Meanwhile we are told that He has obtained (not a temporary, but) "eternal redemption." We are not told the details of what preceded the great week when God made the man and the woman. A man might be able to direct an enquirer to Buckingham Palace and yet be very far from having the right to take him into the presence of the Queen; but Jesus can take us the whole way. In their own persons; they were made gazing-stocks, spectacles to the world, angels, and men, 1 Corinthians 4:9. Now accordingly, by virtue of His death which rent the veil, God and man stand face to face. Of how much worse punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant [this new covenant], wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit of grace? He has been proved to be a divine person, and the true royal priest of whom not Aaron only but Melchisedec was the type. The only way you can come to God is as a guilty sinner and cast yourself upon His mercy and grace and just ask for mercy and grace. The luxury so sapped the morale of the Carthaginian troops that when the spring came and the campaign was resumed they were unable to stand before the Romans. It is by this way of "the will" that we have been purified through the once and for all offering of the body of Christ. 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:1-5). For it is deeply, deeply ingrained.So the time of the writing of the Hebrews, those who had made a profession of Christ, some of them sort going back. But in those sacrifices there was a reminder again made for sins every year ( Hebrews 10:3 ). The writer to the Hebrews quotes it differently and in the second line he has: The explanation is that he was not quoting from the original Hebrew but from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Now it is evident that in the Old Testament the distinction was not made between flesh and spirit in the way in which we have it brought out in the general doctrine of Christianity. So really, you have to put the ending on the story yourself. The writer to the Hebrews says in effect: "Look at what has been done for you; look at the shed blood and the broken body of Christ; look at what your new relationship to God cost; can you treat it as if it did not matter? And there is no further sacrifice that can be offered, of a goat or a lamb or a calf or anything else. It was for all men, not only for the respectable classes, that Christ died. But the apostle goes farther, as indeed was due to truth. Indeed both should die; for it usually consists of two parties who are thus bound, and therefore, were the maxim true, both ought to die, which is an evident absurdity. It is Jesus Christ and him crucified for the forgiveness of sins who will save those who believe and repent, and who will return again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He that possesses the one must not eschew the other. There is something unrepeatable about any great work. Thus does the apostle reason on it: "For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" (which the Jew would not contest): "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to do religious service to the living God? Here ye must be workers together with God. For in a short time, a very short time, "He who is to come will come and he will not delay. Because of Jesus the barrier of sin is for ever taken away. The writer to the Hebrews has taken the words of the psalm and put them into the mouth of Jesus. He has but one settled purpose of goodness about us; He watches and judges for our good, and nothing but our good. Then he adds: "And to myriads of angels, the general assembly" for such is the true way to divide the verse "and to the church of the firstborn," etc. But even the apostle felt his own need of the prayers of the faithful, not because he had gone wrong, but because he was conscious of no hindrance to his work from a had conscience. Now those who know him who hath said, Vengeance belongeth to me, I will recompense, must needs conclude, as the apostle does (Hebrews 10:31; Hebrews 10:31): It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Thus the only time when he comes into notice he is acting in the double capacity here spoken of: King of righteousness as to his name, King of Salem as to his place, blessing Abraham on his return from the victory over the kings of the Gentiles in the name of the Most High God, and blessing the Most High God the possessor of heaven earth in the name of Abraham. A Church in such circumstances could not afford to carry members who were a bad advertisement for the Christian faith. The truth is, that the Holy Ghost is come down for the purpose of bearing His witness; and he that deserts this for Judaism, or anything else, is an apostate and lost man. He has brought in redemption in present accomplishment, and at the same time He has given scope for a brighter hope, founded on His mighty work on the cross, measured by Christ's glory as its present answer at the right hand of God. Looking up, she saw silhouetted in the evening sky not the form of a tiger, but of a man, who vaulted down into the pit. There is no sanction here, of course, of the vulgar and outrageous error that pastors give an account of the souls of their flock. Jesus is the substance that casts the shadow. He says that patience is necessary, not only because we have to endure to the end, but as Satan has innumerable arts by which he harasses us; and hence except we possess extraordinary patience, we shall a thousand times be broken down before we come to the half of our course. None but the Old Testament saints, as a class, can all be in the separate state: not the church, or New Testament saints, for we shall not all sleep; nor the millennial saints, for none of them will die. To mount Zion. For whom it may be is another thing, of which he will speak by-and-by. The day of the Lord will come. True, the apostle John uses this very city as the figure of the bride. God is the searcher of hearts, and he requires truth in the inward parts. For we know who it was who said: "Vengeance belongs to me; it is I who will repay," and again: "The Lord will judge his people." Heaven, therefore, by man's own conviction, must be arrayed in justice against earth because of sin, But the day is coming when Israel shall be no more rebellious, and the nations shall be no longer deceived, and Satan shall be dethroned from his bad eminence, and all idols shall flee apace, and God shall be left the undisputed and evidently Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth. 3. Those have done despite unto the Spirit of grace, the Spirit that is graciously given to men, and that works grace wherever it is,--the Spirit of grace, that should be regarded and attended to with the greatest care,--this Spirit they have grieved, resisted, quenched, yea, done despite to him, which is the highest act of wickedness, and makes the case of the sinner desperate, refusing to have the gospel salvation applied to him. (i) We need to keep our hope before us. They knew in themselves that they had in heaven a