HEBREWS 6 (FIRST READING)
HEBREWS 6 (FIRST READING)
Ques These words, “Let us go on to what belongs to full growth”, would appear to be wonderful grace! What is your thought as to the word “us”?
CAC I think it means you and me, if we get the good of it! There is no scripture in the New Testament more stimulating to movement than this. The whole epistle is [p. 14] not just exhortation; it is stimulation, what is calculated to stimulate the souls of God’s people. The epistle is marked by movement and incitement to movement.
The Lord is spoken of remarkably as the Forerunner. There is active movement with the Lord Himself; He is not only a Leader but a Runner. That in itself incites us to active movement. The Hebrews were to be in movement, not sluggish. Our tendency is to be sluggish, and this epistle is to stimulate us to mend our pace.
Ques In running is He the Leader?
CAC It is remarkable that He is spoken of as running to the new position. I do not know of any other scripture that presents Him as running into the new position that is taken up. The Lord is running to the new position; He is the Forerunner in this chapter.
Ques What do you mean by the new position?
CAC It is a new position to what He occupied as Messiah. There is the suggestion that He ran into it, which is very striking. It is put that way because it is essential that we run too.
Ques Is there necessary power to enable us to run?
CAC It is a stimulant; exhortation is in view of some movement on the part of saints. It says that the words of the wise are like goads; they stick into you to make you move faster. All these expressions are in the nature of exhortations. We read, “Bear the word of exhortation”. The whole of this epistle is full of the thought of movement. We get it first in the Lord and then on the part of those following.
Rem It is as an incentive for us to move.
CAC The tendency with us is to cling to earth. We all realise, if we are honest, this tendency in our hearts. This epistle is written to detach us from the earth and to bring us to our true position as partakers of the heavenly calling.
[p. 15] Ques In verse 11 we are each to have the same diligence?
CAC That is the point. There were some who were going back; they had professed Jesus as the Messiah but they were going back. There is a tendency with us all to be sluggish in movement and to become dull of hearing, so this epistle comes as a remarkable stimulant for spiritual movement.
There were certain ones of whom the writer had confidence that they were partakers of the heavenly calling. They were going through and the great thing is to make sure that we are amongst them, that we are not sluggish and dull of hearing; we are all in danger of that. The Jewish system was there and was going on in its details and there was a great attraction about it; so the writer of the epistle was seeking to bring in a greater attraction. He shows them that what we have now is far greater than judaism. Christendom has gone back to judaism, so this epistle is very useful to us.
Ques What is in your mind as to running?
CAC It is only in that way we reach the new position. We have to run and flee into what is within the veil — we “have fled for refuge”. Judgment is coming on the earthly system and those who want to escape must flee to the city of refuge. We must flee to what is within the veil — to what is heavenly. The only refuge there is now is the heavenly order of things.
Ques Did Caleb and Joshua run to what was better?
CAC Yes; they were in line with the purpose of God. This chapter is to bring us into line with the purposes and faithfulness of God.
Ques What does the apostle mean by “leaving the word of the beginning of the Christ”?
CAC It means leaving the principles that belonged to the babe state. The people of God were under judaism, in [p. 16] unfaithful conditions. It says in Galatians that a child is under tutors and governors whilst he is a child, so he is in bondage. Judaism is bondage. Chapter 9 gives us a system of things consisting of “meats and drinks and divers washings, ordinances of flesh, imposed until the time of setting things right” (verse 10). All these things were only there until the time of setting things right. In christianity things are set right, not in judaism. Although in judaism there were certain elementary truths, yet they do not represent the mind of God. Let us leave what belongs to the babe state and go on to what is manhood. Christianity is manhood.
Ques Were these things set aside?
CAC They have to be regarded in their spiritual meaning. All ordinances had a spiritual meaning; they belonged to the earthly system. All through the Old Testament Christ was in view. Whatever there was of God was elementary; it did not give the full thought of God. Now we come to the full thought — to perfection. The purpose of God comes clearly into view in Christ. He entered as Forerunner for us, not exactly as representing us there but as representing the purpose of God for us. Later in the epistle He represents us.
Ques Is “full-grown” what is set forth in Christ?
CAC The apprehension of it on the part of the saints constitutes full growth. What is connected with Melchisedec has to do with the heavenly side. Christ in heaven answers to Melchisedec.
Ques Would Abraham’s being linked with Melchisedec suggest that Melchisedec has to say to those who are heavenly in character?
CAC He was king of Salem. It is remarkable that there should be such a king in Abraham’s day; Salem represents what is heavenly.
The Lord is seen as Priest on moral grounds in Hebrews 5. He gets His place with us on moral grounds first. At the [p. 17] end of chapter 6 He is Priest in relation to the purpose of God: that is another side altogether.
Ques Is it the resurrection side?
CAC It is the heavenly side. To come under Him as Priest we have to know Him on moral grounds first. The writer speaks of the intensity of the Lord’s sufferings to secure a place with us on moral grounds. Melchisedec is a king of peace — there is moral character. The thought of corning into obedience to Him in chapter 5 is very touching; it implies that He takes us by the hand according to chapter 2. If we feel how intensely He suffered, it gives Him a place with us; we let Him take us by the hand. We are only in salvation as we let Him take our hand. He gets thus a place in our affections; it is as Priest He gets a place there. It is a great thing to know Him as Priest. He is qualified for priesthood by suffering.
We see One who in taking up sonship has taken up entirely new conditions. He has taken the condition of creature perfection. The Creator has come into the place of the creature, and in doing so He has taken up obedience. I doubt whether the Lord has acquired His place of supremacy with us as Priest. We all know Him as Lord, but to be brought into subjection to Him as Priest is a matter of affection. In coming to the place of sonship as Man He comes to a position marked by obedience and obedience for Him involved suffering. He was made perfect through suffering. There was not an element of obedience He was not tested by; it all cost Him suffering of an intense character. He learned the whole extent of obedience by the suffering it cost Him to go through. In this way He gets a place in our affections. It is not atonement in chapter 5. He is the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Priesthood is not the same as lordship. Some of us do not know much about it.
He reaches from the exalted place He is in to lead us past [p. 18] every pitfall and snare of the wilderness pathway. It is an eternal salvation. He will lead us through every snare and difficulty if we do not take our hands out of His. We must learn Him as Priest on the moral side first. He comes to my side and takes up the path I have to tread; He has been in it more fully than I ever will be and it cost Him intense suffering. The thought of Son runs right through from chapter 5 to chapter 7. The Son learned obedience, and as Son He suffered. If He were not the Son He could not be the Priest. His sonship throws light on His priesthood, and His priesthood throws light on His sonship. Is my hand in His? Peter did not know Him as Priest and he sank in the water. Peter could have said, ‘Lord if it be Thou bid me come to Thee on the water and give me Thy hand’, and he would not have sunk. When he got the Lord’s hand there was no sinking. The feature of priesthood in chapter 2 is the hand. We are often wilful, like a child pulling its hand away from its mother! What we have to see is that the Lord in His love is qualified by obedience and suffering to take us by the hand and lead us past every temptation and difficulty. In learning Christ as Priest our affections become engaged. Many christians recognise the lordship of Christ but to recognise His priesthood and feel your hand is in His every step of the way is fine.