Hebrews 6: A Better Hope
Application: The student will assess that the hope offered in the completed work of Christ is greater than that afforded in the Old Testament era.
THE HEBREWS HAD NO REASON TO DISBELIEVE THAT GOD WOULD LEAD THEM SAFELY INTO CANAAN, AS HE HAD PROMISED.
DESPITE THE EVIDENCE GOD HAD PROVIDED IN WORKS OF WONDER AND IN LEADING THEM HIMSELF BY HIS CLOUD & PILLAR OF FIRE, THEY HARDENED THEIR HEARTS IN UNBELIEF, REFUSED TO OBEY AND THEREFORE DIED ONE BY ONE IN THE WILDERNESS.
OUR WRITER CONTRASTS THOSE FACTS TO SHOWING STEDFAST FAITH IN CHRIST AND REMAINING STRONG IN IT, NOT WAVERING AND NOT ALLOWING HEARTS TO WANDER OR HARDEN.
SUCH ASSURANCE LEADS THE BELIEVER TO PERSERVERANCE, WHICH IS HOLDING ON TO JESUS “UNTO THE END”. (6:11)
SUCH HOPE PROVIDES COMFORT & SECURITY NOT FOUND IN ANY OTHER HOPE, INCLUDING THOSE THAT WERE EVIDENT IN THE OLD COVENANT.
THE WRITER IS WELL AWARE THAT SOME JEWISH BELIEVERS KNOWING ALL THAT GOD DID FOR HIS OWN FOR FORTY YEARS, STILL DID NOT SEEM TO WANT TO REMAIN IN HONOR OF HIM AND MAY WANT TO WAVER BACK TO JEWISH ONLY BELIEF.
IN VERSES 1 & 2 WE FIND OUR WRITER IDENTIFIES SIX TEACHINGS ON WHICH MESSIAH FAITH IS BUILT.
THE FIRST IS EXPLAINED AS “DEAD WORKS”. THIS PHRASE WILL BE REPEATED IN 9:14.
IT MEANS A REFERENCE TO GOOD WORKS TO PROVIDE SALVATION, WHICH IS A CORNERSTONE JEWISH BELIEF.
GOOD WORKS HAVE NO POWER TO SAVE AND CANNOT PRODUCE ETERNAL LIFE.
THOSE WHO HAVE TRULY REPENTED HAVE STOPPED RELYING ON THEIR OWN GOOD WORKS FOR SALVATION AND UNDERSTAND THAT TRUSTING FAITH IN THE LORD IS THE NARROW BUT ONLY PATH TO THE KINGDOM.
THE NEXT TEACHINGS ARE LISTED FOR US AS BAPTISM, LAYING ON OF HANDS, RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT.
VERSE 3 IS CLEAR AS TO THE WILLINGNESS TO RESPECT AND OBEY THESE THINGS IF GOD PERMITS, MEANING IF GOD ALLOWS THEM TO LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO INCLUDE ALL THESE THINGS IN THEIR LIVES.
VERSES 4 – 6 ARE AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT VERSES TO FULLY UNDERSTAND IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE. THESE VERSES HAVE THEMSELVES SERVED TO LEAD SOME BELIEVERS TO DERIVE FALSE DOCTRINE.
WHAT DO THEY SAY AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO WERE ONCE ENLIGHTENED AND TASTED THE HEAVENLY GIFT AND WERE MADE PARTAKERS BY THE HOLY GHOST, TASTING THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, AND THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, THAT IF THEY SHOULD FALL AWAY, TO RENEW THEMSELVES UNTO REPENTANCE AGAIN SEEING THEY CRUCIFY TO THEMSELVES THE LORD AGAIN.
REMEMBER THAT JESUS TAUGHT IN JN 10:28-29 THAT THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM SHALL NEVER PERISH AND THAT NO ONE CAN PLUCK THEM OUT OF HIS OR HIS FATHER’S HAND.
(WE REST ON THE BLESSED ASSURANCE OF FOREVER SAVED)
THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO THE MEANING OF THESE VERSES.
