The Salvation of Our Souls

We have been in this study in
Hebrews for nine weeks, I think, 10 perhaps. And so if you would
take your Bibles and turn to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews
chapter 10 is where we have nestled in. In the past nine weeks, we’ve
been engaged in a pretty unique approach in our study of this
great epistle to the Hebrews. We’re focused upon the recurring
admonitions in this epistle, using those kind of as stepping
stones through this letter, and it sets for us a different pace
than if we were to do a verse-by-verse, chapter-in-verse study. We’ve
seen from the start that there are two major divisions in this
epistle. Doctrinal from chapter 1 verse
1 all the way through chapter 10 verse 18. Rich, heavy doctrine
as we have considered in the weeks past. And then two weeks
ago, having concluded a consideration of the doctrinal portion all
the way up to chapter 10 verse 18, We rounded the corner into
the practical section of this letter, which really is the remaining
verses from 1019 all the way to the end of the letter. I suggested
the simple title for this latter portion of the book as Lessons
from the Preeminence of Christ, because the whole first portion
of the book is all about the preeminence of Christ. Our writer
is still all about the great goal of laying exhortation
after exhortation upon his readers. And we have almost constantly
been reminded that these exhortations and admonitions, while written
to first century Jewish converts to Christianity, are indeed enduring. They are for us as well. And
we saw, as our writer laid before us, a sure doctrinal foundation,
a foundation of truth, together with appropriate applications
by way of these exhortations. We’ve called them divine encouragements
for saints imperiled. not only because of what these
first century believers were facing, but because of what we
are facing in our own day. When we embarked on this study
nearly three months ago, who could have conceived where we
find ourselves today? This was a passing cold, this
virus, that we were going to cooperate and be done with in
a matter of weeks. There was racial tension three
months ago. But who would have conceived
that it would have reached this fever pitch that we find ourselves
today? We are in a trial, not only as
a nation, but as a world. We are imperiled, and Christians
more so than anyone. But we are not without instruction.
We are not without help. We are not without divine encouragements
on how to face these trials. As we have seen, if we are to
glorify Christ in the midst of a great trial, we must, first
of all, listen to the one who is greater than the angels. That
was the content of chapters one and two. In chapters three and
four, we learned that we must come to the one whose salvation
is greater than Moses. That was the content of chapters
3 and 4. In chapters 4 and 5, the end
of 4 and throughout 5, we learn that we must draw near with confidence
to the throne of grace. In chapter 5, 11, all the way
down through chapter 6, verse 20, We were reminded that if
we are to glorify Christ in midst of great trial, we must become
spiritual adults. And then there is a great gap
where there are no exhortations. Chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter
9. You have to go all the way to
chapter 10 before the writer resumes these exhortations. And
there in chapter 10, he gives us our fifth admonition, that
we are to cultivate an intimate relationship with a holy God. That idea would have been unthinkable
to the Jew. To approach the holy God was
the priest’s duty, and only once a year if he lived through it. And then in chapter 10 verse
23, which verses we considered last Lord’s day. If we are to
glorify Christ in great trial, we must fulfill our obligation
to the body of Christ. We must take care of one another.
We must encourage one another. Let us consider how to stimulate
one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own
assembly together. And now, in the passage before
us, this faithful writer continues his admonitions in verses 35
through 39. He’s still standing on the solid
foundation that he has laid in the finished work of Christ,
who is the mediator of a better covenant, the priest of a better
tabernacle, the sacrifice of a better atonement. And that
provided them a confidence that was so strong that it revealed
itself in a deepened relationship with God. And that brings us
to the close of chapter 10, verses 35 through 39, where he admonishes
us, number seven, if we are to glorify Christ in great trial,
we must persevere to the salvation of our souls. Read along with me, if you would,
beginning in verse 35. Therefore, do not throw away
your confidence, which has a great reward, for you have need of
endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may
receive what was promised. For yet, in a little, very little
while, he who is coming will come and will not delay. But
my righteous one shall live by faith, And if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink
back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving
of the soul.” The writer has again and again
built upon this foundation, almost as if he’s laying brick by brick,
one admonition after the other. And he comes to this, the seventh
consideration, that if we are to glorify Christ in the midst
of this great trial, and I mean not only the virus, not only
the difficulties that we face because of it, but even the tension
that we have seen in these last several weeks, but especially
the persecution that we face as Christians. If we are to glorify
Christ in the midst of a great trial, Number seven, we must
persevere to the salvation of our souls. That is his great theme as he
closes out chapter 10. The salvation of souls, our own. And he urges upon believers perseverance,
a steadfastness. And he wants to give us three
snapshots of that Perseverance first of all you see Beginning
in verse 35 the motivation to perseverance the motivation to
perseverance Where he says therefore do not throw away your confidence,
which has great reward For you have need of endurance So that
when you have done the will of God you may receive What was
promised our writer? with a steadfast determination,
maintains his course. He has only recently commended
them for their faithfulness in the past. Look back, if you would,
at verse 32. Remember the former days, when
after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,
partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches
and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those
who were so treated? For you showed sympathy to the
prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property,
knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting
one.” Their Christian testimony was solid. They had loved their
fellow saints practically and generously. They had withstood,
by God’s grace, the horrific persecution of the early church.
But yet he doesn’t hesitate to press upon them a fresh motivation
for faithfulness in the future. And he begins by urging them
not to throw away their confidence. How frequently he has urged this
very thing upon these readers to hold fast, to keep a good
firm grip He said it in chapter 3, verse 6, hold fast your confidence. In Hebrews 3, 14, hold fast the
beginning of our assurance. In 4, 14, let us hold fast our
confession. And again, as we saw last week,
let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.
And here, with the same basic metaphor, he abruptly switches
the perspective. Instead of urging them to hold
fast, once again, he strongly challenges them not to throw
away their confidence. This graphic imagery in his use
of this word, and we get only a little bit of help from the
only other place in the New Testament where this word is used. Mark
chapter 10, we don’t have time to turn, but you remember the
story of blind Bartimaeus, right? Comes face to face with Christ,
Christ heals him. But there’s a detail there that
we probably never caught or didn’t pay much attention to. When he heard that it was Jesus
the Nazarene that was approaching him, he began to cry out and
say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Many were sternly
telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more,
Son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus stopped and said, Call
him here. So they called the blind man, saying to him, Take
courage. Stand up. He’s calling you. Throwing aside his cloak. He jumped up and came to Jesus.
And answering him, Jesus said, what do you want me to do for
you? And you know the rest of the story. He was healed. But
it’s that image of throwing aside his cloak. Maybe it was a nice
cloak. Maybe it was made of some decent
fabric. Maybe it was valuable. But it
certainly doesn’t seem so. But in the moment, no matter
how valuable it was, to throw it aside meant that everything
in his view was narrowed to Christ. He could care less about his
coat at that moment. And so this word essentially
has the connotation of casting something off like dirty clothes. It’s quite an image, right? Get this, here’s his exhortation.
You’ve placed your faith in the finished work of a perfect savior. better than angels, better than
Moses, better than Aaron, better salvation, better atonement.
You’ve drawn near in faith to him. Don’t throw it away like
smelly, muddy socks. Don’t throw away your profession
of faith. Don’t throw away your confidence. You may also recall that this
word confidence is also a word that the writer has used again
and again. Listen to the case that the writer
has built in the employment of this word. In chapter three,
verse six, Christ was faithful as a son over his house, whose
house we are if we hold fast our confidence, the foundation
of what we believe. In Hebrews 4.16, let us draw
near with confidence, knowing these truths, knowing that Christ
has called us to himself and has paid our sin in full. Hebrews
10.19, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the
blood of Jesus, let us draw near. Well, we’ve seen that this word
signifies a boldness, a supreme confidence in that which we believe. We believe it. And because of
that, we’re going to stand on it. It’s not arrogant because
it isn’t ourselves that are the ground of this confidence. And
as such, it generates joy in the heart of the believer. It
is a confidence that is attended with joy. One shepherd accurately
described this confidence as open, consistent, fearless adherence
to Christianity. Paul had it, didn’t he? Oh, Paul
had this confidence. 2 Corinthians 3.12, we use great
boldness. Ephesians 3.12, we have boldness
and confident access through faith in him. He had one prayer request of
the Ephesians, that utterance may be given to open my mouth
to make known with boldness. And so our writer of this epistle
challenges his readers. If you have such a confidence
in what God has provided you in the Lord Jesus Christ, your
Savior, how could you even consider casting it aside? Don’t embrace cowardice. Don’t
cave into the culture. Don’t fear man. Such would be the means of tossing
aside your confidence. It is, as it was intended to
be, an unthinkable idea. If you were so enthusiastic,
so divinely energized in the early days of your Christianity,
keep on boldly proclaiming your hope in him. And so his appeal
here is simple. Renew that confidence. Hold it
fast. Don’t cast it aside in the midst
of a trial. And why? Why hold fast? Why shouldn’t we cast it aside? Look at the end of verse 35.
