Surety of a Better Covenant

And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The LORD has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’”), by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. (Hebrews 07:20-22, NKJV).

In a very real sense, the Old Testament Jewish priesthood consisted of men who were priests by accidents of birth. They "happened" to be born of a certain lineage at a certain time, and if they met the minimum qualifications of not having any physical or mental disabilities or infirmities, and if they maintained a certain level of ceremonial righteousness, they became priests. Then they died. 

In this way, oftentimes, the office of priest was held by worthless, evil, or incompetent men, who were malfeasant representatives of God to the people and of the people to God.

Some of these were outright scoundrels and thieves. Others were merely apathetic or unskilled, or lazy. It was only when good men fulfilled these priestly roles well that the nation prospered, and the Mosaic covenant between God and the Jews reaped blessings upon the people. When that was not the case, misery and disaster was the rule of the day.

As such, the Covenant of the Law, being dependent on sinful men who often failed, was a conditional contract that, while never broken by God, was frequently broken by the priests or the kings or the people. For the average child of Israel, the whole prospect was an unsure, risky business.

Even if it went well for any length of time, the transition from one generation of priests to the next was always of uncertain result. An unstable priesthood or an an unstable High Priest was calamitous.

This then was the bottom line of performance-based Law. It was established on the basis of heredity and dependence on fallible and frail men; shaky and easily shaken.

Jesus, in utter contrast to this, was made Priest, not by any genetic provisions, but by an oath of the Father Himself, as prophesied in Psalm 110 by David a thousand years before Christ's birth. And note the citation above - not only that the LORD has sworn, but that He will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.

Clearly it is by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

By so much more than ancestry. 

By so much more than conditional performance. 

By so much more than fallible and fallen men. 

By so much more than the imperfect activities of unreliable and weak mortals. 

By so much than the uncertainty of time and circumstance. 

By so much more than all that ever was or is or will be. 

By that much and more so, Jesus ensures that the New Covenant in His blood is unbreakable, inviolable, and beyond negation. 

Heaven and earth may pass away, but the word of the Lord remains forever.

For those of us who have entered into this covenant through faith in Christ, our eternal destiny is assured.

We have a High Priest empowered by an endless life and confirmed in His office by an oath from Heaven itself.

A greater level of certainty there cannot be.

There is no conceivable loophole.

Nothing has been overlooked. No contingency unforeseen or left unhandled.

We can rest in the knowledge that all that needs to be done has been done, and will continue to be done.

Forever.

Bringing in of a Better Hope

For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 07:12-19, NKJV).

The Mosaic Law established the ancient Jewish Priesthood. The Law and the Priesthood are interdependent. If one changes, so must the other.

That is the writer's opening point in this passage, as he continues his argument that Christ is better than all that came before, including the Levitical Priesthood begun with Aaron.

Throughout the long ages of Jewish history, the deepest heart-longing of faithful Jews was to draw near to their God. They, more than any, and all, other people groups, understood the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. Their entire origin and purpose was founded upon God's revelation of His perfection, and man's iniquity.

God established a temporary remedy that atoned for, or more precisely, covered sin, via the shedding of innocent animal blood in anticipation of the shed blood of His Son that would take away the sin of the world.

Christ's Advent as Priest, King and Suffering Servant was foreshadowed in the establishment of the Law of Moses and the ceremonial sacrifices officiated by the Jewish Priests. Once He arrived in the fullness of time and completed the work that the Father gave Him to do on the Cross, the temporary sacrificial system was abrogated by a new, superior Priesthood - that which was prophetically symbolized by the historical episode involving the mysterious Priest-King Melchizedek.

The message: Rejoice O Israel! That which you have hoped for all your long history is now possible - drawing near to God through the Mediator, Jesus Christ, the realized Priest-King of Israel… and the world.

The Lord's superiority aligned perfectly, and superseded, all that went before. As King, He must come from the line of Judah, yet no King of Israel was permitted to act in the role of a Priest according to the order of Aaron. The prohibitions against that were explicit and the consequences severe, both for the man and the nation.

Yet, in accord with the prophecies outlined in the Old Testament, Messiah would fulfill all three specially ordained offices of Judaism: Priest, King and Prophet. Thus, woven throughout the exquisitely crafted tapestry of redemptive history was signpost after signpost pointing to our incomparable Lord.

Do not overlook the precision and consistency of God's plan, and its meticulous execution over the course of millennia. Melchizedek had to be who, what and when he was, as did Moses, Aaron, Levi, Israel, the Law, and all the other countless details of human history worked out in advance. And in becoming the glorious culmination these details, Christ demonstrated incontrovertibly His absolute, and prophesied, supremacy.

Christ's commission as High Priest changed the Law. As a physical descendant of Judah, He could not act in the role of Priest, UNLESS the Law was changed. His being called as Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, preceded the establishment of Aaron's office, and was thus of higher and more venerable precedence. His priesthood was not based on genetics and the Mosaic Law's heredity of mortal flesh (fleshly commandment), but was based on the power of an endless life.

Aaron and all his priestly descendants died. Christ lives forever to make intercession for us, and is thus immeasurably superior, as eternal life is immeasurable in comparison to mortality.

