Hebrews 12:6 …those whom the Lord loves He disciplines.
 
Throughout Scripture there are examples of people suffering and of God’s people being disciplined—in the case of His faithful people, discipline being a mark of His love, not His wrath. Notably in Hebrews 12:5-6, the author quotes King Solomon who wrote, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12). That said, the examples of God’s discipline for His children in Scripture come to various people for various reasons.
           
First, we note the example of David, king over all of Israel, a man sought by God after King Saul’s failures—a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). He was loved by God, directed and protected by God, and appointed to be king over Israel by God. His early years, though filled with victories like the defeat of Goliath and the success he had as Saul’s servant, were also filled with struggles and loneliness. By the time David became king, he was mighty and seen as a great man of God. All of Israel regarded David as great, their nation being blessed because of his faithful relationship with God. Then David sinned, committing adultery with Bathsheba and impregnating her, later ordering her husband to the front lines of battle where he would be killed. Why? In order to take Bathsheba as his own wife and deceive all of Israel into believing that the child she conceived by him was done so after they were married. What was God to do?
           
The answer is that since David was God’s beloved son, he would need to be disciplined for his sinful actions. Although adultery demanded the death penalty in Israel for both parties (Lev. 20:10), God graciously allowed both David and Bathsheba to live. Yet since David was God’s son, there had to be discipline. Not only would the child of their adulterous union die, God decreed to David, “The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2 Sam. 12:10). This is what we might call corrective discipline, for by such discipline, God corrects His children.
           
A second form of discipline carried out by God towards those He loves might be called preventative discipline. This can be illustrated through the Apostle Paul who was given “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment…” (2 Cor. 12:7). What this “thorn” was exactly is debated, but what is known is that Paul had committed no sin to deserve such, at least not like David. Paul knew that God had given him this thorn “because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations” (v. 7) he had received from God. Such revelations and closeness with God might easily have caused Paul to exalt himself, so he knew that God gave him such an infirmity “to keep me from exalting myself.” Although Paul pleaded with God on three occasions to remove the thorn, God’s response to him was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (v. 9). Paul therefore boasted in his weaknesses—in God’s preventative discipline.  
           
A third form of discipline God uses in Scripture might be dubbed educational discipline. Job is a great example of such, for although Job was a righteous man who had committed no blatant sin and who thought he knew God well, God’s discipline brought him to an entirely new understanding of who God was and is. After suffering greatly over an unknown period of time—losing ten children, his wealth, and his heath, Job demanded that God answer for how He had treated Job. Yet after God answered him, Job replied to God, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6). Through divine discipline intended to educate both Job and all who read his account, God educates those He loves—moving us to a greater understanding of His character.

Food For Thought
            How has God disciplined you in your life in your Christian race? Did He remove an idol from you, taking something, or someone, near and dear to you? Has He removed your health, your wealth, a loved one? Perhaps only you can answer whether such discipline is corrective, preventative, or educational. But whichever one it might be, the fact that it happened, or that it is happening, means that God loves you. After all, God disciplines those He loves.
            

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Hebrews 12:5-8 Have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons?  “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

The Hebrews audience needed encouragement. They had endured many sufferings, had been made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and had endured the seizure of their property (Heb. 10:32-34). Also, they had been chastised for their conversion from Judaism to Christianity, and they had been shunned by their own families. But in spite of all this, they had not yet suffered to the point of death (12:4) like their faithful brothers before them (cf. 11:1-40).

Now instead of just leaving this audience with the idea that being a faithful believer in Christ is an intense struggle, the writer informs them that their sufferings were merely part of God’s loving discipline. God actually shows His love and interest in His children through discipline. The writer quoted from Proverbs 3:11-12 asking them, “Have you forgotten?” Apparently they had because they mistook their earthly misfortunes and persecutions for God’s abandonment when in reality their misfortunes and sufferings were clear signs of God’s love and favor toward them. The quote from Proverbs was a reminder to them not to take God’s discipline lightly, for He disciplines those He loves. He even “scourges” (to beat with a whip) “the ones He receives”—showing that He does not receive just anyone, only His true children.

The term “discipline” (Gr. paideia) comes from a root that means “child,” the training of a child. It concerns the education of children in order to develop and mature them as adults. Because of sin, children without discipline grow up to adulthood as selfish tyrants. It takes a loving parent to discipline their children in order to mature them. Predictably, children inherently know that parents who refuse to discipline them don’t really love them. But those who are disciplined appropriately by loving parents typically grow into mature adults.

The author was demonstrating to his audience from their own circumstances that God indeed loved them as sons. Their sufferings were reminders that God had not abandoned them, so they needn’t abandon Him. Satan strives, both then and now, to convince Christians that life’s problems prove that God does not love. But the opposite is true. Scripture rebukes believers in sin, and life’s trials mold them into mature Christians as a loving father molds his son into a man. The "scourges” of God are meant to keep His children reminded of His love.

The frightening passage is v. 8 that speaks of those who are not disciplined by God. They are called “illegitimate” (Gr. nothos)—“not lawful; born out of wedlock.” The clear implication is that those not disciplined by God through perilous trial are simply not His. And if they’re not God’s children, they can only be Satan’s (cf. Matt. 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10).

Food For Thought
Some professed Christians sin willfully and rebelliously but never seem to suffer for such. Likewise, many pastors today refuse to preach the gospel message, opting instead for positive thinking and tradition over truth, believing that truth is too offensive. Yet they continue to grow in wealth and numbers without God’s discipline (cf. Pss. 37; 73). There’s a simple conclusion as to why: God does not consider them His children (12:8). So if you know someone who lives in sin while you struggle daily with God through trials, consider the likelihood that they’re illegitimate children, and you’re a child of God. After all, God disciplines those He loves.
            

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Hebrews 12:3-4 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.
 
The author of Hebrews is admonishing his audience to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12:1)—the “race” (Gr. agon) being the Christian life itself, at times filled with agonizing hurdles. Two vital tactics for effectively running the Christian race are, first, to “lay aside every encumbrance,” and second, to “lay aside the sin which so easily entangles us.” Encumbrances are those habits that are not sinful in and of themselves but that tend to weigh Christians down—from too much TV to social media to busyness to leisure, etc. These should be controlled by Christians, not be controlling over Christians. But of course the sin that easily entangles us must be repented of and shunned for faithfully completing our Christian race. For that is what the race is—a task to be completed and to completed faithfully. It is not a race whereby Christians compete with each other; it is a race of faithfulness from birth to death.
           
The author’s immediate audience were Hebrews (aka, Israelites, Jews) who came to know Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, or Christ. They therefore had converted from Judaism to Christianity. In so doing, they not only invited criticism from their fellow Hebrews who had not converted, they incurred threats of death from the Roman Empire who, from time to time, viewed Christians as enemies of the state.
           
As with most new Christians, the Hebrew Christians experienced many early joys in knowing Christ as Lord and God. The truth of the gospel had set them free, and they wanted everyone they knew to experience their same joy. But then reality set in, and their joy was put to the test by the trials they began to endure in the agon, the race. Old friendships were lost, family bonds were shaken, jobs were lost, and marriages whereby only one partner converted and which were stressed contributed to these Hebrew Christians questioning whether their conversion was worth it all. Added to that, it became clear to all that following Christ did not shield them from all the common frailties of life like ongoing illness, infirmities, and death.
           
All of these issues are what motivated the author of Hebrews to put pen to paper in order to encourage his beat-down brethren. While some of them were still in the race faithfully slugging it out, some were lagging far behind, and some it seems had quit the race altogether and were standing on the sidelines completely out of breath and with little or no motivation to re-enter. They were like many Christians today: downtrodden, depressed, disappointed, tired, and wondering if following Christ is truly worth the struggle.
           
In vv. 3-4, the writer first compares the “author and perfecter of faith,” Jesus, who “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” with the Hebrews audience. Jesus’ race was truly the worst of the worst, for He endured the worst that mankind could dish out, and He ultimately endured the wrath of God for the payment of man’s sin (cf. John 19:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). As a result, Jesus “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (v. 3). He endured hatred, scorn, torture, and death. In comparison to Jesus, the author of Hebrews in v. 4 says, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” So while Jesus endured the worst of the worst, his audience wasn’t really even in the same ballpark. In other words, life for us may be difficult at times, but it’s never as bad as it could be.
 
Food For Thought
            Complaining today about how unfair life is? Playing the victim? Consider all that Jesus endured. He is our model. Since we’re still alive, we can keep on running our race. Faithfully.
            

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Ephesians 4:20b-24 …just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
           
Having heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and taught the truth, those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior learned about Him and had their minds enlightened, moving from darkness to light (4:20-21). They have been delivered from their previous way of life, a life in which they at one time lived according to the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding and being excluded from the life of God—all due to their hardness of heart which produced in them a willful ignorance to the truth of the gospel (4:17-18). They lived in slavery to their own depraved desires, insensitive to their wicked behaviors (4:19).
           
But having come to salvation, Christians “lay aside the old self,” literally, the “old man.” The “old self” is that previous person the Christian was, “being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit.” The present passive participle “being corrupted” speaks literally of “destruction” that is done to the unbeliever by the deceitfulness of sin, for the “corruption,” or destruction, comes from his own “desires of deceit.” In other words, what the unbeliever desires is that which has deceived him into thinking that what he wants is what he needs. One given to sensual lusts, for instance, is deceived into thinking he or she needs to satisfy those lusts by giving in to them. As they give in to them more and more, their consciences become calloused and they live enslaved to their own wicked desires. Paul speaks of this old way of life like an old filthy garment that has been soiled beyond cleaning but removed and thrown away.

Christians, having once lived in slavery to self, remove the “old self” like an old garment needing to be thrown away and are “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” To renew is to become reestablished, or refurbished and improved. This occurs first “in the spirit of your mind.” If one’s former mind was darkness, and the renewed mind is light, then the renewal of the mind results in an entirely new way of life—from the deeds of darkness to the deeds of light.

When believers come to faith in Christ, they “put on the new self,” to replace their old way of living with a clean life in service to Christ. Paul says that this “new self” is “in the likeness of God,” or literally “in God.” The “old self” was in corruption; the “new self” is “in God.” Whereas the Christian was previously “dead in their trespasses and sins” (2:1), in Christ God has “created” them “in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (v. 24).

From a translation position, it is difficult to determine whether Paul uses the three infinitives in vv. 22-24 (lay aside, be renewed, put on) as commands or indicatives. Does he reflect on what is true of Christians, that they have already laid aside their old selves, renewed their minds, and put on the new garment of righteousness? Or is he commanding Christians to do these things? Though the infinitive verbs are present passive and not commands, they do reflect previous commands. Truth is, Christians are renewed at conversion and are delivered from the penalty of their sins. Yet Christians are still susceptible to the corruptions of the world. So, both are true! Christians are new in Christ, and they must strive to live as new creations in Christ.

Food For Thought
            If you were a prisoner with bright orange clothing, no one could mistake you for anything else. And if you were released from prison, would you not remove your prisoner’s clothing and put on new clothes, garments of the free? Clothing should fit the occasion. So too is it fitting that God’s people wear the clothing of righteousness, having thrown away their old self -- for all the world to see.
            

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Romans 13:11-12 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
           
In view of the Christian’s command to love his neighbor as the fruit of his salvation (not the root of salvation) and the fulfillment of the law of God, believers in Christ are to be reminded of the “time” (Gr. kairos) in which they live—the era or season. This “time” concerns the era after Christ’s resurrection, awaiting His return. This era, season, or epoch, is one for action, not self-centered leisure. Kairos and its OT Hebrew equivalent are used frequently in relation to periods of time. For example, during David’s reign as king, the sons of Issachar were described as “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chron. 12:32). Jesus used this term while being tested by His adversaries to perform miracles as a sign that He was the Messiah. In response, Jesus chastised them for not understanding the “times” (Matt. 16:1-3), for if they had understood the “times” (or era of the Messiah) they would have concluded that He was indeed the Messiah. Being in the very center of the era (time) of the Messiah, they missed it!
           
Paul, however, was speaking to redeemed Christians in Rome who knew the time/era which was the time of the Messiah. This does not mean that Paul and the early Church believed that Jesus would return in their lifetimes per se; he merely understood that his generation, as do all generations after Christ, lived during the era in which the second coming of Christ (the Parousia) was imminent—the same era as today. In light of this truth, he was striving to admonish believers everywhere to wake up from their slumber, metaphorically speaking, put off the works of darkness (wicked and loveless deeds), and put on the armor of light (the love of Christ).
           
When Paul says that “salvation is nearer to us than when we believed,” he is stating the obvious—that although salvation was initially accomplished upon simple faith in Christ alone, one’s ultimate salvation awaits the day of Christ’s coming, or one’s death. Of course that day becomes nearer with every passing heartbeat! The “night is almost gone” is merely that for the believer their darkness has passed. The “day” of Christ, being “near,” is therefore imminent!
           
In John 3:19, Jesus makes clear that evil people (godless unbelievers) prefer the dark to the light—“dark” being a metaphor for evil and “light” for the Truth. After all, men’s deeds are evil, and when those deeds are exposed, there is shame. While there is cover in darkness, there is exposure in the light. Evil deeds most often occur under the cover of darkness, and although the doers of wickedness assume they are hidden, the light of God exposes them. Those who crave the darkness are actually admitting to their hatred of the light. It is one’s willful ignorance of God that Paul calls “night.” For willfully ignorant people have left the light (cf. Rom. 1:18-23) while they live and sleep peacefully in their sins. By contrast, those who live by “light” are those who have received divine truth—the Son of righteousness who shines through them. Those who are “awake” are those who are equipped like a soldier for battle to serve and glorify Christ. They are armed with the “armor of light” which enables believers “to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” in their struggle against the rulers, powers, world forces of this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11-12).
 
Food For Thought
Christians are not to live as though this life will continue forever. It won’t! We are to eagerly await our coming Savior (Heb. 9:28) when the day of our complete transformation into Christ’s image will be finalized (1 John 3:2). And on that day we’ll eat the Supper with Jesus (Matt. 26:29) and enjoy the fellowship of His Church from that day and into eternity.
            

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Hebrews 12:3-4 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;.
           
The author exhorts all in v. 3 to “consider” (Gr. analogizomai)—analyze, a Greek term that means “to think about with effort and precision.” In this case, we are to think about Jesus, expressly the “hostility” (Gr. antilogia)—the contemptuous behavior He “endured” (Gr. hupomenō)—that He withstood; remained under. The author could be talking about Jesus’ entire ministry on earth, but he is likely referring more specifically of His passion—His sufferings on the cross and the immediate events that preceded. Worse, Jesus endured what He did not by righteous people with pure motives but “by sinners.” Why would the author want Christians to think so deeply about Jesus’ sufferings? “So that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” It is believed that this phrase was sports lingo in the ancient world for a runner’s exhausted collapse. In relation to Christians, we are to take our trials and difficulties and compare them to what Jesus endured. And lest we think that Jesus was impervious to pain, and His physical sufferings on the cross were somehow easier for Him than the average man, John Henry Newman says this:

           
As compared the Jesus, the writer points out that we, unlike Jesus, “have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (v. 4). In other words, our trials do not even compare to Christ’s who suffered death for the gospel. And He remained faithful unto death, the very worst kind of death preceded by hours of torture on a cross. The message is clear for Christians: we must be totally absorbed with Jesus, not ourselves. As such, we are to turn away from those things that distract us and turn toward He who gives us life through His death, Jesus. It no wonder that reading and re-reading Gospels is so helpful for believers.

Food For Thought
As Christians, we are in the race surrounded by a great cloud of people whose examples call us to be excellent: the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob); the prophets (Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Daniel, Jeremiah); the apostles (Peter, John, Paul); the martyrs (Stephen, Polycarp, Cranmer, Elliott, Saint); the preachers (Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Spurgeon); the missionaries (Carey, Taylor, Carmichael); and there are the countless others we do not know but that God knows who finished their race well. Their very existence, and the stories of their lives, propel us on to finish our own races. Now let us lay aside all encumbrances and sin and finish our race strong!

            

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Hebrews 12:1b-2 …run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
           
Just one bad shoe on a sprinter can cause him or her to lose their race to one who has indeed laid aside his or her encumbrances. Likewise, as every Christian knows, it only takes one sin in our lives, or one encumbrance, to totally sabotage our Christian walk. The Hebrews author writes to encourage his fellow Hebrew Christians, telling them to lay aside all encumbrances and sin in order that they might “run with endurance the race that is set before” them. The Christian race simply cannot be completed faithfully with encumbrances and sin entangling us. Encumbrances and sin will certainly compete for our attention, but with “endurance” (Gr. hupomonē)—steadfast perseverance, we will not only throw them off, we will finish our race faithfully. That is the goal.
           
To “run with endurance” in 12:1 is the main verb in the context, but there is an attendant participle that explains how to run with endurance: “fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (12:2). By “fixing our eyes” (Gr. aphorontes) we direct our attention toward something, namely Jesus, as our example of perfection. Of note here is that the author does not say “Christ” but “Jesus,” perhaps focusing on the example Jesus set for us in His humanity. Jesus endured everything a human endures—from hunger, lack of sleep, betrayal of friends, death of loved ones—even the cruel injustice of being arrested without charge, tried in a kangaroo court, mocked, beaten, scourged, and crucified. Jesus endured it all without ever sinning. That is why God the Father sent His Son—God in flesh to live our lives sinless. Why? Because we cannot not sin. We needed someone to go before us, do what we are unable to do, and win the victory we cannot win. Jesus did this! Now His victory is our victory when we trust in Him. It is truly that simple!
           
Our focus, Jesus, is first called “the author and perfecter of faith” (v. 2). As the “author” (Gr. archēgos) Jesus is the trailblazer, or pioneer—He who established an institution. In this case, Jesus is the author of “faith,” the Christian faith, or Church. As the “perfecter” (Gr. teleiōtēs)—a term that means “finisher; completer,” Jesus completes the Christian faith which is based on the Jewish, or Hebrew, faith. Jesus completes it, for He is the fulfillment of all that God promised.
           
It is this same Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (v. 2). Jesus did not focus on the pain of the cross; rather, He looked to the joy of what His time on the cross would accomplish. Likewise, He did not fear the “shame” of the cross but despised it, looking to the glory of ascending to His Father in heaven where He, “having made purification for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (1:3). So as Jesus focused on the future, looking past present trials, so too must we. Jesus simply looked beyond the here and now to the future glory that awaits all the faithful.

