Dealing with Discouragement Heb 10
Intro:
The constant offering of Levitical sacrifices testified that sins still remained. The once-for-all death of Christ forever took away all sins. When these sins are removed, no further need for sacrifice remains (10:11–18).
10:3 reminder. The OT sacrifices not only could not remove sin, but their constant repetition was a constant reminder of that deficiency. The promise of the New Covenant was that the sin would be removed and even God would “remember” their sins “no more” (8:12, quoting Jer. 31:34).
10:4 not possible. The Levitical system was not designed by God to remove or forgive sins. It was preparatory for the coming of the Messiah (Gal. 3:24) in that it made the people expectant (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10). It revealed the seriousness of their sinful condition, in that even temporary covering required the death of an animal. It revealed the reality of God’s holiness and righteousness by indicating that sin had to be covered. Finally, it revealed the necessity of full and complete forgiveness so that God could have desired fellowship with His people.
10:1. By virtue of its anticipatory character, the Law could never … make perfect those who draw near to worship. By “make perfect” the writer did not mean sinless perfection. As the following discussion shows, he was concerned with that definitive removal of guilt which makes free access to God possible for worshipers who trust in the sufficiency of the Cross.
boldness. Or “confidence,” an important emphasis in the epistle (see note on 4:16). Because of the high-priestly ministry of Christ and His finished sacrifice, the Hebrews can enter boldly into the presence of God.
10:22. “Drawing near” could be sacrificial or moral language in the Old Testament; here it means entering the presence of God (10:19–20) and into relationship with God (7:19, 25) through Jesus the great high priest.
This exhortation to “hold fast” is important given the opposition the readers face. Their opponents insist that they return to the ritual observances practiced by other Jews in their city and compromise the absolute sufficiency of Christ. (Paul was not opposed to Christians engaging in sacrifices as a means of cultural identification, worshiping by thank-offerings, etc.—see, e.g., Acts 21:26; but like this author he would no doubt deny that sacrifices were necessary for atonement—Rom 3:24–26. Because these readers were Diaspora Jews who probably could go to the Jerusalem temple only rarely, and no one in their community had gone to the temple since the war had started in A.D. 66, it is more the principle than the practice that is at issue here anyway. The issue is whether they will regard Jesus as an appendage to their Judaism or as its fulfillment who supersedes previous mandatory forms of practicing the law.) As the Israelites of old should have trusted God to bring them into the Promised Land, so should this author’s readers. The “faithful” one in this case may be not God the Father (11:11) but Jesus (3:2, 5).
Three times he exhorts his audience with the words “Let us …” (vv. 22, 23, 24). These gospel-driven exhortations provide inspiration based on the self-offering of Jesus, the divine-human Mediator. And each time the writer refers to one of the three cardinal Christian virtues: “faith,” “hope,” and “love” (vv. 22, 23, 24).
First, he urges true knowledge and worship of God. The basis for this exhortation is that Christ, our Great High Priest, authorizes us to enter God’s heavenly presence through his blood (vv. 19–21). “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,” having experienced Christian conversion (pictured by hearts cleansed and bodies washed in baptism; v. 22). Because of Christ’s priestly work we have the privilege of drawing near to God in worship, prayer, and faith.
Second, he urges perseverance. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (v. 23). Once again the author, writing to Hebrew Christians, a minority of whom are tempted to turn from Christ to escape persecution, urges them to continue in the faith, “for he who promised is faithful.” We have strong incentive to persevere in faith because our God is absolutely faithful and “it is impossible for God to lie” (6:18). We are to imitate Sarah, who “considered him faithful who had promised” (11:11). God will never fail us; therefore, we must be steadfast to the end in faith, holiness, and love.
Third, he urges love. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (10:24). Amid trials, believers are to show practical concern for one another. This expresses itself in “good works,” such as those formerly done by the first readers of this letter (vv. 33–34). They are to continue caring for each other, whatever the cost. Such care is stimulated by meeting together for worship, fellowship, and mutual encouragement (vv. 24–25). Here the writer supplements the second coming of our heavenly High Priest to bring salvation (9:28) with the Old Testament idea of “the Day” of the Lord (10:25). He thereby offers both reassurance and a warning of the need to persevere until that Day. Verse 25 thus serves as a bridge to the severe warning that follows in verses 26–31.
10:22 let us draw near. See note on 7:19. Based on what had been written, this was the heart of the invitation to those in the assembly who had not come to Christ. The same invitation is found in the first NT book to be written (James 4:8), where James reveals the corollary of drawing near to God: God will draw near to you. Asaph taught that it is a good thing to draw near to God (Ps. 73:28). The full restoration of Israel to God’s blessing is dependent upon them drawing near to Him (Jer. 30:18–22). In other words, it is an eschatological invitation coming to them in “these last days” (1:2). This verse describes the prerequisites for entering the presence of God (cf. Ps. 15): sincerity, security, salvation, and sanctification. true heart. The Gr. term behind “true” carries the ideas of being sincere, genuine, and without ulterior motive (cf. Jer. 24:7; Matt. 15:8). This one thing these particular Hebrews lacked: genuine commitment to Christ. full assurance of faith. See note on 6:11. Utter confidence in the promises of God is intended by the phrase. Such confidence will result in heartfelt assurance or security which will allow them to persevere through the coming trials. This is the first of a familiar triad: faith, hope (v. 23), and love (v. 24).
Let us hold fast (v. 23). The readers of this epistle were being tempted to forsake their confession of Jesus Christ by going back to the Old Covenant worship. The writer did not exhort them to hold on to their salvation, because their security was in Christ and not in themselves (Heb. 7:25). Rather, he invited them to hold fast “the profession [confession] of … hope.” (There is no manuscript evidence for the word “faith.” The Greek word is “hope.”)
We have noted in our study of Hebrews that there is an emphasis on the glorious hope of the believer. God is “bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10). Believers are “partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1) and therefore can rejoice in hope (Heb. 3:6). Hope is one of the main themes of Hebrews 6 (vv. 11–12, 18–20). We are looking for Christ to return (Heb. 9:28) and we are seeking that city that is yet to come (Heb. 13:14).
When a believer has his hope fixed on Christ, and relies on the faithfulness of God, then he will not waver. Instead of looking back (as the Jews so often did), we should look ahead to the coming of the Lord.
stir up. The Eng. word “paroxysm” is derived from the Gr. term used here. The meaning in this context is that of stimulating or inciting someone to do something. love and good works. An example of such mutual effort in the midst of persecution was to be found at Corinth (cf. 2 Cor. 8:1–7).
In referring again to the Second Advent, the writer left the impression he was concerned that genuine believers might cease to hope for the Lord’s coming and be tempted to defect from their professions of faith in Christ (cf. comments on 1:13–2:4; 6:9). They must treat their future expectations as certainties (since He who promised is faithful). If they would only lift up their eyes, they could “see the Day approaching.”
It is interesting to note that the emphasis here is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the assembly. Faithfulness in church attendance encourages others and provokes them to love and good works. One of the strong motives for faithfulness is the soon coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, the only other place the word translated “assembling” (Heb. 10:25) is used in the New Testament is in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where it’s translated “gathering” and deals with the coming of Christ.