Hebrews 2

Hebrews 2:1-4

DANGER OF WHAT GOD HAS

TO US THROUGH HIS SON

Hebrews 2:1-4

 

Hebrews 2:1 —Therefore we ought, etc.—The word therefore (dia ton to) is illative, and forms the hinge of the Apostle’s argument. It is the connecting link between the conclusion which follows, and all that he has said in the preceding chapter, touching the revelation which God has made to us through his only begotten Son. He argues that since it is an indisputable fact, that God has spoken to us by his Son, who is himself the Heir of all things, the Creator of all things, and the Upholder of all things; the brightness of the Fa¬ther’s glory and the express image of his essence; and since he is himself the expiator of our guilt, endowed with all the attributes of Divinity, and infinitely exalted above all angels, it follows, of course, that “we should give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard” from the Father through him and concern¬ing him. The Apostle proceeds here on the assumption that wher¬ever much is given, there also much is always justly expected and required. (Luke 12:47-48; Matthew 11:20-24.) And hence he mea¬sures the greater extent of our obligations to give heed to the things spoken, both by the greater fullness of these revelations and also by the greater dignity of him through whom they have been made to us. According to our author, there is resting on every man who hears the Gospel, an obligation to receive and obey it, that is commensurate with the infinitely exalted character of Christ..

 

Hebrews 2:1 —the things which we have heard,—By these are meant simply the facts, precepts, promises, warnings, and threatenings of the Gospel. They are of course very numerous; but the following brief summary of the main points may suffice for illustration. It seems, then,

 

(1) that God made man upright, in his own image and after his own likeness; pure, holy, and happy. (Genesis 1:26-27; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9-10.)

(2) That Adam fell by disobedience, bringing death upon himself and on his entire posterity. (Genesis 3:1-19; Romans 5:12 Romans 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.)

(3)That in this fallen condition, man was morally helpless, unable to do anything whatever either to please God (Romans 8:8), or to save himself from the incurred penalty of God’s violated law. (Romans 3:20 Romans 8:13-25.)

(4) That while mankind were all in this deplorable and helpless condition, God mercifully interposed in their behalf, and provided for them a remedy; a remedy perfectly suited to their wants; and which at the same time meets the requirements of his own government so far that he can now be just in justifying everyone who truly believes in Jesus. (John 3:16; Romans 3:21-31.)

(5) That for the purpose of perfecting this plan of Divine mercy, and carrying it into effect for the salvation of the world, the Son of God himself became incarnate (John 1:14) ; tasted death for every man (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:6); was buried and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4); reascended to the heavens (Acts 1:9) ; offered his own blood in the Holy of holies not made with hands (Hebrews 9:12 Hebrews 9:24) ; and was then crowned Lord of all, “angels, and authorities, and powers being made subject to him” (1 Peter 3:22).

(6) That he then, according to his promise, sent the Holy Spirit to qualify the Apostles for the work of their mission (John 16:13; Acts 1:8) ; to convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:7-11) ; and to dwell in his saints as their comforter and sanctifier (Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:18), helping their infirmities (Romans 8:26), and strengthening them with might even into the inner man (Ephesians 3:16).

(7) That salvation from all past personal transgressions is now promised to all who truly believe in Christ; confess his name before men, repent of their sins; and who, in obedience to the authority of Christ, are baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:10.)

(8) That all who are thus received into the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and who continue to give all diligence in walking soberly and righteously and godly in this present world, will ultimately be admitted into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11.)

(9) That those who neglect the Gospel, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be finally banished with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 20:11-15.) Such is a very brief summary of the things which we have heard from God through his Son and his own chosen Apostles; and to which our author would have us give the more earnest heed.

 

Hebrews 2:1 —lest at any time we should let them slip.—Or rather, lest perchance we should be drifted away from them (pararruomen aor. 2, sub. pass); “as a ship,” says Luther, “shoots away into de¬struction.” Our author represents us all as on a stream, the natu¬ral tendency of which is to carry us downward to ruin. If it is any one’s purpose to go there with the devil and his angels, it is an easy matter for him to do so. No exertion on his part is at all necessary. Like a man that is afloat above the falls of Niagara, he has but to fold his arms, give himself up to the natural current, and very soon he will be beyond the reach of mercy. But the man who would reach the haven of eternal rest must of necessity make an effort. He must lay hold of all the means and helps which God has graciously provided and offered to him in the Gospel; or other¬wise, he must soon perish forever. “Strive,” says Christ, “to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24.) Why not?

Because they do not strive until it is too late; until they have allowed themselves to be carried away beyond the proper limits of safety and security. “When once the Master of the house,” he says, “is risen up, and has shut the door,” then all cries for help and mercy will be in vain. See Luke 13:25-28; Proverbs 1:24-28; and Matthew 25:11-13. And hence the necessity of making our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10) by now giving diligent heed to the things which we have heard. —

 

Hebrews 2:2 —For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast,—The Apostle now proceeds to give a reason for what he has so strongly urged in the preceding verse, viz., that we should give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard from God through his own well beloved Son. This he insists we should all do in view of our greater responsibilities. For if the law which God gave to the Israelites through the ministration of angels was steadfast, and every positive transgression (parabosis) of it, and even every mishearing or neglect (parachioee) of it received a just recompense (misthopodosia, a paying off of wages, a requital in the sense of either reward or punishment), then, how, he asks, can we escape unpunished, if we neglect the fuller and more gracious means of salvation which God has offered to us in the Gospel? This mode of reasoning is what logicians call “a minori ad majus;” from the less to the greater. The argument rests on the assumption that an increase of light and privileges implies also an increase of respon¬sibility on our part.

 

That “the word spoken by angels” means the Sinaitic Law, is quite obvious from sundry other passages of Scripture as well as from the context. Paul, for example, writing to the Galatians, says, the Law “was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator” (Gal. 3: 19); that is, it was promulgated through the intervention of angels, and by the hand of Moses acting as a mediator between God and the people. See also Deut. 33: 2; Psalm 68: 17; and Acts 7: 53. It is evident, therefore, that angels were present at the giv¬ing of the Law from Mount Sinai, and that they performed some part in its promulgation, as the Jewish Doctors believed and taught. (Joseph. Ant. 15: 5, 3). But in what that part consisted is not so clear.

Nor is it at all necessary that we should understand this. (Deut. 29: 29.) It is revealed that the angels served as God’s ministers, in some capacity, in the giving of the Law from Sinai; and it is further revealed that every objective transgression of that Law, and even every subjective neglect of it, received its just pun¬ishment. The man, for instance, who was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath-day, was stoned to death (Num. 15: 32-36) ; and the man who would presumptuously neglect to hear the instructions and warnings of the Priest, touching the requirements of the Law, even that man was to be put to death (Deut. 17: 12, and 27: 26). This, then, being so, how fearfully great are our responsibil¬ities under the superior light of the Gospel; and how very pene¬trating and heart-searching is the following interrogatory.

 

Hebrews 2:3 —How shall we escape, etc.—In what way, and by what means shall we escape the just recompense of our neglect? If there was no way by which the Jews could escape under the Old Economy, then how shall we escape under the superior light and increased responsibilities of the New? This question has been on file for the last eighteen hundred years; but as yet no satisfactory answer has been given to it. Indeed, the Apostle did not propose it as a prob­lem for solution. It is another case of erotesis in which the author affirms with strong emphasis the utter impossibility of any one’s being saved who neglects the means of salvation which God has so graciously offered to us in the Gospel. The pronoun “we” in this clause is emphatic, and comprehends all who have heard and re­ceived the offer of salvation through Christ.

The object of the Apostle here is, not to contrast any one class of Jews with another, or any one class of Christians with another, but to contrast all Jews as subjects of the Old Covenant with all Christians as sub­jects of the New Covenant; and that, too, for the purpose of show­ing the greater obligations of the latter, and the consequent dan­gers of neglecting the provisions of the Gospel. And hence he in­cludes in this strong interrogation all the professed followers of Christ, whether they be of Jewish or of Gentile origin.

 

Hebrews 2:3 —if we neglect so great salvation;—It is not necessary that we should positively reject or despise God’s offers of mercy and means of grace, in order to seal our final condemnation. To effect this, it is enough that we simply neglect (ameleesantes) the means of sal­vation which God has provided. “He that believeth not on me,” says Christ, “is condemned already, because he has not believed on the only-begotten Son of God.” (John 3: 18.) And again he says, “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3 : 36.) In all such passages the word believe implies not only faith subjectively considered, but also the obedience of faith as illustrated in the eleventh chapter of our Epistle. And hence Christ says on another occasion, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathered not with me, scat­tered abroad.” (Matt. 12: 30.) A strict observance of all the commandments and ordinances of God, is therefore indispensable, not as a means of procuring salvation, but as a condition of enjoying what Christ has himself freely purchased for us with his own blood.

