Hebrews 5:1-10

Hebrews 5:1-10

We have seen that the central theme of Hebrews is "the high priesthood of Jesus Christ"...for example--

--in chapter 1 Jesus is portrayed as fulfilling the priestly function of making "purification of sins"...

--in chapter 2 Jesus is called "a merciful and faithful high priest"

--in chapter 3 He is called "the Apostle and High priest of our confession"...

--in chapter 4 He is described as "a great high priest"

--and chapters 5-9, at which we'll begin looking today, focus almost exclusively on the high priesthood of Jesus...

In first part of Hebrews 5 the writer lists the basic qualifications of a Jewish high priest and then shows how Jesus exceeds in every way these qualifications.

I want to challenge you to read Hebrews 5:1-10 in a rather unusual way.  Instead of reading the verses in chronological order, read a statement about the Jewish high priest and then read the parallel statement about Jesus.

·         Verse 1 – Verses 5-6

·         Verse 2 – Verses 7-8

·         Verse 3 – Verses 9-10

The thrust of this paragraph is that Jesus is superior in every way to any earthly high priest...want you to see from these verses how Jesus is superior and what that means to our lives today...

I.    Jesus is superior in His calling

1.   First thing this passage says about earthly high priests is that they are "taken from among men" and "appointed on behalf of men"...now, who does the appointing?...even though the prospective priest was expected to acknowledge God's call on his life to the priesthood, the confirmation of that call and the appointment process came through people...

2.   The process is not unlike what I went through when decided to become a vocational minister...sensed God's calling to this vocation...shared that with my church family...they formed an ordaining council to examine me and determine whether or not I should be set aside for vocational ministry...the call was from God but the confirmation and setting aside came from people... was basically how person entered priesthood in first century world...

3    .But verses 5-6 point out that Jesus did not go through a process like that...

      --He was not taken from among men...instead He is the Son of God, the only begotten of    the father...

      --nor was he appointed by men...instead, He was appointed by God who said of the Son, "Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."...

      We'll explore Melchizedek in detail when we get to chapter 7...but point want make now is that Jesus is a superior priest because His calling is superior...while there is a human element in the calling of all other priests, Jesus was made a priest by God alone...

4.   What does that mean to us today?...it means we can have utter, complete confidence in Him...while human spiritual leaders may stumble and fall, Jesus is consistent...He will never fail us...never disappoint us...He is absolutely, 100% trustworthy ...I've met many people have become disillusioned and even bitter because they placed too much confidence in a some person who has disappointed them...this passage should remind us that our trust should never be in a person but in Jesus who has the superior calling from God...

II.  Jesus is superior in His caring

1    .Since it was the job of priests in Judaism to stand between God and people, for a priest to function well had to have a certain level of understanding and compassion for people...that's thrust of v.2 which speaks of the high priest dealing "gently with the ignorant and misguided"...and the reason he can do that according to verse 2 is because "he himself also is beset with weakness"...

2.   On surface would think that would give him an edge over Jesus who never sinned...think he would be more understanding and compassionate than Jesus because he would know exactly what it means to stumble and fall...

3.   Sounds good in theory, but in practice not the way it generally works...the fact that we have sinned does not make us more understanding of others who sin...one writer put it this way:  "You would think that one sinner would have compassion for another sinner, but this is not always the case.  Sin makes a person selfish.  Sin can blind us to the hurts of others.  Sin can harden our hearts and make us judgmental instead of sympathetic ... It is the spiritually minded person with a clean heart who sympathizes with a sinner and seeks to help him.  Because we are so sinful, we have a hard time helping other sinners; but Jesus is perfect.  He is able to meet our needs after we sin." [Wiersbe, p.53]

4.   And in vv.7-8 the writer reminds us of the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene and the obedience of Jesus which led Him to the cross...even though Jesus never sinned, He has been to our world, walked in our shoes, and understands what we experience in life...and precisely because He walked in our world without sinning He is superior to any earthly priest in how He cares for us...

5.   What does that mean to us?  In a word, everything! 

--When you have nowhere else to turn, can always turn to Jesus.

--When there is no-one else who will listen, His ear is always turned to us.

