Finishing Well

Hebrews 3:7-19

January 14, 2001

           

Baptists have long cherished the doctrine of the believer's security in Christ. It is a truth that has set us apart from some of the other Christian traditions. We have stated it, debated it, and stood for it in the face of objections. 

 

As a young Christian and newly called into the ministry, I often found myself engaged in lively conversations on the doctrine of the believer's security. I must admit that I understood very little about it but I was willing to argue it nonetheless! I had heard "once saved always saved" over and over so that it was ingrained in my mind. There were times that friends posed situations to me of someone who was "saved" (and I use that mildly) and then began to live a wild and rebellious life. Would these people still go to heaven? I charged into such situations armed with "once saved always saved" thinking, that had overridden my sense of logic. "Of course they will go to heaven. Christ would not cast out those whom he saved!" The missing ingredient to all of this for me was, understanding the nature of biblical conversion. What did it mean to be a Christian? What did Jesus mean by saying, 'No man can pluck you out of my hand'? How were we made eternally secure? How did those texts that spoke of endurance and perseverance come into view?

 

I had grave concern of giving any ground on this bulwark of eternal security. Others have joined me in this concern. In the fear of denying or neglecting this cherished doctrine over the past few decades we may have skirted a truth that our evangelical and Baptist fathers dared not overlook. It is the reality that some may start well in the Christian life but falter before the end. Conveniently there was an answer created for such situations a little over a hundred years ago that would allow the low-level of evangelism to still receive glittering results: the carnal Christian. The problem is that this idea was based on one text not grounded in context. Paul had no intention of creating sub-categories of Christians so that we could excuse unbelief and unfaithfulness to Christ and the gospel. These are not called "carnal Christians" as though there was a sub-category among believers to tuck away the professedly unbelieving, as is common today. They are called apostates, those who make a seemingly sound beginning in the faith only to reject the very faith they once professed. It was precisely this concern that the writer of Hebrews addresses. He was aware that some in their number were toying with the idea of rejecting the gospel in favor of a ceremonial/legalistic approach to salvation. They had not done this as yet. But he knew that it was a possibility. So he calls them to continuance in the Christian life, perseverance in the faith if indeed they are true believers.

 

The gospel calls for us to not only start the Christian faith well but to finish well by the grace of God. It is those who finish well that our writer calls believes. How does the Bible exhort us to continue on in the faith? Often, as in the case of our text, it comes in the form of a warning. Consider this warning to hear and heed.

 

I. A warning to hear

 

There is a repetition in the text that demonstrates the urgency facing these believers and the necessity to hear what the Lord spoke eternally. Thus the writer acknowledges the authority of Holy Scripture and its divine authorship by the phrase, "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says." Biblical revelation is not merely keen ideas of a bunch of old writers. It is the voice of God speaking to us through the human personalities he set apart for such revelation. It is the voice of authority, calling us to attention. In addition, the writer alerts us to the urgency of hearing the divine voice, for he knew the human tendency to procrastinate with spiritual matters. So he repeats three times, "Today...today...today." Five more times in Hebrews our writer uses this same word to strike at our reluctance to immediately take action on our spiritual condition.

 

I would remind all of us that "when Scripture speaks, God speaks," as J.I. Packer put it. And when God speaks we must take immediate action. So often we hear the proclamation of God's Word, feel the conviction of the Spirit, and tell ourselves that we are going to take action. But then do nothing. We procrastinate with the most important of issues. But the warning that runs through this text is that if we fail to give heed to the urgency of continuing on in the Christian life, we face the danger of hardening in our hearing and responsiveness. This hardening leads to unbelief and disobedience, and finally to God's judgment. This is precisely where we find the Jews of ancient Israel whom our text uses to explain God's warning to us.

 

1. Historical precedent

 

No people had experienced the delivering hand of God like the ancient Israelites. After being in bondage to the Egyptians for 430 years, God led them out by his own strong hand, spoiling the Egyptians in the process. As they worshiped the Lord at the first Passover, the firstborn of everyone else in the land was being put to death. Pharaoh sent them out in a hurry. They came to the Red Sea and witnessed the Lord's power as he opened the sea so that they crossed on dry ground while their pursuers mired in the mud and drowned in the receding waters. But no sooner had they celebrated the Lord's mighty deliverance than they bitterly complained because the water was bitter at Marah. They grumbled but the Lord provided sweet water. They grumbled about having no food so the Lord provided manna in the morning and quail in the evening.

 

At Rephidim they quarreled and grumbled again because they had no water. There the Lord commanded Moses to strike the rock with his staff and water would come forth. Again the Lord provided for this grumbling people. Moses named the place Massah and Meribah (or testing and quarreling) as a reminder of Israel questioning, "Is the Lord among us, or not?" This was the initial historical precedent that the writer of Hebrews had in mind. "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness." "Provoked" is a translation of the Hebrew word Meribah while "trial" is a translation of Massah. The writer obviously wanted to hearken back through quoting Psalm 95 describing this very scene. The Hebrew text even has Massah and Meribah rather than the translation we find in our version. For the provocation of God that took place through the Israelites' grumbling and testing of the Lord became their ultimate downfall. It did not stop at Rephidim. They had seen the glory and power of the Lord but did not believe him. The reality of their faith would be tested and in each case they failed. Having made it to Kadesh-Barnea, on the edge of the Promised Land, the ultimate test of their faith was before them. Would they obey and enter the Land? Or would they follow the majority report that said the Land was everything that God had declared but too difficult for them to capture? When they refused to believe the Lord and enter into the blessing of the Lord, he pronounced his judgment upon them. Toward the end of that first generation of the Exodus, they again had no water and they again complained and grumbled. Here Moses lost his temper and disobeyed the Lord himself, as he twice struck the rock for water to come forth rather than commanding it to come forth as the Lord had instructed. Moses called that place Meribah or "contention." Here the writer continues, "Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, and saw My works for forty years." For forty years the children of Israel tested the Lord by their complaining, grumbling, and contentions and for forty years he was provoked by their evident unbelief. Their unbelief kept them from God's rest (which implies salvation in this context).

 

2. Divine pronouncement

 

Keep in mind that this lengthy quotation from Psalm 95 directly ties in to what was written in verse 6, "But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house-whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end." He is explaining what he means by holding fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. That first generation out of Egypt, with few exceptions, did not do it. They missed out on the blessings of God, both temporally and eternally. Their unbelief cost them everything. To help us see this, the biblical writer continues quoting Psalm 95.

 

a. God's anger

 

"Therefore I was angry with this generation," the Lord declares. The word used for "angry" implies that they weighed him down with a sense of indignation; that he was "exhausted" by their constant grumbling (to use an anthropomorphism). Leon Morris writes, "We should not miss the reference to the anger of God. The Bible is clear that God is not impassive or indifferent in the face of human sin" [Expositor's Bible Commentary-Hebrews, 34]. The implication is pointed. If God was angry with the people to whom he graciously revealed himself and the might of his power, how much more with those who have heard the gospel, felt its beauty, sensed its urgency, yet have turned away in stubborn defiance. This divine anger is no temper tantrum. God is not having a fit that he will eventually get over. It is the settled, righteous anger of God, holy in its disposition and action, of which our writer speaks. He has no hesitation to tell us, "it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (10:31), for he understood something of this divine indignation toward both sin and sinner (sin cannot be disconnected from the sinner as though it was a living being; it has existence and expression because of our own propensity to rebel against God).

 

b. God's assessment

 

God's anger came as a result of his own assessment of the hearts of men: "and [I] said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they did not know My ways'." As he evaluates the actions of the generation of Israelites, God says, 'they always go astray in their heart'. The word describes a star wandering out of its orbit, not following the right path designed for it. That is the condition of the rebel heart, wandering from the ways of God. "Heart" expresses the whole being; man in his mind, emotions, will, and attitude. The implication is that the rebel is wholly gone astray from God. There is no room for partial-obedience or part-time believers. The singular "heart" equals plural straying.

 

Why did the Israelites go astray in the whole of their beings from God? "They did not know My ways," God answers. Often we consider that if more people knew the Word of God they would surely walk in it. But the truth is that these people had heard the Word of God many times; but they did nothing with it. These people did not know God's Word, but "their ignorance was culpable, not innocent. They were not blamed simply for not knowing but for not knowing things they out to have known and acted on. They did not take the trouble to learn. To neglect opportunity is serious" [Leon Morris 35].

