Rejecting Revelation
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2024 · 8 September 2024
Hebrews is an epistle written to a community of Jews, a congregation somewhere outside Jerusalem and the immediate area. So, we know that they were really a second-generation group of believers, having been won to Christ by the apostles who went out to preach. Now, in becoming Christians, they had to make a break with Judaism. Immediately upon receiving Jesus Christ they would be ostracized.
They would lose all the relationships that they knew in a culture and a community in which they existed. The cost was heavy; the pressure was great; the persecution was intense. And because of the desire to hang onto some friends and family and some of the things that had been so much a part of their life, they were in danger of holding to some Old Testament patterns.
And so the writer repeatedly says, “Let it all go. Leave it all. You don’t need any of the Old Testament patterns anymore.” And all through Hebrews, we read about the inability, and the ineffectiveness of the old covenant, the fact that the priests of the old covenant couldn’t match the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The sacrifices of the old covenant couldn’t match the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ was the perfect Priest who made the perfect sacrifice. And Paul so aptly said in Colossians 2:10, “You are complete in Him.” The main point of Hebrews then is to encourage Christians to make a complete and total break with the patterns of the old covenant in their acknowledge of Jesus Christ. But periodically there are warnings to unbelievers. The Jews are a special breed of unbelievers.
They’re unbelievers who have been intellectually convinced of the validity of Christianity, so much so that they have turned away from Judaism, and they’ve moved into the Christian community. They perhaps even professed to be true, believing Christians, but the fact is they are not. They are intellectually-convinced of Christ, who’ve never made the real step of faith.
We saw several warnings in Hebrews, and we’ve studied many of them. In Hebrews 5 the Holy Spirit began to talk about the priesthood of Christ. He’s showing them that Christ is a legitimate Priest, they don’t need the Jewish priests anymore. And He says, “I can’t say what I want to say to you until you come all the way to Jesus.” He says, “If with all you know you fall back, you’re an apostate.”
First we saw the problem that He wanted to teach them about Melchizedek. The oracles of God to the Jew was the law and the Old Testament. And He says, “You people don’t understand the pictures, and the types, and the prophecies, and the meaning of your own covenants.” Because it was in their Old Testament that the elements of the Messiah were presented, weren’t they?
The problem is that they’re spiritually stupid, and they can’t choose what’s right. He gives a solution in Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
Therefore, leave your Old Testament; that’s baby talk. Come on to maturity and the full revelation. You’ve got to get off the basic elements, which is what the word “principles” means. And you’ve got to come all the way to Jesus Christ. Faith toward God doesn’t mean anything if you don’t come through Jesus Christ, right? Lay hold of the Lamb of God, not by your hands, but by faith.
Here’s the power,” in verse 3, “And we will do this if God permits.” Anything that is to be done is to be done only in the permissive will of God. Divine enablement alone will allow them to go to maturity and allow Him to continue to write the things He desires to write. Then we come to the heart of the issue, verses 4-6, “For it is impossible to renew to repentance.”
“Those who were once enlightened” – not saved, you don’t see salvation here at all – “who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, have tasted God’s good Word, and the powers of the coming age, 6 and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.” It doesn’t say they were saved, justified and righteous.
It just says they were involved in what the Spirit was doing. They were seeing the signs and wonders and mighty deeds that the apostles did. It doesn’t say they were born of the Spirit, sealed by the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, anointed by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, baptized by the Spirit, or filled with the Spirit. So, we don’t believe they’re believers. The point is they had all the revelation, but they fell away.
Jesus said, “You’re either for Me or against Me.” In Matthew 12:31 Jesus said, “Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” Do you know what that means? It’s to see the works of Christ, and attribute it to Satan. And then walking away and saying the very opposite is true.
He illustrated this in verses 7-8, “For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned.” Some people hear the Gospel and they believe. Others bring forth only thorns, and they’re burned.
In verse 8, the thorns are not evil deeds, but they are the works of self-righteousness. He is talking about Jews, who worked like mad, to bring fruit to God. But all they ever came up with was thorns. Why? Because God rejects all self-effort. Do you know that? “For by grace are you saved, not of works.” Through faith, not of works. God rejects all works. This indicates God’s rejection of Judaism.
And three years later, after this was written, at 70 A.D., Titus Vespasian invaded Israel and destroyed Jerusalem. One million, one hundred thousand Jews were slaughtered, a hundred thousand bodies were thrown over the wall, and the whole system of Judaism was over. And it wasn’t but three years after that statement that God had rejected this. Judaism was built on self-effort.
Now the Holy Spirit adds another example. Look at the Christians in your midst. Verse 9-12, Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them.
11 Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, 12 so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.” Examine them, see what they are, and be like them. You see, the prior things did not accompany salvation; they accompanied revelation only.
