace,
instantly and eternally granted the moment the sinner believes in the Crucified
and Risen Saviour. It is only a [regenerate] believer
who can make the choice to deny himself, take up his cross, and steadfastly
follow his Lord in the way He went.
To them who thus follow unto the end, a “reward”
is promised. That reward is the finding, in the age to come, of the
“soul” they purposely “lost” in this [evil] age. It
concerns us, therefore, to ascertain, as may be done by diligent and prayerful
inquiry, what the Lord meant by a man’s losing and saving his own
soul. That is the [future] salvation of
which the Lord “began” to speak, and
which has been “confirmed to us by those who
heard Him,” that is, by His apostles. Whatever may be embraced in the meaning
of the words “saving the soul,” it
is at least clear that they do not refer to the justification of the sinner by
God’s grace through faith in Christ, but to something in the nature of a
reward set before those who have been already justified. The “salvation
of the soul” is not something received at the beginning of the
Christian life on earth; but something to be gained at the end thereof.
[* The
time factor here, proves that this salvation happens at
the time of resurrection, when the “gates
of Hades” (Matt. 16: 18), will
not prevail against the disembodied souls of those “accounted worthy” to rule and reign with Christ
during the “age” to come, (Luke 20: 35; 14: 14; Rev. 20: 4-6.)]
That the
“saving
of the
soul” is not the salvation of the sinner from eternal doom
in the
In the sayings of the Lord
Jesus, to which we will refer, the man is distinguished from his soul insomuch that the soul is spoken
of as a possession of the man, which he can keep or lose. Nevertheless, this distinction is
practically obliterated, or at least ignored, in the theology of to-day. Indeed, there are those who expressly
force the word “soul” to mean the
man himself, wherever that word occurs in the Bible.
Another cause of the
misconception referred to, is (as it appears to us) the relatively little heed
that is given in many quarters to the words spoken by the Lord Jesus
Himself. There is no room for
dispute or doubt as to the value of the words of the Lord according to His own
estimate thereof. They are “spirit and life” (John
6: 63). They are the very words His Father commanded Him to speak, and
are what will judge those who receive them not (John
12: 47-50). His Sayings are
HIMSELF (John 8: 25). The giving of His Father’s words
was the fulfilment of the purpose for which His Father sent Him into the world
(John 17: 8, 14). His disciples recognised Him as the One
Who had “the words of eternal life”
(John 6: 68). Keeping His words is the test of love for Himself, and has the promise of a great reward. “If a man love Me, he will KEEP
MY WORDS.” “Because
thou hast KEPT MY WORD.” “Because thou hast KEPT THE WORD OF MY PATIENCE”
(John 14: 23; Rev. 3: 8, 10). Whereas, being ashamed of His words will
be visited with disastrous consequences (Mark 8: 38).
Notwithstanding these weighty
and unmistakably plain utterances from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself, it
must ,be admitted that, in some of the teaching of to-day, the words of the
Lord, recorded for us in the
Gospels, are assigned to a place of
distinct inferiority. In order to maintain certain
dispensational views, it is necessary to relegate the ministry of Christ in the
days of His Flesh to the “Jewish remnant”
and to treat His utterances as having but a remote or indirect reference and
application to the members of His own Body, the Church. One consequence of
this teaching has been to foster a neglect of His words, and to render the
hearts and consciences of many saints insensitive to the wholesome exhortations
and warnings uttered by Him, which they are taught to regard as applicable only
to an insignificant remnant of
What, then, is the “soul” of a man, concerning the salvation of
which the Lord Himself made a BEGINNING
of speaking? It is clear from the
Scriptures that the “soul” is quite distinct from the
“spirit”; and by attention to the teaching of the Word we may learn
that the “soul” signifies the natural
life of the man.
This embraces all his own exclusive personal experiences, sensations,
and emotions; and these in turn arise from his relations and associations with
the created
things about him, especially from his relations with his fellow human
beings. It is distinctly the self-life, that is to say, the sum of every
experience which pertains to the man himself, to his own separate personality, as distinguished from every other
man. It embraces all his own distinct and personal desires, ambitions,
gratifications, honours, and pleasures.
It takes in all the plans and arrangements he devises to secure his
own satisfaction,
entertainment, enjoyment, and so forth.
The instinctive longings of the soul are what impel men to pursue riches
so ardently. For it is by means of
money that the desires of the soul may be gratified, so far as it is possible
to procure gratification for them in this world. Wealth commands distinction, attention,
worldly pleasures, and high social position, and by means of it may be procured
nearly everything that, this world can supply for the satisfaction of the soul
of man. Hence, the Lord says,
“Beware of covetousness,” and His
Apostle says, “covetousness is idolatry.”
Important instruction on this
point is given by the Lord in Luke 12., in the
parable of the rich man. He spoke this
parable for the express purpose of enforcing the warning:-
“Take heed, and beware of covetousness, for a
man’s SOUL consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth” (verse 15). Then He tells of the rich man, whose
ground brought forth plentifully, insomuch that he had not room enough to store
his fruits. Therefore, the man laid his plans for his own advantage, that
is for his SOUL. He said, “I will pull down my barns and build greater; and there will I
bestow all my fruits and all my goods.
And I will say to MY, SOUL, SOUL, thou hast much goods, laid up for many
years; take THINE EASE, EAT, DRINK, and BE MERRY. But GOD.
said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy SOUL shall be required of thee [in the underworld]: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
This parable gives a clear idea
of what the soul of man is; and it teaches plainly that the loss of the soul is
the separation thereof from the things capable of affording satisfaction to it.
In examining this important
subject of the SALVATION OF THE SOUL, we would begin with the first reference
to the soul in Hebrews, which is in chap. 4: 12. We find there the important statement
that the Word of God sharply divides between the soul and the spirit; a distinction, however, which teachers
and commentators generally fail to observe. There are some who professedly make a
specialty of “rightly dividing the Word of Truth”;
which, however, may be merely the arranging of dispensational divisions
according to their own ideas. It is
questionable whether 2 Tim. 2: 15 means that
we are to divide up the Word of
Truth. A better reading would seem
to be, holding a straight course in the
Word of Truth. But on the other
hand, it is certain, as has been aptly said, that the Word of God divides
us up, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. The Word of God speaks of the salvation
of the spirit, of the
salvation of the soul and of the salvation of the body; and there is a
great difference between them. In 1 Cor. 5: 5, Paul speaks
of delivering one of the members of the assembly of
The distinction between the
spirit of man and the soul of man is recognized throughout Scripture. Thus in 1Thess. 5: 23,
the Apostle prays for the sanctification of the whole man, .and that
“your whole spirit, and soul, and body
be preserved blameless unto (at) the Coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Of the Lord Jesus it is written
that just before His death He commended His SPIRIT to His Father. “And when Jesus
had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy Hands I commend My
Spirit. And having said thus He
gave up the spirit” (Luke 23: 46). Of His SOUL and BODY it is
written in Psa. 16.,
quoted in Acts 2: 31, "that His SOUL was not left in Hades, neither did His FLESH see corruption.” It thus appears that His body went into
the tomb, but saw no corruption there, while His soul went to Hades,
or
The word “soul” signifies, as we have said, the natural,
or personal life of the individual man, in the broadest sense, including all
the experiences, sensations, and emotions pertaining thereto. In fact, the Greek word psuche is sometimes in our versions translated
“life,” sometimes “soul.” When the word “life” in our
versions stands for psuche it never means eternal life, possessed by Christ, and imparted
as the gift of God to those who believe on Him. For that life the Greek word is zoe.