--When you feel no-one in all the world understands you, He understands inside and out.

--When you fell totally alone, He is always with you.

6.   The old song says it so well:  "No-one ever cared for me like Jesus, There's no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.  Oh, how much He cared for me."

7.   Jesus is superior to any earthly priest in His caring....

III.  Jesus is superior in His cleansing

1.   Verse 3 points out that the primary function of the high priest was to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people...the verse points out the high priest "is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins..."...as we saw in our study of Hebrews 4:14-16, once a year on the Day of Atonement high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple...after offering a sacrifice for his own sin, would offer sacrifice for sins of the people...each year, on that particular day, he would repeat that process for the cleansing of the people's sins...

2.   However, the cleansing of sin offered by Jesus is far superior to that...

--as opposed to entering God's presence only once a year, Jesus is constantly at right hand of the Father making intercession for us...

--as opposed to bringing a sacrifice for sin, Jesus Himself became the sacrifice for our sins...

--as opposed to providing only a temporary respite from our sin problem, v.9 points out that the sacrifice of Jesus gives us "eternal salvation"...

3.   What relief and joy that should bring to our lives...the greatest single need any of have is the need for forgiveness...and that need is perfectly met by Jesus...a woman named Ruth Calkin wrote the following beautiful prayer:

      "Lord, there are countless things in my life that are inexcusable.  There are things unaccountable and things unexplainable.  There are things irrefutable and things irresponsible.  But it comes to me with unutterable relief that because of your amazing love, nothing in my life is unforgivable." [Brian's Lines, Vol.12,No.4,P.22]

4.   And that's because Jesus is superior in the cleansing He offers us...

                                           CONCLUSION

1.   Jesus Christ is our perfect high priest...He is superior in His--

--calling (He is the Son of God)

--caring (He came to our world, experience life as we experience it, yet without sin)

--cleansing (He offers forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation)

Hebrews 4:14-16

Hebrews 4:14-16

The theme of Hebrews can be summarized in a single statement and that statement is "the high priesthood of Jesus Christ."  This is the only book in the Bible that refers to Jesus directly as our high priest.  John MacArthur points out that throughout this letter the high priesthood of Jesus is stressed...for example--

·         In chapter 1 Jesus is portrayed as fulfilling the priestly function of making "purification of sins"...

·         In chapter 2 Jesus is called "a merciful and faithful high priest"  

·         In chapter 3 He is called "the Apostle and High priest of our confession" 

·         In chapter 4 He is described as "a great high priest" 

·         In chapter 6 as "a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek" 

·         In chapters 7, 8, & 9 the focus is almost exclusively on the high priesthood of Jesus

Based on that, it's quite obvious can't really understand the book of Hebrews unless understand something about the role of the priest in Jewish life.  While priests had more than one function, their basic function was to serve as mediators between people and God.

·         It was through priests the people spoke to God‑‑offering sacrifices for their sins. 

·         Also, it was through priests that God spoke to the people‑‑sharing his word with them.

So for a priest to function properly, that person had to be in touch with both God and people.

The thrust of this passage is that Jesus is uniquely qualified to serve as a priest between God and man. Essentially that is true because of His nature—He is fully God and He is fully human.  The title the writer uses in the middle of verse 14, “Jesus the Son of God,” emphasizes both aspects of His nature.

·         Jesus – This is His human name and it was not an unusual name for a Jewish male in the 1^st century world, much the same way the name is often assigned to males in the Hispanic culture of today.  The Hebrew form of this name is Joshua.  The word Jesus or Joshua is a combination of two Hebrew nouns: (1) YHWH and (2) salvation. The significance is captured in Matt. 1:21. It is possible that this is a typological play on Jesus as the new Joshua. Their names are exactly the same in Hebrew. The author of Hebrews alludes to the Exodus material extensively. As Joshua brought God’s people into the rest of the Promised Land, so too, will Jesus bring them into heaven.^[1] In using this name the writer is reminding us of the humanity of Jesus.  He is uniquely qualified to be our priest because He is one of us!

