The author of Hebrews had innumerable examples of faithfulness (as we
=ll see shortly) he could have drawn on to encourage his readers to hold fast to their faith in their time. It is imperative that we carefully consider the ones selected for special attention, because they tell us a lot about where those early Christians were on God=s time line of redemption.It is no accident that we find a reference to the exodus from Egypt in the recitation. Israel
=s family had been called to Egypt as a favored people and given special privilege; but, A... there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph@ (Ex. 1:8) and privilege gave way to oppression.There are numerous parallels to be drawn from this Old Testament type and the anti-type we have in the passing of the old covenant, but for purposes of the present discussion just note that in both instances the people had been in bondage for over 400 years. In the first case, they were in bondage to Egypt, in the second, they were in bondage to the perversion of the Mosaic Covenant which their leaders used to oppress them. It is of no small significance that in Rev. 11:8 John refers to
Athe great city@ (Jerusalem) as spiritual ASodom and Egypt@.Just as the Hebrews of old had been delivered from Egyptian bondage, the Hebrews of the first century were about to be delivered from spiritual Egypt as this letter was being written. It is not at all surprising that we find the stories of deliverance from the old and entrance into the new as themes in a letter to believers in a transition of the ages. Pharaoh and his army were drowned in a physical sea. The oppressors of spiritual Israel drowned in a
Asea@ of Roman soldiers while believers passed through it to safety before Jerusalem was taken.Spend some time considering the ways the two situations are alike: one physical, the other spiritual. The order which scripture gives us for God
=s dealing with His people is, first the physical, then the spiritual. He demonstrates His power in the physical realm, so that we can understand what He is doing in the spiritual realm. Once we make this connection, the pencil sketch of God=s redemptive work becomes a vivid Aliving color@ display of His power and glory that makes IMAX seem like a snapshot through a peep hole!And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (vss. 32-40)
As I mentioned earlier, the author makes it clear there are too many examples of faithfulness to possibly speak to them all in this context. Yet, he can
=t refrain from providing a shotgun blast of reminders to call his readers to remembrance of their heritage of faith. Those readers were enduring real hardship and some did abandon their faith in spite of these admonitions and warnings.Now, pay special attention to the last sentence in the section above. Who were
Aall these@? What was promised? Who is the Aus@ for whom AGod had provided something better@, and with whom the faithful of old would Abe made perfect@?The text makes it evident that
Aall these@ is a catch all for the faithful of ages past: people like Abraham who looked for a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one. AWhat was promised@ is a clear reference to what was promised to Abraham that through him Aall the nations of the earth shall be blessed@. A time was coming in which God would fulfill (make perfect) His promises to Abraham. The faithful of the ages longed for that day, but it did not come in their lifetimes.Don
=t miss the significance of the Aus= in this passage. The author is not talking about you and me or any other believers since that first century generation. He is referring to believers living in that first century generation A...upon whom the ends of the world are come...@ as Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:11. The word for Aends@ here and Aperfect@ in the passage above are both from the Greek telos which has the idea of completion or fulfillment.Anticipating an objection, let me quickly add that it can mean
Atermination@ but in biblical eschatology, the only sense in which it can mean termination is the end of the old covenant system; and even that was not so much a termination as it was a transformation Afrom glory to glory@ (2 Cor. 3:18). Make no mistake about it, the old covenant system had its glory, but it was fading just as the glory had faded from Moses= face after coming down from the mountain. Moses kept his face veiled so the people wouldn=t see it fade.There was a veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, nevertheless when God was present, everyone knew because His glory could not be contained within the veil. By the time Hebrews was written, God had not been present in the Most Holy Place for generations! The priests continued meaningless rituals and the veil served more to keep the emptiness of the sacred spot from public view than anything else. The glory was long gone, but those in power feared what would happen if the people understood just how destitute the old system was. At Jesus
= death, that veil was torn from top to bottom to expose the fraud and open the way for all the righteous of all generations to enter the Presence of God.The time of fulfillment had come upon that generation exactly as Jesus said it would.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
The passage above is intimately connected with the verses which follow, but I want to break in here because this passage is so frequently cited to encourage believers today to live faithful lives. That is, I believe, a proper application but it is not a proper interpretation. It is imperative that we interpret properly and not confuse interpretation with application. This exhortation had a very different application to its initial readers.
Having recounted examples of great faith, the author reaches a conclusion for his audience;
Atherefore@ because Awe@ (them) have such a throng of examples surrounding Aus@, let=s cast off everything which slows us down. I=m sure most of you are aware that this is the language of the games which we now refer to as the Olympics, which just happen to be going on right now. I probably don=t have to remind you that participants in the original games were usually naked. The idea expressed here is that of getting rid of your toga so it doesn=t tangle up around your knees while you were in the middle of the race. Why would the author make such a reference?Adam and Eve were created naked and were not ashamed. When they sinned, God made them clothes. Clothes are, at their root, a sign of sin. As a runner in the race shed his clothes, those in the spiritual race of faithfulness were encouraged to take off their sin clothes (the law of works) so as not to be tripped up by them..The example of Christ on the cross exposed for all the world to see is the ultimate example of endurance.
