Grow Up - Hebrews 5:11-14

Bad biblical teaching – it’s a scary thing. God, Jesus – the Word made flesh, and the Spirit are all one and they are all absolutely true. Each one plays a part in helping us know and understand truth.

I’ve had a couple encounters with non-biblical teaching lately. I tell you, it’s a humbling and fearful place to be. It knocked me to my knees as I prayed desperately for God to help me discern and understand the fullness of His message without adding any of my own messed up opinions to the pot.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw our current section of Hebrews will help us recognize false and poor biblical teaching. Like I said, it keeps popping up in my life lately. I encourage you to start by reading the Scripture for this section, Hebrews 5:11-14.



Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

Grow Up

Encouragement, gentleness, and compassion are all important qualities in the life of believer. I’ve learned that over the years. But we don’t see much of them in this section. In fact, this passage of Scripture is rather blunt. It’s straight to the point – and the point isn’t a commendation for good behavior. The author of Hebrews has three hard-hitting criticisms for his readers. Originally, the readers were first-century Jews. Right now, it’s us as well. Ouch. Fortunately, he ends his critique with some advice for how we can move past these criticisms.

You’re Lazy
“We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand” (Hebrews 5:11).

The author of Hebrews has been talking about some pretty complex stuff – Jesus is our high priest, not only a priest like Aaron but even a priest like Melchizedek. That’s not children’s Sunday school level lessons. That’s some stuff you have to study, cross examine, pray about, meditate on, and really wrestle with to gain full understanding. The author even admits it’s some hard stuff. He wants to explain it to us to help us get it – to bring us to a new level of understanding in God’s great plan of redemption through Jesus the Messiah.

Here’s the problem though – we’re lazy. We’re “slow to learn” (NIV) and “dull of hearing” (NASB). We’re slow… sluggish… heavy. An opportunity presents itself to learn about our Savior – to grow in our relationship with Him – and we easily dismiss it. It requires the exertion of too much effort. Blah. We just don’t care.

You’re Immature
“Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again” (Hebrews 5:12).

We’ve been in this relationship awhile. We should be teaching others about it – passing along the awesomeness of His grace, the importance of faith, the kind of actions that matter, and even the glory of our future hope. Not only do we need to be taught, but we need to be taught again! This even has a bad ripple effect. If we aren’t teaching even though we should be, then others aren’t learning because we’re not teaching them.

The author of Hebrews wants us to be ready for some of the hardest aspects of a relationship with Jesus. Instead, we’re still at the “basic principles.” The phrase used here has the idea of learning the very basic elements that are the building blocks of a greater system. It’s kind of like learning the letter sounds that make up the alphabet as we do in our first year of life. We’re learning the sounds the letters make; A sounds like aagh, B sounds like buh, C sounds like kuh. Eventually, we need to move on to combining the letter sounds into words. Then we put words together into sentences. We combine sentences to make paragraphs. Paragraphs come together into a story – a message to communicate with the world! But we’re still the little baby whose message is only the simple sounds, “bababababa.”

You’re a Baby
“You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant” (Hebrews 5:12-13).

We’re content with the basic principles. We’re content with babbling when we could be sharing the greatest story ever told. We’re content with milk when we could be feasting on the meat of God’s eternal truth. We’re so content with being a baby that we haven’t even tried to grow up.

The other night I had the privilege of holding my baby nephew. He’s only one month old. This particular evening, he had a tummy ache. He’d wrinkle up his face, pout his lower lip, and cry every time the tummy pains got the better of him. Even in his crying, he was absolutely adorable. Even with spit-up all down his chin, he was stinking cute. Even when various noises required a diaper check, he was so precious.

When he turns 5 or 10 years old, those behaviors won’t be cute and adorable, though. Something is wrong if we have to change the diaper on a ten year old or calm the uncontrollable crying of a twenty year old. Unfortunately, that’s the message the author of Hebrews is communicating.

We aren’t the adorable little infant that hasn’t yet learned to eat, use a restroom, or control his emotions. We’re the 10 or 20 year old who still hasn’t learned. We’ve become a baby.

BUT, we can grow up
“But solid food is for the mature – for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).

There’s hope. We don’t have to stay lazy, immature babies. (That was kind, wasn’t it?) We can grow up.

