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Unrequited Hope and Application

May 24, 2024 By Peter Krol

A firm grasp on the natural human longing for a better world will take your application skills to the next level.

person hand reaching body of water — Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Unrequited Hope

As we grow to love our neighbors as ourselves, this world becomes a better place to live. Good but not great. Finer but not final. A place of progress but not perfection. We long for a better world.

When God created the heavens and earth, all was very good (Gen 1:31). But man sought out many schemes (Eccl 7:29), and the consequence was a curse upon the ground (Gen 3:17). Now the human experience is one full of sickness (Ps 6:2), waiting (Ps 6:3), injustice (Ps 10), poverty (Ps 12:5), abandonment (Ps 13), corruption (Ps 14:3), abuse (Ps 22), grief (Ps 31:9), sin (Ps 51), fear (Ps 55:5), violence (Ps 59), sleeplessness (Ps 77:1-4), war (Ps 79:3-4), depression (Ps 88), chronic suffering (Ps 88:15), weakness (Ps 109:24), interpersonal conflict (Ps 120:2), disrespect (Ps 123:4), and loneliness (Ps 142:4)¹—to name just a few of the things we now suffer.

When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden, he did it so that they would not live forever as sinners (Gen 3:22-23). In that action was the shadow of a hint of a hope of resurrection. If they would die, it means they could live again, right? So prophets such as Isaiah foresaw a new world to come, a new creation to replace the fallen creation (Isaiah 65:17-25). A place where lives would be long and full, no person would labor in vain, and weeping and distress would never be heard.

When Jesus came along, he spoke often about how the age to come was breaking into the present through his own person and work (Mark 1:15, Luke 17:20-21). But that presented a tension with the reality that the age to come was … still a time to come. A time when those hearing Jesus’ words would get to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt 8:11). A time when a faithful servant would receive their full reward (Matt 6:20). A place of joy that the persevering steward would enter (Matt 25:21). Jesus associates this new age with both bodily resurrection (John 5:28-29) and a new, regenerated world (Matt 19:28-29).

Paul speaks of a new creation, where the sons of God are fully revealed and suffering is replaced by disproportional glory (Rom 8:18-25). Peter motivates us to wait for the new heavens and new earth—the place where sin and suffering are gone and only righteousness is left (2 Peter 3:11-13). And John caps off our hope with his glorious picture of the dwelling place of God with men. A place that is already here but also not yet fully here. A place without tears, pain, or death (Rev 21:1-4).

Whatever we face now is but a photo-negative of what those who have trusted Christ will face then. And does not every human heart long for such a place? Isn’t that what people seek whenever they expose abuses of power, contribute aid to the needy, and rectify injustice? We all want to live in a world that is better than the one in which we now reside. And the Bible holds out much hope that such a place is coming. Just hold fast to the grace of God, persevere through these light and momentary afflictions, and testify persistently to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help with Application

So how does this doctrine help us to improve at applying the Bible?

In nearly any text, you can ask “unrequited hope” questions with respect to the author’s main point:

What would the world look like if everyone trusted and obeyed what the Lord declares in this text?
What hope do we have for that to take place in this world?
What hope do we have for that to take place in the next world?
Wouldn’t it be great to finally get to such a place?
How does this text highlight your pain, your suffering, or your sin?
What can you do now to prepare for a world without such things?
How does your coming resurrection in the new world motivate you to endure further hardship here and now?
What can you give up now, knowing you’ll have an eternity to enjoy it with the Lord Jesus?
If you do not trust Jesus, what hope can you have for the present world to ever act in righteousness and justice?
For the unbeliever: What has been the best time of your life? What if that is the best it will ever get for you? How does Jesus offer you far more than you can imagine?
In light of the new creation Jesus will bring, what is there left for you to be afraid of?

I am intentionally sidestepping matters of creation, gifts, strengths, law, grace, salvation, and sanctification when I ask these questions. That’s not because such matters are unimportant, but only because the focus of this post is on the natural human longing for a better world.

Sometimes, robust reflection on our hope for the future will give us ample material to speak into the issues of our age: lament, oppression, injustice, sin, suffering, tragedy, misery, perseverance, joy, hope, satisfaction—to name just a few.

Deepen your grasp of the natural human longing for a better world, and you’ll take your application skills to the next level.

This list of human experiences from the psalms was collated by my friend Clint Watkins in his wonderful book Just Be Honest: How to Worship Through Tears and Pray Without Pretending (affiliate link). ↩︎

Diving Deep on Hebrews 3:13—How Should We “Exhort One Another?”

May 20, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

A hard heart is poisonous, but there is an antidote. The author of Hebrews gives a concise prescription: Christians are to exhort one another, every day (Hebrews 3:13).

In this article, we will try to make this command specific.

Application Within Context

We preach context regularly here at Knowable Word, and there is no exception when it comes to application. Application should flow from the main point of the passage, but we should avoid writing down that main point and then staring dreamily out the window to apply the text.

Consider our passage (Hebrews 3:7–19) as an example. In my view, the main point is that Christians should exhort one another every day to avoid being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (This is only a restatement of Hebrews 3:13.) It would be a mistake to focus on the word “exhort” and then go off on a word-study rabbit trail to frame my application. Here, as in so many places, it is not just the imperative verb that is important. The context gives the word meaning.

Let’s first look to the letter as a whole. My co-blogger Peter has written an interpretive overview of Hebrews in which he argues for this main point of the book: God has spoken by His Son whose work is finished. There is a stay-the-course nature to the tone of this letter—the author does not want his readers to give up Christ.

In the more immediate context (Hebrews 3:1–6), Jesus is contrasted with Moses. Jesus is worthy of far greater glory that Moses (Hebrews 3:3), so it doesn’t make sense to turn from Jesus to Moses and his commands.

When we turn to the ultra-local context, this Christian exhortation is meant to prevent evil, unbelieving hearts (Hebrews 3:12) and to combat the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). Our exhortation is rooted in the fact that we share in Christ, holding our confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:14). Our efforts in this regard should aim to pull our friends back from disobedience and unbelief (Hebrews 3:18–19).

Shades of Meaning for our Application

If we are to exhort one another in the ways that Hebrews indicates, an analogy and some examples might help.

When thinking about this passage, I’ve pictured a marathon runner putting one foot after the other, drenched in sweat and with pain on his face. I can see his struggle between the easy option (giving up) and the hard one (finishing the race). How will I exhort him to help him finish the race?

Sometimes exhortation will look like encouragement, speaking timely truths to give a friend courage. Exhortation might also look like challenge or rebuke—if a runner is heading off course we should sound a warning. To exhort might mean reminding someone of their calling, identity, and the precious promises that are theirs in Christ. Often, to continue the analogy, exhorting will mean running next to a friend, to speak and to listen, to comfort and to point in the right direction.

While exhortation is likely part of a sermon in weekly corporate worship, it cannot be limited to that. This is to happen within our every-day relationships.

We need others to help us identify and resist false teaching, to point out temptations, and to remind us of the truth. We need friends to tell us what the finish line is like and why crossing it is so much better than ducking out of the race early.

What this Application Presupposes

In thinking through the command to exhort one another, I noticed three things this presupposes.

First, this command is given to a community of Christians, and there is a clear community responsibility. There should not be in “any of you” an unbelieving heart, and “none of you” should be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. So just as I am to exhort others, I am one who needs exhortation myself.

Additionally, this command presupposes strong relationships that can bear the weight of exhortation. This sort of strong urging is not something we can do for acquaintances. In order to encourage, challenge, and edify a brother, we need to know in what way that brother needs to be encouraged, challenged, or edified. These sorts of close, vulnerable relationships are difficult to form and difficult to maintain.

Finally, the content of my exhortation should be what God has spoken in his Son. My words and thoughts alone are not sufficient to prevent a hard heart.

Five Questions

Because application is so personal, I rarely suggest specific application points for others (unless I know them really well). Instead, here are some questions that flow out of our present considerations.

Who are some people you could exhort? From whom would you welcome exhortation? If no one comes to mind for either question, how can you build these sorts of relationships?
What can you do to make your church a place where mutual exhortation is welcomed?
In what ways are you tempted to turn away from obeying God? How could you share these with a trusted friend?
Where do you lack courage in your Christian life? How could you share this need for encouragement with someone else?
What passages of Scripture (or general biblical truths) would be most appropriate for exhorting one of your specific friends?

The Antidote to a Hard Heart

May 6, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

National Cancer Institute (2020), public domain

In the Bible, having a “hard heart” puts a person in dangerous company. At various places, authors in Scripture use this phrase to indicate a lack of compassion (Mark 3:5), a refusal to repent (2 Chronicles 36:13), and a destiny full of the wrath of God (Romans 2:5). One of the characters in Scripture most often described as hardening his heart is the Egyptian Pharaoh who faced off with Moses (Exodus 8:32).

So, when an epistle tells us how to avoid or prevent a hard heart, we should take notice!

Beware of a Hard Heart

The subject of Hebrews 3:7–19 must be related to obedience, hearts, and hardening. The word “hard” or “harden” occurs three times, “heart” occurs four times, and there are four references to sin, disobedience, or unbelief.

The author of this letter uses as an example the generation of Israelites who exited Egypt with Moses. But this is not a positive example! Christians are NOT to be like them (Hebrews 3:8,15).

A hard heart is not just unacceptable in polite society. It has dire, terrible consequences, including the wrath of God.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’ (Hebrews 3:10–11)

A hard, unbelieving heart will lead people to “fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). God will deny them access to his rest. There are eternal consequences to a hard heart.

Hard Hearts and Sin

A hard heart is dangerous because it leads to sin. It may indicate blindness to or apathy about obeying and loving the Lord.

In this passage, the author quotes Psalm 95:7–11, which refers to Exodus 17:1–7. The Israelites, despite having just seen God deliver them miraculously from the Egyptians, “quarreled” with Moses and complained about a lack of water. They accused Moses of taking them out of Egypt only to kill them in the wilderness. Moses thought the people might stone him, and the people questioned God’s promise to go with them, asking “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Hebrews 3:16–19 emphasizes that hard hearts lead to sin. Those Israelites “rebelled,” “sinned,” and were “disobedient.” They were unable to enter God’s rest because of unbelief.

A Powerful Antidote

The author of Hebrews does not want this end for those reading his words.

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:12–14)

How do we prevent an evil, unbelieving heart? How do we avoid falling away from the living God? How do we prevent a hardening by the deceitfulness of sin? We exhort one another, every day.

A person filled with a certain kind of zeal might seize on the word “exhort” and go hunting for sin in other Christians’ lives. But exhort is not quite the same as rebuke, though an exhortation might include rebuke. This command is written to communities of Christians, and these brotherly and sisterly exhortations are to be grounded in knowledge of one another. The best exhortation contains exactly the timely encouragement, challenge, chastisement, and pointers to the promises of God that the other person needs. An obvious but challenging implication of this is that we must get to know each other well enough to know what exhortation is fitting.

Every Day

A person might be able to get behind the idea of occasional exhortation of their Christian friends. But the author of Hebrews is insistent that this happen frequently—”every day,” and “as long as it is called ‘today.'”

Why do we need such regular exhortation? Because we forget! As we have seen above, the same people who crossed on dry ground through the Red Sea accused God of abandoning them a short time later. We are fallible and finite and prone to forgetfulness, so we need to be spurred on by our brothers and sisters.

We Share in Christ

As we remind each other who God is and what he has done, we help to prevent the evil, unbelieving hearts that are ready to sprout within us. This is a vital community effort.

We “have come to share in Christ,” after all. He is not just the Savior and Lord and Redeemer of individuals, but of a collective people. As we share in Christ, we belong to one another. We have this privilege and vital responsibility to speak life-giving truths to our brothers and sisters.

The Lord Shows Compassion as a Father Shows Compassion

April 22, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Much of what we learn as humans happens through comparison and analogy. The biblical authors use this reasoning in several places; see Colossians 3:12–13 for an example where Paul exhorts his readers to forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven. Christians can understand their responsibility by looking to what God has done.

The Bible runs the comparison game in the other direction too, with some deep and surprising results. Instead of exhorting people to act more like God, we learn what God is like by looking at people! In this article I’ll discuss one example found in Psalm 103.

Describing the Lord’s Steadfast Love

Psalm 103 is majestic, and I’ve written about it before. As I was re-memorizing it recently, David’s logic gave me a start.

In one of the center passages of this psalm, David states a common, foundational truth about God.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Ps 103:8)

In verses 9–14 David then explains what these descriptions of God mean. That passage contains these memorable verses.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust. (Ps 103:11–14)

Part of God’s steadfast love is his compassion, and this compassion is compared to a father’s for his children. I knew that, but I hadn’t observed the text carefully enough to feel the full impact.

A Supreme Example

When David wants to describe how great God’s steadfast love is toward those who fear him, he looks at how high the heavens are above the earth. Who could calculate that height?

When David wants to explain how far away God removes our transgressions from us, he reaches for the distance between the east and the west. Again, an immense (infinite?) distance!

Then, when David wants to illustrate how compassionate God is, he turns to fathers. In the context of the comparisons David is using, this means that the compassion of a father toward his children is a supreme example of compassion. Dare we say it: David couldn’t reach for a greater earthly example!

This text has turned me inside out over the past few weeks, mainly because I see how lacking I am in compassion toward my children. How can it be that God describes himself this way?

A Baked-in Assumption

What we have in Psalm 103:13 is evidence of an assumption made by a biblical author. This is not an exhortation for fathers to be compassionate; instead, it is an argument based on what good fathers are like.

So, any father looking for Biblical guidance won’t find a command here. Rather, David teaches about God relying on how God has made fathers. This means that fathers who have the indwelling Holy Spirit should be the best examples of all.

Note that we are not drawing this application from the main point of this psalm. And we do not want to build any theological pyramids on minor or tenuous conclusions from Scripture. We must tread carefully, meditating on and applying an author’s main point first.

However, it is hardly shocking to say that Christians in general and fathers in specific should be compassionate. This is part of what it means to be one of God’s people (Col 3:12).

How to be Compassionate

I’ll end this brief observation by noting that David offers additional help to those who wish to grow in compassion. We only need to read the next verse.

For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust. (Ps 103:14)

Let’s follow the grammar. The Lord’s compassion is connected by the word “for” to his knowledge of us. Because he knows our frame, he shows compassion to those who fear him.

From this I conclude that one of the best ways I can grow in compassion for my children is to know them better. As a loving father, I can make a study of them, learning their strengths and weaknesses, their fears and joys, their victories and vulnerabilities.

Like me, my children are dust. But the particular kind of dust they are matters, and the more I understand their frame, the better I will be able to show them a proper, fatherly compassion.

Psalm 104: Praise the Lord Who Governs the Earth and Cares for His Creatures

April 8, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Some of the psalms stick in our memories because of their vivid imagery or their just right phrasing of a meditation or longing of our heart. The psalms which have been set to recognizable music are especially memorable.

But we don’t always study those psalms which move us deeply. Today we’ll take a close look at Psalm 104.

Yahweh is Great

After exhorting his soul to “bless the Lord,” the psalmist begins his prayer with one of its main themes: “O Lord my God, you are very great!” (Psalm 104:1) The rest of this stanza—and the rest of the psalm—provide his reasoning.

The Lord is “clothed with splendor and majesty,” shining like light. He is also majestic in the way he governs heaven: riding on the clouds and the winds, putting them to work for his purposes (Psalm 104:1–4).

God Governs the Waters

The Lord is worthy of blessing because “he set the earth on its foundations” (Psalm 104:5). Verses 5–9 of this psalm describe the way God commands the waters on the earth, either at creation or after the flood (or both?). Regardless, God is the one who rebukes, appoints, and sets a boundary for the waters, “that they might not again cover the earth” (Psalm 104:9).

God Waters the Earth and his Creatures

God not only controls the oceans and seas, he directs each spring and stream. In verses 10–13 we see that God wants his creatures and even the mountains to be well-watered and satisfied. “Every beast of the field” drinks from God’s springs; the birds find shelter in the trees and sing a song of contentment (Psalm 104:11–12). God is the one who “water[s] the mountains” and “the earth is satisfied” with his provision (Psalm 104:13).

God Provides so Man can Provide

God governs the water so the earth will produce good things. The livestock benefit from the grass growing and man uses the plants to “bring forth food from the earth” (Psalm 104:14). God provides for necessities and more: wine, oil, and bread are given to “gladden” and “strengthen” his people (Psalm 104:15).

God Provides Shelter for Animals

God plants and waters the trees (Psalm 104:16). One of the reasons? So that the birds would have a place to build their nests (Psalm 104:17). But God cares for other animals too—the wild goats and the rock badgers find refuge in the mountains and among the rocks (Psalm 104:18).

God Governs the Seasons, the Sun, and the Moon

In this psalm, we get a tour of the earth and the heavens, all the different elements of creation that God’s hand controls. God made the moon and he makes darkness (Psalm 104:19–20). The darkness of night provides a time for “the beasts of the forest” to hunt for food (Psalm 104:20). In their roaring and in their retreat, the young lions are “seeking their food from God” (Psalm 104:21). The day and night are even markers for the labor of humanity (Psalm 104:23).

Earth is Full of Creatures Dependent on God

Verses 24–30 are the heart of the psalm. The psalmist takes another survey of all earth’s creatures and concludes that God is worthy of praise. God’s works are “manifold” and full of “wisdom.” “The earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24).

For the first time in the psalm, the writer turns to the sea, “great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great” (Psalm 104:25). God deserves praise for the ships in the sea as well as Leviathan (Psalm 104:26).

Verses 27–30 show just how dependent the creatures of earth are on their creator. They look to God for food, and they are filled with good things when he opens his hand (Psalm 104:27–28). But God can also hide his face or take away their breath, returning them to the dust (Psalm 104:29). In contrast, God renews the face of the ground as he sends forth his Spirit to create (Psalm 104:30).

Responding to the Great Creator and Ruler

The final five verses of this psalm represent the psalmist’s response to meditating on God’s creative, sovereign rule. He is to be praised!

The psalmist cries for God’s glory to endure forever (Psalm 104:31) even as we read what this glory involves: God can make the earth tremble and the mountains smoke by his glance and touch (Psalm 104:32). It is appropriate to sing long and loud to this God, to rejoice in the Lord (Psalm 104:33–34).

The final verse of the psalm contains a cry for the elimination of sinners and the wicked (Psalm 104:35). This may seem like a tangent, but the psalmist connects the Lord’s holiness to his ruling power and praiseworthiness. Such a powerful and pure God cannot dwell with sinners! They must surely be “consumed.”

As Christians, we confess that Christ is all and that the entire Bible points to him. Here is another such instance. How will sinners (and sin) be eliminated from the earth? Christ will come; the Spirit will come; the Father will transform sinners into glad and grateful children.

If you’re anything like me, the last line of this psalm is easy to say with the psalmist: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 104:35)

10 Truths About Jesus from Hebrews 3

March 11, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

The first six verses of Hebrews 3 are bursting with truths about Jesus. In this article, I will hang these truths in frames on the wall, as it were, so that we might walk around and consider them. Like the author of Hebrews, I want us to see how glorious Jesus is so that we might respond by listening and holding fast to him.

Consider Jesus

That word “consider” in the opening paragraph was no accident. In Hebrews 3:1–6, there is only one command: Consider Jesus.

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. (Hebrews 3:1–2)

In the verses that follow, the author gives us much to consider!

Thus far in the epistle, the author has been arguing that because Jesus is superior to the angels, readers/hearers should “pay much closer attention” to what they have heard from Jesus (Hebrews 2:1). What the angels declared was good and reliable, but now Jesus has accomplished “a great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3).

In chapter 3, the author compares Jesus to Moses, providing many reasons for these first century Jews to endure to the end as Christians.

Ten Truths

In my observation of Hebrews 3, these ten truths about Jesus jumped out. (Some of what I’ve included also requires interpretation, but that is to be expected!)

Jesus is the apostle of our confession (verse 1)

We think about Jesus having apostles much more than him being an apostle. But “apostle” just means “one who is sent out,” which is an apt description of Jesus.

Jesus is the high priest of our confession (verse 1)

The author of Hebrews spends a lot of time on this subject, introducing Jesus as a high priest a few verses earlier (Hebrews 2:17). Note the way these two offices—apostle and high priest—reference the new and old covenants.

Jesus is the apostle and high priest (verse 1)

I’m not repeating myself here, I’m only drawing attention to the singularity of Jesus. There were many apostles, and there were many high priests (each one was replaced when they retired or died), but Jesus is the only one who occupies both offices.

Jesus was faithful to God (verse 2)

All that the Father called Jesus to do, Jesus did. He did not duck a single responsibility or duty.

God appointed Jesus (verse 2)

The one Jesus was faithful to was the one who appointed Jesus to his work.

Jesus’s faithfulness was like Moses’s faithfulness (verse 2)

Moses was a man who spoke with God with a frequency and intimacy unlike anyone else in the Old Testament. Moses was not perfect, but he was faithful, and Jesus’s faithfulness was like that.

Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses (verse 3)

Despite their faithfulness being comparable (to a degree), the glory they are due differs dramatically. Jesus is far more glorious.

In terms of glory, Jesus is like the builder and Moses is like the house (verse 3)

How much more glorious is Jesus than Moses? Well, we do not praise a building for its design, beauty, or longevity, do we? No, we praise the architect and builder! Praising the building would be just as misguided as preferring Moses.

Jesus is the Christ (verse 6)

Note how the author had been referring to “Jesus” in verses 1–3 but then calls him “Christ” in verse 6. Titles are never used by accident, and we should hear the author emphasizing that Jesus is the Messiah. That would be powerful for Jewish Christians.

Jesus is faithful over God’s house as a son (verse 6)

The contrast in verses 5–6 is masterful.

Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Hebrews 3:5–6)

Moses was faithful, but Jesus is faithful. Moses was faithful in God’s house, but Jesus is faithful over God’s house. Moses was faithful as a servant, but Jesus is faithful as a son.

Listen to Jesus

At first glance, this contrast appears to be missing one ingredient. Moses’s task as a servant is stated, “to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.” Where is the corresponding task of Jesus?

It is included in Moses’s job description! Moses pointed to the one who would speak later—Jesus, the Messiah, the son who is over God’s house. And we are his house!

Jesus is the one who speaks to us; this is a key to understanding the entire letter and is introduced in Hebrews 1:2. And if we follow the author’s logic, the implication is clear. If faithful Moses pointed to Jesus as the one worthy of our attention, respecting this great prophet of old means following Jesus of Nazareth now.

We Must Pay Close Attention or We Will Drift Away

January 29, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Imagine a leaf in autumn pulling free from the branch where it started to grow just seven months before. It tumbles and glides through the air, landing in the river below. Once in the water, the leaf does not choose its destination; the current carries it away.

This leaf is experiencing drift. The whims of water and wind, along with gravity and the shape of the riverbed, take the leaf along to its next resting place.

The author of the book of Hebrews wants us to know that unless we are careful, we will be much like this leaf.

What We Have Heard

The second chapter of Hebrews opens with a conclusion to an argument.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

The word “therefore” presses our noses in the words previously written, focusing on “what we have heard.” We have been told that while God spoke to the fathers “by the prophets,” “he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The writer, after highlighting the nature and work of the Son, goes on for the rest of the chapter to argue how much “superior to angels” this Son is (Hebrews 1:4).

Do Not Neglect Such a Great Salvation

The fact that Jesus is superior to the angels means that we should pay more attention to his words than theirs. The testimony of the angels “proved to be reliable” and laid the foundation for just retribution for disobedience (Hebrews 2:2), but the testimony of the Son brings a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3).

Side note: The reference to the Mosaic covenant as being delivered by angels seems to be a mixture of Scriptural allusions (Acts 7:53 and Galatians 3:19) and tradition.

The implication of this line of reasoning is clear: Ignore the Son at your own risk! Since “every transgression” under the Mosaic law “received a just retribution,” and since Jesus’s words are worthy of closer obedience (since he is greater than the angels), we shall not escape “if we neglect such a great salvation” (Hebrews 2:2-3). Those who have heard the Son have not just heard the offer of salvation—there is judgment for those who ignore or refuse this offer.

A Sure Message

The author wants readers to know this message of the Son can be trusted. He writes that this “great salvation” was “declared at first by the Lord” and also “attested to us by those that heard” (Hebrews 2:3). A first-hand account of Jesus’s teaching was both powerful and persuasive! But the testimony didn’t end there.

The author of Hebrews says that God himself was involved—he “bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles” (Hebrews 2:4). Like in the days of Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, God occasionally gives signs and miracles to authenticate the message of his servant.

God also bore witness to the veracity of Jesus’s message “by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Hebrews 2:4). After the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, gifts were visible throughout the young church. These also pointed to the great salvation declared by the Lord.

Pay Much Closer Attention

In Hebrews 2:1–4 there is only one command (with one reason). We “must pay much closer attention to what we have heard” (Hebrews 2:1). Given the context, this means we must pay careful attention to God’s message through his Son.

If we don’t focus on this message—this gospel—we will drift away from it. Like the leaf in the water, we will not stay still. When we stop fixing our eyes on the good news of king Jesus, we will get caught up in just about anything else. The cultural currents that flow strongest and closest to our hearts will carry us downstream, away from our great salvation.

In this case, the what of application is easy but the how is more challenging. How exactly do we pay close attention to what we have heard? How do we help those around us pay close attention?

Part of the answer for all of us is recognizing that we are “prone to wander,” as the hymn writer says. Because we are forgetful, we need reminders about what is important and true and vital to our faith.

Within our churches, we must therefore figure out good ways to build friendships and structures that support these reminders. These reminders must happen during weekly worship, but there may be other opportunities that could help us remind each other about what we tend to forget.

The Titles of Jesus in the Gospels

January 15, 2024 By Ryan Higginbottom

Do you remember choosing your first email address or social media username? This was a heady experience for me—I was picking a word or phrase by which I would be known. And this was nothing compared to the pressure my wife and I faced when selecting names for our children!

Authors know a bit of this pressure. The ways that characters refer to each other carry a lot of meaning. Consider the following scenario. A man appears in a courtroom before a judge, and the judge asks if he would like to make a statement. Among many other possibilities, the man might begin his statement with “Your honor,” “Judge Perkins,” “Ms. Perkins,” “Barbara,” or “Honey.” In that setting, each of those addresses carries a different, significant meaning.

The writers of the New Testament Gospels, while inspired by the Holy Spirit, were human authors. They chose their words carefully, especially when referring to the central character of their work: Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, we can learn a lot about the purpose of a Gospel as well as Jesus Himself by studying the ways that Gospel writers referred to Jesus.

I have made a small project of this study and I have listed the criteria I used for including a title or name in the first post of the series. I’ve also posted a link to the raw data on our Resources page so that interested readers might ask their own related questions.

Before listing the articles in this series, an important note is in order. The titles and names used for Jesus should not be considered apart from the context in which they are written. Just like the example of the man before the judge, the details of the setting, offense, and personal history of the characters involved matter a great deal. So while this current study can identify trends and tendencies, it is not definitive on its own. Each use of a name or title has its primary and most significant meaning within the historical and literary context in which it is used.

With that said, here are the eight articles in this series. I hope they will be of benefit to all who dive in.

Top 10 Titles of Jesus in the Gospels

The Titles of Jesus in Matthew

The Titles of Jesus in Mark

The Titles of Jesus in Luke

The Titles of Jesus in John

Jesus is the Christ

Jesus is the Son of God

Jesus is the Son of Man

You Better Believe in Constant Reliance

January 12, 2024 By Peter Krol

‌You better believe it’s worth it to keep going as a Christian. The third reason for this is the need for constant reliance.

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Hebrews 10:32-39

‌Hard Struggle is not Incompatible with Great Joy

Let’s be honest: The way of following Jesus is one filled with “a hard struggle with sufferings” (Heb 10:32).

Jesus never promised that following him would be easy. He called it a hard way and a narrow gate that few would find (Matt 7:14).

‌However, that hard struggle is not incompatible with great joy. The people to whom Hebrews was written had their stuff taken from them on account of being Christians, and they accepted it with joy (Heb 10:34)!

‌How is that possible? How does a person endure hard suffering with unexpected joy?

‌Only if you know that you have “a better possession and an abiding one” (Heb 10:34b). In other words, you’re giving up something you can’t keep anyway, in order to gain something you can’t lose (Jim Elliot). You’ve got a deep understanding that a better future awaits you, and this understanding gives you confidence in a great reward (Heb 10:35).

‌It’s not worth it to throw away such confidence! Like the children in a famous psychological experiment, you can deny yourself one cookie now, because of the promise of two cookies later.

‌In short: “You have need of endurance” (Heb 10:36). The sort of endurance that doesn’t “shrink back” in the hard times, but perseveres in faith (Heb 10:38-39). The need of the moment is constant reliance on the Lord Jesus.

‌This is just another way to say the same thing Hebrews has been saying all along. “Hold fast to your confession” (Heb 3:1, 10:23). “We have such a great high priest” (Heb 8:1). “Jesus is your better and abiding possession” (Heb 10:34). “Let us draw near to him with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 4:16, 10:22).

‌Application

‌The only sin that warrants the Holy Spirit’s outrage and the Father’s vengeance is the sin of unbelief (not persevering in faith).‌ This chapter is not talking about broad struggles with sinful behaviors, but with the sin of disloyalty to Christ, also called unbelief.

‌So the solution to that sin is that you don’t ever throw away your confidence that something better is coming. Today, tomorrow, and the next day, you persevere in faith. You endure the hard times, knowing that Jesus remains your king, your priest, and your inheritance.

‌What might apostasy look like? What are the beliefs of a person who has thrown away their confidence in Christ?

‌This will never change.
The people whose opinions matter most will hate me.
I’ll lose what I’ve worked so hard to gain, and it will be the end of me.
It’s not worth it.
Jesus is not worth it.

‌The better you get at recognizing such beliefs in yourself, the better you will get at recognizing them in others. Then you and I can spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Toward endurance in Christ. Toward constant reliance on him to rescue and redeem.

‌You better believe it’s worth it to keep going in the Christian faith, in love for Christ Jesus.

‌In Christ, we have confident entrance. Without him, there is nothing but certain vengeance. Therefore, here and now, day after day after day, we exercise constant reliance.

‌We will never grow out of our need for trusting Christ Jesus. That’s not just what you do on the first day, when you become a Christian. It’s what you do every day, up until the Last Day.

‌May the Lord guard us and guide us, that we might never shrink back from him and be destroyed, but that we would persevere in faith and preserve our souls (Heb 10:39).

‌You better believe it’s worth it.

Jesus is the Son of Man

December 18, 2023 By Ryan Higginbottom

eberhard grossgasteiger (2017), public domain

All authors employ names and titles to convey meaning. The biblical writers are no exception.

I’m nearing the end of a project examining the names and titles for Jesus in the Gospels. My first article laid out my methodology and looked at the top 10 titles of Jesus in the Gospels. I have written about the titles of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and I am wrapping up this project by studying three specific titles of Jesus used in the Gospels. I’ve written about Jesus being called “Christ” and the “son of God.” Today we will consider what it means for Jesus to be called the “son of Man.”

Old Testament Background

We may think of “Son of God” as the title of Jesus that points to his divinity and “Son of Man” as Jesus’s title which emphasizes his humanity. As I wrote previously, that’s a bit too simplistic.

In many Old Testament uses, the phrase “son of Man” does mean “human.” See, for example, Numbers 23:19, Job 16:21, Isaiah 56:2, Jeremiah 50:40, or Ezekiel 2:1. Most uses of this phrase in the Old Testament occur in Ezekiel as it is God’s preferred way to address the prophet.

However, when Jesus is called the “son of Man,” it is clear this is not just a stand-in for “person.” Jesus called himself the Son of Man scores of times, in ways that pointed beyond mere humanness.

As we explore additional Old Testament background for this title, we find an important passage in the book of Daniel.

I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13–14)

In one of Daniel’s visions, great, terrible beasts have gained power until the Ancient of Days sits on a throne of judgment. Dominion was taken from the beasts and then, in this passage, given to “one like a son of man.” But we see from verse 14 that this is no ordinary human—this is an everlasting king with a worldwide dominion who seems to have a heavenly origin.

Daniel hears an interpretation of this vision, and the one like a son of man seems to be—in part—representative. Daniel is told that the “saints of the Most High” will receive and possess the kingdom (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27). What is given to the one like a son of man is eventually given to (or shared with) the saints.

By Jesus’s time, it seems that “Son of Man” had become a title with this passage as a large part of its background. In other words, “Son of Man” had distinct Messianic overtones.

Usage in the Gospels

By far, the person in the Gospels who most frequently refers to Jesus as the “Son of Man” is Jesus himself. I count 80 occurrences of this title in the Gospels, and 77 of them are spoken by Jesus. Additionally, this was Jesus’s favorite way to refer to himself—he used a title for himself a total of 131 times, with the 77 occurrences of “Son of Man” followed distantly by “Son” (23 times), “teacher” (6 times), and “Lord” (6 times).

Given the background discussed above, we should not be surprised to see the title “Son of Man” closely associated with authority, judgment, or a future coming of Jesus. (He also uses this title often when predicting his own suffering and death.) We don’t have the space for a complete list—see the data for yourself—but here are a few examples.

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—’Rise, pick up your bed and go home.'” (Matthew 9:6)
“For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:8)
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:41–42)
“As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’ And they were greatly distressed.” (Matthew 17:22–23)
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)

Conclusion

Jesus’s title as the “Son of Man” points to his humanity, but it carries more weight. Jesus is the one who will be given all dominion and authority, and all people and all nations will serve him.

At this time of year, Jesus’s supreme reign might appear paradoxical. His path to the throne leads through the grave; he conquers by dying. And a crucial part of the story begins in the middle of history, as a baby is born to a humble young couple.

(Note: This was a helpful source as I prepared this article.)

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