better and a more enduring substance. "A body you have prepared for me," really means, "You created me that in my body and with my body I should do your will." If He is to be often offered, He must also often suffer. Yet who beforehand would have anticipated either? We hold this in the face of difficulties, doubts, and discouragements. The cleansing of our heart occurs when we receive our pardon and we are deemed pure by God. But notice we are to hold fast the profession of our hope because "he is faithful" that promised. There is no indulgence of human curiosity. All through this, one thing comes out. They must first do the will of God before they receive the promise; and, after they have done the will of God, they have need of patience to wait for the time when the promise shall be fulfilled; they have need of patience to live till God calls them away. Our writer goes further--he says that all they are is a reminder of sin. Not of course that one denies that He has His own proper place, for all is perfect as to each person of the Trinity and all else, but never to this end. Unlike others in Genesis, neither parents are recorded, nor is there any hint of descent from him. There we find these two facts. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Accordingly the epistle to the Hebrews, while it does put the believer in association with Christ, does not, for all this, dissociate him from whatever is good in the saints of God in every age. The Christian's present conflict may be sharp, but it will be soon over. ", This naturally leads the apostle to bring before them One that never ends "Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." As the crier stepped forth, he said, "Hear ye, hear ye, the decision of the supreme council." That is to say, let us never forget the duty of worship. It is quite evident, on the contrary, that this is not only not the truth which all recognize when stated, but altogether inconsistent with the Bible, with all books, and with all experience. . How happy is the man whose sins and iniquities, God said, I will remember no more. So here he tells them to "follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man lack the grace of God." Endurance is essential, since there must always be some waiting time before a promise can be fulfilled. (1.) One of the old divines wrote a kind of catechism. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. But meanwhile we have not yet entered on the rest of God. It is implied here that this promise will not be received unless we are patient in our trials, and the prospect of this reward should encourage us to endure them. Verse 38. Remember the great reward it brings you! From the beginning to the end of it the Christian in Hebrews is not thus dealt with apart from the old nature, as we may see him regarded in the ordinary epistles of Paul, where the old and the new man are most carefully separated. (3.) He may have friends who have no use for that kind of thing and may fear their criticism and contempt. It is a new way, both in opposition to the covenant of works and to the antiquated dispensation of the Old Testament; it is via novissima--the last way that will ever be opened to men. Every morning and every evening a male lamb of one year old, without spot and blemish, was offered as a burnt-offering. Those who begin to waver in matters of Christian faith and practice are in danger of falling away. as well as done by him, extraordinary. Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:19). It is impossible that they could actually take away your sins. I hope that you and I, who have met with great trials already, and have been supported under them by the grace of God strengthening our faith, shall not be at any time left to ourselves to draw back to perdition; but that God will still keep us by his mighty power through faith unto salvation." That's the purpose of gathering and assembling ourselves together is for mutual encouragement, the strengthening of each other, the exhorting of each other. Are they both true of you? He said, "No, I have come to prove to you how much I've always loved you. There are congregations which are as much clubs as they are churches. He satisfies us with the perfectness with which Christ has washed us from our sins in His blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. What mountain in the Old Testament so much speaks of grace, of God's merciful interference for His people when all was lost? There is a wholeness about the life of Jesus that perhaps we ought to give more thought. Indeed, not being revealed of old, according to the apostle, it is altogether a mistake to go to the Old Testament for that truth. Then comes a second exhortation as to their guides, or leading men among the brethren. The hill of Zion up to this time had been the constant menace of the enemy against the people of the Lord; but in due time, when David reigned, it was wrested out of the hands of the Jebusites, and became the stronghold of Jerusalem, the city of the king. But how? It was only known by the biblical scholars. When the Messiah was crucified, Judaism was in principle a dead thing: if it was in any sense kept up, it was no more than a decent time before its burial. And he sprinkled likewise with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. (1.) [2.] III. (2.) "Every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God." He is my mediator. If one member of the body suffers, all the rest suffer with it. They don't understand that to become a Christian is to become a completed Jew. All things here are but shadows. ", Then he commends the saints to God. If that medicine effects a cure, every time he looks at the bottle thereafter, he will say: "That is what gave me back my health." The addition of this last clause as a necessary condition confirms the sense assigned. Be assured it is of the deepest possible moment to cherish the activity of Christ's present love and care for us, the activity of that priesthood which is the subject of this epistle. This one simple act to hear and or read with your heart the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and believe and trust you will receive the gift of faith that comes from God our Father (Romans 10:17 It is the fact that there He sat down; but in this place it will be observed that His taking His seat there is the reward of the life of faith. Observe here, What will be the eternal misery of impenitent sinners and apostates: they shall fall into the hands of the living God; their punishment shall come from God's own hand. It is the purpose of God that man should fellowship with Him. Christians are one body, are animated by one spirit, have embarked in one common cause and interest, and are the children of that God who is afflicted in all the afflictions of his people. No other seat was suitable to such a One. (2) Willful sin shall certainly result in eternal destruction. Totally forgiven through Him, accepting this new covenant that God has established, your sins are completely put away. He takes them into the hand of his justice; he will deal with them himself; their greatest misery will be the immediate impressions of divine wrath on the soul. It is easy to laugh at men's ideals, to pour cold water on their enthusiasm, to discourage them. Behold, to, obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of, "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay your vows to, "For thou bast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt, offering, thou wouldst not be pleased. This statement is so much the more remarkable, because in the beginning of this epistle he had pointed out what became God. From this point on in the epistle the writer made application from the great truths concerning Jesus Christ that he had now finished explaining. (i) We must spur each other to noble living. Then, having finished this part of the subject, the apostle turns to another characteristic in believers the mighty power of faith which knows how to draw on God, and breaks through all difficulties. The intention here was not to dwell either on the scene in which their waiting was put to the test, the wilderness, or on anything that could insinuate the settled position of Israel in the land. It is the only way; there is no way left but this. But over in the corner, and almost drowned in his own blood, was their beloved prince, and next to him a tiger that had been killed.They lifted him out of the pit and carried him back to town and called the best physicians in the kingdom. They could not deny it to be written in the fortieth psalm. He is faithful to us-ward, he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). When Caesar was murdered he faced his assassins with almost disdainful courage. It is I likely that the Hebrew believers were somewhat unruly. It is sinning wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, sinning wilfully against that truth of which we have had convincing evidence. An effective thing does not need to be done again; the very fact of the repetition of these sacrifices is the final proof that they are not purifying men's souls and not giving full and uninterrupted access to God. Condemnation, darkness, death. Jesus is everything to me. The unrent veil bore evidence on its front that man could not yet draw near into the holiest that he had no access into the presence of God. He describes Him thus in His judicial character. He sees that duty extend in three directions. kata sarka greek kata sarka greek. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. "For this he did once, when he offered up himself. First, in God's counsels it was always before Him to have One more than man though a man to deal with this greatest of all transactions. This is precisely what modern research amounts to. But it is not possible to repeat the Fifth or the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven; no one else will ever write anything like them. He presses a conversation without covetousness, and a spirit of content, founded on our confidence in the Lord's care. The first covenant that God established with man is over. It is not so much the power but the love of God which must conquer in the end. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. They needed to persevere, to keep on keeping on. Consequently, when He comes again to them that look for Him, it is simply to bring them into all the eternal results of that great salvation. "The worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." All that I have in my relationship with God today must and does come through Jesus Christ. "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. The victory comes only to the man who holds on. When the apostle Paul, speaks of "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," he means the scene of future heavenly blessedness; whereas when John speaks of the new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, he means, not where but what we are to be. ", Finally, he beseeches his brethren to hear the word of exhortation. This warning passage is in a sense central to all the hortatory passages in Hebrews. It is fit that believers should know the honours and privileges that Christ has procured for them, that, while they take the comfort, they may give him the glory of all. And the apostle shows that we need not only a perfect pattern in the walk of faith, but chastenings by the way. (a) He may not go to church because of fear. He demonstrates its vicarious nature and value from the sacrifices so familiar to all then, and to the Jew particularly, in connection with the covenant that required them Now his rapid mind seizes, under the Spirit's guidance, the other well-known sense of the word, namely, as a testamentary disposition, and shows the necessity of Christ's death to bring it into force. And here we learn the direct application. 4. You are to be one with God and if you then go out and sin you are making God a partner in your sin. Christ's baptism ( Matthew 3) - This was specific to Jesus and His anointing (commission) to be our Savior and the associated testimony of the Holy Spirit and God. For the martyred saint's blood the earth cried to God for vengeance; but Christ's blood proclaims mercy from God, and the millennial day will be the glorious witness of its depth, and extent, and stability, before the universe. But mark another striking and instructive feature of this chapter. Let blinded Jews turn their sightless eyeballs to the mountain of Sinai. For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will repay, saith the Lord. evil, learn to do good" ( Isaiah 1:11-20). 1. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest." We can understand, therefore, both the delicacy that thus entreated them, and the meaning of the added words, "for also in few words I have written to you." First, He makes a scene where sin enters at once. This means that Jesus not only shows us the way to God but also when we get there introduces us to his very presence. 4:9; Heb. It is an enduring substance, it will out-live time and run parallel with eternity; they can never spend it; their enemies can never take it from them, as they did their earthly goods. Thus the first part of the chapter shows us simply what God holds out to the new man; but the epistle to the Hebrews never looks at the Christian simply in the new man, but rather as a concrete person. But human nature being what it is it was easy for the idea to degenerate and for sacrifice to be thought of as a way of buying God's forgiveness. Every one can understand, when once we find that the word means almost always covenant," how great the temptation is to translate it so in but two other occurrences, especially as before and after it means "covenant" in the same passage. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do, thy will, O God." The great exposition of Christ as priest and sacrifice is thus framed by parallel parenetic units . No doubt all will be good and right in its due season then. The content of our hope is our complete salvation in Christ. 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