HEBREWS

In This Section:

HEBREWS 12:14-17, 13:4-6

HEBREWS 12:14-17

In our day, a popular evangelistic illustration tool that is often used, is one called the Roman Road. The Roman road is called that because it is a way of presenting the gospel by walking (so to speak) through the epistle of Romans, and quoting various truths. At the outset of this section that deals with Hebrews 12, we will be briefly touring what will be called the Hebrews road. The Hebrews Road is the wonderful good news message as is laid out in Hebrews. It is called "the gospel" in Hebrews 4:2. Let us begin the journey: Stepping onto chapter one, we see that Jesus "had made purification of sins" in the past, (cf. Hebrews 1:3). This was done on the cross for those who must indeed inherit salvation. There are certain people who are guaranteed to inherit salvation as the angels know who those people are, (cf. Hebrews 14). This is "so great a salvation," (cf. Hebrews 2:3). It is so great because it is all God's doing. In other words, no man has authored this salvation. God authored it (cf. Hebrews 2:10). In fact, salvation is accomplished by God's work of grace through faith. Additionally, Jesus is also the author of our faith, (cf. Hebrews 12:2). He even perfects our faith (cf. Hebrews 12:2). These things make the gospel great. The grace of God makes the gospel great, because it is "the grace of God" by which Jesus tasted death for everyone." In other words, it is great because it is complete, purposeful, and not random, in that God saves everyone of the "many" that He specifically brings "to glory" (cf. Hebrews 2:10). It is God's great good news, in that Christ Jesus sets apart the many whom He saves so that He can (without shame) call them His brothers and sisters, (cf. Hebrews 2:11). Jesus Christ is the one who sets people apart, and He did this by making full satisfaction for God's wrath concerning sin in "propitiation for the sins of the people," (cf. Hebrews 2:17). He became the wrath absorber, in the stead of those whom He saves. In having assurance in believing in Christ for this great salvation, we are partakers of Him forever, and we know this because we hold that assurance and belief until the end (cf. Hebrews 3:14). Our continuance demonstrates the reality. This is peace, assurance, and rest. It is God's rest that He gives to those who receive "the gospel." All of us "who have believed enter that rest" in salvation forever and ever, (cf. Hebrews 4:1-3). This rest does not mean that there was not work involved. There was grueling work involved. In fact work is required for so great a salvation--for so great a rest. The bad news is that no mere human can do the work required for salvation. The good news is that Jesus did all the work as the great High Priest, and so "having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation," (cf. Hebrews 5:9). The good news is that obeying Him means to believe in Him, as in have faith in Him, (cf. Hebrews 3:18-19). Belief, as faith, as certainty in hope, is a gift and not a self generated, self created work; so obedience unto salvation is not effort on anyone's part. It is effort on God's part. So, the good news is that this hope that God's people have, is that which enters through the curtain (veil) , into the presence of God. As very good news, it is an anchor of the soul, (cf. Hebrews 6:19). The Hebrews road is safe, sound, and solid. It is surety in security. It is sure and secure because it is not just good news; it is better news, in that it is a better covenant than the Old Covenant, (cf. Hebrews 7:22), and it is mediated by the God-man Priest, Christ Jesus. And so as the better and eternal Priest, Christ "is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (cf. Hebrews 7:25). It is "works for salvation" in the once for all work action of the great worker that clenches the deal. When Christ offered up Himself for the sins of people, He did this work once for all, (cf. Hebrews 7:28). The work was not easy, but it was necessary. It was loving, it was staggering, it was heroic, it was costly, and it was required. Jesus did this through His own precious valuable blood, having obtained eternal, everlasting, forever-redemption, which is everlasting-purchase, which is to pay a price in buying something for transfer of an ownership that goes on with no end (cf. Hebrews 9:12). For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, (cf. Hebrews 9:15). God has provided the one guaranteed way. The guarantee is that God eliminates any sin record. The gospel is the great exchange of one record for another. In other words, Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, is one record, (cf. Hebrews 9:28). He will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, which is the elimination of the other record, (cf. Hebrews 9:28). It is goodbye to the sin record forever. Through the gospel, people remember and experience the record of what Christ did for those whom He saves, forever and ever. The Good News is that this happens to "those who eagerly await Him" (cf. Hebrews 9:28). But, it is God's action where He gets all the glory, because, it is by God's "will" of the New Covenant that we have been set apart through the offering of the body of Christ Jesus once for all, (cf. Hebrews 10:10). This is the great immovable and complete hope of so great a salvation. Jesus, the Anointed One, the Savior One, the Sacrifice One, and the Priestly One, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, (cf. Hebrews 10:12). "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are set apart [by Him]" (cf. Hebrews 10:14). And the Holy Spirit testifies to us, (cf. Hebrews 10:16), saying "their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (cf. Hebrews 10:17). How much better can the good news get? Like spotlessly squeaky-cleaned priests, in salvation, we can draw near to God's presence with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith--having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, (cf. Hebrews 10:22). The Hebrew road is the place of the abode of peace for all who are saved. It is surety that you can know. It is surety you can have faith in. It is surety and faith that you can cling to no matter what. All of us who are saved through this New Covenant, have this faith to the preserving of our souls, (cf. Hebrews 10:39). This is the Hebrews road leading up to the mile-marker of chapter 12.