In contrast to the non-Christians who have been the object of His message from Hebrews 5:11, He turns to Christians. And they stand as an example of what the others ought to be. They’ve come out of the same Judaism. They’ve come through to the same point of repentance. They’ve had the very same revelation, only they’ve gone one step further, and that’s faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.
Verse 9 says, “Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation.” Those people who were sluggish and in danger of falling away were not Christians. The bearers of thorns and briars were rejected, but the beloved were not. They are not like those who reject Jesus Christ.
I know these are Christians, because I see three things that they have: faith, hope, and love. They characterize a believer. Look at verse 10. Do you see ‘love’ in the middle? Look at ‘hope’ at the end of verse 11. Look at faith at the end of verse 12. They had them all. They were Christians and were beloved. Now, the term “beloved” agapētoi is the highest kind of love from agape.
It’s a word used 60 times in the New Testament, and never for apostates. The first nine times it’s used by God to Christ, His beloved Son, where God speaks to Christ and calls Him His Beloved. And from then on, throughout all of the New Testament, 60 times it’s used only of saints: sometimes Jews and sometimes Gentiles. Several times it’s translated this way, “Dearly beloved.”
It’s a term of the richest and deepest kind of love. This agapē love is the unique privilege of the fellowship of the believers. Now, in Hebrews, God does call the unbelieving Jews brethren in a racial sense, but never beloved. This term speaks of the sweet bond of loving fellowship that belongs only between believers. Because this is the kind of love is reserved for those in Christ.
So, He says to them, “But, dearly loved friends, we are confident” – that word means that at one time He had some problems with it. And when He examined the case and got all the evidence in, He came across and said, “I’m confident”, by the evidence. It’s a strong word, and it gives the result of actual conviction that’s been brought about by proof. “I’ve looked at your lives; the evidence is in.”
What’s the evidence? Faith, hope and love. He had them all. You guys have the things “that pertain to salvation.” I love that word “salvation.” The great New Testament word used itself, and its derivatives, some 50 times in the New Testament. It speaks of our deliverance from danger, from death, from hell, from Satan and from sin. It’s the word for deliverance, freeing us from sin and Satan.
Now, what are the things that pertain to salvation? And we could preach forever on that. That’s the whole series of epistles in the New Testament. That’s Romans 5, right? “Having been saved, now we stand in this grace,” and away he goes and talks about all the things that are ours because we’re in Christ. But relating it to this text, what are the things that pertain to salvation?
Go back to verse 10 and I’ll show you what He means. They are the things that are in contrast to all the previous characteristics of the unsaved. For example, pertaining to salvation is not infancy, but maturity; not milk, but solid food; and not inexperience in righteousness, but perfectly righteous – that pertains to salvation, the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accompanying salvation is not repentance from dead works, but repentance toward God unto life; not just faith in God, apart from Christ, but faith in Christ as God. Not external ceremonial religion, but internal regeneration and transformation. Not identification with many sacrifices, but one union with Jesus Christ. Not just being enlightened but being changed, made new creatures.
To the Christians, He says, “Don’t take the words to apostates to refer to you. The warning is for them. But I put it in this letter to you all because I know they’re in your midst. Right? Doesn’t Matthew 13 tell us that the wheat and the tares will grow together, and only Jesus Christ knows how to separate them? I think some people that I know are wheat. But only the Lord knows.
There are a lot of Christians today, who when they hear about God’s message of judgment, they get shaken. But in verse 10, He says, “For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints.” He says, “There is no question in God’s mind about who’s real. He knows you’re real, and He won’t forget you. Your name is in His book.”
The only way to tell the difference is in their works. James said, “Your faith without works is dead.” You show me your faith by your works, and I’ll say your faith is real. “Because,” Paul said, “if any man be in Christ, he’s a new creature. And if we examine your life closely, we can tell by your works whether you’re for real.” The fruits of righteousness have been seen.
Do you know how to express your love to God? Serve the saints. What does the name of God mean? To love His name means to have a desire for the glory of all that God is. When Jesus recommissioned Peter in John 21, He didn’t say to him, “Peter, do you love men?” What did He say? “Peter, do you love Me? Feed My sheep.” Your service must be based upon your love for Him.
We’ve talked so much about the body and how we’re to minister to each other. But the ministry that we have to each other as saints is directly related to the love that we have toward our Christ and our God. What do you mean to minister? Well, it’s the word “deacon.” How do we serve? Spiritual gifts, counseling, showing mercy, helping, or teaching, preaching, and praying.
Are we really holy? He is speaking positionally. We are holy. Now He then uses them for an example to the others. Verse 11, “Now we desire each of you” –He’s speaking to the group again – “to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end of verse 12 so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance. Let’s pray.