·         Son of God – This is His divine name. This is a reminder that Jesus was more than merely a man.  He was God incarnate, God in the flesh.  This also makes Him uniquely qualified to serve as our priest.  He has access to God that no-one else could possibly have.

This is why from the earliest days of the church there has been a strong emphasis on both aspects of Jesus’ nature.  We must not minimize either side of His nature—the human side or the divine side.  They are both critical for His role as our high priest.  (see John 1:1, 14 and Mark 1:1)

Notice what Jesus, the God/man, has done for us:

·         On the one hand, He is in touch with God.  The phrase "has passed through the heavens" in verse 14 is packed with meaning.

o   The verb is in the perfect tense which indicates an action completed in the past with continuing consequences.  Literally, “He has passed through the heavens with the present result that He is in heaven.”^[2]

o   The plural “heavens” may seem strange to us.  There has been much discussion by the rabbis as to whether there are three or seven heavens (cf. Eph. 4:10; 2 Cor. 12:2). ^[3] The most common view is that there were three heavens—the atmosphere of the earth, outer space (planets, stars, etc), and the abode of God.  The idea of passing through may be that Jesus went to the furthest heaven, the very presence of God.

o   The main thing to see in this phrase is beautiful picture that the readers of Hebrews would have immediately understood.  Once year on Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the high priest would pass beyond veil separating holiest place in temple from other areas.  There, in the holy of holies, the high priest would offer sacrifices for sins of people.  But Jesus has done much more than that:

§  Instead of merely going behind veil of the Temple, Jesus passed through heavens into very presence of God. 

§  Instead offering sacrifices from the blood of animals, Jesus became the sacrifice, offering His own blood for the sins of the world. 

§  Instead of doing the priestly work and then leaving the holy place, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God...

            Our high priest is the Son of God, God incarnate, God in the flesh.  No-one could be more in touch with God than that!

·         On the other hand, Jesus is in touch with us.  Look at v.15..."For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."  Jesus became flesh, took on human form, and came to our world, walked our shoes, and experienced life as we experience it. 

o   "sympathize" (be touched with feeling) - The word in the Greek is sunpatheo (συνπαθεο). The word patheo (παθεο) comes from pascho (πασχο) which means “to suffer.” The prefixed preposition means “with.” The compound word means “to suffer with” another person, thus to sympathize with him to the extent of entering into his experience and feeling his heartache yourself. The use of the word here means more than a knowledge of human infirmity. It points to a knowledge that has in it a feeling for the other person by reason of a common experience with that person. Our Lord’s appreciation of our infirmities is an experiential one, based upon the fact that He was tempted like we are.^[4] 

o   “weaknesses” – Simply means the human condition.  Refers to our spiritual and physical frailties that make us vulnerable to temptation.

o   “tempted” – There are two Greek words used to convey the idea of testing someone for a purpose.  Dokimazo carries idea of testing for genuineness as in the testing of a metal for purity.  In the NT this term is used in a positive sense of being tested to prove and/or strengthen our faith (see James 1:3).  The other word, pierazo, carries the idea of testing to destroy or bring down someone.  It is used of the temptation of Jesus and of Satan’s tempting believers to disobey God.  That is the word used here.  Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted by Satan.

o   “without sin” – choris hamartia – Though He was tempted as we are, He was completely free of sin.  There was not a taint of sin in Him!

Jesus is one with God and one with us.  Therefore, there is no‑one is better qualified to be our high priest, to accomplish our salvation than Jesus.  He is the God/man, uniquely qualified to bring God and people together again...

As a result of all that, we are to do two things:

·         "hold fast our confession"

o   “hold fast” – This exact phrase is used four times in Hebrews. The phrase carries the idea of clinging tenaciously to something.  Refusing to let go.  The verb is in present tense, denoting continuous action.

o   “confession” – We saw this word in Hebrews 3:1.  It is homologia which is a compound word made up of “the same” and “to say.”  The same thing that believers say about Jesus is that He is Lord.  Our confession is our confession of faith in Jesus as Lord.

The idea is that commitment to Jesus Christ as the great high priest who accomplishes our salvation is not just one time act.  It is a continuing process. We are to keep on holding fast, to keep on clinging tenaciously to Jesus as our high priest.  We must balance our initial decision (cf. John 1:12; 3:16; Rom. 10:9–13) with ongoing discipleship (cf. Matt. 28:19–20; Eph. 2:10). Both are crucial! ^[5]

·         “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace..."

o   "throne of grace" is synonymous with presence of God.  What remarkable difference expressed here between Christianity and Judaism.  In Judaism only high priest would enter presence of God and then only once year.  In Christianity, because of the high priesthood of Jesus, every believer encouraged to draw near God with confidence and boldness. 

o   And want you notice in v.16 purpose of drawing near  is twofold:

§  First, that "we may receive mercy" That is, that we may receive forgiveness for our sinfulness.  The greatest single need any of us have is the need for forgiveness of sin and right relationship with God. 

§  Second, that "we may find grace to help in time of need" The second greatest need any of us have is the need for strength, direction, God's presence to make it through life day after day.

And as we draw near to God through Jesus Christ, both of these needs are met.

CONCLUSION

1.   The letter of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians undergoing severe persecution because of their faith in Christ.  In the face of such persecution, some of them were being tempted renounce faith in Christ and seek salvation in Judaism.  In this passage sthe writer reminds them that there is no need to return to religious system emphasizing earthly priest when have in Christ completely sufficient high priest.

2.   The Bible says in Colossians that "In Jesus is all of God in a human form and you have everything you need when you have Christ." Basically that is what Hebrews 4:14-16 is saying.  We have no need which is not met in our great high priest.

---

^[1] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (48). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[2] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Heb 4:14). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

^[3] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (48). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[4] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Heb 4:15). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

^[5] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (48). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

Hebrews 4:1-16

Hebrews 4:14-16

The theme of Hebrews can be summarized in a single statement and that statement is "the high priesthood of Jesus Christ."  This is the only book in the Bible that refers to Jesus directly as our high priest.  John MacArthur points out that throughout this letter the high priesthood of Jesus is stressed...for example--

·         In chapter 1 Jesus is portrayed as fulfilling the priestly function of making "purification of sins"...

·         In chapter 2 Jesus is called "a merciful and faithful high priest"  

·         In chapter 3 He is called "the Apostle and High priest of our confession" 

·         In chapter 4 He is described as "a great high priest" 

·         In chapter 6 as "a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek" 

·         In chapters 7, 8, & 9 the focus is almost exclusively on the high priesthood of Jesus

Based on that, it's quite obvious can't really understand the book of Hebrews unless understand something about the role of the priest in Jewish life.  While priests had more than one function, their basic function was to serve as mediators between people and God.

·         It was through priests the people spoke to God‑‑offering sacrifices for their sins. 

·         Also, it was through priests that God spoke to the people‑‑sharing his word with them.

So for a priest to function properly, that person had to be in touch with both God and people.

The thrust of this passage is that Jesus is uniquely qualified to serve as a priest between God and man. Essentially that is true because of His nature—He is fully God and He is fully human.  The title the writer uses in the middle of verse 14, “Jesus the Son of God,” emphasizes both aspects of His nature.

·         Jesus – This is His human name and it was not an unusual name for a Jewish male in the 1^st century world, much the same way the name is often assigned to males in the Hispanic culture of today.  The Hebrew form of this name is Joshua.  The word Jesus or Joshua is a combination of two Hebrew nouns: (1) YHWH and (2) salvation. The significance is captured in Matt. 1:21. It is possible that this is a typological play on Jesus as the new Joshua. Their names are exactly the same in Hebrew. The author of Hebrews alludes to the Exodus material extensively. As Joshua brought God’s people into the rest of the Promised Land, so too, will Jesus bring them into heaven.^[1] In using this name the writer is reminding us of the humanity of Jesus.  He is uniquely qualified to be our priest because He is one of us!

·         Son of God – This is His divine name. This is a reminder that Jesus was more than merely a man.  He was God incarnate, God in the flesh.  This also makes Him uniquely qualified to serve as our priest.  He has access to God that no-one else could possibly have.

This is why from the earliest days of the church there has been a strong emphasis on both aspects of Jesus’ nature.  We must not minimize either side of His nature—the human side or the divine side.  They are both critical for His role as our high priest.  (see John 1:1, 14 and Mark 1:1)

Notice what Jesus, the God/man, has done for us:

·         On the one hand, He is in touch with God.  The phrase "has passed through the heavens" in verse 14 is packed with meaning.

o   The verb is in the perfect tense which indicates an action completed in the past with continuing consequences.  Literally, “He has passed through the heavens with the present result that He is in heaven.”^[2]

o   The plural “heavens” may seem strange to us.  There has been much discussion by the rabbis as to whether there are three or seven heavens (cf. Eph. 4:10; 2 Cor. 12:2). ^[3] The most common view is that there were three heavens—the atmosphere of the earth, outer space (planets, stars, etc), and the abode of God.  The idea of passing through may be that Jesus went to the furthest heaven, the very presence of God.

o   The main thing to see in this phrase is beautiful picture that the readers of Hebrews would have immediately understood.  Once year on Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the high priest would pass beyond veil separating holiest place in temple from other areas.  There, in the holy of holies, the high priest would offer sacrifices for sins of people.  But Jesus has done much more than that:

§  Instead of merely going behind veil of the Temple, Jesus passed through heavens into very presence of God. 

§  Instead offering sacrifices from the blood of animals, Jesus became the sacrifice, offering His own blood for the sins of the world. 

§  Instead of doing the priestly work and then leaving the holy place, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God...

            Our high priest is the Son of God, God incarnate, God in the flesh.  No-one could be more in touch with God than that!

·         On the other hand, Jesus is in touch with us.  Look at v.15..."For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."  Jesus became flesh, took on human form, and came to our world, walked our shoes, and experienced life as we experience it. 

o   "sympathize" (be touched with feeling) - The word in the Greek is sunpatheo (συνπαθεο). The word patheo (παθεο) comes from pascho (πασχο) which means “to suffer.” The prefixed preposition means “with.” The compound word means “to suffer with” another person, thus to sympathize with him to the extent of entering into his experience and feeling his heartache yourself. The use of the word here means more than a knowledge of human infirmity. It points to a knowledge that has in it a feeling for the other person by reason of a common experience with that person. Our Lord’s appreciation of our infirmities is an experiential one, based upon the fact that He was tempted like we are.^[4] 

o   “weaknesses” – Simply means the human condition.  Refers to our spiritual and physical frailties that make us vulnerable to temptation.

o   “tempted” – There are two Greek words used to convey the idea of testing someone for a purpose.  Dokimazo carries idea of testing for genuineness as in the testing of a metal for purity.  In the NT this term is used in a positive sense of being tested to prove and/or strengthen our faith (see James 1:3).  The other word, pierazo, carries the idea of testing to destroy or bring down someone.  It is used of the temptation of Jesus and of Satan’s tempting believers to disobey God.  That is the word used here.  Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted by Satan.

o   “without sin” – choris hamartia – Though He was tempted as we are, He was completely free of sin.  There was not a taint of sin in Him!

Jesus is one with God and one with us.  Therefore, there is no‑one is better qualified to be our high priest, to accomplish our salvation than Jesus.  He is the God/man, uniquely qualified to bring God and people together again...

As a result of all that, we are to do two things:

·         "hold fast our confession"

o   “hold fast” – This exact phrase is used four times in Hebrews. The phrase carries the idea of clinging tenaciously to something.  Refusing to let go.  The verb is in present tense, denoting continuous action.

o   “confession” – We saw this word in Hebrews 3:1.  It is homologia which is a compound word made up of “the same” and “to say.”  The same thing that believers say about Jesus is that He is Lord.  Our confession is our confession of faith in Jesus as Lord.

