Why Punctuate God's Severity?

 

Why Punctuate God's Severity?

 

Romans 11:22, Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

God’s severity and goodness denote the fact that God is both just to those who fall away and loving to those who trust Him. God’s “severity” towards fallen Israel with His “goodness” toward believing Gentiles are the continuing focus of this article. These concepts must be understood nationally and not individually. 

 So....

What are the Specific Implications of the Severity of God?

Again the “severity of God” refers to His strict, exact justice and His unwavering intolerance of unrepented sin. This features how God’s love does not negate His holiness, and that rejecting His grace ultimately brings decisive dire consequences. Such a perception of God is not an isolated facet or singular event; it is His essential nature. This is how He really is!

What is the Biblical Foundation for this Persuasion about God? (Romans 11:22)

Again, the concept originates in Romans 11:22, where the Apostle Paul indicates: “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you...” –Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The Greek word for “severity” is apotomia, literally pointing to ‘cutting off’ or ‘harshly cutting out’. God does not grade on a curve! This idea refers to God withdrawing His blessings and severing a nonfaith-based relationship with those who stubbornly reject faith and persist in tenacious defiance—unbelief. It does not matter if these actions are intentional or inadvertent…whether these peoples meant it or not. God is not obligated to remain generous to those who gamble—take wicked chances by ignoring his kindness!

Now whenever, we discover anything about God’s nature, then we will likely find that trait repeated or illustrated in other places in the Bible! God explicitly uses the word “severity” in Romans 11:22, pointing to His strict justice towards unfaithfulness. Throughout this passage we have concrete examples illustrating this holy strictness against people’s rebellion and sin.

But this is not the only Bible Illustration of this overlooked divine quality—severity:

• The Flood of Noah: God destroyed the ancient world with a massive water cataclysm because wickedness was great in the entire earth (Genesis 6:5-7; 2 Peter 2:5).
• Sodom and Gomorrah: God literally rained fire and brimstone from heaven, turning these wicked cities into ash heaps as an example and warning to those who would live ungodly. As the Judge of the entire world He created, He will do right (Genesis 19:24-25; 2 Peter 2:6).
• Nadab and Abihu: Aaron’s sons offered strange fire before the Lord, and fire went out from the Lord and unapologetically devoured them both (Leviticus 10:1-2). God decisively rejects the sin of unbelief and disobedience.
• Uzzah's Actions: God struck Uzzah dead on the spot for putting forth his hand to stabilize the ark of God when the oxen stumbled (2 Samuel 6:6-7). In this manner, God warned of His strictness and inspired respect for His unbending character!
• The Exile of Israel: God broke off natural branches from the olive tree due to unbelief, showing that unyielding rebellion brings severe removal (Romans 11:20-22).

This uncompromising and rigid nature of God may be pervasively ignored or temporarily reduced in its significance by many, but God desires for His people to think of Him in this way to avoid cheapening the Gospel and to reduce our inclinations to take chances with faith.

What are the Central Concepts of these Expressions? This notion is deeply essential to the Gospel message.

• God’s Exact Justice: God does not merely overlook sin, unbelief, or wrongdoing. His holy nature demands that sin be addressed, which certainly requires payment or punishment. 
• Our Need for Discipline: Rather than just a final punishment event, reminders of God’s severity can serve as corrective disciplines meant to turn us back to a righteous course of action. 
• Jesus, Our Atonement: The “severity of God” is perhaps most profoundly demonstrated through the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s severe justice regarding sin was undilutedly and un-mitigatingly poured out on Christ at Calvary, permitting God to offer “kindness” to us sinners instead. 

But Why Such Strictness or ‘Severity’ Still Today? What is the Purpose of Reflecting on God’s Severity?

