Brief Chapter outline:
The Danger of Profession without Possession (vv. 1–8): The author of Hebrews called on the readers to abandon their practice of works which lead to death. The author gave one of the New Testament’s strongest warnings to those who professed their faith in Christ without any other evidence. The writer used an agricultural illustration to clarify the future expectation for those who produced no fruit in their spiritual lives.
Evidences of Enduring with Faith in Jesus (vv. 9–12): Despite the author’s strong warning, the writer of Hebrews assured the readers that they saw evidences of genuine Christianity in their lives. Their past and present practice of ministry to God’s people provided evidence of their faith. The writer warned them against spiritual laziness and appealed for them to follow the examples of believers who endured in their faith.
Encouragement for Those who Profess Faith in Christ (vv. 13–20): Abraham patiently endured to receive God’s promise of blessing. God had both offered His Word and supported it with an oath and promise to bless those who followed Abraham’s faith. God’s promise provides an anchor for our hope. Christ enters God’s presence as our forerunner to nail down our experience of fellowship.
There have been times in our lives where we become impatient with others when we see halfhearted commitment or lack of effort. Our impatience will oftentimes get the best of us and reach a breaking point. At this time, we point out the faults of the others, like their disobedience and a call for commitment. These messages we deliver often come out with little hope of grace, mercy, or love. The other person may tell us that we tore them down, but did not lift them up.
In these times of our impatience and frustration, we tend to attack, but not provide a solution. We warn, but do not point to mercy. We criticize, but not encourage. Then, after some time and conviction by the Holy Spirit, we see our mistake and feel bad for the way we handled the situation. We did not handle it as an example of Christ. Cue all my years of parenting. The writer of Hebrews did not make the same mistake. The writer began with a strong, necessary warning to a band of lackadaisical, uncertain believers. The author called them to move beyond “dead works” to genuine stamina in their discipleship (vv. 1–3). The author warned those who had merely declared their allegiance to Christ and were not demonstrating works (vv. 4–6). The author compared those who had received divine blessings without producing fruit to worthless land which ends up being burning (vv. 7–8).
Then the author provided words of encouragement. The writer commended the labor and love of the readers. The author reminded them of a God who would not “forget your work” (v. 10), and the writer complimented their past and present assistance to troubled believers. What the readers truly needed was to continue to show this same diligence (v. 11).
The author ended on a high note of hope. The writer encouraged the readers to produce fruits patiently by presenting Abraham as an example of patience and service (v. 15). The author reminded them that God had both extended His word with the promise of a blessing and had sworn an oath to support His word. These expressions from a God who could not lie provided comfort, relief, and strength for the struggling readers (v. 18).
The author of Hebrews challenged the readers to take hold of the divine hope offered them and enter into God’s very presence. Jesus was already there as their High Priest, and He would provide them unlimited access to divine strength and power.
Sometimes people become so careless in their spiritual lives that only a shocking warning will get their attention. Anyone who turns away from Christ has no hope of entering God’s presence. However, it is equally important to provide hope for those who will listen to this reprimand and turn to God. Jesus is able to save us completely because He always lives to intercede for us (7:25). He is able to keep us on a path of obedience. Which path are you traveling?
PRINCIPLES
- Professing believers who produce no evidence of conversion face God’s judgment.
- Let me clarify this a bit more: The warning for all time is that God rejects the show of piety without the fruit of righteousness. Those who claim to be devout must submit to the authority of Christ and bring forth fruit of repentance–a changed life (Matt 21:18-46)
- God provides strength to lead us beyond elementary teaching to maturity.
- It is impossible to rekindle faith in those who deliberately turn from Christ.
- Good works provide a clear proof of genuine Christianity. Good works do not save. They show an active faith
- We must imitate the lives of those who believed God’s promises.
- God has promised His blessings to those who follow the hope He offers.
APPLICATIONS
- Do not linger on elementary issues of the Christian life.
- Study them. Know them. Practice them. But move beyond them as well to grow closer to God who desires a deeper relationship with you.
- Resist all temptations to push Jesus back to a secondary place in your life.
- May He be the focus in every part of our lives and in every way. May all things about our lives be submitted to Him
- Provide an example of faithfulness for others to imitate. Not for glory or honor, but to exemplify Jesus and put our faith in action
- Enter God’s very presence by claiming the hope we have in Jesus.
Summary:
Sometimes in our lives we go through trials and tribulations where everything is going wrong. Our health is failing. Our marriage or relationships are struggling and breaking apart. Our work is terrible and unfilling or we are desperate for work altogether. Those around us are struggling. We feel attacked on every side. Our finances seem to be crumbling and more and more bills pile up.
Sometimes, we think we make the right decision only to have it backfire. A house that looked great and caught our eye is now the bain of our existence. It has become a money pit. A supposedly reliable car brand and car seems to break down all the time. We wonder how are we going to keep affording these repairs. The stocks crash as soon as we buy them. Our business is crumbling when it seems like we do everything we are supposed to do. A history of no major illnesses in our family history is soon broken by the latest news of our health. Our eyes go to the problems. The worry and anxiety mounts. Our stomach is anxious all of the time. All of this pain and hardship makes us feel like we are alone.
Then, out of nowhere in some mysterious way, our ears are opened to a word. We hear a story of hope. It may not be truly about hope or about are situation, but in some way God is speaking to us through this story or speaker. We may put two and two together and all of the sudden we find hope. It does not mean that our finances will miraculously recover overnight or maybe even ever. Our house may still be a struggle. Our business may never reach the potential we had hoped. We may just limp along in life. But we hold onto this motivational moment for a while as it gives us hope to face the challenges. We are reminded of of how God can use our circumstances for good in ways we may not know or realize. We have to have a long term mind set.
The writer of Hebrews had spoken firmly and trenchantly. They had told their readers how serious their problems were. The writer did not leave their explanation there. The writer also encouraged the readers by presenting the eternal hope they have in Jesus. Jesus gives us entrance into God’s very presence. Jesus prays for us. Jesus gives us fellowship with the Father. We can come to Jesus for mercy and grace to face life’s needs. We all can use hope, day after day after day. Jesus is our only sure source of that hope.
A Few Additional Points:
Repentance (V. 1): In many parts of today’s society, repentance describes sorrow for sin. We can, however, be sorry for sin for the wrong reason. Our sorrow can come because someone caught us in the act of sin or because we feel humiliated by what we have done. True repentance is deeper than mere sorrow for sin.
In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” Repentance is a spiritual and moral change of attitude toward God which turns an individual from sin to God. The act of repentance may cause sorrow, but it must cause a turning from sin. John the Baptist called his hearers to turn from sin to the true God (Matt. 3:7–12). The prodigal son repented when he abandoned the course which he had followed and returned to his father (Luke 15:17–19).
The “dead works” are evil deeds which leave an individual “dead in your offenses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). For most Gentiles these works consist of immorality and idolatry. For Jews these works consist of self-righteous actions to gain favor with God. All such works call us to repentance, to trust in God to change our lifestyle.
Faith (v. 1): Faith in God describes the positive act of reliance on divine promises which balances and accompanies the negative act of repentance. The two complementary acts form a unity, resembling the two faces of a coin. Both must be present in the experience of salvation. In this context faith is an act of turning toward God to receive new life in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ is identical with faith in God.