Hebrews 11.1
Meat
June 22nd 2014
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
We welcome you if you are here in the live congregation or if you are watching on KPDR here in Utah or if you are watching through live streaming, through Roku, Youtube or through the internet archives.
Our approach to doing church is very different but it is the product of doctrinal positions not creative church playing.
So what you will experience here is a few basic things:
• Prayer
• Singing the Word of God set to music,
• A time of silent reflection and prayer, and then a verse by verse teaching of the Word.
• Then we end with a Q and A from anyone who dares, and then wrap it all up by singing a final set of passages put to music.
We then invite ourselves to go out into the world and put being Christian into practice individually.
So let’s pray . . .
(Sing)
(Silence)
Okay. What a book. For the first nine chapters the writer has been making a case of why his reader (Jewish Converts to Christianity) need to continue in faith.
He has reasoned with them by comparing all that life under the Law offered with all the life in Christ offered.
At chapter 10 and pretty much for the rest of the epistle, the writer strives to reassure them that Jesus is coming soon, that they need to hang on in faith.
And we wrapped chapter 10 up last week with him stating in the last three verses to them, at that time, who were under great persecution:
Hebrew 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (he will NOT be slow).
And then he adds:
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Why, in the context of what he has said here, is he telling them that to believe is to the saving of the soul and that the Lord will not be slow to return to save them?
As a Christian I have always believed (and have always been taught, quite frankly) that everything was finished on the cross (proven by Jesus Himself when He said, “It is finished.”).
Typically, the idea then says the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost and those who believed on His finished work were sealed with the Holy Spirit and that was it – salvation complete.
Die, go to heaven. Jesus did it. Done.
And yet here we have the writer of Hebrews urging these Jewish converts to continue on in faith, trusting that “He is coming and will not tarry” (not be slow in it) and that they who CONTINUE to believe do so to the saving of the soul?
I thought the saving of the soul for these early converts was upon belief and the individual indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
Something is missing here that is not addressed very often.
Again, WE teach believe, be born-again, go to heaven.
But the writer is telling his readers that they have to continue to believe to the saving of the soul?
Additionally, we might ask, Why does Paul say in Romans:
Romans 13:11 “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer . . . than when we believed.”
Doesn’t salvation come the moment we believe? If so, why is Paul writing to believers in Rome and telling them that “now is our salvation nearer than when we believed?” As if we first believe and then salvation arrives at a different time?
This is certainly a different concept than what comes across the pulpit when we boldly claim after a park revival:
“We’ve had seventeen salvations today!”
Some say salvation here does not mean salvation as in the saving of the soul but salvation of being delivered from the destruction all around them.
Others suggest that Paul was suggesting in this epistle to the Romans that those who read his words were not long for this world, and their ultimate salvation was right on the cusp.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I believe that when a person believes in their heart and confesses with the mouths that Jesus is Lord they are saved by grace through faith.
They receive the free unearned gift by faith and not by works.
But I am not so sure the free unmerited gift is used, so to speak, until the end of the road.
In other words, we are awarded the certificate of unmerited salvation upon belief, but actual salvation is awarded upon death.
Now, I am not saying we ought to ever question the efficacy of our salvation certificate. It has been freely awarded. We possess the certificate.
But I’m not so sure we can state that salvation has been awarded until death.
NOT because we have to keep our salvation save by doing more but because we are not actually granted, we do not actually experience the actual salvation (only the promise of) until death.
I can’t help but wonder if the salvation of the apostolic Church (as a whole) was not complete (at the time of the apostolic writings) which is why the writers were constantly telling believers to hang on to faith until it proven, until it was “actual.”
In explaining the signs of the times and His second coming, Jesus said in Luke 21:28:
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
The word for redemption in the Greek is “Ap-oolo-trosis” and it means, “ransom in full.”
Again, if the ransom for the members of the apostolic church was paid in full at the death of Christ, why does Jesus tell His disciples that it will be paid in full when He returns in the clouds?
In 1st Peter 1:3-5 the Apostle Peter wrote:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
(Listen to the contents of this next verse – it details for us perfectly how it all works and looks – ready)
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
From what I can tell, for the believers in the apostolic church age, salvation/redemption was NOT complete when Jesus said:
“It is finished.”
They were waiting for their “salvation to be revealed,” (says Peter) for it was “nearer to them than when the FIRST believed.” (said Paul).
So what have we missed here?
Anything?
The way I have been taught is very simplistic. Jesus came, died, resurrected. Those who believed on Him were spirit filled after Pentecost and were saved.
All this is true.
But there is apparently NOT a period after this but a set of ellipses . . .
(Where we might add)
. . . and waited, amidst trial and tribulation to actually see their salvation revealed.
Stay with me.
Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. The ordinances and covenants of the temple were nailed to His cross, and He, as the writer of Hebrews repeats over and over again, is our High Priest.