It is sometimes of much importance to know what the original word
is. Thus, in John 10, one of these words occurs in verse 10, the other in verse
11. When Christ said “I am come that they might have LIFE,” He used
the word zoe, eternal life. When, however, He added “the good shepherd giveth his LIFE for the sheep,”
He used the word psuche, soul, or natural life;
and the same word occurs in verses 15 and 17. In
verse 17 we read, “Therefore doth My Father love Me,
because I lay down My life (soul) that I might take it again.” The Lord Jesus has a true human soul, an
individual, personal life, like each one of us, only without sin. He laid it down; but He has taken it
again. Thus the Lord speaks of
laying down His own sinless Soul, and in this we have further and conclusive
proof that losing one’s soul does not mean damnation. It means, as we have said, the cutting
off of the soul [at the time of death] from the things created for its satisfaction and
enjoyment. In verse 28, however, “and
I give unto them. eternal life,” the word
is zoe. That life can never be
lost; for they who receive it “shall never perish.” Thus the life (soul) which Christ gave for us is not the same as the life He
gives to us. The difference is
great.
Again, in John 12.,
both words occur in verse 25: “He that loveth his life (psuche) shall
lose it; and he that hateth his life (psuche) in this world, shall keep IT (his soul, psuche) unto life
(zoe) eternal.”
This is one of the instructive
passages in which the Lord began to speak of the salvation of the soul. The statement is brief, but
comprehensive. The man who loves his soul (psuche), shall lose it; and he that hates his soul IN
THIS WORLD shall keep it unto life eternal. The Lord here declares clearly that the salvation of the soul is a thing
future, and that it is dependent upon the faith, obedience, and stedfast
endurance of the man himself.
In verse 27 He speaks of His own soul
(psuche) saying,
“Now is My SOUL troubled.” In the Garden of
From the above passage (John 12: 25) and from other Scriptures, it clearly
appears, as we have already said, that the soul of man is that part of his
being which is capable of experiencing sensations arising from relations
with created things - “the world.” The actual functions of seeing, hearing,
tasting, etc. are performed by the organs of the body; but the experiences and
emotions resulting therefrom are of the soul. The seeing of pictures, statues,
buildings, processions, carnivals, ornate religious ceremonials, etc., etc.;
the pleasures of music, literature, especially fiction, banquetting, dancing,
sports, and the like; all amusements, entertainments, social functions, etc.,
form part of the life (or soul) of a man “in this
world.” It is by
hating his soul, or self-life in this world, that a man may KEEP IT for the age
that is coming.
The passage last above quoted
does not teach that the pleasures of the natural or personal life are
necessarily evil quite the contrary.
Neither does the passage teach that it is wrong for the people of God to
experience gratification when some pleasing sight - as a beautiful landscape or
gorgeous sunset - meets their eyes, though they should exercise care as to the
liberty they allow themselves in this direction. It is because these things are lawful
and good in themselves, and are appointed for man’s enjoyment, that the
Lord would have His disciples keep their souls unto eternal [age-lasting] life, for then the pleasures of the created
universe may be enjoyed to the full, without any taint of sin, and without any
alloy of sorrow or pain. To that
end the disciple must hate his self-life (soul) in this world. To love one’s life in this world
is much the same as to love the world and the things that are in the world. BUT CHRIST IS NOT IN THE WORLD. He laid down His Personal Life (psuche) in
the world, and has now no part or pleasure in it. Nor could He have pleasure in the world
as it is now. His portion here was
always sorrow. Therefore, it
behoves the disciple of Christ to set his affections on things above where
Christ is at the Right Hand of God (Col. 3: 1, 2). And the consequence of not doing so is
that he may indeed enjoy his soul here, but will lose it hereafter. That judgment is just, and is so plainly
declared in the Scripture that there is no excuse for ignorance in regard to it. Thus it is that the Word of God divides
between the soul and the spirit of man.
The above cited passage in
Colossians states that “YE DIED and your life
(zoe) is hid with Christ in God. But when
Christ Who is our life (zoe) shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with Him IN GLORY.” Those who are to appear with Him “in glory” are those who died with Him. It is needful on the believer’s
part to reckon this to be true, and to act
accordingly, taking the place of one
crucified to the world, and therefore having no portion in it. All that the believer has in the world
is a path through it; the same
path that the Master trod.
The view we have presented as to
the soul of man is confirmed by the passage in Matthew
10: 37-39: “He that loveth father or
mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he that
loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after Me is not worthy
of Me.”
It is
quite common for a person to refer to some trial or burden he is compelled to
bear, as his “cross”; but that is
not at all what the Lord means by this saying. A disciple’s “cross”
is never something he must bear. In order to
fulfil this saying of the Lord’s the bearing must be voluntary. The disciple must, as the act of his own
will, take up the cross,
and follow Christ; that is, follow Him unto crucifixion to the world; for the
sole use made of the cross is to crucify thereupon the one who bears it. The saying, therefore, is the strongest
possible
expression for the act of deliberately
choosing to be with Christ in the place of death to the world, and to all the
world has to offer those who seek their self-life there.
And the next words of the Lord
are: “He that findeth his soul shall lose it, and
he that loses his soul for My sake, shall find it.” The literal rendering, which is
preferable to the A.V. is: “He that hath found his soul shall lose it; and he that hath lost his soul, for My sake, shall find it.”
This saying needs no
explanation. It contains a clear
promise that the man who has lost his soul for Christ’s sake shall find
it; and as clear a warning that he who has found his soul shall lose it. The words “has found,” “has lost,”
point to the making of a settled and abiding choice. One man has found his soul in this world
as it now is, and has settled down to the spending of it. He will learn in the end that he has
indeed spent it. Another, for
Christ’s sake, has
parted with his soul, in this world.