FIRST, IF THE TEACHING OF JESUS IS PERFECT (WHICH WE ALL ACCEPT) THEN THESE WERE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE BUT NOT TRUE BELIEVERS AND NOT BORN AGAIN, BECAUSE ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED.
SECOND, THESE WERE ACTUALLY SAVED PEOPLE WHO ARE FALLING AWAY, BACKSLIDING, BUT NEVER LOSING THEIR ACTUAL SALVATION, BUT BY WAVERING OR MOVING BACK TO JEWISH RULES WILL STRONGLY DAMAGE THE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD TO THE POINT OF REMOVING THEM FROM CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND FROM HEAVENLY REWARD.
VERSES 7-9 SEEM POSSIBLY TO LEAN TOWARD THE SECOND THOUGHT AS EXAMPLES ARE GIVEN OF BEARING THORNS AND BRIARS INSTEAD OF FRUIT WHILE THERE REMAINS HOPE THAT BETTER THINGS MAY SOON BE FOUND IN THEM.
VERSES 10-11 TEACH THAT GOD IS RIGHTEOUS AND JUST AND IS A KEEPER OF HIS PROMISES, AND HE DECLARES THOSE WHO TRUST IN THE MESSIAH THROUGH FAITH ARE RIGHTEOUS THROUGH CHRIST.
CHRIST REMOVED THEIR SINS AND DELIVERS THEM FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS. WE MUST LEAN ON ROMANS 8:1 WHICH TEACHES THAT THEY WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED ONCE SAVED.
THEY HAD CLEARLY DISPLAYED LOVE FOR THE LORD BEFORE AND NOW MUST MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO NOW DISPLAY THEIR RENEWED CONFIDENCE IN THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF GOD.
HERE THE PHRASE “TO THE FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE” MEANS THEY MUST RETURN TO FAITH IN THE PROMISED SECOND COMING FOR THIS IS A HALLMARK OF CHRISTIAN MATURITY.
IN VERSE 12 OUR WRITER CHARGES THESE PEOPLE WITH SLUGGISH LAZINESS AND URGES THEM TO PUT AN END TO SUCH BEHAVIOR WHILE REMEMBERING THE OLD TESTAMENT PATRIARCHS WHO WERE LONG SUFFERING EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOT HAVE CHRIST ON EARTH YET. (WE WILL SEE THIS PROOF IN HEBREWS 11)
IN VERSES 13-16 THE WRITER REMINDS HOW THE OLD TESTAMENT BELIEVERS KNEW THAT GOD HAD KEPT HIS PROMISES TO ABRAHAM, AND HE HAD BASED THESE PROMISES ON HIS OWN OATH.
SINCE GOD CAN SWEAR BY NO HIGHER AUTHORITY, HE SWORE BY HIMSELF IN GENESIS 22:16 SWEARING BY HIS OWN CHARACTER AND GREATNESS CONCERNING THE BLESSINGS AND NUMBERINGS OF DESCENDANTS THAT WERE TO ARRIVE THROUGH ABRAHAM.
GOD KEPT HIS PROMISES TO ABRAHAM, INCLUDING THE SON OF PROMISE ISAAC EVEN THOUGH BOTH ABRAHAM & SARAH LAUGHED AT GOD WHEN THE PROMISE WAS GIVEN.
FOR THAT REASON THE NAME GOD GAVE TO ISAAC WAS FROM THE HEBREW WORD FOR LAUGHTER.
THROUGH ISAAC’S SON JACOB THE LORD INCREASED AND ENRICHED THE FAMILY JUST AS PROMISED.
IN VERSE 16 MUCH IS MADE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING AN OATH WHERE MEN SWARE BY GOD WHO IS GREATER THAN THEY ARE. THEY DO SO TO CONVINCE OTHER MEN TO BELIEVE THEY ARE TRUTHFUL AND WILL KEEP THEIR WORD.
VERSE 17 TEACHES THAT GOD, EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOT LIKE MEN, CONFIRMED HIS PROMISE WITH AN OATH THAT CAME TO LATER BE ASSURANCE TO ALL THE HEIRS OF ABRAHAM.