Food For Thought
As a runner is not to look at his or her feet when they run, we as Christians ought not dwell either on our failures or victories. We fix our eyes on Jesus and never move our gaze from Him. After all, Jesus is He who went before us in this race of faith. He gave us life, and He gave us our faith. Certainly He will see us through to the end of the race He put before us. Like Him, we must look beyond the here and now, looking to heaven. Let us set our hope on Christ and our future with Christ—looking to the future joy that awaits us in Christ. Along the way in our race, we will persevere, like Christ if we keep our eye on the ultimate reward. And with our eyes on Him, we will “not grow weary and lose heart” (12:2-3) as our natural enemies rail against us. We have Christ to look at and a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us who did what we’re doing.
            

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Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…
           
The “therefore” in v. 1 calls attention back to the previous context in chapter 11 regarding the long list of faithful men and women from the OT who, though imperfect, simply believed God. They lived by faith while looking to their divine reward in the future. Their faith was “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (11:1, 6).
           
The author of Hebrews was writing to Hebrews, namely Israelites (aka, Jews) who had converted from Judaism to Christianity which is fulfillment of Judaism. Since the sacred writings in Judaism promised a future Messiah who would fulfill all of God’s promises, realized in Jesus of Nazareth, all true Hebrews believed Jesus was, and is, the Messiah, or Christ. These Hebrews, however, were being persecuted by their fellow Hebrews who had not converted to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Also, they lived and ministered the gospel during harsh times of persecution under the Roman emperors. As hated outsiders, the persecution was weakening their faith.
           
The Hebrews author therefore highlighted in chapter 11 the saints who had gone before, who had believed God’s promises without ever receiving them on this side of glory. They endured great persecutions (11:35-38), yet they remained faithful. Like Abel, their faith still speaks loudly in spite of their deaths (11:4). This of course was meant to encourage the discouraged. With the testimony of their heroes before them, perhaps they might be reinvigorated.
           
Therefore, with such a great “cloud of witnesses surrounding” them, those first-century persecuted Hebrew Christians might be encouraged. The mention of “cloud” in v. 1 might have caused them to recall how God had led Israel through the wilderness under Moses—Yahweh “going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way” (Ex. 13:21). The OT saints of chapter 11 acted as a “cloud” to lead those early Christians, as “witnesses surrounding us” (12:1). Yet “witness” (lit. martyr) does not imply that they watch NT saints, like a stadium full of fans. Instead, their example of faithfulness motivates. The only real audience any Christian should care for is God alone, for as Oswald Guinness said, “I live before an audience of One; before others I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain, and nothing to lose.”
           
So with faithful witnesses of the past surrounding us, how ought Christians to live? First, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance…” An “encumbrance” (Gr. ogkos) is an impediment, not necessarily a sin. In a footrace, an encumbrance might be certain clothing, boots, or a heavy coat that slows us down. In the Christian life, an encumbrance might be social media, TV, certain friends, food—none of which are evil in and of themselves but which can encumber one’s walk with Christ. Each of us must identify these and then lay them aside; abandon them altogether.

Second, Christians must “lay aside… the sin which so easily entangles us.” All are sinners, but not all of us struggle with the same specific sins. Some struggle with gluttony, some with the love of money, some with drinking and drugs, some with sensual pleasures, some with envy, and so on. Each of us is to identify what our struggles are and lay them aside; repent. Like a spider web that captures a fly, so too will our sins so easily entangle us—unto death. We must therefore repent of such sins and run our race without impediments to our fellowship with Christ.

Food For Thought
The main verb in Hebrews 12:1 is “run,” “laying aside” encumbrances and “laying aside” sin being participles that describe the most effective way to “run” the Christian race. In this we see that the Christian life is like a race. But it’s not a race to see who finishes first, as is evident in how others lived and died before us, finishing before we were ever born. No, the Christian race is simply a race to finish—to our ultimate end. Each of us has a different route—some are doctors, some athletes, some homemakers, some restaurateurs, some pastors, etc., each with various turns and winding uphill roads leading to their ultimate end. Who knows why some have to struggle harder than others or why others seem to suffer so much worse? But when it’s all over, we will have run our race. May it be the prayer of our lives every day that we live that we live each daily faithfully and that we die faithfully. And when we stand before our Creator, Judge, and Savior one day, He says to us, “Well done good and faithful servant!”  
            

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Hebrews 11:39-40 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

From Abel to Abraham to David to the others, “all of these…gained approval” by God by their faith. The “all” omits none of them, for God would never forget a single one of His faithful children. Faith is what pleases Him (11:6), for it trusts in God and His word—hoping for and being assured of the things not seen that God has promised. For these to have “gained approval,” they received God’s salvation by His grace, through faith. Those who died before Jesus Christ attained salvation based on what Christ would do. Likewise, those who have gained salvation in Jesus Christ following the cross attain salvation by what Christ has done. Both come by faith.

The Apostle Paul said, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18), and each saint mentioned in Hebrews 11 looked toward not only that glory yet to be revealed but also what Peter said was “an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). So because God’s promise is ultimately fulfilled in eternity, it can never be ultimately fulfilled on this side of glory. No wonder v. 39 says that all those OT saints “did not receive what was promised.” They gained the promise but not the promises fulfilled before they died. The ultimate blessing was merely inaugurated in Jesus Christ. But even now all of God’s promises are not entirely fulfilled so that Christians too can look forward in faith to their ultimate completion following Christ’s return (cf. Rev. 19-22).

There were times in the lives of the OT saints listed in Hebrews 11 that their faith saved them from death. But sometimes that same faith brought them death. They were believers of the highest order, trusting God with so little. But what they had, God’s word, was enough. Though their faith was strong, it was limited to the inferiority of the old covenant that looked forward to something better, namely the new covenant under Jesus Christ. Old covenant saints expected the fulfillment of God’s promise with the Messiah’s arrival, but they never saw it fulfilled. No matter! They still believed it would, and they were willing to suffer for their faith until it did.

Only up to the past 2,000 years when Christ appeared, died, and rose again did those OT saints gain complete salvation. They trusted God and, like Abraham, were counted as righteous (Gen. 15:6). But they died. The same is true with Christians today who believe and are counted as righteous. The believer’s ultimate salvation comes after death. Truly, all of God’s promises are ultimately fulfilled in what will transpire after the believer’s death. For faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). The final fulfillment of God’s promises is not for anyone to see in the flesh, on this side of glory, but to believe by faith.

Food For Thought
We Christians today are far more privileged than the saints of the past, for we have all of God’s Word, all of His promises. We’ve seen so much more come to pass in relation to God’s promises. Christians today should be writing a new chapter on faith that surpasses yesterday’s saints, for we have so much more to strengthen our faith, even our own testimonies. In the same way that technology and information has increased exponentially in the past 50 years, so too has the ability to understand God’s word increased. What that should translate to is a new Hall of Faith like Hebrews 11—a modern chapter about faithful saints who trust in Christ, read and heed His word, and live in obedience to Him. So, if God were still inspiring holy writ, would your faith qualify you to be added to such a book? Perfection is not required, only true faith.
            

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Hebrews 11:35b-38 …and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mocking and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
 
Though many a Christian has a victorious story of great faith with rewards in the here and now, v. 36 refers to “others” (Gr. heteros). This Greek term refers not simply to other similar examples but “others of a different kind.” These too had strong faith, but it wasn’t part of God’s plan to deal with them as He had dealt with Noah, Joseph, Gideon, or David. God has that right; He is God! The “others” the author refers to had only torturous deaths to attest to their faith.

“Tortured” (Gr. tumpanizō) comes from a term that refers to a kettledrum—skins stretched out across a surface to be beaten. This is the picture of the word for “torture,” for it involved a human being stretched out to be beaten repeatedly like a drum, often until death ensued. This ghastly form of abuse was meted out on Eleazar, a 90-year old scribe depicted in the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 circa 150 BC. He was told that he would be released if he violated the Law by eating pork, forbidden for Jews. When he refused, he was beaten, “tortured,” to death. If not Eleazar, it could refer to any number of others, known and unknown, whose faith in God was exhibited through perseverance in the face of the cruelest trials and hardships.

Those “tortured” to death in Jewish history who, like Eleazar, were offered “release” if they would compromise their faith. Many refused “so that they might obtain a better resurrection.” This “better resurrection” may refer to the first sentence of v. 35 that refers to the young men resurrected by both Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-36). Both of these incidents are described as “resurrections” in spite of how we might refer to them more accurately as  resuscitations since they in fact later died as all humans do. Yet the Hebrews author carefully distinguishes between the two resurrections by calling the latter one “a better resurrection.”

Other faithful saints endured verbal mocking, some were scourged with chains, and some were imprisoned and left to die (v. 36). Unlike those who experienced victory through faith (vv. 33-34), God received glory through these saints in their sufferings. But they too endured what they did “so that they might obtain a better resurrection” (cf. Dan. 12:1-2).

Verse 37 speaks of some who were stoned to death—the Jewish way of capital punishment (cf. 2 Chron. 24:20-22; Matt. 23:35; Acts 7:59). Others were actually “sawn in two,” perhaps a reference to the tradition that the prophet Isaiah was sliced in half by the wicked King Manasseh. Some were “tempted” in that they were forced by their persecutors to decide between God and death. Those forced out of society to wander in the wilderness had to cloth themselves “in sheepskins, in goatskins.” They were not exalted for their faith but were “destitute, afflicted, ill-treated.” The author says that these were those “whom the world was not worthy.” While the godless lived in safe homes enjoying fine food, some of God’s greatest saints were “wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground” (v. 38). Their godly faith distinguished them from the faithless tyrants of this world. Their very presence on the earth graced the land, for while living here, they blessed the world with their examples of faith.

Food For Thought
God can both heal us and deliver us, or neither. Whatever He does is for His glory, not ours. Actually, it takes more faith to endure our trials than it does to escape them. With the example given by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, we too must trust God even if He doesn’t deliver us (Dan. 3:16-18). Our brief time in this world should grace the earth even if we are accused as the Apostle Paul was, for the Roman governor Festus said Paul was out of his mind (Acts 26:24). His fellow Jews claimed he was not fit to live (Acts 22:22). Others said he was “the scum of the world... the dregs of all things” (1 Cor. 4:13). So, although the world may insult us, we know from the OT saints to Paul to our Lord Jesus that what the world thinks of us matters not. The only thing that matters is what God thinks of our faith. What might He think of yours today?
            

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Hebrews 11:32-35a And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection…
 
In vv. 32-34, the author covers Israel’s era under the Judges their second king, David who reigned from 1010 to 970 BC, and the prophets. The Judges mentioned, as is true with all the faithful, had their faults in addition to their faith. They ruled over Israel during a time when “there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Their example of faithfulness in the midst of evil was a model for the audience the author of Hebrews addressed, a Christian audience in the midst of prodigious persecution.

In Judges 6-8 we meet Gideon, a man of timid faith whom God chose to lead an army against Israel’s oppressors, the Midianites. To mold his faith, God told him to trim his army from 32,000 men to 300! God did this to make it obvious that when Israel emerged victorious, Gideon would know that it was God alone working through his faith.

In Judges 4 we meet Barak, a military leader under the judgeship of Deborah. He recognized that God was with her and would not go into battle without her to fight the Canaanite King Jabin with his mighty commander Sisera who had 900 iron chariots. Since Barak believed God’s promise of victory, he had no concern that a woman would receive glory for his actions (4:9). Barak went out with a small army, trusting that God would work victory through him. God did.

In Judges 13-16 we meet Samson, a strange addition to the Hall of Faith! Even so, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he knew it. He confidently went into battle against enormous odds and claimed victory each time, that is until he became proud. But even after his pride brought him down, he faithfully called upon God to deliver him and his people. God did.
In Judges 11-12 we meet Jephthah, a faithful man of God with a clear grasp of God’s past work in and through His people Israel (Judges 11:15-28). He thus feared God and delivered Israel from the Ammonites. Like all, he had his faults. But he was a man of sound faith.

David was a man who trusted in the Lord throughout his life, in spite of his sin with Bathsheba. From the time he was a shepherd boy fending off wild animals (1 Sam. 17:34-36) to victory over Goliath, he trusted God. Though sinful, David was thus a mighty man of faith.
Samuel was a prophet and a judge in the midst of Israel’s crookedness. He, like David, was faithful from a very young age, a true model of faith. The idolatry and immorality among his people Israel was his struggle, not invading armies per se. His faith was tested in that he was forced to confront sinful people, even King Saul whom he had anointed king over Israel.

The mention of the prophets is notable, for they not only received God’s word, they boldly preached it. Together, these people “conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.” These monumental feats depict those great men and women of faith in the OT, their works attesting to their trust in God.

Verse 35 speaks of women whose children were dead but who through faith received them back. The widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24) and the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8-36) are in view, but there was also the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-14) whom Jesus restored to life—miracles achieved through faith. Thus, even the dead can rise through faith!
 
Food For Thought
All of those who have gone before us with great faith shared two common traits: they trusted God, and they had faults. John Calvin said of these, “There was none of them whose faith did not falter… in every saint there is always to be found something reprehensible. Yet although faith may be imperfect and incomplete, it does not cease to be approved by God. There is no reason therefore why the fault from which we labor should break us or discourage us provided we go on by faith in the race of our calling.”
            

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Hebrews 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Forty years after Moses led Israel out of Egyptian captivity he died and passed the torch to Joshua who then led Israel into the Promised Land—Canaan, or modern Israel-Palestine. The first city engaged in battle was Jericho which, like some cities, was heavily fortified and protected by a large wall (Josh. 6:1-21). Typically, these walls were massive, designed to protect against the strongest of enemy attacks. The walls of Babylon were said to be wide enough for two chariots to ride side-by-side, so it could take years for an invading army to infiltrate some cities. Yet God’s plan for Israel was not the traditional battle plan; it was simply for Israel march around the city of Jericho for seven days, then on the last day to blow trumpets. Like the Passover, this was a strange plan to Israel, but if they would obey, they would conquer.

Oftentimes God’s instructions seem illogical to us. But they are always perfect. Since Joshua was a godly man of faith like Moses, he did not question God’s plan; he obeyed it. Also, there is also no indication that this new generation of Israelites grumbled about God’s plan. It may have sounded absurd to them, but that generation had learned from the previous one about the consequences of grumbling against God. They were thus trained to obey God and wait for His plan to unfold. Of course what happened in seven days of marching around the city would have taken years to achieve by human means. But by God’s divine hand, the great walls of Jericho, on the seventh day of marching, collapsed. When they did, Israel took the city, killing its inhabitants as God had commanded. Once again, God’s power was displayed to Israel through their faith.

Only one person and her family are mentioned as having survived the Jericho massacre, and her name was Rahab. As a prostitute, she was a product of the corrupt Canaanite society. But she and her people had heard of God’s deliverance of Israel 40 years prior when they walked through the sea of reeds on dry ground. As a result, she feared Israel’s God without actually knowing Him. Her faith is evident in how she helped Israel by hiding the two spies when they came to stake out the city just prior to Israel crossing the Jordan (Josh. 2). Her faith was revealed in her willingness to put her own life at risk so as to help the nation whose God she feared. She is mentioned favorably in James 2:25 as one whose faith was evident in her actions. She later married an Israelite, Salmon (Matt. 1:5), and they had a son they named Boaz. Boaz was the great-grandfather of David, the ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:17)—the Messiah.
           
Notably, Rahab was a Canaanite, specifically an Amorite—a people God informed Abraham was marked for ruin (Gen. 15:16). She lived in a perverse society. The Canaanites were known to put living babies in jars and build them into the foundation of their cities and their walls as sacrifices to their pagan gods. Her conversion is therefore most unlikely. Yet she demonstrates how people living in the most corrupt of societies can be saved through faith. The fact that she is in the line of the Messiah proves that God calls people from all walks of life. She expressed her faith by welcoming Israel’s spies and giving them friendly hospitality in fear of God Almighty.

Food For Thought
It’s been said that God delights in slaying the pride of men. Imagine how foolish those Hebrew warriors felt walking around Jericho for seven days. So too does God sometimes humble us through our trials in order to break our pride and leave us nothing except to trust Him. It’s a risk to have faith, but true faith takes risks because it trusts God even when doing so makes us look silly. We all have a Jericho in our lives in order to develop our faith. Identify it, and trust.
            

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Hebrews 11:28-29 By faith [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
           
Moses’ faith was also characterized by his obedience in keeping the Passover—a feast he could not have fully understood when it was instituted just prior to the exodus from Egypt. God told Moses to inform Israel that they must assemble on a specific night to sprinkle the blood of a selected lamb on the doorposts of their homes in order to avoid God’s final plague—the death of the firstborn in Egypt (Ex. 11-12). God gave Moses very specific instructions for Israel in order to avoid the plague, and as long as Israel obeyed it literally, they would indeed avoid the plague.

Now if we put ourselves in the shoes of those Israelites, we would see the seeming absurdity of God’s instructions regarding the lamb and its blood that was to be painted on their doorposts. For Moses to take these instructions from God and pass them on took faith on his part, for he had to believe that what God said was true, in spite of how strange it certainly seemed. Of course there was no power in a lamb’s blood; the power was in the act of faith it took to instruct Israel to do this and for Israel to obey and spread the lamb’s blood on their doorposts. Those who did showed their faith and avoided the plague of death. “Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did” (Ex. 12:1-3, 28).

Neither Moses nor Israel could not have fully understood that their act was symbolic of Christ’s future sacrifice on the cross, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), which would save all who trust in Him for salvation. But even in the midst of his ignorance, Moses showed faith by obeying God down to the letter. As a result, when the death angel flew over the people of Israel that night, it “passed over” those who had demonstrated faith by painting blood on their doorposts. As a result of their obedience, each firstborn child lived.

Note in v. 28 the phrase “by faith he kept the Passover.” This perfect tense verb means that he carried out his task; he celebrated it—instituting it as a lasting ordinance in Israel (Ex. 12:14), an ordinance that prefigured the death of Jesus Christ. By carrying out the task of the Passover, it is clear that Moses never once doubted that Israel would be delivered from Egypt. How did he know this? He believed God and His word. And through Moses’ obedience, God saved Israel.
           
In v. 29 Moses’ faith was also demonstrated in his patient boldness. Having led Israel out of Egypt following the ten plagues which demonstrated the power of God to His people, Israel’s weak faith became evident as they approached the Red Sea. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert” (Ex. 14:11, 12). But Moses replied, “Do not fear! Stand and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today… the Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (14:13-14).