Now, He came to the House of Israel. And most rejected Him but some believed unto salvation.
The writer of Hebrews is speaking to Jews, and he has been tapping into the fact that Jesus is a better model in every way to everything that they ever had before.
Having rejected their former religion and embraced Christ they were under tremendous persecution – so much so that apparently many were considering (or had) abandoned their walk of faith in Him and were retreating into the elements of their former faith.
So the writer has said in chapter ten, “don’t do it. Cling to your faith,” and in the last three verses of chapter 10 said:
Hebrew 10:37 For yet a little while, (the word little in the Greek is MICRON, meaning a very little span) “For in a little while and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (he will NOT be slow).
And then he adds:
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Haven’t they all, as believers, already been saved? If so, why does the writer say that it is their continued believing that leads to the saving of their soul?”
Here’s why.
When the High Priest on the day of atonement entered into the Holy of Holies with blood for the sins of the people what were the Children of Israel doing while He was inside offering up the sanctified blood?
Waiting outside, right? For what? For the high priest to exit and reveal himself. Why so?
Because to enter into the presence of the Lord, offer up blood, and then exit meant that the offering FOR their sins was accepted by God! This COMPLETED the atonement for sin for them and they unitedly rejoiced over God’s forgiveness which was proven NOT by the shedding of blood alone, not by the high priest entering the Holy of Holies, but was proven by His return to them!
Had he not returned, His absence, or death, or disappearance would have meant God was NOT accepting of the the blood the High priest offered, and therefore the Nation remained unforgiven in the eyes of God.
So by faith the nation waited, and looked for the return of the High Priest from the Holy of Holies.
And upon His return, his appearing, they had their salvation (albeit temporary as the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin) confirmed.
So, in the Apostlic church we find the completion of all of this in and through believers waiting for the return of our High Priest to return from the Holy of Holies, fulfilling this OT picture and proving to them that God accepted the offering.
As believer today, this is missed.
What it really amounts to is the High Priest, clean and pure – even Jesus Christ – having offered Himself up as the perfect Lamb of God, taking His own shed blood, entering into the Holy of Holies to make the offering, but NEVER coming out to show that God approved and that He has forgiven believers of sin.
After this came to me in full (or better put, in part because we all see through a glass darkly) I consulted the Literal Greek Translations of 1st Peter 1:5
The King James, speaking of believers says it this way:
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
But the WEB literal translation put it this way:
“who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Young says of believers:
“who, in the power of God are being guarded, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time,”
And the WNT says
“whom God in His power is guarding through faith for a salvation that even now stands ready for unveiling at the End of the Age.”
Traditionally we teach that the resurrection of the Lord was the final evidence that God approved of Jesus offering for the sins of the world.
This is only part of the story with the remainder being played out in the Apostolic church with His eminent return in 70AD, effectively completing the work of the World’s Great High Priest by exiting the Holy of Holies and appearing again.
This was the wrapping up of the Age, it was the completion of all the pictures the Jewish economy provided of Him and His reign.
So what does that mean to believer today? The EXACT same things – but spiritually.
Now, I have some friends who believe that when Jesus wrapped it all up with His exiting the Holy of Holies in 70 AD everything has been wrapped up for everyone.
To a certain degree I get this stance because we do NOT have any instruction in the Bible that what was being written by the Apostles at that time to the Apostolic church was written for Gentile believers in 120 AD,
Or 1500 AD or in the year 2014.
We “could” take 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 where Paul says:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
And suggest that this is a textual proof that the Bible was written not only to them but us, but I think this is unfair and a stretch because
First, when Paul wrote all scripture he was writing to believers then and for them scripture was the Old Testament.
But let’s say Paul was including the Apostlic letters too in his definition of all scripture. We still have to admit that there is NOTHING in the apostolic epistles that suggests anything they were writing applied to us in our day – or to any day after 70 AD.
However, we cannot avoid the fact that whenever 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 is read, no matter who reads it, it must be true and therefore applicable so in this sense I believe we could say that all scripture – even in 2014 – is
“given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
The question then remains, how does all scripture work with us?
I would strongly, strongly, strongly suggest the following, no matter how much it trouble people, that we ought to look at scripture (the Bible, which has been given by the inspiration of God to the Nation of Israel and the Apostolic Church) as:
The history of God dealing with the Nation of Israel to bring about the salvation and completion of His work among them.
A model for our Christian lives.
In Romans 15:4 Paul wrote about the Old Testament to those in the Apostolic Church:
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
First, the model applied to the Apostolic Church that was constructed, composed, and existing under some very unusual circumstances.
In addition to waiting on their salvation to appear physically, they were composed primarily of former Jews, were persecuted by current Jews, were under tremendous pressure from Rome, and were expecting an end to that age all as promised by Jesus within a generation.
They had extracted themselves OUT of the former covenant established physically and under the Law and were learning to adopt to a Spiritual one.