In about twenty years, a human body will grow from infancy to adulthood. However, a person may look like a full grown man or woman on the outside but they haven’t learned all they need to know to function as a responsible adult in society. It’s quite possible to grow up physically without growing up mentally.

The same thing goes for our Christian growth. Ten or twenty years may have passed since we entered a relationship with Jesus. The passage of time doesn’t guarantee our spiritual maturity, however.

In the last verse we read that the infant “is inexperienced with the message about righteousness.” We aren’t growing up until we’re attempting to understand what it means when God says things like,

• The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17).
• There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10).
• But now, apart from God’s Law, God’s righteousness has been revealed (Romans 3:21).
• Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3).
• Since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
• Those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).
• For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4).

And that’s just a small sample of some very hard things God has to say about righteousness. Whether the audience is us or a first-century Jew, these are some hard things to comprehend! However, in order to grow up, we have to try to wrap our minds around them.

An infant learning the sounds of the letters doesn’t write a New York Times bestselling novel. A baby drinking milk doesn’t savor a gourmet meal. A little one taking hesitant first steps doesn’t run a marathon. The novel, the gourmet meal, the marathon – they all have something in common. They all require training and preparation. We commit and invest time to make each of those things happen.

Growing up in our faith is the same way. We won’t all of a sudden understand the workings of God’s kingdom; we have to commit and invest time in growing, studying, and learning before our mind starts to understand the realities of a relationship with Him. It is for “those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). We have to train for it. The Greek word used here is gymnazo. It means “to exercise vigorously, in any way, either the body or the mind.”

Can you guess what English word comes from this Greek word? It’s gymnasium! We won’t all of a sudden be able to discern good teaching from false teaching. That ability only comes when we exercise in the spiritual gym – learning to build our muscles of spiritual discernment. We exercise when we study God’s Word, pray through the hard stuff, and discuss it with fellow believers. Only then can we truly be trained to distinguish between the good and evil messages this world will present in our lives.

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Jesus, Our Priest - Hebrews 4:14-5:10

We wrapped up the last section discussing the power of the Word of God. I keep thinking about that – the Word of God cutting into me with surgical precision to separate what lives from what is fully active. I don’t want to only move – I want to grow new spiritual life! I don’t want to only have an eternity – I want to experience that eternity in heaven with God! The Word of God has the power to make that transformation. Preachers, Bible study teachers, commentators, and authors can’t do that. Only the Word of God has the answer, comfort, and wisdom for every situation; only the Word can pierce into you and make new life grow.

That’s why I’m here writing; I hope that’s why you’re here reading. Even more, I hope that’s why you’re reading with your Bible open beside you or a Bible tab open on your screen. I hope you’re reading to know the God who “has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV).

This section will cover a large portion of Scripture but contains only two key points. We’ve discussed the belief necessary to enter God’s rest and also the when and why of entering His rest. Today, we’ll discuss who made it possible as we study through Hebrews 4:14-5:10. I encourage you to read it now.

Click on picture for a downloadable handout for this section.

Therefore, let us hold fast to the confession (4:14)

We need to hold on to our confession of faith. We hold it before us in our hands, not tuck it away in a pocket for later. We hold on to it in such a way that shows we cherish it; that we’ll always be careful and faithful to keep it.

Why? Because Jesus is our priest who passed through the heavens (4:14)
The ancient Israelite people went through a lot as they left slavery in Egypt, wandered in the desert for forty years, and eventually entered the Promised Land. We’ve talked about the unbelief that held them back from the land blessed by God’s rest. A whole generation died in the desert because of the prevalence of their unbelief.

Eventually, though, the time came for them to enter the land. Moses had passed away; God called Joshua to lead the people into the new land. I encourage you to read Joshua 3:1-4:18, paying careful attention to the role of the priests as they journeyed into the land of promise.

The priests carried the Ark of the Covenant – a symbol of God’s presence on earth – as they crossed the Jordan River. When the priests stepped into the waters, the river stopped flowing and the land dried. They continued in further, walking on a dry river bed where water flowed only moments earlier. When they reached the middle of the river bed, they stopped. All of the people passed through. Once the last one was safely on the other shore, the priests continued walking with the symbol of God's presence on their shoulders. They did so “until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people. … The people hurried across, and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the Lord crossed in the sight of the people” (Joshua 4:10-11). In short, the priests passed through the waters of the Jordan so that the people could pass through and enter the Promised Land.