The author
=s audience was full of people who either witnessed that spectacle or knew someone who did. For those early believers it was a vivid and still fresh image of selfless endurance. Imagine the resolve that image instilled in them at the exhortation to Anot grow weary and lose heart@. Such an warning would have been foolish if they had a scintilla of a thought that they would have to endure for thousands of years before they would receive what was promised. However, they could take heart because, as the writer emphasized again and again, the time was short. Their deliverance was near. Christ=s righteousness was the only Aclothing@ they needed.You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. (vss. 4-13)
A
It is for discipline that you endure....@ Did you catch that important phrase in the middle of this passage? What does it mean? Is the author saying they are enduring so that they can be disciplined? Does he mean that the discipline they are receiving causes them to endure? Or, is there another way to understand this phrase?I
=ve looked at the original and a number of translations and my conclusion is that the first meaning above is the proper one. We don=t have time to develop it here but I think you will readily agree that the prophets (especially Isaiah) spoke of the coming of Messiah as a time of refining with fire. It is this them Paul capitalizes on in 1 Cor. 3 as he urges that messed up bunch of believers to pay attention to what is important.Those first century Christians were being refined through the fire of tribulation. You have to put yourself in their place to hear this admonition. These are folks who have become outcasts in their own families because they followed Christ. They have been put out of the synagogues, their tie to the faith of their youth and the faith of their fathers. They aren
=t rejecting that faith, they are accepting the very Substance which that faith had envisioned for all generations.Wouldn
=t it be easy to wonder why God would allow you to suffer even further at the had of the Romans when you had already endured so much? Sure, but the writer tells them why they must endure: A...that we [they] may share His holiness....@ Positionally, they already had it because they were in Christ and Christ had been exalted to the right hand of the Father - a position of holiness. Practically, they were still awaiting the announcement of salvation from the Great High Priest (see Heb. 9:28). In other words, for them salvation was not a done deal. If Christ has not come to announce salvation, it still isn=t. Think about that.Do we have a need for endurance? Certainly, but not in the same sense they did. Again, it is a matter of interpretation vs. application. Prior to the events surrounding A.D. 70, salvation was incomplete (or perhaps it is better to say it was waiting to be revealed). If they gave up on the promise and went back to the old covenant system they lost their salvation (Gal. 5:4).
Now that the salvation they awaited has been
Arevealed from heaven@ and God has taken vengeance Awith flaming fire@ on those who rejected Him, and who persecuted the saints, it is impossible to to return to the old covenant system. It has passed away. The trappings of that system may be revived but any such revival would be a work of man and of no import in God=s redemptive plan.Because Christ kept His word, we have assurance of our salvation. Christ
=s sacrifice is all sufficient for us. We do not depend upon our weak nature for salvation, but upon His atoning work which by God=s grace has been granted to us by faith. If we can begin to see the picture which scripture paints for us so well, we will proclaim with the astonishment of Samuel Morse, AWhat hath God wrought?@ If Morse was so awed by the telegraph, how much more we should reverence the supreme work of God in our Lord, Jesus the Christ.Marketing Fear
The concerns surrounding the dictatorial/tyrannical actions of the President have now grown to include some members of the Republican Party, and I say
AIt=s about time!@Of course, the problem is that most of his supporters will dismiss those concerns and continue in lock step with the agenda which is marching America into the
Ahas been@ section in the annals of world history.An unlikely conglomeration of various segments of our society has arisen to oppose the abuses of our government, but their protests are mostly ignored by the so-called
Aconservative@ community. When people like Phyllis Schlafly and Bob Barr are in the same corner as the ACLU and other liberal groups, you had better know there is real reason to pay attention.I suspect that it was more than just a little ironic that the President signed the renewal of the (un)PATRIOT Act on March 9 this year. You see, we have been in a declared state of national emergency since March 9, 1933 - 73 years! Each year, the President dutifully renews that emergency (while Congress and the Court give their approval) so that the President can overstep the bounds of his office.
It is absolutely mind-boggling to think that many of us have lived our entire lives in a state of national emergency. There is no question that real dangers exist, but that is the nature of the world. It is impossible to experience liberty and a life of peace in a continual state of emergency.
The very idea that government makes us safe is a deception that most Americans have now embraced but the reality is that they drive a dagger into their chest as they do. Government is not the answer: God is.
A
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance@ (Psalm 33:12). I am not among those who see America as God=s Anew Israel@, far from it. Nevertheless, this country was founded on the knowledge that God is Sovereign and that conducting our civil affairs in accordance with His mandates would bring His blessing. This singular observation explains the downward spiral of our culture; Aground rush@ in the last century should have gotten our attention, but it didn=t.In the broader view of history, we are only moments from being splattered on the bedrock of truth expressed in the passage above. Yet, there seems to be little genuine concern in the Christian community. Real concern brings action, but even many of those who understand the problem submit to their handlers instead of doing the very thing which is required: pull the ripcord!