So the things that were written “aforetime” (in the Old Testament)
were written for their learning, that they through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
As certificate holding believers they would never go back and practice all that was practiced in the Old Covenant but they would learn patience and comfort from the models and types and pictures presented therein.
So it is today with us. Knowing all we know from the Old and New Testament, believers today would NEVER go back and try and physically do what the earliest Apostolically led church did any MORE than the Apostolically lead church would go back and re-embrace Old Testament models.
This brings me to the third point – the Model is SPIRITUAL not physical.
Instead, we read the Ancient narrative contextually, and extract from it all the spiritual lessons to be taken from the physical experiences of the Apostolic Church written “aforetime” (in the New Testament) for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
This is where the model comes full circle for believers today – my friends, we are now talking “legitimate application.”
If (and you have to decide this on your own) but if the Age was wound up by Christ returning out of the Holy of Holies and coming in the clouds in 70 AD for the members of the Apostolic Church, and if (and again, you have to decide this for yourselves) the Bible is, as a whole, a record of God dealing with the Nation of Israel in providing them a Messiah and the completion of this promised Messiahs work, then everything AFTER the death of John the Beloved that has been aimed at re-creating the early Church (the true church, the Lord’s church) – from Constantine and the Catholics, to Luther and the Lutherans, to Smith and the Mormons (and on and on and on) is akin to the early believers going back and trying to replicate Old Testament Models.
I would strongly suggest that we have ignored the fact that the Holy Spirit is indwelling every true believer. That God has written His laws on the hearts of every true believer. That every institutional church (since the death of the Beloved) has been nothing but well meaning men, in effect “playing church,” and that His church (which the gates of hell could not prevail against) is better today represented by His Body, composed of believers.
Learning from the NT model, we gather together as believers, we study the apostles doctrines and the things written aforetime why?
This brings me to the fourth point.
For rehearsal, the first point is the Bible
Is the history of God dealing with the Nation of Israel to bring about the salvation and completion of His work among them.
The second point is that the Bible is now there to help
A model for our Christian lives.
The third point is that the Bible model for us is entirely spiritual, and the fourth point is we study the Bible to keep us in the EXACT SAME PLACE GOD HAS WANTED ALL HIS CHILDREN TO BE IN –
In a place of faith, hope, and love.
Complete faith and trust in Him and His promises.
Hope or a full expectation of all He has said and promised coming to completion
Love for God and others along the way.
Because Christ completed His physical work totally in 70 AD and fulfilled all the Old Testament types and pictures presented in anticipation of His coming, EVERYTHING that we read in scripture is applicable to us now spiritually.
Old Testament – the Children of Israel were in bondage to Egypt and were set free.
New Testament – believers in Christ were in bondage to Judaism and were set free.
Today – gentile believers captivated by sin are set free in Christ.
Old Testament COI escaped Egypt and entered into the wilderness led by Moses.
New Testament believers escaped Judaism and were lead by Christs and His Apostles.
Today gentile believers escape the world and are led by Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Old Testament COI cross the river Jordan and enter into the promised land.
New Testament believers are baptized and enter into Christianity.
Today believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit and enter into a spirit led life.
In the Old Testament the COI faced trials as they faced enemies and looked for deliverance from their hands.
New Testament believers faced trials and suffering of their faith in Jesus and His Apostles, waiting deliverance from that age and world as promised.
Believers today face trials of faith by suffering and wait to be delivered from the flesh of our own lives.
We could go on, but the single solitary thread that runs consistently through the entire biblical narrative . . . from ADAM to June 22 2014, whether in Noah, or Abraham, or Enoch, of Moses, or Peter, or Paul, or any believer today remains the same –
Faith.
(long beat)
Where all the physical models for the Nation of Israel and the Apostlic church are real, and purposeful to their respective time, they are all – every last one of them – nothing but things written
“aforetime for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
We don’t “do church” to model historical physical events and situations physically, all that is is MAN playing church and using the New Testament as a New Law like the Jewish converts in the New Church tried to apply the Old Law to the Apostolic Church.
We gather together to read and study the Word so as to be fed, to learn, that through patience and comfort we might have hope as “our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” – at our deaths.
That His appearing is coming very soon – at our individual deaths!
That as each of us pass we too face judgment . . . and deliverance.
And since faith comes by hearing of the Word, and by hearing the word we grown in hope, we too are better protected from the apostasy the early Saints faced because their faith and hope was waning.
In other words, if faith was essential to the relationship Adam had with God, and Noah had, and Abraham, and to all those in the early church, it is just as essential to us.
Faith.
From it springs our capacity for hope. By it comes our ability to love.
And I would say to you, just as the writer of Hebrews wrote to the early physical church:
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come (through death), and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
And having unabashedly stressed the importance of continued faith in saved believers, he goes on to a whole treatise on the topic, starting with:
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Which we will cover next week.
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