VII.
A New and Better Covenant (continued) (8:1–10:39)
J.
The Sequel — The Wrong Way ()
3.
() An argument from the greater to the lesser brings out the seriousness of the situation. To despise the law of Moses was a serious matter, but this is more serious still. The law of Moses was held by Jews to be divinely given; anyone who rejected it rejected God's direction. When this happened, no discretion was allowed: the person had to be executed. In a serious matter, the charge had to be proved beyond doubt. Thus, the testimony of one witness was not sufficient: there had to be two or three. But when there were the required witnesses to say what the person had done, justice took over. There was no place for mercy. (; ) He had to be executed for violating God’s covenant with him.
a.
The writer invites the readers to work out for themselves how much more serious is the punishment of the one who apostatizes from Christ. () It must be more severe than under the old way because Jesus is greater than Moses, and the new covenant is better than the old, () founded on better promises and () established by a better sacrifice. There are two counts in the indictment of those who are apostate:
(1)
They have "trampled under foot the Son of God." "To trample under foot" is a strong expression for disdain. It implies not only rejecting Christ but also despising Him — who is no less than "the Son of God.”
(2)
The apostates have "insulted the Spirit of grace." The author does not often refer to the Holy Spirit, being occupied for the most part with the person and work of the Son of God. Nevertheless, he esteems the person of the Spirit highly. This phrase also implies that he saw the Spirit as a person, not an influence or a thing, for only a person can be insulted. In the New Testament, there are a variety of ways of referring to the Spirit, but only here is he called "the Spirit of grace" (cf. ); the expression may mean "the gracious Spirit of God" or "the Spirit through whom God's grace is manifested." Willful sin is an insult to the Spirit, who brings the grace of God to us.
4.
() The expression "we know" reminds us of Paul, who is fond of appealing to his readers' understanding. The divine author of Hebrews calls God the One who spoke the words of Scripture to humankind. The first quotation here is from (also quoted in ). It mentions that vengeance is a divine prerogative; it is not for us to take it into our own hands. But the emphasis is on the certainty that the Lord will act. The wrongdoer cannot hope to go unpunished because avenging wrong is in the hands of none the less than God. The second quotation (from ; see also ) leaves no doubt whatever about the Lord's intervention, for He is named and so is His activity.
a.
The word "judge" may mean "give a favorable judgment" as well as "condemn." In both and need to read these again (the first reference translates “judge” as “vindicate” in the NASV of ), it is favorable deliverance that is in mind. But in the Old Testament, God does not vindicate His people if they have sinned. Where they have not been faithful to Him, that same principle of impartial judgment demands that intervention brings punishment. This is what the divine author has in mind. That one claims to be a member of God's people does not exempt one from judgment. God judges all who disobey Him.
5.
() The sinner should not regard the judgment of God calmly. It is "a terrifying thing" (cf. vs. ) to fall into God's hands. (; ) David chose to fall into God's hands when given a choice between falling into the hands of men or God for numbering his troops as Satan moved David to do it. But David was a man of faith; he committed himself in trust to God, not other people. It is different with those who have rejected God's way. They must realize that they will one day fall into the hands of an all-powerful God. Such a fate is a daunting prospect.
K.
Choose the Right ()
After a section containing stern warnings, the author expresses his confidence in his readers and encourages them to take the right way (cf. chap. 6). He reminds them of the early days of their Christian experience when they had experienced some form of persecution and had come through it triumphantly. This should teach them that in Christ they had blessings of a kind they could never have had if they had given way to persecution.
1.
() The author does not class his friends among those who go back on their Christian profession. He begins by inviting them to contemplate the days just after they had become Christians. The verb translated "being enlightened" means the enlightenment the Gospel brought. This had resulted in some form of persecution that the readers had endured in the right spirit. There should be no going back on that kind of perseverance now. "Conflict" is literally, “Contest,” a word of the Christian as a spiritual athlete and so points to the strenuous nature of Christian service. On this occasion, the athletic performance had been elicited by a period of suffering they had steadfastly endured (hupemeinéte, “remained on top,” from the root moneín, “remain”) — you did not go under. This persecution was either from other Jews who hated Jesus or from Gentiles who had a similar opinion of Jesus.
2.
() This suffering is further explained: "Partly by . . . partly by." The first group had been subjected to persecution. The readers had been made a public spectacle by being exposed to insult and injury. The second group had suffered by being associates of the former group. This is explained as sympathizing with prisoners.
a.
In the world of the first century, the lot of prisoners was difficult. They were to be punished, not pampered. Little provision was made for them, and they were dependent on friends for their supplies. () For Christians to visit prisoners was a meritorious act. But there was some risk, for the visitors became identified with the visited. Yet the readers of the letter had not shrunk from this. They had endured being lumped with the prisoners. Precisely which persecution is meant here we have no way of knowing but, knowing the times, we can speculate it was either from the Romans or the Jews or both.
b.
In addition to identifying with prisoners, the readers had the right attitude to property. There is a question whether the word rendered "seizure" means official action by which the state took over their goods, or whether it points rather to mob violence. Overall, the latter seems more likely. The readers had taken this in the right spirit. It would not be a surprise if they endured all this with fortitude, but that they accepted it "joyfully" is another thing altogether. So firmly had their interest been fixed on heavenly possessions that they could take the loss of earthly goods with exhilaration.
c.
The reason for their cheerful attitude is that they knew they "had for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one" (similar to ) in Christ (A.D.70 endurance of Christians when persecuted by Romans — Romans overcame Israel and killed many Jewish people, destroying the temple, homes, and businesses). They knew the "possession" (the word is singular) was both better and longer lasting. The possession in Christ cannot be stolen; it is an abiding possession.
3.
() "Therefore" indicates that what precedes provides a reason for the conduct now suggested. "Throw away" seems to convey the thought of a reckless rejection of what is valuable. Their earlier conduct showed that they knew the value of their possession in Christ; thus, the writer can appeal to them not to discard it. As Christians they had a confidence that was based firmly on Christ's saving work, and it would be the height of folly to throw it away. What they had endured for Christ's sake entitled them to a reward. Let them not throw it away. The New Testament does not reject the notion that Christians will receive rewards, though, of course, that is never the prime motive for service.
4.
() Christians "need [a word denoting absolute necessity] of endurance"; Christianity is no flash in the pan. This leads to the thought that doing the will of God has its recompense. The author earlier spoke of Christ as doing the will of God (vss. 7ff.). Now he makes the point that Christ's people must similarly be occupied in doing that will. As a result, they will "receive" God's promise. This safeguards against any doctrine of salvation by works. God's good gift is in mind, and it is secured, though not merited, by their persevering to the end.
5.
() Now the writer encourages his readers with passages in Scripture that point to the coming of God's Messiah in due course. The "little while" (cf. ) points to a quite short period. The argument is that the readers ought not to let the "very little while" rob them of their heavenly reward.
a.
The author goes on to quote from , which refers to the coming of the Messiah (cf. ; ; ). He reverses the order of the clauses from Habakkuk, finishing with the words about shrinking back; this enables him to apply them immediately to his readers. By using the LXX, the author can interpret as the prophet waiting for a deliverer to come. Christ will come in due course (Josephus records His appearance in the sky in the Roman war against Israel in A.D. 70). In the meantime, the readers must patiently await Him.
b.
The words about the "righteous one" living by faith are used again in and . In those passages, the emphasis is on what happens to those who have faith (they will be declared righteous,), whereas here the author conveys the meaning that the person whom God accepts as righteous will live by faith. Paul is concerned with the way someone comes to be accepted by God, while the author here is concerned with the importance of holding fast to one's faith in the face of temptations to abandon it.
6.
() The chapter closes with a ringing affirmation of confidence in which the writer identifies himself with his readers. He takes no position of superiority but sees himself as one with them. He sees only two possibilities: drawing back and being destroyed and persevering in faith to final salvation. The end result of shrinking back is to be "destroyed". But that will not be the fate of his readers; they will go on in faith and be saved. However, that may not be the fate of all his Jewish Christian readers. He is simply encouraging readers who are in the family of God.
VIII.
Faith ()
A.
The Meaning of Faith ()
The chapter begins with some general observations on the nature of faith. They do not constitute a formal definition; rather, the writer is calling attention to some significant features of faith. Then, he proceeds to show how faith works out in practice.
1.
() Faith is the substance of things hoped for (hupŏstasis). The Greek word here gives the sense of something foundational, basic, a concrete reality, upon which other things are built. Stasis, the root of the word, means the place, setting, a standing pillar, the base stone upon which other stones are placed. The prefix hupo means “under” or “below.” Together the result signifies something solidly foundational, concrete in reality, and something assured. Thus, faith as defined by our author is not an imaginary product of the mind fabricated out of its own philosophical needs or rationalistic dreams, but that which is firm, solid, of real existence. Faith is the solid certainty of that for which we hope, based upon reality and solid existence of genuine certainty. He continues: “[Faith is] the conviction of things not seen.” The Greek phrase pragmátos elégchos is translated as the single word “conviction.” Yet when the words are considered separately, they carry force and strength not usually associated with faith, which may more usually be seen as pragmatic reality. Pragmáato¯n, on the one hand, spreads out an idea of concrete reality, something that is critical, of consequence and of great importance — something foundational.