He explains it. Therefore, do not throw away
your confidence, which has great reward. From time to time. You hear of
some poor soul. Who went down to the market and
bought a lottery ticket, and he wrote down the numbers. five
or six numbers, whatever the case may be. But somehow he misplaced
the ticket. And sure enough, the night that
the winning numbers are called, he knows he won. Or has he? Because to his horror,
he has lost the ticket. Why not toss out our confidence?
Because there is great reward in that confidence. There is
great reward for the one that attends to that confidence. The
word here is an interesting one. It speaks of a just recompense. We are going to get exactly what
we deserve. It’s a reward in that sense. Back in chapter two, our writer
used it in the negative sense. He used it in the negative sense
of that grumblesome nation Israel getting exactly what they deserved. Hebrews 2 verse 2, the words
spoken through the angels proved unalterable and every transgression
and disobedience received a just penalty. But he also uses the
word in a much more pleasant sense as he does here, referring
to the glorious blessings that await believers in Christ. They
are our just reward. Hebrews chapter 11 calls Christ
the rewarder of those who seek him. In Hebrews chapter 11, it
speaks of the great prophet Moses, who considered the reproach of
Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt, for he
was looking to the reward. This writer didn’t invent this
imagery. This imagery of a just recompense
is not new. In fact, he likely even heard
it from Jesus himself. Listen to Jesus’ words in the
Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5 verse 11, blessed are
you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say
all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be
glad for your reward in heaven is great. That’s the same language. That’s the same promise. For
the Christian, one who is humbly placed his or her faith in Jesus
Christ for salvation, there awaits a recompense, a just recompense,
a reward, not because of some kind of illegal contract, but
granted by the mercy and grace of God himself. But note, it is laid hold of
by not throwing it away, by holding it fast. And it’s as if our writer
suddenly observes their humanness, as he looks out upon them, their
weak tendencies, their pitiful faith, and he tells them, you
have need of endurance. Look at verse 36. He essentially
tells them, you started well. I watched your lives. He had
just commended them for how they started. You loved and served
the saints, but you’re weak now and you’re vacillating. And really,
frankly, you have a crying shortfall. You have need of endurance. You’re
off to a good start, but it’s a start nothing more You’re gonna need to prepare
yourselves for the long haul is what he tells them It’s not
just a good day of Christianity that we desire. It’s not a good
season but a lifetime of faithfulness that God calls us to and There’s
a reward out there, there will be a just recompense, but there
first must be endurance, patient endurance. You must persevere,
he tells them. Could there, as you look, could
you even find, could there possibly be a greater grace needed for
that day and ours? Godly perseverance, patient endurance. In fact, the sheer breadth of
the use of this word demands a prominent place for this grace
in every age. Jesus spoke of it in the context
of the good soil that received the good seed. Remember? That
good seed was good because it persevered. The good seed and
the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word
in an honest and good heart and hold it fast and bear fruit with
perseverance. But wait to see how plentifully
it’s used to the churches. Paul used this word to either
commend or to admonish nearly every church he wrote, to the
Romans, To those who, by perseverance in doing good, seek for glory
and honor and immortality, eternal life. Romans 2, 7. Romans 5,
verses 3 and 4. Not only this, we exult in our
tribulation, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance. Romans
8, 25. If we hope for what we do not
see with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it. Romans 15, 4
and 5. Second Corinthians 1, 6. It is for your comfort which
is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings we also
suffer. He says it again in chapter 6
verse 4, again in chapter 12 verse 12, and then to the Colossians
he writes, which words we just read, strengthened with all power
according to his glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness
and patience. to the Thessalonians chapter
1 verse 3, constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and
labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. He says it again in 2 Thessalonians
3 verse 5, to young Timothy, he wrote, flee from these things,
you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance,
and gentleness. He echoed that in his second
letter to Timothy chapter three, verse 10, and also to Titus. Older men are to be temperate,
dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. We need perseverance. We need endurance. They need
it in first century Christianity. It’s no different today. The
writer of Hebrews echoes it in chapter 12, verse one. Let us
run with endurance. the race that is set before us.