We must understand that dwelling on this attribute of God is not meant to inspire crippling terror, but rather to inspire fitting reverence and devotion in us at the heart level regardless of the timeframe. This is a timeless facet of God’s very essential nature! Recognizing His severity is meant to: 

1.     Emphasize the gravity, significance, and pure seriousness of our sin.

2.    Create a deep appreciation for the extraordinary mercy found in God’s incredible kindness. We need to deeply treasure God’s goodness far more than we do…a great deal of complaining will stop immediately if we realize just how gracious God has been to us believers.

3.    Encourage believers to remain humble and faithful rather than becoming arrogant or self-reliant. A discipline existence instead of a permissive lifestyle takes shape!

While these are serious implications, even our natural world recognizes the beauty and marvel of an uncompromising presentation.

·       Uncompromising illustrations in nature merge absolute scientific truth with raw, unyielding artistic media—where tools like pen, ink, or direct elemental exposure reject artificiality and demand total fidelity to the ecosystem.—Vintage Nature Landscape

• Rigorous Naturalism gives us artists like Michael Rothman who depict ecosystems with uncompromising scientific accuracy, capturing the exact biological truth of flora and fauna without sentimental alteration.—Inspirational Art Group
• Structural Taxonomy issues classic compendiums like Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel reveal the uncompromising geometric symmetry and design embedded intrinsically within microscopic and macroscopic organic life.—Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel

An uncompromising natural world operates strictly on God’s physical laws, biological necessity, and unbiased creative reality rather than people’s feelings. Nature does not negotiate, show moral favoritism, or bend its rules for comfort. The natural world operates on God’s exact physical laws, remaining entirely indifferent to human desires, moral ideologies or beliefs, or the never-ending search for security, meaning, or contentment. It functions through God’s predictable forces like gravity, thermodynamics (physics and chemistry studies that show how energy moves and changes), and intelligent design (divine cause rather than undirected processes like natural selection). God’s absolute nature is manifested in His created dynamics. Gravity and thermodynamics are testable, mathematically consistent physical forces rooted in God’s very real empirical scientific nature; these laws point directly to our Creator. Yes, this is where real faith meets real science!

This lack of compromise certainly forces us all to modify, focus, grow, and struggle as we thrive daily. So, the concept of divine “severity” is not so strange after all! Additionally, there is no need for ordinary people to seek individualistic solutions because they perceive this fundamental idea of God fails to be relevant and practical!   

Beloved, when fundamental notions about God and life are abandoned, foundational frameworks in real viable science, inspired philosophy which is basically Christian apologetics, or even serious cultural shifts naturally follow. These shifts lead to the replacement of old certainties (time tested truths) with new unproven theories, substantially altering how people understand reality, truth, and meaning. Child of God, there are ample reasons why God’s balanced nature is set forth to grip our attention!

 

The Righteousness of God III

 

“The Righteousness of God III”

Romans 10:11-21

 

SUBJECT: ISRAEL’S PAST

THEME: The Principle for Receiving God’s Righteousness is Faith and not Works; This is why Israel is Presently Set Aside as a Nation—Unbelief.

RELEVANCE: God’s righteousness is received by faith in Jesus Christ. If God is fair in his dealings with Israel, then the rest of humanity can unreservedly entrust their eternal future with him. The truth is anyone can rest in God’s salvation because it is received by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Nation of Israel missed God’s salvation and blessings because of their lack of faith and not the unfairness or inconsistency of God.

INTRODUCTION:

We discover the ‘righteousness of God’ and Israel’s current rejection in Romans 10. Paul is confident the gospel as the dynamic, saving power of God is available to everyone who believes. Salvation is obtained through faith—not works—revealing God’s righteousness, which is consistent from beginning to end. Yes, the ‘righteousness of God’ is the theme of the book of Romans, and it is further discussed in these following verses.

MESSAGE:

V.  THE SCOPE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 10:11-13).

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

While ‘scope’ may generally include things like opportunities, range, extent, leeway, freedom and even latitude, it is important to identify the focus here is on acceptability to God. There is a specific way to qualify for this ‘righteousness’ that God regards as acceptable. People may be impressed for multiple reasons and based on varying criteria, but God grants ‘righteousness’ exclusively to real believers.

