Certainty of Hope, Part 2 - Hebrews 6:12-20

God calls us to be fully clothed in hope – a possibility only available when we know Him and His Word, allow them to transform our thoughts, and then live out that transformation. This is the plan God left for us. It’s the method He chose for salvation to go to all the world. He chose us to step up into a relationship with Him and then share it with those we know.

That’s where we left off in part one of this section on hope. Today, we’ll consider Hebrews 6:12-20; I encourage you to go ahead and read it. The author of Hebrews offers us an example of someone from the Bible who lived out his hope, the changes in his life because of it, and what it means for us today. Let’s jump in!

The Certainty of Hope, Part 2

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Imitate Abraham (6:12-15)
Do you remember the story of my Royals’ fan friend from the last section? He attended the home opener covered completely in Royals’ attire; we compared his look to the idea of being completely clothed in hope. My husband is a pretty loyal Royals’ fan in his own right; however, he dresses a lot more conservatively at a game. If he decided he wants everyone to know about his love and dedication for the team, though, he could imitate our friend who goes fully decked out in royal blue and white. Our friend is an example of what it looks like to be a Royals’ fan.

The author of Hebrews gave us an example of hope as well. If we want to know what it looks like to live completely covered in hope, Abraham is the man for us to imitate. He's our example.

When we imitate him, we recognize the whole system hinges on faith. After all, before the Law was given and before Aaron was ordained as high priest, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Romans 10:3, also Genesis 15:6). That’s why we read in Hebrews that Abraham was one “who inherit[ed] the promises through faith” (Hebrews 6:12).

That verse continues by saying Abraham was also one who inherited the promises of hope through perseverance. Permit me a brief summary of Abraham’s life so we might see how his ability to persevere played out. Hebrews 6:14 quotes Genesis 22:17-18, “I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command.” This may sound like a great offer but Abraham's life was a difficult journey before he reached this point of abundant blessing from God.

God called Abraham to separate from so much – his father, his home, his extended family, the desires of the world, the pride of self-sufficiency, and the misplaced hope he put in his son Ishmael. Even all of this wasn’t enough, though. In the hardest test of his life, God asked Abraham to separate from the son of promise, Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice him on an altar.

We may be familiar with this story from Genesis 22. In that moment, God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac. Only then did God make the final oath to confirm the hope and promise. By faith, Abraham persevered through some of the hardest trials God has placed upon any man. His perseverance is our example to imitate.

Abraham’s faith and perseverance realized his hope (6:15-18)
The darkest hour of Abraham’s life led to the fullest realization of his hope. He never would have arrived at that place if he had not persevered by faith. Long before Paul ever wrote it, Abraham knew this to be true – “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Hope may be hard to see in that dark hour. As Abraham raised the blade above Isaac’s young body, faith and hope were all that remained for Abraham. He had nothing else to cling to.

But it was in that darkest moment that God provided salvation. It was in that moment that God Himself provided a ram. Only then was Abraham able to declare, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain” (Genesis 22:14).

For Abraham, that moment became his hope because he knew he now had the son of promise. He had separated from his own plan for his life and trusted fully in God’s plan. Now, for the rest of his life, every time his eyes rested on Isaac, he knew God had provided an heir through whom the blessing would come. He had hope because he knew that through Isaac the promise would come.

For all of us, that moment foreshadows an even greater hope. Centuries later, on that same mountain, the Lord did provide in a great and powerful way. God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus – Abraham’s descendant through Isaac – to bring salvation and hope to the world.

Abraham’s example is our encouragement (6:18)
Those dark hours thrust into our lives just as they did into Abraham’s. Hope may be hard to find at those times. God only needed to speak once to make His promise true but He offered the promise to Abraham in increasing measure three times – He brought it to a point of spiritual perfection. God didn’t speak once and leave Abraham to figure out the rest on his own. He allowed Abraham to go through some stuff so that God could do the work in him that He needed to do. When that growth process was complete, God sealed those promises with an oath – a final confirmation of His call, promise, and faithfulness to accomplish all that He said. Again, Abraham knew long before Paul that “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

God’s trio of promises followed by an oath of confirmation led to the full realization of Abraham’s hope. They do likewise for us, so that “we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).

Seize the hope. Don’t admire it from afar or tiptoe around it. Don’t pick at it in tidbits. Seize it. Grab onto that thing and wrap it around yourself over and over until you have completely covered yourself in the hope that only God offers.

This hope is our anchor (6:19-20)
Do you see that little word “this?” This hope isn’t just any hope. This hope is the one for which Abraham separated himself from all he knew. This hope is the one promised by God and sealed with an oath in which He cannot lie. This hope is the one that brought life to Isaac and through him life to the whole world. This hope is the hope which can completely cover us. This is the hope we have.

This hope is the anchor for our soul. Our soul is the very part of us that is able to connect with God. It is the part that can be taken from eternal darkness and death into eternal light and life. Hope latches on to our soul and says, “You cannot be shaken. You won’t be moved. I will hold you safe and secure while life’s darkest hour tries to buffet and toss you like a stick on a violent sea.”

This hope takes us behind the curtain into the inner sanctuary of the Most Holy Place where Jesus has already gone. This hope takes us into the very presence of God.

← Previous Section: Certainty of Hope, Part 1    

Next Section: Who is Melchizedek? →

Certainty of Hope, Part 1 - Hebrews 6:11-12

God separates the cultivated plants from the thorns and thistles. He knows the difference between the wheat and the weeds. Fortunately, we don’t have to make that call. He doesn’t need us to judge those around us. He’s got it under control.

He does, however, ask us to produce fruit consistent with the power of the Spirit working within us. That fruit – things like love, peace, patience, truth, discernment, and more – is the evidence of His presence. All the fruit in the world is eternally worthless, though, if it doesn’t lead to the opportunity to share Jesus’ message with another person. Our ultimate goal isn’t just love; it’s sharing His love. It isn’t only peace; it’s His peace. It isn’t human righteousness; it’s His righteousness.

That was our focus in the last section Go Beyond.

In this section, we’ll begin a focus on the last quality the author of Hebrews desires for us to have before he returns to an explanation of the elusive Melchizedek. I encourage you to read Hebrews 6:11-12 as we begin to learn the certainty of our hope.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

The Certainty of Hope, Part 1

Hebrews chapter 6 has been intense! I have a feeling the chapters to come aren’t going to get any easier. We’ll probably have to start taking smaller bites for each section – too much may be hard to chew!

What you did there, do it here (6:11)
Here’s a little tip for Bible study that I’ve learned through the years – never ignore the small words. Sometimes the little words are critical to helping us understand the point of the passage. They especially help us understand how one section links to another.

This verse starts with the little word now. In this case, it shows us that what the author is about to write is opposed to and distinguished from what he just wrote. He also shows the distinction by telling the readers to “demonstrate the same diligence.”

Now, demonstrate the same diligence. In other words, what you did there – now do it here. There, referring back to the previous verses, you bore fruit. You served people. You showed love. In all those things, you were diligent. Now, do it here… and the “here” is the final realization of your hope.

What is the full and final realization of our hope? Let’s define a few terms and create a mental image to help us understand.

FINAL REALIZATION
The word used here is a combination of two words. Together they communicate the idea to wear something completely and constantly.

An acquaintance of mine is an avid baseball fan – especially for his home team, the Kansas City Royals. He recently made the local news in an interview as he entered the stadium on opening day of the season. I have to think one reason they stopped him for an interview was the attention he drew from his clothing. He came decked out and ready to cheer covered completely in Royals clothing – pajama pants, t-shirt, coat, scarf, hat, tennis shoes, and even a few extra items in case he got cold. He had covered every inch in royal blue and white with the famous Royals logo appearing all over. The Royals played the Chicago White Sox that cold spring day but no one in the stands would have assumed my friend was a White Sox fan. One glance and they knew exactly for which team he was cheering. This wasn’t a one-time event, either. He’s been at the stadium on opening day every year for 32 years – never missed a home opener.

HOPE
What is our hope? Past studies of this little word taught me that although we use it synonymously with “wish,” God’s Word uses it as absolute and concrete. No wishing when it comes to our hope in Christ – it’s all reality!

