BIBLE STUDY MANUALS - heb3v19.html

Hebrews 3:7-19

EXCERPT FROM HEB 3:5-6
or MOVE TO HEB 3:7

HOLDING FAST AND FIRM TO THE END

[Heb 3:5-6]:

(v. 5) "And Moses certainly was faithful in the administration of all God's house, but it was only as a ministering servant. In his entire ministry he was but a testimony to the things which were to be spoken - the revelations to be given afterward in Christ.

(v. 6) But Christ, the Messiah, was faithful over His own Father's house as a Son and Master of it. And it is we who are not members of this house, if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope in Christ."

Zane Hodges, op. cit., p. 786:

"By a natural semantic shift to which the Greek word for house naturally lends itself, the writer moved from the thought of the house as the sphere where priestly activities transpired [i.e., the Temple] to the thought of the 'house' as consisting of the people who engaged in these activities [to all believers who each have their own priesthood]. His readers, he affirmed, comprise His (the Son's) 'house' contingent, however, on one important consideration: if they hold on to their courage... ...and the hope of which they boast... [which is a sure hope in eternal life]... [In other words] ...if some of the writers' Christian "brothers" should fall prey to an unbelieving heart which turns away from God] ...They would forfeit their roles... [not their salvation] ...in the Son's priestly house, which is only maintained by holding firmly to their Christian profession...."

So a Christian who loses courage and thereby would become faithless becomes useless as an ambassador to Jesus Christ and is useless to himself relative to his future life in heaven. For at the Judgment Seat of Christ he will receive few if any rewards, (2 Cor 5:10, 1 Cor 3:9-15).

As a matter of fact, a Christian can remain in the royal family of God, (1 Pet 2:9; Gal 6:10), but lose his inheritance in heaven. And all believers each have a unique inheritance set aside for them, (ref. Col 1:9-12). A Christian will also lose his inheritance in heaven for living an immoral life but not his salvation, (Eph 5:1-6; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Cor 6:9-11). And Mt 25:14-30 illustrates that a believer's position, rewards and state of happiness IN HEAVEN are highly affected by what he does on earth.

All of these passages can be reviewed by going to the index and clicking on the passage of choice.

There are going to be differences even to the point that for a time there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for all of those who were faithless. They will be cast into the relative darkness outside the place of the marriage supper of the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride the church.

Imagine that those believers who at long last reach heaven's shores and who receive their immortal bodies and who are married to the Lord Jesus Christ, (in heaven before the Second Coming), are then cast out of the joyful marriage supper, outside the brilliance of His glory and loving presence for the time of the marriage supper, a millennium, due to a wasteful immoral faithless life here on earth. They surely will weep and gnash their teeth in utter disappointment and sorrow! (Compare re: marriage supper: Mt 22:1-14; 8:11-12; Rev 19:7-9; 7:17.).

Finally, Lk 19:12-27 illustrates the same principles of rewards and position in heaven relative to faithfulness on earth. Note that the wicked servant remains a servant but ends up with nothing for a whole eternity! For he wasted his short life on earth.

Zane Hodges, states, (op. cit., p. 786):

"As long as the readership held firmly to their Christian commitment, they also functioned within this priestly arrangement [being members of the house of God, i.e., the Body of Christ]. But just as one was a true Levite by birth could withdraw from participation in the Tabernacle of Moses' day, so too one who is truly a Christian by new birth may withdraw from his priestly role... [via sin, unbelief, lack of divine good works, wrong theology, etc.] within the functioning household [of God - the body of Christ]..."

So faithlessness is NOT the cause for one to lose ones salvation:

[Compare 2 Tim 2:11-13]:

(v. 11) "Here is a trustworthy saying: 'If we died with Him we will also live with Him;

[By trusting alone in Christ alone, an individual is viewed by God as having died with Christ on the cross in order to have appropriated to him the payment and forgiveness for all of his sins, thereby being justified unto eternal life, (cp. Acts 10:43; Ro 6:3-10)]

(v. 12) If we endure, we will also reign with Him.

[Notice that an enduring faith will result in the reward of co-ruling with Christ]

(v. 13) If we are faithless...

[But if a believer is without faith, he cannot lose his salvation because of Christ's promise of eternal life to every believer]

...He will remain faithful...

[to His promise of eternal life to the believer]

...for He cannot disown Himself"

["Himself" = His body = He cannot disown the body of believers, the Church, who are His body and are eternally secure no matter what]

So in one sense, only faithful Christians are His house - i.e., properly representative as Ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

END EXCERPT FROM HEB 3:5-6

I) [Heb 3:7]:

(Heb 3:7 NASB) "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,"

[The word translated "therefore" or "so" [NIV, etc.] brings the reader to the point of focusing one upon the context of warning believers that when God speaks, one has the responsability of hearing /listening and heeding God's voice, especially if those words might effect some one in a very significant way. Hence the author of Hebrews follows with "just as the Holy Spirit says - quoted from the Old Testament, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE," with a mandate to take heed / take seriously what you hear. This verse is then followed by four verses quoted from the Old Testament which emphatically demonstrate the point made in verse 7]:

A) [(Heb 3:7) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:7]:

(Heb 3:7 NASB) "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,"

"7 Some see the quotation as a long parenthesis, "so" being followed by v. 12: "So... see to it...." But it seems better to take "so" with the quotation "So... do not harden your hearts." Do not repeat the mistake the Israelites made. The quotation is ascribed directly to the Holy Spirit (cf. 9:8; 10:15; Acts 28:25; the human author is mentioned in 4:7). The author is fond of the word "today," using it eight times (Luke and Acts are the only NT books that use it more). Here its prominent position gives it emphasis. Immediate action is imperative. The voice of God is sounding now. It must not be neglected."