He shall surely find it.
Instead of losing it, he is really keeping it for the coming age.
These sayings of the Lord show that the losing of the soul in this world
is the parting with all that ministers gratification to the Soul. It consists in taking such a position
that the man is cut off from all the things the soul desires. If
such be indeed the meaning of losing the soul in this world, it will assist us
to understand what is meant by the loss of the soul in the world to come.
Turning to Mark’s Gospel
we find in chap. 8: 31-38, a passage in
which the Lord “began to teach His disciples” certain things; and
there we observe an important amplification of this doctrine of the Lord. We read: “Whosoever
WILL (that is, purposes or chooses to) come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (verse 34).
In this saying the action of the man’s own “will” is made conspicuous. Also the words are added, “let
him deny himself,” signifying the putting of self, and all
personal inclinations aside, in order that he may be free to act according to
the will of Another. This denying
of self is the giving up of all that constitutes the self-life or soul in this
world.
In the next verse we find
another addition. In it the words “and the
gospel’s” are added to the words “for My sake.” The literal reading is, “on account of Me and of the good
news.” We take it that
“the good news” in this connection
is the good news of the so great salvation that awaits the sons whom God shall
bring “unto glory.” The opening words of this gospel of Mark
are “A beginning of the good news of
Jesus Christ, SON OF GOD.” The Epistle to the Hebrews calls special
attention to the things spoken BY THE SON; and defines the “so great salvation” as that of which “A BEGINNING” was “received
to be spoken by the Lord.”
The correspondence is suggestive, at least, and may have more
significance than appears at first glance.
Continuing to read in Mark, we
come to the question: “For what shall it profit a
man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or
what shall a man give in ,exchange for his soul?” In this passage the word “psuche”
is correctly rendered “soul” instead of “life,”
as in the preceding verses. It is
the same word in the original. Verses 35-37 read as follows, giving the word psuche the same rendering throughout: “For whosoever will save his soul shall lose it; but whosoever
shall lose his soul for My sake and the
gospel’s, the same shall SAVE IT.
For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? Or what shall a
man give in exchange for his soul?”
The Lord then adds this
significant utterance: “Whosoever therefore shall
be ashamed of Me and OF MY WORDS in this adulterous
and sinful generation; of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when
He cometh in THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER with the holy angels.” This points
very clearly to the Coming of the Son of Man with the angels of His power, as the time when the saving or losing of
the soul, as to the next age, will take place. It also admonishes us not to be ashamed
of His words. We should take heed therefore lest we slight the words of the Lord
Jesus, which He spake concerning the age to come wherein He will reign over the
earth. We greatly fear the consequences of the tendency observable in certain
quarters to treat the millennial kingdom of the Son as a thing of little
interest to the saints of God.
A passage almost identical with
the one last quoted is found in Matt. 16: 24-28,
quoted in an earlier part of this volume.
We call attention again to the fact that this teaching was introduced by
the Lord in connection with Peter’s confession of Him as the Christ, the
SON OF THE LIVING GOD, and in connection with His own disclosure to His
disciples of His approaching sufferings
and death. And the Lord stated
that “then,” namely, at this moment when those who have lost their souls for His sake
shall find them, would be the time when He would “reward every man according to his works.”
Luke 9: 20-26 also
contains a passage so closely resembling the above that no further comment
thereon is required. This fact,
however, should be noted, namely, that the teaching we are now considering is
given in each of the four Gospels, which shows the great importance attached to
it by the Spirit of God. Yet this
surpassingly important doctrine has practically no place at all in the teaching received by many of the Lord’s
people at the present time.
We turn now to the great passage
in Matt. 11. The saying of the Lord recorded there
was spoken when He had been rejected by that generation to whom He had given
the words the Father commanded Him to speak, and before whose eyes He had done
the works of God. For their heart
was waxen gross, and their ears were dull of hearing, and their eyes they had
closed. So He cries, “He that bath ears to hear, let Him hear” (verse 15).
This is the Voice of Wisdom calling to all Her
children to hearken to excellent things.
And the Lord in this connection declares that “Wisdom is justified of her children” (verse 19).
They are not like the children sitting in the market place (verse 16-18).
Then He announces that ALL THINGS have been given Him of His Father; and
speaks of KNOWING THE SON, saying, “And no man
knoweth the Son but the Father” (verse
27). This knowledge of the
Son is, as we have seen, the knowledge that is appropriate for those fully
grown. Then He says: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” In the original, the words “give rest” are a verb, which may be rendered
“will refresh” you. This refreshing He gives to all who come to Him.
It is the washing of regeneration, the renewing of the Holy Ghost, the
making of a new creature in Christ.
Then come the important words: “Take My
Yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and
lowly of heart, and ye Shall FIND REST unto your SOULS. For My Yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
There is, then, a “rest” that is to be earned through submission to the yoke of
Christ, and through learning from Him meekness and lowliness of heart; and this
doubtless is the “rest” referred to
in Heb. 3. and 4., that remaineth for the people of God. None need fear to submit to His yoke,
for it is “easy,” nor to His burden,
for it is “light.” “His
commandments are not burdensome” (1
John 5: 3). But the point of
chief importance for our present purposes is the doctrine that the “rest” by which the disciple of Christ is to be
rewarded for his obedience, is rest to his SOUL. “Let us
labour therefore to enter into that rest” (Heb. 4: 11).
In another passage of great
interest and importance the Lord speaks to His disciples of saving their
souls. The passage is found in Luke 21.
The Lord is there foretelling the time of false christs, wars and commotions, earthquakes, famines
and pestilences, and of persecutions, betrayal and death for His followers (verses 8-16). For their comfort He says: “And ye shall be hated of all men for My Name’s sake;
but there shall not an hair of your head perish”
(17, 18). Then He adds the exhortation, as
rendered in the A.V., “In patience possess ye
your SOULS.” This
rendering, however, does not at all give the sense of the original. The word translated “possess” means to “gain,” as the reader can readily ascertain for himself by
consulting any critical version or Greek concordance. In “Bagster’s Englishman’s Greek New
Testament” the verse is thus literally rendered; “By your patient endurance gain ye your souls.” The only question among the competent
authorities seems to be whether the form of the verb be
imperative – “gain ye” - or
future - “ye shall gain.” For the purpose of our study it is
immaterial what maybe the tense of the verb. In either view it signifies that the disciple of Christ may gain his own
soul as a reward for the endurance of trials and persecutions. This is the word of Christ’s
patience (2 Thess. 3: 5,
R.V.; Rev. 3: 10.).
