Things That Accompany Salvation

Hebrews 6:9-12

March 25, 2001

 

Assurance is not a decision; it is an ongoing process. I realize that this smacks in the face of current stress on making assurance of salvation a simple decision. So often those who are in earnest desiring assurance of their salvation are told simply to repeat a prayer and "claim" their assurance. Yet no biblical warrant exists to shore up such a claim. Assurance was the subject of a number of the Epistles (including Romans, I John, and Hebrews). In none of them do we have instruction to simply repeat a prayer or "nail it down" as the means to assurance. It is something that demands our attention; but it is not just a little dip in the road so that we can move on to better things.

 

Assurance of salvation invigorates and refreshes the believer in his spiritual journey. For when a Christian is walking through the rugged demands of life, possibly facing opposition and certainly facing trials, his assurance in Christ will be strength for the journey. So, it must be attended to diligently lest assurance wane and with it, the believer's joy and delight in being a Christian, as well as his ability to persevere.

 

The pastoral writer of Hebrews allows no room for presumption in our salvation. Some had evidently assumed that their professions were okay even though their affections did not demonstrate true passion for Christ. So he warns against the carelessness of inattention that results in spiritual drifting. He warns of "an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." He warns of coming short of God's promise of eternal rest. He counsels against dullness of hearing that leaves a question mark about the nature of one's spiritual condition. He even warns of those who have come so close to being Christians by their experiences and understanding, yet turn away in stiff-necked apostasy. These are hard words and needed for our souls.

 

But the tenderness underlying the epistle shines brightly in our text. For the writer's concern is that these believers might persevere as those assured of their faith in Christ. Assurance is not an end in itself. It is a means to perseverance, which itself is evidence of an intense, ongoing love and delight for God. Salvation never walks empty-handed. What accompanies our salvation?

 

I. A major contrast

 

None of us would argue that the previous section, verses 4-8, present us with one of the Bible's strongest warnings. The writer tells us of the possibility of apostasy among this church. By apostasy we mean that there are those who have professed faith in Christ, and by all outward appearances are Christians. But over time they move away from the faith, revealing not just a little spiritual coldness, but a genuine obstinacy and rebellion against the gospel of Christ. Such behavior, as we have noted, reveals that the apostate was not a true believer at all. Rather he masqueraded as a Christian, joining in the worship of God and even acts of service, but never knowing the saving power of Christ in his life. When he turns away, he does so with a vengeance, wanting nothing to do with the gospel. The land that receives the same "rain" as the one who is a believer pictures him but his life produces only "thorns and thistles," and in the end he faces divine judgment (6:7-8).

 

But now the scene changes. Our writer tells them that he does not think that they have fallen prey to apostasy, and he has confidence in their relationship to Christ. In this statement (v. 9) he helps to lay the groundwork for understanding assurance.

 

1. Sober warning

 

He has just given a sober warning; now he speaks in tenderness. "But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way." If he did not believe that any of them were apostates, why did he use such severe terms? None of them had apostatized, but there was the danger of it happening with some in their number. There is always that danger, regardless of the church. So he spoke "in this way" due to the things at stake: eternity, souls of men, the glory of God in their midst, the testimony of the gospel.

 

So he does not apologize for his frankness. He insists on its necessity as a bulwark against apostasy. He was heading off eternal problems before they happened. And such is our case today. We have considered these warnings in previous weeks. We have looked at the solemn reality that there might be some among us who have understood the gospel, have experienced something of being in the presence of God, have felt their own emotions stirred, and have even made outward professions of faith in Christ, perhaps with many tears and heaving emotion; yet they still do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Being so close to the gospel, yet not really embracing it by faith, leaves one in the dangerous position of hardening the heart and rebelling against Christ altogether. The warning is clear: if you are not seeking to press on in the faith then you might be in danger of turning away from the faith.