Our hope is…

• A reason to rejoice (Romans 5:2)
• The glory of God (Romans 5:2)
• The end result of our suffering (Romans 5:3-4)
• Never a reason for disappointment (Romans 5:5)
• Creation set free from bondage (Romans 8:20-21)
• Our bodies set free from decay (Romans 8:23-24)
• To reflect God’s glory (2 Corinthians 3:7-18)
• A calling God wants us to know (Ephesians 1:18)
• Stored up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5)
• The message of the gospel (Colossians 1:22-23)
• Eternal life (Titus 1:2-3)
• The second coming of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)
• Alive (1 Peter 1:3)
• In God (1Peter 1:21)
• Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:1)

FINAL REALIZATION OF HOPE
The final realization of our hope is to be fully clothed in the reality of what God has done for us and what awaits us. When someone sees my friend at the Royals’ stadium, they don’t wonder for which team he cheers – they know because he’s clothed in it.

Hope is a little harder though. It’s easy to gather some Royals’ clothes and look like a fan. I can’t give you a bunch of clothing items that will be a physical, tangible display of your hope in God. You can’t go to a department store and buy a new wardrobe of hope. So how do we wear hope constantly and continually?

My Sunday morning class helped me put together a list of ideas…

• We have to transform our minds (Romans 12:2). We can’t think like the world thinks. The world offers no hope – only despair and destruction.
• We have to focus our thoughts (Philippians 4:8). We purposely have to turn away from corruption and focus on the goodness and beauty found only in Jesus.
• We have to know Him (2 Peter 1:3). We can’t fully wear the hope Jesus offers us if we don’t know His message. We may start out simple but the more we grow in our knowledge, the more hope will become evident.
• We have to speak a message of hope (Ephesians 4:29). Have you heard the expression what goes in must come out? The more we do the first three in this list, the more hope is going to come out in all we say. We will learn to look at the most painful situations and see hope rather than despair.

This is the plan – this is how it works (verse 12)

The author of Hebrews wants us to live in the final realization of our hope so we don’t become lazy. There’s that word again – lazy. He already called the readers lazy in a different area. He said they were too lazy to understand how Jesus’ priesthood falls within the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:11). Let’s be honest, here. I think that’s an area many of us today still don’t understand. Melchizedek is a confusing character.

You know what, though? Understanding the relationship between Jesus’ priesthood and Melchizedek’s isn’t a requirement for our salvation. However, understanding the relationship between the foundation and the structure is integral to our salvation. Salvation doesn’t belong to those who sit on the foundation of the Law and message of the Old Testament. It did at the time the Old Testament played out, but it doesn’t now. With Jesus’ first coming, we now find salvation in an understanding of His message, His death, and His resurrection. Both messages require faith; one looked forward to His coming while the other one looks back.

We can’t become lazy in attaining the final realization of our hope. It’s too critical. Jesus no longer walks among us; even His disciples are long gone. This reality was sinking in for the Jewish believers when Hebrews was written decades after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. How much more does it hold true for us today? However, Jesus’ plan was to leave the gospel message in the hands of His followers. Again, that was true then and it’s still true today. We have to understand this message of hope because the world needs it. Not only do they need it desperately, but we’re the ones entrusted to offer it to them.

If we can grasp Jesus’ message of hope and show it to the world, then we see the whole picture rather than only a small bit of His redemptive plan. We understand we must step up from the foundation on to the structure offered by Jesus. We even understand that stepping up will lead to action on our part because of love. We understand we need to tell others about Him. If we can grasp this message of hope and share it with the hurting world, then we are wearing hope that everyone can see. They’ll look at us and know whose team we’re on.

What can I do?

Earlier I shared a few ways we can clothe ourselves in hope. How might you incorporate them into your daily life? Can you add any to the list?

Persecution increases; suffering intensifies throughout our world. Why do you think God places so much importance on the message of hope?

How can you share Jesus’ message of hope with someone today?