In section five, we compared the superiority of Jesus’ message of grace to Moses’ law along with the superiority of Jesus’ universal tabernacle to Moses’ earthly tabernacle. We remember that as we realize here that Jesus isn’t only a priest who passed through the Jordan River carrying the presence of God. In complete superiority, He is the priest who passed through the heavens as the very Son of God. He passed through so that we might pass through as well and enter the rest of eternity with Him.

Why? Because Jesus is our high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses (4:15)
Sometimes we think life must have been easy for Jesus. After all, He’s God; surely He didn’t struggle with anything. However, Jesus “has been tested in every way as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). Even still, I think it’s easy for us to say, “Yeah, He might have been tested but He’s God. It was easy for Him to pass the test.” What if, though, the fact that He is God makes the test all that more painful because He sees the depth of the depravity, the extreme ugliness of the pride, and the eternal horror of separation with a clarity that you and I will never possess.

And yes, Jesus knew what it was to be tested. All the same tests that we face – He faced them as well.

• Satan tested Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). He was hungry after fasting for forty days and nights. In that moment of weakness, Satan came to Him to see if He was up to the test. Satan offered Him food to satisfy the hunger pains rumbling through His human stomach. Don’t we all long to be satisfied from hunger? Satan offered Jesus the display of heavenly affirmation of His deity. Don’t we all long for affirmation before the masses of people? Finally, Satan offered Jesus the glory of the kingdoms of the world. Don’t we all long for glory and power?
• The authorities tested Jesus. The religious leadership of Jesus’ day – the Pharisees and Sadducees – constantly schemed and connived as to how they might trap Jesus in a test. They tested Him to show off His supernatural abilities (Matthew 16:1). Don’t we all love to show off what we can do? They tested Him to reveal His vast knowledge (Matthew 19:3). Don’t we all love to show off what we know? They tested Him to proclaim His authority (Matthew 22:18, 35). Don’t we all want everyone to know when we’re in charge?
• The people tested Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:1-13). This reference again relates back to the ancient Israelites wandering in the desert; even they tested the Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:9 says, “Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes” referring to an incident described in more detail in Numbers 21:4-9. Take note of this – it’s not only the people alive with Jesus that tested Him. Those who came before did so; I’m thinking we probably do too. The ancient Israelites griped and complained despite all He had done, thereby putting Him to the test. I know I gripe and complain sometimes. Does my faithless, selfish whining test Jesus? Probably so, and yet it’s written, “Do not test the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7).

Jesus was tested, as were all of the priests of God. Tests constantly fired at Him from Satan, religious authorities, and the people. In the midst of it all, He was “tested in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He alone can make that final claim.

So, hold on tight to that faith you have in Him. Cherish it as He alone passed through the heavens to give it to you. He alone endured testing without sin. His willingness to do so created your privilege to do the same - to endure the testing of this life and to pass through the heavens into the presence of God. Yes, our testing ends in sin sometimes, but His sacrifice covers that as well. Hold on to your faith because with it, Jesus made great things possible.

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness (4:16)

Jewish rabbis taught that God had two thrones – one of mercy and one of judgment. The people knew God required justice which naturally brought judgment upon the people. However, they also knew He was a God of mercy. To reconcile the two, they thought He must have two thrones. The author of Hebrews reconciles the concept of two thrones into a single truth. God only has one throne – the throne of grace. Yes, God’s justice requires judgment but He also extends mercy. In that moment when judgment meets mercy, we find His grace (Source).

Why? Because Jesus is our priest who served in the duties of a priest of Aaron’s order (5:1-5)
The Jewish priests descended from Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. As priests, they had certain duties to perform. Jesus fulfilled every one of those duties…

• He served God on behalf of the people (5:1). It is written of Jesus, “He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
• He offered gifts and sacrifices for sins (5:1). It is written of Jesus, “For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer… He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 8:3, 9:12).
• He served with compassion (5:2-3). It is written of Jesus, “For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested” (Hebrews 2:18).
• He was descended from Aaron but called by God (5:4-5). Jesus didn’t descend from Aaron. He is of the tribe of Judah, not Levi. Yet, His ministry is superior to that of Aaron. He may not be a son of Aaron, but He is the true Son of God and God appointed Him to His ministry. "Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, "You are My Son; today I have become Your Father" (Hebrews 5:5).