With the beautiful Hebrews Road on our minds as edification for our souls, there are some further considerations that we must be mindful of as we approach this section. As has been mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, to get a proper understanding of passages in Hebrews, we must get a proper understanding of Hebrews itself. As a foundational starting point, it is important for us to realize that Hebrews was written to actual Hebrews. The epistle was written to Hebrews by a Jewish Messianic follower of Jesus, traditionally recognized to be Paul the apostle. Going through Hebrews, it is quickly made evident that the epistle is written from the author's expertise in Judaism, and his revelation into various aspects of the New Covenant that was instituted by the Hebrew Messiah, Jesus. It is important to realize that Hebrews is written to an audience made up of the ones to whom Messiah was promised to come according to the Old Testament prophecies. These Hebrews had been looking for, and expecting the Hebrew Messiah. The language and flow reflect this fact. Additionally, the contents of Hebrews reveals that it served several purposes:

1) Hebrews is apologetic; meaning it offers a defense of the faith to any unsaved Hebrews who would read it, hear it read, hear quotes from it, or indirectly be influenced by the doctrine it contains.

2) Hebrews is evangelistic. It is meant to be an instrument in leading any unsaved Hebrews to receive Jesus as the true Messiah that they have been waiting for. Most, if not all, of the unsaved Hebrews knew about the miracle working Messiah. They were familiar with the Christian community and the movement. In fact many of them were in and among the Christians. Nevertheless, many of the Hebrews had not embraced Jesus as Messiah and sacrifice for their sins, so they are not saved. At the writing of Hebrews, they do not believe Jesus really resurrected from the dead, so they are lost. They know Jesus really existed, but merely being aware that Jesus was real does not save anyone. There is a similar group that is also the evangelistic focus of Hebrews. They are the unsaved Hebrews who claim to follow Jesus and his teachings, but they are selective. Their selectivity is like that of the Judaizers of Galatia who taught that to be justified, one must do something else. One must do some other works in addition to the work that Messiah did. The writer of Hebrews calls these works, "dead works" in Hebrews 6:1. So, the problem is that certain Hebrews, such as the Judaizers, have looked to the Messiah, yet in an inadequate manner, (in other words, on their own terms, as all cults do); because they seek other means to atone for their sins, they are not saved. The point is that Hebrews explains that the only way of salvation is through Jesus' completed work, completely on His terms, and the epistle lays it out in easy to understand language.

3) Hebrews is also theological; meaning it lays out truths that are important for all Hebrew people (both saved and unsaved alike) to understand important revelations concerning Jesus as the true Messiah, and His unique establishment of a New Covenant which supersedes the old one made 1500 years earlier with Moses. Actually this is the main theological thrust--preaching the superiority of Messiah and God's New Covenant through Him in fulfilling God's promises to the Hebrews as opposed to the Old obsolete Mosaic Law Covenant, (cf. Hebrews 8:13).

The overall destination the letter was meant for is a general Hebrew target community that is predominantly composed of those who already believe in Jesus as Messiah. Nevertheless, directives, warnings, and restated evangelistic urgings within the letter, demonstrate to us that the broad Hebrew audience to which the epistle is intended to reach, has unsaved Hebrews living among it--a fact which is explored in our verse to verse exegesis of the pertinent texts. The unsaved Hebrew audience is treated like they already know of Jesus and have a basic knowledge of His claim to be God's Messiah. The saved audience is getting a lot of teaching that builds upon the foundation that was already laid in them. So, it is important to understand that Hebrews is a letter that is intended for all Hebrews in general--both saved and unsaved. This particular point is important because it is a vital key to unlocking the meaning of the sentences that are wrongly interpreted according to the NEST.