It should be observed that,
although Christ declares that some of His disciples should be put to death, He
nevertheless immediately adds that not a hair of their heads should
perish. This promise clearly proves
the full restoration of the entire man.
It is at the close of this
passage that the Lord warns His disciples against allowing their hearts to be
overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life (bios), lest “that Day” come upon them suddenly; and
admonishes them to watch and pray always, that they may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things, and to stand before the Son of Man. It thus appears that watchfulness and
prayer are needed in order to gain the promised reward (compare 1 Thess. 5: 6, 17).
The foregoing are the recorded
instances in which the Lord made a beginning of speaking of the
salvation of the soul. Among “those
that heard Him,” and that have confirmed the teaching to us, and
amplified it, was the Apostle James.
This Apostle addresses believers as “my
beloved brethren,” and admonishes them to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,”
and he exhorts them to “receive with meekness the
engrafted Word which is able to SAVE YOUR SOULS.” (1: 19-22).
In this important passage the
Apostle clearly distinguishes between the “gift”
of the new birth and the reward of
saving the soul. He first
speaks of the gift, saying, “Every good and perfect GIFT is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”
(verse 17). The next verse indicates a
special gift from above,
namely, the new birth, which is of the Will of God, and therefore not subject to be withdrawn, for in Him is no variableness.
Note the words, “Of His own Will begat He
us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures” (comp. John 1: 12, 13). Let it then be carefully noted
that those who have been already begotten again with the Word of Truth (having
believed on Christ, Who is the Truth), are exhorted to receive with submission
the implanted
Word, which is able to save
their souls. This clearly distinguishes the new
birth from the saving of the soul.
It shows that a man may have been begotten again, and yet not save his
soul. The reason is that the new
birth is a work done in a man’s spirit. “That
which is BORN of the Spirit is SPIRIT”
(John 3: 6). If we assume that the exhortation of James 1: 21 is addressed to
those who have been already born again, as we must do since they are addressed
as “brethren,” it necessarily
follows that the saving of the soul
is something distinct from the new birth.
The new
birth, then, is a past event for every believer in Christ, and
can never be undone. But the saving
of the soul is a thing yet
to be accomplished. Receiving the implanted Word is an
exhortation having practically the same force as “giving earnest heed to things we have heard,” or letting
“the Word of
Christ abide” in us.
This much neglected Epistle of
James, which by many is practically set aside as “Jewish,” contains much valuable instruction and comfort for
God’s pilgrims. The very
first words are strikingly appropriate:- “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations (or trials).” Why? Because “the trial of your faith worketh PATIENCE”; and
this is the very thing declared by the Lord in Luke
21: 19, and by the Apostle in Heb. 10: 36
to be needed for attaining the promise, namely, the salvation of the soul. The next words are very important:
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye
may be PERFECT and entire wanting (i.e.
lacking) nothing.” The words of the Lord recorded in Luke 21: 19 show that the perfect work of patience
or endurance is gaining the soul.
This Epistle belongs to a
portion of the New Testament (including also Hebrews, and the Epistles of
Peter, John, and Jude) which closely corresponds to the Book of Numbers, the
Book of the pilgrimage of God’s people in the wilderness. This correspondence has been often
pointed out, and much helpful instruction has been based thereon. But the correspondence teaches more than
is generally supposed.
It is highly appropriate that
just here we find God’s gracious provision for sickness among His people
(James 5: 14-16). That provision is slighted by many; but
it is highly valued by such of God’s pilgrims as have accepted His care
for their mortal bodies, not looking for
help from the world’s systems of healing.
The Epistles of Peter are also
full of valuable instruction for those children of God who would be true
“Hebrews.” Here again the Word of God cuts sharply
and cleanly between the new birth and the salvation of the soul. The message of Peter is addressed to
those who have been already “begotten again unto a living hope by the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead” (1: 3). These are now being “kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH unto salvation ready to be revealed at the last time”
(comp. 1 John 2: 18). This future salvation is the salvation of the soul, spoken of in Heb.
10.; and
the “faith” mentioned is the “faith to the saving of the soul.” This is perfectly clear from verses 6-9.
Those born-again ones who are in “manifold
temptations” are called upon (as in James) to rejoice, and for the
reason that the outcome of the trial of faith, is to be rewarded by “praise, and honour, and glory, at the Appearing of Jesus
Christ.” Through
believing on Him Whom they have “not seen,”
they may rejoice with joy unspeakable and “glorified,” receiving
(as they shall if they hold fast to the end the hope to which they have been
begotten) THE END of their faith, namely, THE SALVATION
OF THEIR SOULS.” We
would call special attention to the fact here stated that this salvation of the
soul is the “end” of our faith, not
the beginning. Then we are informed
that this salvation is that concerning which the prophets inquired and searched
diligently, desiring to know what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
Who was in them did signify, in testifying beforehand the sufferings of Christ
and the
glory that should follow.
Unto those prophets it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us,
they did minister the things which are now reported unto you (these being “the things which we
have heard”) by those who preached the gospel unto you, with the
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. All this is manifestly in close
correspondence with Heb. 2., where the “so great salvation” is mentioned. And, to make the correspondence still
closer, it is stated that this is a matter in which the angels are directly
interested; for the Apostle Peter adds: “which
things the angels desire to look into” (verses
10-12).
The next
verse shows that the message is for pilgrims: “Wherefore,”
that is to say, in order to gain the end proposed (the salvation of the soul),
“gird up the loins of your mind, be
.sober, and hope
to the end, for the grace
that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Grace provides this great salvation, and
faith attains it, through hoping to the end. “As OBEDIENT
CHILDREN, not fashioning yourselves according to the former desires in your
ignorance; but as He which hath CALLED YOU is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of behaviour. And if ye call on Him
as Father, Who, without respect of persons judgeth according, to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear”,(13-17).
Here we
have express mention of obedience, of the children who call upon God as Father,
of the heavenly calling, of the judgment of believers’ works, the
sojourning, and of fear as to the consequences of disobedience. These are the very topics to which prominence is given in Hebrews.
In chapter 2. we find the “holy priesthood,” who are to offer spiritual
sacrifices (worshipping God in spirit) acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (verse 5), and the “royal
priesthood” who are to show forth the excellencies of Him Who
called them out of darkness into His marvellous light. This, exercise of the functions of the
“royal priesthood” belongs, we take
it, to the age to come, when the sons of the priestly house will show forth
(which they certainly cannot do now) the excellencies
of the Son, Who has called them into His. marvellous
light, which will then be displayed.