II) [Heb 3:8-12]:

(Heb 3:8 NASB) DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,

[So the writer of Hebrews refers to the times when the ancient Israelites repeatedly acted against God when they hardened their hearts against God and did not heed His commands, provoking Him to severely discipline them "as in the day of trial in the wilderness." In view are the people who were miraculously rescued from annihilation by the Egyptians whose chariot army chased them through the wilderness in order to slaughter them because of God's miraculous tactics against the Egyptians and His leading them to safety across the Red Sea and to the entrance to the promised land of Canaan. Yet the older generation of Israelites hardened their hearts, even longed to return to their cruel enslavement in Egypt rather than to participate with God in their taking over the promised land, albeit the task was daunting, even frightening if they did not keep their eyes on their Savior - the LORD God. It would not be without trial, but in view of the miraculous power of God they would participate in God's further deliverance of them unto victory in the land of Canaan - as they should have done with ever increasing faithfulness. But instead they hardened their hearts, even provoked God instead of facing the trials that He put in their way in order to enhance their faithfulness

]

A) [(Heb 3:8) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:8]:

(Heb 3:8 NASB) "DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,"

'''8 To "harden" the heart is to disobey the voice of God and act in accordance with one's own desires. This is what Israel did in the wilderness. Here the reference is to the incident when there was no water and the Israelites "put the Lord to the test" (Exod 17:1-7). In the LXX the place names Massah and Meribah are always translated by words such as those here rendered "rebellion" and "testing." Through lack of faith and failure to appreciate God's purposes of grace, the people of Israel put him to the test.'''

(Heb 3:9 NASB) WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

[For the Israelite fathers tried God by testing Him and for forty years in the wilderness God disciplined them - in those years they saw God working out His disciplining of them wherein there was little let up because they hardened their attitude toward the LORD God even to the point of questioning His capacity to deliver them as He did with the younger generation of Israelites. Now the writer of Hebrews is reminding his generation of Jewish believers of their falling away from the faith and going back to keeping the Mosaic Law as a means to salvation as they had evidently been doing and the potential consequences of that action which could be quite severe as it had been for the ancient Israelites - this first century generation having come so far in the faith and then turning back to legalism]

B) [(Heb 3:9) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:9]:

(Heb 3:9 NASB) "WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS."

"The thought of "testing" God continues. NIV may be correct in rendering "tested and tried me," but there is no "me" in the Greek. This opens up the alternative possibility that "my works" (NIV, "what I did") is the object of both the preceding verbs: "Your fathers tested and saw my works for forty years." They ought to have proceeded in faith. Since God had done so much for them, they should have trusted him when they could not see. Instead, they tested his works where they could see ("saw" puts stress on visibility). This faithlessness was no passing phase but something that went on for forty years. In the LXX the "forty years" is connected with God's anger, not with the testing... It may well be that at the time he wrote this epistle, the author reflected on the fact that it was the fourth decade since Jesus' crucifixion. The Israelites had rejected God for forty years, and it was now nearly forty years since their descendants had rejected Jesus—a reason for serious concern."

(Heb 3:10 NASB) THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS';

[So God was angry with the older generation of Israelites and He said, 'They always go astry in the heart [their minds] in the sense of not obeying His commands / instructions. Notice that this was not a matter of occasional sin, going astray. They were always going astray. And what a shame that was. For God had promised them that they would inherit the promised land and experience great blessing and prosperity - should they be faithful and obey his commands. But no matter how many times God provided food - even special food: manna from heaven and quail, as well as water, shelter and clothing and directed them to be obedient, they complained, rebelled and did not follow his instructions all the time. They thereby did not learn / know His ways at all - despite His miraculous deliverances of them from the Egyptians time and time again. They deliberately did not try to learn of His ways and emulate Him, constantly invoking His wrath. This is evidently the key to the believer's relationship with God: to learn and know God's ways and act accordingly - then there would be blessing and prosperity and no constant even severe and wrathful discipline]

C) [(Heb 3:10) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:10]:

(Heb 3:10 NASB) "THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS';"

"10 We should not miss the reference to the anger of God. The Bible is clear that God is not impassive or indifferent in the face of human sin. He is a "consuming fire" (12:29), and his inevitable reaction to sin is wrath. "Generation" may mean a "clan" or "race," sometimes those living at a particular time or those who have the characteristics of a particular age. Here it is all the Israelites living at a particular time. They showed constancy in error, "always going astray." "Heart" (kardia) as used in the Bible does not stand for the emotions as with us but for the whole inner being—thoughts, feelings, and will. Often the emphasis is on the mind. Here the thought is that Israel went wholly astray. Their inner state was not right with God. The last line of the verse implies that if people really knew the ways of God, they would walk in them. But these people did not know. Their ignorance was culpable, not innocent. They were not blamed simply for not knowing but for not knowing things they ought to have known and acted on. They did not take the trouble to learn. To neglect opportunity is serious."