A KEY

This leads us to recognize and important key, which will be repeated at the introduction of each section of this chapter for clarity. When the writer of Hebrews refers to ethnic Israelites, he simply refers to them as brothers. When he references saved Hebrews, he refers to them as holy brothers, (saints, set apart ones from GK. hagios, for holy). Along this line, it is important to recognize that the term "brother," or "sister," by itself is often used in other New Testament writings to refer to Christians, but "Holy," "set apart," "consecrated," "sanctified," brothers or sisters (New Covenant saints) is never used of non-Christians in, and under, a New Covenant context. Here in Hebrews, if the term, "brothers" is used by itself, but means a holy, sanctified, consecrated brother in Christ, it will always be qualified in the immediate context, in some manner, as referring to a Christian; for example, in Hebrews 10:19, where "brothers" is qualified by Hebrews 10:10 as sanctified, holy, set apart, brothers; or in the case of Timothy "our brother" singular in Hebrews 13:23, who is naturally qualified as being saved by the fact that we know (and the primary recipients of this letter knew) Timothy was saved. We know this from information about him in other epistles. Though Timothy's mother was Jewish, which would make him a Hebrew brother, Timothy was also saved, which would make him a holy, sanctified, set apart brother, ie, a Christian. Similar is the instance of the writer of Hebrews' closing remarks to the "brothers" in 13:22. We know that in this instance they are qualified in the context as being "in the body," in Hebrews 13:3, not having deserted, Hebrews 13:5, and have God working in them through Jesus Messiah in Hebrews 13:20-21. So the closing personal remarks are to those trustworthy brothers in Messiah who would initially receive this letter in hand to share with the broader Hebrew community of ethnic brothers, as was typical of the fact that every epistle was entrusted to mature dependable Christians (probably elders) in primary reception for guarding, reading aloud, and further distribution. The point is that the immediate antecedent describer of being holy, set apart, consecrated, and sanctified, indicates a Christian. If the immediate antecedent is absent, then the flow of the context will qualify the term brother (singular) or brothers (plural) by indicating, in some manner, that the brother or brothers are saved, or not saved.

To demonstrate this consistent language of unsaved Hebrews being referred to as merely brothers to other Israelites, but not holy, sanctified brothers of the saved remnant of Israelites, we will look at what Peter preached at Pentecost to the unsaved Jews. He says,

"29 Brothers, [Peter is talking to his own ethnic Hebrew people] I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day." (Acts 2:29)

These ethnic Israelites are not yet saved. They are not set apart, but to Peter, at this time, they are Hebrew brothers. We find Paul the apostle making the same reference when he preached in the Jewish synagogue to the unsaved Jews in Pisidian Antioch, saying,

"Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you," (Acts 13:38)

Paul's ethnic brothers in this context are not set apart. They are not holy brothers. They are Hebrew brothers according to the flesh. Paul makes the distinction crystal clear in Romans 9;

"3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, ..." (Romans 9:3-4)

This grammatical distinction of Hebrews according to the flesh, and holy Hebrews according to the Spirit, is exactly the same one we find here in the Hebrews epistle. Concerning the New Covenant's superiority over the Old, we read in Hebrews 10,

"10 And by that ["that" is the New Covenant sacrifice] will we ["we" is a reference to the saved Hebrews] have been set apart [sanctified, made holy by God] through the offering of the body of Jesus Messiah once for all ... 14 For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are set apart [made holy by God--sanctified]." (Hebrews 10:10, 14).

"Those who are set apart" in Hebrews 10, are saved Hebrews who have been perfected in Messiah for all time. Once we familiarize ourselves with this language, it becomes quickly intuitive to read the writer of Hebrews' intended meaning. As a final example, the distinction is made crystal clear in Colossians where Paul says,

"To the set apart [holy, sanctified] and faithful brothers in Messiah who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father." (Colossians 1:2)

The set apart, holy, and faithful brothers in Messiah at Colossae, are of course, saved people. It is easy to see, because we know the language.