Again, at verse 11 is a strong exhortation addressed
expressly to God’s pilgrims: “Dearly
beloved, I BESEECH you,, AS STRANGERS and PILGRIMS,
abstain from fleshly lusts, (desires) which war
AGAINST THE SOUL.”
Surely, the meaning of this is unmistakable. The cravings of the flesh, whether
coarse or refined, war against THE SOUL, and
if indulged will, as the Lord declared, cause the loss of the soul in the age
to come. It is the “pilgrims” that are warned against enemies. which make war against the “soul.”
All the exhortations and
encouragements of this Epistle are advantageous for God’s pilgrims; but
we must leave our readers to study them in detail for themselves, asking them
to observe that the practical object of all is that “when His (CHRIST’S) GLORY
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also, with exceeding joy” (4: 13).
We call special attention also to the reference to Christ as the
Shepherd and Overseer of YOUR SOULS (2: 25);
and to the exhortation to those who suffer according to the Will of God, that
is, according to God’s appointment instead of for wrong-doings as in 4: 15, to commit the KEEPING OF THEIR SOULS unto
Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Peter’s second Epistle is
also full of pertinent instruction but we would only call attention to the
things which they who “have obtained like
precious faith” are to add to their faith (1: 1, 5-8), in order that they be not barren or
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (chap.
1: 5-8). Also to the words
that follow: “Wherefore the rather, brethren give
diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these
things, ye shall never fall” (comp. Heb.
4: 11); “for so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the EVERLASTING [Gk., aionous]
This connects the passage
directly with the Kingdom of the Son,
which is the theme of Hebrews.
Therefore, the instructions given are of the utmost importance to those
who would gain an entrance into that Kingdom, and especially to
those who seek, as every saint should seek, an abundant entrance thereinto.
Returning now to Hebrews, we
would note that the hope there set before us, and which enters into that within the
veil, is as “an anchor OF THE SOUL”
(6: 19). The occurrence of the word “soul” in this passage is very significant, but
the significance thereof is rarely, if ever, noticed in the commentaries on
Hebrews. It is not said or implied,
here or elsewhere, that a man may, by holding fast to a promise of God, save
himself from perdition; but it is clearly implied in this Scripture that the
heir of promise, by holding fast to the
hope set before him, may save his soul for the age
when joy will be complete and unalloyed.
The only security for the soul is that afforded by the Anchor
within the vail.
We fervently pray and trust that
the foregoing comments may be blessed of God, to the end that His saints may
through study of the Scriptures cited, and by the teaching of the Holy Spirit,
receive an understanding of that salvation so great, the salvation of souls,
whereof a beginning was spoken by the Lord, and which has been confirmed to us
by them that heard Him.
In the light of the Scriptures
we have examined, the meaning of the words “faith
to saving the soul” (Heb. 10: 30),
is plain; and thereby also, the lesson of chap. 11.
may be clearly perceived. We refrain from commenting upon the
details of that chapter. It must
suffice for our purpose to point out that the saints of former ages who are
mentioned there had not only repentance and faith towards God for redemption from sin and death, but
also had faith to the end of their days, waiting for something whereof they had
heard from God and therefore “hoped for,”
but had “not seen.” They all became “strangers and pilgrims on earth” (verse 13), and declared plainly that they sought a
country. They were free to return
“to that country from whence they came out”;
but they set their hearts on a better country, that is, an
heavenly, and for that reason, “God is not
ashamed to be called their God” (14-16). And such as these also
are they of whom it is written that Christ “is
not ashamed to call them brethren” (2:
11).
These “Hebrews” were tested in various
ways. No two were tried in exactly
the same way. On this point see
especially verses 31-38. But, whatever may have been the test
appointed by God, it served to show that the man or woman was at heart a true
Hebrew - that the HEART was right
towards Him; and that is the essential thing.
CHAPTER 17
Conclusion
We have endeavoured in the foregoing pages to
set forth the main points of the teaching of Scripture concerning the rewards
promised to those saints who, in this present evil age, live as strangers and
pilgrims on earth. Those rewards
are the things which accompany that great salvation whereof God has spoken to
us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things. For such as have regard to the
recompense of the reward, the most important thing seems to be that they should
prepare their hearts to follow the Lord, and should go on to
full-growth. To this end, the practical directions chiefly to be heeded, so far as
we are able to discern them with the light we now have, are the following:-
First.
We should give the most earnest heed to the things that we have heard,
and particularly to the words of the Lord Himself, treasuring them in our
hearts, and meditating constantly thereon.
By so doing we may insure that His Word shall abide richly in us. Those words, which are spirit and life, will
fortify God’s pilgrims to meet the trials and difficulties that lie in
their pathway. Let us therefore
receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save our souls.
Second. We should attentively consider the Apostle and High
Priest of our.confession. These two
titles take in all that He did for us while on earth, and all that He is now
doing for us in heaven. Meditation
upon such a theme will surely stir up our affections toward the Captain of our
salvation, Who, in order to qualify for that office, submitted to the shame and
sufferings of the Cross. We should
consider well Him Who endured so great contradiction of sinners against
Himself. It should be easy for us
to endure our light affliction when we contemplate the hateful, stubborn, and
murderous opposition of sinners against Himself, which He submissively endured,
though He had power to stop it with a word.
Third.
We should resort frequently to the Throne of grace, thus availing
ourselves of the effectual intercessions of our great High Priest. It is of no avail to know, though never
so minutely, by the study of the types and offerings, the doctrine of the High
Priesthood of the Lord Jesus, if we fail to secure the benefit if His priestly
ministrations. The services of the
priest were for the good of those who approached God by him; and we have a
great High Priest over the house of God, Who is “able”
to succour them that are tried, and “able”
to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. Let us then approach with a true heart
in full assurance of faith.
Fourth.
It is written in the Book of Psalms, “Whoso
offereth (literally sacrificeth) praise, glorifieth Me: and to him that ordereth his
conversation aright will I show the SALVATION of God” (Psa. 1: 23, see also verses
14, 15). Let us therefore
avail ourselves of the privilage of worshipping in the heavenly sanctuary,
offering to God continually the sacrifices of praise, that is the fruit of our
lips, confessing to His name; not neglecting the sacrifices of loving
ministrations to our fellow saints, with which sacrifices the Lord is well
pleased.
Finally, brethren, it is the last time. The end of all things is at hand. The time is come when judgment is about
to begin at the house of God. The
things that can be shaken are soon to be removed, that the things which cannot
be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we
receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may
serve God acceptably with reverance and godly fear. For our God is Consuming fire.