(Heb 3:11 NASB) AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.' "

[So God swore in His wrath / anger toward that older generation of Israelites that they shall not enter His rest in the sense of possessing of and enjoying the promised land - an eternal promise that would never be fulfilled by God on behalf of that particular generation of Israelites. They might be residents of the promised land, but not owners of it, nor would their enjoyment of the land be so great as if they had cooperated with God's commands of taking possession of the land during their temporal lives. One cannot escape the intensity of God's response to the ongoing and deliberate rebellion of the older generation of Israelites. On the other hand, this does not mean that they lost their salvation, but that they would never be given the opportunity to be blessed in their temporal lives with inheriting and living in the promised land in peace and prosperity forever!! Their choice to constantly disobey God was constant and deliberate]

D) [(Heb 3:11) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:11]:

(Heb 3:11 NASB) "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.' "

"11 The seriousness with which God viewed Israel's sin is shown by the divine oath. This points to an unshakable determination. The form of the oath in the Hebrew, reflected in the LXX, is "If they shall enter." This construction implies an ending that occurs only rarely; e.g., "If I have done evil to him who is at peace with me... let my enemy pursue and overtake me" (Ps 7:4-5). Here it will be something like "If they shall enter into my rest... then my name is not God!" (NIV, "They shall never enter"). The oath refers to the time when the spies had returned from their survey of the Promised Land (Num 14:21ff.).

The psalmist has brought together two incidents, one from the beginning and one from the end of the wilderness period, to make the impressive point that the Israelites of old consistently provoked God. God swore the oath in his "anger." Here the word orge is from a different root from that rendered "angry" in v. 10 (prosochthisa). Orge is the usual word for the "wrath" of God and points to the strong and settled opposition of God's holy nature to all that is evil. God is not passive in the face of wrongdoing; he actively opposes it. "Wrath" may not be the perfect word with which to express this (as used of men it implies lack of self-control and the like that do not apply to God). But it seems the best word we have and it does bring out God's passionate opposition to evil and his concern for the right. Those who reject its use are in danger of misrepresenting God as one who does not care. But God does care, and he did not allow the sinning Israelites to enter the rest.

The author has a fondness for the verb "enter" (eiserchomai) and uses it seventeen times, more than any other NT book except the Synoptics and Acts. Eleven times in chapters 3-4 he speaks of entering rest. "Rest" (katapausis), as used here, points to a place of blessing where there is no more striving but only relaxation in the presence of God and in the certainty that there is no cause for fear. R. Akiba understood Psalm 95 (in conjunction with Num 14:35) to mean that the wilderness generation would have no part in the world to come (Talmud Sanhedrin 110b; M Sanhedrin 10.3 bases the same thought on Num 14:35). Disobedience cut them off from the blessing. Buchanan thinks of the "rest" as "the promised heritage of the land of Canaan under the rule of the Messiah to be fulfilled for Jesus and his followers" (in loc.)......

E) [(Heb 3:7-11) [Bible Knowledge Commentary Commentary On Heb 3:7-11]:

(Heb 3:7 NASB) "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

(Heb 3:8 NASB) "DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,

(Heb 3:9 NASB) "WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

(Heb 3:10 NASB) "THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS';

(Heb 3:11 NASB) "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.' "

"3:7-11. To drive home his call to fidelity and to warn of the consequences of unbelieving infidelity, the author referred to the classic failure of Israel at Kadesh Barnea which led to their 40-year detour in the wilderness. Far from being an ideal period of Israel's history, as some sectarians seem to have held, it was an era marked by tragic loss and defeat. The readers were not to repeat such an experience in their own lives.

The text chosen by the writer to enforce the lesson he had in mind was taken from Psalm 95. Verses 7-11 of that psalm are quoted here. The choice of this psalm is highly appropriate in a context that is concerned with worship and priestly activity. For Psalm 95 is, in fact, essentially a call to worship (cf. Ps. 95:1-7). The psalmists' invitation, "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care" (Ps. 95:6-7), ideally reflects the author's perspective with regard to his readers. The material quoted in Hebrews immediately follows these words and, most naturally, must be understood against this background."

(Heb 3:12 NASB) Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God,"

[Believers are warned not to fall away "from the living God," in the sense of falling away from maintaining that solely a moment of faith alone in Christ alone unto eternal life is all that is required of one in order to receive eternal life once and for all time - the sole means by which one receives eternal life unto believing otherwise. Especially in view is a warning to believers who were once of the faith of Judaism who became believers in Christ who are in view in the Book of Hebrews of reverting to legalism through once again attempting to follow / keep the Mosaic Law in order to receive eternal life - having rejected a moment of faith alone in Christ alone unto eternal life that they once believed. And the author of Hebrews characterizes this as having "an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." This is characterized as being evil; especially since they were believers in the first place who have rejected the gospel in favor of returning to legalism and away from the living God. This warning implies a serious discipline by God of the fallen away believer in their temporal lives so long as they remained fallen away. Notice that the word rendered "brethren" has in view believers not unbelievers. The are not unbelievers or former believers because they are described as having the potential of falling away from the living God, from a moment of faith alone in Christ alone]

F) [(Heb 3:12) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:12]:

(Heb 3:12 NASB) "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God,"

"B. Some Did Not Enter the Rest (3:12-19)

Having shown that Scripture looks for a rest for God's people, the author proceeds to show that Israel of old did not enter that rest. The implication is that it is still available for others. And there is a warning. When God opens up an opportunity, that does not necessarily mean that those who have that opportunity will take it.

12 The writer has a tender concern for every one of his readers. He exhorts them to beware lest any one of them fall away. The "sinful, unbelieving heart" stands in marked contrast to the faithfulness ascribed to both Jesus and Moses (v. 2). It is an unusual and emphatic expression. The author stresses the heinousness of this by speaking of turning away from the living God. "Turn away" is perhaps not strong enough; the meaning is rather "rebel against." The author is fond of the expression "the living God" (cf. 9:14; 10:31; 12:22). The rebellion he warns against consists of departing from a living, dynamic person, not from some dead doctrine. Jews might retort that they served the same God as the Christians so that they would not be departing from God if they went back to Judaism. But to reject God's highest revelation is to depart from God, no matter how many preliminary revelations are retained.............."

(Heb 3:13 NASB) "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

Believers are to encourage one another day after day, as long as it is called "Today," i.e., unceasingly so that they won't be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin which is within and everywhere without. The phrase rendered "as long as it is called 'Today," evidently has in view that there will be a time when there will no longer be a 'Today," but that which will be another timeframe, such as eternity. Notice that believers are always to encourage one another day after day after day after day - all day, every day because the deceitfulness of sin is always waiting around for those moments within, around and whenever a believer is not being encouraged to keep the faith. It is an internal and external pervasive infection of mankind and the world. The sin nature is within the believer and without everywhere - day in and day out; and that infection needs to be countered by fellow believers' ongoing agape / self-sacrificial love and by their encouragment of one another to keep the faith. The readers who were addressed by the author of Hebrews being Jewish believers were evidently tempted to revert to Judaism in the belief that by doing so they would be better off relative to not having to experience conflict with fellow Jews and thus it might be safer / more harmonious that way. But sin deceived those who thought like this. Temporal and physical safety which might or might not be the result, would nevertheless be bought at the price of spiritual disaster.

G) [(Heb 3:13) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:13]:

(Heb 3:13 NASB) "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

"13 Contrariwise, they must encourage one another constantly and urgently. The author sees Christian fellowship as very important. It can build people up in the faith and form a strong bulwark against sin and apostasy (cf. 10:25; Matt 18:15-17). "Daily" means that encouragement should be habitual. "As long as it is called Today" adds a touch of urgency, for "Today" does not last forever. The aim of the swift action the writer looks for is that not one of his readers be hardened. Once again we see his concern for every individual reader. The verb "hardened" does not refer only to "the heart" but is quite general. One's whole life may be hard and in that case one is no candidate for spiritual progress. What hardens is "sin's deceitfulness." The readers were tempted to go back to Judaism in the belief that by doing so they would be better off. But sin deceived those who thought like this. Temporal and physical safety would be bought only at the price of spiritual disaster."

H) [(Heb 3:12-13) (Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 3:12-13]:

(Heb 3:12 NASB) "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God,

(Heb 3:13 NASB) But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

"3:12-13. See to it, brothers introduces the author's application of his text to his Christian readership. Neither here nor anywhere else in his letter did the writer betray the slightest suspicion that his audience might contain people who were not real Christians. Instead, they were regarded as "brothers" (as here) or as "holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling" (v. 1). The widespread view that he was concerned about mere professors of the faith as over against genuine believers is not found in the text.

Each Christian brother, therefore, should be most careful to guard against a sinful, unbelieving heart which God's flock in the wilderness displayed, the kind of heart that turns away from the living God. One preventative against such a tendency would be a spirit of mutual concern and admonition among the Christian brotherhood. Accordingly they were to encourage one another daily... so that none would be hardened by sin's deceitfulness (v. 13). This exhortation is still completely pertinent to any local congregation at the present time, where the hardening tendencies of sin can often be counteracted by truly concerned fellow Christians. The expression as long as it is called Today alludes to the "Today" in Psalm 95:7 and means something like "while you still have opportunity."

(Heb 3:14 NASB) "For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end."

[Note that the phrase rendered "For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast to the beginning of our assurance firm unto the end," refers NOT to becoming partakers of eternal life because believers have eternal life no matter what

. On the other hand, believers will become partakers of, i.e., share an inheritance with, i.e., share the possession of the Eternal Kingdom of God with Jesus Christ which He will inherit: Possession is ownership, i.e., an inheritance of the entire Kingdom of God. So believers will become partakers of that which Jesus Christ will have possession of - the eternal Kingdom of God IF they hold to the assurance until the end of their mortal lives - assurance that they have eternal life which began when they expressed a moment of faith alone in Christ alone.

So the author of Hebrews refers to the supreme privilege of being among the "many sons" whom God is bringing to the glory of shared dominion over the created order which Christ is destined to rule with those believers in Him who hold fast from the beginning their assurance in their salvation unto eternal life firm until the end of their mortal lives. But again too, like the privilege of serving in the priestly house (v. 6), this role is contingent upon holding firmly to the end the confidence they had at first - their assurance that they have eternal life.

I) [(Heb 3:14) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:14]:

(Heb 3:14 NASB) "For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end."

"14 The expression metochoi tou Christou can be understood as "participators in Christ" (NIV, Moff., RSV, etc.) or as "participators with Christ" (NEB, TEV, JB, etc.). The former is supported by the use of the same noun of sharing (metochoi) in the Christian calling (v. 1) and in the Holy Spirit (6:4), the latter by the use of partnership with Christ in 1:9. It seems to me that there is more to be said for the former rendering. It may be supported by the context, for it is the privilege we have in being Christians that is stressed, not the kind of work Christians do alongside Christ. The two sides of a paradox appear when we have, on the one hand, "we have come" and, on the other hand, "if we hold firmly." What God has done God has done. But it is important that the believer hold firmly to what God has given him (cf. v. 6). The word hypostasis means literally "that which stands under" and may be used of essential "being" (as in 1:3). Here it will rather be that which undergirds the Christian's profession, and "confidence" is a good translation. "The confidence we had at first" is that experienced when the readers first believed. They had no doubts then, nor should they have any now. "Till the end" may point to the end of the age or the end of the believer's life."

J) [(Heb 3:14) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 3:14]:

(Heb 3:14 NASB) For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end."

"3:14. The statement, we have come to share in Christ might be more literally rendered, "we are partners with the Christ." The word "the" found in the original probably gives to "Christ" the sense of "the Messiah." In the word "partners" the reader meets again the Greek metochoi, used in 1:9 and 3:1 of the "companions" of the messianic King. Once again, the writer reverted to the supreme privilege of being among the "many sons" whom God is bringing to the glory of shared dominion over the created order which Christ is destined to rule. But again too, like the privilege of serving in the priestly house (v. 6), this role is contingent on continuing fidelity - [NOT TRUE, TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE VERSE: "For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end."

So the believer's becoming a partaker of Christ is dependant upon holding fast the beginning of his assurance that he is saved unto eternal life firm throughout his mortal life. IN THE SENSE NOT OF CONTINUING FIDELITY BUT THE WORD IS ASSURANCE IN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE SALVATION UNTO ETERNAL LIFE NOT..... THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO FAITHFUL WORKS, I.E., FIDELITY.

(Heb 3:15 NASB) while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."
The issue here is one of hardening ones heart, i.e., unbelief as opposed to disobedience / unfaithfulness, albeit unfaithfulness was and is always the inevitable result of unbelief:

K) [(Compare Heb 3:7-8]:

(Heb 3:7 NASB) "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

(Heb 3:8 NASB) DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,"

[So in Heb 3:7-8 the writer of Hebrews refers to the times when the ancient Israelites repeatedly acted against God when they hardened their hearts against God and did not heed His commands, provoking Him to severely discipline them "as in the day of trial in the wilderness." In view are the people who were miraculously rescued from annihilation by the Egyptians whose chariot army chased them through the wilderness in order to slaughter them because of God's miraculous tactics against the Egyptians and His leading them to safety across the Red Sea and to the entrance to the promised land of Canaan. Yet the older generation of Israelites hardened their hearts, even longed to return to their cruel enslavement in Egypt rather than to participate with God in their taking over the promised land, albeit the task was daunting, even frightening if they did not keep their eyes on their Savior - the LORD God. It would not be without trial, but in view of the miraculous power of God they would participate in God's further deliverance of them unto victory in the land of Canaan - as they should have done with ever increasing faithfulness. But instead they hardened their hearts, even provoked God instead of facing the trials that He put in their way in order to enhance their faithfulness

]

L) [(Heb 3:15) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:15]:

(Heb 3:15 NASB) while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

"15 The construction is uncertain. This verse may be taken with the preceding one, as in NIV, or with what follows, as NEB, which starts a new paragraph with "When Scripture says... who, I ask, were those who heard?" This is attractive, but it ignores the gar ("for") at the beginning of v. 16. Some link the words with v. 13 and regard v. 14 as a parenthesis: "Exhort one another while it is called today... while it is said...." The question is not an easy one, but it seems best to take things in order, as NIV does. The words, of course, have already been quoted (vv. 7-8, where see commentary)."

M) [(Heb 3:15) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 3:15]:

(Heb 3:15 NASB) while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

"3:15. The renewed quotation of part of the writer's text in Psalm 95 connects with the caution just uttered in Hebrews 3:6. The readers must hold their confidence firmly to the end and not, like the Israelites of old, harden their hearts as... in the rebellion."

(Heb 3:15 NASB) while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

(Heb 3:16 NASB) For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

Heb 3:16 continues the author's warning in Heb 3:15 which the latter reads, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME" which is immediately followed in Heb 3:16 with, "For who provoked Him when they had heard?" which is a sarcastic question demanding the answer "Pretty much ALL of the Israelites provoked God, (with the exception of Caleb and Joshua and perhaps a number of their generation) especially considering their being repeatedly miraculously delivered by God out of Egypt, dry shod across the Red Sea and right up to the promised land. Yet they repeatedly hardened their hearts in the sense of did not believe in God's delivering them into the Promised Land, provoking God's wrath. Their lack of belief in God, Who He is, what He had already done for them, that He is trustworthy to deliver them provoked God's wrath. Hence the consequence of their wandering in the desert until they all died. So the author of Hebrews is warning the first century Hebrew Christian believers that they too are liable for disciplinary consequences of God's wrath upon them since they have departed from their faith alone in Christ alone for salvation unto eternal life and reverted back to keeping the Mosaic Law for salvation + or - that faith which either brings upon them the wrath of God. For the Law was never a means of salvation.

N) [(Heb 3:16) Expositor's Bible Commentary on Heb 3:16]:

(Heb 3:16 NASB) For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

"16 The author presses home his point by three questions that emphasize that it was the people who were in a position of spiritual privilege and yet sinned grievously who were in mind in Psalm 95. Some scholars, it is true, take 'tines' as the indefinite pronoun and not as an interrogative (as does KJV, "for some ... did provoke"). But "some" is a strange designation for practically the whole nation, and in any case it is better to see the same construction in all three of these verses. The first question, then, asks, "Who were they who heard and rebelled?" The verb "rebelled" (parepikranan) is found only here in the NT (though a cognate noun occurs in v. 8). It means "embitter," "make angry," and is a strong expression for the rebellious attitude that characterized the Exodus generation.

The writer answers his question with another, this one phrased so as to expect the answer yes. "All those Moses led out of Egypt" is comprehensive, but that Joshua and Caleb are not mentioned does not invalidate the argument. The nation was characterized by unbelief, and the faithfulness of two men does not alter this. NIV says that Moses "led" the people out of Egypt; but, more literally, the author said that they "came out through [dia] Moses"—implying that they acted of their own volition and made a good start."

(Heb 3:15 NASB) while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

(Heb 3:16 NASB) "For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

(Heb 3:17 NASB) And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?"

Heb 3:17 continues to have in view that generation of ancient Israelites who perished in the wilderness because of continual hardening of its heart / unto unbelief in God and resultant rebellion which is in view in the previous verses, Heb 3:15-16. Verses 15-16 indicate that that generation provoked God even after repeatedly hearing God's voice and repeatedly responded with a hardened heart, i.e., in unbelief and continued rebellion. So the author of Hebrews wrote in verse 17, "And with whom was He [God] angry for forty years? [Answer implied in the next phrase: that generation of Israel]: Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?" The repetition is making the author's point emphatically clear. Considering the fact that the Book of Hebrews is addressing first century Jewish believers who are in danger of falling away from the Christian faith back into Judaism and the keeping of the Mosaic Law as a means of attaining eternal life, this emphatic emphasis is super critical, albeit the loss of eternal life is not in view; but severe temporal discipline, even physical death as the ancient Israelites suffered in the wilderness might very well be in view if the Hebrew believers do not heed the repeated voice of God in their day. Note that salvation unto eternal life was attained by each one of them once and for all time when each of these Hebrew believers expressed a moment of faith alone in Christ alone unto eternal life forever

.

O) (Heb 3:17) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:17]:

(Heb 3:17 NASB) "And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?"

"17 The second question refers to those God was angry with those forty years. (For the anger of God, see comments on vv.10-11.) In the earlier treatment of the incident (vv. 7-8), the forty years referred to testing God and seeing his works. Here it refers to the continuing wrath of God (as in the Heb. and LXX). The wrath of God was not something transitory and easily avoided. It lasted throughout the wilderness period. The question "Was it not... ?" employs the emphatic ouchi, found in only one other place in this epistle (in 1:14). Its use leaves no doubt whatever that God was angry with the sinners in question. Their punishment is mentioned in words taken from or reminiscent of Numbers 14:29, 32. The author may be quoting or he may simply be using scriptural language to add solemnity to his point. He reminds his readers that in the past those who sinned against God had been destroyed, and, indeed (as the verbs in the Numbers passage are future since they were spoken before the event), that they were destroyed as it was prophesied. The word rendered "desert" refers to "deserted" land. It is wilderness country in contrast to cultivated and inhabited land."

(Heb 3:18 NASB) "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?"

This third question in Heb 3:18 which immediately follows the first two which are as follows which Heb 3:15 prefaces it:

(Heb 3:15 NASB) while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."

(Heb 3:16 NASB) "For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

(Heb 3:17 NASB) And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?"

(Heb 3:18 NASB) "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?"

This third question fully clarifies those to whom the author of Hebrews is addressing: God swore that that older Israelite generation would not enter His rest - His blessing of co-ownership of the Promised Land and all that that entails. They would not even see again the entrance into it in their temporal lives, nor enjoy its fruits by virtue of their own labors which God would have seen fit to accomplish for them on their behalf and reward them such great, immeasurable blessings. They might be residents in the future life being believers, but will benefit no more than that for their lack of belief in the Great God of the Universe Who had demonstrated such inestimable power in rescuing them from Egypt, from being destroyed at the Red Sea Crossing by the Egyptian Chariot Army - seeing to it that they crossed that Sea dry shod and safely to the other side. Yet they continually did not believe in Him to be their God and believe in Him to continue to be their God from start to finish. Hence 40 years until they all died and missed out because of unbelief in God resulting in their sinful unfaithful behavior toward God despite all He had done for them, and inspite of the fact that they did not believe in Him / recognize Who He was.

[(Heb 3:18) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:18]:

(Heb 3:18 NASB) "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?"

"18 The third question refers to those to whom the oath was sworn (cf. v. 11). Those who would not enter God's rest were "those who disobeyed." The verb apeitheo means properly "disobey," but some accept the meaning "disbelieve" (as NIV mg.). This is possible since for the early Christians "the supreme disobedience was a refusal to believe their gospel" (BAG, p. 82). But here it seems that we should take the meaning "disobey." [Actually this conclusion is not accurate. Notice verse 19: "They were not able to enter because of unbelief, NOT, disobedience]

God did much for these people. Yet in the end they went their own way and refused to obey him." [In the sense of not believe in Him resulting in their disobedience, not even recognizing what He had already done for them. So their unbelief led to their unfaithfulness to His commands]

(Heb 3:19 NASB) So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief."

