Author: Charlie Garrett

Saturday, 15 September 2018

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, Hebrews 3:14

The words here have a similar ring to the words of verse 3:6. Both are in the plural (we), both include the conditional “if,” and both speak of “the end.” Putting them side by side will show this –

3:6 – but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

3:14 – For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 

Understanding this, we see that verse 3:14, like verse 3:6, is not a verse which speaks of an individual possessing and keeping his salvation. The words speak of the collective body being 1) Christ’s house, and 2) partakers of Christ.

“For we have become” are words directed to the Hebrew audience. “For” is given to explain what was just said about exhorting one another lest there be a hardening of one of the group. “We have become” asserts a fact. There was a point at which they had gone from one state to another. The tense is perfect, the mood is indicative, the voice is active – “We are become.” The audience has “become partakers of Christ.”

As the author is speaking to the Hebrews, he is making the statement that the Jewish people have become partakers with Christ. The word “partakers” signifies companionship and sharing in something. There is a partnership which has been enjoined through the union. It is the same word given in verse 3:1 which says, “partakers of the heavenly calling.”

They are included in all of the rights and benefits which are granted to the Messiah, which He bestows upon them as His people. This is the same as the group who were brought out of Egypt. They had become the people destined for entrance into Canaan. However, because of the failure of the people through unbelief, that right was taken from them and another generation took their place. The same is true with the Hebrew audience here. They had become partakers with Christ. Everything that was promised to them would be granted to them. However, there is a caveat. The author goes on to say, “if we hold the beginning of our confidence.”

Indeed, it is a conditional thought – “We have become… if.” This is speaking to the whole, just as it did of those who were in the wilderness. If there was not a collective positive response, there would not be a granting of the benefit. The Cambridge commentary notes that the word “beginning” here “does not here imply anything inchoate or imperfect, but is merely in contrast with ‘end.’” The Pulpit Commentary then explains the thought with, “Go on as you began.” The Hebrews had been selected, Messiah had come, they carried the ball from there. If this confidence continued, they would indeed be and remain “partakers of Christ.”

The Greek word translated as “confidence” here is not the same as in verse 3:6. There, it was a boldness; here, it is an assurance. It is that which gives substance to something, as if in a guarantee. Understanding this, the author finishes up his thought. The Hebrews were to hold fast to their confidence (their assurance) “steadfast to the end.” Like in verse 3:6, the word “end” here is telos. This is not speaking of the end of life, as if in a termination. It is “the point into which the whole life of faith finally gathers itself up” (Vincent’s Word Studies).

Thus, this is speaking not of an individual faith which must be maintained, but the collective faith being expressed by the audience. One cannot hold fast to something when he is dead; only the collective can. There is no “individual” reference being made here. Rather, it is the Hebrew people who are being addressed as a community who are being instructed on entering God’s rest. And his focal point for this state is the awesome day known as “Today.” Again, as after 3:6, the author will provide an example of the collective loss of a right when he speaks of the group of people who were denied entry into Canaan, meaning the “rest” which was promised to them.

As before, this is not speaking of individual salvation, but a state which belongs to the whole. The question is, did the Hebrew audience of this epistle hold fast to the confidence in a manner which was “steadfast to the end”? No! Israel as a whole failed to do so, and the church went from Jewish-led, to Gentile-led. They did not, as a group, remain partakers of Christ.

However, as has been noted before, the letter to the Hebrews is placed after the Gentile-led church-age epistles. It is a clue tied to the dispensational model. Israel was set aside, the Gentiles assumed control, but Israel will again be the focus of God’s attention. Because of this, there is yet hope for them! After the removal of the church, the attention will again be directed towards Israel. At that point, the words here will also again apply to them. If they meet the conditional “if” of these verses, they will enter their rest, meaning the millennium. The book is written, and it shows that they will, in fact, do so. Until then, there is individual salvation, but Israel as a whole is not yet again included in what is stated here concerning Today.

Life application: Though the doctrinal truths of the book of Hebrews apply to whoever is reading it, there is an intended audience to whom the author is specifically speaking – the Hebrew people. Ripping them out of the context, and then shoving the Gentile-led church into these verses, does a disservice to what is being said. It also leads to misdirected theology and people who believe they can lose their salvation. This is not the intent of what is being alluded to here.

Lord God, help us to keep our interpretation of biblical passages in their intended context. In doing so, we will be sound in our theology, able to answer questions properly, and we will certainly avoid perceived contradictions which otherwise arise. Above all, help us to not make the error that the church has replaced Israel. If we can get this one precept right, everything else rightly and logically finds its place. Help us to remember this! Amen.

Friday, 14 September 2018

…but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

The word “but” is given as a contrast to what was just said. The author spoke of any one of the congregation as having an “evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” In order to keep that from occurring, he offers sound and practical advice, which is to “exhort one another daily.” The word “exhort” here means to build up and encourage one another, to give comfort, and to console. The theme is found throughout the writings of Paul, such as in 1 Thessalonians 4:18. There he says to “comfort one another.”