 

2. Persuasion otherwise

 

Thankfully, the pastoral writer is "convinced of better things" concerning his audience. He calls them "beloved," which is the only reference to the term in this epistle. He uses it to demonstrate a sense of tenderness and identification with them as fellow believers. "But," that is in contrast to the scene just depicted, "beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation." He looks at the evidence. He considers what he sees in the long-term of their lives. And then the writer expresses his own confidence or persuasion of their genuineness as believers. This was no passing statement to gain their attention. He implies that he has a settled confidence (hence the perfect tense used) that they were serious about the faith and genuine as brothers in Christ. He sees salvation's companions in their lives.

 

What accompanies salvation? The word "accompany" implies that certain things hold fast to salvation or belong to salvation. We might personify salvation for a moment and depict it as always going hand-in-hand with certain company. A change in character walks with salvation due to the believer being a "new creation in Christ" and having "the fruit of the Spirit" (II Cor. 5:17; Gal. 5:22-23). A new obligation drives the believer with a desire to live unto Christ and not after the flesh (Rom. 8:12-13). The believer has a new instinct and drive, the leadership of the Holy Spirit in his life (Rom. 8:14). He has a new sense of belonging to the Lord by which he finds himself compelled to call God his Father (Rom. 8:15). And he has the witness of the Holy Spirit inwardly testifying to him that he is a child of God (Rom. 8:16).

 

Even when life deals us its roughest blows, the "things that accompany salvation" will help to sustain us and encourage our assurance as believers. A claim to salvation that has no company with it leaves us in an unenviable place. For no company may very well imply no salvation.

 

II. Secure in God's faithfulness

 

The writer may have sensed that a veil of despair had fallen over the spiritual eyes of these believers. So he lifts the veil by explaining the security of God's faithfulness toward those who are His. "For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." By declaring that, "God is not unjust," the writer reminds us of His faithfulness. It is not a matter of God evaluating all the work and love you carry out and then balancing the scale of eternal justice in your favor. Such an idea abandons any need for grace and places the burden of eternal salvation upon a person's ability to work in diligence to overturn the divine sentence of damnation against him. Rather the justice of God, in this case, points to the honor of His own name. Thomas Hewitt reminds us, "It was the grace and blessing of God which produced the good deeds, and not the good deeds the grace and blessing. Yet the manifestation of the good deeds is the evidence of the grace and blessing" [TDNT, vol. 15, 111 (1975)]. He does not "forget" his own work of grace in your life that produces the good works and evidences of faith. For a group of Christians who were going through persecution, it was exhilarating to know that God does not forget them! This reminds us that our God notices the details of our lives.

 

What the writer is doing is bringing together two actions on the part of all who have known the saving grace of God. They are part of our salvation, accompanying it as evidence, resulting in greater assurance that we truly belong to Christ. In those who are born of God there is both a God-centeredness and a corresponding heart to serve others. There is not just service as humanitarianism. Nor is there just the formality of worship without it overflowing into service. He identifies what God sees in those whom he grants the favor of his grace.

 

1. Loving God

 

God does not "forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name." The word "shown" is used again in the next verse. It could be translated as demonstrated. The aim of the believer's demonstration is "toward His name," i.e., toward the whole character and revelation of God. So we are speaking of something that is demonstrable in the believer's life, something that is important to him, something on which he aims his affections and labors. And then we see the target of this demonstration, the revelation of God. What is he describing in this statement?

 

Our writer backs up and takes a good look at this little church under the fire of persecution. "God has not forgotten you. He sees how your affections are upon Him and not the world. He sees how you delight in working to honor and glorify His name. Things might get worse for you and you might struggle along the way, but God does not forget the genuineness of your love for Him."

 

Being a Christian means that your affections have turned from the world to Christ and that your desire is to live in obedience to the one who has saved you. Jonathan Edwards, in his classic Religious Affections, explains this clearly:

 

For God has given affections to man for the same purpose that He has given all the faculties of the human soul, namely that they might serve "man's chief end," which is the great business for which God has created him, namely the business of religion. Yet we find that people exercise the affections in everything else but religion! When it comes to their worldly interest, their outward delights, their honor and reputation, and their natural relations, they have warm affection and ardent zeal. In these things their hearts are tender and sensitive, easily moved, deeply impressed, much concerned, and much engrossed. They get deeply depressed at worldly losses, and highly excited at worldly successes. But how insensible and unmoved are most men about the great things of another world! How dull then are their affections! Here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude small. How can they sit and hear of the infinite height, depth, length, and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus, of His gift of His infinitely dear Son offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of men, and yet be so insensible and regardless! [Religious Affections, 27].