← Previous Section: Go Beyond    

Next Section: Certainty of Hope, Part 2 →

 

Go Beyond - Hebrews 6:7-10

The last section – Step Up – focused on two different groups. I’ve started referring to them as the “Foundation Sitters” and the “Structure Builders.”

Remember, this passage originally had a first-century, Jewish audience. Judaism and Christianity have a common foundation based on repentance, faith, washings, laying on of hands, resurrection, and judgment. In that context, the Foundation Sitters were those who happily stayed with that foundation; they resisted stepping up to the next level introduced by the Messiah Jesus.

The Structure Builders were those believers who didn’t forsake the foundation but recognized that Jesus called us to build on it. They recognized Jesus’ call to enlightenment, received His gift, communed with His Holy Spirit, heard His good word, and believed in His power.

In this section, we’ll study Hebrews 6:7-10. I encourage you to read it. We’ll consider the evidence that reveals the group in which we might belong. Even more, we’ll realize Jesus desires for us to go beyond being a Structure Builder.

Going Beyond

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is who (6:7-8)
It’s a rough job to tell whom God has made new and whom He hasn’t. That’s why God doesn’t call us to do it; He does it Himself.

These two verses insert a little parable into our passage. Jesus often used this teaching method so that only those with ears to hear would discern His message (Matthew 13:11-13). I believe the author of Hebrews was remembering one of Jesus’ parables when he wrote this section.

Jesus taught a similar parable in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. I encourage you to read it. God allows false followers to mix and mingle among those who truly follow Him. He allows them to be together until His final judgment at the end of time when the true followers enter eternity with Him and He casts the false followers into the lake of fire. This parable – along with all of the kingdom parables – has some incredible wisdom for us. I’ve written about it in more detail in Everything We Need.

Hebrews’ parable also reminds us of Genesis 3:17-18. After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God pronounced consequences and curses on them, the serpent, and the ground. Adam and Eve received some specific consequences but God didn’t curse them. Instead, He promised a plan of redemption to restore their relationship with Him. God did, however, curse Satan and the ground. Satan’s promised end is the lake of fire; the earth He will destroy by fire. Because the ground is cursed, it now produces thorns and thistles as does the ground in our Hebrews’ parable. Like the cursed ground, if we produce thorns and thistles instead of the crop which God cultivates in us, then we’re about to be cursed. Note, we aren’t cursed yet but it is coming.

All three of these passages – Hebrews, Matthew, and Genesis – have something in common. They all consider the type of fruit as a method of discernment. In short, our fruit is evidence of our relationship with God. I encourage you to read each of these passages and think about the full message it has on fruit in our lives. If you’re following along with the printable handout, you may even write your notes in the appropriate place.

• Matthew 3:7-10 – We may be a blood descendant of Abraham but that isn’t a sign of our relationship with Him. We must produce good fruit consistent with the grace given in our lives.
• Matthew 7:15-20 – We can discern false teachers by their fruit.

• Romans 6:20-23 – Slavery to sin produces the fruit of death; slavery to righteousness produces the fruit of sanctification and eternal life.
• Romans 7:4-6 – A relationship with the Messiah bears fruit for God. This relationship is through the Spirit, not through the Law.
• Galatians 5:22-23 – Our fruit is defined as things like love, joy, peace, etc.
• Ephesians 5:9 – Our fruit is also things like goodness, righteousness, truth, and discernment.

The Better Things Lead to Salvation (6:9)
The author of Hebrews was “confident” the Jerusalem Jewish believers were part of “the better things connected with salvation.” In other words, he was confident they were Structure Builders, not Foundation Sitters.

He makes a powerful connection, though. He notes that the better things – the Structure – is that which is associated with salvation. Remember, the first century was a time of transition. This whole section of Hebrews encourages the Jewish believers to no longer rely on their sacrifices for salvation but rather to rely on the Messianic Lamb whose sacrifice paid the penalty for sin once and for all. In their past, their salvation came through faith in a coming Messiah. Now, their salvation would come through the finished work of that Messiah. Therefore, salvation is now for those who were willing to make that transition.

Our works are the evidence of our salvation (6:10)
Don’t misread me on this! Our works aren’t the source of our salvation – they are the evidence of it. That’s a huge, important distinction.

