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÷÷HEBREWS 3

HEBREWS 3

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS: HEBREWS 3:1-4:13

1. This section deals with Jesus' superiority over the twin leaders of the Mosaic Covenant, Moses (i.e., Heb. 3:7-4:13) and Aaron (cf. Heb. 4:14-7:28), who were brothers and Levites. This leads us into the discussion of the Melchizedekian priesthood.
   
   
2. Remember, the author is writing to a Greek speaking synagogue. They were familiar with both the Hebrew Bible and rabbinical ways of interpreting it. This section is a rabbinical play on two concepts:
   1. "the house of God," in Heb. 3:1-6
      1. Israel in Num. 12:7-8
      2. Davidic King in 2 Samuel 7
   2. "rest" in Heb. 3:7-4:13 (cf. Ps. 95:7-11); see full note at Heb. 3:11
   
   
3. The argument develops as follows:
   1. Moses was a major person in part of God's house/household (cf. Num. 12:6-8), but Jesus was the builder of the house/household
   2. Moses is a servant in the house, while Jesus is a family member (i.e., "a son," cf. Heb. 1:2; 3:5-6; 5:8; 7:28)
   3. Moses, like Joshua, failed to bring in God's rest (i.e., the Promised Land), while Jesus did not fail (see note at Heb. 3:2)
   
   
4. The theological thrust of the literary unit is a warning to be obedient and faithful. Jesus was obedient and faithful, but the Israelites were not (cf. Ps. 95:6-11). The Mosaic covenant had consequences for disobedience which were severe (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). How much more dire are the consequences of rejecting or violating the new ovenant (cf. Heb. 2:1-4)?
   
   
5. This section is typological. It views the NT as the new, spiritual exodus that leads to a better "rest" (i.e., heaven)!

 SPECIAL TOPIC: TYPOLOGY

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

÷HEBREWS 3:1-6

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: HEBREWS 3:1-6
 ¹Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; ²He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. ³For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. ⁴For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. ⁵Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; ⁶ but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

3:1 "Therefore" Summing up the truths of chapters 1-2, here is the new implication.

To whom was this book addressed? The term "brethren" is used repeatedly (cf. Heb. 2:11; 3:1,12; 10:19; 13:22) which (along with the subject matter) implies Jewish believers (i.e., a synagogue).

SPECIAL TOPIC: HOLY

SPECIAL TOPIC: SANCTIFICATION

▣ "partakers of a heavenly calling" This concept is used in several ways in the Bible.

1. Israel was called by God to be a kingdom of priests to bring the world back to God (cf. Gen. 12:3; Exod.19:5). In the OT this was a call to service, not individual salvation, and a corporate call (national Israel) to an assigned task (worldwide evangelization).
2. Individual believers are called (cf. John 6:44,65) to an eternal salvation.
3. Every individual Christian is called to serve the Body of Christ through spiritual giftedness (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7,11; Eph. 4:11-16).

SPECIAL TOPIC: CALLED

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ "consider Jesus" This is an AORIST ACTIVE IMPERATIVE. It means to consider thoughtfully (cf. Heb. 10:24). In context this implies comparing His person and work with the leaders of the Mosaic covenant.

▣ "the Apostle and High Priest" These two titles deal with Jesus' superiority over Moses as official messenger and Aaron as the Levitical High Priest. Hebrews 4:14-7:28 deals with Jesus' superiority over Aaron. Since the Hebrew and Greek terms for "messenger" and "angel" are the same; "apostle," which was a Greek term "to send," may relate

1. to angels sent by God to serve those being saved (cf. Heb. 1:14)
2. to Jesus sent by God to redeem those who are being saved (cf. John 3:17)

This is the only place in the NT that Jesus is called "the Apostle," although John uses the VERB over and over to refer to Him being "sent" from the Father (cf. John 3:17,34; 4:34; 5:24,36,38; 6:29,38,57; 7:29; 8:42; 10:36; 11:42; 17:3,18,21,23,25; 20:21).

