Epistle To The HebrewsThis anonymous epistle was specially dedicated to the Jewish believers. However, as Christ said to His apostles in Mk. 13 : 37 “What I say to you, I say to all ...”, this book can speak and should be taken to speak to us as to the Christian Jews. After they acknowledged the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the Christian community was then waiting eagerly for the Lord's return. When such promise of return didn't seem to be forthcoming for them, and persecutions against them increased by the day, their faith weakened. The Christian Jews therefore needed spiritual counsel to strengthen them in Jesus Christ and they needed to be convinced that Christ was indeed their worthy and victorious King who holds their redemption in His hands.
The theme of Hebrews therefore, is a concentrated emphasis on the superiority of Christ over the major pillars and heroes of faith that Judaism centred on. Bearing in mind the Jewish religion and its teachings, the author of this epistle provided a perspective according those lines to show that even in those things which were hallowed throughout the chronicles of Judaism were not as superior as Christ the superlative. This book highlights the superiority of Christ, His incomparable glory and His supremacy over prophets, angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron and the whole ritual of Judaism.
THE CONFLICT
A variety of reasons led the Christian Jews to perceived Judaism as a superior religion to faith in Christ. Some of the more prominent ones were, the rich heritage of Israel's prophets, the prominent of the angels in Israel's history, the Mosaic ministry, the impressive command of Joshua who led the Isralites into the promised land Canaan, the glory of the Aaronic priesthood and that of the sacred sanctuary in which God originally ordained as His dwelling place among the Israelites while they served and worshipped Him. Through the angelic and patriarchal ministries, God made known His will to the Israelites. It couldn't have been easy for them to dismiss all these and liberally embrace faith in Christ. Through Moses, God's law was put forth and recorded for the remembrance of generations after that. Through their prophets, minds were illumined and people were enlightened to the law. With such a rich heritage behind them, it is not surprising that the Jews would yearn for their past religion, not to mention that it yields no persecution. Therefore, the author of Hebrews had to renew their conviction in the faith and encourage them to be steadfast. This, he began by determining the superiority of Christ over the spiritual icons of Israel's worship. Hebrews brings out the excellency of the personal distinction of Christ and shows how He is higher than anything created or imagined.
CHRIST HIGHER THAN THE PROPHETS
In the past, God has chosen different ways of communicate with His people through the prophets. He has spoken to His people through Daniel with dreams, Zechariah with visions, and Ezekiel, Isaiah and Hosea with symbols. The prophets were no doubt an anointed voice among God's people, and they were to them spokesmen of God. However, God has chosen in these last days to speak to us through Christ which was a far more excellent messenger than the prophets of God (Heb. 1 : 3), definitely, for Jesus Christ in His person is no lesser than God manifest in flesh. Our prophets spoke as anointed messengers of God, but the Lord Jesus Christ spoke as God himself. He carried not just the authority, but the very nature of God “being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person..”.
CHRIST HIGHER THAN THE ANGELS (HEB. 1 : 4 – 2 : 18)
It was said concerning Christ that He was the Son of God and that God was to be His Father, but such honour of title was never given to the angels “You are My Son...I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to be Me a Son”(Heb. 1 : 5). It was also said of Christ at His earthly birth that all angels should worship Him : “Let all the angels of God worship Him”(Heb. 1 : 6). Thus observers and readers ought to deduce that Christ is superior to the angels, for surely it is not fitting for the inferior to inherit the worship of those above him, nor to expect the superior to render worship to those beneath them. Especially in Israel's history, it is known that angels had great powers conferred on them by God to accomplish the tasks He set them to. Indeed, much of the administration of God's governmental ministry was committed to the angels for them to discharge. So significant was their role in the Kingdom of God, but, even then, Christ was superior to them, for He was God Himself. The superiority of Christ spoken in Hebrews carried the same message given to the Colossians. “For by Him (Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones of dominions or principalities or powers... And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.” (Col. 1 : 16, 18) The phrase “dominions, principalities and powers” referring to the ranks of angels, Paul was maintaining that Christ exceeds them all, such that over them “He may have the pre-eminence.”