The man writing this letter to the Hebrews looked at their lives and saw good fruit. He saw acts of service inspired by love, the first in our list of fruits of the Spirit. Their actions demonstrated their faith. After all, God’s love is a love based on sacrifice. Only when His Spirit dwells in us and works through us can we begin to love sacrificially in service to a lost and hurting world.

Why the harsh warning?
Seems kind of odd, doesn’t it? Ever since Hebrews 5:11, the writer has been pretty harsh with the readers. He accused them of laziness, saying they had reverted back to infantile behavior in their spiritual walk. He felt they should be teaching others and yet they still needed to be taught. After such harsh words, why does he say he’s confident of the structure in their lives? After all, lots of people have no relationship with Jesus but still do a lot of good works.

I think the answer may be in this – the believers had a foundation on which they built a structure which led them to action and service. However, when they reached out to serve, perhaps they weren’t offering those whom they served a relationship with Jesus. Their actions displayed their love and faith but they never offered that love and faith to someone new. They let their friends be content as Foundation Sitters rather than step up to a Structure Builder.

This would explain why the author said they still need to be taught even when they should be teaching (Hebrews 5:12). It would explain why he called them to leave the elementary message – the Foundation – and move on to maturity – the Structure. He didn’t want them to keep laying the same foundation again and again (Hebrews 6:1).

A few years ago I traveled to Haiti to work in a rural orphanage. The devastating earthquake of 2010 had occurred two years previously but as I flew into Port-au-Prince, row after row of blue disaster relief tents still filled the landscape. Many aid agencies – some religious and some not – donated millions of dollars and thousands of hours to help people recover from the great tragedy. As I flew in and looked over the devastation, I thought and later wrote on my blog, “the sights over the city looked much as I expected. And you might think I'm crazy, but it looked beautiful. I don't know why but the city held a certain beauty. It was in that moment, flying into the poverty and desperation, that all my confusing thoughts became clear. The slums of Port-au-Prince are no more awful than the subdivisions of home or any other place. Every place is the home of the poor and destitute. Oh, we in America may have beautiful homes, cars, and clothing, but we are as spiritually poor and destitute as any Haitian. And in the end, that is what matters.

“It doesn't matter how much we gain if we don't gain eternal salvation along the way. And to go one step further, if you'll permit me to rephrase Mark 8:36, it doesn't matter how much we give if we aren't giving the message of eternal salvation. All the humanitarian aid in the world means little if the recipient still loses his own soul.”

How does this affect me?

First, let’s allow God to judge the crops. Yes, some among us may be weeds instead of wheat. Some may be thorns and thistles. It’s not up to us to make that call. It’s our job to extend grace and love balanced with truth. We’ll allow God to bring them to conviction or eventually to judgment.

The second effect for us today goes right along with the first one. God judges the crops but we need to give Him a crop to judge. In other words, we need to bear some fruit. The Spirit gives us the ability to show love, to be patient, to exercise self-control, to find peace, and all the other qualities listed in Galatians 5:22-23. We also want the fruits of truth, discernment, and more from Ephesians 5:9 to be evident in us. The capacity for them is worthless if we don’t share them with the world. They have to grow out and impact those around us.

Third, are you a Foundation Sitter or a Structure Builder? Are you content to rest in the way it used to be or are you ready to go beyond that and build a little structure in your relationship with Jesus?

Finally, if you are a Structure Builder, is it evident by the works of love in your life? Even more, are you using those acts of love to bring others to Jesus? Remember, we can serve the whole world but it means nothing if we don’t tell them about Jesus in the process.

← Previous Section: Step Up    

Next Section: Certainty of Hope, Part 1→

 

Step Up - Hebrews 6:1-6

It’s not cute to stay a baby. It’s not cute to return to baby-like behaviors after we’re older. Eventually, we have to grow up.

The previous section, Hebrews 5:11-14, flows straight into this one. In fact, some translations even group them together in their subheadings. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to take a minute to look through it now. This section will build on that one before it then pleads with us to step up to the next level.