SPECIAL TOPIC: TITLES/FUNCTIONS USED FOR JESUS IN HEBREWS

▣ "Apostle" This comes from the VERB "to send" and was used by Greek literature and the rabbis in the sense of one sent as an official representative of another. Moses served in the house of God as a servant while Jesus was "a son," a family member (cf. Heb. 1:2; 3:6; 5:8; 7:28). God called Moses to serve, but sent Jesus from heaven.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SEND (APOSTELLŎ)

▣ "High Priest" Hebrews is the only book of the Bible to call Jesus High Priest (cf. Heb. 2:17; 3:1; 4:14,15; 5:5,10; 6:20; 7:26,28; 8:1,3;9:11; 10:21). It took an extensive rabbinical argumentation to convince first century Jews that Jesus, from the tribe of Judah, really was a priest. The Dead Sea Scrolls community expected two Messiahs, one royal (tribe of Judah, cf. Gen. 49:10) and one priestly (tribe of Levi, cf. Psalm 110; Zechariah 3-4).

SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS AS HIGH PRIEST

▣ "our confession" This is the Greek term homologia, which is a compound of "to say" and "the same." The readers had made a confession of their faith in Jesus Christ. Now they must hold fast this confession/profession (cf. Heb. 4:14; 10:23). This is one of the main issues of the book.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CONFESSION/PROFESSION

3:2 "He was faithful to Him who appointed Him" In context the emphasis is on

1. the Father's choosing and equipping Jesus for an assigned redemptive task (cf. Heb. 2:14-15; Mark 10:45)
2. Jesus exercising faith (PRESENT PARTICIPLE) in the Father as believers are to exercise faith (i.e., Jesus is our example to follow). He is truly one with mankind.

However, one possible etymology for "appointed" is "create." Arius used the VERB "appointed" in his controversy with Athanasius to assert that Jesus was the highest creation (cf. Prov. 8:22) of God, but not deity Himself (cf. Acts 2:36; Rom. 1:4; Col. 1:15). This fourth century controversy produced the clear teaching of one divine essence, but three eternal personal manifestations, Father, Son, and Spirit (i.e., the Trinity; the church councils of Nicea [A.D. 325 ) and Constantinople [A.D. 381]). These three divine persons have eternally made up the one true God (cf. John 1:1-18). For a good brief discussion of Arianism, see Christian Theology (2^nd ed.) by Millard J. Erickson, pp. 711-715.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TRINITY

▣ "all His house" This is a reference to Num. 12:7,8. The people of God being the house of God is an oft repeated biblical image.

1. "over His house," Heb. 3:6
2. "household," Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 3:15
3. "spiritual house," 1 Pet. 2:5
4. "household of God," 1 Pet. 4:17
5. "House" is used six times in this paragraph, sometimes with the connotation of a building and sometimes of a family.

The argument seems to run as follows

1. Moses was part of God's house/household, but Jesus was the builder of that house
2. Moses is a servant, while Jesus is a family member
3. Moses failed to bring in God's rest, while Jesus will not fail

3:3 "counted worthy of more glory than Moses" This is a PERFECT PASSIVE INDICATIVE. This would have been an absolutely shocking statement to Jews (cf. 2 Cor. 3:7-11).

SPECIAL TOPIC: PAUL'S VIEWS OF THE MOSAIC LAW

SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS IS GREATER THAN

3:4 "For every house is built by someone" This has been used for the philosophical/theological argument of "ultimate cause" in an attempt to prove the existence of God (cf. Thomas Aquinas). However, this line of reasoning ("first cause") can never arrive at the revelation of

1. God as Father of the Lord Jesus Christ
2. nor a God as friend of sinners

▣ "but the builder of all things is God" The Father is creator of all (cf. Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 15:25-27). Jesus was the Father's agent in creation (cf. John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2).

3:5-6 "but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house" Jesus "a son" (there is no ARTICLE, cf. Heb. 1:2; 3:6; 5:8; 7:28; therefore, "son" should not be capitalized) is contrasted with Moses, the servant (cf. Heb. 1:2; 3:6; 5:8; 7:28; Exod. 14:31; Num. 12:7). Moses was a faithful servant (cf. Num. 12:7), but Jesus was a family member!