 

There is an implied contrast here between the salvation which was offered to the Jews, on the conditions of legal obedience; and that which is now offered to all, on the conditions of Gospel obedi­ence. The former was relative; but the latter is absolute. The former was procured through carnal ordinances imposed on the people till the time of reformation; but the latter has been procured for us through the blood of Christ. The former was temporal; the latter is eternal. And hence it is properly called a “great salva­tion,” involving as it does the free and full pardon of sin; the justi­fication and sanctification of the sinner; the redemption of the body from the corruption of the grave; and the eternal glorification of both the soul and the body in the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Hebrews 2:3 —which began to be spoken by the Lord.—The author does not mean that this salvation was wholly unknown to the ancients. The good news of redemption through Jesus Christ was enigmatically suggested even to our first parents before they were expelled from Eden (Gen. 3: 15); and the subject was afterward more fully re­vealed to Abraham (Gen. 12: 3; Gal. 3: 8) and the Prophets (Isa. 53; 1 Pet. 1: 10-12.) Nevertheless, it is certainly true in a very important sense that Christ by his appearing “brought life and im­mortality to light through the Gospel.” (2 Tim. 1: 10.) He was the first to reveal to the people by his teachings, his sufferings, and his triumphs, the true economy of the grace of God which “bring- eth salvation to all men.” And hence it is that the most ignorant subject of his Kingdom knows more of the way of life and salva­tion through the atoning blood of Christ and the renewing influ­ence of the Holy Spirit, than did even John the Baptist. (Matthew 11:11) How far Christ himself, while on Earth, revealed to his dis­ciples the plan of redemption, it may be difficult to say. But from sundry passages of Scripture (Matthew 28:20; John 14:26), it seems probable that he instructed them in nearly all, if not in quite all of the laws and principles of his Kingdom. And hence our au­thor says that this salvation which “at the first began to be spoken by the Lord” was afterward “confirmed unto us by them that heard him”; that is, by the Apostles and Prophets who were eye and ear witnesses of his personal ministry. (Acts 1:8 Acts 1:21-22;. 1 John 1:1-3.)

 

From this remark, it is inferred by Bleek, Alford, and others, that Paul is not the author of this Epistle. For it is manifest, they say, that the writer classifies himself with those who had not heard the Lord, in contrast with those who had heard him. But it ap­pears from Galatians 1:11-24, that Paul had not only heard and seen Jesus, but that he had also actually received from him his commis­sion and all his qualifications as an Apostle.

 

This is a plausible objection against the Pauline authorship of the Epistle; but that it is not valid, will appear from the following considerations: (1) It seems probable that in the above remark, the author has reference only to Christ’s personal ministry on Earth; and consequently that he speaks here only of those who saw Christ, heard him, handled him, and conversed with him, dur­ing the period of his earthly ministry. If so, then Paul may in fact have belonged to that class of Christ’s ministers who did not hear and see him during the period to which our author refers. At all events, he certainly did not hear him in the full and pregnant sense in which the word hear is used in this connection. (2) It is not the author’s purpose here to vindicate his own authority as an Apostle, or to give prominence to himself in any way; but just the reverse. He aims simply to vindicate the claims and the authority of the Gospel, and while doing so to keep himself in the back­ground as much as possible. And hence by a common figure of rhetoric (anacoenosis), he seems to have purposely associated him­self with his readers, as he often does in other parts of the Epistle (Hebrews 3:14 Hebrews 4:1-3 Hebrews 4:11 Hebrews 4:14-16 Hebrews 6:1 Hebrews 6:3, etc.), in order that he might have as strong a hold on their sympathies as possible. See Introduction Section I. Div. 2: 2.

 

Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing them witness,—God himself is ever pres­ent with whatever agents or ministers he employs to work out any given end or purpose. “My presence,” said he to Moses, “shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” (Exodus 33:14.) “I am not alone,” says Christ (John 8:16) ; “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). So also God was ever pres­ent with the Apostles, confirming their testimony with signs, and wonders, and divers miracles, and distributions of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will. There are not so many different kinds of miracles, wrought by God in attestation and confirmation of the truth; but they are rather the same miracles viewed under different aspects. It is plain, as Ebrard says in substance, that miracles may be regarded in a fourfold aspect; first, with regard to their design, as signs (seemeia), miraculous testimonies in behalf of the truth; secondly, with respect to their nature, as wonders (terata), supernatural acts calculated to excite wonder and amazement in the minds of those who witnessed them; thirdly, with respect to their origin, as manifestations of supernatural powers (dunameis) ; and finally, in their specifically Christian aspect, as gifts and distri­butions of the Holy Spirit (pneumatos hagios merismoi) imparted to the original witnesses and proclaimers of the truth, according to the will of God. (1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11.)

 

These might be multiplied almost indefinitely. But it is hoped that the few suggested under each section will be sufficient to in­duce the thoughtful reader to reflect and meditate on the text for himself; and to draw from it such lessons of comfort and consola­tion, as are best adapted to his own immediate wants and circum­stances. The following are given but as a specimen:

God has certainly spoken to fallen man (1:1). Of this we have very strong evidence in this first section of our Epistle; the thoughts of which are as far above the conceptions of the most gifted heathen poets and philosophers, as Heaven is above the Earth. Compare, for instance, the theology of this section with the theology of Homer and Hesiod; and mark the infinite contrast.

 

But just as certain as God spoke to the ancients, first by the Prophets and afterward by his Son, so certain it is that he now speaks to us in and through every book, chapter, and verse of the Holy Scriptures. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and com­fort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4.) The canon of Holy Writ was framed for our benefit, on whom the end of the ages has come. And hence we should receive every word of the Bible as the living voice of Jehovah; for “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17.)

 

The harmony of the Old and New Testament Scriptures is complete. As the Christian Fathers taught, “The New Testament lies concealed in the Old; and the Old Testament lies patent in the New.” The one is but the complement of the other. The revela­tions of the New Testament are fuller and simpler, and conse­quently more encouraging than those of the Old; but together they serve to develop and illustrate one plan of mercy and grace for the salvation of the world.

 

The Eloheem Jehovah of the Old Testament, is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of the New. Sometimes, indeed, these names are ascribed to the Father alone (Psalms 2:2 Psalms 2:7 Psalms 45:7 Psalms 110:1-2 Psalms 110:4) ; and sometimes to the Son alone (Psalms 45:6; Jeremiah 23:6) ; but generally, as in Genesis 1:26 Genesis 3:22-23, they each compre­hend the whole Godhead; the former expressing the infinite power, and the latter the essential being and eternity of the Deity. And hence it follows that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are the one eternal, immutable and omnipresent God. “Hear, O Is­rael, Jehovah our Eloheem is one Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 6:4.)

 

The evidence of Christ’s Divinity given in this section is full and complete. He is the Creator of all things; the Upholder of all things; the effulgence of the Father’s glory and the exact likeness of his substance. He is associated with the Father in the govern­ment of the universe; is called God by the Father himself; and as God he is worshiped by all the holy angels. His throne is eternal; and though he will roll up the heavens as a curtain, and change and readjust them as a worn-out garment, he himself is still the same, “yesterday, to-day, and forever.” If these facts are not suf­ficient to prove beyond all doubt the Divinity of the Lord Jesus, then will our Socinian friends have the kindness to tell us what ev­idence would be sufficient for this purpose ?

 

We have also in this section abundant evidence of God’s will­ingness to save sinners. The obstacles that lay in the way of his doing so were of course very great. Great indignity had been cast on himself as well as on his government, by the sin of man. Ail mankind had become enemies to him by wicked works (Colossians 1:20-21), and the human heart had itself become desperately wicked and polluted (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19). To remove these obstacles out of the way, was of course a very difficult problem. But “all things are possible with God.” He so loved the world, even when it was dead in trespasses and sins, that he gave his Son, his only Son, to make expiation and propitiation for the sins of mankind. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8 Romans 8:32.) He sent the Holy Spirit to con­vince the world of sin, and righteousness, and of judgment (John 15:26 John 16:8-11) ; and also to dwell in the hearts of his children as their Comforter and Advocate (John 14:16-17 John 16:7; Romans 8:26).

He sent holy angels to minister to the heirs of salvation; and he has given to us the Holy Bible as the rule of our faith and practice. He created the Church and furnished it with all that is necessary for our edification and growth in the Divine life. Who, then, can doubt, that as a Father pities and loves his children, so also the Lord pities and loves those who earnestly en­deavor to serve him ?

 

How transcendently great are our obligations to love and serve God, through Christ, for his abounding goodness to us poor miserable sinners. (Hebrews 2:1-4.) If, to redeem us from death, he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; if he has sent his Holy Spirit to enlighten, comfort, and sanctify us; if he watches over us with even more than a Father’s care; and if he has promised to save us from our sins, to deliver us from the corrup­tion of the grave, and to crown us with honor, glory and immortal­ity in the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on the simple condition that we give him our poor hearts, and consecrate our lives to his service—then who can estimate the extent of our obligations to do this? And who can estimate the infinite remorse and agonies of those who live and die in the ne­glect of this great salvation! May Heaven save us from the folly and destiny of all such.

Hebrews 2:5-9

I. MAN’S LOST OVER THE WORLD

TO BE THROUGH JESUS

Hebrews 2:5-9

Hebrews 2:5 —For unto the angels—The logical connection here is not very clear; and hence the critics are not agreed as to what is the proper antecedent clause of the conjunction “for’* (gar). Some find it in Hebrews 1:13; and others in Hebrews 2:4. But it seems most probable that the object of the Apostle is to introduce another line of argument co­ordinate with that which is given in the first chapter, and leading to the same general conclusion found in Hebrews 2:4. And hence he beau­tifully and with great rhetorical skill and propriety, makes the ex­hortation given in Hebrews 2:1-4, the connecting link between the two. In view of what is stated in the first chapter, he says, ‘‘We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest haply we should be drifted away from them.” And this, he says by implication, we should do also from the further consideration, that God has made it the business of Christ, and not of angels, to restore to mankind their lost dominion over the world.