With the above considerations in mind, we must also be alerted to the unfortunate practice of some expositors to dismiss important texts in Hebrews, that are typically used to build the Not Eternally Saved Theory, to the realm of exaggerated hypothetical fiction. In other words, it is arbitrarily asserted, by some well meaning teachers, that the writer of Hebrews relentlessly warned Hebrew Christians (spiritually saved people) of consequences for the damning action of rejecting Messiah, but that the author did so while really believing that such rejecting actions are not something that they will, or can, possibly do. The primary reason for this has to do with the presuppositional bias that all the points made in the epistle must necessarily be directed to saved Hebrews. It is then postulated that no particular point, by way of necessity, is being directed to unsaved Hebrews who have had the true Messiah revealed to them, and subsequently needed to be urged to act upon their knowledge. This theory is just as wrong as the Not Eternally Saved Theory. Recognizing this errant hermeneutic, we approach the epistle of Hebrews in recognition of the fact that the author meant what he said to really apply to the particular people that such points were directed.

This leads us to recognize one more important consideration that we must keep in mind in our exegesis of the following passages. Namely, the writer of Hebrews uses pronouns in a very loose and abrupt way. Just like Paul does this in Romans, and Galatians, the writer of Hebrews will speak of "we," and "us," and then will abruptly say "those," "they," and "you," but he will do it in ping-pong fashion from sentence to sentence. Such communication was not a problem for the original Hebrew audience. But, what this means for us, in our time, culture, and ingrained ways of thinking, is that if we try to blend all the various Hebrew groups together in each of the author's points as a matter of arbitrary preference, then we will end up misunderstanding what the author meant by a certain directive, urging, or warning, which is a mistake that is typical of those who believe in the NEST. The important task for us is to identify each Hebrew group, and in so doing, clear up the passages that are wrongly interpreted according to the NEST.

Coming into the flow of context, we must consider that the writer has been encouraging spiritually saved Hebrews at the end of chapter 10 to be bold in their Christianity. They can only be bold and endure their circumstances because they

"39 ... are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but [are] of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39)

It is a statement of fact, and so with it, we read in the very next verses that

"... faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ... without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

The saved Hebrews have this faith because they are of those who have faith to the preserving of their souls. Nevertheless, this saved Hebrew audience is being beaten down and persecuted for Christ. So, these Christian Hebrews are urged to not throw away their "boldness" which has a great reward awaiting the end of the temporal ordeal. They are encouraged to endure through the trials and persecutions from pagan Romans and unbelieving Hebrews, (cf. Hebrews 10:35-36). As those who have faith to the preserving of the soul, they are reminded all through chapter 11 of the great men and women of endurance and bold faith that have gone before them as the historic people of God. Going into chapter 12, the writer says that since we have such a great cloud of witnesses concerning endurance and bold faith in following God, let us follow their example and lay aside any sin and any other encumbrance to our Christian walk, and run the race that God has set before us. As we do this, we need to be looking to the greatest example of all, but yet, so much more; we need to be looking to our One source of all that encompasses our salvation. We need to be,

"2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

[The revelation here is absolutely amazing. Jesus is the author of our faith as people who believe in Him in salvation. Not only is He the author of our faith, but He is the one who perfects it (cf. Hebrews 2:10, 5:9). It is not our own effort that generates faith, and it is not our own effort that perfects our faith. In enduring, and being bold, in our faith that Jesus authors and perfects, we do this while considering Messiah]

"... who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" in the midst of persecution." (Hebrews 12:3)

[The writer then reminds the saved Hebrews that God disciplines all whom He loves. It is an important doctrine that many people try to ignore, or even deny, but nevertheless it is part of our relationship with God as His saved children. So, knowing this, the saved Hebrews are not to,]

"... regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." (Hebrews 12:5)

[God's disciplinary actions are good, and in fact, if you are not disciplined, then he says,]

"... you are illegitimate children and not sons." (Hebrews 12:8)

[The reason why God disciplines His children, is because He loves us, and He is perfecting us in our daily walk. He disciplines us so that we will share His holiness, (cf. Hebrews 12:10). And though it is]

"... sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." (Hebrews 12:11)

[This is the same principle that Paul expresses in 1 Corinthians 11:32, in speaking of the judgment and discipline of saved people;]

"32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world." (1 Corinthians 11:32)

It is with this that the Hebrew writer goes on with the passage that is misinterpreted by some people according to the NEST;

"14 Pursue peace with all men, and the setting apart [Gk. hagios] without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears." (Hebrews 12:14-17)

The first sentence in this section (Hebrews 12:14), according to the typical interpretation by way of the NEST, means that if a spiritually saved person does not quit sinning completely, then that saved person loses salvation, and so that saved person will not see the Lord.