"Faithful" is italicized because it is assumed from v. 5a, where it is in the text and used of Moses.

3:5 "for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later" Moses spoke of Christ in Deut. 18:18-19 (cf. 1 Pet. 1:11). This repeats the truth of Heb. 1:1.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE DEITY OF CHRIST FROM THE OT

3:6 "whose house we are" This is the family of faith described as a house (cf. Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5; 4:17). This same type of collective building imagery is employed when the church is called a temple (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16). The focus is on

1. Jesus' ownership
2. the people of God as a corporate entity

It is unusual to speak of the church as Jesus' house. Because of this some ancient Greek manuscripts changed the PRONOUN so that it refers to the Father (cf. MSS P⁴⁶ and D^*).

1. "os," referring to the Father, is found in
   1. P¹⁶, D^*
   2. Vulgate translation
2. "ou," referring to Jesus' household
   1. P¹³, א, A, B, C, D^c
   2. Peshitta, Coptic, Aramenian translations

SPECIAL TOPIC: TEXTUAL CRITICISM

SPECIAL TOPIC: BIBLICAL FAITH IS CORPORATE

▣ "if" This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL which means potential action (ean plus a SUBJUNCTIVE). This gives the statement an element of contingency (cf. Heb. 3:14; 4:14; Rom. 11:22; 1 Cor. 15:2).

SPECIAL TOPIC: GREEK GRAMMATICAL TERMS, VII

▣ "we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope" "Hold fast" is a continuing emphasis on perseverance (AORIST ACTIVE SUBJUNCTIVE, cf. Heb. 3:7,14; 4:14,15). The rest of this chapter and chapter 4 is one continual warning.

1. for the Jewish believers to move to maturity and public identification with the church
2. for those who have heard the gospel and seen it powerfully in the lives of their believing Jewish friends to fully accept it themselves. This is my historical assumption based on R. E. Glaze, Jr.'s book, No Easy Salvation.

SPECIAL TOPIC: PERSEVERANCE

▣ "and the boast of our hope" This emphasis on hope is characteristic of Hebrews (cf. Heb. 3:6; 6:11; 7:19; 10:23; 11:1). Hope refers to the sure consummation of our faith!

SPECIAL TOPIC: BOLDNESS

SPECIAL TOPIC: HOPE

▣ "firm until the end" This phrase does not appear in the ancient Greek manuscripts P⁴⁶ or B and, therefore, is possibly not original. However, it is included in other ancient uncial Greek manuscripts (א, A, C, D, K, and P). It is included in Heb. 3:14 and was probably transposed here by a scribe for the sake of balance. It surely fits the theology of the context. See Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, p. 665.

SPECIAL TOPIC: END OR FULL

÷HEBREWS 3:7-19

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: HEBREWS 3:7-19 (complete paragraph includes 3:7-4:13)
 ⁷Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
 "Today if you hear His voice,
  ⁸Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
 As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
  ⁹Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
 And saw My works for forty years.
 ¹⁰Therefore I was angry with this generation,
 And said, 'They always go astray in their heart,
 And they did not know My ways';
  ¹¹As I swore in My wrath,
 'They shall not enter My rest.'"
 ¹²Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. ¹³But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, ¹⁵while it is said,
 "Today if you hear His voice,
 Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me."
 ¹⁶For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

3:7 "as the Holy Spirit says" This is attributing the inspiration of the OT to the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 28:25; Heb. 10:15). In context this is very significant because Scripture is attributed to the Father in Heb. 1:5,13; 2:6,11; 4:3,4; 10:9; 13:5. Therefore, this is a strong passage on the Deity and personality of the Spirit (cf. Heb. 9:8; 10:15).

SPECIAL TOPIC: INSPIRATION

SPECIAL TOPIC: PERSONHOOD OF THE SPIRIT

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TRINITY

▣ "Today if you hear his voice" Verses 7-11 are a quote from the Septuagint of Ps. 95:7-11, which is a warning to Israel during the wilderness wandering period concerning their unbelief. Hebrews 3:17 through 4:13 is based on an exposition of this passage (see full note at Heb. 4:7). This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE. They had the opportunity to see and hear (cf. Heb. 3:9) but willfully refused and hardened their hearts.