So, the ‘righteousness of God’ is universally available to anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of their background without even a remote possibility of disappointment (Rom. 10:11-13). This is the ‘extensive range’ of the gospel! Christ, “the same Lord over all,” bridges the divide between Jew and Gentile (worldwide), offering assurance through faith to every genuine believer. The promise of Joel 2:32, says to anyone—regardless of their past or heritage—if you genuinely call upon the name of the Lord you are guaranteed everlasting deliverance, eternal rescue, and forgiveness from God—salvation. 

Now we learn that there is no distinction as far as the availability of salvation is concerned. The Lord is not an exclusive God, but is Lord over all mankind. He is rich in grace and mercy to all who call upon Him.^[1]

Paul already demonstrated that everybody was indeed lost due to our inherent sinfulness; now he shows that everyone can be saved through faith in Christ. The “whosoever” (Rom. 10:13), mentioned here is encouraging, but the one in Revelation 20:15 is a warning of being “cast into the Lake of Fire” because of a sinful condition that rejects the gospel.

God’s glorious salvation is accessible to all people (anyone everywhere); there is no difference (vs. 12) or no distinction as far as the availability of salvation is concerned. Beloved, we are witnessing the universal scope of the grace of God. It is boundless towards you and me, and we are extremely grateful!    

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. To call on the Lord means to pray in faith for salvation.^[2]

God echoes this ‘whosoever believes’ standard repeatedly to welcome sinners like me and you to Himself.

Rom 9:33, As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

1 Pet 2:6, Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Acts 10:43, To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

John 5:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

1 John 2:1-2, My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ² And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

APPLICATION: The scope of the gospel clearly includes all who will believe on Christ from a repentant heart; God’s saving grace is astoundingly available to “every creature” as He has repeatedly stated. Clearly these observations disprove the teaching of a limited atonement by the Calvinist, and it also contradicts the teaching of the Universalist who claims we all will be saved eventually but going about it differently. To the Calvinist God says “whosoever”!  And to the Universalist God says “whosever believeth!” 1 John 5:12-13, He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. ¹³ These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Paul had already proved that “there is no difference” in condemnation (Rom. 3:20–23); now he affirms that “there is no difference” in salvation. Instead of the Jew having a special righteousness of his own through the Law, he was declared to be as much a sinner as the Gentile he condemned.

This entire section emphasizes the difference between “Law righteousness” and “faith righteousness.”^[3]

Eternal life is a gift both in the Old and New Testaments, and is never earned^[4]

May we who are save always be thankful to the Lord and never forget that we too are sinners save by the grace of God. Let’s refuse to be hypocritical judges (Matt. 7:1-5). We must never act like a ‘judge’ of others who have not believed or behaving as if we are superior because we have evidence of a few changes in our lifestyle (Rom. 2:15-16, 29; 3:19-26). We are not “judges” at all; that is never our role. While it is always healthy to agree with God regarding any of his standards or expectations even in matters of eternal condemnation, we must never behave like someone’s judge or be judgmental. God fills that role entirely and he requires no replacement (John 12:44-50; Heb. 12: 5-11; Rom. 14:10-12; Rev. 20:11-15).  

VI.   THE PREACHING OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 10:14-17).

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:14-15).

If God will save anyone who believes than we must be aggressive about preaching, proclamation, evangelizing, missions, and witnessing. 

But such a gospel presupposes a universal proclamation. Of what use is a salvation offered to Jews and Gentiles if they never hear about it? Here we have the heartbeat of Christian missions!^[5]

After proclaiming God’s gracious offer in Christ, Paul confronted the natural questions that arise, each additional question building on the key verb from the preceding question. God’s promise of salvation to “everyone who calls” on Him (v. 13) begins the process.^[6]

At this point it is imperative that we remind ourselves of the critical need to communicate the gospel generously and broadly.