James, which book we just studied, the testing of your faith produces
endurance. Second Peter 1.6, in your self
control, add perseverance. Now you ask me, why did we just
read through the entire concordance? It was only one page. The point
in noting all of that is to point out that there was a desperate
need for endurance in the early church just as there is today. But the question inevitably arises,
what if they didn’t perform? What if they got tired and gave
in and gave up? What if they didn’t persevere?
What if they didn’t endure? It’s a classic, long-standing
question argued throughout the first century, pardon me, throughout
church history. Do those who do not endure lose
their salvation? That got your attention, didn’t
it? It’s not a new problem. For all time, there have been
people who make these grand professions of faith. We hear it, we see
it. And just like those little sprouts that Jesus talked about
in the parable of the soils, who for a time look just like
the real thing. They look just like Christians.
But just as the parable goes on to tell us, in time they wither
and they die. The problem arises when a believer
falls away, when he doesn’t persevere. What happened? Did they lose
their salvation? The Bible tells us that not everyone
who makes a profession of faith is actually and really saved.
I want you to know that While this question has been debated
for centuries, I do not see the real answer to this question
as controversial at all. There’s one perspective that
teaches this, the Arminian perspective, which basically says that if
a person fails to persevere, he does not endure to the end,
they lose their salvation. Their position is that, yes,
salvation can be lost. And then a more biblical, a more
biblically minded group of scholars, reformers, came along and unequivocally
said, no, absolutely not. A true Christian can never lose
their salvation. I much prefer the way R.C. Sproul
spoke of salvation years ago, if you have it, that is, if you
have genuine faith and are in a state of saving grace, you
will never lose it. If you lose it, you never had
it. If God has chosen someone for
salvation, from eternity past. And if Christ in time has paid
for their sin, they cannot be lost. God will preserve them
in their faith. They will be brought through
to eternal glory. They will endure. They will persevere. And so, you may already know
that this is known in theology as the doctrine of the perseverance
of the saints. The older confessions, the 1689,
the Westminster, because they were forged in the fires of the
Reformation, both address this important doctrine. Listen, this
is just one paragraph from the 1689 confession. As God has appointed
the elect to glory, I mean, can you imagine the idea that God
conceives of a plan, makes a decision, but doesn’t have the means to
carry it through? That’s blasphemous. As God has appointed the elect
to glory, so He has foreordained all the means to it. Wherefore,
they who are elected are effectually called to faith in Christ by
His Spirit, working in due season. They are justified, adopted,
sanctified, and kept by His power through faith to salvation. Now let me acknowledge, not everyone
who speaks about this doctrine likes the particular title, The
Perseverance of the Saints, because it seems to suggest the idea
that it’s up to the believer largely or exclusively to persevere,
to hang on to God as it were. Because of that, many choose
to refer to this doctrine as the preservation of the saints,
pointing a bit more clearly to God as the one who is to be credited
with every aspect of salvation. Either way, as long as we remain
clear on the idea that salvation from eternity past to eternity
future is all of God and nothing of us, It is all of grace and
due only to the magnanimous love of God. As the Puritan Richard Baxter
put it, in our first paradise in Eden,
there was a way to go out, but no way to go in again. But as
for the heavenly paradise, there is a way to go in, but not a way to go out. A true
Christian is going to patiently endure. He is going to grow in
Christ. He is going to mature. He is
going to grow in his sanctification. He is going to persevere to the
end. He cannot be lost. He cannot
lose his salvation. How else could Jesus have said
this? John chapter six, all that the
father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to
me, I will certainly not cast out. For I’ve come down from
heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent
me. This is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has
given me, I lose nothing. Or later on in John chapter 10,
in the parable of the good shepherd, or the chapter regarding the
good shepherd, John chapter 10 verse 27, my sheep hear my voice
and I know them and they follow me. And I give eternal life to
them and they will never perish and no one, not even the devil
himself, will snatch them out of my hand. A true Christian
cannot be lost or stolen. They will not fail to persevere. This is Paul’s great comfort
in Romans 8, right? Who’s going to bring a charge
against God’s elect? Who will separate us from the
love of Christ? Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine,
nakedness, peril, sword. I’m convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created
thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. As J.C. Ryle put it, no soldiers
of Christ are ever lost or missing or left dead on the battlefield. But that isn’t because of their
own self-determination or their own strength or their dedication
or faithfulness. It is because of God’s faithfulness. There’s an entire chapter. In the confession regarding the
perseverance of the saints, I would just share one little tidbit
with you. Listen to this. Those whom God has accepted in
the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his spirit,
given the precious faith of his elect, can neither totally nor
finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere
to the end and be saved. That is an echo of the truth
of God’s word. Glanced down, if you would, at
verse 36. You have need of endurance so that when you have done the
will of God. You may receive what is promised. This final
clause at the end of verse 36 is really just a reiteration
of what has already been stated. When he says, when you have done
the will of God, he is refreshing his plea that they not throw
away their confidence and that they should endure. That is God’s
will. And when that is accomplished,
they receive the promise, the great reward. I mean, let’s ponder
this simple statement. Look at it. You have need of
endurance so that when you have done the will of God, you may
receive what was promised. He really does say this. When you have done the will of
God, you will receive. It sounds like a contract. You
say that sounds very much like salvation by works, that if I
do this, if I do these series of things, I’ll be saved. It’s not salvation by works.
It’s salvation by grace because God is the one who is supplying
what is necessary all the way. The ability to endure, the ability
to do the will of God, the ability to maintain confidence. But it’s
no less true that it must be done. The child of God must persevere
to the end. He must fulfill God’s will. And
the amazing thing is that though it is all of God, that God does
reward his children in the end. It’s just a remarkable statement.
We are justly recompensed in the end, even though it was all
God’s grace that saved us, that sanctified us, that equipped
us. But again, this is not done in
our human power, nor is it done without divine grace. Peter represents
a beautiful description of what this looks like at the opening
of his chapter, his first chapter of the second epistle. Would
you just turn their second Peter chapter one? Second Peter chapter
one. It’s a great picture of what
this looks like. to be called by God and placed
into His service purely by His grace, and then at the end, to
be blessed because of it. First of all, look at the divine
supply. This is God’s part. Verse two, grace and peace be
multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our
Lord, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything
pertaining to life and godliness. through the true knowledge of
him who has called us into his own glory and excellence. For
by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent
promises, in order that by them you may become partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world by lust.” That’s God’s part. But look at the personal
diligence required that immediately follows. Look at verse five now
for this reason, very reason also applying all diligence. In your faith, supply moral excellence.
In your moral excellence, knowledge. And in your knowledge, self-control. In your self-control, perseverance.
In your perseverance, godliness. In your godliness, brotherly
kindness. In your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities
are yours, and they are increasing, they render you neither useless
nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s
not either or. It’s God pouring his grace through
us to do these things. One faithful commentator, John
Brown, said, the scripture doctrine of the perseverance of the elect
is one thing, and the application of it to individuals is quite
another. In other words, he says you can be as theological as
you want to be sitting at a desk. But to begin to work through
that problem is a it’s a challenging equation, isn’t it? No elect
person can know that he is an elect person until he believes
the gospel. Or that he can persevere to the
end, but until he is actually persevering in faith and holiness,
until you have the grace of God coursing through you, you don’t
know. The question is not, he says, whether the elect shall
persevere. That is a clearly revealed truth. The question is, am I among the
number? This I cannot know but by believing
and persevering in believing. There’s a second snapshot that
he gives us of this perseverance. Not only this motivation for
perseverance in verses 35 and 36, but the undergirding support,
the support for this perseverance in verses 37 and following. Look
at this. For yet in a very little while,
he who is coming will come and will not delay, but my righteous
one shall live by faith. And if he shrinks back, my soul
has no pleasure in him. Well, the writer here knows his
readership. He knows that they are faithful
students of their Bible, the Old Testament, the only Bible
available to them in that day. And he calls them back to the
minor prophet of Habakkuk, who spoke not only of the faithfulness
of Almighty God, but of his promised salvation. A salvation that promised
righteousness, that which mankind most lacked. A righteousness
not of their own, but bestowed on them by faith. Look at verse
37. For yet in a very little while,
as I said, the bulk of this quote is from Habakkuk. And I have
to warn you ahead of time, it’s very loose. If you go right back
to your Old Testament and read it in the English text, it doesn’t
seem to match what Habakkuk was saying. What a writer is doing
is not only looking back into the Hebrew translation of the
Old Testament. He’s drawing also from the Greek
translation, the Septuagint, and he’s also interpreting what
was written under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.
A writer opens here with an allusion to a statement in Isaiah 26,
where he says, for a little while. It’s coming. The promise is coming. It’s coming. He says in just
a little while, in a very short period of time. And what he points
to here when he turns to the statement of Habakkuk 2 is the
coming of no other than the Messiah himself. Now Habakkuk, the prophet,
was originally foretelling God’s conquering of the Chaldeans.
Remember that story? And as we’ve seen several times
in this epistle, the writer here, indwelt and guided by the Holy
Spirit himself, clarifies even the Old Testament scriptures
when he adds here, he who is coming will come and will not
delay. In no uncertain terms, he points
to the imminence of Christ’s return. The coming one, the expected
one, was effectively a messianic title. So what our writer takes
Habakkuk to mean here is that the salvation that Christ brings
will not be delayed. He who is coming, the coming
one, will come. Glance at verse 38. As he’s already
done again and again in this section, he uses Habakkuk’s words
to urge his readers of responsibility, their perseverance, or as here,
their faith, not a decision of faith or a moment of faith or
even a lengthy season of faith, but entrance into a life of faith. My righteous one, shall live
by faith.” Of course, this verse is the verse that Paul, in his
argument in Romans 117, chapter 3, verse 21, Galatians 3, uses
to advance the doctrine of justification by faith. Justification by faith
is the foundation of the gospel, the foundation of Christianity
itself. And Paul succinctly captures
this idea in a single verse, 2 Corinthians 5, 21. He, that
is God the Father, made him, that is Jesus Christ, who knew
no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness
of God in him. It’s that last phrase that should
especially catch our attention. Righteousness refers to God’s
moral excellence, but we are inherently sinful. How could
it ever be that we might become the righteousness of God? Faith. It’s by faith. One Puritan said,
it’s the man justified by believing that is saved. The man justified
by believing is not the man who has believed merely, but the
man who continues believing. The man who shall live who obtains
true permanent happiness. This is the great doctrine of
justification by faith. It’s instantaneous. It’s a declaration
by God himself declaring us righteous. Reckoning us as such simply because
of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are justified as a
gift of his grace through the redemption which is in Jesus
Christ. It’s the greatest of all of God’s gifts. It’s salvation
itself. No wonder the writer adds this
final clause. And if he shrinks back, my soul
has no pleasure in him. To shrink back out of cowardice
or shame is to repudiate God’s great gift won through the sacrifice
of his son on the cross. This word shrink back is used
in Galatians 2. Remember what Paul is dealing
with there? Peter’s shameful behavior of
turning his back on Gentile believers for fear of the Jews. Paul noted
prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat
with the Gentiles. But when they came, he began
to withdraw and hold himself aloof. fearing the party of the