 

Does this sound like your own life? You have heard the Word, yet you quickly plead ignorance to its truth. You have sat before those teaching God's Word and intentionally sought to think on other things, to distract your mind, to ignore the clear instruction of Scripture. You are guilty in spite of all your attempts to avoid God's Word. You have squandered the opportunity to know God's message to you. You have spurned the "Today" of divine opportunity. Just as the Israelites heard and avoided the truth, yet God held them accountable, much more so are you who have heard the fuller revelation of the gospel and ignored its message. Procrastinate your repentance no longer!

 

c. God's action

 

Did God just turn his back away? Did he let their sin slide? "As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'." The scene takes us to Kadesh-Barnea where Moses has just pleaded with the Lord not to destroy the people. Listen to the Lord's word to Israel:

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Say to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'just as you have spoke in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey-I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness'" (Num. 14:26-33).

The "rest" of which the writer is speaking is much more than Canaan Land. It is the spiritual rest of relationship to the Lord. The land was only a token of what was to come, "the eternal rest of God himself" [Philip E. Hughes, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 14]. We do an injustice to the context of this section if we make this refer only to one's spiritual growth. He is not just dealing with people having trouble growing spiritually; he is addressing those who were in danger of falling into apostasy! Just as the Israelites apostatized even so some who call themselves believers will be revealed as apostates by their failure to go on with God.

 

II. A warning to heed

 

Our writer is not interested in simply entertaining his readers' minds with historical anecdotes. He presents historical sketches to underline spiritual truth-truth that they must heed. So our text moves from the quotation of Psalm 95 and its antecedent background in Exodus and Numbers, into a current warning for these embattled Christians.

 

1. Two imperatives

 

There are two commands in this text. One focuses on you as an individual; the other involves your relationship to the rest of the church. Both are critical in applying the underlying doctrine of perseverance.

 

a. Personally-guard your heart

 

The first imperative warns us to guard our own hearts, for there is the danger in every one of us in turning away from the Lord. Keep in mind that we are not talking about a believer losing his salvation. Rather the message is a warning that there are some, perhaps even among us, who profess to be Christians that are not. Their false profession will be revealed by an eventual unwillingness to persevere in the faith. So the writer encourages perseverance by warning of its neglect.

 

"Take care, brethren, that there not be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." As we unpack this verse we are immediately confronted by the fact that this writer did not think their doom was sealed. He calls them "brethren," because he is convinced that they are that indeed and that they will rise to the occasion to continue on in the faith. The warning he gives, "take care," is not just for that crisis situation, but the present tense of the verb serves to remind us that we are to live with vigilance in our Christian lives. We are to "beware" or "see" or "see to it" that our own hearts are not drifting into unbelief. He was speaking of those who were enjoying the fellowship of the saints and preaching of the Word. They were part of the church, yet there was the possibility that some in their midst had only been mesmerized by the warmth of Christian love or motivated by Christian altruism or saw Christian service as a way to satisfy their own need for charitable activity. But lurking beneath the exterior was "an evil, unbelieving heart," that would be characterized ultimately, as one "that falls away from the living God." The heart saturated by evil due to the unbelief stands in sharp contrast to "the living God." Spiritual deadness cleaves to those who outwardly give the appearance of life. But God does not know them. Eventually they "fall away" from any kind of relationship to the Lord-for unbelief has rooted itself in the heart. Is there someone among us that is described by our writer? Then give heed. Look to Christ. If there is not a desire to persevere, then it exposes "an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God."

 

b. Corporately-encourage the brethren

 

As he has already done in this epistle, the writer does not look at them as individuals as much as he does a corporate body of believers-the body of Christ in the world. Since they are a body then they have responsibilities for the rest of the body. He does not relegate this to the elders, deacons, or preachers in their midst. While these share particular responsibilities for the edification and leadership of the flock, he charges the entire church to guard the spiritual condition of one another. "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." The present tense of the command, "Encourage one another day after day," reminds us that we cannot adopt a "Lone Ranger" mentality as Christians. From the start, we are joined to others in the body of Christ. We corporately make up this body and we corporately must exercise care and vigilance for one another. If we think that we do not need anyone else in the church for our continuance in the faith, then we are arrogant, puffed up, and in danger of a fall! If we think that everyone can mind their own business in spiritual matters and leave us alone, then again, we are arrogant and fail to understand the nature of the church. We are all to "encourage one another," that is, help to motivate one another through our conversation, fellowship, prayer, nurture, and admonition. Do you take this seriously? We are each held accountable for this before the Lord.