“They of
APPENDIX
The Wrath of God and the
Chastening of the Lord.
In view of questions that have been raised
concerning certain parts of this book, namely, those which apply the warnings
of Hebrews and of other New Testament Scriptures to the redeemed people of God,
it has seemed desirable to append a few comments so as, if possible, to give
further light upon that subject. In
order that readers may understand clearly the points in question we quote below
an article which recently appeared in print under the title “No More Wrath.” It is our earnest desire that readers
may compare the statements of that article with what is said in this volume,
and may carefully subject both views to the test of the Scriptures. There is
need of this, seeing that the matter discussed is of very great
importance. The article referred to
is as follows:-
“Verily, verily, I
say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, bath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life” (John 5: 24). “There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (
And how many more texts might be
given, which teach the complete deliverance from wrath and condemnation of the
sinner who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ! Our blessed and
adorable Substitute on the Cross has accomplished the work of deliverance for
us. The judgment due to us rolled
over His Head. He drank the cup of
wrath in our stead. Nothing we have
done, or could do, can deliver us from wrath and condemnation. Equally true it
is that the One Who bath saved us and delivered us will keep us. Wrath and condemnation can never, no,
NEVER, be the lot of a child of God.
The sins, the failures, and the short-comings of the believer can never
affect his standing in grace. Once
saved means forever saved, independent of what we are and what we do.
The apostates mentioned in Hebrews
were not true believers, but Jews that had gone to a certain extent with
Christianity and were going back to judaism. The enemies of the Cross in Philippians (chapter 3.), whose end is
destruction, were not true children of God, but such as had crept in unawares (Jude, verse 4). No true christian, who knows himself a
lost sinner and is saved by grace, can ever be an enemy of the Cross. To teach that salvation depends on what
we do, and that our keeping for eternal life, and the receiving of glory,
depends on a surrendered and separated life, or anything else, is a dangerous
thing. It leads to self-occupation
and introspection; it must eventually take away from the glory and sufficiency
of the work and power of our Lord. It leads simple christians into
confusion. The heart knowledge of
salvation by Grace, the great love wherewith He hath loved us, the living
Christ, and His love for us, produces a holy walk in the believer.
1. We rejoice in the
truth, so clearly stated in the Scriptures quoted in the foregoing article,
that there is no wrath in store for those whom God has justified through faith
in Jesus Christ, and that they have, by His grace, perfect deliverance from
condemnation. This truth is set
forth in the present volume (Page 17 and first paragraph of Page 41), so that
there is no controversy here. But,
while there is no wrath and no condemnation
for those that are in Christ, they are to expect chastening and discipline.
The writer of the foregoing article has lost sight of the chastening
of the Lord, than which there is probably no subject that is more needful at
this time to be pressed upon the attention of God’s people. Chastening is radically different from
wrath. The latter is the portion of
those who reject the Gospel; the former is wholly for believers.
In 1 Cor. 11: 32 the contrast
between chastening and condemnation
is sharply drawn: “When we (believers) are judged we are chastened of
the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
The motive of the chastening of the Lord is love. “As many as I
love I rebuke and chasten” (Rev.
3: 19). The statement of Heb. 12: 6 is very strong: “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Scourges His own sons; but there is
nothing penal in this. It is wholly
corrective.
2. The passages of
Scripture which proclaim the believer’s security from wrath and
condemnation apply to him from the moment he believes. If,
therefore, those Scriptures had any reference to the Lord’s
chastening (which plainly they have not), it would follow that the believer
would never be disciplined at all.
Clearly, then, the promises of security from wrath afford no immunity
from chastening.
3. The statements in the
foregoing article that “the apostates mentioned
in Hebrews were not true believers,” and that “no true christian who knows himself a lost sinner and is
saved by grace can ever be an enemy of the Cross,” are mere
assertions, for which no proof is offered.
On the other hand, we have given in chaps.
10. and 11. and elsewhere (in
particular pp. 95-100), ample and convincing Scriptural evidence and arguments,
showing that the warnings of Hebrews against departing from the living God are
written for the admonition of His redeemed people.
Great difficulty has been encountered by
expositors in attempting to classify the persons specified in Heb. 6: 1-6; and inasmuch as there are teachers
and expositors of high repute who, like the able writer of the foregoing
article, regard those persons as “not true
believers, but Jews who had gone to a certain extent with Christianity and were
going back to judaism,” it seems incumbent upon us to give fully
the reasons why we cannot any longer hold to that opinion.
No doubt the particular persons to whom the
Epistle was addressed in the first instance were Jews, and the situation in
which they were placed had special features which do not exist in the case of
Gentile christians; and there is no doubt that the particular system into which
those Jews were in danger of lapsing was judaism, from which even Peter had
difficulty in freeing himself (Gal. 2: 11, 12). But we maintain that they were converted Jews. And as one reads the several statements
made in Heb. 6. which describe the spiritual
state of the persons referred to, he must be impressed with the idea that such
statements could not possibly be made of unpardoned and unreconciled
sinners. Whoever those persons
were, the writer of the Epistle classes himself among them, for the exhortation
begins with the words “let us go on to full growth.”
The language of this passage would apply to such as were children
(infants) in the true faith, and that
such they were is distinctly asserted in the passage immediately preceding (chap. 5: 12-14). They had become dull of hearing; they
had need to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God; and
having ceased to “go on” in the ways of God, there was danger lest
they should go back to the old
doings from which they had been called out. We do not see how it could possibly be
said that those who were on “the FOUNDATION of
repentance from dead works and faith toward God” were
unbelievers. And it is calculated
to give one something of a shock to hear that men in their sins and in the
corruption of the flesh were “partakers of the
Holy Ghost.” The Lord
Jesus, speaking of the Holy Spirit, said “Whom
the world cannot receive” (John 14: 17);
from which it follows that an unconverted person could not possibly be a partaker
of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the
statements of Heb. 6. could not have been
made to define a class of unbelievers.
We think it will be quite clear, when viewed apart
from all theological
bias, that those statements were made to set before our minds the great
privileges to which even the youngest believers have been brought through the
grace of God, and in order that all might understand how serious a matter it is
to “fall away” from what is set
before the redeemed people of God as a goal. For instance, even the “babe” in Christ has “TASTED the good Word of God,” for he has been
fed upon the milk of the Word.
Beyond all doubt the whole purpose of the passage is to exhort spiritual
infants to “go on” to the full
attainment of “the promise,” and to
stimulate them to do this by showing them the peril and loss they incur if they
turn back therefrom.
