259
June 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Studies in the Ep istle to the Hebrews* B y J ohn C. P age (Los Angeles, Calif.)
God has spoken. What has He said? When the prophet, Isaiah, made a similar declaration, he called the heavens and the earth to “listen in.” “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken” (Isa. 1 : 2 ). Through the Hebrew prophet, God spoke words of judgment. In the person of His Son, He has spoken of a great salvation (Heb. 2:3). If judgment requires a listening heaven and earth, surely the great salvatioij should have no less a hearing. The significance of the fact that God has spoken through prophets and in the person of His Son may be understood in part by asking, what our condition would be if He had not spoken. The light of nature would be ours, for God has not left Him self-without witness, even to those who have not heard “the word of his grace.” The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived by the things that are made; but the revelation of God in nature is like the revelation in the law. Both are “weak through the flesh.” Neither of them is weak in itself, for “the heavens declare the glory of God,” and “the law is holy, just and good.” The Gentile nations had the light of nature, and the Jewish nation had, in addition, the light of the law. What was the result? The answer is found in Romans 1 :18 to 3 :20, where both Jew and Gentile are shown to be guilty, sinners against God, and without excuse. It is this that makes necessary the great salvation of which God has spoken in the person of His Son. The glory of that Son is unfolded to us in the intro ductory verses by a series of affirmations. He is : • As “heir of all things,” the future is in His hands. This is by divine appointment or decree, for “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, . . . and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” All power is given unto Him (Matt. 28:18). All judgment is committed to Him (John 5 :22). He raises the dead and quickens them (John 5 :21). He delivers His people from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10). His kingdom displaces the kingdoms of this world (Rev. 11:15). He will judge the world in righteousness in the com ing age (Acts 17:31). Let it be repeated and remembered that this repre sentative Man, our Kinsman-Redeemer, the One now rejected and disowned, is the appointed heir of all things. 1. The heir of all things. 2. The agent in creation. 3. The revealer of God’s glory. 4. The representative of the divine character. 5. The upholder of all things. 6. The purifier from sin. 7. The finisher of the redemptive process. T h e H eir of A ll T h ing s
OCTRINE and duty are commonplace words, well- ^ worn and almost discarded; yet they are good R words, and especially helpful in analyzing the 1| New Testament epistles. ft A satisfactory analysis is most desirable in the study of any book of the Bible. In some cases, the division of the material is not an easy task. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a case in point; so also is the Epistle to the Hebrews. In the latter, there is a systematic presentation of the person and work of Christ as the great High Priest of His people, which may readily be classified as doctrine. This occupies almost the entire first ten chapters. Then, in the remaining chapters, there follows the duty and re sponsibility of those who had received the word of God through that Son and had believed on Him as their Mes siah-Saviour. Some difficulty is experienced in the reading of this epistle consecutively, because of the injection of several admonitions or warnings which, though necessary to the meeting of the spiritual condition of those addressed, break the continuity of thought. The following brief outline is suggested: I. Introduction (1:1-4). II. Doctrine (1:5 to 10:18). The person and work of the Redeemer are here pre sented in a series of comparisons and contrasts: First contrast—with the angels ( 1 :5 to 2:18). Second contrast-—with men. The contrast here includes not only the person of Aaron, but also his sacrifice, sanctuary, and service.. III. Duty (10:19 to 13:25). This section presents the responsibilities of those who had entered into the experimental knowledge of Christ as a personal Saviour. 1. To draw near in “full assurance of faith” (10:19- 22; and chapter 11). 2. To hold fast in the patience of hope (10:23; 12: 1-13). 3. To maintain “love and good works” (10:24, 25; 13:1-25). Those parts of the epistle which are omitted in the out line contain the admonitions or warnings already referred to : 1. Warning against drifting from the Word (2:1-4). 2. Warning against departure from God (3:7 to 4:13). 3. Declension in spiritual understanding (5:11 to 6:20). 4. Despising the new covenant (10:26-39). 5. Degeneracy of life (12:14-29). The introduction in the first four verses is majestic in its statement of fact and in the range of its truth. *All rights reserved. 1. Moses (3:1-6). 2. Joshua (4:8-11). 3. Aaron (4:14 to 10:18).
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker