The Heart of the Father

The writer of Hebrews has forcefully shown the superiority of the person and work of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice took place once and is fully sufficient for all who place faith in Him alone. Now, he begins a transition which focuses on the believer’s responsibility within the New Covenant. The old was a matter of works but the new is fully of grace. Yet, there is the privilege Christians have to live what we believe empowered by God’s provision.

This section emphasizes the difference between Jesus’ sacrifice and those of the old system. Again, there is the mention that His sacrifice was once for all time. Then, he digs deeper to show why Jesus’ sacrifice is superior by citing Psalm 40:6-8, In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

These verses show the heart of the Father and the Son. According to Douglas Mangum, Through a bold interpretation of an obscure phrase in an ancient psalm, the author places the words of the psalmist (Ps 40:6–8) into the mouth of Christ at his incarnation. We read that the Father is not satisfied with animal sacrifices but with the sacrifice of obedience. The Son declares that He came to do the will of the Father. Note John 4:34, Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Jesus did not make a mistake by dying on the cross. He had submitted Himself fully to the will of His Father. They planned the journey to Golgotha together for you and for me. David Brown got it right, The whole work of redemption flows from “the will” of God the Father, as the First Cause, who decreed redemption from before the foundation of the world. And William Barclay, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because he perfectly did God’s will. He took himself and said to God: ‘Do with me as you will.’ He brought to God on behalf of men and women what no one had been able to bring—the perfect obedience, that was the perfect sacrifice.

These verses move from the plans of God to their fulfillment. Relish verse 10, And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. The key word to this passage is sanctified. It is speaking not only of positional sanctification (justification) but glorification, as well. What Jesus accomplished on the cross not only declared us righteous but guarantees our complete sanctification. Ray Stedman, The Greek expression for made holy (sanctified) indicates action with a lasting effect. We have been made holy by the death of Jesus, and we remain holy even though we struggle with daily weakness and sin . . . It is a holiness obtained by faith, not by self-righteous effort, and it is not lost by momentary failure.

Who Jesus is and what He did for us is almost too wonderful to imagine. Just think that it was planned from heaven between the Father and Son for you and me. That should give sufficient cause for us to want live what we believe. Such amazing truth is a solid basis for encouraging believers to heed the writer’s instructions in the rest of the Book of Hebrews.

I hope you will join our journey through Hebrews under the Books of the Bible tab. We must move forward motivated by grace, knowing that the favor received comes from our incomparable God and goes back to Him.

A Key to Learning

Most teachers and students would agree that a key to learning is repetition. Whether it be learning another language or mathematical formulas, memorization is a valuable tool for developing competency in a subject. As one works through the Letter to the Hebrews, especially the current section, Hebrews 8:1-10:18, it appears that the writer was directed by the Holy Spirit to incorporate repetition concerning the work of Christ. The concepts of serving, suffering and sacrificial death by our Savior are ever before us.

It is a sad and callous response of a Christian to take our Savior for granted. Let’s consider the work of our Savior as something deeper than we can ever humanly master. It is reuniting humanity and divinity not through human effort but divine grace. I am thankful for the repetition. I need to be ever mindful that what I have gained through Christ is greater than anything I could attain on my own. Take a few moments to be reminded of what He has done for us. I hope the following quotes will strengthen our resolve to be ever grateful for Whose we are.

• Ray Stedman, When the new covenant replaces the old, it not only removes sin through the death of Jesus but provides a new understanding and a new intimacy that make the service of God a delight and an enriching experience.

• R. Kent Hughes, When he gave us the grace to believe, he activated his saving power in our lives—paying for our sins past, present and future.

• Charles Spurgeon, If I have any grace or any covenant blessing, it did not come to me because I was heir to it by nature, or because I had purchased it, or because of any right intrinsic in myself, but because Jesus, when He died, had a right to make His will as He pleased, and He so made it that He would give Himself and all that He had to such a poor, needy, empty, lost, and guilty sinner as I am.

• R. Kent Hughes, As soon as he took his seat at the Father’s right hand, he began his intercession for us. What is more, he was in his newly acquired human body, perfectly sensitized to our humanity by his life and death.