• We are impressed with the importance of preaching the Gospel for salvation.
• We must emphasize the necessity of hearing the gospel message to believe in Christ.
• Our role as messengers is crucial; we must be sent to proclaim the good news.
• We are reminded that faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the word of God.
• Beloved, there is a chain of communication needed for real faith to develop in the heart.
• Most of all, we must stress the urgency of evangelism in spreading the gospel of God’s peace to everyone.

We are clearly confronted with an emerging pattern. Salvation is not based on adherence to the law but instead on faith in Jesus Christ. Remember Romans 10:9-10, teaches that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart, we are saved. Romans 10:14 is the bridge that connects salvation with hearing about Jesus. As a result, we connect the urgency for evangelism and preaching with our current mission.

(Since the Gr. word kēryssō, “preach,” means “to be a herald, to announce,” it is not limited to proclamation from a pulpit.) Carrying God’s gracious offer involves human beings whom God has brought to Himself and then uses as His heralds. They share God’s message of salvation because He will save everyone who calls on His name.^[7]

APPLICATION: Be certain we are frequently sharing Christ with others. How often do we present the gospel? I realize that some have greater opportunities than others but are we taking advantage of the opportunities we have? It is okay with God if we create new ways or another way to proclaim the gospel! Is there a chance at work during lunch? What about a gospel centered luncheon or dinner with the same gender? Can you change or add to your social media platforms witnessing opportunities? Maybe keeping some gospel tracks in your car is one workable approaches? Perhaps God is sending you out of your church with the message of hope in Christ. Be a witness!

Hodge points out that this is an argument founded on the principle that if God wills the end, He also wills the means to reach that end. This, as we have said, is the basis of the Christian missionary movement. Paul is here vindicating his preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, a policy which the unbelieving Jews considered inexcusable.^[8]

VII.  THE REJECTION OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 10:16-21).

The Jews rejected God’s righteousness and God rejected them! They did not feel they needed to be saved spiritually, they were zealous for God already, they were filled with pride and self righteousness, and they certainly misunderstood the purpose of their own law. As a result they rejected Christ and God rejected them!

But Paul’s ever-present grief is that the people of Israel did not all listen to the gospel.^[9]

    A.    ISAIAH HAD PREDICTED THIS REJECTION

"But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?... vs 20-21, But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom.10:16,20-21).

Israel’s unbelief was not because of a lack of opportunity, but rather their own stubbornness—their perseverance in unbelief. Accordingly, God is extending His salvation to the Gentiles world, fulfilling ancient Old Testament prophecies.

Isaiah had prophesied as much when he asked, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (Isa. 53:1). The question calls for the answer, “Not many.” When the announcement of the Messiah’s First Advent was heralded, not many responded.^[10]

    B.    MOSES HAD PREDICTED THIS REJECTION

"But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you" (Rom. 10:19).

Did Israel simply misunderstand the Gentiles would be saved? Moses tells us (Deuteronomy 32:21) and Isaiah (Isaiah 65:1) that God planned to include “a foolish nation” in His salvation plan to provoke Israel to jealousy. Yet still (Isaiah 65:2), God is patiently reaching out with open arms, to reach a yet “disobedient and gainsaying” Israel.

Collectively, the Gentiles did not seek after God; they were wrongly and ignorantly satisfied with their pagan religious convictions and ideas. But many of them did respond when they heard the message of hope in Christ. Relatively speaking the Gentiles response far exceeded the Jews.  While the Gentiles were flocking to the Lord, Isaiah portrays God standing with outstretched hands, pleading with the Nation of Israel, and their only response is disobedience and stubborn refusal. God is still yearning for His earthly people and I believe He wants to use you and me, us Gentiles to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We should not only appreciate the Jews, but we should love them for Jesus’ sake and send the gospel to them!

