Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2018 15:58:56 GMT
The Perfecting of the Old Testament Saint:
Hebrews 11:13 King James Version (KJV)
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:39-40 King James Version (KJV)
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Note v.13, where we see that the Old Testament Saints did not receive the promises, and in vv.38-39 we see they were "not made perfect:"
"Perfection" in Hebrews refers to completion, a bringing to an end (the words in blue are links to Strong's Concordance). If we back up a Chapter we find what I view to be the most clear statement of Eternal Security in Scripture, and it deals with the theme of Perfection:
Hebrews 10:1-14 King James Version (KJV)
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
He makes a pretty simple statement: "The Sacrifices of the Law can never take away sins and bring completion to that for which they were offered...remission of sins."
He asks the question, "Wouldn't they have stopped if they had?"
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Christ came to do God's will. And what He came to do had not been accomplished before.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ fulfilling God's will made it possible for men to be made holy, set apart unto God once, as opposed to the continual process of forgiveness we see under the Law and before (and one must keep in mind that the Book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew People, and is relevant to the Hebrew People only at the time of the writing, hence the Covenant of Law is the relevant Covenant in the Book. That does not mean we do not include the need for remission of sins to those who transgressed prior to the establishment of the Law).
So we, believers, are sanctified unto God once ("for all" is an insertion and not found in the text, but is an apt insertion because the Writer makes it clear this is a finishing, the bringing to an end the need to offer up sacrifice for remission of sins).
He once again calls a contrast into view of the sacrifices of the Law and the Sacrifice of Christ:
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Again, the sacrifices of the Law could not take away sins. Contrasted with the Sacrifice of Christ which takes away sins...for ever.
Now, let me show you v.1 again before we get to our key verse in regards to Perfection:
Hebrews 10:1-14 King James Version (KJV)
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Now see the contrast:
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Again, this is, from my view, the clearest and most incontrovertible statement of Eternal Security in all of Scripture. What He has just told us is "The sacrifices of the Law could never with those sacrifices bring to an end the need for sacrifice for sin, that remission of sins be granted, but...
...the Sacrifice of Christ makes one perfect, complete forever in regards to remission of sins."
Now, in regards to the Old Testament Saint, they were not made perfect without us, which means they did not, during their lifetimes, and prior to Christ dying in their stead...
...receive Remission of Sins (The Atonement) until Christ actually died for them.
They were made perfect...
Hebrews 12:22-23 King James Version (KJV)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,[/font]
...but this was retroactive. When Christ died on the Cross He went to Hades and liberated the Just that had died in faith, who had not received the promises or made perfect in their lifetimes. Having made manifest the way into the Holiest of All (Heaven, Hebrews 9:8-9, 24; Hebrews 10:19-20) through the Atonement, by which men now receive the Reconciliation and are brought into Eternal Union with God...those just persons are now with the Lord in Heaven, and when we die in Christ now, we too go to be with Him in Heaven.
Again, they were not made perfect, nor did they receive the promises. Here is a significant promise made to Israel (and by extension all who are of faith in Christ):
Hebrews 10:15-18 King James Version (KJV)
15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
If we keep Hebrews 10 in context we can see, irrefutably, that those sanctified by the Sacrifice of Christ have been made complete in regards to remission of sins. That is why...
...there is no more offering for sin (sacrifice). As He said, "It is finished." He is the Author and Finisher (Completer) of our faith.
God bless.
Hebrews 11:13 King James Version (KJV)
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:39-40 King James Version (KJV)
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Note v.13, where we see that the Old Testament Saints did not receive the promises, and in vv.38-39 we see they were "not made perfect:"
"Perfection" in Hebrews refers to completion, a bringing to an end (the words in blue are links to Strong's Concordance). If we back up a Chapter we find what I view to be the most clear statement of Eternal Security in Scripture, and it deals with the theme of Perfection:
Hebrews 10:1-14 King James Version (KJV)
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
He makes a pretty simple statement: "The Sacrifices of the Law can never take away sins and bring completion to that for which they were offered...remission of sins."
He asks the question, "Wouldn't they have stopped if they had?"
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Christ came to do God's will. And what He came to do had not been accomplished before.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ fulfilling God's will made it possible for men to be made holy, set apart unto God once, as opposed to the continual process of forgiveness we see under the Law and before (and one must keep in mind that the Book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew People, and is relevant to the Hebrew People only at the time of the writing, hence the Covenant of Law is the relevant Covenant in the Book. That does not mean we do not include the need for remission of sins to those who transgressed prior to the establishment of the Law).
So we, believers, are sanctified unto God once ("for all" is an insertion and not found in the text, but is an apt insertion because the Writer makes it clear this is a finishing, the bringing to an end the need to offer up sacrifice for remission of sins).
He once again calls a contrast into view of the sacrifices of the Law and the Sacrifice of Christ:
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Again, the sacrifices of the Law could not take away sins. Contrasted with the Sacrifice of Christ which takes away sins...for ever.
Now, let me show you v.1 again before we get to our key verse in regards to Perfection:
Hebrews 10:1-14 King James Version (KJV)
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Now see the contrast:
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Again, this is, from my view, the clearest and most incontrovertible statement of Eternal Security in all of Scripture. What He has just told us is "The sacrifices of the Law could never with those sacrifices bring to an end the need for sacrifice for sin, that remission of sins be granted, but...
...the Sacrifice of Christ makes one perfect, complete forever in regards to remission of sins."
Now, in regards to the Old Testament Saint, they were not made perfect without us, which means they did not, during their lifetimes, and prior to Christ dying in their stead...
...receive Remission of Sins (The Atonement) until Christ actually died for them.
They were made perfect...
Hebrews 12:22-23 King James Version (KJV)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,[/font]
...but this was retroactive. When Christ died on the Cross He went to Hades and liberated the Just that had died in faith, who had not received the promises or made perfect in their lifetimes. Having made manifest the way into the Holiest of All (Heaven, Hebrews 9:8-9, 24; Hebrews 10:19-20) through the Atonement, by which men now receive the Reconciliation and are brought into Eternal Union with God...those just persons are now with the Lord in Heaven, and when we die in Christ now, we too go to be with Him in Heaven.
Again, they were not made perfect, nor did they receive the promises. Here is a significant promise made to Israel (and by extension all who are of faith in Christ):
Hebrews 10:15-18 King James Version (KJV)
15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
If we keep Hebrews 10 in context we can see, irrefutably, that those sanctified by the Sacrifice of Christ have been made complete in regards to remission of sins. That is why...
...there is no more offering for sin (sacrifice). As He said, "It is finished." He is the Author and Finisher (Completer) of our faith.
God bless.