|
|
|
Jesus
Fulfills the Plan of Salvation
INTRODUCTION
Today’s lesson
continues our study in the Book of Hebrews and maintains the argument of
the supremacy of Jesus over all the elements of the Old Covenant, with a
focus on His accomplished work in the plan of salvation. This is not to
suggest that Jesus was in any way opposed to or in competition with the
Old Covenant or Judaism for that matter, for Jesus is the reality, the
Antitype of the symbols and types of the Old Testament. (See 1 Cor.15:3;
John 5:39; Luke 24:25, 27) It is important to keep in mind that Jesus is the Creator, and it was He who instituted the Old Covenant, and it was He who promised and instituted the New Covenant in his blood. Types are Old Testament pictures of Christ--either of His person or His work. The type could be a man, an event, an animal, a situation--anything that pictures Christ. Note, the types do not provide a complete or even relatively complete picture of Christ, but in one or several respects, highlight certain characteristics of Jesus, and teach us certain things about him. In the way of providing a backdrop to our text, it is helpful to recall the occasion or purpose of this letter and the people to whom it was initially sent. While the debate as to the identity of the writer of Hebrews is still on-going, with the most support in that order being for Paul, Barnabas or Apollos (see June 05/2004 lesson), there is almost unanimity that this letter was written to a group or congregation of Jewish Christians in particular circumstances. The writer of Hebrews does not identify the recipients of his letter beyond the title ‘to the Hebrews’, however he was obviously known to them. One writer puts it this way in naming the audience and purpose of the letter: The extended treatment
of Moses, Aaron, the levitical priesthood and Melchizedek also indicate a
Jewish audience. Evidently there was some confusion about who Christ was
with the danger being that angels were being assigned an equal or higher
status than Christ….. On the basis of the doctrine imparted, the author
of Hebrews expects to inspire his readers to a response of faith in Christ
as their saviour and to a life of purity.
While there is no direct
mention of these Christians being subjected to some form of physical
persecution, the author’s extended argument to demonstrate the absolute
supremacy of Christ to all that was before Him, suggests that this group
was probably being influenced by ‘Judaizers”. Thus it would be
necessary to convince his readers of the sufficiency of Christ for the
purpose of their salvation. He had to dispel any erroneous notion about
the person and work of Jesus and caution against the ultimate futility of
a reversion to any of the many sects of Judaism, which were based on the
‘traditions of the fathers’, especially in light of the fact that
Judaism ultimately pointed to Christ. Beyond this, there is a
wider appeal and warning against any form of drift away from Christ. It is generally not
appreciated that Judaism was not a “unified whole”, in the sense that
everyone accepting Judaism believed exactly the same thing. One scholar, in his
doctoral thesis, has counted about twenty four sects in Judaism during the
time of Christ, each of which disagreed on many matters with each other,
sometimes peacefully but sometimes violently.
Of note is the fact that there were only about six thousand members
of the Pharisees party, even though there were probably many other
sympathizers with Pharisaical ideas, and only about four thousand
Sadducees. There were all kinds of religious sects. We also know that many
priests and Levites accepted Christianity, over three thousand alone were
converted on the Day of Pentecost, following Peter’s and the other
Apostles’ sermon. To this point in his
letter, the writer has addressed the superiority of Jesus person; His
superiority to angels, they are to worship Him; the primacy of His words
and His ascendancy, eternality, and sovereignty over all else. Still,
before the letter ends, Christ superiority over Moses, Aaron and the
Levitical Priesthood will also have been ably demonstrated. It is
important to note that the writer’s respectful treatment of the Old
Covenant and his presentation of Jesus as it’s ultimate fulfillment and
consummation. Interspersed
in his arguments are a number of pointed warnings regarding the dire
consequences for all who abandon Christ for any and all reasons. The teachings in this letter might appear particular and specific to the occasion for which it was written but it is certainly relevant and find resonance with believers right down to our day. Fact is, there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ and any turning away from Him is a turn to Hell. In today’s lesson with an eye to Jesus’ unique qualifications to be the captain of their salvation, the writer of Hebrews convincingly makes the argument that Jesus fulfills the plan of salvation, an assurance certain to comfort believers in all ages and exhort them to steadfast faithfulness. The writer clearly details Jesus role in the plan of salvation, through a clear presentation of Jesus’ deity, humanity, sovereignty, substitutionary death, suffering and obedience. THE
TEXT
In
chapter one, the writer detailed the pre-eminence and supremacy of Jesus,
as the absolute sovereign and eternal Creator, God the Son, so he begins chapter two with the word therefore, as
a link to what he is about to say. Verses
1-4 is a warning and exhortation about neglecting (to drift) the gospel.