Paul’s obvious answer to his question is that Israel had ample opportunity by both general and special revelation to respond to God. Certainly she heard.^[11]

And yet concerning Israel, God has been gracious in spite of her disobedience (a quotation of Isa. 65:2). Israel’s continuing rebellious and unbelieving disobedience was judged by God’s turning to the Gentiles (Rom. 10:20; cf. Acts 8:1–8, 10). At the same time God has not withheld salvation from Jews. He has held out His hands, imploring them to return to Him.^[12]

CONCLUSION: The principle for receiving God’s righteousness is faith and not works; this is why Israel is presently set aside as a nation—unbelief. The truth in this passage is that we can rest in God’s salvation because it is received by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Israel missed God’s salvation and blessings because of their lack of faith and not the unfairness or inconsistency of God. God still holds people (everyone) accountable for their actions; He is not embracing the modern trend of renaming sin and offenses to please people or to remain popular. No, God will finally deal with the unrepentant heart; if anyone wants an eternity without Him, He will finally grant such desires. God is not being harsh; He is being consistent! 

1. Do you have the “righteousness of God” made available through the gospel?    

2. Are you attempting to establish your own righteousness while ignoring God’s?

3. Are you praying for someone or a specific group to be saved?

4. Are we evangelizing and witnessing to ‘whosoever’?

5. Are you making the mistake of ‘judging’ instead of ‘witnessing’?

6. Are you taking and creating opportunities to present the gospel regularly?

---

^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1722.

^[2] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 481.

^[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 547–548.

^[4] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 175.

^[5] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1722.

^[6] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 481.

^[7] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 481.

^[8] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1722.

^[9] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1722.

^[10] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1722–1723.

^[11] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 482.

^[12] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 482.

Enter God's Rest (Part 1)

Lesson Five

Enter God’s Rest

Hebrews 4:1–13

 

Theme: Since Christ Jesus, the Son of God, has completed the work of redemption and is at rest, we must accept it, rely on it and enter rest with Him. Accept Christ’s peace for the conscience, the heart, and the mind by faith.

 

Reflection

Begin your study by sharing thoughts on this question. 

1. What misconceptions do people have about finding true peace? 

There are several misconceptions related to true peace. One delusion is the notion that peace is primarily external and must be arranged or constructed in society through amicable interactions. While it is desirable to live in a peaceful society, God has far more in mind than social peace and political stability. Another misconception is that substantial peace must be earned or worked to secure through religious duties and rituals. Many religions, all based on this same flawed philosophy of works, exist in the world because of the quest of the human soul for peace with God. But real peace is ours through faith in Christ and by God’s grace and love, not our efforts to earn it or perform satisfactorily. Another approach is that people attempt to find a kind of peace in a liquor bottle, drugs, activities, or even a certain place. They want to escape the ugliness and dreadfulness of reality by numbing themselves to it…even for relatively short periods. The fact is their minds and perceptions are temporarily impaired, but reality remains uninfluenced in any positive ways. The truth is real peace can only be ours through faith (confidence, reliance, and trust) in Jesus Christ and the Word of God. God provides an inner rest and repose for the mind, heart, and soul of those who believe Him.

 

Bible Reading

Read carefully and thoughtfully Hebrews 4:1–13.   

To those who fail to see themselves as Jesus’ brothers, and to understand the thought of Hebrews 3 and 4, it may seem frightening. Such people might cringe as they imagine these verses describe God examining them, to highlight each hidden fault. But this is not the point at all! The writer has just explained rest. That rest goes beyond the promise of Palestine to Israel. God’s rest is a rest of soul and spirit, a rest of thought and attitude. The inner person is to be at rest as well. And we can rest, for nothing is hidden from God’s gaze. He knows our deepest, most secret needs, and with His Word lays bare that need—and guides us into rest. –The Teacher's Commentary

 