The idea is that commitment to Jesus Christ as the great high priest who accomplishes our salvation is not just one time act.  It is a continuing process. We are to keep on holding fast, to keep on clinging tenaciously to Jesus as our high priest.  We must balance our initial decision (cf. John 1:12; 3:16; Rom. 10:9–13) with ongoing discipleship (cf. Matt. 28:19–20; Eph. 2:10). Both are crucial! ^[5]

·         “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace..."

o   "throne of grace" is synonymous with presence of God.  What remarkable difference expressed here between Christianity and Judaism.  In Judaism only high priest would enter presence of God and then only once year.  In Christianity, because of the high priesthood of Jesus, every believer encouraged to draw near God with confidence and boldness. 

o   And want you notice in v.16 purpose of drawing near  is twofold:

§  First, that "we may receive mercy" That is, that we may receive forgiveness for our sinfulness.  The greatest single need any of us have is the need for forgiveness of sin and right relationship with God. 

§  Second, that "we may find grace to help in time of need" The second greatest need any of us have is the need for strength, direction, God's presence to make it through life day after day.

And as we draw near to God through Jesus Christ, both of these needs are met.

CONCLUSION

1.   The letter of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians undergoing severe persecution because of their faith in Christ.  In the face of such persecution, some of them were being tempted renounce faith in Christ and seek salvation in Judaism.  In this passage sthe writer reminds them that there is no need to return to religious system emphasizing earthly priest when have in Christ completely sufficient high priest.

2.   The Bible says in Colossians that "In Jesus is all of God in a human form and you have everything you need when you have Christ." Basically that is what Hebrews 4:14-16 is saying.  We have no need which is not met in our great high priest.

---

^[1] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (48). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[2] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Heb 4:14). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

^[3] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (48). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[4] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Heb 4:15). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

^[5] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (48). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

Hebrews 3:12-19

Hebrews 3:12-19

Hebrews 3:7-4:13 is the second of what some scholars call the five warning passages in Hebrews.  One of the more interesting views of these warning passages comes from Warren Wiersbe:

Each of these passages encourages us to heed God’s Word (“God … has spoken”) by pointing out the sad spiritual consequences that result if we do not. Let me list these passages for you and explain their sequence in the Book of Hebrews. I think you will see how they all hang together and present one message: heed God’s word.

Drifting from the Word—2:1–4 (neglect)

Doubting the Word—3:7–4:13 (hard heart)

Dullness toward the Word—5:11–6:20 (sluggishness)

Despising the Word—10:26–39 (willfulness)

Defying the Word—12:14–29 (refusing to hear)^[1]

In this second warning passage are three specific commands:

--3:12 contains the command to "take care"... (a present imperative involving durative action. “Be seeing to it constantly, keep a watchful eye ever open,” ^[2])

--4:1 contains the command "let us fear"...

--4:11 contains the command to "be diligent"...

Hebrews 3:12 is one of most difficult verses in Hebrews to interpret...basically three possible ways to approach the verse--

·         Some view it as written to people who had heard the gospel but had not yet accepted the gospel...had said no to God so many times were in danger of hardening their hearts to point of being unable to respond to God's offer of salvation...while it is certainly possible to do that and while interpreting the verse that way solves some sticky theological problems, don't think that interpretation fits the context of this chapter... 

·         Others view verse as referring to Christians who are in danger of losing their salvation by falling away from God...on surface would appear to be what this verse and larger passage is saying...but there are a number of problems with that interpretation...

                        --conflicts with one of the main themes of Hebrews which is that Christians have eternal salvation because they trust a living Savior who constantly intercedes for them...one of the basic teachings of Hebrews is not that Christians are saved by holding to our confession but that holding to our confession is evidence that we are truly Christians...Jesus saves us and Jesus keeps us saved...but if He's done that, we won't turn our backs on Him...

                        --conflicts with the larger teaching of the NT about the security of the believer in Christ...

                        --doesn't fit the context of this chapter...

·         Others view verse as referring to Christians who are in danger not of losing their salvation but of losing their fellowship with God...think this interpretation makes the most sense in light of the verse's context and has the most direct application to our lives...

One of fundamental principles of biblical interpretation is that you should always look at a particular passage with context of its larger context...that's especially important in case of Hebrews 3:12...just prior to v.12 there is a quote from Psalm 95 about a significant event in the history of Israel...it's the story about the Israelites being led by God from the bondage of slavery in Egypt to the edge of Canaan, the Promised Land...but they balked at crossing the Jordan and taking the land, and because of their disobedience God caused them to wonder forty years in the wilderness until that generation of Israelites had passed away...they missed the opportunity of going into Canaan because they hardened their hearts to the will of God and failed to be obedient...