God then worked through Moses’ boldness and parted the waters so that Israel could pass through safely. But in spite of their lack of faith, it took great faith for them to walk through the parted waters, seeing the danger all around them. They had no guarantee that God would let them pass through to the end, but they proceeded by faith as if God would. And of course God’s word proved faithful, for those who believed Him passed through without harm. The Egyptians, however, not acting on faith, did not fare so well after God allowed the water walls to collapse. Their hardened hearts, which only trusted in themselves, led them to their ultimate demise.

We note here how one man’s faith was so genuine and effective that it transformed a faithless people and delivered them from death. Clearly, those powerful in faith can elevate others to greatness and ultimate deliverance. Through faith in Jesus Christ, anything is possible!

Food For Thought
            Sometimes life’s problems bring us to a dead end in our walk with Christ, just like Israel when they came to the Red Sea. We see no deliverance, only despair. It is at that point that we must be bold like Moses and believe in the face of fear that God will deliver us. And when life’s problems seem like walls of water around us, we just have to move forward and take another step. On the other side is relief if we will only trust. God loves to show His faithfulness by taking us to the brink of despair to test our faith. And we love to tell others about it after we’ve experienced it. How humiliating it is to fail God’s tests. Yet His grace gives us another day!
            

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Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
           
In v. 27 the author speaks of Moses as having the same bold faith as his parents who, according to v. 23 (cf. Ex. 2:1-3), had no fear of the king of Egypt when they defied his order to throw their newborn son into the Nile. Instead, they put their beautiful child into a wicker basket and floated him up the Nile under the watchful eye of his sister Miriam. By God’s ordination, Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh, rescued, and raised in Pharaoh’s household. It was thus by their bold faith in defying Pharaoh that Moses had the abundant life he enjoyed.
           
Since v. 27 speaks of Moses “not fearing the wrath of the king,” it is clear that the story of Moses around the age of 40 in Exodus 2:11-12 cannot be in view. In that account, Moses stumbled upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of Moses’ brethren. Moses then struck the Egyptian and killed him, burying him in the sand (Ex. 2:11-12). Although he thought his actions were hidden, they became known to Pharaoh, and Moses had to flee Egypt for the crime he committed (2:15), for Pharaoh was intent on killing Moses for his actions. This hardly fits what Hebrews 11:27 is talking about because it is said of Moses in Exodus 2:14 that he “was afraid.”
           
What Hebrews 11:27 is referring to is how Moses returned to Egypt 40 years later as a changed man—a man who feared no one except the God he served, Yahweh (cf. Ex. 3:14). Beginning in Exodus 5:1, Moses confronted Pharaoh “not fearing the wrath of the king,” demanding that Pharaoh release the Israelites from bondage. But Pharaoh had a heart of stone, continually balking at letting Israel go, even enduring ten devastating plagues from God to soften his heart. From the first day that Moses confronted Pharaoh, Moses appeared before him repeatedly, demanding Israel’s release—never once fearing the most powerful king on earth.
           
So how could Moses repeatedly stand so courageously before such an arrogant king, a man who was prone to kill anyone who defied him? Hebrews 11:27 answers this, revealing that Moses “endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” The verb “endured” (Gr. kartereō) signifies perseverance, or steadfast persistence. This is exactly what the author of Hebrews repeatedly exhorts his readers to do (3:12, 14; 6:12; 10:35, 38; 12:1). Moses was their model for such.

But to simply endure without a basis is not how the author encourages such. For Moses endured for one reason: he was “seeing Him who is unseen.” Now Moses did not actually see God who is invisible in spite of the fact that elsewhere it is said that God spoke face to face with Moses (Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10). That was an expression of God’s close union with Moses, not a literal face to face relationship (cf. Ex. 33:20). What the author therefore means is that Moses endured in his boldness as if he was seeing God who is invisible. Thus, Moses’ focus in the midst of grave danger was the invisible God (cf. Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17). This was the key to his successful leadership and servanthood, enduring difficulties and disappointments. P.T. O’Brien says, “The text is thus not concerned with extraordinary experiences that were attributed to Moses, but with his enduring faith, the contrast between what is seen and unseen (11:1, 3), and his perseverance towards the final goal with his eyes fixed on the invisible One.”

How was this pertinent to the Hebrews audience? With the faith of Moses in view, they had a powerful example for not fearing the authorities who threatened the early Church (10:34; 13:3). As Moses endured by perceiving the invisible God, they also could endure by looking to the glorious Christ, who was also unseen yet always present (Matt. 28:20).

Food For Thought
Any Christian worth his salt sees the invisible God on a daily basis. It’s not a miracle; it’s just common Christianity. To have fellowship with Him comes through faith, and as our faith grows, our vision of God through Jesus Christ gets clearer every day that we serve Him.
            

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Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Between v. 23 and v. 24 there is a time lapse of about 40 years in the life of Moses who grew up in all the riches of Egypt and with all the education a prince should have. Stephen said of him: “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). Moses would thus have spoken a handful of languages, including Hebrew since it was his actual mother who weaned him. He may have even had the ability to decipher hieroglyphics. As “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” Moses was similar to a Duke in the UK. Growing up in Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1292 BC), one of the most celebrated periods of Egypt’s history, any and all pleasures were at Moses’ beck and call.

Moses, however, did not live under the delusion that riches and privilege were the end-all of life, likely because of the influence of his godly parents. He therefore openly refused his title, something that would have been taken as an insult by the Pharaoh. His faith, seen in his negative choice in refusing to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (v. 24), took great courage, as true faith always does. Moses may have loved the Egyptian culture, but he was no prisoner to it. With all of the benefits of being raised as an Egyptian, Moses willingly sought to live as a slave among his people Israel. By faith he gave up temporary pleasures for eternal gain.
           
Perhaps Moses was similar to Abraham who was so sick of the riches and paganism of Ur (Gen. 12:1) that when God called him he obeyed immediately. Moses may have also grown sicker and sicker at the gross indulgences of Egypt—the “passing pleasures of sin,” and was perfectly willing to be lumped in with his people Israel—the people of God’s promises.
           
What was Moses thinking? Verse 26 says that Moses “considered the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt.” So, by identifying with his people Israel, Moses aligned himself with the people with whom His future Messiah was identified—Jesus of Nazareth. Isaiah said of the future Messiah, “In all their distress He too was distressed” (Isa. 63:9). Moses thus identified with the disgrace of the Messianic people, becoming a slave, “for the sake of Christ.”

This means that Moses, living 1500 years before Jesus Christ, actually suffered for Christ. Any suffering done for one’s faith in God’s promises prior to Christ’s incarnation is still suffering for Christ because it’s an identification with Christ’s people. David suffered as much for Christ as did Paul the Apostle. One thousand years before Christ, David wrote: “The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me” (Ps. 69:9). Paul also said, “I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:19). Jesus the Messiah has always been identified with His people (cp. Matt. 2:15; Hosea 11:1), and His people identify with Him through faith.

The great truth for the Church of Jesus Christ is that Moses could do what he did “because he was looking to the reward.” Here the author of Hebrews again draws the reader’s attention to the foundational truth of v. 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for.” That perfectly describes Moses, for he was certain of the reward God had promised Israel. Like the Apostle Paul who said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18; cf. vv. 28-30; 2 Cor. 4:16-18), Moses felt the same way.

Food For Thought
            What pet sin or indulgence are you a slave to? Money, pleasure, power? True faith is willing to renounce anything and everything in the here and now to enjoy eternal bliss with Christ.
            

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Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

After Joseph died, the Israelites continued to live in Egypt. They increased in numbers over the years until a king arose that did not know Joseph and who apparently had no regard for all that Joseph had done for Egypt. In Exodus 1:9, we are informed that the new Pharaoh feared the growing numbers of Israelites, and thus subjected them to slave labor.

This is where the next hall of faith-ers enter in Hebrews 11:23: the parents of Moses. Exodus 2:1 says that both of Moses’ parents were Levites—Amram and Jochebed (Ex. 6:20). They would have married during a particularly dismal time for Israel, for by the time Moses was to be born, the Egyptian Pharaoh had called for all male babies of the Israelites to be killed by their midwives. When the midwives refused, Pharaoh demanded that all newborn boys be cast into the Nile, presumably to be eaten by the Nile crocodiles (Ex. 1:15-22).

Valuing human life, especially that of their own son, Amram and Jochebed refused the order of the Pharaoh, choosing to obey God rather than man (cf. Acts 4:19; 5:29). By faith “they saw he was a beautiful child” (cf. Acts 7:20). This is odd given that every parent believes their child is “beautiful” (Gr. asteios), with or without faith. It is therefore evident that Moses was not just a beautiful child; there was something obviously special about him, perhaps something similar to the Christ-Child when He was born. John Calvin comments on this, saying, “It seems contrary to the nature of faith that he says that they were induced to do this by the beauty of his form. We know that Jesse was rebuked when he brought his sons to Samuel in the order of their physical excellence, and certainly God does not hold us to external appearances. I reply that the parents of Moses were not induced by his beauty to be touched with pity and save him as men are commonly affected, but there was some sort of mark of excellence to come, engraved on the boy which gave promise of something out of the ordinary for him.” Well said!

Now the fact that Moses was, and is, the greatest of all Israel’s prophets (aside from Jesus), it is clear that Amram and Jochebed were not simply observing the beauty of their child when they disobeyed the king’s order. They rightly knew that something was extraordinarily special about him. They thus hid him for three months after his birth. Then once it was no longer possible to hide Moses, they bundled him up in a basket and sent it up the Nile right into the Pharaoh’s home where his daughter would discover him and fall instantly in love with him. All the while the older sister of Moses, Miriam, was watching the basket come into the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. Miriam was therefore present to suggest a convenient mother to nurse the baby Moses—his own mother Jochebed! She even got paid to do so (Ex. 2:7-9).

The faith of Amram and Jochebed proved to be mighty, for it not only saved their son, their son later saved their nation. Were it not for the faith of his parents, Moses would not have been around to lead his nation out of Egypt. Moses’ faith therefore began with his parents.

Food For Thought
If you’re a parent, you have great power and enormous responsibility to your children. As any sane parent would do, they no doubt prayed fervently for their unborn child and prayed all the more after they saw him born—for his protection and his future. No, there are no guarantees that God will preserve our children or make them special, certainly not to the extent that Moses was. But the very practice of praying for our children, for God’s will to be done in their lives—this is what faith looks like for a parent in relation to a young child. We believe God knows us, our children, and has a perfect plan for all of us. Let us therefore be faithful to pray for them.
            

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Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
       
Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. His story in the Bible is one of the most beloved stories, and there is nothing in the account of Joseph’s life that puts him in a bad light. As the son of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel, he was indeed Jacob’s favorite son, and his brothers knew it. When Jacob showed his favoritism toward Joseph by giving him a multi-colored robe his brothers deeply resented him. Worse, Joseph had two dreams whereby he saw his brothers bowing down to him. When he made this known to his brothers they were furious. So when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers while out in the fields, they took advantage of the opportunity to seize him by force. Though they spoke of killing him, they wound up selling him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelites who later sold him to the Egyptians. Then they lied about their crime by telling Jacob that wild animals killed him.
       
Joseph’s story of faith basically begins with him in Egypt. Clearly God led him through the darkest days of tribulation in order to bring him to the point where his faith would be fully mature. Joseph, because God’s presence was so strong in his life, found himself second in command over all of Egypt. Only the Pharaoh was higher in authority than he. He managed the food supply in Egypt because he had foreseen the drought that the land was enduring. People came from all over to buy food from Joseph – including his brothers who were living in Canaan with Jacob. When they arrived to purchase food they didn’t even recognize their brother Joseph, but over the course of time he finally revealed himself to them. Joseph forgave his brothers telling them that what they meant for evil God meant for good (Gen. 50:20). Eventually Joseph moved all of his brothers and his aging father Jacob into Egypt to escape the famine in the land.
       
As Joseph was dying he told his brothers: “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” Clearly Joseph knew the Abrahamic covenant and believed God’s promises. He believed them so firmly that he commanded that his bones be taken up from Egypt after he died when the Israelites would one day return to the land. This of course is exactly what Moses did (Ex. 13:19) when he took the bones of Joseph with him as he led Israel out of Egyptian captivity hundreds of years later. Joshua later buried Joseph’s bones in the Promised Land (Josh. 24:32) after they finally settled in the land, that is, once the promise of inheriting the land was complete.
       
Joseph simply did not consider his eminent position in Egypt as his final goal or the land of Egypt as his final resting place. Canaan was his home because God promised it to him and his people. He had everything in Egypt, but like his great grandfather Abraham, he was looking beyond the temporary into eternity. He believed in the resurrection of the body all the way till his death when his faith was as strong as ever. He could have resented God and called Him a liar for not fulfilling His promises, but he refrained because he believed in his future bodily resurrection.

Food For Thought
       While living in Egypt and enjoying all that his position offered him Joseph was far more focused on his eternal dwelling place. His faith was as strong in death as it was in life. His belief in God gave him understanding about the future. Some seek to understand before they believe, but we Christians first believe so that we may understand. Having faith in God and in His unseen promises opens the door to a life-long journey of understanding who God is. It all begins with faith in God, a faith that comes from first hearing His words and trusting them to be true.
            

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Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
       
The next man of faith in Hebrews 11 is Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. God established His eternal covenant with Abraham and later with Isaac. Then He established the same covenant with Jacob (Gen. 28:13-17) whom He later named Israel (Gen. 32:24-32).
       
The account of Jacob’s life has far more detail than that of Isaac. From the day he is born his life reveals a colorful character. Among other character traits, Jacob was calculating and deceptive. He cunningly took his brother’s birthright, then he later deceived his aging father in a successful attempt to receive the blessing of the firstborn. His mother Rebekah may have taught him everything he knew, for she too was quite cunning (Gen. 27:5ff.). Jacob traveled away from home in order to avoid his brother’s wrath, and he found himself employed by a man, his uncle Laban, who seems to have had all of Jacob’s negative qualities and more. It was Laban who employed Jacob for 20 years, and also Laban who became his father-in-law. Jacob married Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and worked as one of Laban’s hired hands.
       
At times Jacob acted wisely, and at times he was downright spineless, as in the case of his daughter who was raped by the man Shechem (cf. Gen. 34). He had two wives and two concubines by which he had twelve sons—the tribes of Israel. He also had one daughter, Dinah. While reading the account of his life, “faith” is not the first trait that comes to mind regarding Jacob. Then again, no one’s life, if put under a microscope, would ever reveal a man of faith 100% of the time. People are sinful, yet God works through those sins in order to bring about His eternal promises. Jacob was indeed a faithful man—evident from what he believed about God’s promised future and how he blessed his sons concerning the future.
       
Jacob told his son Joseph just before he died while they were in Egypt: “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers” (Gen. 48:21). At the time, they were in Egypt, outside of the Promised Land. But Jacob still believed God’s promise of possessing the land. So, the land that Jacob never possessed, he passed on to his 12 sons in faith, knowing that God would be true to his word. He had the “assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things unseen” in giving these blessings (Gen. 47:29-31; 48:8-20). Jacob, though weak physically as an old man, was strong in faith—faith expressed in the content of his blessing: “Let them grow into a multitude… a multitude of nations” (Gen. 48:16, 19).
       
An apparent problem exists in v. 21 where the Hebrews author says that Jacob died “leaning on the top of his staff.” Genesis 47:31 says that Jacob “bowed himself on the head of the bed.” The apparent contradiction is reconciled by the Hebrew words for “bed” and “staff” which are exactly alike in their Hebrew consonants (mth). Since Hebrew had no vowels in its original text, vowels being later added as marks between the consonants circa AD 700, the discrepancy lies in these vowels. Though the Hebrew text later rendered the vowels as “bed,” the LXX, or Greek text dating back to 250 BC, renders the vowel points to mean “staff.” Since the LXX reading was used by the author of Hebrews, “top of his staff” is used rather than “head of bed.” Clearly, no doctrine or theology is affected by either rendering. It is thus a moot point.

Food For Thought
       Jacob believed in the future of his people because God revealed it. Not much has changed since Jacob’s time except that so much more about the future has been revealed. In fact, the future has been revealed to strengthen the faith of God’s people (1 Thes. 4:18). Since Christ has promised to return, our faith is expressed in our eager expectation of His return (Heb. 9:28).
            

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Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

On the day that Abraham took his son Isaac upon the mountain to slay him, per God’s command (Gen. 22:1-2), he learned about God’s promise to bless him and his offspring (cf. Gen. 12:1-3). Isaac represented mankind on that altar of sacrifice—man deserving to die for his sins. So when the great man of faith, his father Abraham, demonstrated his faith, God provided a substitute for Isaac and spared his life—a ram instead of the boy. That is the picture of Jesus Christ dying on mankind’s behalf! Isaac lived it firsthand. He knew his life was over, and he likely had the same fears as anyone else would have had. Then God spared him, and that day Isaac learned about the God of heaven first-hand. Up to that point Abraham had likely told Isaac all about the promise of the land, the seed, and the blessing (Gen. 12:1-3, 7). But on that day Isaac lived it, saw it, and believed it. Perhaps on that day Isaac’s own faith was solidified.

Now one might expect Isaac to have lived a life full of faith, but strangely this was not so – at least not from the very brief account given of his life in Genesis 25:19-27:46. Although Isaac lived longer than any of the patriarchs, the story of his life in the Bible is shorter than Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, or Moses. God certainly passed the promises onto Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4), and although these promises should have given him a sense of security and hope, Isaac seems to have lived in fear most of his life. When the Philistines of Gerar (near Gaza) questioned him about his wife Rebekah, like his father, he lied about her saying she was his sister—afraid they would kill him if she were his wife in order to have her as their own (Gen. 26). Oddly, when Abimelech was informed of who Rebekah really was, he showed more fear of God than Isaac ever did!

Even after Isaac became wealthy while living in Gerar, he seems to have spent his life questioning God up to that point and grumbling about his lot. When things finally went his way he said, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land” (Gen. 26:22). Indeed, he began to multiply. When he finally moved back into the land he came to Beersheba in the south, and then God repeated the covenant promises to him (Gen. 26:24-25).

Isaac’s life seems unfaithful at times, but at other times he was truly faithful. His wife was initially barren, but she later gave birth to twins—Jacob and Esau. Esau was Isaac’s favorite son although God had made it clear that it was Jacob who would be blessed by God. Rebekah felt the need to intervene through deception to get Jacob to receive Isaac’s blessing. In spite of this, God worked through it, bringing His will to fruition. But the whole story puts Isaac in a bad light.

The point of Isaac’s life, however, is his faith. The author of Hebrews, without condoning Isaac’s shortcomings, points to the faith he had in blessing his sons while looking to the future. One thing is certain: Isaac believed in God’s covenant blessings. This is revealed in Isaac’s blessing of Jacob, even though he thought he was blessing Esau (Gen. 27:27-29). Isaac believed God and looked to the future for God’s fulfillment of what He promised. The Greek text of Hebrews 11:20 literally says, “By faith, even concerning things to come, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.” In blessing them, Isaac literally “spoke well of them; he praised them.”

Food For Thought
The blessing given by a man, in this case Isaac, with God’s consent, was an act of faith because it concerned a time beyond their lives. When a person looks beyond their own life in the here and now and into the future, they act on faith. For us, teaching our children about Christ and leaving them an inheritance, both spiritual and financial, is an act of faith, for it plans for their immediate and eternal future. Therefore, we have strong faith when we know we’re saved—when we have the “assurance of things hoped for”—a certainty of God’s eternal plan.
            

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Genesis 22:15-19 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
       
Genesis 22:15-19 comprise God’s approval for Abraham’s great faith in his willingness to offer his own son as a sacrifice. God put him to the test in 22:1, and beginning in v. 15 God gave Abraham the reward for his faithfulness. Imagine that! God requiring something only He could give, yet He rewards those He gives it to. Abraham is now the father of all who believe (Rom. 4:11; Gal. 3:7, 9, 29)—not just the father of the Israelite nation. The father of the Christian faith should be one that all believers can look to, admire, and use as the model for their own faith.
       
In v. 15 the angel of the Lord called out again to Abraham for the second time. By calling out to him from heaven it is evident that the angel did not manifest himself to Abraham but only spoke to him. His words are the words of God Himself; hence, the angel of the Lord in this context is at least a representative of God. The angel says, on behalf of Yahweh, “I solemnly swear by my own name…” Since God (Yahweh) is the Sovereign over the universe, then His solemn oath can only be sworn in His own name. Since there is no one higher or more powerful, when God swears His reputation is at stake. His oath then is indeed solemn, but it must not be overlooked why He would make such an oath at that time: “Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son…” Thus, God’s oath comes after Abraham’s obedience, and it comes to bless Abraham as a result of his faithfulness.
       
God’s oath promised three things beginning in v. 17. First, it ratified what was previously promised to Abraham (12:1-3, 7; 13:14-15; 15:1-5, 18-21; 17:2). Of course God had blessed Abraham everywhere he had gone even when he had not acted in faith. Second, God swore to greatly multiply Abraham’s descendants to be as countless as the stars of the sky and of the sand on the seashore. This simply reiterated what God had previously said in previous chapters. This was fulfilled in the birth of the twelve tribes of Israel and in Gentile believers who are the sons and daughters of the ultimate fulfillment of the “seed” promise through Abraham and Isaac (Gal. 3:16, 29). Third, Abraham’s descendants were promised to “possess the gate of their enemies.” The “gate” signifies a walled city. To break through a gate in a walled city would signify victory, and this was eventually fulfilled under Joshua during the conquest of Canaan. Finally, God promised that all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on each other because of Abraham’s offspring. This reflects what God said in 12:2-3, namely that all nations would be blessed because of Abraham. God thus mediates His blessings to the world through Abraham.
 
Food For Thought
God doesn’t cry out through an angel from heaven when we faithfully obey, but the example of Abraham proves that He tests us and is glorified when we are faithful. As we grow in our faith we should expect heart-wrenching trials—from sickness to bereavement to persecution to death. But let us be reminded that God’s tests are meant to mold our character after the likeness of Christ. When the test is complete there is worship, and there is praise from God. Sometimes God commends us through the voices of others who, in a very real sense, are angels, for they are God’s messengers to us. Remember that next time someone takes note of your faithfulness.
            

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Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten. 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
       
Abraham waited for 25 years to have a son after God promised him that his offspring would be as numerous as the sand by the seashore. But he never wavered in spite of both he and Sarah being advanced in age. His faith remained strong, however, for he believed God (Gen. 15:5-6). Then, after Isaac was miraculously born, God tested Abraham’s faith again, commanding him to take the young Isaac to a location of God’s choosing in order that Abraham offer him as a sacrifice to God. Astonishingly, God called Abraham to sacrifice his own son!
       
This account in Genesis 22 gives no hint of Abraham hesitating for a single moment after God instructed him regarding Isaac. Though he did not understand, he knew how to obey; he had been obeying God for 40 years. The scene plays out as “when he was being tested,” or in the midst of this divine trial, Abraham “offered up” (Gr. prospherō) his son (11:17), a perfect tense verb indicating a complete sacrifice. It appears from the verbiage that Abraham had actually made the sacrifice. But only in his mind had he done so. The verb is then used again in v. 17 in the imperfect tense (“was offering up”) showing past tense, ongoing action. The point is that in his mind Abraham fully committed to God that he would offer up Isaac, once and for all. After all, that is what God instructed him to do. Yet God never intended for Abraham to actually kill his son, only the commitment to obey. So, while Abraham “was offering up his only begotten” (imperfect tense verb), without having completed the physical task, Abraham completed God’s spiritual test. God did not actually require him to sacrifice his son; He only wanted to test Abraham’s faith. When he offered his beloved and only son, holding nothing back from what God required of him, God’s test was complete. Abraham was indeed faithful.
       
Notably, v. 17 speaks of Isaac as Abraham’s “only begotten” (Gr. monogenēs)—two words in Greek: “mono” (one) and “ginomai” (to come into being). Together, these words mean “one of a kind; unique.” This is notable because Abraham also had a son named Ishmael who was still living (cf. Gen. 16). Therefore, the only way Isaac could be Abraham’s “only begotten” son is if he was Abraham’s unique son. And he was, just as Jesus is God’s unique Son in John 3:16.
       
Verse 19 gives insight that Genesis 22 does not, for we are told that Abraham set out to kill Isaac as God had commanded all the while believing that Isaac would be resurrected from the dead. After all, Abraham knew that a dead Isaac would put an end to any hope of Abraham’s descendants being numerous since Isaac himself had no children at the time. Abraham had to balance God’s promise of numerous descendants with God’s command to kill the boy who would carry out God’s plan. The solution in his mind while on their journey to Mt. Moriah was that God was going to honor his faithfulness by resurrecting Isaac from the dead.
       
Now of course God did not require Abraham to carry out his task. Since God only wanted to test Abraham, when he was about to sacrifice Isaac God provided a substitute—a ram. This of course is indicative of Jesus Christ dying in man’s place. The author of Hebrews says that Abraham “received” (Gr. komizō) his son back as a “type” (Gr. parabolē), or comparison. Abraham was thus rewarded (received) Isaac’s life as a comparison which can only refer to Christ being raised from the dead, for v. 19 says that Abraham believed Isaac would be resurrected. There was no passivity in Abraham concerning God’s promises, for he was certain of the things he hoped for and convicted of the things he could not see (Heb. 11:1). In short, he was a man of faith simply because he trusted God.

Food For Thought
Abraham’s faith made him “the friend of God” (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; James 2:23). What an incredible honor to be called God’s friend! But Jesus said as much in John 15:13-15 when He told His disciples: “You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” So the friends of God are those who know God’s will and who obey Him as Abraham and the disciples did. What a wrap on faith! Knowing God’s word, believing it, and obeying it. That’s faith unto salvation!
            

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John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (part 2)
           
The word for “so” in Greek is houtōs. It means “this is how much” or “in this way.” It can refer to the degree to which God loved the world—so much so that He gave His unique Son. Or, it can refer to the manner in which God loved the world—by sending his own son. Option one is most common in the NT. However, when the Greek word for “that” (hōste) is used with the indicative mood verb (“He gave”), it tends to emphasize the greatness of the verb, in this case what God gave. John thus appears to combine both options—the degree to which God loved the world and the manner in which He chose to convey His love. John uses many double meanings in his Gospel. Therefore, the passage concerns the nature of God’s love and the mode He used along with its strength and its all-encompassing range.
           
The word translated “whoever” in English is simply “all” in Greek—literally, “that all who are believing in Him shall not perish…” This word would have taken Nicodemus aback since he believed, like all Jews, that God’s love was limited to the Jews. Whereas Jews are confused as to how God can love anyone outside of the Jewish race, Gentiles get confused on whether God has granted a freewill to all—saying “whosoever will” may come to Christ for salvation. Calvinists, or those with a reformed view of salvation, tend to emphasize God’s role in loving the world and in giving His Son. Arminians, on the other hand, tend to stress the “whosoever” as indicating human freedom in salvation. But it all boils down to being born anew (3:3) of water and spirit (3:5). Jesus did not tell Nicodemus to know Him as God’s Son and choose to follow Him; rather, He told him that he must be “born anew.” And this is solely the work of God by the Spirit.
           
All who do believe in Christ will be those whom God the Father has not only caused to be born again (1 Peter 1:3), but because of such He will “draw” them to Christ (John 6:44), and they will thus believe. It is strictly these elect children of God (Eph 1:3-12) who will hear the voice of Christ and follow Him (cf. John 10) as sheep follow only their shepherd. Only these “shall not perish.” With this phrase, the implication is that some will indeed perish—be “destroyed.” Thus, John 3:16 does not teach universal salvation based solely on Christ’s sacrificial death. All must hear the message of Christ then respond to it by faith in order to be saved and not perish.

The Greek text uses the subjunctive mood for “perish”—literally, that they “might not perish but might have eternal life.” This Greek mood is often called the mood of probability or possibility. So is it just possible that those who believe will have eternal life and those who refuse to believe will perish? The grammar mitigates against the possibility and in fact emphasizes the certainty of it. Grammatically speaking, since God is the subject of the passage, and it is His purpose to save through the giving of His Son (indicated by the Greek hina), the result that follows God’s purpose becomes a twofold reality, not a mere possibility. Either believe in Christ and live eternally or reject Him and be destroyed eternally. After all, both John 10:28 and 11:26 speak of the impossibility of perishing after believing in Christ.

For those who do not believe in Christ, God cannot be accused of causing their unbelief. Man is simply born sinful and rebellious, and everyone who evaluates his life knows this. God wills no one to hell, but man’s freewill chooses it every time. It is therefore God’s love that overcomes man’s depraved will—like a drowned man washed up on a beach—and brings him to life spiritually by causing him to be born anew (1 Peter 1:3). Instead of God just overlooking the regenerated man’s sin, in His love He has paid the penalty for that sin by dying in his place on the cross. Thus, the love of God is manifested in His actions through His Son. The gospel is not about God’s love per se but about His gift—the death of His Son, available to all who believe.
            

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John 3:6-10 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
           
Jesus used the flesh and the Spirit to illustrate true salvation to Nicodemus in v. 6. For as only a human being can create flesh, so too only the Spirit of God can create a new spirit within the human. Man may be able to calm his own spirit and produce joy or sadness in his own spirit, but only the Spirit of God can produce an entirely new spirit within man—a spirit that longs for God and strives to worship Him. Even if rebirth was possible for man whereby a human could enter again into his mother’s womb, the rebirth would only produce flesh! But spiritual renewal, known as “regeneration,” is wholly the work of God and cannot be accomplished through human means. It does not follow a prayer, good works, or monies given. It is God’s work, and it breathes spiritual life into a spiritually dead person (Eph. 2:1-2) giving them the ability to respond to the Spirit’s call to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation (cf. John 6:44).
           
The astonishment on Nicodemus’ face must have prompted Jesus to say what He did in v. 7. Don’t miss the wording, for Christ says that you “must” be born again. This strong Greek term is also used for the necessity of Jesus’ crucifixion (3:14; 12:34), of the necessity for John the Baptist to decrease while Jesus increased (3:30), of the correct means for worshipping God (4:24), of Jesus carrying out His purpose (4:4; 9:4; 10:16), and of the necessity of Christ’s resurrection (20:9). In other words, it was absolutely necessary for Nicodemus to get over his astonishment at how his works could not gain him entry into God’s kingdom. And given the necessity of all these examples, being “born again” is clearly a “must” apart from works.
           
Those “born of the Spirit” are like the wind which, although it can be observed to blow in certain directions, it cannot be manipulated by man. It blows wherever it wishes (v. 8), as if it had a mind of its own. Likewise, the Spirit of God which can neither be controlled nor harnessed by man. One might think that all serial murderers are forever doomed to hell, yet some of them repent and are saved. Equally, one might think that world renowned saints are bound for heaven only to realize later that they are charlatans, adulterers, and habitual liars when no one is around. Truly, the Spirit of God works in whom He wills to work, and He is as unpredictable as the wind.

Like many who hear the gospel message in clear terms yet cannot understand it, Nicodemus could not fathom what he was being told by Jesus. He had worked so hard to attain his status, and he thought his works were so good. Jesus, however, was telling him—and all others like him—that his works meant nothing. Salvation had nothing to do with being Jewish, looking pious, or doing good. It had only to do with the work of God in the heart of a sinner. But because Nicodemus was trained as he was, his confusion is confusing. He knew the prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah that God Himself would soften the hardened hearts of His people and give them a new heart with the washing of the water by the word (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). So perhaps his legalistic religion had numbed and clouded his understanding of Scripture? After all, Nicodemus represents religionists who attempt to establish their own righteousness while failing to recognize God’s. These have zeal for God but not in keeping with truth (Rom. 10:2-3).
           
Nicodemus was known as “the teacher of Israel” (v. 10), so if he failed to understand Jesus, yet believed in Him as John 2:23-25 states, how much less the others who were believing in Him! No wonder Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to them. They weren’t yet born again.
            

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Cypress, TX 77433 

John 3:3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

The work of the Holy Spirit with regard to regeneration is a key issue in John 3, and it answers many of the questions posed about the Holy Spirit’s work. Regeneration, or being “born again,” might be defined as the sole work of God by which He imparts spiritual life into His elect children in order that they might respond by faith to the gospel call and be saved. God actually promised this to His people through the OT prophet Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Note that this promise from God is His intention to impart spiritual life to His people.

Jesus, in John 3:3-10, chastised Nicodemus for being the teacher of the Law in Israel and yet not understanding the truth of Ezekiel’s prophecy and what it meant to be born again – to be regenerated. Jesus asked him, “You are the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” Jesus spoke of the same “water” that Ezekiel did – the spiritual cleansing from sin – and the new heart that was needed to be reborn spiritually. Both of which are given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, however, said that “according to God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3; cf. Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13; James 1:17-18). So from Peter’s words (along with Paul and James) it appears that it is God the Father who regenerates. The conclusion to the matter is that both the Holy Spirit and the Father are the two members of the Trinity involved in regeneration.

Now it is important to note that regeneration occurs prior to saving faith, for no one can respond with faith to Christ’s call without having already been regenerated. Jesus speaks of this phenomenon in John 6:44 saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.” There is a sequence, therefore, in salvation whereby God the Father draws one to Christ, and then after they hear the good news preached to them about Christ (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; James 1:18), they always respond in faith. But they must hear the preached word of God. Although many hear the gospel, only those chosen by God will respond in faith (Matt. 22:14). But they must be regenerated – born again – through the work of God before they are able to respond in faith. The Spirit washes and regenerates, then faith follows immediately thereafter, as in the case of Cornelius in Acts 10:44. As Peter preached the gospel to him and his household, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” There is also the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14: “And the Lord opened her heart to the respond to the things spoken by Paul.” It is God’s work, therefore, that reaches into the hearts of His elect children to summon their response, and it is an instantaneous event that occurs only once for all believers in Christ. So, regeneration occurs before saving faith, although in the mind of the believer they are practically simultaneous.

Food For Thought
There are those who hear the gospel yet fail to respond in faith. They remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-5) and are unable to comprehend the gospel because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. Mark 4:14-15). It is the work of the Holy Spirit that gives new life through regeneration and enables people to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes or where it goes; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
            

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Our mailing address is:
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14954 Mueschke Road
Cypress, TX 77433 

John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus told Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” But note that Jesus did not respond as one might expect him to. Instead of saying, “Yes, I have indeed come from God; in fact, I’m the Word of God who is God in the flesh. And if you truly believe in me, then you will enter into the kingdom of God.” Instead, Jesus, in essence, said, “You may know that I came from God, but you will never see His kingdom (i.e., heaven) unless you are born again.” In other words, what Nicodemus knew was not enough to have saving faith and get to heaven. Hence, he was representative of all those who had believed in Jesus (2:23) with nothing more than rational faith. Jesus, after all, knew their hearts, and he was not entrusting Himself to them (2:24).

What Nicodemus and all the others were missing was saving faith, not intellectual understanding that Jesus was simply an authoritative preacher from God who could perform signs. Thus, Jesus told him that he needed to be “born again” in order to see the kingdom of God. The Greek word behind “again” actually means “from above” in every other instance in John’s Gospel (3:31; 19:11, 23), but since Nicodemus responded as he did in v. 4 by asking how a man would enter his mother’s womb a second time, the text has traditionally been translated “again.” The gist of the argument then is that one must be born “anew,” for the answer to Nicodemus’ question, rebirth is not the repetition of the old physical way but a new birth in spiritual way.

Now in answer to what it means to be “born again” (i.e., born anew; born from above), Jesus explains in vv. 5-6. Saying, “Truly, truly” (Gr. amen, amen) to show the certainty of the words that follow, Jesus said, in essence, that in order for a person to enter the kingdom of God they would have to be “born of water and the Spirit.” Some have taken the water as water baptism and the Spirit as Spirit baptism. But since Christian baptism had not yet been introduced Nicodemus would not have understood that concept. Furthermore, if water baptism was in view, then Jesus would not have refrained from baptizing people as he did in John 4:2. Others have taken “born again” to mean that one must have a physical birth of water from the amniotic fluid of a mother then a spiritual birth from the Holy Spirit. But since “born of water and the Spirit” is synonymous with “born again” in v. 3, only one birth is in view. Neither of these views are good.

Being “born again” was a promise God made through Ezekiel, and Jesus expected Nicodemus to understand such (v. 10). God promised, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34).

Now since Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a scholar of the OT, he should have known Ezekiel 36; it should have been his focal text as a Rabbi. Jesus was simply affirming God’s promise saying that without a spiritual cleansing of one’s sinful soul (i.e., regeneration, Titus 3:5) through the Word of God, no one can enter into God’s Kingdom. The Apostle Paul likewise affirmed the spiritual cleansing “by the washing of the water with the word…” (Eph. 5:26). So, being “born again” concerns being transformed by the word of God—the words of Jesus Christ. This is the sole work of God, and no one can enter His kingdom without His cleansing.
            

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Copyright © 2024 Harvest Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Harvest Bible Church
14954 Mueschke Road
Cypress, TX 77433