The Law, which by necessity was changed when Christ assumed His role as High Priest, was thus annulled because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect. No flesh could be justified by the works of the Law. It was a tutor that taught sinful man his helplessness and need of a Savior.

In it's place was the Law of Faith, which no longer covered sin temporarily through the letting of animal blood, but, through faith in Christ's sacrifice, removed sin forever.

Now, the barrier between God and man was broken down, and what was only the faintest of glimmers in all the long centuries before, now burst forth brightly in all God's holy radiance - the way into His presence was thrown open.

And that better hope of mankind, reconciliation with his Creator, was brought in by our Messiah, and made available for all time.

Beyond All Contradiction

And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. (Hebrews 07:05-10, NKJV).

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek some 500 years before the Mosaic Law.

Abraham was the recipient of God's unconditional promises; that he would be the father of many nations, that he would prosper, that those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed, that through him all the nations of the world would be blessed, that the Promised Land would be his and his descendants forever, that his faith was accounted to him for righteousness.

And yet, the Patriarch Abraham, the founding member of the Jews, paid tithes and received a blessing from an otherwise unknown Priest in the desert. Thus, if the progenitor of the Levitical priesthood was inferior to the priestly Melchizedek, then the Levitical priesthood, descended from Abraham, itself is also inferior. 

And since Christ was made a Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and not according to the order of Aaron, the first Levitical priest, then Christ's priesthood is by that precedent is also superior, because beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.

Hammering this point home, the author of Hebrews further reasons that Levi, who is the recipient of lawful tithes now, and pays no tithes himself, paid tithes then for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Further, the payments to the Levitical/Aaronic priests were from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham, but Melchizedek, whose genealogy is not derived from them, meaning he was not even descended from Abraham, received tithes from Abraham, and even symbolically from Levi himself.

So long before the Law, long before the Jewish priesthood was established, the first Jew's actions confirmed the superiority of Melchizedek's role, and by extension, Christ's own singular royal priesthood.

Christ's every aspect is thus superior to all that came before or since.

Parenthetically, notice that receive, rather than take is the operative verb in these matters. Levi and his descendants received the priesthood and tithes. They did not pursue nor take either.

Likewise Melchizedek received tithes, as Abraham both received blessing and the earlier promises.

There is no taking in the redemptive economy of God, with the one exception of the proffered cup of salvation (Ps 116:13).

So we see from the writer's finely woven argument regarding Melchizedek, Abraham and Levi presented that Christ is superior beyond all contradiction in every way.

Jewish history itself portended His superiority, extravagantly decorated as it was with these prototypical foreshadowings, these venerable precedents, pointing prophetically to the exclusive and ultimate conclusion.

Christ's inheritance, His authority, His name, His character, His privilege, His everything, is beyond all compare and beyond all contradiction.

There is none like Him.

Nor will there ever be.

Accept and worship Him, and Him alone. Nothing less.

The Priest-King of Salem

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. (Hebrews 07:01-04, NKJV).

Melchizedek is mentioned eleven times in the Bible, twice in the Old Testament (Ge 14:18; Ps 110:4), and the rest in Hebrews (Heb 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:1,10,11,15,17,21), explaining the significance of the Old Testament citations.

Every word, every diacritical mark, every nuance and subtlety of the Word of God has meaning. It is exceedingly abundantly comprised of treasures, both obvious and hidden. That is why devoting yourself to the study of it can change your life… forever.

Two thousand years before Christ, Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, encountered a mysterious figure to whom he gave tithes and from whom he received blessing. We know virtually nothing else about this Priest-King of Salem. Not his genealogy, nor anything about his time of birth or death, nor anything about other events in his life.

We do know that his name means King of Righteousness, and that he was sovereign over Salem, meaning that he was also King of Peace (which is what Salem or Shalom signifies).  We know that he blessed Abraham, and that in doing so, showed his superiority to him (since the lesser is blessed by the better (Heb 7:7).

If nothing else, this godly priest of the Most High God is included in Genesis for the precise purpose of foreshadowing and prototyping the non-Levitical priesthood of Christ, and establishing it's superiority and precedence over the Aaronic priesthood upon which the Jews were relying, and because of which they were held back from full commitment to the gospel.

Do you see how brilliant this is? How utterly comprehensive the Father's plan of redemption is, how it anticipates every heresy, objection, and stumbling block?

The Book of Amos declares: Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7, NKJV).

Thus, this singular encounter in the ancient desert of the Middle East was part of God's revelation of His plan to replace the yet-future works-based Judaic practice with the superior faith-based salvation offered through the Gospel of Christ.

Melchizedek's role as the Priest-King of Salem prior to the establishment of Judaism through Abraham, his very existence, eliminates foundation for the Jewish belief that only through allegiance to the Mosaic Law could a human being escape the fires of Hell. This set the precedent for opening the door of salvation to the Gentiles, as well, long before the establishment of Judaism.

Now some believe and teach that this mysterious ruler was a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, similar to the Captain of the Lord of Hosts in the Book of Joshua, but I do not think this is a necessary conclusion. Joshua ended up worshiping this Angel of the Lord after the battle of Ai, and was not forbidden. Plus, Joshua was also instructed to remove his sandals since he was on Holy Ground, echoing the very command given by God to Moses when He spoke from the Burning Bush. No such similar occurrences or intimations are provided in the account of Abraham and Melchizedek.