     Commentary

This chapter continues the theme of rest that was begun in 3:11. The word “rest” is used in five different senses in this section: (1) God’s Sabbath rest of Gen. 2:2 and Heb. 4:4, 10; (2) Canaan, the rest for Israel after wandering for forty years (3:11, etc.); (3) the believer’s present salvation rest in Christ (4:3, 10); (4) the overcomer’s present rest of victory (4:11); and (5) the future eternal rest in heaven (4:9). God’s Sabbath rest is a type of our present rest of salvation, following the finished work of Christ on the cross. It is also a picture of the “eternal Sabbath” of glory. Israel’s Canaan rest is similar to the life of victory and blessing we gain as we walk by faith and claim our inheritance in Christ. There are in this chapter four exhortations relating to the life of rest. –Wiersbe, Warren W.: Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament

The nature of rest. The word “rest” is used in Hebrews 3 and 4 in three distinct senses. First is the usage we’ve seen. Entry into the Promised Land, so large a feature of Old Testament history, is a portrait—a tangible example—of the idea of rest.

It was an appropriate picture. God had promised the land to Abraham and his descendants. During the years of Israel’s slavery in Egypt, pagan peoples had populated and improved the land. They had built houses, planted vineyards and orchards, and tamed the wilderness. Yet their lifestyle more and more evidenced the grossest of sins. The time of their judgment by God corresponded with Israel’s release from slavery. In coming into Canaan, Israel would be God’s instrument of judgment on sin—and would inherit riches for which she had not labored. The people would sit under trees they had not planted and drink wine made from grapes of vines they had not cultivated. They would come into a land where the work had been done—and they would rest.

Like Israel of old, you and I in Jesus have been delivered from slavery. Sin’s power in our lives has been broken, and we are called by God to enter a “Promised Land” experience, in which we will rest. We are to enjoy the benefits of the work Jesus has done for us. The Christian life is not one of struggle to carve out a bare living in the wilderness. The Christian life is one of appropriating all the benefits of the spiritual abundance that Jesus so richly provides.

A second connotation of “rest” is seen in the application of the term to God’s own rest on completion of Creation. The Jewish teachers had noted a fascinating feature of the Genesis account. For each of the first six days, the text speaks of “evening and morning.” The beginning and the end were clearly marked off. But the seventh day has no such demarcation. The rabbis took this to mean that God’s rest has no end. With the creative work complete, God is not inactive, but He no longer creates, for that work is done.

Strikingly, it is His rest (4:5) that believers are invited to enter! We are to come to the place where we appropriate fully what God has done, and while never becoming inactive, we do stop laboring. The load of a Christian life that some experience as a struggle is lifted. The pressure of trying harder is gone. –The Teacher's Commentary

      Outline

In this section, there are three primary segments.  First is a review of Israel’s example of unbelief and their consequent failure to enter God’s rest (Heb. 4:1-9). Secondly, as Christians we are challenged to follow Christ (Heb. 4:7-11), and thirdly, submit our inner most hearts to the scrutiny (examination, search, analysis, laying bare) of the Word, and believe (trust) God to personally appropriate—fittingly adopt and depend on without reservation—the heavenly and spiritual blessings of His everlasting rest (Heb. 4:12-13).

 

I.                 Understand that God Still Offers the Promise of His Rest to His People (Heb. 4:1-6, 9).

a.      Fear the Possibility of Coming Short of God’s Rest (4:1).

b.      Take Advantage of the Good News of Rest by Exercising Faith in this Promise (4:2-3).

c.      Bear in Mind God’s Rest is Still Available (4:4-6, 9).

d.      Beware of Unbelief and Unresponsiveness to God’s Word (4:6)

II.               Respond Now in Faith to God’s Offer; Let us Labor to Enter His Rest (Heb. 4:7-11).

a.      God Has Been Patient with Israel’s Slow Respond to His Offers (4:7, 8).

b.      God Expects an Immediate Response to His Offer of Rest (4:7).

c.      We must Labor to Enter into His Rest to Avoid Falling in Unbelief (4:11).