 

The danger he warns of is becoming "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Jonathan Edwards wrote, "A hard heart clearly implies an unaffected heart, or a heart that is not readily moved with virtuous affections. Like a stone, it is insensible, stupid, unmoved, and hard to impress. Hence a hard heart is called a stony heart, as opposed to a heart of flesh that has feelings and is sensibly touched and moved" [Religious Affections, 24]. The hardened heart has followed after sin rather than Christ. It is deceived by sin's lure rather than receiving Christ's love and provision in the cross. Outwardly such a person may go along with the worship and service of the church; but inwardly they cleave to their sin and turn their hearts away from the message of the gospel.

 

Encouraging another in the church must be seen as a constant and urgent mission. The "Today" of our text points to the time of opportunity. It is here, now, but may not be here tomorrow. Will you as a believer join others in the body to offer your encouragement?

 

2. One condition

 

The wondrous declaration of verse 14 shows that our writer gladly identifies with this church, "For we have become partakers of Christ." As "partakers" we are sharers in the benefits of his death and resurrection. We are in union with him who died for our sins and was raised from the dead. But there is one condition set forth: "if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end." It is not those who merely profess Christ that he calls "partakers," but those who "keep the confidence" in Christ.

 

Here is where some of our friends err. They view this as a matter of works. If we can just keep up enough works then we might be saved in the end. But that is not what this writer declares. Instead, we know that we are partakers of Christ by our keeping our confidence in Jesus Christ and his saving work. The continuation of this confidence in Christ gives testimony to the reality of our faith. This is not to say that there will never be any doubts on the part of true believers. Most Christians go through times of doubts. The more we understand our own sinfulness and the infinite nature of God's holiness, we are sure to occasionally have doubts! But those doubts are to cast us back to our dependency upon Christ and not on ourselves.

 

But why does this writer plug in conditions? Wayne Grudem has offered some helpful comments. "The purpose [i.e. of this text and similar ones] is never to make those who are presently trusting in Christ worry that sometime in the future they might fall away.... Rather, the purpose is always to warn those who are thinking of falling away or have fallen away that if they do this it is a strong indication that they were never saved in the first place" [Bible Doctrine, 339, author's italics]. Are you holding fast your assurance that Jesus Christ died for you and that faith in him alone is the only hope you have before God?

 

3. Five questions

 

In applying this text the author asks some questions of all of us.

 

a. Beginning in hope

 

He begins, "For who provoked Him when they had heard?" The writer returns to the Israelites in the wilderness. He answers with another question, "Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?" In other words, was it not those who began with such a great hope by their mighty deliverance from Egypt? This group sang a celebrative song of worship to the Lord after crossing the Red Sea, only to shortly begin their grumbling. They began in great hope.

 

b. Onset of unbelief

 

But hope slipped away as their unbelieving hearts whittled away at the revelation of God they had. "And with whom was He angry for forty years?" Was it with Moses or Joshua who sought to follow the Lord? He answers with another question, "Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?" How did they sin? We have already seen that they grumbled against the Lord, which was a manifestation of their unbelief.

 

c. Resultant disobedience

 

Unbelief gave way to disobedience in falling away from the Lord. They were "deliberate deserters" in falling away from the Lord [Raymond Brown, Bible Speaks Today-Hebrews, 86]. "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?" The swearing of the Lord implies an unchangeable oath. They could beg, plead, offer gifts, and attempt every other thing imaginable, but they by-passed "Today," and spurned the day of God's grace. Their bodies fell in the wilderness. And why did all of this happen? Was the Lord too harsh? The last verse of the chapter explains, "So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief." Unbelief is the very same condition that will keep us from entering the eternal, spiritual rest of the Lord.

 

Condition

 

Those who are persevering in the faith have a right to assurance of their salvation. But those who have merely professed Christ, but are not seeking to follow in obedience to him, have every reason in the world to question their faith. There is an urgency to do this for none of us know the time when we will stand before the Lord. Nor do we know when God says it is no longer, "Today." Will you take a serious look at your own life before the Lord? Do you know Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Redeemer? Start well...and finish well by trust in Christ alone.

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