But Abraham did pay undoubted homage to Melchizedek, therefore we are told to consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.

As a prophetic picture of the superiority of Messiah over all else, the Melchizedek incident is a wondrous hidden jewel, shining forth from the ancient Hebrew scriptures to be definitively interpreted 2000 years later by the divinely inspired author of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, and spanning yet another 2000 years to further illuminate our understanding in the church.

Consider the astounding magnitude of God's planning evidenced by these historic threads, and stand in awe at the immeasurable intelligence displayed.

This is who we serve and worship.

One final thought, and it's this: God always preserves a remnant. Although the descendants of Noah largely turned away from God after the deluge, requiring that God call the pagan Abram from the land of Ur to establish an unmistakable witness to the world by making of him the Jewish nation, the Priest-King of Salem shows that some remained faithful to His word no matter what. Whatever else he was and did, the presence of Melchizedek in human history should encourage us in the world today, where faithful witness seems fewer and farther between with each passing day.

Soul Anchor

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 06:19-20, NKJV).

Hell is a place of infinite separation from God, unrelenting agony, and perpetual restlessness. 

It is the default destination for every human being who dies in unbelief. All roads save one leads there, and while it may be possible to purposely head in that direction, most individuals arrive there by not thinking about eternity at all until it is too late. They drift along in life until at death they are pulled inexorably down into the irresistible whirlpool of judgment that is the promised end for all who reject the gift of salvation through faith.

There is only one remedy. Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col 1:27).

The writer of Hebrews reveals that this hope is the only means of escape from eternal punishment. It is the only anchor of the soul that will resist the inevitable tidal forces of judgment into which we would otherwise be pulled, like matter, energy, light, and time itself is sucked past the event horizon of a Black Hole.

And this hope, like all Biblical hope, is not mere wishing that something be so, but a guaranteed future outcome that is both sure and steadfast.

Interesting and significant are the divinely inspired word choices here. Sure is asphales (as-fal-ace'), which is the absolute negation of failure, rendering even the possibility of coming loose or breaking completely and utterly impossible.

Steadfast is bebaios (beb'-ah-yos), signifying foundational, immovable, like something that has its anchoring root in the center of the planet, or at the core of all existence.

Together the picture is one of unparalleled certainty.

But there's more, for we are now given the marvelous insight that the hope is not something that we drum up ourselves, but it is the Person of Christ, even Jesus, who, as our forerunner, our Captain, our Author, enters the Presence behind the veil.

This is a statement of unlimited access to the throne of God Himself, foreshadowed by the ancient sacrifice officiated by the hereditary High Priest of the Children of Israel, who could only approach the Mercy Seat of God in the Tabernacle, and later, the Temple, once a year, and then only after making ritualistic atonement first for his own sins, and then for the peoples'.

And this human High Priest was fallible and mortal. He was a priest only by virtue of genetic inheritance, and only until he inevitably died. As a vessel of hope, thin and fragile, the antithesis of an immovable anchor, since any failure on his part would render the all important once-yearly propitiation of God's anger against sin null and void. Not only for himself, but for the people as well.

But God appointed Jesus as High Priest, not according to the genetic order descended through Aaron, but according to the mysterious order of Melchizedek, different and far older than that established within Israel. And this appointment, as we will see, was confirmed by yet another oath from God Himself.

And rather than a temporary, mortal priesthood, Jesus became High Priest forever.

Do you see the infinitely superior hope embodied in Christ and His one-time, once-for-all work of attonement on the Cross? Do you see how vastly superior He is as our sure and steadfast anchor?

Immovable, unfailing, eternal.

When we believe, He becomes our anchor who saves us from the unthinkable torment of everlasting Hell, and beckons us to come boldly to the Throne of Grace.

Strong Consolation

For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. (Hebrews 06:16-18, NKJV).

God knows what we need. He calls Himself Jehovah Jireh, the LORD WHO PROVIDES, as Abraham discovered on Mount Moriah when God provided a ram for sacrifice in place of Isaac.

That phrase strong consolation is derived from a pair of Greek words, ischuros (is-khoo-ros') and paraklesis (par-ak'-lay-sis), together meaning impervious comfort. It paints the picture of a mighty one who comes alongside a weak, hurting, and beloved creature to provide indomitable protection, shelter… and rest. 

It also gives the connotation of the Lord of Comfort, and in that sense brings to mind the Parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos), the Divine Comforter, a designation of the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers at the time of their coming to faith, and who will never leave nor forsake us.

The Lord knows what we need. And what we need in all circumstances, beyond anything or anyone, is Him. So he swears on Himself to be that for us… always.

Read the verses above again and let them immerse you in His incomprehensible grace and love.

In His mercy toward us frail and easily broken creatures, He has determined to show more abundantly the immutability of His counsel, His unchanging and unchangeable promise to be all that which we need forever, especially comfort and refuge in this life; refuge that we flee to, knowing that the gates of His protection will be flung open to receive us NO MATTER WHAT.

Do you see how He longs for us to trust this very thing about Him? He wants us to know beyond all doubt that HE IS THERE… FOR US.

