Hebrews 10:19-25

Appetiser

Life with God is beautifully modelled by God’s original creation, especially considering the Garden of Eden. There was God, there was life, there was blessing. The High Priest in the Old Covenant had an annual glimpse of this. As Christians, we enjoy the full access back to the Garden, back to God, having been reconciled to Him. That’s v19-21.

God made this possible for us through Jesus’ sacrifice, v19-20

Jesus went in there as our forerunner, cf. 6:19-20, carrying His own blood to wash away our sins, 9:12

We have authorisation to enter

We can have boldness to enter

We have a priest before God, v21. He is still in God’s presence, representing us.

The author of the way is God

His desire to save us

His desire to have fellowship from us

Three commands flow from this Gospel-truth.

Main Course

“Let us draw near to God”, v22

What does it mean to do so? v22a

At its heart, everything to do with God. It is to engage in the privilege previously reserved for priests. Through Christ, all God’s people can approach God, cf. 7:18-19.

Coming to God in faith—though it is assumed that the readers have done that; but have you?

Keeping coming back to Him; fellowship with the living God; eternal life

Prayer

Receiving instruction from the Word and regularly feeding on it in your home, when you’re out and about

Conscious engagement in worship; yes, all of life is worship, but there are times set aside for worship

How should we? v22b

Preliminary thoughts

Notice inseparable connection to the “Why”—without it, we have no business approaching God!

These also identify what we need to watch out for; not having these hinders fellowship with God

“a sincere heart”

God suffers no hypocrites

Solution is not “I won’t come then”, but repentance and a fresh turning to God.

“the full assurance that faith brings”

You cannot worship/pray unless you are certain of your hearing with God.

Solution: “faith”. Objective (“What is the truth of God’s Word on this matter?”) and subjective (“I believe this to be true.”)

Internal purity: “having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience”

John 13:8-11: As Christians, our sins are forgiven; but every time we sin, we need our feet to be washed, as it were.

External manifestation of our belonging to Christ: “having our bodies washed with pure water”

Reference to baptism? I think so.

Being a Christian and not being baptised feels (should, at least) a bit like being engaged, but not yet married. The relationship hasn’t been sealed yet. This breeds uncertainty.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess”, v23

“the hope we profess”, that is, that we will receive the blessing of God, cf. 6:18. This ultimately refers to eternal life with Him.

This hope is guaranteed, for it rests on God’s promise, and He is faithful in keeping His Word, v23b. John 3:16

John 3:16 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Yet it is reserved for those who inherit it—“faith” has the nuance of “faithfulness”, stickability: “let us hold unswervingly”

No turning away from Christ as He is revealed in God’s Word

Not losing sight of the hope we have in Christ—which leads us to the next point

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on”, v24-25

A call to encourage one another, v24

Notice the plural in all three exhortations. This really comes out now as we are called to “consider how we may spur one another on”

“And let us consider”—it requires conscious effort to do this, and I need others around me.

Hebrews Exegesis

Encouraging others, therefore, is not invariably spontaneous. The author calls upon the readers to contemplate ways in which they could stimulate others to love and good works.

“how we may spur one another on”—only other instance in NT is in Acts 15:39, translated “sharp disagreement”! The idea is one that can be unpleasant.

“towards love”: if I’m not loving, but my brother is, that should bother me. His love should provoke me to be like him.

“towards good works”: same idea, with “good works”, that is, faith manifesting itself in actions.

This is impossible without life together as Christians, v25

How encouragement won’t happen, v25a

“meeting together” is actually “the meeting together”: reference to regular worship

“giving up” is strong, and it has become a “habit” of some

Bad habits rarely start as such. They usually are symptomatic of a greater problem. Whatever causes it, the buck stops with me. What could cause it?

Fear of outsiders

Lack of understanding of what the gathering is for

The business of life

Wrong priorities

This kind of neglect is discouraging for fellow believers. I need to see the godliness, zeal, love of other brothers and sisters, or I myself will grow weary. That is how we will be “encouraging one another” || “spur one another on”.

Why it should be happening, v25b

The Lord’s Day prepares us for the Day of the Lord.

The Letter to the Hebrews C. Let Us Encourage One Another, 10:24–25

their gathering together as anticipating the final ingathering of God’s people. ‘The assembly is the earthly counterpart to the heavenly “congregation” (ekklēsia) of God’s people (12:23; cf. 2:12)’.

Christians who begin neglecting the meeting together may end up losing hope concerning the final day. For some, this might even be symptomatic of not ever belonging to the Lord.

For the genuine believer, however, it is a means of grace to prepare us for that day, and keeps us from falling away.