Reason that story is told so many times in Scripture is because in that story are some great spiritual lessons...many parallels can be drawn between Israel's history and the spiritual pilgrimage of Christians...for example--

--the period of Israel's bondage in Egypt parallels our bondage in sin before salvation...

--Israel's deliverance from Egypt by the blood of the passover lamb parallels our deliverance from sin by the blood of Jesus...

--and the land of Canaan, Israel's earthly inheritance parallels our spiritual inheritance in Christ...it is unfortunate that in some of our hymns and especially old gospel songs the land of Canaan is equated with heaven and crossing the Jordan with death...Canaan which was a place of battles and even defeats for the Israelites is not a symbol of heaven...but it is a symbol of the inheritance God has for his people...in case of Israelites the inheritance was a physical land...for us, is our a spiritual inheritance in Christ...

To whom does this passage relate: (1) believing Jews or (2) unbelieving Jews? The use of “brothers” in 3:1 and the added phrase “partakers of a heavenly calling” and “brothers” in 3:12 demand that it refer to believers.

What then is the warning relating to: (1) salvation or (2) faithfulness? In context it must refer to faithfulness; Jesus was faithful, they must be faithful. Hebrews views the Christian life from the end (cf. v. 14), not the beginning (like Paul).

The “falling away” of v. 13 must relate to continual faith and obedience. The Israelites had faith, but not functioning, obedient faith. They rejected God’s promise of the land flowing with mild and honey, not their faith in God. In this context “falling away” does not mean “falling from faith,” but “falling from faithfulness”!^[3]

Now, putting that all together,  Hebrews 3:12 is referring to those people who are "out of Egypt" but not yet "in Canaan" ...that is, they have been saved but because of a doubting and disobedient heart they are not experiencing the fullness or richness of their relationship with Christ...they were Christians but the joy wasn't there...they were Christians, but the fire had dimmed...they were Christians, but there was an emptiness inside them...

How can we avoid that in our lives?  What can we do to keep our relationship with Christ fulfilling and meaningful?  How can we keep our spiritual heart from becoming cold and hard?  One of the great things about the Scripture is that it does not merely point out potential problems...it also gives solutions to problems...and within these verses is a good formula for maintaining the vitality of our spiritual lives...here's a simple three step process—

·         First, need to trust God with details of our lives...the "evil, unbelieving heart" (The Greek order of words is “a heart evil with reference to unbelief.” ^[4]) in v.12 is not heart which refuses to believe intellectually...it is a practical unbelief...kind of unbelief which says, "There is a God, but I'm not sure I can trust Him with my life."...when Israelites refused cross Jordan and enter Canaan, wasn't because didn't believe in God...was because didn't trust God...starting point of maintaining spiritual vitality is doing as writer of Proverbs said:  "Trust is the Lord with all your heart..."

·         Second, need to surround ourselves with people who will encourage us in our spiritual commitments...notice the first phrase of v.13 - "But encourage one another day after day..."...the word translated "encourage" is a form of the word often used by Jesus to describe the Holy Spirit...means to come alongside another person to give help and support...this is one reason involvement in the church is important...in the fellowship of the church we give and receive encouragement...I've never known a healthy, vibrant Christian who is separated from the community of faith...that's why later in Hebrews we're told "not to forsake assembling together..."[Heb.10:24]...when we separate ourselves from the nurturing, encouraging atmosphere of the church, our spiritual lives invariably suffer...

·         Third, need to take advantage of the opportunities of the present...the phrase "as long as it is still called today" in v. 13 is reminder that every moment in our lives is precious...must not be presumptuous about time or opportunity...the Romans had a saying -- carpe diem -- which means seize the day...that's what Christians should do...it's one of the keys to maintaining spiritual vitality...we should not waste opportunities but live each day to its fullest...

                                                        

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^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Heb 1:1–3). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[2] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Heb 3:12). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

^[3] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews. Study Guide Commentary Series (39). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

^[4] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Heb 3:12). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.