HEBREWS: Lesson 19 - Faith - Part 1

Today we started a two-part lesson on Chapter 11, titled: FAITH.

Part 1 - What FAITH is...

Part 2 - What FAITH does...

Chapter 11 was motivated from the author's quote that we find in chapter 10:38 which says: "Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

This verse was a quote taken from Habakkuk 2:4. The same verse was quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. The author was showing the Jews that "faith" has been the determining factor for justification long before Christ and the New Covenant. We will see next week how the author goes back to the time of Adam to show that God's plan for redemption has always been by faith, not by works.

HISTORY

In the Hebrew culture and in the Hebrew society, first century Judaism, the dominating religious thought was that of the Pharisees since they subscribed to the highest level of devotion to the Mosaic law and took the law to its very nth degree most seriously.

They were sort of the reigning religious authorities. According to the Pharisees, righteousness (being right with God) forgiveness from sin, and ultimate salvation could only be achieved through a rigorous system of meritorious works. In other words, you sort of saved yourself by your religious activities and by your moral duties.

The Pharisees believed that if you just kept God's law, and the 600+ additional traditional laws that had been added to the law of God, and you accomplished some level of confidence in keeping those laws, you gained enough meritorious works to have purchased your righteousness, your forgiveness, and your ultimate place in the eternal kingdom.

SPECULATIVE FAITH vs. SAVING FAITH

It is possible to have faith that is not saving faith. This is best illustrated by events in our everyday life. Here are a few examples:

1. You exercise faith every time you drink the water from the facet in your home or water fountains at work and school, although you have no idea what creatures might be "playing in the pipes." The water might look clear but who knows what lives in the water that you can't see.

2. You drive around town, up and down hills, speeding to and fro, always having faith that, when needed, your brakes will work.

3. You go to the drug store and get the medicine your doctor prescribed and do as instructed: Take 1 tablet, 3 times each day. You have faith that the chemical you drop into your body will make you feel better instead of making you sick, or even worse.

4. You have faith that the surgeon who tells you that you "must have surgery" knows what he is talking about and that he is competent to cut you open and play around inside your body--possibly removing valuable pieces. Oh you say, "the government has certified my doctor." Okay, then you have faith that "the government" has a certification process that you can trust.

5. You board a jet airplane, get comfortably seated and strapped in, and have faith that the pilots (who you can't see and have probably never met) are competent and physically able to takeoff, cruise, and land the jet. You say again, "the government has certified the pilots."

The kind of "faith" required to drink tap water, drive your car around town, take a pill, have surgery, or fly on a jet airplane is natural faith based on experience that tells us that generally we can trust these things to work as they should without causing us harm.

The kind of faith that is classed as saving faith is a faith in the supernatural--a supernatural conviction based on no experience. We have never seen Heaven and never received a postcard from someone we know who has gone there. Saving faith implicitly takes God at His word about the future. Saving faith translates the promises of God for the future into the present tense.

In John 2:23-24 and 66-71 we see that Jesus differentiated between someone who had saving faith and someone who had speculative faith.

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

SAVING FAITH is...

- a belief and a conviction that changes your life; changes the way you are; it affects your character, convictions,  and your will... and ultimately your behavior.

- believing in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ to the degree that you are completely satisfied with Him so as to commit your life to Him in loyalty, faithfulness, allegiance, submission, duty, fidelity, obligation.

- a conviction practically operative on the character and will, and thus opposed to the mere intellectual ascent to religious truth.

BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF FAITH

Our text today gives us a Biblical definition of faith:

(11:1-3): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."

THREE ELEMENTS OF FAITH (reference verses above)

1. KNOWLEDGE (v. 3): "By faith we understand..."

The mind understands the truth; the Gospel.

2. ASCENT (v. 1): "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for..."

The emotional element where your heart is drawn to what your head has learned.

3. TRUST (v. 1): "Faith is the conviction of things not seen."

The voluntary element where you make a commitment. I pledge to Him my commitment, my life, my loyalty, my trust. Without commitment there is no real faith.

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Saving faith has all three elements: knowledge, ascent and trust. As a result there will always be a change in character, behavior, and attitude toward sin for anyone who has a saving faith in the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew author is pulling out all the stops to show the Jews who have not yet turned fully to Christ and are wanting to return to Judaism that they must trust in the things that are not seen. That is the condition that will reserve them a place in God's eternal kingdom.

Next week, we will look at the 19+ people who the author uses to show the Jews WHAT FAITH DOES.

HEBREWS: Lesson 18 - Responding to the New Covenant - Part 2

Today we completed chapter 10. Last week we looked at the positive response to the New Covenant (10:19-25). This week we looked at the negative response to the New Covenant (10:26-39).

After spending ten chapters making very strong arguments why Christ and the New Covenant are better than the Old Covenant ways, the author is urging his audience to come all the way and trust Christ fully.

Last week, the author spoke very positively. This week, we see a more serious tone as he warns of the consequences that wait for those who fall away, withdraw, defect, turn back to the old ways. If they choose to turn their backs on Christ, after having been told, having understood, and even having experienced the truth, they will be lost forever. They will become apostates.

Apostasy is THE most serious sin. When you think of an apostate, think of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. He followed Jesus for three years as one of the 12 chosen disciples. Then he betrayed Jesus. Jesus said it would have been better if he had not been born (Matthew 26:24)

Today we looked at the nature of apostasy, the results of apostasy and the deterrents to apostasy. Apostasy is defined as falling away; withdrawal; defection; rebellion.

There are two main types of apostasy:

1. A falling away from key and true doctrines of the Bible into heretical teachings that proclaim to be "the real" Christian doctrine.

This would include those who cling to sins, lifestyles, and beliefs that are in direct opposition to scripture yet attempt to defend those convictions using scripture, situational ethics/morality, or cultural norms.

In an earlier series on discipleship, we covered five of the false doctrines that form the foundation of many people's beliefs. These false doctrines are all born from a root of sin. Those that embrace these false doctrines, after hearing and understanding "the real" truth found in God's Word, would be an example of what the author was saying in verse 10:26: "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins..."

2. A complete renunciation of the Christian faith, which results in a full abandonment of Christ.

How bad is apostasy? It is the worst sin! There is nothing worse than to have known and understood God's plan and then to have turned away. There are degrees of sin and punishment just as there will be degrees of rewards. Apostasy will undoubtedly merit the most sever form of punishment.

John 19:11: - Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Luke 12:47: - And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

It is much worse to know and not believe than to not know and not believe.

Can a true believer, someone who has been saved, become an apostate?

If you're born of God, you cannot continue committing sin. But if you're an apostate, you continue committing sin. For one who continues in unbelief, he never was a believer. Because if a man is born of God, he cannot continue to commit sin. He must stop at some point and fall at the feet of his Savior in penitence. The truly saved continue to follow Christ. The truly apostate continue in their unbelief. Continuance is the issue.

I John 3:9: "Whosoever is born of God does not continue to be committing sin, for His seed remains in him, and he cannot continue to be committing sin, because He's born of God."

You see? If you're born of God, you cannot continue committing sin. But if you're an apostate, you continue committing sin.

1 John 2:19: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

Matthew 24:10-13: (Jesus predicted it) – “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

The hottest fires and torment of Hell wait for those who are apostate. Their punishment will be much greater than all others.

(v. 10:27) “but a certain fearful expectation of judgement and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries [those who know the truth and walk away].”

Jude 1:6: “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”

John 15:6: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

Matthew 3:12: “who shall purge His floor, gather His wheat into the granary, but He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 13:36: – Parable of the Tares of the Field – “…and therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this age."

Matthew 13:47: – Parable of the Dragnet - “The kingdom of heaven is like a net…The angels shall come forth, separate the wicked from among the righteous, cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Mark 9:42-47: - "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—

The DETERRENTS to apostasy (vs. 32, 35)

1. Remembrance: (v. 32) “But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:”

2. Reward: (v. 35) “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.”

Next week we will begin to unpack chapter 11 and learn of the great men of faith.

HEBREWS: Lesson 17 - Responding to the New Covenant

CHAPTER 10 is a pivotal point in our study of Hebrews. It is in this chapter that the author ask his audience for a full response based on all that he has said so far--from 1:1 to 10:18. He has presented a solid foundation in doctrine and now he ask for a response:

"Therefore, brethren..." (v. 9)

"Therefore,..." after all that I have told you, you have two choices:

Hebrews 10:19-25:

1. POSITIVE RESPONSE: Go on to become a true believer of our Lord Jesus Christ by making a complete commitment to surrender all to Him by FAITH (v. 22), HOPE (v. 23), and LOVE (vs. 24, 25).

Hebrews 10:26-39:

2. NEGATIVE RESPONSE: Fall back to be an apostate who rejects the truth, having known it.

Today, after reviewing 10:1-18, we looked at the first choice: the positive response. Next week, we will consider the negative response, and we'll study the horrible tragedy, beginning in verse 26, of willful apostasy, and what happens when a man willingly has a negative response to the gospel.

When a man hears the gospel, the good news of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ, and when that man understands the gospel, and when that man believes that the gospel is true, and when he, to some extent, commits himself to that understanding, then he will, from that point, either go on to be a true believer or fall back to be an apostate.

HEARS the gospel; the good news of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ;

UNDERSTANDS the gospel;

BELIEVES the gospel is true; and

COMMITS to that understanding...

These are the A-B-Cs of God's plan of Salvation:

Admit that you are a sinner, and that you're sorry for breaking His law;

Believe that Jesus Christ died to pay the price for your sin;

Commit to stop living your life for yourself, and start living it for Him.

"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:14)

There are only two possible responses to the knowledge of the gospel. When an individual knows the truth of the gospel, he either goes on to believe, or he falls back into apostasy. An apostate is one who rejects the truth, having known it. That's different from somebody who rejects the truth after only knowing a portion of it.

Therefore, there are only two possible responses to the individual who intellectually understands the truth of the gospel, and that is to go on to faith or to fall back into a state of apostasy, which deserves, as the Bible tells us, the severest kind of punishment.