 

Hebrews 2:5 —the world to come, whereof we speak.—The world to come (hee oikoumenee hee mellousa) means, not the coming age (ho aion ho mellon) as in Matthew 12:39, etc., but the habitable world under the reign and government of the Messiah. (1:6.) It is the world in which we now live; and in which, when it shall have been purified from sin, the redeemed will live forever. For man, it was at first created (Genesis 1:28-31); and to man, it still belongs by an immutable decree of Jehovah. This is manifest, as the Apostle here shows, from what is recorded in the eighth Psalm, to which in the popular style of his age, our author here elegantly refers. It consists of two parts; in the first of which (Psalms 8:1-2), David celebrates the praises of God for the marvelous manifestations of his wisdom, power, and goodness, displayed in all his works. These manifestations of the Divine perfections are so very plain that even babes and sucklings perceive and acknowledge them (Matthew 11:25 Matthew 21:16), and thus put to silence the profane scoff - ings of ignorant and foolish men, who say in their hearts, “No God.” (Psalms 14:1.)

In the second part (Psalms 8:3-9), the author speaks particularly of God’s favor and goodness to man: “When I consider thy heav­ens, the work of thy fingers, the Moon and the stars which thou hast ordained,” then he says I am constrained to exclaim,

 

Hebrews 2:6 —What is man, that thou art mindful of him?—That this has reference to mankind in general, and not to Jesus Christ personally considered, as some have alleged, is evident from the Psalm itself, as well as from the scope of the Apostle’s argument. It is God’s care for the human race, as such, and not for any one person in particular, which so much excites the wonder and admiration of the Psalmist. When he looked upon the heavens as the work of God’s fingers, and thought of the Moon and the stars which he (God) had created, he was amazed that a Being so exalted, so ex­cellent, and so glorious, should ever condescend to think of man and to supply his numerous wants.

 

Hebrews 2:6 —or the son of man, that thou visitest him?—This, in connec­tion with the preceding clause, is a case of synonymous parallelism. “Son of man” (huios anthropou) in the latter clause is equivalent to “man” (anthropos) in the first; and each of these terms is used generically for the race. The word visit, according to Hebrew usage, means to manifest one’s self to another, for the purpose of either blessing (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:16) or punishing (Job 35:15; Psalms 89:32). In this connection, both the words, visit and remember, are used in a favorable sense, indicating God’s special care over man, in that he provides for him, and, as Christ says, numbers even the hairs of his head. (Matthew 10:10.)

 

Hebrews 2:7 —Thou madest him a little lower than the angels,—Or as the Hebrew may be more literally rendered, Thou hast made him fall but little short of Eloheem; or, Thou has lowered him a little be­neath Eloheem. The word Eloheem in this passage means the an­gels. It is so rendered in the Septuagint, no doubt in harmony with Hebrew usage, and most likely on the authority of some of the ancient Prophets; and it is, moreover, so rendered by the au­thor of our Epistle.

 

It is still a question with the critics whether the word little (Brachu ti) is expressive of time or of degree. Those who take this as a Messianic Psalm, and refer the words “man” and “son of man” to Christ, generally construe the word “little” as a particle of time (Bleek, Ltinemann, Macknight, Clarke); and so also do some others, as Ebrard, who take these words as referring to mankind generally. But I agree with Delitzsch, Alford, Moll, and others, that both the Psalmist and our author refer here simply to the rank which God has assigned to man in the scale of creation. He has made him, they say, a little inferior to the angels; and there is no intimation given here or elsewhere, that he will ever make him their superior. That man redeemed by the blood of Christ, will, in his glorified state, occupy a place of more tender care and solic­itude than the angels, is quite probable. This is in harmony with several scenes in the Apocalypse (Revelation 5:11-12 Revelation 7:9-12) ; and it is in harmony also with the teachings of Christ in the parables of the lost sheep, the lost piece of money, and the prodigal son (Luke 15).

But in none of these passages is there any evidence that man will ever rise in rank above the angels. As a lost and recovered child, he will ever be an object of wonder and sympathy through­out the universe; and the angels will doubtless often lean on their harps, and listen in rapture to the more tender and transporting songs of the redeemed. But I know of no evidence in the Scrip­tures that the present rank of men and angels will ever be re­versed.

 

Hebrews 2:7 —thou crownedst him with glory and honor,—The two words here rendered glory and honor (doxee kai timee) are nearly syn­onymous in both the Hebrew and the Greek; and they are used, ac­cording to a well known Hebrew idiom, for the.sake of emphasis. Together, they express royal dignity; and in this instance, they in­dicate the fullness of the regal power and authority which God has bestowed, not on the first or on the second Adam merely, but on the race; or rather, on the loyal portion of it. By a decree as im­mutable as the laws of gravitation, God has ordained that man shall inherit the Earth and have dominion over it.

 

Hebrews 2:7 —and didst set him over the works of thy hands:—This clause is now generally rejected by the critics as spurious. See critical note above given by Bagster. But it is found in the original He­brew, in the Septuagint, and also in manuscripts, A, C, D, M1, etc.; and I am therefore inclined to retain it as genuine.

 

Hebrews 2:8 —Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.—This, with the last clause, is another instance of Hebrew parallel­ism. It is not, however, synonymous, but constructive parallelism, which occurs here. The Psalmist first expresses the general thought, that God has placed man over the work of his hands. But he does not stop with this. To indicate still further the degree of man’s sovereignty over the world, he adds, “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.” The latter clause is, there­fore, more expressive than the former, as it indicates the perfect and entire subjection of all things earthly to the will of man; and so the Apostle reasons in what follows.

 

For in that he put all things in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.—In these words, there is no reference whatever to angels, or to other worlds or systems. It is of the Earth, and of the Earth only, that the Holy Spirit here speaks. This is obvious from what follows in the latter part of the eighth Psalm. After saying that all things are by the decree of Je­hovah put under the feet of man, the Psalmist immediately adds, by way of explanation, the following specifications: “all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the. fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” It is to this world as it was, as it is, and especially as it will be hereafter, that both the Psalmist and the Apostle have refer­ence. When God had renovated the Earth and filled it, as a vast storehouse, with all that was necessary for the well-being and hap­piness of its intended sovereign, he said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth, So God created man in his own image; in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multi­ply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28.) This is the perpetual decree of Jehovah with respect to the domain and the dominion of man.

True, indeed, Satan has for a time usurped the dominion of this world; and man has by transgression forfeited all claims upon it. The crown of glory and honor has fallen from his head because of sin; and now he is exposed and assailed by a thousand obstacles in earth, air, and sea. And hence the Apostle adds:

 

Hebrews 2:8 —we see not yet all things put under him.—From this, it is evi­dent that the eighth Psalm is prophetic. The Psalmist looks rather at the decree and purpose of Jehovah touching the final al­lotment of this world, than to the state of things which actually ex­isted at the time in which he wrote. He means to say, that al­though man’s scepter is now broken, the decree of Jehovah con­cerning it is not broken. His purpose is unchangeable. And hence there can be no doubt but that mankind will yet regain their lost dominion over the Earth. How far this will be accomplished before the Earth shall have been renovated by fire (2 Peter 3), it may be now difficult to say.

When Satan shall be bound for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6), and the saints of the Most High possess the Kingdom (Daniel 7:14 Daniel 7:18 Daniel 7:22), the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 11:6-9) may be more literally fulfilled than we now anticipate. But whatever may be true of this blissful era, so long and so often foretold by the Apostles and Prophets, it is not at all probable that man’s dominion over the world will be fully restored, until the new heavens and the new Earth appear, in which righteousness will forever dwell. (Revelation 21.)

 

Hebrews 2:9 —But we see Jesus,—The Apostle here makes a very striking contrast between “Jesus” and “man,” to whom by the decree of Je­hovah, the world is to be subjected. “We do not yet,” he says, “see all things put under man”; but in the coronation of Jesus, as Lord of all, we see that the work is in progress; and this is, of course, to all Christians a sure pledge that in due time it will be fully consummated.

 

Hebrews 2:9 —who was made a little lower than the angels—We learn from the seventeenth verse of this chapter, that “in all things it be­hooved Christ to be made like unto his brethren.” But they are all “a little lower than the angels” (verse 7) ; and hence it was neces­sary that he too should, as a man, be made “a little lower than the angels.” For otherwise, indeed, he would not be a man; would not be capable of suffering death for every man; and would not be such a merciful and faithful High Priest, as we all need to sympa­thize with us in our infirmities. That he is God, the Creator of both men and angels, is clearly taught in the first chapter; and that he is also a man is just as clearly taught in the second. Perfect Divinity and perfect humanity are both perfectly united in the per­son of the Lord Jesus. Nothing short of this, it seems, would make him just such a Savior as we need.

 

Hebrews 2:9 —for the suffering of death,—It is still a question with exposi­tors, whether this phrase is grammatically connected with what precedes, or with what follows. As rendered in our Common Version it is most naturally connected with what precedes; and seems intended to express the end or purpose for which Jesus was made a little lower than the angels: viz., in order that he might be capable of suffering death. If this is the proper rendering, then it follows that this expression forms a sort of parallelism with the last clause of the verse, and the whole sentence may be construed as follows: “But we see Jesus (who was made a little lower than the angels, for the purpose of suffering death, so that he by the grace of God might taste death for every man) crowned with glory and honor.” This construction is in harmony with the Apostle’s argument; but it does $ot altogether harmonize with the laws of grammatical arrangement. Had our author intended to express a parallelism by means of these two expressions, it is not probable that he would have separated them, as he has done in the original, by the intervening words, “crowned with glory and honor.”

 

And hence I am inclined to think with Delitzsch, Alford, and most modern expositors, that the words in question stand connected with what follows, and that the passage should be rendered thus: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor, for (dia, because of, on account of) the suffering of death”; that is, on account of, and as a reward for, his sufferings. To this rendering there can be no grammatical ob­jection whatever; and in sense it harmonizes well with the follow­ing and other parallel passages: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no rep­utation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he hum­bled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11.) "

 

Hebrews 2:9 —crowned with glory and honor,—The best explanation of these words may be found in the above passage from the Epistle to the Philippians. God had long before promised that Christ should be abundantly rewarded for his sufferings. (Isaiah 53:12.) And hence as we are told by Luke (Acts 1:1-11), after that he had borne the pains and agonies of the cross, and after he had risen from the dead and instructed his disciples for forty days in matters pertain­ing to the Kingdom of God, he was then taken up into Heaven, and in the presence of adoring millions (1:6) crowned Lord of all; “angels, and authorities, and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Peter 3:22). This was first announced to the people, as a fact, by the Apostle Peter, on the following Pentecost (Acts 2:36) ; and afterward it was proclaimed to every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation under heaven. See; Ephesians 1:20-23; Colossians 1:23, etc.

 

There can be no doubt, therefore, that Christ is now the anointed Sovereign of the universe; and that he will reign over all creatures in Heaven, and on Earth, and under the Earth, until he shall have restored to the saints their lost dominion over this world.

 

Hebrews 2:9 —that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.—Instead of the phrase “by the grace of God” (chariti. Theou), we have in a few manuscripts, “without God” (choris Theou). This reading was preferred by Theodoret, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and the Nestorians. But the evidence, both internal and external, is against it; and it is therefore now generally re­jected by the critics, as a marginal gloss.

 

Conceding, then, that the common reading is genuine, let us next consider what is the proper grammatical connection of this clause with the rest of the sentence. It is manifestly a subordinate and dependent clause; but on what does it depend ? What was done so that (opos) Jesus “might by the grace of God taste death for every man’’? Was he crowned with glory and honor for this purpose? Surely not. His death preceded his coronation; and he was crowned, as we have seen, in consequence of it.

What then? Was he made a little lower than the angels, so that he might by the grace of God taste death for every man ? Clearly, to my mind, this is the meaning of the passage. And I would therefore prefer the following arrangement of this very complex sentence, as being more in harmony with the less flexible rules of English syntax: “But we see Jesus (who was made a little lower than the angels, so that he might by the grace of God taste death for every man) crowned with glory and honor, on account of the suffering of death.”

 

The several words of this clause need but little explanation. The phrase, “by the grace of God,” means simply that the incarna­tion, death, atonement, and mediation of the Lord Jesus, are all the offspring of Divine love. “For,” as Christ says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16.) To “taste death ” is the same as to experience death, or to suffer death. And the phrase “for every man” is as plain as it can be made; clearly indicating that the atonement of Jesus Christ is for every human being, and that all men may therefore be saved by it. We have but to comply with the very plain and reasonable condi­tions on which salvation is offered to all, and then we will finallyreceive “an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:11.)

 

From the given explanations, then, it is quite obvious that the main object of the Apostle in this paragraph (Hebrews 2:5-9), is to remind his Hebrew brethren, that by an irrevocable decree of Je­hovah this world belongs to man; and that although it has been forfeited by sin, and its dominion usurped by Satan, it is neverthe­less God’s purpose to redeem it for the benefit of his saints; not, however, through angels, nor through the law given by angels (Hebrews 2:5); but through that scheme of grace, mercy, and truth of which Jesus is the Author and the Finisher. And so also this same Apostle testifies to his Roman brethren. Speaking of this very matter, he says, “For the promise that he [Abraham] should be heir of the world (Kleeronomos Kosmou), was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they who are of the Law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the Law worketh wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgres­sion. Therefore it is of faith, ‘that it might be by grace; to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the Law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abra­ham ; who is the Father of us all.” (Romans 4:13-16.) The promise that his posterity according to the flesh should inherit the land of Canaan, was given to Abraham and to his seed through law.

But all these legal, carnal, and temporal arrangements were but a type or shadow of the more gracious provisions of the economy of re­demption through Jesus Christ; according to which it seems that Abraham and the whole family of the faithful will yet inherit the entire Earth, after that it shall have been purified by fire, and pre­pared for the descent of the New Jerusalem. See Psalms 37:9-11; Matthew 5:5; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 5:10 Revelation 21.

 

How very important it is, then, that we should all give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest perchance we should be drifted away from them. For into this renovated Earth nothing can ever come that is impure or unholy. For “the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore­mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.” (Revelation 21 :1) How then, shall we escape if we neglect the great salvation

offered to us in the Gospel, “which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” ?

Hebrews 2:10-18

II.. WHY THE WORD BECAME FLESH

AND DWELT AMONG US

Hebrews 2:10-18

 

Hebrews 2:10 —For it became him,—The Apostle aims here to meet and re­fute a Jewish objection founded on the humiliation and sufferings of Christ. “We have heard out of the law,” said the Jews on one occasion, “that Christ abideth forever.” (John 12:34.) This opinion was founded on such passages as Psalms 72:7 Psalms 72:17 Psalms 89:36-37 Psalms 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:24-25; Daniel 2:44 Daniel 7:13-14; Micah 4:7; in which the Kingdom of the Messiah is described as an everlasting Kingdom; and his reign, as enduring throughout all generations. To many of the Jews, these passages of Scripture seemed wholly inconsistent with the humble life and the ignomin­ious death of the Lord Jesus. And it was therefore eminently proper to remove this objection as far as possible, by showing just at this point of the argument that the humiliation, sufferings, and death of Christ are, in fact, an essential part of the scheme of re­demption. This, our author does with great force and tenderness in the remaining portion of this chapter. He begins by saying that it “became (eprepen) Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Cap­tain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” God is here represented both as the final cause (dia on) and also as the efficient cause (dia ou) of all things. The universe is, in fact, but a manifestation and development of his infinite perfections.

And hence its government is not with him a matter of caprice, or of ar­bitrary choice, but of divine propriety. As it became God to adapt means to ends in the work of creation, so also it becomes him to do the same in the works of providence and redemption. When he resolved to bring many sons unto glory, there was then imposed on him (if I may say it with reverence) a moral necessity, deep and profound as his own nature, to qualify Jesus for the great work that was before him: and this, it seems, could be done only by means of his incarnation, sufferings, and death.

 

Hebrews 2:10 —in bringing many sons unto glory,—To whom does the parti­ciple “bringing” (agagonta) refer? To God the Father, repre­sented by the pronoun “him” (auto in the dative case), or to Jesus, represented by “captain” (archeegon in the accusative case) ? The grammatical agreement is in favor of the latter; but the scope of the passage and the general construction of the sen­tence are in favor of the former. And hence this is now generally regarded as a case of anacoluthon. See Winer’s Gram. Section 63.

 

The heirs of salvation are here called “sons” in relation to God as their Father and supreme Leader; just as in the following verse they are called “brethren,” in relation to Christ who is our Elder Brother and also our Leader by the Father’s appointment. To bring many sons unto glory is the same as to bring them to Heaven. This world now abounds in sin and suffering, misery and death. But in Heaven all is light, and life, and love. (Revelation 21.)

Hebrews 2:10 —the captain of their salvation—The word here rendered cap­tain (archeegos) means properly a leader; one who at the head of an army or other company leads them onward to the goal or place of their destination. The word is applied by Philo to Adam, who, as Paul says, “was a type of him that was to come.” (Romans 5:14.) These are both captains or leaders of the entire race. But they lead to different goals, and in opposite directions. The first Adam led all to death; whereas the second Adam leads all to life. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22.) “For as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sin­ners; so by the obedience of one shall the many, be made righ­teous.” (Romans 5:19.)

 

The phrase, “many sons,” as used in our text, is not, however, strictly equivalent to “the many” in Romans 5:19. The latter in­cludes the whole human race; but the former includes only those “who by patient continuance in well going,” follow Christ wher­ever he goes. The latter, it is true, will all be raised from the dead, and forever saved from all the effects of the Adamic sin; but many of them will, on account of their own personal transgressions, be raised “to the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29), and banished “with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The former, however, will all, without the loss of one, be brought home to the full enjoyment of honor, glory, and immortality. And these, be it observed, will not be a few, but a vast multitude which no man can number, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. (Revelation 7:9-10.)

 

Hebrews 2:10 —perfect through sufferings.—The word here rendered to make perfect (teleioo—from telos, an end, termination) means properly to be full, complete, wanting in nothing; and as applied to Christ in this connection, it means simply that he was by God fully qualified for the work that was before him; that in this respect he was com­plete and entire, wanting in nothing.

 

In what this perfection consisted, it may be difficult for us to ex­plain. Perhaps none but God can understand this matter fully. But this much we may say in general:

(1.) That it consisted in Christ’s being fully prepared to honor God and to magnify his government, by making an adequate atone­ment for the sins of the world. God, be it reverently spoken, can­not without full satisfaction pardon any sin or transgression of his law. By an eternal moral necessity, the soul that sinneth must die, unless by adequate means the claims of Divine Justice can be fully satisfied. (Exodus 34:7.) Any attempt, therefore, to bring many sons unto glory without a ransom sufficient to atone for all their transgressions, would of necessity be a failure. And hence it was, that when no other means were found adequate, God set forth Jesus Christ, as a propitiatory sacrifice, for a demonstration of his justice in passing by the sins of his ancient people; and to show also how it is that he can now be just in justifying every one who believes in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26.) It became God the Father, therefore, to make his Son a perfect Savior by the shedding of his blood, so that by means of it an adequate atonement might be made for the sins of the world.

 

(2.) The perfection of Christ, as the Captain of our salvation, consisted also in his being relatively adapted to the nature, wants, and circumstances of those whom he came to redeem. It was not enough that he should come with a ransom sufficient to meet and satisfy all the claims of the Divine Government on the sinner. He had to look at the human, as well as at the Divine, side of the ques­tion. He had to lay hold of human nature as it was, and adapt himself to it in such a way as would best serve to enlighten the understanding, renew the heart, and control the will and the life of our sin-ruined race. But it is a law of the universe that “Like loves its like.” And hence it is, that God has generally clothed himself and his angelic ambassadors in human form, whenever he has sought to manifest them and himself to mankind in compassion, tenderness, and love. (Genesis 18:1-2 Genesis 19:1 Genesis 19:12, etc.) But in the case of Jesus, the mere form of humanity was not enough. In order to reach the heart of a race at enmity with God by their own wicked works, and to change that enmity into love, it was neces­sary that the Word should become flesh, and by the grace of God taste death for every man. (Colossians 1:21-22.) In no other conceiva­ble way could the love of God be sufficiently manifested to our re­bellious race.

True, indeed, the benevolence, as well as the wis­dom and power of God, is revealed in every law and ordinance of nature. It is seen in every star that twinkles in the firmament; it is seen in every flower that blooms on the landscape; and it is seen in every organ, and even in every element, of the human body. Nevertheless, our experience, as well as the light of history, goes to prove that in all nature there is not power sufficient to convert a single soul. We love God because he first loved us, and mani­fested his love to us in giving his own dear Son to weep, and bleed, and die for us. (1 John 4:10 1 John 4:19.) This, then, is manifestly an­other reason why it became God the Father, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

 

(3.) When Jesus became a man, he had to be perfected, as a man. He was, in his infancy, endowed with every element and at­tribute of human nature in its sinless state; and consequently these elements of humanity in the person of the Lord Jesus had all to be educated by a severe course of discipline and experience, such as is common to man. And hence Luke says, “he [Jesus] increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52.) But no man is fully qualified to visit the sick, and to admin­ister to the wants of the afflicted, who has not himself drunk deep of the cup of human sorrow and of human suffering; and hence it was that Christ had to drink of it to its very dregs. And now that “he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”

 

Hebrews 2:11 —For both he that sanctifieth, etc.—The sanctifier is Christ himself; and the “sanctified” are the same as the “many sons” spo­ken of in the tenth verse. These and Christ, our author means to say, are very nearly related, being together properly called sons, “for” they are all of one Father. The word sanctify (hagiazo) means (1) to make clean, to purify, to make holy; and (2) to con­secrate, or set apart from a common to a sacred use. In the latter sense, it is applied both to persons and things; in the former, only to persons. In the latter sense, it has reference to state or condi­tion ; in the former, to character. In the latter sense there are prop­erly no degrees and no progress; but in the former, we may and we should make constant progress. Very frequently this word is used in one of these two senses to the exclusion of the other; but in our text, it is used in its most comprehensive sense, so as to in­clude the idea of both consecration and moral purification; each of which is effected through the death and mediation of the Lord Jesus, “who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justification, and sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30.)

 

Hebrews 2:11 —are all of one:—One what? Some say, One race (ex henos genous) ; some, One blood (ex henos haimatos) ; some, One seed or offspring (ex henos spermatos). But the idea that they are all of one Father (ex henos patros), not Adam or Abraham, but God, “from whom, and through whom, and to whom, are all things,” seems to accord best with all the terms and conditions of the con­text.

 

Hebrews 2:11 —for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,—If the Sanctifier and the sanctified are all sons of God, having one and the same Father, they have also of course one common brotherhood, of which Jesus is not ashamed; and which, as our au­thor now proceeds to show, had long before the date of this Epistle been symbolically set forth in the types and shadows of the Old Testament.

 

Hebrews 2:12 —Saying, I will declare thy name, etc.—This is a quotation from the twenty-second Psalm, in the course of which, David, as a type of Christ, pleads for help (1) on the ground of his very near and intimate relations to God (verses 1-10) ; and (2) on the ground of his imminent danger and intense sufferings (verses 11­21). After this he changes his tone from the deepest despondency, and breaks out into exclamations of gratitude and praise to God for his signal deliverance and the many mercies bestowed on him (verses 22-31). In all this, David refers primarily to his own per­sonal experience, under the severe trials and persecutions which he endured from Saul. During the last seven or eight years of Saul’s reign, he (David) was surrounded by enemies as by wild beasts; and his way to the throne was through the most violent and unrea­sonable opposition. But, trusting in God, he was delivered from all his foes; and afterward, on many joyful occasions, he declared the name of Jehovah to his brethren; and in the midst of the Church, or congregation of Israel, he often celebrated the praises of his Deliverer.

 

And just so it was with Christ, the great antitype of David, to whom also the words of this Psalm have special reference, and to whom they are, in fact, several times applied in the New Testa­ment. Compare, for instance, the first verse of this Psalm with Matthew 27:46; the eighth, with Matthew 27:43; the fifteenth, with John 19:28; the sixteenth, with John 20:25; and the eighteenth, with John 19:23-24. It is therefore, beyond doubt, a typical Psalm having reference primarily to David and secondarily to Christ. See notes on 1:5. But as Delitzsch justly remarks, “David’s description of personal experience and suffering goes far beyond any that he had known in his own person; his complaints descend into a lower deep than he had sounded himself; and his hopes rise higher than any realized reward. Through his hyper­bolical character, the Psalm became typico-prophetic. David, as the sufferer, there contemplates himself and his experience in Christ; and his own, both present and future, thereby acquires a back­ground which, in height and depth, greatly transcends the limits of his own personality.”

 

That this Psalm, then, has a double reference, relating in its highest and fullest sense to the humiliation, sufferings, deliverance, and final triumphs of the Messiah, as the antitype of David, is very obvious. But why does our author refer to it? For what purpose does he quote from it the words of our text? His object, as we have seen, in this part of his argument, is to show the very iiiti- mate relation that exists between Christ and his people; it is to re­mind his Hebrew brethren in Christ and to convince others, that the Messiah was to be a man; a man of sorrows; one in nature and sympathy with the “many sons” whom he is bringing home to glory. This he might have done so far as to satisfy the more en­lightened portion of his readers, by referring to such passages of Scripture as Matthew 12:48-49 Matthew 25:40, etc., in which Jesus speaks to and of the children of God as his brethren. But he very wisely pursues a different course.

He was writing for the Hebrews, all of whom had the most implicit confidence in the Divine origin and plenary inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures. And by ap­pealing to these sacred Oracles, he not only establishes the fact of Christ’s oneness with the sons of God, but he furthermore shows that this was all in harmony with God’s ancient purpose. To us the narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are, of course, just as authoritative as any other parts of the Holy Scriptures. But not so with many of those for whose benefit the Epistle was written. And hence it is that the Apostle so often draws his proofs and arguments from the Old Testament, demonstrating at the same time the sublime unity of God’s gracious plans and pur­poses in all ages and dispensations.

 

The word church (ekkleesia), in its Jewish sense, means the na­tion of Israel assembled in Jerusalem; where David and his breth­ren often celebrated the praises of Jehovah; but, in its Christian sense, as it is here used and applied by the Apostle, it means the united body of believers under the mediatorial reign of the Mes­siah. The former was a type of the latter, just as David himself was a type of Christ.

 

Hebrews 2:13 —And again, I will trust in him.—Words equivalent to these occur in 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalms 18:2; Isaiah 8:17 Isaiah 12:2. In the first two instances, David is the speaker, and represents Christ in his relations as the King of God’s people; and in the last two, Isa­iah is the speaker, and represents Christ in his prophetic relations. It is still a question with the critics, to which of these our author refers. Many think that he refers to Isaiah 8:17; but it is more probable that the quotation is taken from 2 Samuel 22:3, or Psalms 18:2. In either case, the object of our author in making the cita­tion is simply to show that according to God’s will and purpose as revealed in the Old Testament, the Messiah was to be a man, en­dowed with all the attributes and sympathies of our nature. And this he does here by showing that, as a man, Christ, like David, felt his dependence on God and trusted in him.

 

Hebrews 2:13 —Behold I and the children which God hath given me.—That this clause is taken from Isaiah 8:18, is very evident. But what is its meaning, and what bearing has it on the argument of the Apostle ? How can words which in their first intention have a clear reference to Isaiah and his children be applied to Christ and his disciples? The proper answer to this question is to be found in the typical re­lations which Isaiah and his children sustained to Christ and the children of God. As every divinely appointed high-priest under the Theocracy represented Christ in his priestly office; and as every king of the royal line of David represented him in his kingly office; so also did every true prophet represent him to some extent in his prophetical office. And whatever, therefore, was said of Isaiah and his sons, as types, has reference also to Christ and the children which God has given him, as antitypes. See notes on Hebrews 1:5.

 

This is further indicated by the names which God gave to this illustrious Prophet and his two sons, to whom reference is made in this section of prophecy. (Isaiah 7:1 to Isaiah 9:7.) The name Isaiah means salvation of Jehovah, and is nearly equivalent to the name Joshua or Jesus, which means “Jehovah’s salvation,” or Jehovah is his sal­vation. The original name was Hoshea, salvation (Numbers 13:8) ; but Moses changed it to Jehoshua, Jehovah’s salvation (Numbers 8:16). After their return from captivity, the Jews contracted the name to Jeshua, as in Nehemiah 8:17, etc. From this, is derived the Greek name Jesus (Ieesous), which is from the same root as the name Isaiah. The eldest son of Isaiah named in the Scriptures is called Shear-Jashub, which means, A remnant shall return. (Isaiah 7:4) This, then, as well as the name Isaiah, was prophetic, and was manifestly intended by God to be a sign and an assurance to his suffering people, that he had still merciful designs in reserve for those of them who would remain faithful to the end. The next son mentioned was to be called Immanuel, which means “God with usThis name, it seems, was given to the first-born son of Isaiah by a second wife, to indicate that God was still among his people for their protection and deliverance. (Isaiah 7:13-16.) And as evi­dence of this, Isaiah was directed to announce the speedy fall of the two kings, Rezin and Pekah, who were then threatening to overthrow Jerusalem. “Before the child [Immanuel],” said God by the Prophet, “shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” (Isaiah 7:16.) And in order to impress this matter still more deeply on the minds and hearts of the people, God further in­structed Isaiah to call the same child Maharshalal-Hashbaz, Haste-to-the-spoil—Speed-to-the-prey: indicating by this name that in a very short time, even “before the child should know to cry, My father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria would be taken away by the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 8:1-4.) This was all fulfilled, as predicted, within the short space of three years after the delivery of the prophecy.

 

But there is also in this prophecy, as in many others, a double reference, first to the type and then to the antitype. This is evi­dent from the application which Matthew makes of the fourteenth verse of the seventh chapter. See Matthew 1:23. If, then, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew could say with propriety, “Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” why may not Paul also say, speaking by the same Spirit, that Christ became a man, and suffered for us, as a man, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah, saying, “Behold I and the children which God hath given me”? Manifestly, the application which is here made of the words of Isaiah, in the latter case, is just as plain, direct, and authoritative, as in the former.

 

Care must be taken, however, in both cases, not to press the analogies too far. The name Immanuel, as applied to the son of Isaiah, was to the chosen people of that age a sign that God was still among them as their guardian and protector; but as applied to Christ, it is indicative of his Divinity, implying that he is himself God manifest in the flesh. There is a difference also between the relation which Isaiah bore to his children, according to the flesh, and that which Christ sustains to his disciples, as the children of God. But the resemblance between the two is sufficient to indicate that Christ and the “many sons” that he is leading on to glory, are all of the same family, and that they are bound together by cords of the deepest and tenderest human sympathy. This is all that the Apostle aims to prove by these citations from the Old Testament.

 

Hebrews 2:14 —Forasmuch then—(epei oun) since then. In the context preceding, the Apostle has shown that it was a part of God’s gra­cious will and purpose, as revealed in the Old Testament, that Christ and the children of the covenant (Galatians 3:7 Galatians 3:9 Galatians 3:29) should all be of one Father, and of one family. But according to the es­tablished laws and ordinances of nature, the children have all been made partakers (kehoinoneeke) of flesh and blood. And hence it was that, in compliance with God’s will and purpose, Christ also partook of the same. “Though he was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7.) The expression, “flesh and blood,” says Bleek, “betokens the whole sensuous corpo­real nature of man, which he has in common with the brutes, and whereby he is the object of sensuous perception and corporeal im­pressions; whereby also he is subjected to the laws of infirmity, decay, and transitoriness of material things, in contrast with purely spiritual and incorporeal beings.” Frequently it is used by synec­doche in a more comprehensive sense for human nature; as, for example, in Matthew 16:17; Galatians 1:16; Ephesians 6:12. And there can be no doubt that in becoming incarnate, the Logos assumed human nature in all its fullness, including every element of our spiritual, as well as of our physical and sensuous being. But in this in­stance, as in 1 Corinthians 15:50, the words seem to be used in a more limited sense. The Apostle does not say that the children are flesh and blood, but that they have been made partakers of flesh and blood; thereby making a distinction between what constitutes the essential and eternal part of man’s nature, and what is merely acci­dental, and in which we now live as in a clay tabernacle. (2 Corinthians 5:1.) Even this sensuous part of our nature was put on by Christ, so that he might in every particular, “be made like unto his brethren,” and “through death destroy him that has the power of death.”

 

Hebrews 2:14 —that is, the devil;—The word devil (diabolos—from diaballo, to calumniate) means properly a calumniator, a traducer, an ac­cuser, or a slanderer. The corresponding Hebrew word is Satan, meaning one that hates, an enemy. Our knowledge of this won­derful being is quite limited. But from the Scriptures we may learn (1) that like man he was at first created upright; and that like man he afterward sinned and fell. Christ says of him in John 8:44, that “he abode not in the truth”; which implies very clearly that he was once in it. And Jude says (verse 6), “The angels who kept not their first estate, but left their own proper habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judg­ment of the great day.” See also 2 Peter 2:4.

From a compari­son of these passages, it is very manifest that Satan was one of those angels who, not being satisfied with their “first estate,” or original condition (archee), were cast down to Tartarus on account of their rebellion. (2) There is but little said in the Bible in refer­ence to the particular occasion and circumstances of Satan’s fall. But it is pretty evident from 1 Timothy 3:6, that it was occasioned by pride.

Paul here admonishes Timothy not to appoint to the Bishop’s office “a new convert, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil”; that is, lest he fall into the same condemnation into which the devil fell. That this is the meaning of the Apostle, is evident from the fact that it is not the prerogative of the devil to condemn anyone. He ensnares (1 Timothy 3:7); but it is Christ that condemns (Romans 8:34). How pride or any other sin could enter Heaven, may be a mystery above our comprehension. But it seems that in some way (per­haps by comparing himself too much with his inferiors, instead of duly considering the Infinite), pride got possession of Satan’s heart, begetting in him, and through him in others, an unhallowed ambition to rise still higher among the principalities and powers of the heavenly realms. They “left their own proper habitation”; and as a consequence were cast down to Hades. (3) After he was cast out of Heaven, he successfully plotted and effected the fall of man.

 

Why Satan was allowed to come to this world and tempt our first parents, as he did, is a question too high for us. God alone may be capable of fully understanding this mystery. But the fact is indis­putable. God had said to Adam: “But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17.) Satan, whose intellect is marvelously great, next it may be to that of the Infinite, was not long, it seems, in perceiving how he might turn this ordi­nance of God to his own advantage and to man’s ruin. He knew that so long as man was loyal to his Maker, he and all his fallen compeers, though numerous it may be as the leaves and flowers of Eden, could do nothing to his injury. But Satan had no doubt well weighed and considered the awful, mysterious, and compre­hensive import of the word death in the threatened penalty.

He saw that there was in this thing death, a power, the possession of which would make him the prince of the world (John 12:31 John 14:30 John 16:11), and make man his most abject slave (John 8:34). He resolved if possible to secure it; and succeeded but too well in his diabolical designs. Through his influence, Adam sinned and fell; and humanity sinned and fell in him. (Romans 5:12 Romans 5:18-19.)

 

Hebrews 2:14 —the power of death,—What is it, and in what does it consist? This is a question which we can now answer but in part. Until we understand perfectly what death is, we cannot of course fully un­derstand its power. But such matters are above our weak capacity. We know, however, that it has, in a very important and com­prehensive sense, separated man from his Maker (Ephesians 2:12-13); robbed him of his highest spiritual power and enjoyment (Ephesians 2:1 Ephesians 2:5); filled his heart with enmity to God (Genesis 3:8; Colossians 1:21) ; made him the willing slave of sin and Satan (John 8:44; Romans 1:28-31; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 3:8 1 John 5:19) ; and greatly deranged all his physical as well as his spiritual powers, resulting in a separation of soul and body (Romans 5:12 Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Its power is therefore immensely great; and it is all used by Satan for the purpose of promoting his own diabolical ends and purposes.