Do you have true affections for Jesus Christ? Is your heart bent toward him, loving him with your whole being and following after him in obedience? This kind of love and work accompanies salvation.

 

2. Serving the saints

 

But we must understand that being a Christian also means that we are united with the body of Christ. We belong to Him yet at the same time we are in union with others who are redeemed by the same bloody sacrifice at the cross and joined together by the Holy Spirit. John goes to great lengths in his First Epistle to explain that true faith in Christ will always overflow in genuine love and service to the body of Christ. "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death" (3:14). John does not see love as a mere passive emotion. It is affectionate action toward others, giving to them, helping them in their needs, offering them encouragement, and building them up in the faith. For the first century congregation receiving the Epistle to the Hebrews, the writer shows that the foundation for service to the body is a demonstrable love for the Lord. Such love for Christ first, overflows in service to others: "For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." 

 

In the past they ministered to the saints. Hebrews 10:32-34 describes how they were willing to identify with suffering brethren, sharing in their suffering, and enduring much hardship and deprivation for the sake of Christ and the gospel. They had a track record of service to the body of Christ. And they did not live upon past laurels, for he tells them that they were "still ministering to the saints." It was an ongoing part of their lives.

 

What comes first, love for God or service for the saints? To reverse the order is to engage in humanitarianism, an activity that many do without thought of God. But for those whose hearts beat fast for Jesus Christ, service is a way to demonstrate the reality of this love. Service alone cannot be a sign of salvation. It is always preceded by love for Christ that overflows in service to the body. Does this describe you? Or are you one who has a natural bent toward humanitarianism that has become a substitute for faith and love for Christ?

 

This text really describes the way the church of Jesus Christ is to function because it describes Christians. We are to be so God-centered, so passionate about him, that the whole of our affections are poured out in reckless abandon of love and obedience to Christ. We do all for the sake of "His name," with the aim of bringing pleasure and glory to Him alone. This should encompass our worship, praying, studying, as well as our thinking, discussions, and activities. At the same time, we demonstrate our love for the Lord through faithful service to others in the body. We look for ways to bless others, encourage them, assist them in meeting needs, and sacrificing ourselves for the sake of the redeemed. This is not an either/or proposition. It is both/and. This is what a Christian looks like? Does it resemble you? This love for Christ and service to the saints demonstrates real faith.

 

III. Diligence toward full assurance

 

Evidently this little church living under the strain of persecution was doing an admirable job of demonstrating love for God and love for the saints. So the writer exhorts them, that in the same way they demonstrated their love for God and the body, he wants them to demonstrate diligence in pursuing the full assurance of their hope in Christ. "And we desire that each one of you," not just a few elite ones, but every member of the body, "show [demonstrate] the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end;" and there is a reason why, "so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." They already had a good steam built up to propel them forward, for their faith in Christ had ignited their passions for loving and serving. But they struggled with full assurance of their hope in Christ. So they needed diligence again. This time the diligence is to be focused upon knowing and living in the full assurance of their salvation; for to do so would aid them in every demand and endeavor.

 

1. Living in hope

 

"Hope" forms part of the triad that envelops the affections of the Christian. It is joined by faith and love. Hope is not wishful thinking, but anticipation of what is yet to come. Hope is actually a corollary of loving God. For in loving him we are "savoring God," to use John Piper's term, in the present. We are finding him to be our delight, joy, and passion right now. We find him completely satisfying in our day-to-day lives. Hope anticipates savoring God in the future. It is the recognition that your complete satisfaction for all the future will be in God as well. Piper writes, "Having the full assurance of hope means being satisfied with what God will be for us and do for us in the future" [www.soundofgrace.com/piper92/02-09-92.htm].