Why? Because Jesus is our priest who served in the duties of Melchizedek’s order (Hebrews 5:6-10)

Under Aaron’s lineage, the priesthood didn’t allow us to boldly approach the throne of grace. The people couldn’t walk into the holy of holies anytime they wanted. If Jesus’ priestly service was only of Aaron’s order, I’m not sure we still would be able to enter God’s presence. But Jesus was also a priest in the order of Melchizedek. With His sacrifice, the temple curtain separating the holy of holies from the world split in two. We may now – with boldness – approach the throne of grace.

I did a lot of studying about Melchizedek for this lesson. We know very little about him other than what we read in Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 5-7. We’ll discuss him a lot over the next few sections as we work our way through those Hebrews sections. Some of what I learned is extremely interesting, however. It’ll lead to some thought provoking questions over the next few sections.

For now, we’ll focus on three duties of a priest of Melchizedek’s order which I believe this passage presents to us. The passage begins and ends by declaring Jesus to be a priest of Melchizedek’s order. I believe the three qualifications listed between those bookend declarations reveal to us what that means...

• He offered prayers and appeals unto God and God heard him (5:7). Jesus often went off by Himself and prayed fervently to God the Father. Despite His oneness with the Father and the Spirit, prayer was a constant and integral part of His earthly life.
• He learned obedience through suffering (5:8). Jesus knew suffering of the highest level. Yes, the nails, whips, and thorns hurt. No one will deny that but many people endured a Roman crucifixion. Jesus’ ultimate pain came, I believe, when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). I don’t think we can fully comprehend the suffering He endured as the weight of the sin of the world piled on His sinless human body, causing the Father with whom He had experienced all of eternity past to turn away His holy head.
• He became the source of eternal salvation (5:9). It doesn’t get any more clear than that. Jesus alone, the only source of salvation for all eternity.

Why do we care?

We care because God made a way for you to enter His rest. He longs to be with you in eternity so He appointed Jesus as our priest to make it possible. As such, He knows your tests and temptations. He gets what you’re going through because He’s been there as well. After enduring the test without sin, He passed through the heavens of His universal tabernacle to dwell in the presence of God. Because He did so, we will pass through them as well to be with Him forever.

But you have to believe. It all comes down to faith.

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Enter His Rest - Hebrews 4:1-13

Do you ever want to take a break? Does it sound amazing to get away from striving and struggling to get the work done? Does even reading those sentences make you stare off into space and mentally say, “Ahhhh… if only.”

Every week, Sunday has become a special time for me. After church, I make sure my family has some lunch, but it’s nothing fancy. We either eat out or have something simple at home. I may be breaking with American church tradition but Sunday isn’t the day for fine roast beef or elegant roasted chicken. After we eat, I do nothing. I’m off duty the rest of the day. I might watch tv, take a nap, read a book, or play games. I don’t work on the blog or housecleaning. I avoid outside activities at all cost. In short, Sunday is a day of rest. Without it, I couldn’t get through the week. I can’t help but think about that routine as I’ve studied through Hebrews 4:1-13 for our current study through Hebrews.

We read Hebrews 3:7-19 in the last section. In it, God spoke to us about the importance of believing Him. It doesn’t matter who you are, believing Him is a prerequisite to the blessing of His rest. To believe otherwise looks God in the face and calls Him a liar. We combat unbelief by being a constant voice of sincere encouragement. Encouragement also helps us hold onto our belief when the world fights so hard to pull it away from us. And let me repeat the key point, we must believe to enter God’s rest.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

Enter His Rest

The last lesson revealed that God’s rest is still available for those who believe. This coming lesson will help us see what that means – both individually and for mankind over all.

However, before we go there, let’s remind ourselves to whom the letter of Hebrews was written. We may not know its author, but we know it was intended primarily for the Jews of the first century who had accepted that Jesus was their promised Messiah. The author wrote it to encourage them to hold fast to their faith; he didn’t want them to corrupt their belief by adding to it or doubting it. You may be Jewish; you may not. Either way, if you accept and believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah and living Son of God, then the book of Hebrews is for you as well.