III.             Trust God’s Word to Reveal Unbelief, Detect Genuine Faith, and the Needs of our Hearts (Heb. 4:12-13).

a.      Trust the Word to Expose the Thoughts and Motives of our Hearts (4:12).

b.      Trust God to Help You Understand the Condition of Your Heart (4:13).

 

Discovery

Explore the Bible reading by discussing these questions.

2.  Why didn't the Hebrews enter God's rest? (Heb. 4:1-3)                                      

Having reminded his readers that the generation which came out of Egypt did not enter into the rest of Canaan because of unbelief, the writer now proceeds to warn them of a possible failure on their part of entering into rest in Messiah. —Wuest, Kenneth S.:

A.    A Reflective Command for Believers to Follow (v. 1-9)

1.      Our Recourse—“Let us therefore fear”

a.      Should be influenced by our focus on Christ as Apostle and High Priest (3:1)

b.      Should be influenced by the superiority of Christ’s revelation over Moses’ (3:2)

c.      Should be influenced by the failure of Israel to enter rest because of unbelief and hardened hearts (3:7-19)

d.      Should be influenced by the fact that the opportunity to enter God’s rest still stands (4:1)

                                                              i.     Believers today may enter and enjoy their spiritual inheritance in Christ. We must be careful lest we fail to believe God’s Word, for it is only as the Word is “mixed with faith” that it can accomplish its purposes.

1.      The phrase, “let us fear” means both reverential respect for the judgment of God upon unbelief, and the attitude in which the believer examines his own heart.

2.      If these Hebrews forgot Christ’s ultimate triumph over His enemies and theirs (Heb. 1:13-14), then they will fail to continue in faith.  If they lack faith in the power of God to bring them victory, their unbelief will forfeit God’s rest. Paul urges them therefore, to “fear”—to take it to heart that unbelief—lack of confidence in God—is the reason Israel did not enter the land.

3.      It is with reverential fear all are to examine their own spiritual condition (1 Cor. 10:12; 2 Cor. 13:5) and to actively press for commitment on the part of others (Jude 23). 

                                                            ii.     The Canaan rest for Israel is a picture of the spiritual rest we find in Christ when we surrender to Him.

1.      When we come to Christ by faith, we find salvation rest (Matt. 11:28).

2.      When we yield and learn of Him and obey Him by faith, we enjoy submission rest (Matt. 11:29–30).

3.      The first is “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1); the second is the “peace of God” (Phil. 4:6–8). It is by believing that we enter into rest (Heb. 4:3); it is by obeying God by faith and surrendering to His will that the rest enters into us. –The Bible Exposition Commentary

2.      Our Reasons (4:1b-9)

a.      The Assurance of an Available Promise of Rest (v. 1)

                                                              i.     No one should conclude that the promise of rest is no longer valid. It has never had a complete and final fulfillment in the past; therefore the offer is still in effect.

                                                            ii.     The argument in this section is given in several propositions:

1.      God finished His work and rested, so that His rest has been available since Creation (4:4).

2.      The Jews failed to enter into their rest (4:6).

3.      Many years later (Ps. 95), God said that a rest was still available (4:7). That “today” is still here!

4.      This means that Joshua did not lead Israel into the true rest, because a rest still remains (4:8-9).

                                                           iii.     The promise stands. This is the thought with which the chapter begins (v. 1). Even though a later, obedient generation did enter the Promised Land, that entry did not completely fulfill the promise of a “rest” for God’s people. In fact, much later, in the time of David, the promise and the warning were repeated: “Today, if ye will hear His voice” (v. 7). If God’s full blessing for His people had been granted when Joshua led Israel into Palestine, then the promise of a rest would not have been repeated much later to the people of David’s day, or by the writer of Hebrews to Christians then and now. –The Teacher's Commentary

                                                           iv.     The promise is “entering into His rest.” This is the rest God gives to believers involving His peace, confidence of salvation, dependence on His power, and assurance of a future home in heaven (Matt. 11:29). Since there remains a rest, don’t think that believers have missed entirely their opportunity to take advantage of it (Heb. 12:15).