THIS ASSURANCE FLOWS FROM TWO UNCHANGING REALITIES.
THE FIRST IS THAT GOD CANNOT LIE AND THEREFORE BY HIS NATURE WE CAN BE ASSURED HIS WORD WILL BE KEPT.
THE SECOND UNCHANGING REALITY IS IN THE OATH GOD TOOK REVEALS HIS PROMISE TO MAKE SURE MAN KNEW HOW SERIOUS GOD INTENDED THESE PROMISES TO REMAIN AS KEPT FOREVER.
THE RESULTS OF BOTH OF THESE POINTS IS OUR “STRONG CONSOLATION”.
ALL THINGS HE PROMISED ABRAHAM CAME TO BE TRUE.
THE THING HE HAD PROMISED IN THE GARDEN HAD ALSO COME TRUE AS THE PROMISED REDEEMER HAD ARRIVED JUST AS GOD SAID IN GENESIS 3:15.
BECAUSE GOD IS IMMUTABLE (NEVER CHANGING) HIS LATER PROMISES OF THE SUBJECTION OF THE ENTIRE EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE UNDER CHRIST WILL ALSO ARRIVE JUST AS HE SAID.
(CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE BUT GOD DOES NOT) THEREFORE CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS HAVE A FIRM AND UNCHANGING HOPE WHICH IS BOTH CERTAIN AND STEADY.
THAT HOPE IS SO PERFECT BECAUSE IT IS ETERNAL AND VERSE 19 ASSURES ALL WHO READ THESE VERSES THAT IT HAS ENTERED WITHIN THE VEIL, A REFERENCE TO THE GREAT HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF THE SON.
JESUS HAS ENTERED INTO THE HIGHEST HOLY OF HOLIES IN HEAVEN AS OUR FORERUNNER.
LIKE A SCOUT HE HAS SHOWED THE WAY TO WHERE WE WISH TO BE OURSELVES.
HIS WORK AS GREAT HIGH PRIEST IS NOT FROM YEAR TO YEAR AS MAN’S PRIESTS WORKED BUT IS FOREVER AND IS NOT PATTERNED AFTER THE WORK OF AARON AND HIS DESCENDANTS.
THERE IS A FAR HIGHER PRIESTHOOD WHICH JESUS HAS ENTERED, WHICH IS THE PRIESTHOOD ONLY SEEN ONCE BEFORE, THE PRIESTHOOD OF MELCHIZEDEK ONLY SEEN BEFORE IN GENESIS 14:18-20.
BOTH MELCHIZEDEK & JESUS ARE BOTH KINGS AND PRIESTS, AND NO OTHERS WILL OCCUPY THAT HIS POSITION UNTIL REVELATION 1:6 WHEN ALL BELIEVERS WHO HAVE BEEN RAPTURED WILL BE GIVEN THIS SAME HIGH TITLE.
OUR CONCLUSION IS THAT WHILE THE WORK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PRIESTS WAS INSUFFICIENT AND INCOMPLETE, THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST IS BOTH SUFFICIENT AND COMPLETE.
EVERY NEED FOR THE REDEMPTION OF BOTH THE WORLD AND ALL BELIEVERS IS FOUND IN HIM AND ANY WHO SEEK TO WAVER BACKWARD HAVE MISSED THE MARK.
THE HOPE OF THE BELIEVER IS NOT ANCHORED IN THE CEREMONIES OF A FORMER RULES BASED FATH BUT IS RATHER SECURED IN THE ETERNAL AND UNCHANGING GOD AND THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON HE HAS GIVEN WHO IS PROVIDED BY THE GIFT OF GRACE THROUGH THE FAITH OF THOSE WHO ARE CALLED AND BELIEVE.
NEXT WEEK WE WILL HAVE A STRONG STUDY STOP BEFORE US TO STUDY THIS INTERESTING MAN MELCHIZEDEK WHO SOME EARLY CHURCH BELIEVERS FELT WAS ACTUALLY SHEM THE SON OF NOAH WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN STILL ALIVE IN THE DAYS OF MELCHIZEDEK.