 

But “the Word became flesh” in order that, by means of his death, “he might destroy him that has the power of death.” The word destroy (katargeo) does not mean to annihilate, but simply to render useless, to bring to naught. The Apostle John expresses the same thought in his first Epistle (3:8) where he says, “For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy (lusee) the works of the devil.” The mere destruction of Satan himself would not accomplish God’s purpose. Had Christ annihi­lated him, as he doubtless might have done, this alone would not have relieved mankind from their woes and misfortunes. For death, be it observed, is not wholly an invention of the devil. It was of course brought about by his hellish craft and cunning; for if man had never sinned, he would never have died. Nevertheless, death it­self, under the circumstances, springs up out of a moral necessity; a necessity which is as immutable as the truth and justice of God.

And consequently, whatever may become of Satan, death cannot be destroyed, until all the claims of the Divine government on man are fully satisfied, and man himself is again made holy and so rec­onciled to his Maker. To effect these ends, as we have seen in our exegesis of the tenth verse, it was indispensable that Christ should become a man, and, as such, be made perfect through suffering. And now having by his own blood made purification for the sins of mankind, he has sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; there to reign until the works of Satan shall be destroyed, and the dominion of the world shall be restored to the “many sons” whom he is leading on to glory.

 

Hebrews 2:15 —And deliver them—The Apostle does not mean, that all men will actually be delivered from the bondage brought upon them by sin and the fear of death; but only that through Christ all may be delivered. In partaking of flesh and blood, it was his purpose to open up “a new and living way,” through which all might come to God, obtain the pardon of their sins, and be made heirs of the eter­nal inheritance.

 

Hebrews 2:15 —through the fear of death—This fear is natural and universal. Men fear death (1) because of the pain, misery, and dissolution, which attend it; (2) because of the darkness and corruption of the grave which follow it; and (3) because of the uncertainty of their condition and destiny beyond it. It is the terminus of our proba­tionary state, beyond which there is no place for repentance. The man who passes this solemn bourn, in union, communion, and fel­lowship with God, will die no more. (Luke 20:36.) But for those who are then disloyal and unholy, there remains nothing but the horrors and torments of the second death. (Revelation 20:14-15.) See Matthew 25:46 Matthew 26:26; Hebrews 10:26-27;Revelation 22:11.

 

No wonder, then, that death has been called “the King of ter­rors.” (Job 18:14.) It must be so to every man in his senses who has not been delivered from its enslaving influences through the Lord Jesus. Nothing but a strong, firm, and unfaltering faith in Christ—a faith which “works by love, purifies the heart, and over­comes the world,”—can ever save and deliver those who through the fear of death are all their lifetime subjects of bondage (eno- choi douleias). But faith in Christ saves us from all such fears and torments; knowing, as we do, that “if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1.) Under the sustaining and strengthening influence of this faith, we can ex­claim with Paul, even in the face of Death, “O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?” Or with David we can calmly say, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou [Jehovah] art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4.) And hence we feel that it is even better to depart and to be with Christ. (Philippians 1:23.)

 

Hebrews 2:16 —For verily he took not on him the nature of angels;—Or more literally, For not indeed of angels doth he take hold; but he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham. The Greek word (eplambo- netai) means (1) to take hold of any thing as one’s own; and (2) to take hold of any person with the view of helping him. In this latter sense the word is used here by our author. His object is, not as was generally supposed by the ancient commentators to reassert the fact that Christ took on himself our nature, but rather to assign a reason for his having done so. Christ’s mission, he says, was not to take hold of angels and deliver them from slavery; but it was to take hold of man, and to free him from the bondage of sin and death. And hence, as our author has shown in the preceding context, it was becoming that he (Christ) should be made a partaker of flesh and blood, so that by means of his death he might destroy him that has the power of death, and deliver those (men, not angels) who through fear of death were all their lifetime subjects of bondage.

 

Hebrews 2:16 —but he took on him the seed of Abraham.—Or rather as above explained, he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham. As the Apostle was writing for the special benefit and encouragement of the Hebrews, there was certainly no impropriety in his using terms so very limited. But in doing so he does not mean to exclude all, save the seed of Abraham, from the benefits of Christ’s death, atonement, and intercession. Certainly not; for in the ninth verse of this chapter, he assures us that Jesus had by the grace of God tasted death for every man. This shows beyond all doubt that the benefits of Christ’s death are applicable to all men who will humbly submit to the terms and conditions on which salvation is so gra­ciously offered to us in the Gospel. But in this saying there is a rhetorical propriety which could not be so well expressed by any terms that are more general and comprehensive.

 

Hebrews 2:17 —Wherefore it behooved him—As Christ came to help the seed of Abraham (and all the rest of mankind), it behooved him to be made like them. The word here rendered behooved (opheilen) is different from that which is rendered became (eprepen) in the tenth verse; and also from that which is rendered ought and be­hooved (edei) in Luke 24:26 Luke 24:46. The last of these (edei) de­notes moral necessity growing out of God’s decrees and purposes; the second (eprepen), as previously explained, denotes an intrinsic fitness and propriety in conformity with the Divine attributes; but the first (opheilen) expresses an obligation which arises out of any work or enterprise already undertaken. The Apostle means to say, therefore, that since Christ had voluntarily undertaken the work of redeeming the seed of Abraham from the bondage of sin and Satan, he thereby incurred the further obligation of being made like them.

 

Hebrews 2:17 —in all things—That is, in all things (kata panta) essential to perfect humanity. This does not of course include the depravity which we have incurred by sin. See notes on 4: 15. Christ had none of the evil lusts and propensities which now defile human na­ture (Matthew 15:18-20); enslave the unregenerate (Romans 7:23) ; and from which even we who have the first-fruits of the Spirit are not wholly freed while we live in these clay tabernacles (Romans 8:10). He was “without sin” (choris hamartias) in the fullest and widest sense. But he had every faculty, power, and susceptibility which belongs to human nature in its sinless state; and he was therefore subject to all the sufferings, perils, temptations, toils, and conflicts which we endure. Thus far it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, so that he might be fully qualified for the great work which he had undertaken.

 

Hebrews 2:17 —that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest—Or rather, that he might become (geneetai) a merciful and faithful High Priest. For as Alford very justly remarks in his commen­tary on this passage, “The High-priesthood of Christ in all its fullness, and especially in its work of mercy, and compassion, and suc­cor, was not inaugurated till he entered into the heavenly place. His being in all things like unto his brethren, sufferings and death included, was necessary for him in order to his becoming, through those sufferings and death, our High Priest. It was not the death (though that was of previous necessity, and is therefore often spo­ken of as involving the whole), but the bringing the blood into the Holy Place, in which the work of sacerdotal expiation consisted.” This is all just and right so far as it goes. Care, however, must be taken not to press this view of the matter so far as to exclude everything of a sacerdotal character from Christ’s earthly minis­try. This would be inconsistent with both the types of the Old Testament and the subsequent teachings of our Epistle.

For on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest had first to slay the victim, and then carry its blood into the Most Holy Place to make recon­ciliation for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 16:15.) And so also Christ is said to have offered himself on the cross, so that he might afterward enter Heaven with his own blood, and there make expia­tion for our sins according to the Scriptures. Christ was therefore the Priest as well as the victim in the offering of himself on Cal­vary. But this offering on Calvary was only a preliminary part of the one great offering of Christ which was consummated in Heaven; and it was, moreover, an essential part of the preparatory discipline through which he had to pass before he could be fully qualified to officiate as the great High Priest of our confession. See notes on Hebrews 7:17 Hebrews 7:27. And hence the High-priesthood is not im­properly presented here as the goal which he had to reach through his many trials and sufferings; and especially through his suffer­ings on the cross. “Before reaching it, he had to walk the path of human suffering down to this deep turning-point, in order to ac­quire the requisite qualifications for the exercise of high-priestly functions, extending thenceforth from Heaven to Earth” (Del. in loc.). The idea of the Apostle, then, is this: that it was necessary for Christ to become a man—a man of sorrows; a man in all re­spects like ourselves, but without sin—in order that he might be the better qualified to have compassion on the erring and the ig­norant; and to discharge with fidelity, as a High Priest, all his duties both to God (Hebrews 3:2 Hebrews 3:6) and to man (Hebrews 10:23).

 

Hebrews 2:17 —in things pertaining to God,—The High Priest under the law was wholly consecrated to God. Holiness to Jehovah was in­scribed on the golden plate of his miter, as an indication that he was set apart to minister to the Lord in the services of his Sanctu­ary. And so also Christ, as the High Priest of the New Economy, has been called and set apart to minister in “the Sanctuary and the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.” (8:2.) As a King, he rules over Heaven and Earth; and supports all things by the word of his power. But the functions of his sacerdotal office are more limited, having special reference to the wants of man and the relations which we sustain to God and to his government. This will become more apparent as we proceed with the exegesis of the Epistle.