3:8 "Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me" The historical allusion is to Israel's wilderness wandering period. The Masoretic Hebrew text lists the geographical sites of Israel's rebellion as Meribah (cf. Exod.17:7; Num. 20:13) and Massah (cf. Exod.17:7; Deut. 6:16). The Septuagint translates them by their etymology (Meribah – "place of strife" and Massah – "temptation," cf. Heb. 3:9).

The term "heart" refers to the entire person (cf. Deut. 6:4-5). These Israelites initially had faith, but later did not act in faith (i.e., the report of the 12 spies, cf., Num. 12). As a result they were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Their doubt and lack of trust caused a terrible temporal judgment.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HEART

▣ "As in the day" Here is an example of the Hebrew term yom used in a figurative sense (cf. John 8:56; Heb. 8:9), not in the sense of

1. a literal 24 hour period
2. day light period

SPECIAL TOPIC: YOM

3:9 "tried Me by testing Me" The term "provoking" in Heb. 3:8 and the term "test" in Heb. 3:9 in the Masoretic Text are meribah and massah, two geographical locations mentioned in Exod.17:1-7 where Israel rebelled against God.

In the Greek translation two different terms for "test" or "try" are used. The first (peirazō) normally had the connotation of "to test with a view toward destruction" and the second (dokimazō) "to test with a view toward approval," but in this context they are synonymous.

SPECIAL TOPIC: GREEK TERMS FOR TESTING AND THEIR CONNOTATIONS

▣ "And saw my works" God's miraculous dealings with the children of Israel during the forty year period of the wilderness wanderings did not bring them to complete trust. The parable in Luke 16 of Lazarus and the rich man combined with Matt. 24:24 and 2 Thess. 2:9 show that the miraculous is not necessarily the sign of God, nor the best tool for winning people to faith (cf. the devil's temptation of Jesus in Matt. 4:3,6).

▣ "forty years" This number is used often in the Bible. It must be a Hebrew idiom for a long, indefinite period of time. Actually, in this context, it refers to 38 years (cf. Num. 14:34).

The author of Hebrews has modified both the Hebrew text and Greek text of this Psalm (e.g., Paul's quote of Ps. 68:18 in Eph. 4:8) by connecting the "forty years" with the Israelites seeing YHWH's miracles during the wilderness wandering period. However, the Masoretic Text and Septuagint relate the phrase to YHWH's anger at the people during this period (cf. Ps. 95:10). New Testament authors under inspiration often interpret the OT by rabbinical word plays. This seems to violate our modern commitment to authorial intent as the proper way to interpret the Bible. We must allow the NT authors the right to use the OT in ways that would be inappropriate for modern interpreters. We cannot reproduce the hermeneutical approach of the inspired authors. See Richard Longnedker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #7

SPECIAL TOPIC: RABBINICAL HERMENEUTICAL TECHNIQUES

3:10 "I was angry with this generation" A good example of YHWH's anger and judgment is found in Numbers 14:11,22-23,27-30,35.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE GOD

▣ "know" The Hebrew term has an element of personal relationship (cf. Gen. 4:1; Jer. 1:5), not just facts about someone or something. Biblical faith has both a cognitive element (truths) and a personal element (trust).

SPECIAL TOPIC: KNOW

▣ "My ways" There are many synonyms in Hebrew referring to God's Law (cf. Ps. 19:6-9; 119). God's will was clear to them (i.e., OT Israelites), but they willfully rejected it. This was the problem of the unbelieving Jewish recipients of Hebrews. The message of Jesus had changed "God's ways" (i.e., Matt. 5:21-48; Mark 7:19; 10:5-6). It was hard for these Jewish worshipers to leave Moses and trust completely in the New Covenant message of a grace-based covenant (i.e., Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38) totally apart from human performance (i.e., Eph. 2:8-10)!

SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION (using DEUTERONOMY and PSALMS)

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PATH, THE WAY

3:11 "As I swore in my wrath" God's wrath is as true biblically as is God's love. It must be stated; however, that both are anthropomorphic imagery using human emotions and terminology. They surely are true about God but not ultimate. God has adequately revealed Himself to us, but there is so much about God that we simply cannot receive while still a part of this temporal, physical, sinful reality.

SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN (ANTHROPOMORPHISM)

▣ "swore" God often swears by Himself positively as to the validity of His statements, but here, He does so negatively (cf. Heb. 4:3), which affirms the validity of His warnings and the temporal and eschatological consequqences of disobedience.

▣ "They shall not enter My rest" This is a partial FIRST CLASS CONDITIONAL with no conclusion but with an implied NEGATIVE. This term "rest" is used in chapters 3 and 4 in several different ways.

1. in Gen. 2:2 it is used for God's rest on the seventh day of creation (cf. Heb. 4:3,4,10)
2. in Numbers 13 and 14 it is used of Joshua bringing the people into the Promised Land (cf. Heb. 3:11,18; 4:8)
3. in Ps. 95:7-11 it is used of David's day in which God's rest had not yet fully come (cf. Heb. 4:1,9-10)
4. it is used as imagery for heaven (God's presence; see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HEAVENS AND THE THIRD HEAVEN)

This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE; continue to be watchful! It not only is the beginning of the life of faith that is crucial, but also the finish (cf. chapter 11)!!!

SPECIAL TOPIC: PERSEVERANCE

See note at Heb. 3:1. This designation seems to refer to believing Jews, although it could denote ethnic paternity.

▣ "an unbelieving heart" This describes a believer who deserts the living God. A believing heart is one that continues firm to the end (cf. Heb. 3:14 and chapter 11). The phrase "unbelieving heart" reflects a Hebrew idiom "heart of unbelief" (cf. Heb. 3:12), as does "fall away," which reflects the Hebrew shuv ("return" or "turn").

SPECIAL TOPIC: APOSTASY

▣ "that falls away from the living God" This is an AORIST ACTIVE INFINITIVE. This VERB is the source of our English word "apostasy." This is addressing a developing faithlessness (it is the opposite of Heb. 3:14). To whom does this passage relate:

1. believing Jews
2. unbelieving Jews?

The use of "brothers" in Heb. 3:1 and the added phrase "partakers of a heavenly calling" and "brothers" in Heb. 3:12 strongly suggest that it refers to believers or covenant people (i.e., a synagogue).

What then is the warning relating to: (1) salvation or (2) faithfulness? In context it seems to refer to faithfulness; Jesus was faithful, they must be faithful. The book of Hebrews views the Christian life from the end (cf. Heb. 3:14; 11), not the beginning (like Paul).

The "falling away" of Heb. 3:13 must relate to continual faith and faithfulness. The Israelites had faith, but not functioning, obedient faith. They rejected God's promise of the land flowing with milk and honey by accepting the spies' report (cf. Numbers 13-14), not their belief in God. In this context "falling away" does not mean "falling from faith," but "falling from faithfulness" (i.e., OT sense of the term)! However, both are required for a healthy faith. See note at Heb. 3:16-18.

God always comes to us in a covenant relationship. We must respond in faith and faithfulness. The Sovereign God has allowed us to participate in our initial decision and on-going discipleship. The author of Hebrews is difficult to follow because

1. he uses rabbinical logic and hermeneutics
2. he is addressing two groups
   1. believing Jews
   2. unbelieving Jews
3. he views Christian assurance and victory from the criteria of faithfulness as well as faith
4. he focuses on faithfulness to the end (cf. Heb. 4:14; chapter 11). He views the Christian life from its conclusion, not its beginning

The phrase "the living God" is a play on God's covenant name YHWH, which is from the Hebrew VERB "to be" (cf. Exod.3:14). These readers were not rejecting YHWH, but the irony is that rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ is, in fact, a rejection of YHWH (cf. 1 John 5:9-12).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D

SPECIAL TOPIC: APOSTASY (APHISTĒMI)

SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT

3:13 "But encourage one another" This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE. Believers are to emulate the Spirit and the Son in encouraging faith and faithfulness (cf. Heb. 10:24). This is the same root as the word paraclete, which means "one called alongside to help" and is used of

1. the Spirit (cf. John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7)
2. Jesus (cf. 1 John 2:1)

SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS AND THE SPIRIT

▣ "Today" "Today," used in Psalm 95, shows that the time for trusting God and finding His rest was still open as it was in David's day. The author is emphasizing that now is the time for decision because there comes a time when continual rejection results in blinded eyes that cannot see (i.e., "unpardonable sin" of the Gospels and the "sin unto death" of 1 John).