If this does not make your heart soar with unspeakable gratitude and joy, you are not paying attention; you are trampling on His magnificent Son who made such refuge possible. 

God, who cannot lie, made us heirs of promise - the promise of eternal life with Him, and protection, shelter, and comfort in this life.

This does not mean that life in this dark and fallen world will be painless. In fact, it means the opposite: we will need strong consolation and refuge. Guaranteed. 

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NKJV).

The Lord confirms His oath in such an incontrovertible manner for an end of all dispute. Look, in times of inconsolable grief and heartache, in periods of unrelenting physical or emotional agony, in those endless hopeless hours of unrelieved fear, we will be tempted to seek refuge elsewhere. We will war and dispute with ourselves… and Him.

Acting in our own strength rather than waiting on Him. Losing that hope set before us rather than holding on for all we (and He) is worth. Desperately seeking relief and comfort from the empty and shallow things of this world, rather than going to the only Person who can, and will, provide exactly what we need.

He knows.

He cares more deeply than we can adequately comprehend.

He cries out from Heaven with the love of a Father to come to Him; to trust Him; to receive the only comfort that satisfies.

The extremes that He took to prove His love, sending our Savior to the Cross; the depth and strength of His commitment to us, these things He desires us to know above all other things. So much so that He confirms His oath according to all that is embodied in His name and Person. He puts Himself on the line.

The Lord God of All, whose mere word creates galaxies and stars and life out of nothing, graciously, humbly, and lovingly swears to us, His lowly and fallen creatures, that He IS our protection, shelter, and comfort.

There can be no stronger consolation.

Patient Endurance

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. (Hebrews 06:13-15, NKJV).

The concept of patiently endured is one word in Greek. It literally means to be of a long spirit, to not lose heart.

The Christian life requires a long spirit in a fallen and often tragically painful world, and the Bible prepares us for that likelihood by providing repeated examples of those who have gone through trials and maintained their faith in the One who, because He [can] swear by no one greater, [swears] by Himself. 

He does that because He knows we will be tempted to doubt and grow weary, especially in a time of trial, and He graciously desires to reassure us that His promises are true.  

Nevertheless, we often become impatient with God. We want Him to do something according to our time tables; to show Himself mighty on our behalf in a way that comforts us, and vindicates us to the world.

And sometimes, we just want Him to call us home.

Parodoxically, while less than ideal, both reactions require faith in the first place, and are far better than the doubts that sometimes can assail us when things are at their darkest. Impatience, after all, is superior to despair or hopelessness in the context of pain and suffering.

Yet, if we succumb to that very natural desire for Him to speed things up, we are in danger of missing something along the way.

He wants us to be conformed into the image of His Son. That takes some doing, even for God.

In the material world, you can apply all the extra heat you want in cooking a gourmet meal, but the outcome is not a quicker result, but a ruined supper. 

Using another analogy, it takes time at a certain heat to properly harden and glaze a magnificent piece of pottery. Any other process again results in ruin or an inferior product, unable to fulfill the purpose for which it was formed.

So it is with us, I'm afraid. In this life, we are uncooked and malformed. For Him to make us His masterpiece, He needs to do whatever is necessary over however long it takes in order to reform us in His image; to fix those things that sin has marred and weakened.

He loves us too much, and has paid too dear a price to do otherwise.

And in patently enduring the trial, whatever it is, we obtain something else if we trust Him to work all things together for good. We obtain a deeper knowledge of His intimate care for us; His incredibly loving attention to every detail of our being; His faithfulness in never leaving us, nor forsaking us, or giving up. No matter how much we seem to be failing outwardly.

He is there holding us up, helping us to bear the burden of living in the fires of this life.

And He has put Himself through more than we can ever know in suffering as He did on the Cross of our salvation. He knows what pain is like. He knows what despair and being forsaken is like. He who deserved no punishment received it all so that we could have the opportunity to be molded and shaped in His righteousness.

And in being so reworked by the Master's hands, we obtain the promise of eternal life with Him.

It hurts, but in the end we will say with the Apostle Paul, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18, NKJV).

So, allow Him to perform His masterful work by patiently enduring what He has for us in this life.

And know that He loves you with an everlasting love.

Diligent Imitation

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 06:11-12, NKJV).

There's a reason small, slimy invertebrates are called slugs - they're slow and leave a thick, sticky trail behind them. They literally always have their foot in their mouths and it takes them forever to make forward progress. To be sluggish, then, is to be like one of them.

Spiritual sluggishness is less obvious but equally sticky and bereft of progress, and there is only one effective remedy: diligent imitation of those who are not sluggish, who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Note those two ingredients, faith and patience. Faith, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, and patience, an attitude of quiet, persevering dependence on the Lord. The writer of Hebrews desires his readers to be as un-forgetful as God, to not only minister to the saints, but join in following them in their pattern of fervency and hope-filled endurance until the end.

The result is receiving the full inheritance of eternal life promised by God through the death of His Son.

How does this square with eternal security? Do we have to endure to the end in order to somehow attain salvation? What about saving faith being the gift of God and not of works, lest anyone should boast? Does this mean that those who don't endure lose their salvation?

Consider how the Apostle John answers these issues with a single comprehensive example:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. (1 John 2:19, NKJV).