So the older generation of Israelites "were not able to enter the promised land because of unbelief" NOT because of incapability, but of wilful unbelief resulting in rebellion and abject unfaithful behavior which disenabled them from succeeding in obeying God's commands. They couldn't enter the Promised Land because they did not want to believe in God in Who He was and they refused to believe in their capability to enter the Rest that God had reserved for them in the Promised Land.

Q) [(Heb 3:19) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 3:19]:

(Heb 3:19 NASB) So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief."

"19 The depressing conclusion sums up what has gone before. The author does not say that they did not enter but that they "were not able to enter." Sin is self-defeating and unbelief of itself prevents us from entering God's rest. This is not an arbitrary penalty imposed by a despotic God. It is the inevitable outcome of unbelief. In the Greek the final word in this section of the argument, thrown to the end of the sentence for greater emphasis, is apistia ("unbelief"). That is what robbed the wilderness generation of the rest they had every reason to expect when they came out of Egypt. The warning to the people of the writer's day is clear. To slip back from their Christian profession into unbelief would be fatal."

R) [(Heb 3:16-19) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 3:16-19]:

(Heb 3:16 NASB) "For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

(Heb 3:17 NASB) And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?"

(Heb 3:18 NASB) "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

(Heb 3:19 NASB) So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief."

"3:16-19. Having alluded again to the passage he wished to expound, the author then began doing so. The questions in verse 16 seem more naturally read as statements: "For some, when they had heard, did provoke; howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses." The writer is aware of the notable exceptions of Joshua and Caleb, who did not take part in the general failure. But then he asked, With whom was God angry for 40 years? The answer is that He was angry with those in the wilderness congregation who sinned and who died in that wilderness. Their disobedience in refusing to enter the Promised Land caused God to swear that they would never enter His rest. This meant of course that the sinful generation in the desert was permanently excluded from taking possession of their inheritance in Canaan. Naturally it had nothing to do with the question of their going to hell, so it would be wrong to allege that the entire Exodus generation was unregenerate. But exclusion from Canaan was a consequence of their lack of belief in Who God was, and thus lack of faith in the power of God to bring them into the Promised Land in victory over their enemies, a failure that in principle might be repeated by the readers of Hebrews if they forgot Messiah's ultimate triumph over His enemies and theirs (cf. 1:13-14). The writer wished his readers to take it to heart that unbelief, lack of confidence in God, was the reason God's people did not enter the land."

S) The Warning Passages in Hebrews (Part 1) – Grace Evangelical Society (faithalone.org)

"Have you ever stopped to read the warning labels on the products you buy? My bottle of cat shampoo says, “Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish or children.” An electric drill I got for Christmas says, “Not intended for use in dentistry.” And here’s a children’s birthday card that says, “Keep away from small children.” The world is full of warnings. Some we can safely ignore. But there are others we ignore at our peril. This is true of the five warning passages in Hebrews (2:1-4; 3:7–4:13; 5:11–6:12; 10:19-39; 12:14-29).
Evangelicals are divided over what they mean. Arminians generally interpret them as warnings to believers that they will lose their eternal salvation if they persist in sin and unbelief. Calvinists either interpret them as warnings to false professors that they’ll be eternally lost if they don’t believe in Christ, or as exhortations to the elect warning them of a hypothetical loss of eternal salvation. Significantly, both Arminians and Calvinists agree that the warnings are about eternal life or eternal death.

What is the best way to understand these crucial passages?

In this article, I will present a Free Grace interpretation of the first two warnings in Hebrews, showing that they warn believers about God’s discipline in this life and about a potential loss of rewards in the Messianic kingdom to come.

Were the Hebrews [Addressed In The Book Of Hebrews] Believers?

One of the disagreements between Arminians and Calvinists is over whether or not the Hebrews [Addressed In The Book Of Hebrews] were believers or whether they were false professors. In order to settle that question, consider that the readers are described as:

• Holy (3:1)
• Brethren (3:1, 12)
• Companions (or partakers) of the heavenly calling (3:1)
• God’s house (3:6)
• Companions (or partakers) of the Messiah (3:14)
• People who should have been mature enough to be teachers (5:12)
• Enlightened (6:4)
• Having tasted the heavenly gift (6:4)
• Companions (or partakers) of the Holy Spirit (6:4)
• Having tasted the good Word of God (6:5)
• Having tasted the powers of the age to come (6:5)
• Having loved the Lord’s name (6:10)
• Sanctified (10:10, 29)
• Perfected (10:14)

Can these terms apply to unbelievers? Are unregenerate people holy? Are they God’s house? Should they be Christian teachers? Do they partake of the Holy Spirit? Do they love the Lord’s name? Do they have a confession to hold fast to or to depart from? Are they enlightened, sanctified, or perfected?

These questions answer themselves. There can be little doubt the warnings in Hebrews were addressed to regenerate people. In fact, the inspired author included himself in the warnings he was giving (the “we” of Heb 2:1-4), and there is no doubt that he was regenerate.

So who were the Hebrews? They were a community of Jewish believers the author hoped to visit (13:23). They were at risk of apostatizing from Christianity and returning to Judaism, so the author wrote to convince them of the superiority of Christ over Moses, and of the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant. Their faith may have been wavering, but there is no doubt they were believers.

The Second Warning: Be Diligent to Enter God’s Rest (3:7–4:13)

The second warning concerns the concept of entering “God’s rest.” The author drew a parallel between the Hebrews’ current situation, and the dark events described in Numbers 13–14, when Israel rebelled against God.