No one chooses the time when they come to God (cf. John 6:44,65). Our only choice is to respond, and respond immediately. Continued rejection and willful unbelief causes a spiritual hardening of the human heart (cf. AORIST PASSIVE SUBJUNCTIVE, "be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin"). This is not God's will (i.e., John 1:12; 3:16-17; 1 Tim. 2:4; 4:10; Titus 2:11; 2 Pet. 3:9), but the inevitable consequence of rejection. The people of God who left Egypt in faith balked at God's promise related to possessing the Promised Land. Believers often practice "practical unbelief." Beware of separating initial faith from continuing faith (cf. Heb. 3:6,14). Justification and sanctification must never be separated!

SPECIAL TOPIC: UNPARDONABLE SIN

SPECIAL TOPIC: SIN UNTO DEATH

▣ "that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" This is an AORIST PASSIVE SUBJUNCTIVE. Sin is personified as the enemy that hardens hearts. Notice how this truth is presented:

1. take care brethren (Heb. 3:12)
2. lest one have (Heb. 3:12)
   1. an unbelieving heart
   2. fall away from God
3. encourage one another (Heb. 3:13)
4. lest you be hardened by sin (Heb. 3:13, and the Tempter, 2 Cor. 4:4)
5. we are partakers, if we hold fast (Heb. 3:14)

What a powerful encouragement and warning these verses present.

3:14 "we have become partakers of Christ" This is a PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE. This VERB TENSE implies a finished progress that results in an abiding state of being. They were partakers but there is a contingency (i.e., faith but also faithfulness)!

▣ "if" This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL which means potential action. This is another warning admonishing Christians to hold fast their confession (cf. Heb. 3:6; 4:14; 10:23).

This is an emphasis on perseverance. It is as valid a biblical emphasis as is security. They must be super-glued together for a biblically balanced perspective (cf.3:6; 4:14; Mark 13:13; Rom. 11:22; 1 Cor. 15:2; Gal. 6:7-9; 1 John 2:19; Rev. 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7).

Most biblical doctrines come in dialectical or paradoxical pairs. The Bible is an eastern book which uses figurative language expressing truth in very strong statements, but then balances it with other seemingly contradictory statements. Thereby truth is found between the two stated extremes. Western people tend to proof-text one side of the paradox and radicalize truth by literally and dogmatically interpreting one expression of truth without seeking and being open to the opposite truth. In many ways this is the major source of tension among modern western denominations!

SPECIAL TOPIC: GUARANTEE

SPECIAL TOPIC: END OR FULL

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHRISTIAN ASSURANCE

SPECIAL TOPIC: ARCHĒ

SPECIAL TOPIC: PERSEVERANCE

SPECIAL TOPIC: EASTERN LITERATURE (biblical paradoxes)

3:15 "if" This is another THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE, like Heb. 3:14, which means potential action. This is a repeated quote from Ps. 95:7c-8a, which has been the focus of chapter 3.

3:16-18 There is a series of rhetorical questions in these verses. If this analogy is taken literally, it seems that all who died in the wilderness (cf. Num. 14), including Moses, Aaron, and the faithful priests during Korah's rebellion, were all spiritually lost for eternity. This is impossible. This is a play on the words "rest" and "disobedience." These are the two key terms of this context. God has a "rest" for those who trust Him (and continue to trust Him), yet there are consequences for "disobedience," both to unbelievers and believers!

3:19 The unbelief of Heb. 3:19 deals with the continuing faithlessness of Israel during the Wilderness Wandering Period!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why is Jesus called an "apostle" in Heb. 3:1?
2. List the different uses of "rest." Why is this so important?
3. Define the doctrine of perseverance.

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