The NEST is wrong.

To understand the error of the wrong interpretation, we need to look at the first sentence in the list of urgings, where the writer says,

"14 Pursue peace with all men, and the setting apart [Gk. hagios] without which no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14)

A KEY

It is important that we recognize that this is the first of a group of urgings in a list of things for the Christian Hebrew community to do as part of their responsibilities to live properly as God's called out Christians so that they will not be disciplined by the Lord as true children of the Father (see Hebrews 12:5-13 which are the verses of the contextual flow coming into the rest of the point in this section). Remember this important point as we proceed.

Additionally, to understand this first sentence concerning the setting apart (the sanctification) we must realize that there are three tenses, and aspects, of being set apart as Christians. There is past continual, where people are set apart in Messiah at the moment of initial salvation. This is what makes one a sanctified brother or sister, (cf. Hebrews 2:11). Salvation is a sanctification that is actuated at a certain point in time, and yet it continues forever. It is a Godmade setting apart action, and the writer explained it in chapter 10;

"10 By this will [New Covenant in Messiah] we have been set apart [sanctified] through the offering of the body of Jesus Messiah once for all." (Hebrews 10:10)

Then in verse 14

"14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are set apart [sanctified]." (Hebrews 10:14)

It is in this setting apart of salvation, that the Lord says,

"17 'And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.'" (Hebrews 10:17)

That past tense setting apart action is continual and goes on forever. It is to be once saved in eternal spiritual salvation (OSIESS) where all who are in the body of Christ are set apart by God Himself in initial spiritual rescue from the domain of darkness (cf. Colossians 1:13) and their prior state of lostness. It is an existence where God determines to not consider ("remember") the sins of His people anymore.

Next, we must also recognize that there is future tense setting apart (sanctification). It is also Godmade, and this will happen after saved people die and are resurrected, and of course all of a saved person's sins and lawless deeds are still remembered no more at that time too. But the future setting apart is more complete in that all saved people will be set apart from the cursed world and all of its faded glory. We will have (in the Godmade miracle of being set apart) super-glorified spiritual bodies, and we will live in a set-apart existence forever and ever in an amazingly vibrant and sinless immortality. But, there is one more setting apart (sanctification) that must be recognized.

It is vital to understand that there is also the present tense, where the Christian sets self apart from worldliness each and every moment while alive in this cursed world. This particular setting apart is the practice of living out aspects of the perfection that will totally be experienced in the future tense setting apart in the heavenlies. In other words, it is like living out a little bit of heaven on earth. It is called holy living, obedience, repentance from sin, maturity, Christlike actions, and so many other things, but they all amount to the present tense action of a living that manifests setting ourselves apart which reflects the heavenly set apart resurrected life. God's Christian children of the Hebrews 12 context are urged to "pursue" this. We "pursue" this as spiritually saved people, but this does not mean that our present tense actions of setting ourselves apart in obedience is not ultimately Godmade. It is Godmade in that one only does this because of being saved in the miracle of being born-again. People only do this because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through His word, in the power of regeneration. Further, as we see in the context, the Father uses disciplinary action to accomplish bringing about daily setting apart in our lives as well.

We must keep these three tenses of being set apart in mind because we will visit this again shortly, but first it is important for us to realize that people who are not set apart will also see the Lord; meaning that even unsaved people, will see the Lord, as we read in Revelation,

"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him;" (Revelation 1:7)

