Hebrews 10

Greetings and grace to you!

Hebrews 10 is much more than the foyer to the Hall of Faith in chapter 11.  In chapter 10 we find compelling descriptions of the differences between the old covenant and the new one.

The outline theme of Hebrews 10 (based on the 'a' of SON IS MEDIATOR) is:

• A shadow of the good things to come (1-18)
  
• Assurance of faith (19-39)
  

 The memory verses are:

• A shadow of the good things to come
  Hebrews 10:1
  " For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near."
  
  
• Assurance of faith
  Hebrews 10:22
  "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
  
  

Brief Commentary
The writer sets up this first main section of Hebrews 10 with the phrase 'A shadow of the good things to come' (conveniently, that's the thematic outline, too).  He then goes on to discuss several things relating to the law that are the 'shadow' and contrasts them with the good things that are to come; the substance (Col 2:17). 

The first, and most lengthy contrast is found in vv1-10.  The sacrifices made under the law are offered continually every year, they use the blood of bulls and goats, and serve as a reminder of sins every year.  The writer points out that if these sacrifices could indeed perfect the worshiper, why must they need to be offered continually?  If these sacrifices worked, the worshipers should be cleansed of a conscience of sin.  But it is clear that they are not.  In fact, that goes against the very nature and purpose of the Law.  But when Christ came, He 'does away with the first in order do establish the second' (9).  Christ's sacrifice was once for all, used His own precious blood, and is able to provide for the sanctification of those who follow Him. 

The second contrast is found in vv11-14.  The priest of the law was required to stand daily at his service to perform his duties; offering the same sacrifices over and over.  As stated above, these sacrifices cannot purify the worshiper nor take away their sins.  But Christ, our High Priest, offered Himself as a sacrifice once for all and 'sat down at the right hand of God'.  This one single offering is able to take away the sins of the worshiper.  But the significant difference in the ministry of the priests of the law and Christ the High Priest is that Jesus sat down.  Standing is a symbol of continued work; their work was never done!  But because Christ's sacrifice was once for all, His work had been fully completed and He sat down.  This is not because He was tired (similar to God 'resting' on the 7th day) but because the debt for sin had been paid and the way of redemption had been opened to all who believe, receive, and follow Him.

The writer's last contrast in this section has to do with a quick review of the New Covenant. The writer quotes Jeremiah 31 while reminding the readers that this new covenant will be written on the hearts and minds of the people (as opposed to the tablets and scrolls of the Old Covenant).  The efficacy of the New Covenant is that God will 'remember their sins and lawless deeds no more' (17, as opposed to being reminded year after year) and that His forgiveness takes away the need for any further offering for sin (18, as opposed to sacrifices being offered year after year). 

The second thematic section of Hebrews 10 begins at verse 19 and is titled 'Assurance of Faith'.  The key verse in this section (and the memory verse) is verse 22.  But before we get to the drawing near and the true and clean hearts and the washed bodies, the writer reminds us what had to come first.  We can only enter the presence of God by the blood of Jesus (19) through the curtain (His flesh)(20) and because of His position (High Priest)(21).  Notice the description of the heart here; we draw near with a true heart that is sprinkled clean.  Under the New Covenant we no longer have an evil heart!

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, He then gives us a new heart and a new spirit.  He has taken away the old heart that was deceitful and sinful (Jer 17:9) and given us a good heart in which His Spirit dwells (Eph 3:16-17).  This does not mean, of course, that we stop sinning.  Even with a good and clean heart we still must live from our good hearts by walking in the Spirit and subduing the flesh  (Gal 5:16-17).  We still must battle constantly against our enemies; the flesh, the world, and the devil (Eph 2:1-3).  But we now can do this by the power of Holy Spirit living in and working through our redeemed hearts. 

This power is multiplied when followers of Christ join together as the body of Christ.  Here we find two occurences of the phrase 'one another' (found throughout the NT).  Believers are to stir one another toward love and good works and encourage one another as Christ's return approaches.  The battle against the flesh, the world, and the devil is a life-long fight.  God does not want us to fight it without Him, and He does not want us to fight it with out each other.