Click picture for a downloadable, printable handout

Step Up

After you’ve reviewed the last section, we’re ready for today’s section. I hope you’ll start by reading Hebrews 6:1-6.

Therefore, let us go on to maturity (6:1-3)
In Hebrews 5:12, the author referred to some basic principles. Here, in verse one, he outlines those principles for us. The author encourages the readers, to paraphrase in my own words, “You know these things. You’ve got this. Let’s not keep going over it; let’s move on!”

These six basic principles summarized the foundation of belief for the first-century Jewish readers. Those principles included repentance from dead works or useless rituals, faith in God, teachings about ritual washings, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

At first glance, this list could be a foundation of Christianity. Our 21st century mindset probably sees it as such. After all, we turn from dead works and rituals, we have faith, we perform baptisms, we sometimes lay hands on people when we pray for them, we believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that an eternal judgment awaits us. However, this list is also distinctly Jewish. Judaism also, especially in the first century, participated in rituals, required faith, included ritual washings and the laying on of hands, believed in the resurrection of the dead, and also in an eternal judgment. In short, these are areas where Jews and Christians connect. They are the foundation to both of our religions.

Even more, these six principles may refer to an extremely critical ritual within Jewish belief that is likewise foundational to Christianity. They may refer to the ritual processes carried out on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

• Ritual: Leviticus 16 outlines the specific details of this ritual which made “atonement for the Israelites once a year because of all their sins” (Leviticus 16:34).
• Faith in God: This refers to the whole plan, not just the specifics of the Day of Atonement. Our last section spoke of a message of righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). That section was getting too long so I didn’t go into this, but that message of righteousness is one built on faith. It reminds us, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17, quote from Habakkuk 2:4, emphasis mine). In short, God bases the whole plan of humanity’s redemption on faith.
• Ritual washings: These are a repeated part of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4, 24, 26, 28).
• Laying on of hands: The high priest laid his hands on the horns of the scapegoat to transfer the sins of the people to the goat. The goat would then run into the wilderness thereby removing the sins from the people (Leviticus 16:21-22).
• Resurrection: The rituals involved a single sacrifice of two goats. The high priest sacrificed one to atone for the sins of the people. He then transferred their sins to the head of the second goat so the goat might carry them away from the Israelite camp. In this single sacrifice, one goat died to atone for sin while another lived to remove their sin. Likewise, Jesus died to atone for sin but He also lives to remove our sin along with sin’s penalty – death.
• Eternal judgment: Only this process could cleanse the people from their sins to avoid the judgment of God (Leviticus 16:30).

Atonement – it’s a common foundation between Old Testament sacrifice and New Testament relationship. God doesn’t want us to stay in the Old Testament system of ritual and sacrifice, however. He wants us to move past that!

Why should we move past it? Because it’s impossible to renew to repentance those who have fallen away (6:4-6)
First century Jews were content to keep their old practices and bring Jesus into them. After all, we have a common foundation. However, as followers of the Messiah, we may connect with many people on different areas where our respective faiths are similar. We can’t leave it there, though. Recognizing our similarities doesn’t bring people to salvation; only bringing them to Jesus does! We have to move past the basics of our common foundation.

Under the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, a believer could fall away. The whole system required renewal on an annual basis as we discussed a few paragraphs ago. A believer could fall away throughout the year but then make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Day of Atonement and be renewed.

In the New Testament, this became impossible. We could no longer be renewed on an annual basis. After all, we have new things now…

• Enlightenment. Jesus is the light and only He enlightens us (John 1:9, 2 Timothy 1:10 and others).
• Heavenly gift. The gift is eternal life (John 4:10-14), the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38 and others), righteousness (Romans 5:15-17), and grace (Ephesians 3:7, 4:7).
• Holy Spirit. I can’t emphasize this enough. As a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. This is a totally radical concept to the ways of the Old Testament. Before, the Spirit could come upon a person and then leave again. In the New Testament, the Spirit permanently indwells and seals the believer for redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14 and others).
• God’s good word. The idea here is a specific word, not an overall message. The Greek is rhema, not logos. I can’t say for sure, but I think God’s good word may be one of righteousness. God now looks on us and speaks a good word as Jesus’ sacrifice has turned away His wrath and condemnation.
• Power of God. Followers of Jesus have access to the power of God. That’s also a huge shift! (Ephesians 1:18-23 and others).