circumcision, it just means to recoil from something you once
held dear. Shameful behavior. Paul uses
the same word twice in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 20, to
decry the very idea that he would ever shrink back from proclaiming
the gospel. Likewise, for one to turn one’s
back on God’s gift of salvation, such appalling behavior could
only lead to destruction. And that’s precisely what he
tells us. If he shrinks back, my soul, that is God’s soul,
has no pleasure in him. There’s a third snapshot in closing,
very short. We find it in verse 39, not only
the motivation for perseverance in verses 35 and 36, the support
for perseverance, essentially justification by faith in verses
37 and 38. But in verse 39, we finally see
the fruit of perseverance. What does it look like in the
end? Look at verse 39, but we are
not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those
who have faith to the preserving of the soul. We are not of those who shrink
back to destruction. Here again, in a pattern our
writer has shown over and over again in this epistle. Immediately following an exceedingly
heavy warning, He follows with a shepherdly, upbeat note of
encouragement. Look here, he even puts himself
in with them. We are not of those who shrink
back. We cannot be those who turn our
backs on God’s gifts and graces that impart no less than salvation
itself. We are not faithless or flippant. We are not weak in faith. Whatever
the reason, the outcome is sure. To repudiate Christ is to bring
down eternal destruction. That, the writer says, is not
us. Look at the second statement.
But of those who have faith through the preserving of the soul. No,
we are not so many who would forsake our Savior, turn our
backs on him, cast him aside. Rather, we are those of whom
Habakkuk spoke, of whom Paul spoke when he articulated time
after time the doctrine of justification by faith. We are those who, by
God’s grace alone, are preserved believing. We persevere in our
faith. to salvation, or as our translators
have it, to the preserving of our souls. It is by faith. Justification is by faith. Salvation
is by faith. It has always been by faith. But what does faith look like
in practical terms, especially in the face of such uncertainty
as they found themselves? as we find ourselves, such heartache,
such turmoil, such strife, such ungodliness, how do we endure? By faith. What does that look
like? The writer tells us. Look at
Hebrews chapter 11. Now faith is the assurance of
things hoped for. the convictions of things not
seen. For by faith the men of old gained
approval. By faith we understand that worlds
were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen was
not made out of things which are visible. By faith, Abel offered
to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained
the testimony that he was righteous, testifying about his gifts. And
through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. By faith, Enoch
was taken up so that he would not see death, and he was not
found because God took him up, for he obtained the witness that
before his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. Without
faith, it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God
must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who
seek him. By faith, Noah, being warned
by God about things not seen, in reverence prepared an ark
for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world
and became an heir of righteousness, which is according to faith.
By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed, going out to
a place which he was to receive for an inheritance, for he went
out not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as
an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling
in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking for the city
which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive
even beyond proper time of life, since she considered him faithful
who had promised. Therefore, there was born even
of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants
as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which
is on the seashore. And then the writer adds this
note, verse 13, all these died in faith. Faith is nothing new.
Faith is not a new requirement. And it is multifaceted. Your
journey is gonna be quite different than Abraham’s, I can assure
you. The challenges that you face will be very different than
what Moses faced. All these died in faith without
receiving the promises but having seen them and having welcomed
them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers
and exiles on the earth. We don’t belong here. This is
not our home. As Peter would say, we are just
passing through. The writer goes on to add example
after example, and he closes with these words in verse 39.
All these, having gained approval through their faith, did not
receive what was promised, because God had provided something better
for us, so that apart from them, they would not be made perfect. It’s always by faith. It’s always
been by faith. Let’s go before our Savior. Our
merciful God, we thank you and praise you for your word to us,
these sobering and solemn words, this call to endurance and faithfulness. Lord God, we know that if it
were up to us, we would fail miserably, even by the end of
the day, but it’s not up to us. You give us an eternal supply. You give us divine enablement. You give us your grace. To do
what you’ve called us to do. To endure in this fallen world,
to continue to hold fast to what we’ve confessed. To the very
source of our confidence. We pray for that grace. We pray
to be found faithful. We pray all of these things in
Jesus name. Amen.