The idea here is to not be like those in the wilderness, and to grumble and complain about how bad their situation was, and how much better it was before He brought them out of Egypt. It was as if God had made a mistake by bringing them out, and He became the object of their blame. If such a root of bitterness were to arise, others were to encourage him in an attempt to quell the bitterness. From there, he says, “while it is called ‘Today.’” A literal rendering of the Greek would be, “as long as the Today is proclaimed.” The word “Today” is prefixed by a definite article, setting it off as a particular moment in time.

The thought brings the reader back to verse 3:7 which said, “Today if you will hear His voice.” There was a day when the voice of God was heard. It was disregarded, and so God, through the Psalmist, said again, “Today if you will hear His voice.” The author of Hebrews, citing this many, many centuries later again says, “Today if you will hear His voice,” and he tells them that daily the Today is proclaimed. But the word “while” indicates that it is a set time. Someday, the Today will be gone. Today is the day. It is a day when God’s voice can be heard, and it is a day when salvation can be found. It is reflective of Paul’s words of 2 Corinthians 6 –

“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ² For He says:
‘In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2

Grace is offered Today. It is Today then that the reader is to exhort one another concerning this offering, as the author then says, “lest any of you be hardened.” The word “you” is in the emphatic position which is intended to contrast the reader of Hebrews with the fathers. He is specific that what happened to them should not be repeated. The hardening he refers to is what was stated in verse 3:8 – “Do not harden your hearts.” He will continue to explain this, and then he will restate it again in verse 3:14. It is obvious that he fully expects this possibility to arise, because there has already been the example set in Israel during the wilderness wanderings. The hardening happened, and it was “through the deceitfulness of sin.”

In the Greek, there is an article before “sin.” It is “through the deceitfulness of the sin.” Here, sin is personified. It is as a living force that creeps in and steals away the softened heart, causing it to harden. The specific sin spoken of is that of the previous verse, unbelief. The Hebrew audience is asked to encourage one another, and to do so while it is “Today,” because there may be those who simply refuse to believe. The deceitful enemy is there before them, and they must ensure it is challenged until a state of belief exists. If they believe, they will enter God’s rest (verse 4:3), if they fail to believe, they will not (verse 3:19).

Life application: For the believer in Christ, we are sealed with God’s Holy Spirit as a guarantee of the eternal life which is promised. But that only comes through belief. Apart from belief in the finished work of Christ, there is nothing we can do, and there is nothing we can give to God, which will bring us to salvation. The author is building his argument for his Jewish audience, preparing them for the decision. Will they choose Christ, or will they go back to temple worship? Though Hebrews was written to the first century Jews, while the temple was still standing, its placement in Scripture shows that the words are directed to the Jews of the end times, when there will be another temple standing. What path will they choose? The author exhorts them to not be caught up in the deceitfulness of the sin of returning to the temple service.

Heavenly Father, You have placed the sun and the moon in their orbits, and You have dug out the pits of the oceans. Birds fly through the expanse of the sky, and monkeys swing in the trees. Everything has a place, and all things work according to Your purposes. Why does such obvious wisdom fail to spark the mind of man? Why do we turn from it and say it was all just time and chance? Lord, help us to understand Your presence, and to acknowledge You for Your acts of glory. Great are You, O God, and greatly are You to be praised. Amen.

Thursday, 13 September 2018

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; Hebrews 3:12

The words of this verse now resume the “Therefore” of verse 3:7. Everything since then has been parenthetical – “Therefore…Beware, brethren…” Understanding this, the word “Beware” is given as a warning based on what came before the “Therefore.” In verse 3:6 it says, “whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” Now, as a warning concerning that, he warns his audience to beware, and then says, “brethren.” He is speaking to his Jewish audience who are in the same situation as were the Hebrews of old. It is they who were referred to in the examples provided from Psalm 95.

The principle of unbelief has been exactingly established. They saw the great and awesome works of God, and they still turned their heart from him in unbelief. The author knows the past, and he is warning so that the pattern will not be repeated in those he is writing to. However, he then says, “lest there be.” The words are in the indicative mood signifying that it is not merely possible that it could happen, but that there is a reason for thinking it will be so. If the past is a good judge of what will happen again, then it seems such will be the case.

From there he says, “in any of you.” In these words, he is not only appealing to the group, but also individually. There is the group who is to be watchful, but there is the need to look at each person within the group and ensure that they not fall into unbelief. If it appears this is the case, then they are to take the advice that will be provided in the coming verse. For now, the “any of you” is speaking of having “an evil heart of unbelief.”