Also, angels are spirits sent to minister to the saints of God – to help us and uplift us above the evils of this world. “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”(Heb. 1 : 14) In another words, angels are serving the cause of the saints of God, the children of God. Contrary to common impression, angels are not governing spirits of the saints of God but ministering spirits for us, for they serve God's destiny in us, not rule over us. Later, God again declared by His Word that He has not subjected the world to angels, but to His Son Jesus Christ (Heb. 2 : 5 – 8). Even in the millennia to come, angels will not rule over us, but the saints of God will be the ones to whom God will give governmental power to assist the reign of His holy kingdom among men.
Reading on to Hebrews chapter two, some may be confused when they come to verse 9 where it was written that the Lord Jesus “was made a little lower than the angels”. It appears to be, but there really is no contradiction here, if we were to read on to verse 10 where it was explained that the lowliness of the Lord Jesus was specially designated for a moment in time so as to restore mankind and lift us up to the level of glory that is designed for us. Note that we need to be “(brought) to glory” (Heb. 2 : 10) and the Lord Jesus actually had to lower Himself to our level of lowliness in order for that to happen. If the Lord insisted on remaining in His heavenly position and glory, none of us would be saved ever, for besides the blessed name of our Lord Jesus, there is indeed “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4 : 12) We are able to come to God boldly now, in full confidence that He will accept us, only because Christ had previously lowered Himself to our state and lifted us to reconcile us with God. On the other side of the cross (before He died and rose again), men were not family with Christ, not His brethren as we are now called. At best, men were His “sheep”, His “disciples”, His “followers” or His “friends”; but they were never called His “brothers”. But right after Christ died on the lowly cross and rose from the condemned grave, He called men His “brethren”: “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them ....”(John 20 : 17). Thus, the lowliness of Christ was not something He deserved, but something He chose so as to lift us from the condemnation we were in to share in His glory of being reconciled with Father God.
FIRST WARNING – OUR PRIVILEGE
At this stage, we must interrupt the flow of this emphasis on the superiority of Christ and highlight that altogether there are at least 5 warnings contained in the book in Hebrews which we ought to heed. The first one is found in Heb. 2 : 1 – 4 where God warned that we should pay attention to the Word that we have learnt from Christ. Formerly, the Law was given to the Israelites by angels, and all those who rejected the Law were cursed. Now, the gospel is the message given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, so God warned that if He did not even spare those who rejected the message of the angels, He would certainly judge more severely those who reject the message of His Son Jesus Christ “Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed...how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation...”(Heb.2 : 1 – 4). Thus, do not make light the word of God but regard it highly in reverence.
In saying that, God once again indicated to men that Christ is of greater authority than the angels, because a rejection of Christ's message would lead to greater judgement than a rejection of the angels' message. So, even in a warning, the superiority of Christ over the angels was put across.
Next, the author of Hebrews tried to show the Christian Jews that the Lord Jesus Christ was great even over their respected leader Moses.
JESUS HIGHER THAN MOSES (HEB. 3 : 1 – 19)
To tell the Jews that the Lord Jesus was greater than the great patriarch Moses must have been a bold thing for the author to do, and we are probably right in believing that he would not have done it had he not truly been convinced that it was the truth. For Moses was a much respected figure of authority among the Jews, for the things he has done since he led Israel out of Egypt and started them on their journey towards the promised land. We can hardly be near full comprehension as to the magnitude of veneration and affection with which the Jews regard Moses, the man of God. All their religious life, all their thoughts about God, their religious practices and observances, their hopes of the future, and everything with regards to God, are with them also connected with Moses. Undoubtedly, Moses was the great apostle to the Jews, the man of God sent to them. At a significant milestone in Israel's history, all of God's dealings with Israel were transacted through Moses, His chosen vessel. Moses was the appointed legislator of Israel, the one who passed down the Law from God to men and the mediator between God and men which was a privileged position. Therefore, we can appreciate why the Israelites held Moses in high regard. Moses was the great leader over God's people and the the great servant in God's house. But we have learnt that Christ was greater in glory, still. Moses gave God's truth to the Israelites, but when Christ spoke to people, He enlightened them that He was the Truth (John 14 : 6). Moses delivered the Israelites out of slavery which was a great bondage to the Israelites at one time, but Christ performed an even greater deliverance. He delivered mankind from eternal condemnation and hell's fire. So greater than great is our Lord.
The author of Hebrews while he acknowledged that Moses was a faithful servant of God, also made an important observation that so was the Lord Jesus as a faithful Son of God – which of course is a superior position to that of a servant's. “And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, ...But Christ as a Son over His own house..”(Heb. 3 : 5 – 6). There are servants and there are servants in a house – some are given greater duties than others and they are accordingly given more authority than the junior servants. Moses was one such servant who was given a huge portion in the care of God's house. He was faithful “in all His house”, meaning that Moses was employed in all parts of God's house. Moses had an influence in almost every part of God's house – that was the glory that was given Moses from above. Yet, Christ exceeded this glory even, for while Moses served in a rather superior way in the house of God, he was nevertheless still under Christ as Christ was the Son over the house that Moses served. “For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, in as much as He who built the house has more honor than the house”(Heb. 3 : 3). Christ was the head, and Moses the head servant – that's the distinction between them. Christ is certainly the greater one between them.
JESUS BETTER THAN JOSHUA (HEB. 4 : 1 – 13)
When God raised Joshua after Moses to lead His people into their resting place at the promised land, Joshua was faithful to obey the charge, but apparently he didn't quite succeed in bringing the Israelites into the true rest that is still outstanding in its fulfilment today, because Hebrews speaks of a rest that still remains for God's children, which only by Christ may one enter into that divine rest.
It might be necessary while we are at this topic of 'rest' to define what we understand by the word. Certainly, because God rebukes idleness and laziness, rest cannot be a state of either. Neither is it a stop to activities. Therefore, God is not here to stop us from working and have us simply sitting down and waiting for Him to return. Rather, God was speaking of the rest which He promised Israel He was going to lead them to. It was a blessed destiny where they shall toil no more but enjoy the good that the land yields for them (Jos. 24 : 13). It is a place where they shall be at peace with God and be reconciled with His will. However, if we refer to Ps. 95 : 11 Israel has not yet entered that resting place of God. Also, in Hebrews 3 : 18 – 19, the author again emphasised that Israel failed to enter God's rest because of unbelief. Therefore, till today, God is waiting for us (the spiritual 'Israel') to enter that rest that He's prepared for us. Jesus told us before He returned to God from this earth, “Come to Me ... and I will give you rest ... And you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11 : 28 – 29). “Rest for our souls” is the true rest that God desires to give to us, a state of peace and tranquility in our soul, not just a deliverance from physical toil and labour.
SECOND WARNING – UNBELIEF
This is the second warning in Hebrews – that against unbelief, which cost the Israelites their entrance to God's promised rest. Considering the solemn fact that a large number of Israelites to whom the promise of rest was given did not receive it but perished in their journey towards it, we should be careful that we do not miss the rest of God promised to give us.
The Israelites did not make it to the promised rest because they hesitated at Kadesh. They feared the uncertainties lurking in the promised land, and they refused to follow Joshua's lead to go up to the land. However, they later changed their minds and insisted on entering the promised land, but were stopped by Edom and had to retreat into wilderness for 40 years (Num. 20). The trouble with Israel was that they did not believe God enough to complete their journey to the promised land, though at first they believed Him enough to pack their bags, depart from Egypt and set out on their journey. This should be a solemn warning for many of us : it it not easy to forsake present comfort and start out on a spiritual undertaking, but it is even harder to endure the journey and complete it. Unfortunately, that's where some of the greatest testing lies and that's also where many of God's children have perished. That's what Hebrew's exhortation here is all about – that we persevere with a yielding heart and do not waver in following God “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith & patience inherit the promise”(Heb. 6 : 11 – 12)
Since we have put our hands to the plough, it is important that we do not look back and think of 'returning to Egypt' where comfort was. The author of Hebrews warned that just because Israel paused and hesitated in her journey towards the promised land, her faith was attacked by the evil one and that robbed them of their destiny which was just right ahead of them. It was his concern therefore that we do not even “seem to have come short of it”(Heb. 4 : 1). The author wasn't even talking about actually missing that rest yet, but he was referring to the prior stage where people show signs that they may not endure enough to enter God's rest. So he says let there be nothing in their ways, actions or behaviour that gives the appearance they were hesitant in following God. This will help us a lot, because if we relly make it a conscious effort to put aside behaviours and attitudes that will make us appear faithless, that will often help to keep us on the right track and stop us from straying to the wrong path. Steadfastness of heart is essential in order to enter God's rest. Therefore we sincerely urge all of us to set our hearts on the journey towards our destiny in Christ and fix our focus there “Let us therefore be diligence to enter that, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience”(Heb. 4 : 11)
JESUS BETTER THAT AARON (4:14 – 5:10)
Then it was important to show the Christian Jews that Jesus was also superior to the high priests that existed before Him and during His time. The Levitical priesthood originated from Aaron and his sons. Aaron was recognized as the first high priest appointed in Israel, but even this anointed man was not comparable to the matchless Christ. The objective of the author in Hebrews is to explain that Christ's priesthood has superceded the Levitical priesthood, the once royal priesthood of God. To clarify the transition from the Levitical priesthood to the Messianic one, the author uses Melchizedek, high priest of God in the Old Testament, to typify Christ's position as high priest. And Christ was said to have been made high priest in the “same order” according to Melchizedek. We therefore need to find out what this “order” is.
Melchizedek's appearance in the Bible is as mysterious as the mystery of God's incarnation – Christ. The key reference to Melchizedek is Gen. 14 : 18 – 20 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said : “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he (Abram) gave him (Melchizedek) a tithe of all.” Melchizedek appeared at the time of Abraham, before the rise of the Levitical priesthood, so he was superior in time. So is Christ, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Melchizedek was appointed before the law was instituted in Israel; and so is Christ, who was there even before the beginning o f days and like Melchizedek, they were installed by God while other priests were appointed according to genealogy. Then, there was the coincidence of double duty as Melchizedek was priest of God as well as King of Salem (Jerusalem), and Christ was both King of the Jews as well the great high priest who dwells with God. Thus, truly, Christ's priesthood is far more superior to the Aaronic priesthood, for Christ is eternal, perfect and one who identified with us, where else, Aaronic priesthood, changed upon death (there were 84 high priests altogether in the history of Israel) so they served only as shadows.
THIRD WARNING – SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY
After the author showed the superiority of Christ over the majors of faith, he admonished the people for being like babes in Christ when they ought to be teaching others about the truth of God. He made it known it was a shame that when they ought to be teachers of the truth, they had to be fed it by others “For though you this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again...”(Heb. 5 : 12) Are we among those who grow in spiritual age but not in maturity? Like people who grow older with each passing year without adding an ounce to their maturity? It is sad state to be in, because that means that such a person is unable to take responsibility and help others, so instead of contributing, he is usually dependent on others, waiting to be 'fed' so to speak. We are told very firmly by the Scriptures that God's desire for us is not so. Rather, He desires us to develop our understanding in spiritual things so that we may perceive the things of the spirit and not be devoid of enlightenment in spiritual matters so that we will grow up as spiritual fathers raising up the next generaions.
CALVARY, A BETTER COVENANTS (BETTER SANCTUARY & BETTER SACRIFICES (8 : 1 – 6)
A covenant speaks of faithfulness and legality, it is to be executed according to faithfulness, justice and law. In making a covenant with us, God is making an invisible legal document between Him and us, and only by faith can men reap the benefits of that covenant. In giving us a covenant, God has given us a pledge to hold on to. It is a way of dealing with our unbelief and enlarging the measure of our faith. Thus, we should lay hold of God's covenant and pray (Psa. 89 : 30 – 36; 38 – 39; 40). The author is trying to tell us that there is now a new covenant apart from the old covenant of law where people were condemned when they fail any stipulation of the law. Under the new covenant – that is the covenant of grace – Christ Jesus is the mediator between us and God, and because of that, we reap the following blessings :-
CLEANSING OF OUR SINS
In the new covenant, Jesus Christ has shed His blood to cleanse our sins once for all and thus providing the continual cleansing of sins so that our consciences may always be reconciled and at ease with God. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve God?”(Heb. 9 : 14) By this, the new covenant actually fulfils the old one which requires all who enter the Holy Place to be free of iniquity. God has now by His mercy and love, given us the way to be continually clean without having to offer animal sacrifice. This is a precious concession from God, but unfortunately it also is something we do not normally think much about. If we were only to spend a moment to count our transgressions and the number of animals needed to be sacrificed for them, we would certainly appreciate God's cleansing of sins much more than we already do.
IMPARTATION OF LIFE AND POWER
The now covenant enables us to do the good work that God has ordained for us to do. “Now may God .... Through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever” (Heb. 13 : 20 – 21). From the author's prayer, it becomes quite clear that it is through the order of the new covenant that we can inherit abundant life and receive strength and power to do the work of God and to live according to His holy will.
INWARD KNOWLEDGE
According to the provisions of the new covenant, believers can now experience and know God inwardly. This is a great privilege, and one of the highest honour that anyone can receive – to be able to know God personally through the Holy Spirit Himself. In Judaism, they have to approach God through the high priest, but in this superior convenant that Christ brings to us, we are able to approach God without fear of rejection so long as we remain in Christ and He in us. Also, we can be divinely enlightened in the scriptures because the anointing of Christ in us will bring to light the mystery of God's word to us. Of course, this is not to say that we should therefore read our Bibles and wait for God to teach us and henceforth reject any counsel or guidance. Human channels and other forms of literature apart from the Bible can be used by God to deliver messages to His people, too, just that there is now an additional and more supreme way of ministry, that flows from God to men directly – something that was not provided for under the old covenant. “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”(1 John 2 : 27)
Under the old covenant, God put His law before the peoples, but in this new covenant that we're in, God has placed the law in our minds and written them on our hearts : “I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts;”(Heb. 8 : 10). We consider that a great thing that God has done for us, and we see also from here how much God really desires for us to keep His word and walk according to His precepts. He wanted us so much to be in tune with Him that he gave His perfect and flawless law into our imperfect hearts and mine. How much more would we grow to love God's word if only we can see the heart of God in these things that He has done for us. Indeed, we ought to perceive the love from God from here and yield to Him in reciprocal love and worship.
FAITH – A BETTER PRINCIPLE
The life imparted by the new covenant is a flawless one indeed, but because we still live in the world, the new life we find in Christ will still be stained with the impurities of the world if we do not keep it safe from worldly influences. That is why the author of Hebrews, after informing us of the magnitude of God's gift to us, went on to warn us against wavering in our faith, and against wilful sin and rebellion against the Spirit of God and His holy Word, using the Old Testament accounts as examples and exhortations to us.
The author first calls us to develop steadfastness in our faith. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful”(Heb. 10 : 23). This exhortation is of great significance to the Christian Jews, for they were under relentless persecution for their faith and are constantly forced and pressured to return to Judaism. But as the author tells us, the One who promised us is God who cannot and will not lie, therefore the glory that He promised the Christian Jews will far outweigh all their sufferings, not to mention also that after enduring for this life which will soon end, they will walk into eternal joy and remain there forever. James, in his exhortation to the Jews, also encouraged likewise, saying that “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”(James 1 : 12). The apostle writing to the Hebrews was trying to tell them that whatever they've endured will be rewarded with what had been promised to them : “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith ; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”(Heb. 10 : 36 – 38).
If anyone is suffering persecution for your faith and belief in Christ Jesus as this point in time, then let God's word in the verses above minister to you. God is faithful and He is so true – He will not lie to you and surely His eyes are upon you and He watches over the things that are happening to you. There is a reason why He allows them. It may be for your future benefit, however ridiculous that might seem now. God is wise and He is in control of even the most tyrannical circumstances. Those who partake in the sufferings of Christ will never be denied by Christ, but He will receive us into His kingdom and lead us to everlasting safety with Him.
FOURTH WARNING – AGAINST WILFUL SIN
“For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” (Heb. 10 : 26) Even in the new covenant, transgressing God's commands will reap serious judgement. If we “counted the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace”, it is as good as refusing God's love and care for us, which in turn turns us away from His love to the other side of His wrath – a terrible outcome according to Hebrews : “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10 : 31) We must not be mistaken and think that the author was referring to unbelievers. If we remember, the letter was written to God's chosen race, and particularly to those who have received Christ as savior and Lord. The warning was given to Christians, telling them not to live in wilful and continuous sin or else it is terrible judgement for them, for God is a just God and will not tolerate sin after He has made sacrificial provision for men to be redeemed from its hold.
FOLLOW THE FAITH OF OLD TESTAMENT BELIEVERS
The author developed a series of practical exhortations in his eleventh chapter of Hebrews, perhaps according to the general observation that examples are better than precepts. He was encouraging Christians to follow the examples of faith that we have seen from those before us, and follow their loyalty towards God. There is a race of faith that he described, and in running that race, we are told to “lay aside every weight, and sin” (Heb. 12 : 1). Weights are things that are harmless but nevertheless hinder our progress – material possession, family ties, inordinate love, etc. Think of it as a runner in a race – if the runner were to bear loads of baggage on his back as he runs towards the finishing line, wouldn't the spectators be screaming for him to throw the burdens off and run freely and uninhibitedly towards victory? Likewise, “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses”(Heb. 12 : 1) – the group of people who have gone before us and watching us from heaven above – and as they watch us run our spiritual race, they are screaming to us urging us to throw away the weight of sin that we are bearing, to cast away the weight of worldly cares and anxieties that is dragging us down and hindering our pace towards our spiritual destiny! And that is what we ought to do – be free of earthly lust, inappropriate addiction, and unholy desires so that we can run towards God freely and soon reach the bright destiny He has set ahead for us.
FIFTH WARNING – AGAINST THE HARDENING OF HEARTS
The final warning in the book of Hebrews is against the hardening of hearts as we hear God's word and find out His will and desire for us. “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven”(Heb. 12 : 25).
According to Paul, God's word should instruct and inspire faith in us : “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10 : 17) Faith therefore, can come about by the Word of God i.e. the written word (the Bible) and faith can also come from our prayer time where we hear God's Word as He speaks to our spirit man. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”(Heb. 11; 1) Faith is what helps to bring about the promises of God and its manifestation is a witness to the world concerning God. The objective foundation of hope is on God's Word and the subjective foundation of hope is on faith in God's Word. With faith as the unshakeable foundation, patience must then be developed so that we may inherit all of God's promises for us. Faith according to Hebrews is being confident of God's ability to fulfill His promises, at the same time perceiving the divine purpose of our circumstances (Heb. 11 : 1, 3). Faith is not always passive as it may appear to others. Having faith in God's promises and His power enables us to act on His promises, which was what the earlier followers did (Heb. 11 : 8 – 22). It also means regarding Christ and His sufferings and reproach as spiritual wealth more valuable than worldly riches (Heb. 11 : 26) and by that same honor, use faith to overcome the enemies of God and the things or situations that work against His plans (Heb. 11 : 29 – 38).
Hardening our hearts in any of the above may cause us to miss our spiritual destiny as it caused Israel to miss their rest. The author therefore concludes his letter by encouraging the Christian Jews to start appropriating the grace imparted by God into their lives and walk towards their destiny perseveringly. For in Christ, there is all sufficiency for whatever needs that may be required from the transit of this life to the eternal one. May we all seek God and find that grace that will take us home safely.