He reasons that careful attention should be paid to the gospel, because it
was a message enunciated by The Son Himself and carried-on and
confirmed with His apostles. Further, if the law, a message that was
spoken by angels (Acts 7:53; Gal.3:19) was binding on the hearers, with
severe consequences for disobedience, how much more binding then, was the
superior revelation from the Son and more disastrous the consequences of
it’s neglect. Note,
the nature and work of Jesus warrants a particular response to Him and
hence the warning. Note
the emphasis, “How shall we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation?” This
is an insistent and demanding warning to all those alive today who drift
from the commandments of Christ, as well as those who choose to neglect
coming to Christ. Verse
5. The
writer makes reference to his earlier argument of the superiority of Jesus
over angels as a lead-in to this section of the text. God
will not give angels subjection (administration) of the world to come, the
Millennial Kingdom, the inhabited earth. Speaking
of the role of angels Heb.1:14 says they are "sent
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" and
so it is not the place of angels to rule or dominate men, but to be the
messengers of God, though they might be twisting men about and taking them
captive periodically, ever since Adam subjected himself to Satan in Eden.
Satan,
a fallen angel is referred to as the prince of this world? (See
Eph.2, 6; 1 John 5:20). Jesus Himself was even tempted by Satan concerning
the ability to rule the world and Christ did not refute Satan's claims
that he rules this world (Matt. 4:8-10), though Satan does his activities
only as God permits. His rule therefore is quite limited, even though he
likes to pretend otherwise. The book of Job puts his position in clear
perspective. The
most important assertion however is that there is a “ world to
come”, and that this future world which is going to be lasting, is
described by the negative proposition that it is not under the direction
of angels. Whatever the
powers or roles of angelic beings, the administration and judgments do not
belong to angels. As one
writer puts it: “
God would not so great a trust in his holy ones; his angels were too weak
for such a charge.” Verses 6-7. The writer quotes directly from Psalm eight to show God’s intended destiny for man. These words can be considered as referring to mankind in general but probably specifically here to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is man who is to rule creation. He had been given dominion over the earth according to Genesis 1:26-30 and it has never been mentioned in Scripture, that God gave angels the kind of dominion man originally had over the earth. Though man is quite puny when compared to the vastness of the creation, the position he was given is one of glory, honour, power and authority, being made in the image and likeness of God. Psalm eight brings the majesty of God to our attention and ultimately, the dignity of man, to whom we are told God has given glory and honor. Some commentators take the phrase translated "a little lower" to contain an element of time in Greek and can be translated, "Thou madest him for a little time lower than the angels." This view implies that men were designed to exist here only for brief lifetime, and then would be freed to live the life of eternity. From the beginning of creation God ultimate design for man was not for him to be something lower than angels. God has a destiny for man that sets him up as king on an equal footing with angels. It was only for a little time at the beginning, that God had made man lower than angels. The phrase however can be read in other ways. But as a minimum it means clearly that man’s destiny was one of power and authority over the conditions and life of earth, and that he was commissioned to be responsible for the earth and its inhabitants. (Gen.1:26-31). The Psalmist had asked "What is so good about man that You've made him king of the earth? Why have You visited him?", meaning why have you desired to benefit man? We are nothing compared to you! The Son of Man reference is to humanity in general and not to that title given to Christ. A little lower than the angels does not mean man was made lower spiritually, or that God loved man less than angels. Man was made lower in the sense that he is physical and angels are spiritual. Another area in which this lower condition of man can be seen is in our mortality, men are subject to being able to die physically if they sinned, but the angels were not. Speaking of men in the future kingdom, Christ says, "for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection" (Luke 20:36). In our resurrection bodies we will be glorified, and will be like angels, in that we will never be able to again experience physical death. (See Daniel 7:18, 27). Note also the glory in which men will share referred to in Matthew 19:28. This discussion is tending toward introducing the Lord Jesus Christ and showing the full application of the passage to him. Verse 8.
The fact is however that God had promised to put all things
under the feet of man, but this seemed to be an unfulfilled promise.
….Under his feet, continues the idea of the rule of
man, his kingship over creation and alludes to the practice where kings
were elevated above the common people and the people were considered to be
‘under’ the king’s feet. Man has been given the right to rule as a
king and there was nothing that wasn't subject to him in the original
creation. Note, the language is much more emphatic that this, for no
limitation is set in the Scriptures when it speaks about “all things”.