One can see the words of verse 3:8 being repeated here. There it said, “Do not harden your hearts.” Now that is being repeated to the audience. In essence, he is saying, “lest there be in any of you – as will most likely be the case based on past experience – an evil heart of unbelief.” And why would he assume that? It is because of what followed in verse 3:10, “They always go astray in their heart.” Instead of accepting that God is in control, relying on His provision, and remaining faithful, they departed from him. Their hearts were evil, and they lacked faith that He would, in fact, fulfill His words to them.

In their unbelief, their heart was considered evil because it led them to depart “from the living God.” The living God is now set apart from all other gods which are mere lifeless idols. He is alive, and thus He is aware. As He is aware, He knows of the needs of His people, and He will provide according to the promises He has made to them. Not one of them shall fail. However, if their heart is one of unbelief, as the living God, He is not unaware of their turning. In such a case, He will bring judgment on them, just as He has done in the past.

What needs to now be understood is that “the living God” is being equated to “Christ as a Son over His own house” of verse 3:6. The turning away from the Lord in the Old Covenant is equated to turning away from Christ in the New. To do this is to leave oneself exposed to the same wrath of God that befell those who tested and tried the Lord in the past.

Again, it needs to be considered what is being spoken of concerning God’s rest. Moses was not allowed to enter Canaan because of the sin of unbelief in striking instead of speaking to the rock. And yet we know that Moses is a saved person. The “rest” then was something that was anticipated in Canaan, and it is based on Creation (God rested on the seventh day). This needs to be remembered to understand what is coming in the verses ahead, especially as the author moves into the next chapter.

Life application: Faith is what God looks for in His faithless creatures. He asks His people to believe His promises, and to hold fast to them. We cannot expect anything beyond what He has promised though. For example, God has promised His people heaven where all things will be made new, including no more pain. But this is not heaven. We cannot expect to live in this current life free of pain. Our faith is to look forward to the promises while enduring the present which may be lacking what is only to be realized in the future.

Heavenly Father, help us not to question Your goodness as we face pains, tears, and loss. You have promised a day ahead when such things will be behind us. But that day is not yet here. Until then, we will experience all kinds of temptations and trials. And so help us to look in faith to that more perfect time, and to endure this current life without losing heart in Your sure promises. They will come to pass. Until then, help us to remain strong in our faith. Amen.

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Hebrews 3:11

This verse completes the references to Psalm 95, it being an exact quote of verse 11 of that psalm. The people of Israel had tested the Lord, tried His patience, gone astray in their hearts, and had not known the Lord’s ways. This continued on throughout the entire duration of their time in the wilderness. Therefore, the Lord’s wrath was aroused to the point where it says, “So I swore in my wrath.” He was pushed to the point where He swore, meaning He made an absolute statement which would not be revoked.

The “wrath” which is referred to by the psalmist, and which is then again referred to here in Hebrews, is originally recorded in Numbers 14:26-35. It is a promise that those of the congregation of Israel, who had been brought out of Egypt and saw His marvelous workings on their behalf, would be consumed in the wilderness. They would not be allowed to enter Canaan as He had said to them when He led them from Egypt. This is what the next, and final, clause of the psalm is referring to with the words “They shall not enter My rest.”

The “rest” spoken of here is receiving the inheritance promised to them. It is entering and possessing the land of Canaan. This is seen, for example, in Deuteronomy 12:9 –

“…for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.”

The reason they would not enter and possess was because of unbelief, as is noted first as a warning to the audience of Hebrews in verse 3:12, and then as explained of the people in the wilderness in verse 3:19. The people lacked faith (belief) in the Lord, and He said that because of this, “They shall not enter My rest.”

This is important to understand. Verse 3:6 is a verse (as noted at that time) which is used to show that we must persevere in our own selves in order to keep our salvation. However, verse 4:3 will negate uch a thought when it explains that, “For we who have believed do enter that rest.” It is not something that must be attained; it is something that has been realized – and that through belief.

The author is clearly showing the difference between those who have not believed and those who have. If those who have believed have entered their rest, then it cannot be that when he speaks of a future entering into God’s rest, that it applies to those who have already attained that state.

The word translated as “rest” here is found only once outside of the book of Hebrews, in Acts 7:49 when speaking of the place of the Lord’s rest. Now, it will be used eight times in chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews. Though it is speaking of Canaan as the anticipated rest for the people of Israel, that is only being used as a picture of entering God’s true rest, which is the promise of dwelling securely with the Lord for those who are saved. Tied up in this then is the “rest” of God which is noted in Genesis 2:3 –

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

That “rest” of God was then cited as the basis for Israel’s observance of a Sabbath day in Exodus 20:8-11 –

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

The Sabbath, then, was given as a sign to Israel of the rest which God was in, and which would someday be granted to the Lord’s people. Entrance into Canaan was a picture of entering that state of rest – God’s eternal Sabbath. These things need to be understood now because they were only pictures, not the reality themselves. It is by faith in Messiah that one actually enters into God’s rest. First, this happens upon belief in the work of the Messiah. In that act, a person is given the guarantee of having been placed positionally into God’s rest (Hebrews 4:3). It is done in God’s mind. At some future point, that guarantee will then actually be realized when we enter into His presence.