The meaning of vv26-27 seems to have been lost in translation.  The obvious difficulty one might find here is that even afer being redeemed and given a new heart, the believer still sins.  So, we either have to dissect what 'sinning deliberately' means (which some people would say is ALL sin) or look to the greater context of Hebrews. Several commentators I have read will give this feel; 'If we hear the truth but reject it and do not repent, there is no other sacrifice for sins available; this is it.  And at the end of rejection of the Gospel is the judgment of God'.  This thought pattern seems to continue into the next example.  The writer reminds the readers that under the law, anyone who rejects the law could be put to death by the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Therefore, how much greater a punishment should be expected for someone who rejects the Gospel by spurning Christ, profaning the blood of the covenant and outraging the Spirit (three witnesses again)?  This seems to indicate rejection of the truth and lack of true faith as opposed to an embracing of the Gospel followed by apostasy.  The writer then wraps up the argument with a reminder that God is soveriegn and will judge people justly.

In one more attempt to encourage the readers, the writer reminds them of their previous sufferings for the Gospel and the hope they held through those times; hope for an eternal possession.  I would summarize this as the writer saying 'hang in there!  He is coming soon.  Live by faith and persevere.  It will be worth it!'


How does this affect my worship?
The daily/monthly/yearly offerings that were done away with by the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ were sin offerings, not offerings of praise.  My praise will continue every moment I take breath.  Later in Hebrews we read that we are to 'continually offer a sacrifice of praise; the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name' (13:15).  As is the theme in the Psalms, we are to praise Him continually for who He is and what He has done.  Of that material we can never run out.

How does this affect my discipleship?
There is no accounting for time in the discipleship process.  It seems like much of the significant and lasting life-change comes at the cost of time.  But if we hold firm to our confession of faith and our obedience of service, disciple-making brings change.  And it's worth it.  To see, and be a part of, the changed life of a Christ-follower is a truly joyful experience.  Hang in there!  The road is long, but it's worth it.

live by faith,
Ethan

Hebrews 9

We pick up our Chapter Memory Study in Hebrews 9 this week. To review, the goal of this study is to systematically go through the Bible, chapter by chapter, in order to study, outline and memorize the key concepts of each chapter. I use the English Standard Version (ESV) most of the time, and tend to follow the pericope divisions (sub-titles within each chapter) as marked by the ESV. Hebrews seems to be dividing nicely into about 2 sections per chapter. The outline of Hebrews is based on the acronym "SON IS MEDIATOR"; of which I assign each chapter to the corresponding letter in the outline theme. We are on chapter 9, so that brings us to the "I" of MEDIATOR this week.

The outline for Hebrews 9 is:

• Impermanent place of holiness (1-10)
  
• Irrevocable blood of Christ (11-28)
  

The memory passages are chosen from each section and, if at all possible, contain key words and themes from that section.

• Impermanent place of holiness
  Hebrews 9:1 (ESV)
  1Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.
  
  
• Irrevocable blood of Christ
  Hebrews 9:14-15 (ESV)
  14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 15Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
  
  

(note: the colors correspond to the marking system I have in my Bible; blue for theme, green for memory/key passage. Red is then used for repeating words/phrases/concepts, and black is used for general emphasis. I use one of those handy-dandy 4-color bic pens and it works wonderfully. I'll maybe do a post about that sometime)

In the first section (vv1-10; Impermanent place of holiness) the writer describes the tabernacle (1-5) and then the ministry in the tabernacle (6-10). The tabernacle itself was the 'earthly place of holiness' that contained the key symbols of worship and the ark of the covenant. Of further details and contents, the writer could not (and needed not) comment further.

Continuing a review of worship practices and regulations, the writer then describes what happened in the tabernacle. The priests would perform their duties in the first section (the Holy Place), but only the high priest would enter the section (the Most Holy Place). The high priest would take an offering of blood for his own sins and also the sins of the people. The writer adds that this is a symbol of the distance between us and God; the first section separates the people from God. Only the high priest, the mediator, can go through the holy place into the most holy place (setting up the comparison to Jesus and His ministry). While the offering of blood was required under these regulations, it was only effective in dealing with issues of food, drink, washings, and regulations for the body (externals); it was not able to perfect the conscience.