But, it will be asked, if the meaning be so
clear, how is it that some of the ablest expositors of Scripture have
entertained the view set forth in the above-quoted article? That fact certainly calls for an
explanation; and we think it can be supplied. The view referred to is that of
theologians of the Calvinistic School, who hold (and we believe rightly) that a
person who has received the Son of God as his Saviour, thereby becoming a child
of God, can never forfeit his
relationship with God, and, can “never perish.” On the other hand, the passage in Heb. 6. is the principal Scripture upon which
theologians, of the
4.
Referring more particularly to the expressions “crucifying to themselves
the Son of God afresh,” and “enemies of the Cross of Christ,”
we call special attention to our comments on pp. 95-100, which will, we think, satisfy the unbiased reader that those
expressions are applicable to
christians, and are inapplicable to any other. If further proof as to this be desired,
it may be found in 1 Cor. 11., where the
Lord’s Supper is spoken of No one, we suppose, will question the application
of Mat passage to believers; yet it contains expressions every whit as strong
as those in Phil. 3. and Heb. 6. and 10. There we read the solemn statement that
“Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this
cup of the Lord unworthily shall be GUILTY of the BODY and BLOOD of the Lord”; and further
that, “he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation (judgment) to himself.” The expression “guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord” is, if
anything, a stronger expression than “enemies of
the Cross of Christ.”
An “enemy”
is one who opposes, or acts in a hostile manner. The Cross of Christ separates the
christian from the appetites of the flesh (the “belly”)
and from “earthly things.” Hence the christian who acts with reference
to those things in a manner contrary to the intended effect of the Cross is in
opposition or enmity to that Cross. Other Scriptures fully confirm this
explanation. According to Rom. 8: 5-7 (a passage which unquestionably
applies to believers) the mind of the flesh is ENMITY against God. Hence believers who walk after the
flesh, and who mind the things of the flesh, are at enmity with God. The danger is that the mind of the flesh
in us may be “death” to us. For “the
mind of the flesh is death,” and it is written “if ye (believers) live after
the flesh ye shall die.”
Again, friendship with the world is spiritual adultery and is ENMITY
with God (Jas. 4: 41) Manifestly these
offences, referred to in Rom. 8. and James 4., are, from their very nature, such as
only a christian can commit. Those
who are of the world cannot commit adultery with the world, for they have no
covenant relations with God. In
like manner the christian who shares in the enjoyment of the things from which
he has been separated, in God’s contemplation and purpose, by the Cross
of Christ, is at enmity with that Cross.
Only a christian can commit that offence. Therefore the telling of it brought
tears to the Apostle’s eyes.
That unbelievers should so “walk”
is inevitable. But that saints
should so walk is cause for weeping.
The word “destroy” is applied to believers in several
instances, the sense of the word being to inflict grievous injury.
Destruction is radically
different from perdition or damnation.
Thus in Rom. 14: 15 we read,
“Destroy not him (thy brother) with thy meat, for whom Christ died.” The word “destroy”
in that passage is the same as in Phi1. 3: 19,
“whose end is destruction,” and in Heb. 10: 38, “them
that draw back unto destruction.” The fact that the word “destruction” is used in these texts, instead of
“perdition” or “damnation” or “everlasting
destruction” (as in 2 Thess. 1: 9), is
an additional reason for taking them as applying to believers.
5. In the article quoted
above, the word “saved” is used as
if it meant pardoned, or justified; whereas in the Scriptures discussed in this
book the “salvation” spoken of is
something yet future; and this (as we have shown) is almost invariably the
Scriptural sense of the words “saved”
and “salvation.” This distinction is of the very essence
of the doctrine under discussion.
We are well aware that justification and the receiving of eternal life
do not depend upon “what we do.” Far from it. This volume very distinctly asserts the
contrary. But on the other hand, we do say, and upon the authority of the Lord
Jesus Christ and His apostles, that the salvation spoken of by them as the salvation
of the soul, does depend upon
the believer’s walk and upon the heed paid by him to His Lord’s
commands. This teaching does not
lead to “self-occupation and introspection,”
nor does it lead “simple christians into
confusion.” Since it
is the teaching of the Lord Himself, it would be presumptuous on our part to
defend or justify it; but we may properly point out that its obvious purpose is
to admonish the slothful, disobedient, and worldly christian to consider and
amend his ways. Since the
publication of the first edition of this book, we have had abundant and
gratifying evidence that it has served to stimulate and encourage some of
God’s saints, and to arouse others.
We do not in the least fear that it will lead any simple christian into
confusion.
On the other hand, we do greatly fear that the
effect of such articles as that quoted above, is to lull into false security,
and to confirm in their self-pleashig ways, those saints for whose benefit
chiefly the warnings of the Lord and of His apostles have been recorded. The desire for the preaching of “smooth things” is by no means confined to the
unconverted. It is not a kindness
to the slothful, world-conformed christian to tell him that all is well with
his soul, and that “the heart knowledge of
salvation by grace produces a holy walk in the believer.” That statement is contradicted both by
Scripture and common experience; for there are many believers who,
notwithstanding their knowledge of salvation by grace, are walking after the
flesh, making a god of their appetites, and minding earthly things. These are “enemies of the Cross of Christ.”
Again, we are told in the above-quoted article
that to teach that salvation depends upon what we do is “a dangerous thing.” Of course, it is according to the sense
in which the word “salvation” is
used,whether it depends upon what we may do, or solely on what Christ has done
for us. The Lord Jesus Christ is
our Authority for the teaching that the saving of our soul does depend very
much upon what we do. It is He Who
said, “Whosoever shall lose his soul for My sake
and the Gospel’s shall SAVE it.” Those words are simple and clear, and
their meaning is confirmed by every Scripture that speaks of the
salvation of the soul. Pardon of
past sins and eternal life are indeed secured to every believer, and do not
depend in the least upon his doings; but we are admonished to “work out our own SALVATION with fear and trembling”
(Phil. 2: 12). Dare any one, after weighing the words
of the Lord and His apostles, assert that every believer will save his soul
regardless of his conduct? It seems
to us that whosoever discredits this wholesome doctrine as a “dangerous thing,” and seeks to turn the saints
against it, is assuming a very grave responsibility.
There is a man-pleasing doctrine abroad which
finds ready acceptance with the unpardoned and unreconciled sinner, namely, that God is all goodness and mercy, and there is
no wrath to come for the unbeliever.