 

Hebrews 2:17 —to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.—These words indicate the main purpose of Christ’s Priesthood. He be­came such a Priest, as he is, in order to expiate by means of his death the sins of the people. The word here rendered “to make reconciliation for” (hilaskomai), means, in classic Greek, to ap­pease or to propitiate; as, for instance, when Homer, Hesiod, and others, speak of appeasing the wrath of the gods by means of sacri­fices. But it is a significant fact, that neither this nor the corre­sponding Hebrew word is ever so used in the sacred writings. God is never made the direct object of this or any other word of like import in either the Old or the New Testament. In no part of the inspired word do we find such an expression as, to appease God’s wrath or to reconcile him to man by means of sacrifice. The whole tenor of the inspired word goes to show that God had compassion on the world, and sent his Son to redeem it. (1 John 4:4 1 John 4:10.)

 

Caution is necessary, however, just here lest perchance we fall into the extreme of supposing with some that Christ came into the world merely for the purpose of showing forth the love of God to man. There is certainly a sense in which it may be truthfully said that the atonement of Christ has rendered God propitious to man. For it must not be forgotten that we were all by nature the chil­dren of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3), and that it is only through Christ that this wrath has been, or can be, averted. “He that be- lieveth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36.) There is therefore no reasonable ground to doubt that the sacrifice of Christ has an influence on the mind of

God toward the sinner, as well as on the sinner himself. But it is not such an influence as many have supposed. It may be properly illustrated by the case of a wise, just, and benevolent father; who though insulted by an ungrateful son, still loves and pities him; and while vindicating his own authority as a father, does at the same time all that he can to reclaim his son. In like manner, God was insulted; his government was dishonored; and man had be­come an enemy to him by wicked works. (Colossians 1:21.) Never­theless, God had pity and compassion on his erring and prodigal children. He so loved and pitied them, even when they were dead in trespasses and sins, “that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever­lasting life.” (John 3:16.) Thus “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19.) “Herein,” then, “is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (hilas- mos) for our sins.” (1 John 4:10.)

 

The whole plan of redemption, therefore, including the work of atonement, is an arrangement of the Godhead, embracing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and is designed (1) to meet and satisfy the claims of the Divine government against man, so that God’s mercy might justly flow to penitent sinners; (2) to rec­oncile man to God, by removing enmity from his heart and filling it with gratitude and love; and (3) to actually blot out and forever cancel the sins of all such as become obedient to the Divine will. But in order to effect all this, it was necessary, as the Apostle here shows, that Christ should become a man, in all respects like unto his brethren, so that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God. Thus, and thus only, could he make expiation for our sins; and so render it possible for God’s abounding mercy and love to flow out freely and fully to all who love and obey him.

 

Hebrews 2:18 —For in that, etc.—In this verse, the Apostle explains how it is, that Christ’s being made like unto his brethren in all things serves to make him a more faithful and compassionate High Priest. “For in that,” he says, “he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” As God, he knows of course all our wants, and is ever able and willing to supply them. But as a man, he had to experience all the trials, temptations, pri­vations, sorrows, and sufferings, which are common to our race, in order to fully qualify him for the duties of his mediatorial office: and these, as the Divine record shows, he endured to the utter­most. Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, and brought up in the humble condition of a peasant, he entered upon his public du­ties under the most trying and discouraging circumstances. Satan tempted him; the scribes and Pharisees derided and persecuted him; and even his own friends and brethren forsook him. But he faltered not in his purpose. His course was ever onward toward the sublime goal of his earthly mission.

Amidst the lowering tem­pests and gathering storms of demoniacal fury and satanic malice, he marched directly onward, until baptized in sufferings, his op­pressed and care-worn frame sunk under the tremendous pressure of his mental agonies, and his great heart literally burst under the crushing and overwhelming influence of his incurred responsibil­ities. See notes on 5:7. He could endure no more; but calmly said, “It is finished”; and then expired.

1. God has provided a home for his children. (Hebrews 2:5-9.) “The meek,” says Christ, “shall inherit the Earth.” For ages, the domi­nation of the world has been a matter of strife and contention; and ambitious men have waded through seas of blood to obtain it. But it is all in vain. They will never, except by temporary usurpation, enjoy even so much as a foot-breadth of it; for to Abraham and his seed it has all been given by an irrevocable decree of Jehovah, as their everlasting inheritance. (Romans 4:13.) It matters not how humble and how destitute we may now be, if we have the earnest of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:14) ; “then indeed are we Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). I do not say that we will always be confined to this world, as we now are while living in these “houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust.” This is not probable. With bodies like unto that of the Son of God (1 John 3:2), purified and spiritualized (1 Corinthians 15:44 1 Corinthians 15:50), we may, like angels, pass from world to world, and from system to system, to behold the works of the Lord and to make known to others the mysteries of redemption.

But wherever we go, and on whatever errand we may be sent, our object finished, we will return again on joyful wing to this renovated earth to behold with increasing wonder and delight the beauty and the glory of the Lord in the New Jerusalem, “the city of our God, the mountain of his holiness.” There with David we will often ex­claim, with wonder and amazement, “Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him?” When we see the countless myriads of suns, and moons, and stars that compose the vast empire of Jehovah, and the higher sons of light who inhabit them, and who from so many centers of creation swell the lofty praises of their Creator in everlasting anthems— feeling our own nothingness and unworthiness, we will be filled with wonder and amazement that God, in his infinite condescen­sion, mercy, and love, should have provided such a home for us as the New Heavens and the New Earth, filled and illuminated with his own glorious and eternal presence. See Revelation 21, 22.

 

2. The atonement made by Christ is for all men, and its benefits are in some measure unconditionally extended to all. Even the lives that we now live in the flesh, we live through the forbearance of God in Christ (1 Timothy 4:10) ; and the removal of the effects and consequences of the Adamic transgression will be as wide and as comprehensive as the human race. For “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22.) And “as by means of one trespass, the righteous sentence of God came upon all men to condemnation; so also by means of one righteous act, the favor of God will come on all men to justification of life [from the penalty of death incurred through Adam]. For as by the disobedience of one man [Adam] the many [all men] were made sinners; so also by the obedience of the one [Christ], the many [all men] shall be made righteous [so far as it respects the sinfulness incurred through Adam].” (Romans 5:18-19.) Nor is this all: for where sin abounded, grace superabounded. Through the infinite merits of the one offering of Christ, the justice of God has been satisfied, and ample provision has been made for pardon­ing the many personal offenses of all men who repent of their sins and humbly bow to the will and authority of God. And hence the cry of Mercy now is, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters: and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

 

3. The scheme of redemption through Christ is not an arbitrary scheme (Hebrews 2:10). It is a scheme prompted by the love of God; founded in justice, judgment, and equity; and administered throughout in infinite wisdom. The nature of God is its constitu­tion, in harmony with which all its laws and ordinances have been enacted. And hence it became God in bringing many sons unto glory, to look not only to the qualifications of their Captain, but also to the rightful demands of his own nature and government. Until these were satisfied, it were all vain to talk of saving any sin­ner.

By an eternal moral necessity, deep and profound as the Di­vine nature, the soul that sinneth must die; unless an adequate ransom can in some way be provided. This has been done through the one offering of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, by his death and incarnation, has magnified God’s law and made it honorable (Isaiah 42:21) ; he has by the offering of his blood, once for all, brought in everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24) ; and under his peaceful and glorious reign, “Mercy and Truth have met together, Righ­teousness and Peace have kissed each other” (Psalms 85:10). No wonder, then, that angels desired to look into these things, and to study with profound reverence the economy of redemption. (1 Peter 1:12.) There is here nothing of fatality, nor of arbitrary will and caprice; but there is here a system of rectitude, broad, deep, and profound as the Divine government; every element of which is marked by that “wisdom which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated; full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17.)

 

1. How wonderful are the condescension and the love of Christ in assuming our nature and being made like unto his brethren in all things; so that he might by the grace of God taste death for every man, destroy the works of Satan, and “deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subjects of bondage” (verses 9-18).

 

“He left his radiant throne on high,

Left the bright realms of bliss,

And came to Earth to bleed and die:

Was ever love like this?”

 

“Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8.)

 

2. Perhaps, then, it should not excite our surprise, that this marvelous condescension of the Lord Jesus has always proved to be one of the chief stumblingblocks in the way of unbelievers. There is nothing in the depraved and selfish nature of man that will at all compare with it. And hence to those who are wont to estimate the motives of others by their own, it seems wholly incred­ible that “he who was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God” should make himself of no repu­tation, and take upon himself the form of a servant, that he might become obedient to death, even the death of the cross. But as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9.)

 

3. To me, therefore, it seems far more strange and remarkable that any who profess to believe the testimony which God has given to us concerning his Son, should at any time refuse to obey any of his precepts. When we think of the condescension of Jesus; the sufferings of Jesus; and the many benefits which he has procured for us through the rich merits of his own precious blood, we feel as if we could never do enough, or suffer enough for such a Savior. And yet, alas, how many who profess to believe the Gospel are still hardened through the deceitfulness of sin! How many such are still slaves to “the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life”! Nor is perfection found even in us who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, “which God has given to them that obey him.” We, too, fall far short of that perfect obedience which the law of God requires, and which our own hearts approve. To know this is, of course, very painful to every true child of God; and makes us long for that perfect state where we will no longer grieve our Father and our Redeemer.

In the meantime, how very encouraging and delightful is the thought that our blessed Savior sympathizes with us in all our griefs, trials, and temptations; and that if we only rely on him, trust in him, and struggle on in our imperfect way for a little while, he will soon take us to that brighter and better world, where we will sin no more (Hebrews 2:18).