The second main section (Irrevocable blood of Christ, vv10-28) contains 11 occurrences of the word 'blood'. (note: if at all possible, I try to include any major repetitions in the theme title. The overall theme is the blood of Christ, but I will remember that 'blood' is a repeated word/theme). The writer sets up the contrast immediately; 'but when Christ appeared as a high priest' (11). Christ's ministry was not in a temporary earthly tent, but in the 'greater and more perfect tent'; the heavenly presence of God. Christ's sacrifice of blood did not need to be repeated year after year; it was given once for all (12, 16, 7:27, 10:10) and secured eternal redemption.

In verses 13-15, the writer summarizes the whole argument; if the old sacrifice of animals' blood was effective to purify the flesh, how much more can the blood of Christ do? He offered Himself, the perfect Lamb of God, to God for the purity of our conscience. He is the eternal Mediator of this new covenant and the Guarantor of the eternal inheritance for those who are called. While both covenants required the shedding of blood, only the shed blood of Christ is effective to purify our conscience and ensure eternal redemption.

Here again we come across the title 'Mediator'. For definition, I'll defer to bigger brains:

The word “mediator” is the translation of mesites which refers to one who intervenes between two, to make or restore peace and friendship, to form a compact, or to ratify a covenant. Here the Messiah acts as a go-between or mediator between a holy God and sinful man. By His death on the cross, He removes the obstacle (sin) which caused an estrangement between man and God. When the sinner accepts the merits of Messiah’s sacrifice, the guilt and penalty of his sin is his no more, the power of sin in his life is broken, he becomes the recipient of the divine nature, and the estrangement between himself and God, both legal and personal, disappears. (Kenneth S. Wuest, Hebrews in the Greek New Testament, p. 162, 163)

The writer then briefly discusses the metaphor of a will. The will is only put into effect when the one who made the will dies. Christ's death puts into force the inheritance of the beneficiaries (those who believe) so that they might receive the benefits of the covenant (will). Even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood (with which Moses purified the book and the people) because the shedding of blood was necessary for forgiveness. In the Old Testament, the 'copies of the heavenly things' were purified with blood; through Christ, the heavenly things themselves are purified with His blood.

Christ's ministry was not in the earthly, hand-made tabernacle (the copies), but in heaven before God the Father Himself (24). His sacrifice did not need to be offered repeatedly, but once for all ages (25-26). Christ will appear again, having died and rose again, to save to Himself those who are eagerly waiting for Him (27-28).

How does this affect my worship?
I have no context or concept of tabernacle worship. I have seen the demonstrations and even a life-size model; but I have no idea what it must have been like. I only know worship within the omnipresence of God; He is ever-present and always within me. Sometimes my personality leans toward a more legal, outlined interaction with God. "This is what you need to do, this is how you meet with God, these are the rules you need to follow." Jesus made it clear in John 4 that worship is not limited to location. God is Spirit, and we worship Him in spirit and truth; wherever, whenever, with everything. And yet my heart longs to meet with God. To sit before Him. To honor Him. He is drawing near to us (indeed, drawing us near), and we are to draw near to Him (because we can also go the other direction). But worship in spirit, truth, word and deed must be approached as an encounter. Meet with Him. Walk with him. Worship Him. Hear from Him. Follow Him.

How does this affect my discipleship?
As quickly as I tend to impose rules on myself, I am certain that tendency bleeds into my disciple-making. "In order to 'look like' a mature believer, these are the steps you need to take and this is the language you need to speak". First of all, I don't know how to discern growth and maturity in anyone outside the context of a relationship. When you walk with someone for a year, two years, or more, you see their life and growth right in front of you. They may not look like you or talk like you (thankfully) but they should start reflecting more of Jesus. Again and always; disciple-makers must not focus on making disciples of themselves but disciples of Christ.

under His blood, and by His grace,

Ethan