You’ll remember how the Lord commanded that men be sent into Canaan to spy out the land, only to have ten of the twelve men come back with a negative report, warning about the imposing size and strength of the Canaanites (as if the Lord was not greater than all). Fear gripped the Israelites. They refused to enter the land to take possession of it. They wished they had died in the wilderness (Num 14:2). Some even wanted to find another leader to take them back to Egypt (Num 14:2, 4).

For God, that was the last straw.
Israel had murmured and grumbled before, but now they had made an irrevocable decision.

Although God forgave the Israelites their sin (Num 14:20), they still had to face a penalty for their rebellion. God decreed that, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, everyone over the age of twenty would die in the wilderness instead of entering the land (Num 14:29-35).

By recalling this event, the author of Hebrews invoked a principle about God’s judgment.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains it this way:

"The principle in Scripture is that once a point of no return is reached, the offenders are subject to divine judgment. The judgment is physical, not spiritual; it does not mean loss of salvation. In fact, Numbers 14:20 does say that the people repented; it even goes on to say that God forgave the sin. It did not affect anyone’s individual salvation, but the physical consequences of their sin did need to be paid. Once a point of no return is reached, no matter how much repenting one does thereafter, the fact of coming physical judgment cannot be changed…[I]n the Old Testament, the issue is physical death and loss of temporal blessings but not loss of salvation.3

Like Israel, the readers of Hebrews risked facing a similar penalty because they were on the verge of their own irrevocable rebellion, as described in Heb 3:7–4:13. So the author warned them that since Jesus is greater than Moses (3:3-6), the penalty for rebelling against Him would be worse than that experienced by Israel. The Hebrews were warned that they should not harden their hearts as in the rebellion. The Israelites did not enter God’s rest, and the Hebrews risked the same fate if they departed from the living God (3:12).

The big question is, what is “God’s rest”? Does it mean the Hebrews were at risk of not entering heaven? Does it mean they were going to miss out on eternal life?

The evidence strongly suggests that once again this is a reference to the Messianic kingdom. There are three reasons for taking it that way.

First, the concept of rest had a Messianic meaning. The Israelites who entered Canaan never possessed it fully so they developed a Messianic expectation that God’s promises to them would be completely fulfilled in the future. That’s why the author explained if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day (4:8, HCSB). There was another day coming, when the Messiah would establish His kingdom in the land, finally providing an ultimate rest for the people of God (4:9; cf. Isa 11:10).

[This has in view the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel alone of the New Covenant as stipulated in Jer 31:31-34 which study has in view all of a generation of Israelites yet future trusting alone in Christ alone and being tranformed .

Second, the gospel that was preached to the Hebrews, and which the Israelites did not believe (not being mixed with faith), was not the message of how to be born again. The Bible mentions several different gospels, one of the most important being the “gospel of the kingdom,” which was the good news that the Messiah had come and was offering the kingdom to Israel. That is the gospel being referred to here. The Israelites didn’t believe the rudimentary message about God’s promise of inheriting a land of milk and honey (Exod 3:17). Likewise, the Hebrews were at risk of missing God’s promise of a Messianic rest if they neglected what they heard about His future reign (1:1-14).

Third, the rest being spoken of is conditioned on something other than faith, which suggests it is related to eternal rewards, not to eternal life. As we know, we receive everlasting life as a gift, apart from our works (Eph 2:8-9). God credits righteousness to the ungodly who simply believe and do not work (Rom 4:5). By contrast, eternal rewards are earned by being faithful (1 Cor 3:11-15; Rev 22:12). So when the author of Hebrews warned his readers they will be companions of Christ if they hold steadfast to the end (3:14), and they may not enter the rest because of disobedience (4:6, 11), he was using the language of eternal rewards. Remaining Christ’s companions who will share in His rule is entirely conditional on whether or not their faith has become profitable (4:2). A believer’s faith must be put into action in order for it to be profitable (e.g., maintaining one’s confession during persecution or providing for the physical needs of the poor, cf. Jas 2:14-16). Paul Tanner points out that if the Hebrews didn’t put their faith into action, if, instead, they actually apostatized, they wouldn’t lose their eternal salvation, but they would risk being disciplined by God and losing rewards in the kingdom, such as being a companion of the Messiah.4 They needed to understand that once the kingdom came, and the rest was entered, believers will have ceased from their works. The rewards will already have been given at the Judgment Seat of Christ and there will be no more opportunity for eternal rewards.

In sum, this warning compares Israel possessing Canaan with the believer entering the “rest” of the Messianic kingdom, where Christ’s enemies will be vanquished. However, not every believer will share in Christ’s eternal victory as His companions. If the Jewish believers left Christ for Judaism, they would suffer God’s temporal judgment and miss ruling with the Messiah in His kingdom.

Conclusion

If we interpret the first two warnings in Hebrews as being about a possible loss of everlasting life, we not only deny Jesus’ promise of eternal security (John 10:28-29), but we also fail to do justice to the rich Messianic imagery of Hebrews and the promise of a kingdom still to come. Believers should derive hope from the fact that one day soon, if we are faithful, we will rule with Christ as His companions. But we should also realize there will be consequences if we rebel against Him in this life.
S) The Warning Passages in Hebrews (Part 1) – Grace Evangelical Society (faithalone.org)