Additionally in Matthew 7:22-23 we see that at the judgment those who are not set apart will see the Lord and be condemned. The reason why it is so important for us to recognize this fact is because of the esoteric language of the sentence in the disputed passage, and the dogmatic stances of people who adhere to the NEST in what they suppose are the clear and evident meanings of passages such as this. People who are not setting themselves apart will see the Lord, so this tells us something about the unclear, and unevident meaning of this passage. We know that the writer's sentence must mean a particular type of seeing or not seeing the Lord, otherwise it does not make sense. The sentence, then, must mean that the writer is describing a certain way that the Lord will not be seen by certain people and so truly saved people must seek the lifestyle that does not reflect such a state. The certain way is that no one will see the Lord forever in glory unless their life is set apart spiritually. Seeing the Lord forever in glory, as eternal King, Lord, and Savior, is going to be different from not set apart people who will face the Judge King at a point in time to experience departing from Him, and doom forever. Therefor, it is more fitting for Christians to pursue the lifestyle right now of their spiritual setting apart in which they will see the Lord, because that is the superior thing to do. Living a sanctified (set apart) daily lifestyle outwardly through the spiritual sanctification inwardly that was already accomplished in secured salvation is always superior to living according to the lost world culture which is passing away. After all, Christians were rescued out of that lost world in regeneration.

Notice that the writer does not say that your own acts of setting yourself apart are what make you see the Lord. He says to pursue "peace" with all men, and pursue setting apart (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord. Peace and holiness is the state of everyone in resurrected, eternal, glory. So, the urging is to pursue, as personal ambition, right here and right now, in the present tense of your earthly salvation, to manifest the separation from the world that is the same goodness that will exist (because it must) forever and ever as our future state of being. Nothing short of that future perfection will exist forever in glory in the Lord's presence. So, ambitiously "pursue" that life now as God's children now who will not need to be disciplined in God's love because you are already pursuing it. Living like set apart heavenly minded children of the Father in heaven is what matters for eternity where we will see the Lord forever (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12). The point is clear; without initial Godmade salvific-separation from the old imperfect cursed world, no one will see the Lord, so, since this is true, and we are to live holy, sanctified, set apart lives in our current condition, then make it your ambition and mode of operation to pursue that peace, and acting out now, in the present tense what you spiritually saved children of the Father will necessarily exist in forever in the future tense as one of those who necessarily will be with the Lord.

We see that this sentence is cleared up as not remotely meaning that one must attain a sinless life through self effort, and then by the merit of personal efforts one will be rewarded with seeing the Lord. Rather it is an urging to pursue the setting apart in the present tense according to what all Christians who will necessarily see the Lord will exist in as a matter of their state of being in the eternal glorified kingdom sense of the resurrection life.

The second sentence in this list of urgings that is improperly interpreted according to the NEST, is verse 15;

"See to it [Oversee, or, Practice oversight] that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;" (Hebrews 12:15)

The typical interpretation according to the NEST, is that people are somehow able to make sure that other people around them will obtain God's grace, and therefore be saved.

The NEST is wrong.

No person anywhere can see to it that another person makes it into God's grace, and so they insure the person's salvation. Let us quickly clear this up. Remember, the urging is to the same Christians who are to pursue peace with all men and the setting apart, which is the way of life in glory where we will see the Lord. So, this is the next item in the urging list. Keep that in mind as we look at three views of this urging:

/1/
First, there is the view that this urging is for saved Hebrews to practice oversight in seeing to it that they all continually have God's grace toward others so that bitterness as a root does not take root, and grow and cause trouble, and, thus end up defiling many. To make it simpler; when we are not acting out God's grace then we have merely demonstrated that we are coming short of it in respect to others. When Christians are not acting out God's grace with each other, they are watering and fertilizing a root of bitterness and contention that is about to explode into full growth. In other words, there are negative consequences to graceless living, so Christians must keep an eye on one another and make sure they are manifesting God's grace and not finding themselves, or any other Christians, coming short of it. This view is the view that the writer is teaching practical oversight.

/2/
The second view is that the root of bitterness is actually describing a troublemaker. So, the overseeing has to do with saved Hebrews keeping an eye out for such root-people who come short of God's grace and cause trouble.

/3/
The third view is similar to view number 2, and suggests that the root of bitterness is actually unsaved Hebrews who get in among the church community, and so the practical oversight is for the saved Hebrews to make sure that the unsaved ones, who come short of God's grace as an affinity, do not defile many Christians with their aberrant beliefs and immoral actions.