See 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 for similar teachings. It is plain however, that now in the present time, we do not yet see all things put under man. Man has not fulfilled what God intended. Not yet all things…the present reality (verse 5 above) is that man has fallen under the power and presence of sin. Adam voluntarily subjected himself to the creation, to Satan a created being, and in so doing, surrendered the dominion (Gen. 3:17-19) that had been given to him by God. Therefore, man has been temporarily placed in a position of subjection.
Verse 9. The writer of Hebrews now proposes and shows the relief to this situation, and how God has fulfilled his promise. The promise could only be fulfilled through the humiliation and suffering of Christ. It is He, the great archetypal sacrifice that brought victory, defeating evil in all its forms. So here we have the elements that will restore man’s reign and dominion over the earth. Made a little lower… This is the same thing that was said about man in verse seven, indicating Christ's complete identification with humanity. The phrase carries the connotation of time, meaning that Jesus became less for a brief period of time. By nature Christ is greater than angels. It was only for a little time in His incarnation that He became less to accomplish a specific purpose. (Gal. 4:4-5). When it is said that we see Jesus, it involves the eye of faith. One writer explains it this way: “
We behold (by faith: a different Greek verb from that for ‘ we
see’, Hebrews 2:8, which expresses the impression which our eyes
passively receive from objects around us; whereas, ‘ we behold’, or
‘look at’, implies the direction and intention of one
deliberately regarding something which he tries to see: so Hebrews 3: 19,
10: 25, Greek namely, Jesus, on account of His suffering of death,
crowned, etc. he is already crowned, though unseen by us, save by faith;
hereafter all things shall be subjected to him visibly and fully.” It was by the grace of God that Christ became a man, to the end that He was crucified and His sacrificial death purchased salvation for His people. Crowned with glory and honor.. Christ honor and glorification is tied to His sacrifice (taste death) on behalf of men with whom he completely identifies. (Isa. 53:11-12). After Jesus accomplished His substitutionary death, He was exalted to the right hand of the Father and now sits on a throne to reign forever. One writer comments in part: The
third statement in verse 9 tells us that He is "...crowned with
glory and honor... ." While men will someday be crowned with
glory and honor, and restored to our original position of authority,
Christ is crowned right now! Why? Because "of the suffering of
death." The penalty has been paid, Christ is victorious. He
suffered and died for the sins of you and me, but now He is receiving the
glory and honor He deserves, sitting at the right hand of God. The fact that Christ is "crowned with glory and honor" is a reflection of His Lordship. Philippians 2:8-11 reaffirms this truth; "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus 'Every knee should bow,' of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Here we are given a glimpse of the total sovereignty of Jesus Christ. And you and I, as believers in Christ, are allowed to partake of His sovereignty when we come to believe in Him.
Verse 10. It became Him….it was appropriate to his nature; what God did through Christ was consistent with His character (love, mercy, justice….). Here we see the same sovereignty and majesty ascribed to Jesus in verse two, accorded God the Father. God’s merciful and gracious plan is to bring men to glory and it is by way of Jesus sufferings on the cross that God’s plan is accomplished, (Heb. 5:8-9). Captain denotes a pioneer or leader, someone who does something that others enter into, or benefit from. The Greek word involves speaking of someone who initiates or originates a plan or program for others to follow. It is used of a man who founds a family and others are born into it. It's used of a man who founds a city in which others come to live. It was commonly used of a pioneer who blazed a trail for others to follow. Christ suffering on our behalf was the crowning act, the capstone, the perfection of His obedience. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Heb. 5:8-9. Though the love of God is not specifically referred to in this letter, it is clear from this verse that there would have been an immensely powerful love in the Father, that would have led him give up His only beloved Son for suffering and sacrifice, in order to bring many sons to glory. This speaks of sons by adoption, according to the electing purpose of God, for he called not a few, but many.
Verse 11-13. Jesus is the one that sanctifies and Christians are the sanctified. This is one of the end results of being ‘brought to glory’, believers are one with Christ, because they are now clothed with His righteousness and as a result, He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Christ is the one that sanctifies, for he has purchased us and sent the sanctifying Spirit, which is called the Spirit of Christ. Those that are true believers therefore are sanctified, separated and set apart to holy uses and purposes. Note the pride that Jesus has with His brothers and sisters. This is shown clearly in the following quotations from the Old Testament. Jesus says he and them have a shared life. They are all of one. Jesus Himself calls believers brothers! This is now a close, loving relationship of union. He is the ultimate kinsman- Redeemer We have been brought into a state of dignity. His death has made us holy, because the shedding of His precious blood satisfied the justice of God and effectively made atonement for our sins. And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together, Rom.