How can it be verified that these two rests – the Sabbath and entering Canaan – are only types of heaven? Because Moses did not enter Canaan (God’s rest). If those in the wilderness were actually not saved, Moses would not be saved. However, Moses is clearly accepted by God as evidenced by his presence with the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration as is recorded in the gospels. He was not lost, nor was every person in the wilderness lost eternally. Further, those who did enter Canaan would all be considered “saved.” However, Joshua 7 will show that Achan was destroyed soon after entering Canaan because of his faithlessness. Therefore, these things are recorded as examples of spiritual truths only.

Those who were saved, and those who are not, are up to the Lord. What is important to understand is that Israel was collectively being used as types of what occurs in the individual now in relation to Christ – believe and be saved (enter God’s rest), or be condemned through unbelief.

Life application: The study of Hebrews brings out truths which are often very hard to grasp. It is as if they are right at the edge of our thinking, but it seems as if words are actually insufficient to properly explain what is occurring. Such is not the case, but clinging to the commentary of a single individual will inevitably leave a void in our understanding of what is being relayed. Read the word, think on the things it says, check out various commentaries, and then read the word and think on what is being said again. In the end, the one thing that is sure is that we are saved – eternally – by having faith in Jesus Christ.

Lord God, You gave us types and pictures of what You would do in the coming of Messiah all throughout the Old Testament. Each story, each law, and each precept was given to help us understand Him and His work better. In His coming, we can read those things and see the marvel of what You have done through Him. Thank You, O God, for the wonder of life in Christ. By simple faith in His work, everything from those writings then makes sense. We have a sure hope which is grounded in Him! Amen.

Tuesday, 11 September 2018

Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’ Hebrews 3:10

These words continue with the quote from Psalm 95, specifically verse 10 –

“For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’”

In this verse, he begins with, “Therefore.” That is not a part of the psalm, but it is inserted by the author of Hebrews to show the logical outcome of what transpired. That outcome is based on the content of verses 3:8, 9 which speak of the hardening of the hearts of Israel, and of their provoking and trying the Lord. In response to that, the outcome is stated beginning with, “I was angry with that generation.”

The word translated as “angry” is found only here and in verse 3:17 of this chapter. It signifies feeling indignant at something. The Lord had displayed His greatness among Israel, and they had constantly rebelled against Him. Thus, He was truly irked at them. Based on this, the Lord then says, “They always go astray in their heart.”

Several of the wonders performed by the Lord were noted in the review of verse 3:9. That was but a few of them. Further, the cloud and the pillar were always present with the people. As it says at the close of Exodus –

“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. ³⁷ But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. ³⁸ For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”

Despite the wonders, despite the continuous and visible presence of the Lord, and despite His corrective measures, Israel never stopped going astray in their hearts. It is the theme of their lives, being a contrary and stiff-necked people. The Lord could have eradicated them, He could have sent them back to the bondage of Egypt, or He could have multiplied their punishment of forty years of wandering if he wished. But forty years was sufficient to show that they would not change even if the time was doubled or tripled. They had proven themselves unable to be corrected. And this was because, as the Lord says, “And they have not known My ways.”

To know means both to understand and to acknowledge. The Lord had given His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances. They were given to instruct and guide the people. And yet, they neither grasped the importance of them, nor did they acknowledge their usefulness in either daily life, or in a proper relationship with the Lord. In the end, the reason for this comes down to a single word, faith. The people failed to trust the Lord and have faith in His decisions. The miracles worked among them were unable to correct the hardened state of their hearts, and the Lord thus made a determination concerning them. That is the subject of the next verse in Hebrews. It is a subject which will then be discussed in great detail by the author as he continues.

Life application: We don’t have the miraculous outward displays of the Lord before our eyes as Israel did, but we do possess two things which should stand as sufficient evidence of the Lord’s presence among us. The first is His word. It testifies to us of Him, and it should be sufficient to convince us of His presence in an ongoing way in the world today. The second is the ability of the word to change the lives of those who accept it for what it is. So many have been changed by the word, so continuously and for so many centuries, that it confirms the power of the word. We ignore this at our own peril. Be sure to believe the gospel message which contains such transformative power and be sure to apply the precepts of the Bible to your lives each day.

Lord God, there is power in the gospel message to change lives – both of individuals, and of groups of people. It has been preached for 2000 years, and those who have received it have had changed lives. In Your word, and in what it brings about in others, we have all the surety we need to accept it for what it is, by faith. Thank You that we have such a sure and precious word. Amen.