 

Salvation has past, present, and future dimensions. We often emphasize the past-forgiveness of sins, and the present-enjoying the blessings of God, but might neglect the future-the consummation of our salvation. Hope helps us to think ahead, as we look beyond the here-and-now into the realm of the unknown, even into eternity, and find our hearts deeply satisfied with the living God through Christ. Hope anticipates all the promises of God being fulfilled and the glory of God being made known to us.

 

Hope is foundational to perseverance. We have thousands of brethren throughout the world that are living in perilous conditions. Some are imprisoned right now for the sole reason that they are Christians. Some are living under the cloud of knowing that as soon as their identity as Christian surfaces, they will be tortured or put to death. Millions of believers live under oppressive regimes that mistreat them in every imaginable way because they are Christians. How will these people keep pressing on in the faith? They live with a radiant hope. This hope feeds them, sustains them, and refreshes them. It gives them joy in the midst of dark times. It surrounds them with peace when everything about them is coming unglued. This same hope is what will carry you through life's trials as well. Do you know this full assurance of hope in Christ? Our writer tells us to demonstrate diligence in realizing full assurance. What does this call for?

 

First, discipline yourself to daily seek the Lord and contemplate the gospel with all of the promises related to it. Second, ask the Lord to speak to you through the Scriptures, to grant you those special anchor points in the Word upon which you can stand. Third, meditate on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ for now and eternity. Think of the infinite measure of His worth and the complete satisfaction God has with all of Christ's redemptive work. Ask the Lord to help you have clearer sight to see that this satisfying work was for you.

 

2. Diligence not dullness

 

The result of hope is not only future anticipation, but the clause of verse 12 explains there are present effects due to the "full assurance of hope." The writer declares, "So that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Hope is a fuel that turns the wheels of the mind, that opens dulled ears, and that invigorates spiritual senses. The word "sluggish" is also translated as "dull" in 5:11, where he warns of becoming "dull of hearing." The same idea is in mind here that buoyed by the full assurance of hope the believer will no longer be dull of hearing. Why is this so? It is because there is a God-centered anticipation and satisfaction directing the Christian.

 

One of the biggest problems in the church today is dullness of hearing the Word. So much attention is given to the world that the believer is weakened by insensitivity to the Holy Spirit speaking through the Scriptures. But "the full assurance of hope" quickens the mind and heightens the spiritual sensitivities. The believer's passions for Christ are inflamed. He is contemplating Christ, the gospel, and the certainty ahead in eternity. So he is ready to hear the Word and obey rather than being "sluggish."

 

So if you feel as though your spiritual life is slugging along through mud or in a stupor, then be "diligent" to pursue "the full assurance of hope until the end." It is in the pursuit and satisfaction of assurance that the sluggishness is cast aside and you press on faithfully as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 

3. Imitating the faithful

 

The opposite of sluggishness is found in being "imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Notice that he is identifying a particular group among these believers. The present tense of "inherit" helps us to see that he means this group was in their midst. They knew "the full assurance of hope" and continued exercising "faith" in Christ and "patience" under trials. These were real people that were known to these struggling saints. They were not a special breed of Christians, but real believers living in real-life struggles as Christians.

 

Here is the point the writer makes. When we give diligent attention to assurance we will no longer try to be imitators of the world. We will find our element among those who are progressing in faith and who face trials, but bear up patiently with great endurance. This will have our attention rather than the world.

 

All of us are impressionable in some ways. The problem is when it is the world in rebellion against God that impresses us. When we begin to find satisfaction by imitating the world, it is evidence that we are not walking in "full assurance of hope." For such assurance is not simply a state of mind or a condition of positive thinking. It becomes a spiritual energy in our lives. It increases our passions. It affects our thinking, outlook, and ambitions.

 

Conclusion

 

Do you see why assurance of salvation is so vital to us? For one thing we must not play loosely with our eternity. This life is only a drop in the ocean compared to eternity. If you are gambling with your soul you are sure to lose.

 

But another matter is that assurance really affects our whole attitude and behavior as Christians. This is why assurance is ongoing as a refreshing of grace in our lives. Do you realize how your whole practice as a Christian is affected by assurance?

 

There are some "things that accompany salvation." Do these things bear witness to your salvation? Be diligent "to realize the full assurance of hope" that is yours in Christ.

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