358
August 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
in the words, “ yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” This was the hope of these He brew Christians, and the apostle appeals to them to hold fast the confession of this hope without wavering. In their midst were those who said, “Where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Pet. 3:1). Believers were ridiculed and re proached and had to endure “ a great fight of afflictions.” They had “ need of patience” in order to do the will of God in this present age of grace, and so obtain the promise concerning the coming age of the Messiah when He should appear the second time apart from sin unto a completed salvation (9 :28 ). A careful reading of verses 32 to 37 easily discovers this. The condition of the people as de scribed in these verses created the need for the second ap peal to hold fast the confession of their hope. T he T hird A ppeal T his appears in the words, “ Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.” The word “ provoke” as it is used in this instance means to stimulate and encourage others to the service of love and good works. It is impossible to do this sincerely unless one has first en tered into such a service oneself. This necessitates drawing near in faith and holding fast in hope, apart from which one will never be at liberty from himself to think of others. There is a logical sequence in the order of the threefold appeal. It cannot be changed. To know the third appeal, one must also know the second; and to know the second in experience, one must also know the first. “ Let us draw near”— “ let us hold fast”— “ let us con sider one another.” Meditate on this, and you will find that the Scripture confirms experience, and experience corroborates Scripture. The social side of the Christian life, the assembling of ourselves together for public worship and instruction, comes into view in verse 25. This ought not to be neglected or ignored. The fellowship of the saints and the encourag ing of one another are of increasing importance “ as ye see the day approaching.” What day is this? The Hebrews, familiar with the Old Testament, knew the day about which the prophets testified, that is, “ the day of the Lord.” They would recall such passages as Isaiah 2:12, Amos 5 :18, and Joel 1:15. They also knew that this day was not the end of things, but the harbinger of a better day, the evening, so to speak, leading to the morning of that glo rious day so graphically and glowingly pictured in Isaiah .12:4-6: “ And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. “ Sing unto the Lord ; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. “ Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Z ion : for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” This is the Messianic hope ever dear to the heart of the pious Jew, and also to the Hebrew Christian. Our Christian hope is the Lord Jesus Himself (1 Tim. 1:1) and His glorious appearing (Tit. 2:13). This is united to the other as part is related to the whole. In view of that day, exhorting one another with words of comfort and encouragement is certainly in order.
A W ord of W arning This is found in verses 26 to 39. We have already referred to some of these verses in their bearing upon the spiritual condition of the Hebrew Christians. The word “wilfully” in verse 26 calls for special attention. “ If we sin wilfullySBthis is a warning against apostasy from the Christian faith to which the Hebrew believers were pecu liarly tempted. It Is not the sin of weakness and impulse. These we' would not minimize; they call for self-judgment, confession, and cleansing. They are not, however, in view in this scripture. W e ’must rightly divide the Word of truth, or else Satan will get an advantage and bring the saints of God into spiritual bondage and depression. The truth stated in verse 26 is that,, if one turned from the Christian faith, thereby refusing the sacrifice of Calvary* “ there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” This needs no argument. What other sacrifice can be offered, after the one sacrifice that was made once for all ? There is only one Saviour. To turn away from Him leaves nothing but judgment and condemnation. Sinning willfully implies a set purpose to please oneself and not God. This is not the attitude of the true child of God. He that is born o f God does not continue in sin. He may commit a sin, but he will not continue sinning. He is a partaker of the divine nature, and that nature pro tests against sin and leads the believer to repentance. His life may be dwarfed and his growth stunted, and he him self suffer loss, but that is altogether different from apos tasy, which is the spurning of salvation through Jesus Christ, leaving the soul without any divine salvation. Nothing remains then, but the fearful thing mentioned in verse 31, falling into the hands of the living God for judgment. That very danger confronts those today who have turned away from Christ and His cross, and who have accepted human idealism, or some philosophy of life which gives the soul no shelter from sin and provides no adequate saving power. This leaves men and women unrelated to God, spiritual orphans in God’s great uni verse. Beware of any religious or ethical system in which “ Christ and him crucified” is refused the central place. “ Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” After the words of warning in verses 26 to 36, and the promise contained in verse 37, the principle of Christian living is unfolded in verse 38, “ The just shall live by faith.” Some one has well said that all the commandments of God can be reduced to ten, and that the ten can be reduced to two, viz., “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” and “ thy neighbour as thyself.” These two are reduced to one, and contained in the words, “ The just shall live by faith.” Truly this is the working principle on which the Christian life must be lived. The writer then gives this closing warning, “ If any man draw back [that is, draw back from faith in Christ, and return to Moses and the principle of law] my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” But he adds, “ We are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Chapter 11 is a develop ment of this faith principle, and it will occupy us in our next study.
“ Let us draw near . . . Let us hold fast . . . Let us consider one another.”
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker