Grace be unto you all and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. This epistle is a word of admonition to exhort all brethren to remain steadfast in Christ Jesus to the end that we may all truly lay hold on eternal life at the appearing of our LORD and savior Jesus Christ which is now at hand. By the word of this letter, we admonish you all to remain true to God to love Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength by keeping all His commandments. This is the greatest commandment as written in Mark 12:29-31 and our heavenly Father will greatly reward those that serve Him in this manner.
It is written in Heb 3:6 that we (believers) are Christ's house if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. The hope mentioned here is the hope of eternal life. This is plainly written in Tit 1:2 wherein Apostle Paul wrote: In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. By this scripture, we understand that unforfeitable eternal life is at this present time a hope. Now, we know that hope that is seen is not hope (Rom 8:24-25). Therefore, how can eternal life be a hope and at same time a present possession as stated in John 3:16, 36, 5:24, and 10:28-29? Why do we yet hope for it as written in Tit 1:2, 3:7, and 1 Tim 1:1 if we already have it? The simple truth is that it is now given to everyone who is truly in Christ on condition of remaining in Him to the end (1 John 5:11-12, John 15:1-8, Gal 1:6-8, 4:19, 5:4).
It is written in Heb 3:7-11: Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. By this scripture, we understand that because there is danger of failing to hold fast the hope of eternal life unto the end (Heb 3:6), the Holy Ghost warned Christians (Heb 3:12), not sinners, to take heed, seeing to it that they do not fail God as many in Israel did and were cut off (Heb 3:7-14) from God. The words of Heb 3:7-11 were originally a warning to Israel not to provoke God, lest they be excluded from the rest He had promised them. Apostle Paul quoted the words here as a warning to Christians who could, through temptation and sin, fail to receive the eternal rest (eternal life) promised them. If there is no possibility of Christians failing to hear God's voice, hardening themselves and being cut off from God as Israel was in the wilderness, why would Apostle Paul then use this as a lesson to Christians? In Heb 3:12-13, Apostle Paul warned brethren i.e. Christians, by using the example of Israel's failures in the wilderness. They (Israel) were brought out of Egypt with the fullest assurance of blessing, prosperity, and eternal rest. By their sin and unbelief they came short of the promised blessings, fell in the wilderness, and were cut off from God. Apostle Paul states plainly that Christians, i.e. born again or saved men can also return to an evil heart of unbelief, depart from the living God, be hardened by deceitfulness of sin, be cut off by God, and be finally lost (Heb 3:12-14).
In Heb 3:13, Apostle Paul wrote that believers should exhort one another daily lest any of them be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. This scripture is further proof that he (Apostle Paul) was writing to Christians. Sinners cannot be advised to exhort one another daily, neither to revert to sin and depart from the living God, for they are already estranged from God. For this reason, we know Christians are been referred to. There are several different stages of apostasy or backsliding. These are:
1. Refusal to hear God (Heb 3:7)
2. Hardness of heart through refusal to hear and obey God (Heb 3:8, 13, 15)
3. Unbelief, a consequence of hardening the heart against God (Heb 3:12)
4. Departure from the living God (Heb 3:12)
5. Open rebellion against God to provoke and tempt Him (Heb 3:8-9, 16)
7. Final apostasy where all faith in God and His redemptive work is thrown overboard i.e. beyond all hope of repentance because of no more faith (Heb 3:11, 18-19)
After warning Christians that they can fall into sin and apostasy and be cut off from God by sin as Israel was, Apostle Paul laid down the condition Christians must meet to be finally saved. It is to hold the original confidence steadfast to the end (Heb 3:14). Now what is this confidence that we are to hold steadfast? The Greek word for confidence as used here is parrhesia. It means freedom of speech, liberty of access to God. Here, it refers to absolute confidence of access to God because all sins which separates one from God have been removed (Isa 59:1-2) through confession and repentance by the blood of Jesus Christ, and one is now living a life of holiness unto God in obedience to His Word by the gospel of Jesus Christ, thereby walking in the light (1 John 1:7, 5:14, John 15:7). This is the ultimate liberty of access to God. In Old Testament days, men were not permitted to approach God. Even the mountain on which God gave the Law (including the Ten Commandments) to Moses was not to be touched by man or beast. Only the high priest was permitted into the holy of holies once a year. And even then, he could not approach God without proper atonement lest he die. Now, under Christ, we as saints have free and daily access to God by the blood of Jesus (Heb 10:19-23, Eph 2:18). We are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain help in time of need (Heb 4:14-16). As long as we hold fast to this liberty of access to God, we are His house (Heb 3:6). But if any form of sin is present in us, we do not and cannot have this liberty of access until we truly confess and repent of the sin. If we pray while we yet dwell in sin without repentance, God will not hear our prayers. This is plainly written in 1 John 3:20-22, Isa 59:1-2, and Psa 66:18.
We put you all in remembrance that we as saints of God are called holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling in Heb 3:1. By being called partakers, it means all holy brethren (Jews and Gentiles in Christ) are partners (Luke 5:7) and fellows (Heb 1:9) in the heavenly calling. Israel as a nation had an earthly calling and those who are alive at Christ's second coming after the rapture will enter an earthly program of replenishing the earth forever. Jews and Gentiles who are saved and lived in obedience to God's word and partake of the first resurrection will be kings and priests of God and Christ and shall reign over the earth and all other creations forever. They will help God administer the affairs of the universe in all eternity (what a glory to come!). This is written in Rev 1:5-6, 5:10, 20:6, 22:3-5. During the millennial reign of Christ which will precede the new heaven and the new earth, they will reign on the earth with Christ but will continue to live in the New Jerusalem in heaven (1 Thess 4:15-18, John 14:1-3). They will go back and forth from the third heaven to the earth in those days. This revelation we received from the Lord. Their calling is a heavenly calling in that they will not be limited to an earthly program as all men would have been if man had not sinned. This is indeed a great glory of which all saints are called to partake if so be that we remain steadfast in Christ to the end. For this reason, we exhort you all to remain faithful to the Lord in all things and keep all His charge and commandments. Do righteousness at all times and abstain from all appearance of evil. This you can only do by the help of the Holy Spirit who has been given to you and is in you if so be that you remain in Christ.
As we have exhorted you all revealing to you what manner of glory that shall soon be revealed in us at the appearing of Jesus Christ our LORD, we must also remind you to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The Lord will not condone any form of sin in His children. This word is true. Therefore repent of all sins and be steadfast in the way of holiness. Remember, God has sworn in His Word that:
1. The soul that sinneth, it shall surely die (Ezek. 18:4)
2. Whosoever sinneth against Me, him will I blot out of My book (Ex 32:32-33; Rev 3:5; 22:19)
3. When a righteous man sins he will die for his iniquity (Ezek 18:26; 33:18)
4. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23; 8:12-13; Gal 5:21; 6:7-8)
5. If you live after the flesh you will die (Rom 8:12-13)
6. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinth 6:9-11)
7. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy (1 Corinth 3:17; 6:9-11, Rom 8:12-13, Rev 21:8)
8. They which do such things (works of the flesh) shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21)
9. If we deny Him He also will deny us (2 Thess 2:12)
10. Every man will be judged according to his deeds (Rom 2:6)
These Scriptures and many others like them apply to everybody. God is under oath to enforce these laws regardless of who is guilty, a sinner or professing Christians. Therefore, let us as holy brethren fear, lest we come short of eternal life. Repent of all sins and live in obedience to God. Let all remain holy and pure in all things. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man of which there is a high and incorruptible reward. Peace be to you all. Maranatha.