• William Newell, Whether therefore we look at man’s fearful need, or at the display of the infinite mercy and love of God; or whether we look at the ages past or at the ages to come, that manifestation of Christ to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself will be the theme forever.

• William Barclay, We may look to the end of things with joyous expectation or with shuddering terror. What makes the difference is how our hearts are with Christ.

• Warren Wiersbe, The true believer walks by faith, not by sight. No matter what may happen on earth, a believer can be confident because everything is settled in heaven.

One day, around the throne of God, we will be repeating, forever, Hallelujah, what a Savior. I encourage you to join the study of Hebrews under the Books of the Bible tab. The Bible is repetitive but deeper than we can ever imagine.

The Eternal Spirit

The writer of Hebrews centers his focus on Jesus’ superior priesthood by emphasizing His superior sacrifice in chapters 9 and 10. It is amazing to think that all the animal sacrifices over many centuries were only a picture of a single sacrifice to come. A move from lesser to greater is used as the writer describes the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood and then moves to the all-sufficient, once for all, sacrifice of Jesus, our High Priest.

Much can be written concerning Jesus’ amazing sacrifice but I would like to focus on one verse, Hebrews 9:14, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. The writer's how much more moves the reader to the priority of that wondrous sacrifice of Jesus. In this verse, I want to examine one phrase, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, specifically, the eternal Spirit.

There is much debate concerning the meaning of eternal Spirit. Some believe it is speaking of the Holy Spirit. It would show the working of the Father, Son and Spirit in the sacrifice of Jesus. Consider the comments of two respected theologians.

• William Newell, It is beyond measure blessed that we find here all three Persons of

the Godhead occupied in our salvation! First, it is God to Whom the atoning

sacrifice for our sin is to be made; second, it is Christ Who offers Himself to this end;

third, it is through the eternal Spirit that He offered Himself without blemish.

• William L. Lane, The formulation does not occur elsewhere in the NT or early

Christian literature, but it may be understood as a designation for the Holy Spirit.

Others believe it refers to Jesus’ eternal spirit. Consider the responses of the following Godly men.

• Charles Spurgeon, The Spirit of Christ was an eternal spirit, for it was the Godhead.

There was conjoined with His deity the natural life of a perfect man, but the eternal

spirit was His highest self. His Godhead willed that He should die, and concurred in

the death of the manhood, so that by the eternal spirit He offered Himself.

• Charles Ryrie, If this refers to Christ’s eternal spirit, then it is not a reference to the

divine nature offering up the human nature, but to the entire person offering up

Himself by the action of the highest spirit-power within Him. His own divine spirit

was involved in the offering of the God-man.

• Marvin Vincent, The offering was the offering of Christ’s deepest self—his inmost

personality. Therein consists the attraction of the cross; not to the shedding of

blood, but to Christ himself.

I strongly lean toward the latter view since who He is determines what He can do. Jesus is the only (past, present, future) theanthropic person, one person with two natures, divine and human. He submitted the use of His divine attributes to the discretion of the Father while Jesus was on earth. The Gospels reveal His dual natures on numerous occasions.

Especially, I think of the cross when Jesus cried out, Mark 15:34, . . . My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That was a powerful cry from the depth of Jesus’ humanity. A few moments later, Mark 15:37-38, And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Here, I can imagine the force of His deity declaring His job was fully completed as His authoritative command ripped the temple veil in two. His sacrifice alone gives direct access to God for now and into eternity.

Of course, I do not want to belittle the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the focus of Hebrews is on the superiority of Jesus Christ Who is our superior High Priest and Sacrifice. Our atonement is superior because of Who Jesus is as noted by Marvin Vincent, Atonement is eternal in virtue of the eternal spirit of Christ through which he offered himself to God. Charles Hodge writes of the infinitely superior dignity of his person. Also, Louis Berkhof, The priestly work of Christ is most clearly represented in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where the Mediator is described as our only real, eternal, and perfect High Priest, appointed by God, who takes our place vicariously, and by His self-sacrifice obtains a real and perfect redemption.

What a High Priest, what a Sacrifice, what a Savior! I am humbled to call Him my Lord. I encourage you to join the study of Hebrews under the Books of the Bible tab. It is worth the effort.