I think it’s important as we progress through this study to remember the intended audience. For those who don’t know Jesus, I absolutely believe the truth of Hebrews can lead you to salvation. All of God’s Word has that power, as we’ll look at later in this section. But, the original audience was those who already knew Him. As we talk about things like believing God and entering His rest, it’s easier to understand if we remember this is as part of the believer’s sanctifying growth in Him, a process that began when we trusted Him for salvation.

Ok, now, let’s proceed with what this passage teaches us about God’s rest…

The promise of His rest still remains. Don’t miss it! (Hebrews 4:1-5)
The opportunity to enter God’s rest has been available for all people but only those who accept it by faith receive the benefit. For the Israelite people under Moses, they didn’t have the faith to believe God would defeat the Canaanites as they entered the Promised Land. In response, they spent the rest of their lives – forty years for the collective group – wandering in a literal desert. Perhaps this helps us understand why we also sometimes feel like we’re wandering without purpose for much of our lives. We’ve refused to believe God and enter the rest He has available for us. We’re still striving and struggling to enter His Promised Land when all it took was a step of faith and we would have enjoyed it long ago.

God set the example of resting when the work was complete on the seventh day of creation. He did so to show us to rest one day of the week but also because He had finished His work. He had created the stars and planets, land and waters, plants and animals, and Adam and Eve.

• Individually, the opportunity still remains to enter His rest. All we need is the faith to believe.
• For all humanity, God’s rest at creation reveals a final rest is available for all of us on the seventh day.

If the opportunity still remains, do it today (Hebrews 4:6-8)
Yes, the Israelites messed up by not believing God to deliver them into their Promised Land. That doesn’t mean the opportunity is gone forever, though. The opportunity didn’t disappear with the Israelites under Moses and even Joshua didn’t deliver their final rest. If either of those scenarios were true, then David wouldn’t have written about 500 years later, “Today, if you hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah…” (Psalm 95:7-8).

In fact, the Bible gives us many stories of people who messed up believing God. Still the opportunity remains. The opportunity to believe God initiated when He completed His work that last day in the Garden of Eden.

• It remained for the people under Moses even though they wandered in the desert for 40 years.
• It was still there centuries later when David reigned in Israel for 40 years. David had shed too much blood and God prohibited him from building and entering the temple of the Lord. The opportunity went to his son, King Solomon.
• About 1,000 years after David, the opportunity still remained for the first-century Jews. They were witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and still had a hard time believing. After 40 years, God allowed the destruction of their temple and the people were scattered.
• Now, it’s about 2,000 years after the writing of Hebrews. We’ve all messed up in our walks with God; faith and belief aren’t the easiest areas to implement. Because of God’s eternal love and unending grace, the opportunity still waits for you today. You still may believe He can do what He says He will do and enter His rest.

Eventually, that opportunity will be gone, though. The idea of “today” will no longer exist. As long as it is called today, we may still place our faith in Him; what about when “today” is gone?

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Jewish tradition tells that the earth will exist for 7,000 years; each 1,000 year time segment correlates with the corresponding day of creation. Without getting into details, for this article I’ll only mention the correlation between the seventh day of creation when God rested and the seventh millennial day of the earth when Jesus will reign over His kingdom on earth. This passage supports the idea of a 7,000 year plan for Earth as it links Jesus’ future millennial reign with God’s rest on the seventh day of creation.

Here’s the significance of that idea – when Jesus’ millennial reign ends then the idea of “today” will be over. The earth will be destroyed; all people will either enter the lake of fire prepared for Satan and his angels or they will enter eternity in the glory of God’s presence. No other chance will be available when that time comes. “Today” will be over.

• Individually, you can still enter His rest. You didn’t miss the opportunity in the past and you don’t have to wait until you have your act together in the future. You can do it today.
• For all humanity, the offer remains as long as it is called “today.” The concept of time ends when the Millennium ends, and therefore, so does humanity’s opportunity to enter God’s rest.

Our rest is a Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9-10)
I mentioned in my opening story that I rest on Sundays. In the early days of Christianity, the leaders of the church switched our day of worship from Saturday, when the Jews honor the Sabbath, to Sunday. I won’t get into the politics of why they did so or if it was a wise decision. For our study, when we read that our rest comes on the Sabbath, know that the author meant the Jewish Sabbath on the last day of the week.