I personally favor the first view; that this is a warning to all Christian Hebrews not to allow a metaphoric root of bitterness, animosity, and strife to spring up which comes from a lack of expressing God's grace with one another--something that is easily understood as usually defiling many people in the long run. With that said, no matter which of the three views one takes, losing salvation is not the subject. Something else that needs to be pointed out here is that some footnotes in some study Bibles reference Deuteronomy 29:18 as being similar in wording to the writer's phrase where Hebrews has this sentence,

"... that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble," (Hebrews 12:15)

The problem with this is that the writer never indicates anywhere that he is quoting anyone but the Holy Spirit through inspiration. Additionally, scholars regard any theory that the writer's warning is a quote from another source as highly questionable. Further, it is theorized to be a quote from Deuteronomy 29:18, but it is a stretch to say that it's from the Masoretic Text, which is the one in our Bibles where we read,

"that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood." (Deuteronomy 29:18)

It does have more of the same words that are in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, but, as Dr. Leon Morris says in The Expositor's Bible Commentary,

"The second contingency to guard against is the springing up of a 'bitter root.' The expression is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 29:18. But if it is a quotation from the LXX, it is fairly free."

In fact, it would seem to be very free, which is precisely why we can not assert that this is a quote from anywhere, but is rather a point originating in inspiration here in Hebrews itself. The point is that the writer says that when we come short of the grace of God with people, then we are in danger of producing the grievous results of such actions, which is the logical growth of a root of bitterness springing up and causing trouble, and by it many become infected. So, this sentence does not remotely mean that you have the power to see to it that you can make other people attain to the grace of God by making them get saved.

The last sentence here in 12:14-17, is a continuation of the urging to Christians in this short list, and the NEST also uses it for its own glory--verse 16,

"See to it, [Practice oversight] ... 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears." (Hebrews 12:14-17)

The typical interpretation of those who believe in the NEST state that this means that saved people can sell, as in get rid of, or lose their Christianity, (salvation) and they can no longer repent.

The NEST is wrong, and it has to do with not recognizing the context of practical oversight that the Hebrew author is directing the saved Hebrews to have over their church communities. We must remember that this is still in the flow of this short list for urging Christians to practice oversight. And the way they are to oversee, is to not allow immoral people, and godless people, to come in among the Messianic community as part of their fellowship--particularly people who are like Esau of old. It is the same principle that Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 5, where he likened the influence of immoral people among the Christian community to being like leaven that infects the whole lump of dough. The Greek word for "godless" here is bebelos. It is also translated as "unholy," and "profane" (see 1 Timothy 1:9). Such people taint the purity of Christian fellowship. What we see here in the contextual flow, is that this is more direction for the Christian Hebrews to set themselves apart from worldliness, and keep watch over their churches, as is urged at the beginning of the list. But the writer continues in context to tell the Hebrew Christians why they need to be set apart, and why they need to be overseeing to make sure there is grace and no bitter root, and why they need to be overseeing to make sure there are no immoral, or godless Esau types among them. He says it is because they have come to a more awesome presence than God's terrorizing manifestations in the Old Testament;

"22 you [meaning saved Hebrews] have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel." (Hebrews 12:22-24)

Paul is explaining the immense realm of the New Covenant experience for saved people, and so the Hebrew Christians have a big responsibility that reflects the magnitude of it all. It is all made clear in 12:28-29;

"... let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Only saved people offer up acceptable service to God. So, they are to make sure they do not refuse God in His speaking and warning in the instructions they are getting under the New Covenant. They are to practice diligent oversight in all these things; be thankful for so great a salvation, and serve God in reverence and awe. The writer goes on to express that there are always consequences to refusing to listen to God's instructions, and he even gives an analogy, saying,

"See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking." (Hebrews 12:25)

[This is great advice. Father God speaks through his apostles through His preserved word to His children. So all Christians should see to it that we do not refuse any aspect of God's will, but rather should have gratitude by which we may offer to our Father an acceptable service with reverence and awe. After all, our chastising, disciplining Father-God is a "consuming fire." The writer gives a comparative analogy of God's sure action in our lives for chastisement]

"For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven." (Hebrews 12:25)

[The analogy is that Hebrews of history, when they refused to listen to the mere man, Moses, were chastised. It is no different for us who are His New Covenant children who are warned by the Holy Spirit from "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Our Father-God loves us enough to chastise us. Remember, we just learned a few verses earlier in the contextual flow, that He chastises those whom He loves. He told the saved Hebrews,]

"4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and he scourges every son whom He receives.' 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:4-11)

The point is, that as His loved children, we "much less" can escape Him who intends on making us share in His holiness. The writer goes on with God's consistent awesomeness;

"26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.' 27 This expression, 'Yet once more,' denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we [the Father's children] receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God [our Father] an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:26-29)