Today, we considered the first of those two possibilities, and that is the positive response to the new covenant, or salvation, the positive response. A man knows the truth. He understands the truth. To a certain measure in his mind, he believes the truth. And at that point, if he goes forward and commits his life to Christ, he has taken a positive response to the truth. If he falls back, it's a negative response.

FAITH (v. 22) - "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..."

HOPE (v. 23) - "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering..."

LOVE (v. 24-25) "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love..."

Signs of a TRUE believer: Let us... draw near, hold fast, and love each other. 

"...to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..."

There are two very important aspects to verses 24 and 25.

1. Believers need to be in fellowship with each other to encourage and be accountable.

2. There are those among us on the edge of faith that need to fellowship with believers in order to make the break from the secular world.

Bottom line: We need each other!

Statistics show that our current culture is turning away from regular church attendance. Self-gratifying activities hold priority over regular attendance in church and corporate Bible study. Why? The reasons are numerous, but in most cases simply due to a lack of commitment.

"It is the will of Christ that his disciples should assemble together. The communion of saints is a great help and privilege, and a good means of steadiness and perseverance; hereby their hearts and hands are mutually strengthened." (Matthew Henry)

"Christian fellowship is helpful to us, and we are helpful to others by it. A Christian is not meant to be a solitary being. Sheep are gregarious, and so are the sheep of the Lord Jesus Christ." (Spurgeon)

HEBREWS: Lesson 16 - Jesus - Our Great High Priest

Today we completed chapter 9. In this chapter the author continued to make comparisons between the New and the Old: priesthoods, sacrifices, and covenants. He is careful to say that the old covenant was good and it served its purpose, but now it is obsolete. As prophesied, there is a better covenant, a perfect sacrifice, and a better High Priest.

The old covenant provided limited worship of God in that there was no access to the Holiest of Holies except for the high priest (9:8). The ritual sacrifices only allowed for imperfect cleansing (9:9). Sins were covered but not forgiven. The sacrifices did not take away sin. They were merely acts of obedience that showed that faith was legitimate. They were merely symbols of an act that would satisfy God. The practices and rituals were only temporary and had to be continually repeated (9:10).

The old covenant was replaced by the new and better covenant that allows all believers access to the Holiest of Holies and provides forgiveness of all sins as a result of one final Sacrifice which last for eternity. Forgiveness of sins reaches back to the beginning of time and extends throughout all eternity.

In 9:8 we read: "The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning."

In order to provide every believer access to the Most Holy Place, there must be a perfect, eternal Sacrifice. That Sacrifice was Christ Jesus. So at the moment Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary a New Covenant was put in place.

What happened when Jesus Died?

"The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in tow from top to bottom. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised" (Matthew 27:51-52)

What happened to Old Testament saints after they died?

Old Testament saints never really entered the presence of God until the death of Jesus Christ. When they died in the Old Testament, they went to a place called Sheol (Hebrew) / Hades (Greek). There they remained until the death of Jesus Christ. They could not have full access until that final Sacrifice was made which truly satisfied God.

Luke 16:19–31 shows that, prior to Christ’s resurrection, Hades was divided into two realms: a place of comfort where Lazarus was (Abraham’s bosom or Abraham’s side) and a place of torment where the rich man was. Between the two districts of Sheol/Hades there was “a great chasm” (Luke 16:26). The fact that no one could cross this chasm indicates that, after death, one’s fate is sealed.

Before Christ died, salvation was on credit. Payment was made at Calvary. Ephesians 4:8 and 9 tells us that it was at the death of Christ that He then took these Old Testament saints, who couldn't have full access until He opened the way, and took them to God. Ephesians 4:8. "Wherefore He saith, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that He ascended," verse 9, "what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth." 

We believe that Jesus, when He died, went down into Sheol/Hades, gathered the Old Testament saints, their spirits, and ushered them into the presence of God. They had to wait until a perfect sacrifice was made on the one final day of atonement, and then were ushered into the presence of God. The Old Testament saints could not inherit their promises until sins were done away. That's what it says at the end of verse 9:15. They were under the first testament, but it was only by His death that they were able to inherit their promises. The first covenant couldn't bring them to God's presence.

Today, when an unbeliever dies, he follows the Old Testament unbelievers to the torment side of Sheol/Hades. At the final judgment, Sheol/Hades will be emptied before the Great White Throne, where its occupants will be judged prior to entering the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13–15).

On the other hand, when a believer dies today, he is “present with the Lord” in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:6–9). There, he joins the Old Testament saints who have been enjoying their reward for thousands of years.

How were people in the Old Testament saved?

Since the fall of man, the basis of salvation has always been the death of Christ. No one, either prior to the cross or since the cross, would ever be saved without that one pivotal event in the history of the world. Christ's death paid the penalty for past sins of Old Testament saints and future sins of New Testament saints.

The requirement for salvation has always been faith. The object of one's faith for salvation has always been God. The psalmist wrote, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12). Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and that was enough for God to credit it to him for righteousness (see also Romans 4:3-8).

The Old Testament sacrificial system did not take away sin, as Hebrews clearly teaches. It did, however, point to the day when the Son of God would shed His blood for the sinful human race. God's way of salvation never changes. It is only by faith.