The answer to any problematic issue is first to stop doing the things which are causing the problems. However, in the political arena, we have been persuaded we have to vote for someone even if they are part of the problem. We are told the other guy would cause bigger problems and that we should settle for the next worse choice.
How has it escaped our attention that we need to insist on good choices rather than settle for what we perceive to be the
Alesser of two evils@? Evil is evil. When a society knowingly and intentionally chooses evil it has charted the course for its destruction; it is only a matter of time.We ought to fear God rather than men, but our actions in the political realm are a good indication of what or whom we truly reverence. Americans in general, and Christians in particular, need to make the effort to rediscover the heritage of liberty we received and the implications that has for our lives of faith. If you need help locating quality resources for that exercise, just let me know.
Is
Athe church@ the Kingdom of God?As I was writing a recent issue of CA, it occurred to me that I should probably address this topic briefly. I frequently hear people use
Achurch@ and Akingdom of God@ interchangeably. I don=t have a problem with that as long as we understand that the church does not encompass the kingdom, but the kingdom encompasses the church (or as I prefer to call it, the congregation or assembly of believers).Taking a peek ahead in our overview of Hebrews, we read,
ABut you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.@ (Heb. 12:22-24)It is obvious from this reading that
Athe general assembly and ekklesia of the first-born@ is but a part of the kingdom, and even this list should not be considered to be a complete description of the kingdom. God is Sovereign over all.I think it inappropriate, if not outright dangerous, to propose that
Athe church@ is the kingdom. Indeed, some of the most regretful actions of God=s people have come from a segment of the camp holding this view. In the name of Christ, history has witnessed the attempt to expand the kingdom by physical force.Contrary to those who hold such a view, I see no support for it in scripture. We are to influence the world by how we live and relate to one another, not by military might and compulsion.
Obviously, not everyone who equates the church with the kingdom would espouse making Christians by force, but using the two interchangeably opens the door to those who do think in more militaristic terms.
As always, I prefer to use biblical terms in biblical ways in order to avoid confusion and clearly communicate our meanings. So, I
=ll continue to use congregation or assembly to describe the body of believers either locally or universally. AChurch@ I use to refer to the modern institution and its forebears in history.The Apprentice
=s JournalI
=m finishing up this month=s newsletter on March 26th, the fourth birthday of our second grandson, Joshua. The official celebration of his birthday will be next weekend as we celebratethe second birthday of grandson #3, David who was born on April 1st. Since the dates are close together, they share one party. I=m not sure how much longer that will last, but for now it makes things easier on everyone.
Sharon will be in the area on business so she plans to extend the trip and spend a few days with them. I=m hoping to be able to make the trip up so I can at least make the birthday party this year.
In other news, I finally managed to get the garden tilled - just in time for four inches of rain. It=s still wet, but I=m hopeful it will dry out enough soon to get it planted. We had what I hope will be our last frost of the year this past week and I=m ready to get things in the ground. Sharon already has a couple of tomato plants in pots on the deck so she has a head start.
The bluebirds are nesting and I recently got to hear them call to one another for the first time since they showed up three years ago. The redbirds are pairing up and beginning their mating rituals. We even had a lone hummingbird show up a couple of weeks ago!
We have a variety of squirrels in the area, but this year we=ve had one that is pitch black. I=ve seen others that were a dark gray, but never one that was black. I haven=t been able to get a good picture of him yet. We=ve still got one squirrel that eats out of our hands but we don=t see him often.
Everything is in bloom, including the wild flowers. They are not at their peak yet, but they already add significant patches of color to the area landscape. Sharon has spent quite a bit of time in flower beds recently and that has helped improve the look of the yard significantly. She has already warned me not to count on her help once it get hot outside and I understand that sentiment!
Sharon and I both appreciate all the kind expressions of caring we=ve received since we had to part with Maggie. While the expectation of her presence is waning, we are still finding ways we miss her on a regular basis. Still, each day brings its own new blessings which remind us of our Father=s mercy and grace.
Sharon is making the final preparations for her trip to Nicaragua. This should be a challenging trip for the team. A smaller group is going this time but most of them are new to Sharon, so she will be making new friends. They will land in Managua and travel by bus for about five hours to get to the location of the clinic. The bus ride will be almost twice as long as the flight! Please pray for the safety of the team, and that the gospel presented in word and deed will bear fruit for the kingdom of heaven.
Each month this newsletter contains an Internet link to the website I=ve developed to introduce people to the subject of covenant eschatology. Like this newsletter, I made the effort largely for family and friends. The amazing thing is that, as far as I can tell, most of my intended audience hasn=t spent much if any time reading what is there. At the same time, the number of people from around the world who visit grows monthly.
If you haven=t visited yet, I encourage you to make the effort soon. The interest in this subject is growing and you will be confronted with the issue sooner or later. Rather than wait until it becomes a pressing matter wherever you are in fellowship, why not take the time now to start studying for yourself what I believe is going to be the most significant discussion the Christian community has had in a long, long time. Visit www.eschatology101.com soon!
See you next time ~ Jim