When he says "therefor," the writer is summing up what he just said, and he is clarifying a bit more. So, the writer says,

"28 Therefore, since we [saved people] receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, [because we do, as once saved always saved children of Father-God] let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Speaking in reference to "we" saved Hebrew children at this point, we should see to it that we do not refuse our Father who is speaking to us. It is a simple point, as a matter of good preaching. Historically, and as a matter of fact, it is not good to refuse to listen to God, which both unsaved and saved people can do. Unsaved people do not listen to God, and are damned. Saved people who receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, get chastised. God disciplines those whom He truly loves, but those He does not love, He condemns in the end. Therefor saved Hebrews follow the word of God through His New Covenant apostles, and the bottom line is that we show gratitude, which is to not refuse Him who is speaking. We offer our Father an acceptable service, which is to not refuse Him who is speaking. We do this with reverence and awe, which is to not refuse Him who is speaking. The bottom line is that our God is awesome; He is a consuming fire, so let us act like it.

Hebrews 12:14-17 does not teach that truly saved people can lose their salvation. It teaches practical oversight over God's New Covenant church community with an emphasis upon the awesome God we serve.

HEBREWS 13:4-6

"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' 6 so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?'" Hebrews 13:4-6

According to the typical interpretation of those who believe in the NEST, this passage means that if someone, who is saved, fornicates or adulterizes, then they are labeled as "fornicators," or "adulterers." If such people die, while doing the sin listed, and before apologizing to God in repentance, they are judged as damned to hell forever. We could spend much time in explaining the importance of repentance; and with the proper explanation of biblical New Covenant repentance, show that NEST theories of repentance, and sin, are specious doctrines that fail when scrutinized by the whole corpus of New Covenant scripture, but for our purposes here, there is no need to do that.

The reason why the NEST is wrong is because the passage does not state that saved person is judged as damned forever, ie. lost. What the passage states is that God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Of course God judges fornicators and adulterers. Actually, according to Hebrews 12:23 in the last chapter, we just read,

"God [is] the judge of all." (Hebrews 12:23)

If the fornicator is unsaved, then the unsaved fornicator is already judged as unsaved. So unsaved people who fornicate and adulterize are judged, and their judgment is as lost people, and they are damned anyway. When a saved person adulterizes or fornicates, they are judged too, but they do not lose their salvation. Paul speaks of being judged as a servant of Christ for commendation, saying,

"It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." (1 Corinthians 4:4-5)

In 1 Timothy, Paul speaks of the judgment for people who love Christ's appearing, where they will be awarded, saying,

"in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)

All saved people are the only ones who truly have loved Christ's appearing. Their judgment is that they will receive the crown of righteousness that is already theirs. It is laid up already. It is waiting for us in our once saved in eternal spiritual salvation existence. Paul also speaks of Christians being judged and disciplined by God, so that we will not be damned along with the lost, saying;

"32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world." (1 Corinthians 11:32)

This is exactly what the writer just explained in Hebrews 12:4-11. Children of God (saved people), are disciplined by the Lord for their good. The writer says that God judges His New Covenant children, and based upon the judgment, they are chastised.

There are passages that have to do with God's judgment concerning a Christian's overall lifestyle in ministry. This fact is demonstrated in passages such as, 1 Peter 1:17;

"17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in reverential awe during the time of your stay on earth;" (1 Peter 1:17)

Judgment and rewards concerning the eternal fruit of one's current ministry work is Peter's concern, and the same concern is expressed by Paul in 2 Corinthians,

"9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home [in this present body] or absent [from this present body], to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

Judgement of Christians is also seen in respect saved people giving an account of themselves before the judgment seat; Paul says,

"10 But you, why do you judge your [Christian] brother? Or you again, why do you regard your [Christian] brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, 'as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.' 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God," (Romans 14:10-12)

We clearly see that this passage does not necessitate that a Christian who sins the two types of sins listed, fornication and adultery, is bound for hell in an eternal damnation judgment. Rather, he, or she, is judged toward discipline. It is simple--the marriage bed should not be defiled and God will judge the fornicator and adulterer who do not repent, because, after all, God judges everyone.

The Hebrews road is the Once Saved In Eternal Security road for all who embrace Christ through His work alone, through His grace alone, through faith alone, which He alone authors and perfects, (cf. Hebrews 12:2).