Do you see the elegant equation and how it applies here in Hebrews, as well?

Endurance to the end is not a prerequisite, it is proof of salvation. If someone does not endure, if their sluggishness overtakes them, the conclusion that must be reached is that they were never true heirs of Christ. For if they had been, they would have endured, for He is able to make them stand.

Then why the repeated warnings about drifting, dullness, departing, and sluggishness? Because it is God graciously reminding us to examine ourselves to see that we are truly in the faith, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is He who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Again, why? So that we become His and thus are assured of receiving the promises. 

The warnings are for those who may think they are saved, for whatever reasons - family tradition, good works, ritualistic practice, outward righteousness without inward transformation - but who have not yet crossed the boundary from death to life; who have not yet put their full faith in Christ's substitutionary sacrifice of their behalf. It is a loving exhortation to come the full way into the Kingdom, and put aside all other hope.

Only those who will come to complete faith will hear the warnings and respond. All others will fall away back into the worldliness that they may have been emerging from, but who are too double-minded to commit.

Surely the saddest outcome imaginable is for a person, perhaps even a "good" person, to pass from this life under a false profession of faith. That is why throughout the New Testament God has placed benchmarks, roadsigns, danger signs, and health checks to prevent that most tragic destiny.

But we need to read and hear and obey in order to take full advantage of these exhortations.

We need to be in fellowship with other believers, and to observe and imitate those whose lives, words, and deeds are uncompromising proof of their membership in the family of God.

By doing so, we will not fall by the wayside, unless of course, we were never really His to begin with, nor will ever be.

For those persons who willfully remain ignorant, or willfully reject Christ, it would be better that they were never born.

Work and Labor of Love

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 06:10, NKJV).

What is it about human love that requires such an expenditure of energy? 

Not the love portrayed in popular culture, or other entertainment media, that is really thinly veiled and transitory lust, and that fades and cheapens with indulgence. 

Or the kind of quid pro quo love prevalent in many modern relationships that requires a balance sheet of running credits and debits to keep track of each partner's interpersonal investment.

Not these at all, but the kind of agape love described in Scripture as that self-sacrificing, continuous act of will motivated purely for someone else's good. The kind of love defined by God Himself, as in God IS love. The kind of love Jesus demonstrated by His going to the Cross to die for us while we were yet sinners, and at enmity with Him. That kind of love.

I think the answer is that we humans are inherently hard to love, with all our scrapes, dents, and flaws; and all our self-centered, self-absorbed, self-important self-focus. We are all about us, not others. How tiring is that?

After we reach a certain age, or take on certain traits, or develop certain habits, we become rather unlovable, and only an act of God makes us otherwise. And even after the regeneration that comes through faith in Christ, only the love of God poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit enables us weak and broken down Christians to even remotely love each other like God intends.

Yet even the pale and ghostly love towards one another that we sometimes allow to come through our stubborn and thickened hearts is something that God never forgets. It is His light shining through our darkness, and it is one of the few precious things we are capable of that actually honors His name.

Not only is God not unjust to forget this, but He is incredibly gracious in His judgment of our ministry, rewarding us extravagantly for even a glass of water given in His name.

And that word labor, signifies a kind of grievous effort, associated with the beating of the breast with sorrow, a sort of unstoppable committed expenditure of willed effort, that compels someone to action, very much like the irresistible grief of loss in that sense. 

The saints referenced above, are those called out of the world into and for Christ - anyone and everyone who believes He is Lord and Savior who died for our sin.

And what honors Him about our work and labor of love toward each other is embodied in the words ministered and minister, both the same in Greek, meaning to attend to anything that may serve another's interests over our own.

Why?

Because that is a hallmark of being like Christ Himself. It is His stamp upon our being that blazes out into the universe for all to see - a beacon that points others not to us, but to Him.

Look, talk is cheap. All it takes is hot air and a facile tongue to sound like you are something when you are not.

Action is harder to fake. The work and labor of love is impossible to feign for very long at all.

And when it's real, it shakes the foundation of Hell itself, and irks the godless world to the point of deceitful cynicism to explain it all away.

Think it's not important?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34, NKJV).

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12, NKJV).

“These things I command you, that you love one another. (John 15:17, NKJV).

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8, NKJV).

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; (1 Thessalonians 4:9, NKJV).

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, (1 Peter 1:22, NKJV).

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, (1 John 3:11, NKJV).

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (1 John 3:23, NKJV).

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7, NKJV).

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11, NKJV).

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. (1 John 4:12, NKJV).

And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. (2 John 1:5, NKJV).

Confident of Better Things

For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. (Hebrews 06:07-09, NKJV).

In the end, unregenerate humanity (those not born-again in the Spirit through faith in Christ) are destined to burn like thorns and briars cleared from an infertile field. 

People hate to be reminded of this truth, and so they bury their heads in the sand and decry us Christians as being deluded and crazy, in lock-step agreement with the way popular culture libelously paints us. These willful haters of the truth of God will reap what they sow, regardless of how they feel about it.

But there is another side to this coin that the writer of Hebrews takes pains to emphasize after every dire warning about the consequences of unbelief, or falsely proclaimed belief, and it is good news indeed.

