HEBREWS STUDY Part 2

Who Do You Love the Picture or the Person?

Jesse Gistand

As we open up our discussion once again let us recapitulate. (1) The Hebrews were considered babes. They obviously were tottering to and fro like a fence post that had no depth of root. When the wind blew its instability was manifest. They said, is Christ enough or no, or should I let him go? The temple I can see and feel, to make the God I serve more real. Such is the weak and wavering mind of an infant, a child, one who is unskillful in the word of righteousness. The Apostle has laid down the rule of life for the believers. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (Hebrews 10:38). From Adam until Christ comes again this is the rule of life for the just.

From Adam to Moses there was no temple, no carnal ordinances, no priesthood, no sacrifices, just the word of The LORD, which liveth and abideth forever. Isn’t that enough? Not for these Hebrews. The word of Faith which Paul preached, fell into ill repose when the persecution came. "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in they heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;" (Romans 10:8). When as our Master said "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?" (Matthew 10:22-25). The Romans persecuting you on one side and the Jews on the other, what will you do? The Apostle knew of the difficulty, and in love with the people of GOD, he would do the very best job he could to exalt Christ. To reveal Christ in all of his glorious offices to these faint hearted Hebrews, and because of his theological brilliance, not to mention being inspired by the Holy Ghost, the book of Hebrews is self contained. Its arguments, its purpose, its propositions, and the conclusion, are all to be found within the book.

The question for the Hebrew of his day and ours is, Who do you love, the picture or the person? As we said last time the Hebrews should have been teachers of Christ, having been disciplined in the First principles of the oracles of GOD. Which is the old testament ceremonial code, and the Law of commands contained in ordinances. All of the sacrifices, all of the washings or old testament immersion which were Jewish baptisms, all of the dietary codes, etc., should have driven them to its higher purpose and significance. "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me," (Psalm 40:7). But the veil being still over their hearts, when He who was greater than the temple, Solomon, and Moses did come, they comprehended him not, and jealous for the picture they crucified the person.

The milk of the word in this case, refers to the weak and beggarly elements that are compatible to those who are not of full age, again Judaism, who had not yet been weaned from the breast and drawn from the milk. "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts." (Isaiah 28:9). Remember to be a child is to drink milk, in order that one may grow. Israel should have grown to maturity (full age) when Christ came. They should have been prepared for the meat of the gospel truth. When Christ said, I am the way, the life and the truth, when He said, except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you. When He said no man comes unto the Father but by me, this was meat too heavy for the Jews infant mind. "These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" (John 6:59-60). "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." (John 6:66).

Christ alone apart from works is meat, designed to make a strong body out of a mature man. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" (Ephesians 4:13). "No more children That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" (Ephesians 4:14). You see what I’m saying. But persecution will always spy out the hypocrite. "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." (Isaiah 33:14-17).

Do you see the King in his beauty? The word neepios literally means unable to speak. Like Jeremiah who confessed when the LORD called him, "Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." (Jeremiah 1:6). Obviously if one is not able to speak he cannot be an ambassador of Christ. It takes a mouth with words, to beseech men to be reconciled to GOD. And it takes a message, the message that GOD was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses to them. This is a hard saying but it is gospel truth. GOD in the person of Jesus Christ has long ago reconciled elect sinners to himself in their federal head Jesus Christ. Long ago on the cross of Golgotha, God had made peace between him and the sinner. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5:8-11).

Salvation is what Christ accomplished at Calvary. Redemption accomplished was the work of the cross. Not your receiving it. Not your accepting Christ, or seeking him, or whatever. The work of justification is Salvation. The man, woman or child that has been justified by the blood of his cross, is at that point in the scheme of redemption saved. "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9). He has but to experience the sanctifying work of the spirit in regeneration that gives him life and Faith in Christ, through the preaching of the gospel. "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," (2 Timothy 1:8-9).

Do you see it? The experience of grace is one thing. Grace in its work of Salvation, in Christ is another. To be sure it is all of Grace, but what we experience is a by product of the great work of our Saviour. The accomplishment of redemption at Calvary is destined to application at the time appointed of GOD in the life of the elect. It is the message of Faith in Christ that the spirit uses as the instrument of saving Faith in the sinner. Who in turn will let everything go for Christ. That’s what you do when you love someone. They Follow Christ. That which these Hebrews were about to depart from. And the Apostle diagnoses them as being untried (a piros) in this word of righteousness. It did not fill them. It was not meat for them. Like the armour of Saul on David, untried, so that David had no confidence in them. Even so these Hebrews had no confidence in the message of Faith alone without the scaffolding of Moses. They needed someone to hold them by the hand. Someone they could confess to, to pray to, who would console them. Someone they could see. A vicar, a pope, a father, that special man of God for them. Anyone but a Christ who is in the heavens, with whom it demands Faith to see and hear. These trues are the strong meat. Trues of the gospel way. Meat for those whose senses have been exercised to discern between good and evil. The goodness of Grace and truth in Christ and the evil of damnation which works by the Law. He that is of full age (maturity) understands these things. Next time we shall consider Chapter 6:1-3.

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