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DESCRIPTION
The key to understanding the infamous warning passages in the book of Hebrews is to understand the history of the Exodus generation. The Exodus generation is used throughout the book of Hebrews as the primary point of departure to help the Bible student chart his way through the difficulties of the book.
Not only does the history of the Exodus generation provide interpretive controls to narrow down the field of meaning when it comes to exegetical problems in the text of Hebrews, but it also provides the serious student of the Word a biblical framework from which to being digging into the details of the text. When it comes to the proper exegesis of the book of the Hebrews, rustic and realistic Old Testament history comes before preconceived theological theories and niceties.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Musser graduated from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon with a Master of Divinity. He, his wife and children served 7 years in the former Soviet Union on the mission field where Mark taught in numerous Bible Institutes, Christian Colleges, and seminaries. He also helped to plant two churches there. Upon coming back home, he planted a new church in Olympia, Washington where he now serves as the pastor.
EXCERPT PREVIEW
Preliminary Issues
Interpretive Difficulties
The epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most demanding books in all of the Word of God to understand and interpret. Even more difficult is to apply the great truths of this magnificent book into daily Christian living, severe warnings and all. In the modern church relatively little is taught concerning the practical significance of the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ from the epistle of Hebrews, and the average pastor usually ignores the infamous warning passages. Yet the author of Hebrews, in spite of the great difficulties and perplexities of the epistle, and while recognizing the spiritual dullness of his readers (5:11-14), concludes that he has written to them only briefly (13:22). Moreover, to read all 13 chapters of this epistle out loud to a congregation would have taken at least 50 minutes, perhaps considerably longer, depending on how long the reader would pause in between phrases and sentences. Thus, the so-called ‘brevity’ of this epistle and the rich content which permeates the entire book, are a silent rebuke to the modern tendency within Christian circles which disparages anything doctrinal or lengthy, and shows that the mental capacity of the average worshiper in the 1st century was anything but simple or naive.
Hebrews is a most unique book in the New Testament, and this has created any number of unique problems for the Bible student. Most notable in the book of Hebrews are the five infamous warning passages (2:1-4; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:8; 10:26-31; 12:12-29), and the Melchizedekian high priesthood of Christ (5:1-10:18). Both the warnings and the emphasis upon the high priestly order of Melchizedek are unique in comparison to other New Testament documents. The warnings are untypically severe, and the doctrinal explanation of the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ is a foreign subject to the average Bible student. Much of the book of Hebrews therefore is highly unusual.
Even more untypical in relation to the rest of the New Testament is that there is no consensus as to who the author is and who the audience is. This has left the reader with some critical problems which can only be tentatively resolved:
Hebrews is a delight for the person who enjoys puzzles. Its form is unusual, its setting in life is uncertain, and its argument unfamiliar. It invites engagement in the task of defining the undefined. Undefined are the identity of the writer, his conceptual background, the character and location of the community addressed, the circumstances and date of composition, the setting in life, the nature of the crisis to which the document is a response, the literary genre, and the purpose and plan of the work. Although these undefined issues continue to be addressed and debated vigorously, no real consensus has been reached.
Thus the book of Hebrews is an outstanding problematic book with regard to historical setting.
Calvinism vs. Arminianism
Much more difficult is that Hebrews is a major theological battleground between Calvinism and Arminianism, and the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints is the primary theological bone of contention. The perseverance of the saints teaches that all genuine Christians will not fall away from the faith into apostasy, but persevere until the final hour so as to maintain their eternal salvation. However, the book of Hebrews warns the readers in passage after passage about falling away into apostasy (2:1-4; 3:12; 4:11; 6:1-6; 10:26-31; 12:25-29). Is it therefore possible for a Christian to commit apostasy? Indeed, the warning passages seem to indicate this tragic possibility. This therefore creates a very serious tension on the doctrine of perseverance in particular. On the one hand, this doctrine teaches that all genuine Christians will finally persevere in their faith. On the other hand, the book of Hebrews warns the readers about their lack of perseverance throughout the book (3:6, 14; 4:14; 6:11-12; 10:23, 35-36). Furthermore, the historical failure of the Exodus generation to persevere in their faith is used as the illustrative basis for its warnings (11:29; 3:7-4:11). By faith, after having been redeemed out of Egypt, the Exodus generation crossed the Red Sea (Ex 14:31; Heb 11:29) with “the greatest army in the world snapping at their heels.” However, they later failed to persevere in their faith to reach the promised land of rest, and this heinous failure is used as an example to avoid at all costs (2:1-4; 3:7-4:11; 10:28; 12:25-29). Thus a long cherished doctrine in the Calvinistic tradition stands on very tenuous grounds in the book of Hebrews. More to the point, a very rigid stance on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints will crumble under the weight of the exegetical evidence found in Hebrews. The Arminian position that the perseverance of the saints is not guaranteed, that a Christian can fall away from the faith, is actually on much stronger ground here. Look at the historical failure of the Exodus generation. Look at all the warnings in Hebrews based on this historical failure. Moreover, how is it even possible to warn someone if the outcome has already been guaranteed? Answers to these sticky problems have been ingenious on the part of many a Calvinist on this point. Needless to say, these answers have not honestly satisfied the exegetical evidence found in Hebrews.
Even more acute for the Calvinist is that if the Hebrew readers fall into the judgment of which the author warns them, this will have a direct impact on their ability to persevere. The Exodus generation was forbidden by God to enter rest. In other words the Exodus generation was forbidden by God to persevere into the promised land, and this terrible failure is then held before the Hebrew readers as a most serious warning to them (2:2-3; 4:11; 10:28-29; 12:25). There came a time when God said enough was enough, and He literally stopped them dead in their tracks in the desert (Num 14; Heb 3:7-4:11). The same thing may also happen to the Hebrew readers (4:1-3; 6:1-3). If God permits (6:1-3) therefore places a big wrinkle in the whole perseverance approach. In other words, if these warnings are real genuine warnings aimed at real Christians (which the Arminian strongly holds), then the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints cannot remain unscathed. In some real sense, they will not be able to persevere, and this by the edict of God.
On the other hand, if we assume that the Arminian position is correct, and that these warnings can really be experienced by genuine believers, then this seems to indicate that a believer can lose his salvation. The failure to enter the promised land, the failure to inherit rest, is often associated with entering heaven. As such, since the Exodus generation failed to enter rest, they lost their salvation. This however, contradicts many other passages which teach that salvation is eternally secure, not only in Hebrews, but in many other passages as well (Heb 7:25; 10:10-14; John 6:35-40; 10:27-29; Rom 8:1, 31-39; Eph 1:13-14, 2:8-9, 4:30; Col 2:10-15). A salvation which can be lost is a contradiction in terms, and so the Calvinist properly maintains that a Christian cannot lose his salvation. But then how is Hebrews to be understood? If a saint falls into God’s judgment can it still be considered that he persevered so as to maintain his eternal salvation? Or has he indeed lost his eternal salvation? Thus the Calvinist and the Arminian find themselves at a most serious crossroads which neither side can really resolve.
In order to avoid the conclusion that a Christian can lose his salvation, many strong Calvinists assume that the Hebrews congregation to whom the author is writing is a mixed crowd of unbelievers and believers, i.e., the unbelievers being those who will fall into the judgment and the believers being those who heed the judgments and thus continue to persevere. Thus the ability to persevere tells us who the real Christian is and who is not. The problem with this view is that Hebrews nowhere mentions that the congregation is mixed, but actually everywhere assumes exactly the opposite, that they are in fact all believers. Trying to maintain the security of the believer is certainly an honest and sincere motivation, but to resort to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints here in Hebrews in order to maintain it does not help resolve the problem, but actually confuses the issues further. In the end, this theological thrust actually clouds rather obvious passages which indicate the addressees in Hebrews are real believers, and that they can indeed fall into judgment. In the end, the doctrine of the inevitable perseverance of the saints relegates serious warning passages, originally intended for believers to unbelievers. This is unacceptable.
This problem becomes especially acute in Hebrews 6:4-6. In 6:4-5, the author explicitly uses five very expressive phrases to indicate clearly that the addressees are indeed real Christians, and then adds in 6:6 that these same ones are also in danger of falling away or apostasizing, and this will inevitably lead into judgment (6:7-8). But since the Calvinist already knows ahead of time that all saints inevitably persevere and therefore cannot fall away, the five expressive phrases which indicate very strongly that the addressees are real believers, are outright denied. The out of place doctrine of a nominal faith then creeps in (of which the author mentions nothing) to replace the straightforward emphasis that the addressees are indeed real Christians. The forced exegesis of many a Calvinist on this point in order to maintain their theological system is not as notorious as it should be. Furthermore, it is not a coincidence that every time a strong Calvinist comes across a serious warning passage in the New Testament (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5; Heb 2:1-4; 3:6-4:13; 5:11-6:8; 10:26-39; 12:12-29), the doctrine of a mixed congregation conveniently shows up to rescue their sacred cow, i.e., the perseverance of the saints.