8:17. The writer underscores the oneness with Jesus, His brotherhood with those He has redeemed with a quotation from Psalm 22:22 (vs. 12). This is a picture of Jesus Christ calling believers His brothers in the Old Testament. Psalm 22 deals with the crucifixion and the resurrection and in verse 22, Jesus is pictured in post-resurrection joy with His brothers. So the idea of the Messiah as a brother is right out of the Old Testament, the Jewish scriptures and should help to allay any apprehensions or misgivings his audience might have had about Jesus. Verse
13 is a quotation from Isaiah 8:17-18: And I will wait upon the LORD,
that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and
for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount
Zion. One write comments: Christ
admits that He lives by faith, just like His brothers. Jesus Christ is our
brother not in nature or power, for we are human and He is divine, but in
righteousness and faith. When Jesus was in this world, He learned the
obedience of faith and thus became a perfect Savior. It's a tremendous
thing to realize that when we are called to walk by faith, submit
ourselves, and live in dependence on God, we can follow the path Jesus
walked. He said, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he
seeth the Father do; for whatever things he doeth, these also doeth the
Son in the same manner" (John 5:19). Brotherhood with Jesus means we have His righteousness and walk as He did: by faith. I and the children…expresses the idea of ownership, those whom He has saved are the children of God given to Him and He Jesus presents them to God, to receive glory along with Himself. The Saviour and the redeemed are of the same family. The redeemed share the life of the Son of God. Note that Jesus has people who are willing to follow him; because they are brothers to Him, they are also brothers to one another. In declaring his Father's name to them, that is, his father's will, mind, nature and attributes, His Spirit would have to be poured out on them, and they would have to be brought into union with Him. The Father gave them to him, and He took them, rejoiced in them, and perfected them. There always were people of the covenant, the congregation of God, then as well as now. He had put his trust in His Father, and the Father had sustained him through His sufferings, and exalted Him. Similarly, His brethren would trust only in the Father, and the Father would give them complete victory. This description of the relationship between Jesus and true believers would be of great support to those who lived then and saw their world crumbling around them. They knew that they could call on their invisible Lord for help. The extensive use of Old Testament scriptures and references give context to and a clear teaching on the person and work of Jesus, firmly rooting Christianity in Judaism, with particular appeal to those who are Jewish. The point is made that the Old Testament is about Jesus and give the lie to those who seek to separate the Old and New Testaments and totally divorce Christianity from Judaism. Verse
14-15. Jesus having
been identified with believers on so many levels and being the "Captain
of salvation" to the "many sons," by trusting
and suffering like them, took the ultimate step and became a man
like them. This so in order that He may effect their liberation from
man’s ultimate enemy, death. He tasted death like His brethren, however
He was not a victim like other men, for His death, the shedding of His
precious blood, was voluntary and broke Satan’s stranglehold over men,
exercised since the fall of Adam. Jesus
fully qualified as a man, He too was flesh and blood, though the
unique circumstances of His incarnation meant He unlike them was not born
in sin. He took on Himself flesh and blood, that which was not His
own nature. Destroy…literally, "render powerless"; deprive of all power to hurt His people. There is no more death for believers. Speaking of His post-resurrection in John 14:19 Jesus said: Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. One commentator writes: of death--implying
that death itself is a power which, though originally
foreign to human nature, now reigns over it (Rom. 5:12; 6:9). The power
which death has Satan wields. The author of sin is the author of its
consequences. (Luke 10:19). Satan
has acquired over man (by God's law, Gen 2:17; Rom 6:23) the power of
death by man's sin, death being the executioner of sin, and man being
Satan's "lawful captive." Jesus provides the antidote to death: life. Through His death, Christ destroyed Satan's power of death by His subsequent resurrection. That's why He said, "Because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19). Jesus left the pathway open. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the believer with eternal life. (John 14:19) Mortality is never far from the human consciousness and daily events of death and dying serve as continual reminders. The inevitability of his death along with man’s innate desire to live, subjected Him to a constant dread, a bondage as it were to his condition. The threat of death creates panic among men, more than anything else. Christ by His death has liberated believers from this lifelong fear, for they are assured; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. (John 11:26)
Verse 16. For verily…’as we all know’ (Isa. 41:8; Jer. 31:32), Messiah would be a man. Since he is writing to convince Jews, the writer links Christ's redemption primarily to the Jewish nation with the Abraham's seed reference. Not that he excludes the Gentiles (Heb 2:9, "for every man"), who, when believers, are the seed of Abraham spiritually but direct reference to them would be out of place in his present argument. The Jews prided themselves on being Abraham’s seed. Verse 17-18...in all things, those things both natural and incidental to humanity like being born, nourished, growing up, relations, emotions and the like. Note:
sin is not integral to humanity and was not in the original constitution
of man, so He had no sin. In
light of His mission to redeem man and all that that entailed,
also considering what the
justice and love of God required of Him as Mediator, it was
incumbent on Him, by moral necessity, that He become a man; be a brother
to His brethren. Not only to
the physical seed of Abraham but also the spiritual seed -
His elect out of all mankind. This
is one of the principal themes of Hebrews, Jesus as High Priest. He spared
no quarter in fulfilling this office, qualified Himself in every area and
made the ultimate sacrifice that atoned for the sins of the people once
and for always. He shed His sinless blood, made the efficacious sacrifice,
satisfied God’s justice and secured salvation for His brethren.
