May He Increase

Posted By Joe on February 18, 2009

In Hebrews 3 and 4, Paul talks about Christ's superiority over Moses and talks about entering into God's rest. We talked about the catastrophe of unbelief. We will now look at its consequences.

Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. --Hebrews 4:1-3.

There is a promise that Christ gave at the cross when He said: "It it finished," or "tetelestai," which means "Paid in full." The promise is salvation rest if you believe that He died for your sins and rose from the grave in victory over death. Christ's last words on the cross are letting you know that there is nothing else you have to do to add to that redemptive work but believe that He did it for you. That's the rest everyone needs: salvation from eternal/soul-death/separation from God.

For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; and again in this passage, "They shall not enter My rest." Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. --Hebrews 4:4-10.

Israel was to enter this rest but failed to do so because of disobedience. That does not mean the rest isn't there any longer, it just means that someone else will enter into it. The people of God will enter into this salvation rest. Paul calls it a "Sabbath rest" in that just as God rested from His work in creation on the seventh day, so shall the people of God rest from their works of salvation. This does not abolish doing good works as a believer. Rather it abolishes any works as a basis for our own righteousness. "Tetelestai!" cried Jesus. Our debt is "paid in full."

What is the alternative? You stay in your sins, remain imprisoned and a slave to them, and will spend an eternity apart from God. That generation of Israel, disobedient to God, never entered into the "promised land" of that rest: they died in the wilderness. Harden not your heart if you hear His voice today!

We will discuss the cure for unbelief in the next post.

May He Increase!

Categories: Christian Living, Hebrews
Tags: faith, rest, salvation