But there is a counterpart to this doctrine which is well pleasing to
the disobedient, world-conformed christian, namely, that God is all grace, and
there is no chastening to come for the believer. Against this latter doctrine we have
sought to raise a warning. Surely
it will not disturb those saints who are walking in holy separation from the
world, awaiting the coming again of the Son of God “unto salvation.” That it may serve to disturb those who
are not so walking is much to be desired.
6. Several correspondents
have questioned the application of Matt. 24: 42-51,
and Luke 12: 35-48 to the saints of this
dispensation. This objection comes mainly
from those who exclude the earth-life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ
from the present, or Church dispensation.
Without discussing the dispensational question, we would enter a strong
protest against limiting the application of these words of the Lord to any
special era. Another has well said, “Dispensational
knowledge should drive the application home to us with tenfold power, instead
of leading us to say, ‘it does not apply to us.’” The Lord, in the Scriptures cited
above,was addressing His own disciples,whom He designates in this connection by
the endearing term, “little flock” (Luke 12: 32); and He was telling them what He
requires of His “servants.” What conceivable reason can there be for
supposing that His requirements of His servants in this dispensation are any
less rigid than in some other? If
there be any difference, it should be the other way, since the greater
privileges always carry with them increased responsibilities. In this very passage we read, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be
required” (Luke 12: 48). Those servants who are charged with the
custody of the Gospel of the grace of God, or with ministry to the members of
the Body of Christ, are entrusted with the greatest responsibility ever
committed to human hands. It is required of stewards that they be faithful
(1 Cor. 4: 2); and this was said by the
Apostle Paul concerning himself, and to a
7. SAVING THE SOUL. We are not aware that anyone has
heretofore attempted to lead the Lord’s people to inquire precisely what
is meant by “saving the soul.” So far as we have information, it is a
new subject; and it is very probable that most of our readers have never sought
to trace, by the aid of the Scriptures, the distinction between soul and
spirit. It is not surprising,
therefore, that some have found difficulty in laying hold of that
distinction. Desiring to aid
further to that end, we offer here some additional suggestions.
The point of chief importance to be grasped is
that “saving the soul” does not mean
escaping eternal perdition. The saving of the soul is not what is preached as
the Gospel of God’s grace to sinners. What the Gospel offers to every
believing sinner is the forgiveness of sins and the bestowal of eternal
life as the free gift of God.
Hence the saving of the soul is never spoken of in connection with the Gospel. It is not in the Lord’s commission
to the apostles (Luke 24: 47). It is not in Peter’s addresses to
Jews in Acts 2. and 3.,
and to Gentiles in Acts 10. It is not in Paul’s model Gospel
address in Acts 13., nor in his Epistles
which treat of the Gospel (
Losing one’s soul does not mean being
eternally lost, i.e., damned. It
does not mean incurring the wrath of God.
Conclusive proof of this is furnished by the Lord’s words to His
disciples in which He urged them, for their own advantage, to lose their own
souls, and to hate their own souls in this world. We need hardly say the Lord did not
exhort His disciples to be damned in this world. If losing the soul in this world does
not mean damnation, then losing it in the world to come does not mean
damnation. On the other hand, we
may learn what is meant by saving the soul in the world
to come, by ascertaining what it means for a man to “find his soul” in this present world; and this
we may do by attentively considering the Scriptures cited in chap. 16. of this book. Whatever be meant by finding one’s
soul in this age, the same thing is meant by finding it in the age to come.
By reference to those Scriptures it will be seen
that the subject of saving and losing the soul is always found in
connectionwith a reference to experiences in this world that are directly
contrary to the natural feelings and desires of a human being, and which
involve present loss, suffering, trial, or denial of self in some form. The first occurrence of the subject is
in connection with the sufferings which the Lord foretold as awaiting the
twelve (Matt. 10: 16-39). The next is in connection.with the
Lord’s disclosure to His disciples of the sufferings that awaited Himself
at
Thus, from the teaching
of the Lord and His Apostles, we learn that to every christian is presented a
choice between two paths in this world. One is the path of self-pleasing.
Those who take it are in pursuit of pleasures, honours,
indulgencies, and whatever is gratifying to the natural feelings of a man,
which feelings have their seat in his soul. There may be nothing inherently wrong in
the things sought. They may be
quite proper and respectable, so that the christian may “see no harm in them.” In that path, then, one may perhaps
succeed in finding gratifications for his soul, so far as it is possible for
this present world to supply them.
This is what we understand by “finding
one’s soul in this world.”
The other path is that of denial of one’s self.
To walk in it involves submitting to present loss, to the daily cutting
off of the soul from the things which exist in the world for its enjoyment. It involves the endurance of reproach,
ridicule, and it may be of persecution, for Christ’s sake and the
Gospel’s. They who enter upon
that path have deliberately willed (for it is an action of the heart) to part
with their souls, as it were, during this present time for the sake of
Christ. They “will” to lose their souls in this world; for the
loss of the things that satisfy the soul of man is virtually the loss of the
soul itself. To choose that path is
an act of faith; for the choice is influenced solely by the Word of God. Such a choice is, from the natural
standpoint, an act of folly - throwing one’s life away - for that path
leads away from all that makes life in this world agreeable. They who walk in that path of separation
and loss “walk by faith”; for they
are influenced in so doing by “things not seen.” In fact, they must go directly against
all the powerful attractions of the things that are seen. To follow the Word of God in a direction
contrary
to nature, and because
of what God has spoken, is the walk of FAITH. This is that particular kind of faith
spoken of in Hebrews. Abraham
displayed it when, at the bidding of God’s Word, he came out of his native
country, and when he sojourned as a stranger in the land promised to him for an
inheritance (Heb. 11.). This following of God’s Word in a
direction contrary to the natural inclinations, is the distinguishing trait of
those who are “of faith to saving the soul”;
for thereby they are distinguished from those who “draw back” to the resources of the world,
seemingly to their immediate gain, but really to their great and irreparable,
loss (Heb. 10: 39).
The Lord’s words found in Matt. 11: 29 are sufficiently clear to settle the
meaning of the expression “saving the soul”;
and surely no one who believes His words would dare, in the face of that
saying, to maintain that a man can find rest unto his soul in any other way than by taking voluntarily the yoke of
Christ upon Him, and by learning of Him meekness and lowliness of heart.
Finally, let us keep in view the main thing,
which is, not to settle the meaning of a disputed passage of Scripture, but to
secure the benefit of the doctrine of the Lord. Beyond all doubt, consequences of the
most serious character depend upon our walk here below. Whether we describe those consequences
by the words “saving the soul,” or
by some other words, does not affect their serious character. Whatever explanation of those disputed passages
may seem right to us, we cannot afford to neglect that salvation so great,
which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard Him.
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