That’s a short summary of who we are in the Messiah. It’s important to remember the guarantee of this list as we consider this next point. Under this new system, God can’t renew to repentance those who fall away.

Let’s first recognize what this is not saying. Some use this passage to condemn fallen believers by saying that God can’t call them to repentance. However, all of Scripture reminds us this isn’t true. God permanently seals the believer with His Spirit. God completes the work He began in us. God brings us to enlightenment. We can’t lose our salvation.

What is this saying then? The whole understanding hinges on a little prefix and the remembrance of when and why this book was written.

A little prefix: Re-new
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God doesn’t make a new creation like we might take art supplies and paint a new picture. When we paint a picture, we have created nothing new. We have only brought the elements together to form a painting. The idea in this verse is the act of creation similar to the beginning of universe when God created out of nothing by the power of His spoken word. He created something new!

Once God makes us new, He can’t make us new again. He can’t re-new us. If He needed to make us new again, then that would mean He messed up the first time. God doesn’t mess up. If we fall away during the year, we are still a new creation in Jesus. He doesn’t have to die for our sin again every year.

A consequence still remains if we fall away, however. We’re living as if Jesus’ sacrifice was inadequate. We’re holding Him up to contempt in the court of public opinion. In short, we’re being a bad witness. Since He took the sin upon Himself, His name is tarnished by our sin. Ouch – I don’t want to go there.

Another possibility remains as well – those who appear as believers but aren’t. In that case, despite all outward appearances, God has never made the person new. The idea of renewal – being made new again – becomes a non-issue. They had never accepted God’s gift of salvation. We’ll talk about this group more in the next section.

Remembering when and why
The book of Hebrews was written in the late 60’s AD. Over thirty years had passed since Jesus’ death and resurrection. And yet, the Jewish believers in Jerusalem – to whom this book was written – were still sacrificing at the Temple. Despite Jesus’ sacrifice making atonement for sin once and for all, the high priest still performed the rituals of atonement every year. I believe God might have inspired the book of Hebrews as a final warning to the Jerusalem Jewish believers to step away from their old system and fully embrace Jesus as their Messiah. I think Hebrews was a final call before He allowed the destruction of their temple only a few years later.

The author of Hebrews pleads with the Jewish believers, “Step away from the sacrifices. You recognize Jesus was our awaited Messiah – now step up to live fully in Him and not under the old system. He died once and for all. Stop recrucifying Him and holding Him up to contempt!” Again, my paraphrase.

What About Us?

An important part of understanding this difficult passage is to understand when and why the author wrote it. It was written at a specific time in history as the early believers transitioned from their old Jewish practices to a new system of grace. This doesn’t mean, though, that it doesn’t apply to us today. We understand it through that first-century Jewish lens but we apply it today.

I can think of a few lessons I can take away from this passage even though God’s not calling me to let go of my ancient sacrificial system.

First, we see a great tool for reaching others for Christ in this passage. Rather than beat others up with how they’re different than us, we can connect where we agree. The author of Hebrews began with the foundation the Jews already had and built upon it. This only works, though, if we take it to the end by bringing the conversation to Jesus.

Second, people have often used this passage to scare people into correct behavior based on a threat of the loss of salvation. When looked at correctly, it has quite the opposite effect! God has made me new; He can’t do it again! Let’s rest in the confidence that He didn’t mess up. We are His children for eternity!

Third, let’s not behave in a way that shames the name of Jesus. Yes, our salvation is secure. No behavior on our part can change that. And no, we don't still sacrifice every year for the atonement of sin. However, our lifestyles sometimes move so far away from Jesus' example that we hold Him up to contempt in the court of public opinion. We're a bad witness of the love He poured out for us.

Perhaps there’s more. I’d love to hear what you’re taking away from this difficult passage in the 21st century despite its original context in the 1st century. Please share in the comments below…

← Previous Section: Grow Up    

Next Section: Go Beyond →