I believe David wrote a prophetic description of our Sabbath rest in Psalm 95 just prior to “Today, if you hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8). Verses 1-7 of that same chapter set a context of worship and adoration as we kneel before the Lord. David describes it as a time when we realize He is “the rock of our salvation,” not the rocks in Meribah and Massah. It’s a time when we might “enter His presence with thanksgiving.” It’s a time when we “worship and bow down” and “kneel before the Lord our Maker.” It’s a time when God is our Good Shepherd (see John 10) and we “are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.” (All quotes taken from Psalm 95:1-7.) This prophetic description can’t refer to eternity in His presence as David mentions that the Lord reigns over even the sea. The sea won’t exist in eternity (Revelation 21:1). This time of worship in the Lord’s presence when He reigns over all the earth must refer to Jesus’ millennial reign.

• Individually, we can rest on the day we enter God’s presence. We cease striving and struggling. We recognize God completed the work; we no longer think we must work to attain our salvation.
• For all humanity, a time is coming when we can enter His rest and literally kneel in His presence here on earth. The work of salvation will be fully realized as Jesus will have returned a second time in glorious victory.

Make every effort to enter His rest (Hebrews 4:11)
We’ve seen it throughout the last section and this one – our opportunity to enter His rest comes through faith and belief. It has nothing to do with the work we do. We base our salvation and the continuing process of growth on our belief that God can do what He says He will do.

However, as this point reveals, we must be diligent to grow in Him. The original Greek word even has a connotation of haste to it; we shouldn’t put it off until another day. We don’t know what awaits us in His promised rest; we can’t comprehend the blessings of an abundant life lived believing Him until we have experienced it. We can’t experience it until we are diligent to know Him, believe Him, and grow in our love for Him.

Many people trust God for salvation but never move past that point. They have their “fire insurance” so they think all is well; nothing more is required. But, in all honesty, how can you not give yourself to living for the one who died for you? How can you not desire to know Him more intimately, to serve Him more devotedly, and love Him more passionately considering all He has done and desires to do for you?

Failing to do so doesn’t only deny you the blessings of a life lived for Him. It denies it to other people as well. When we fail to believe and grow – when we wander around in our desert of unbelief – then other people look at our lives and say, “Why should I try Christianity? It’s not doing much for them. They’re as hopeless as I am. Maybe I’ll try this other option over here…” Our poor example leads them “to fall into the same pattern of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11) and they likewise wander around in a desert of spiritual unbelief.

• Individually, we must be diligent and expedient to grow in our faith and belief. Otherwise, not only do we miss out, but so do those in our circle of influence.
• For all humanity, exert the faith needed so the pattern doesn’t repeat itself. Eventually we will all enter His rest as the cycle of unbelief is broken.

Why is it important to believe and enter His rest?
Here’s the point. Here’s the reason we must truly believe. Here’s the why that gives significance to all the rest.

Why is it important? Because the word of God is living and active. With surgical precision, the word of God will pierce into you to separate that which merely lives from that which is active.

The word of God divides joints from marrow. In the human body, joints allow movement. They make it possible but they can’t actually move the body. Marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones which produces blood cells. “The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11). When the Word of God penetrates you to divide joint from marrow, it divides that which merely provides movement from that which provides physical and spiritual life.

The word of God divides soul from spirit. Many people use these two terms interchangeably as they both refer to the part of a person that relates with God as opposed to the body that relates with the world and the mind that relates with other people. However, they have a small but significant difference. All people have a soul – a part of them that longs for a spiritual relationship and has an eternal destiny. As Scripture makes clear, their eternal destiny is either heaven or hell. Sorry, but no other option exists. The spirit refers to who we are after we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. When the Word of God penetrates you to divide soul from spirit, it divides that which is merely eternal from that which has an active, blessed future with Jesus for eternity.

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The Word of God – again, with surgical precision – separates what lives from what is active. It separates movement from life and growth. It divides what’s eternal from that which is eternally blessed. That’s some laser-like precision.

Here’s the most important part of all this. He does it for everyone. No one can hide, no one is exempt. He sees all, knows all, and will accurately divide out His own unto Himself. Will you be one of them?

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