It's this: by accepting the ancient and venerable doctrines of "mere Christianity", heretofore condemned souls are declared innocent and righteous (justified by faith), and forever immune to the judgments inflicted upon the damned. 

The profession of faith must be real (and repentance and conversion always "look like something"), of course, and when it is, two immeasurably gracious and benevolent transformations take place that accompany salvation.

The first is that we go from beings enemies of God, to being beloved by God. This happens because we have come to know and love Christ, His Son, whom He sent for the express purpose of redeeming us from death, and taking upon Himself the eternal penalty of our sin.

All we do is believe. 

The rest is done by Him through Christ. 

Moment by moment, day by day, our miserably sinful selves are being transformed into His image.  

No Biblically literate Christian can ever claim to be better than someone else because we have accepted this gift of salvation. All that can be truly said of us is that we realize down to the core of our being our helplessness against sin, and understand our need to be saved.

That is an acknowledgment stemming from humility and weakness, not superiority. So any dribble about self-righteous Christians is inherently an oxymoron. By virtue of our surrendering to Christ as Lord and Savior, we are forever forfeiting any and all claims to self-righteousness. It is His righteousness that makes us beloved of God, never our own.

Secondly, instead our doom being certain, our salvation is certain. Christ guarantees that He who comes to Him will by no means be cast out. Consequently, the writer of Hebrews can say without qualification that he is confident that we will not burn, but live forever.

His fiery warning is directed at those who say they believe the gospel, but whose lives, words and deeds belie that profession. 

To those of us who know that we are worthless without Christ, who have surrendered our own feeble attempts at being good, we have received the promise from God Himself that we will live forever in glorified, unfailing bodies in fellowship with each other and with Him.

That expressed confidence in our infinitely better destiny isn't even based on us, but on the Lord's faithfulness.

Look, God is not mocked, nor is He a liar. When He promises something, it will come to pass. And He can see through any pathetic facade of faith behind which we seek to disguise our true hearts.

Whose End is to be Burned

For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. (Hebrews 06:07-09, NKJV).

Nothing is outside the sovereign control of God. In His mercy, He allows a time for repentance and surrender in this life. And like the earth itself, which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, that time of grace and the pouring out of the sweet rain of divine forgiveness, can either bear fruit or thorns.

No matter who you are or what you have done (and we are all guilty before God), you can drink in that grace, accept the offer of forgiveness extended to you through Christ's horrific death, and be one who receives blessing from God. Or you can stubbornly remain at existential war with your Creator, bearing nothing but thorns and briars… whose end is to be burned.

These verses illumine a solemn warning aimed at willful unbelievers, and others who falsely, or without commitment, name the name of Christ as their Lord and Savior.

This echoes what Jesus taught on ravenous wolves in  the famous Sermon on the Mount, and reaffirms what Paul wrote to the Galatians: that there is a perilous danger in thinking you are Christian when you are not.

With brutal honesty, ask yourself this question: do you pierce and tear those around you, like thorns and briars? Or do you add joy and richness to your household and extended family, and your community, like herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated? For know this, what you say tells as much about your heart and the state of your soul as what you do. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Mt 12:34).

True Christians, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, do not cultivate bitterness, unforgiveness, or resentment. They cannot, for in the end, Christ chastens and corrects, breaks and remolds the converted human heart into His image. And He offered forgiveness to the very soldiers and authorities who crucified Him. He came to save a world that He knew would hate and reject Him, yet He loved us anyway, and died to set us free.

If you are Christ's (which is the single most important issue of your existence), then your purpose in life is to serve His purposes; to share His love and character; to display to a rabid and unfeeling world a love that surpasses all understanding. In that way, and in that way only, you demonstrate the sincerity of your faith. Will you stumble in sin? Of course. You are at war with yourself, old man and new creation, and the battle goes to whichever side receives nourishment and care.

And know this too - if you are not Christ's, you are like those thorns and briars brought forth from earth that rejected the love and mercy poured out by the Savior, who will not accept His offer of salvation through faith. There is then no other outcome to your existence then judgment, depicted horribly in Scripture as where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:44, NKJV).

This clarion warning is included in Hebrews and directed with laser-like accuracy to those who have crossed over the border of professed acceptance of the things of God, but whose hearts have remained stone-like and cold. 

Their end is to be burned.

There is nothing more tragic than someone who believes that they are saved, but whose inward life proves otherwise. Is this you? Do you harbor sin protectively deep in your heart, guarding it against all attempts by God to set you free? Do you hold onto grievances and hatred against those whom you feel have wronged you? If so, if you kick and scream against the goads of forgiveness and love, then examine yourself whether you are really in the faith.

In this life, there is nothing more burdensome than bitterness and envy. It eats away at your very core.

It devours from within and causes backbiting and strife to erupt outwardly in your everyday existence.

There can be no peace when thorns and briars abound along your way.

Put aside the offenses of this world and repent. Come to the Cross of Jesus and beg forgiveness.

And He will heal and restore, and empower you with His Spirit to live the life He intends for you… for you as His beloved son or daughter.

Your only alternative is to face the judgment that comes to all sons and daughters of disobedience.

No doubt, if you do not believe in the gospel of Christ, this is all nonsense and religious cliche to you. I know. I came from such a place.

But if you do, even a little bit, then - 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…(Colossians 3:16, NKJV).

And repent and bear the fruit of repentance.

Crucifying the Son of God Again

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 06:04-06, NKJV).

If you at all care about your eternal destiny, this passage in Hebrews 6 (and others like it) must - and should - give you pause.

How does such a solemn warning about the impossibility of being renewed again to repentance reconcile with those other portions of Scripture that clearly teach what is known as "eternal security"?

Is it possible to lose your salvation?

How do you get born again, again?

The key to understanding the full import of these verses is to focus on the meaning of the following three key words: enlightened; tasted; and partakers. Each of these concepts singly, and in context, clarify exactly the nature of the warning intended by the writer. 

The word translated enlightened, is photizo (fo-tid'-zo) in Greek, and essentially refers to the light shed upon something through instruction or teaching. It is knowledge (not wisdom) gained, but not acted upon. It neither precludes subsequent action, nor implies it, but is a necessary precursor to either response. I may learn something, but take no action based on that learning. In that sense, I have been enlightened, but that is all.

The next key word is tasted, which is the Greek, geuomai (ghyoo'-om-ahee). While occasionally used to infer the act of eating, its primary connotation is to try the flavor of, to sample, or to test for satisfaction. It is the attempt to determine whether something is pleasant or satisfying before fully consuming it.

Partakers comes from metochos (met'-okh-os), and means sharing in the office of, or work, or dignity of something or someone. It signifies partnering at varying levels of intensity or commitment. It can be used to convey a range of involvement from a temporary convenience to a full-fledged allegiance. In and of itself in this context, partakers of the Holy Spirit it does not indicate what Christians refer to as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that occurs a true conversion, but only a recognition that He exists and might prove useful.

From these three words alone, it is clear that the individuals in view are not full converts to the faith of Christ, but only dilettantes hovering on the borders. They may be on the verge of saving faith, but have not yet stepped over the line. To stubbornly or self-deceptively remain in that state can be dangerous. The writer is warning those who have skirted the edge of belief, sampling the things of God, perhaps even voicing a certain level of commitment, but have not yet purposed in their heart of hearts to become Christian, to rely only on Christ for salvation and to fully accept Him as both Lord and Savior.

In that state, it is possible to fall away. The word used here is not apostasy, but parapipto (par-ap-ip'-to), with the difference involving the underlying motivation. Apostasy is the willful, premeditated turning away from God, and declaring oneself His determined enemy. It is what Satan has done. In contrast, falling away here refers to the eventual denial of faith because of something else, usually a perception that God has not filled His part of the perceived bargain.

Typically, this occurs when someone uses Christ for themselves, as a means to an end, rather than the ultimate object of personal faith. They are mercenaries, believing only as long as they receive the benefits that they have determined is their due.

I have seen this equation work itself out in a person's life, and it is tragic. What may have started out as apparently fervent belief devolves into open hostility and ridicule because Christianity has not proven to be the panacea mistakenly thought. Thorns, bitterness, disappointment, and the cares of this world eventually take their toll, and this self-centered, prideful falling away hardens the heart involved so that he or she can no longer come to that point of brokenness and contrition indicative of, and necessary for, real repentance.

At this point, their previously professed belief becomes vociferous antagonism, either in word or deed or both, and those around them may now use this falling away to conclude that Christ is not worthy, and His supposed power insufficient or meaningless. 

This eventuality is described in the harshest terms possible by the phrase, they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

That is precisely what happened on that blood-soaked hill of execution outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago, when the Savior was made a public spectacle; humiliated, tortured, and executed excruciatingly as a vile criminal on Golgotha, the Place of the Skull.

His enemies were merciless in their treatment of the One who came and died to save them. They mocked, cursed and spit upon Him, taunting Him in every conceivably evil way in order to undermine the world's perception of who He was, and from where He came. They reveled in their seeming power over Him, and rejoiced in their unreasoning hatred of One who did only good, and taught only truth, and who's sacrificial death was on their behalf, if only they would believe.

This is the outcome that the writer is warning against. Once it occurs in this way, there is no turning back, not because God refuses the person, but because the person arrogantly, willfully, and despicably refuses Him.

Those who selfishly use Christ for their own fleshly purposes, trying Him out, sampling Christianity to see if it is of sufficient earthly benefit, deny Christ's magnificence and majesty, and ultimately show their true motivation by public denial and mockery, just as those at the foot of the Cross who cheered His dying.

It is no accident that Jesus repeatedly warned His prospective followers about the dangers of shallow commitment. 

Unless you are His all the way, you may not be His at all.

Going on to Perfection

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. (Hebrews 06:01-03, NKJV).

There are no worldly solutions to the world's problems. No amount of legislation, no charismatic leader, no attempt to police human morals or discourse, nor fear of punishment will make life on this planet any less prone to tragedy, loss, violence and death.

Only changed human hearts result in changed human behavior, and the only way a human heart can be changed is through faith in Christ, and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Only in this way will murderers become life-savers, criminals become responsible citizens, and would-be conquerors become peacemakers. There is no other remediation  and no other hope.

Yet the world system continues to disparage the Christian faith, and consistently uses any means available to denigrate and marginalize men, women, and children of faith.

This is nothing new, of course, and has gone on since The Fall in Eden. But what is increasingly evident in these last days is the prevalence, frequency and intensity of the anti-God propagandists, and the growing eagerness of their intended audience.

Such should not be so in the church, however. Within the body of Christ, as the world worsens, Christians should become that much more immersed in the truth of God, and committed to living out a life of faith regardless of the seeming hopelessness and ever-growing chaos of the modern world.

Thus, the verses above continue the exhortation of the previous chapter to mature beyond being infants of the faith, and to desire a broadened and deepened knowledge of all that God offers in His Word.

Like any journey, there are the necessary steps along the way, requiring us to move out of our respective areas of comfort, and to travel further in our quest for truth. These necessary steps are what is need to go on to perfection. The word translated perfection is from the Greek root meaning completeness, lacking nothing. It does not mean sinless, moral perfection (though it certainly does not exclude such in the ultimate sense).

It does mean seeking to be fully equipped in whatever is needed to finish a journey, fulfill a task, purpose or goal, which, in this context, means living a life exclusively for Christ.

Step one is to go beyond the starting point of the gospel by leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ. Please note that word, discussion. The writer encourages us to move forward, not by discounting the vital importance of the gospel message, but to not stop there. To use it as the bedrock and build upon it.

This is an apt interpretation, since the very next phrase speaks of not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. Justification (being declared innocent) is by faith alone in Christ alone. No amount of ritual, ceremony or system of works can earn pardon from the penalty of sin. Believing (faith toward God) in Christ's substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf is the only means of earning God's favor. Nothing else will suffice, which means that until we completely abandon any and all attempts to save ourselves, we cannot be saved.

Yet we are not to stop there, either.

Like dead works, those other symbolic rituals that can be used to substitute for true faith (and are, in fact, obstacles to true faith), must also be abandoned. We are not regenerated by baptism, infant or otherwise, nor does the laying on of hands endue us with redemption. Rock-solid acceptance and reliance on these are truths are fundamental to saving faith, but again, we cannot stop there.

Nor are we to be satisfied with the promise of resurrection of the dead, as our ultimate motivation to follow Christ. Nor should the prospect of eternal judgment being our destiny without Him be the primary reason we desire to follow Him.

While all these are true, we should seek to go beyond these, for it is CHRIST HIMSELF who is to be our supreme motivation. Knowing Him, walking in intimate fellowship with Him, being conformed into His image is the perfection we are to strive to journey toward.

And these goals are based, not just on His redemptive and saving work, as monumentally important and significant as these are, but on His magnificence and supremacy to all things as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This is what the writer is diligently communicating throughout this presentation of the measureless worth of the One who came to save us.

As loving, faithful, gratefully obedient children of God, we must not be content with anything less than knowing Him as completely as possible this side of eternity.

That is our goal. That is our destination. We are to forsake all else.

Profitable Exercise

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 05:12-14, NKJV).

The apostle Paul writes in his first letter to Timothy, his son in the faith, "[for] bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." (1 Timothy 4:8, NKJV).

This distinction between bodily and spiritual exercise is repeated here in Hebrews, immediately following the warning about dullness. Like anything in life, maintaining an edge of proficiency, keeping sharp, requires repeated use. Like running or weight-lifting builds up muscle and endurance through repeated use of the physiological systems involved, so too will the continued exercise of spiritual discernment increase our ability to live a godly, Christ-honoring life.

It is a simple formula that works itself out in every other area of human existence, and yet is so prevalently neglected in the realm of faith. 

Look, many are very diligent in keeping in physical shape, and this only makes sense as being good stewards of our physical bodies. I am certain most of us in this culture have seen individuals doggedly pursuing their fitness rituals in all kinds of weather conditions, and in whatever other circumstances may be impacting their lives. It is easy to see an almost religious devotion and a willingness to sacrifice in maintaining a rigorous exercise regimen.

Yet many of these same individuals in the world are entirely neglectful of the only realm of living that has eternal significance: obedient faith in Christ, the Savior.

Can you imagine how effective an individual Christian's witness would be if he or she directed the same fierce self-discipline in godly pursuits that someone whose focus was on the world did in their ungodly pursuits?

Can you imagine how much impact to the community a life would be if a person single-mindedly pursued their relationship and knowledge of Christ with the same intensity that many people invest in acquiring things and a good physique?

And this is the essence of the exhortation in the verse above. The writer of Hebrews is soundly criticizing some in his audience who have remained content to be just over the borders of belief, but have not gone beyond into the central regions of the Kingdom. 

Instead of being built up in the faith, edified by loving pursuit of God's word and truth, they are content to remain spiritual babes, suckling on the mere milk of the gospel, and not imbibing the solid food of deeper communion with their Creator and Redeemer.

In choosing to remain unfed - and it is a choice along the same lines as any other - these individuals remain unskilled in the word of righteousness. Their ability to discern good and evil remains impaired, polluted and weakened by worldliness and lack of exercise.

There is only one remedy to this condition: immersion in the nourishment of God's word. 

This in turn will lead to intensified prayer, fellowship with other saints, and a desire to show ever-growing love by obedience to the One who died to save us, and who lives forever more.

Remember, friendship with the world is enmity with God.

You cannot have it both ways.