The Hope
Set before Us. An Anchor of the Soul.
By PHILIP MAURO
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" (Heb. 6: 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 chapter
2., and the "eternal*
salvation," whereof Christ became the Author to all that obey Him, spoken of in verse
10.
[* The
Greek word, ‘Aionios’
translated “eternal,” in this context should be
translated ‘age-lasting’]
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
"The Salvation of The Soul."]
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 [regenerate]
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 [Holy]
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
chapter 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 [evil] 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 chapter
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 [a
future] salvation. They have not yet received 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 heirs of the 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 perfecting, 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 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
priesthood 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
mentioned, first, the bringing in of a BETTER HOPE (7: 19), 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).
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