Two studies ago we considered the possibility of drifting away from God; then in the last study we looked at how we could be deceived by our own areas of unbelief that we had grown used to.
What is the solution?
Read Hebrews 4:12-13.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Can anyone give a convincing explanation into what the clear cut distinction is that separates soul from spirit?
God’s word, if you are prepared to believe it, will very quickly reveal areas of unbelief in our life. Even pointing out wrong ‘thoughts and attitudes of the heart’.
If we persist in maintaining entrenched wrong ideas, we must be prepared to defend them when finally we are called to ‘give account.’
But don’t despair! Help is at hand.
Read Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We have just seen that God’s Word will reveal to us what we’re really like – showing us our weaknesses, our sin. But it also leads us back to a God who rather than being quick to punish us, will instead provide in Jesus someone who totally understands, who too has experienced temptation in every way that we do (v 15).
The one who exposes our failings is also the one who heals and restores. The Judge who convicts us has already taken the punishment and can therefore set us free.
For those early Jewish converts, steeped in thousands of years of history and tradition built around the temple and the priesthood, that was a step too far. So this passage introduces Jesus as the ‘great high priest’. Only the high priest could enter the ‘Holy of Holies’ – the inner sanctum, behind the veil – in order to offer the sacrifice of atonement, once a year.
We looked at the instructions regarding the role of the high priest in our second study; the passage in Leviticus 16 finishes with ‘This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.’
Now let’s read Hebrews 5:1-10
5:1 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’
6 And he says in another place,
‘You are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek.’
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Verses 1-4 list some of the requirements for a high priest. Can you identify how Jesus satisfied those?
He was selected from among the people.
He was able to deal gently with those who were ignorant and are going astray.
As a human he too was subject to weakness. But here the analogy fails, because he was sinless.
Even so, he offered the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the people.
And he was called by God.
But the people knew that to be a priest you had to be a descendant of Aaron.
The answer to that is that the God who makes the rules is also the God who can break them! Here (verse 6) we are reminded of a priest of a different type, Melchizedek, the priest of Salem to whom Abraham paid a tithe following his victory; (Genesis 14:18-20) someone about whom nothing more is known. – (But we will spend more time on him in our next study).
We are also reminded in verse 5 that his credentials are impeccable:
‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’
What else do we know of Jesus’ credentials? Verses 7-9
He spent much time in prayer.
He was human – and prayed that he could somehow escape the cross.
He was obedient, submissive to God’s will, and he suffered and died.
Through his death and resurrection he ‘became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him’
We need to note the reassurance and challenge in verses 8-9.
‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way . . . ’
Now let’s read Hebrews 5:11-14
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
The Christian life is like a car going uphill with no brakes. If we are not going forward we WILL slip backwards!
There is a danger that we think we are mature Christians and sometimes relax into a ‘been there, done it’ kind of faith where we rest on the security of our salvation, believing we know all the answers, with nothing more we need to learn.
But our car, constantly moving uphill, will soon need refuelling. And without regular servicing will potentially grind to a halt – and without brakes, the end can only be disaster.
The Hebrew Christians appear to have settled into a ‘works’ based religion, having even forgotten ‘the elementary truths of God’s word’ (v12) and the writer is finding it ‘hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand’ (V11).
Read Hebrews 6:1-3
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
I have tried to find why these particular examples are included here and have failed!
The NIV Study Bible has a note for 6:1 – it says:
‘elementary teachings about Christ. See note on 5:12.
The note on 5:12 says:
‘elementary truths of God’s word. These are listed in 6:1-2 (see note there).
Obviously the Hebrews were simply spending too much time on these things so perhaps we’d better leave them too – and move on!
Read Hebrews 6:4-8
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
There are different understandings and interpretations of this passage and they depend on whether you believe the writer is referring to true Christians, or those who have never made a true commitment.
If it refers to people who have never really accepted Christ, then the warning seems to have no application – the lost are already lost. But Christ died for the lost, whatever their sin, and when they turn to him in repentance and faith they will be saved. No sin is so great that Christ’s sacrifice is not sufficient.
In that case these verses must apply to true believers, but we feel very uncomfortable about that.
We know that Jesus said ‘I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.’ (John 6:39) and ‘I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ (John 10:28-30).
So we need to look carefully at the words that were used: Jesus said ‘I shall lose none of all those he has given me’.
And ‘no one will snatch them out of my hand’.
From God’s side we are all safe and secure from any outside threat – we are in Christ and nothing and nobody can shake that absolute security. Jesus says ‘I will never drive away’ ‘I shall lose none’, and Paul confirms that ‘nothing can separate us’. Once we are in Christ nothing and nobody can take us out, and Christ himself will not expel us.
But we can choose to apostatise, and Christ never forces anyone against their will. And the Hebrews passage warns that if a person has made a conscious decision to walk away, Christ may not draw them back. It can happen and it has happened. That’s as far as I want to go. I don’t find it helpful to spend any more time considering if I could possibly deliberately give up my salvation.
This does not apply to the believers we were looking at earlier, those who have simply drifted away, or ‘backslidden’. For them the promises remain and their salvation is secure. But like the writer here, we must all continue to pray for and encourage those who are in danger of going downhill.
Read Hebrews 6:9-12
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case – the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
And we are not immune – we too must apply ourselves and not become lazy.
We need to continue to look for the ‘solid food’ that the Bible has for us as we spend time daily renewing our relationship with Jesus.