1.      Christ invites us to the rest of salvation (Matt. 11:28). Notice that rest here is a gift; it is unearned and unmerited. This is the rest of salvation that comes from realizing that Christ finished the work of redemption on Calvary’s cross. It is the rest of conscience that follows the realization that the penalty of one’s sins has been paid once for all and that God will not demand payment twice.

2.      Christ invites us to the rest of service (Matt. 11:29-30). In verses 29 and 30, the invitation changes from salvation to service.

(1)   Take My yoke upon you. To “take a yoke” in that day meant to become a disciple. When we submit to Christ, we are yoked to Him. Enter into submission to His will; turn over control of your life to Him (Rom. 12:1, 2).

(2)   and learn of Me. This command does not represent a crisis as we come and yield to Christ; but this step is into a process. As we learn more about Him, we find a deeper peace, because we trust Him more. Life is simplified and unified around the person of Christ. This invitation is for “all”—not just the people of Israel (Matt. 10:5–6).  As we acknowledge His lordship in every area of our lives, He trains us in His ways.

(3)   for I am meek [gentle] and lowly in heart. In contrast to the Pharisees who were harsh and proud, the true Teacher is meek and lowly. Those who take His yoke will learn to take the lowest place.

(4)   and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Here it is not the rest of conscience but the rest of heart that is found by taking the lowest place before God and man. It is also the rest that one experiences in the service of Christ when he stops trying to be great.

(5)   “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Again there is a striking contrast with the Pharisees (Matt. 23:4).  Jesus’ yoke is easy; it does not chafe. Someone has suggested that if Jesus had had a sign outside His carpenter’s shop, it would have read, “My yokes fit well.”  The word “easy” means “well-fitting”; He has just the yoke that is tailor-made for our lives and needs. The burden of doing His will is not a heavy one (1 John 5:3).

(6)   His burden is light. This does not mean that there are no problems, trials, labor, or heartaches in the Christian life. But it does mean that we do not have to bear them alone. We are yoked with One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need. To serve Him is not bondage but perfect freedom.

                                                             v.     The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear life’s load in a single collar. God never intended a man to carry his burden alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord himself pleads to be One of the two. He wants to share the labor of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is found in putting off the taxing collar of “self” and accepting the Master’s relaxing “yoke.” –J. H. Jowett

b.      The Possibility of Coming Short of the Goal of Rest (v. 1)

                                                              i.     All who profess to be believers should make sure that they do not come short of the goal. If their profession is empty, there is always the danger of turning away from Christ and embracing some powerless religious system that cannot save.

                                                            ii.     We should be careful that none of us suppose that we have missed the Lord’s Rest.

1.      Moses showed clearly (Deut. 3:18-20; 12:9-11) that for Israel their rest was their inheritance. In the same way it is natural to suppose that the term “rest” also refers to the functional equivalent for a Christian’s inheritance.

2.      That Christians are “heirs” has already been affirmed (Heb. 1:14) and this will be repeated (6:12, 17; cf. 9:15). The inheritance cannot be separated from Messiah’s kingdom and His “partners’” share in it (12:28).

3.      The concern is that no one would think they had missed their “inheritance- rest.” Some struggled with the problem of the delay in the Second Coming, and needed to exercise patience—Christ is coming and will not delay (10:36-37). If this was God’s concern, it was urgent to show that this promised “rest” is still available.

 

 Response

Use these questions to share more deeply with each other.

3.  What is the rest God offers his people?

 

4.  How can we experience God's rest both now and in the future?

 

 Journaling

Take a few moments to record your personal insights from this lesson.

5. What steps can I take to more fully enjoy God's rest this week?