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he
suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after
the order of Melchisedec. (Heb. 5:8-10) One
writer comments: merciful--to "the people" deserving
wrath by "sins." Mercy is a prime requisite in a priest,
since his office is to help the wretched and raise the fallen: such mercy
is most likely to be found in one who has a fellow-feeling with the
afflicted, having been so once Himself (Heb 4:15); not that the Son of God
needed to be taught by suffering to be merciful, but that in order to save
us He needed to take our manhood with all its sorrows, thereby qualifying
Himself, by experimental suffering with us, to be our sympathizing High
Priest, and assuring us of His entire fellow-feeling with us in every
sorrow. …faithful,
That is true to God (Heb 3:5, 6) and to man (Heb 10:23) in the
mediatorial office which He has undertaken. …to make reconciliation for the sins As the High Priest, He is to offer a sacrifice that pays the penalty for the sins of the people; He is to offer a sacrifice that appeases the wrath of God, in light of the sins of the people so He offers the only acceptable and effective sacrifice; His sinless life. Thereby reconciliation, the sinner is brought by that sacrifice into God's favour. Jesus
has ‘been there’. He is a kindred spirit, temptation is not foreign to
Him. Those who seek help with temptation engage a sympathetic ear. He
became one of us, so as to be able to relate to our grief and sorrows,
having experienced the temptations personally, He is a merciful and
faithful High Priest for believers. Clearly Jesus’ mission in His incarnation was totally geared towards men and meeting their needs in the spiritual realm.
CONCLUSION The writer makes a compelling and convincing case from the Old Testament that Jesus is sufficient for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles alike. In all points, He is shown to be front and centre in God’s plan of salvation, starting in Genesis. Jesus did not just pop into history about two thousand years ago. He is unique, and has a unique ability to help. He is not only God, but he is also man. It is clear that Jesus’ humanity was not simply that of a phantom. The scriptures unequivocally deny this, stating that he was a flesh and blood man, so that he was enabled to die. He took on himself a body which could die, and he voluntarily gave up his life, in order to deal with death, and destroy the power of Satan. But being the Son of God and sinless, death could not hold him. He had the power to lay down his life and he had the power to take it up again. He was always in complete control. He voluntarily and willing entered the realm of death to break the power of death, and annul Satan's power to separate men spiritually from God, and thus carry out the sentence of death. It is most important that we realize that Jesus’ redemption has immediate effects, for those that are redeemed have been freed from all fear of death and bondage. The redeemed have spiritual life. The Devil tells lies that one can avoid death in several ways, but this is simply a lie. Jesus is the only one who can free those that for their entire lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. He gives immediate spiritual life and guarantees future life in every respect. He gives the power to resist the Devil and he will flee from you. This is true freedom. Jesus can help and does help the desendants of Abraham, for He became like them and can therefore fully sympathize with and help all of us who struggle with great temptation. The four gospels are written to show us that Jesus was made like us in every way. He experienced sorrow, frustrations, weariness and disappointments. People lied to him, falsely accused him, argued with him, disliked him, falsely rebuked him, abused him. He suffered great earthly temptations, and daily, sinful men, including his own disciples, opposed him. He did atone for men and is a sympathetic High Priest, who makes powerful and effective intercession for them before the Father. He has already taken away the sins of His brethren and for that reason the Father will be merciful. How can anyone therefore continue to follow angels, spirit guides, ancient masters, avatars, demigods, fallen angels or anyone else when He, Jesus is infinitely more superior to all of them, and who by his personal sacrifice has offered strength and wisdom for the journey through life! Therefore let us not drift or turn away from Jesus and his gospel, for “Neither is their salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. Acts 4:12. Let
us remember: What
a Friend we have In Jesus, All
our sins and griefs to bear; What
a privilege to carry, Everything
to God in prayer. Therefore: How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation.
|