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Hebrews 10:1
For the
Law, since it
has only a
shadow of the
good
things to
come and not
the
very
form of
things,
can
never, by the
same
sacrifices
which they
offer
continually
year by
year,
make
perfect
those who
draw
near.
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
Skian
gar
echon
o
nomos
ton
mellonton
agathon,
ouk
auten
ten
eikona
ton
pragmaton,
kat'
eniauton
tais
autais
thusiais
as
prospherousin
eis
to
dienekes
oudepote
dunatai
tous
proserchomenous
teleiosai;
Amplified: FOR SINCE the Law has merely a rude outline
(foreshadowing) of the good things to come—instead of fully expressing
those things—it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually
year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].
Barclay: Because the law is only a pale shadow of the blessing
which are to come and not a real image of these things, it can never
really fit for the fellowship of God those who seek to draw near to
his presence with the sacrifices which have to be brought year by year
and which go on for ever (Westminster
Press)
NLT: The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of
the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done
for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and
again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect
cleansing for those who came to worship. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: The Law possessed only a dim outline of the benefits
Christ would bring and did not actually reproduce them. Consequently
it was incapable of perfecting the souls of those who offered their
regular annual sacrifices. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: For the law having a shadow of the good things
about to be, and not the image itself of the actual things, is never
able by means of the same sacrifices which they are offering year
after year, continually to make those who come to it complete. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: For the law having a shadow of the coming
good things -- not the very image of the matters, every year, by the
same sacrifices that they offer continually, is never able to make
perfect those coming near, |
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FOR THE LAW, SINCE
IT HAS ONLY A SHADOW OF THE GOOD THINGS TO COME AND NOT THE VERY FORM: Skian gar echon (PAPMSN) o nomos
ton mellonton (PAPNPG) agathon ouk auten ten
eikona ton pragmaton: (He 8:5; 9:9,11,23; Col 2:17)
For - connects this chapter
to the end of chap 9 although NIV does not render it.
Law (3551)
(nomos from nemo = to parcel out, divide among, allot) is
first of all something parceled out or allotted and so what one has in
possession. The primary meaning relates to that which is conceived as a
standard or refers to generally recognized rules of civilized conduct
especially as sanctioned by tradition. In addition to rules that take hold
through tradition, the state or other legislating body may enact ordinances
that are recognized by all concerned and in turn become legal tradition. The
law is thus a plumbline as used to determine straightness. But just as
plumblines cannot straighten the building but only determine how crooked it
is and where change is needed, so too the law acts as a plumbline to show us
where we fall short and to tutor us and lead us to faith in the gospel
through which one can meet God's righteous standard.
Shadow
(4639)
(skia) describes that pattern which is thrown by an object when light
falls upon the original object. A shadow is thus an image cast by an object
representing the form of that object. It can refer to a foreshadowing, a
faint outline or an imperfect portrayal or representation of a thing.
Skia is actually a
pale shadow contrasted with a sharp, distinct one. The law and the Levitical
ceremonies and rituals were only a pale shadow of the things Christ would
bring. They were form without substance portraying something real, but not
themselves real. A shadow has no substance in itself. It has no independent
existence. It merely is proof of the fact that there is a reality back of
it. It is not itself solid or real.
Ray Stedman has
an interesting introduction to this chapter...
It would be foolish indeed to prefer
reading a cookbook to eating a good meal when one is hungry. Not that there
is anything wrong with reading a cookbook—it can be very enlightening—but it
is not very nourishing! Yet some of the original readers of Hebrews were
doing something very much like that. They preferred to content themselves
with the externals of faith—such as the law, the Aaronic priesthood and
animal offerings—and to ignore the fulfillment of these things in the death,
resurrection and ascension of Jesus. They wanted the cookbook rather than
the meal!
As we have seen, the tabernacle in the
wilderness, with its regulations and sacrifices, was an accurate and
divinely drawn picture of the sacrifice of Jesus and the new arrangement for
living which would be available to believers in Christ. But it could only
describe these realities up to a point. It was both a comparison and a
contrast.
I carry a picture of my wife in my wallet
and, when I am away from home, I find it comforting to look at it. But it is
quite inadequate, for it is not my wife, only a picture of her. I can look
at it, but I cannot have a conversation with it. I cannot laugh together
with it, and I cannot persuade it to cook any meals! It is an accurate
representation of the real thing, but also a far cry from it. So the law and
the tabernacle could never do for believers of any age what the living
Christ can do. This is the continuing argument of the writer in chapter 10.
(Hebrews
10:1-39 Let Us Go On!)
Good things (18)
(agathos)
(click
another discussion of good deeds) which means profitable, benefiting
others, whereas the related word kalos means constitutionally good,
but not necessarily benefiting others.
Saints are made adequate and equipped for
these "agathos" works by God's Word for
All Scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every
good (agathos) work. (see note
2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Consider the fruit
tree. It is not "conscious" of the bearing process. We are to be like the
fruit tree for it is God Who is causing fruit be borne in good works
which blossom and ripen as we are walk obedient to His revealed will.
Come
(3195)
(mello) means to to occur at a point of time in the future which is
subsequent to another event and closely related to it.
Form (1504)
(eikon)
is an artistic representation, as one might see on a coin or statue (an
image or a likeness, as in Mt 22.20). Eikon as in the present verse
can refer to a visible manifestation of an invisible and heavenly reality
form.
Eikon is the
basis for such English terms as icon ( a conventional religious image
typically painted or engraved on a small wooden panel and venerated in
Eastern Orthodox Churches), "iconography" (the illustration of a
subject by drawing), or "iconoclast" (the medieval zealots who broke
up religious statues and then anyone who attacks cherished beliefs or
practices).
Children are fond of shadow pictures. Painters, before they introduce the
living colors by the pencil, are wont to mark out the outlines of what their
intend to represent. This indistinct representation is called by the Greeks
skiagraphia. God the consummate "Painter" of beauty has penciled in the
outlines that point to the Better Sacrifice for all to see. It's like
looking a a cookbook with pictures of beautiful, sumptuous meals and saying
"Boy that really satisfies my hunger." That would be ridiculous...by the
same token how silly reach out to grasp the shadow when you can lay hold of
the "very form of things".
The “good things” in
context probably refer back to the “salvation” of v28 (see note
Romans 10:15).
Stedman
observes that...
In verses 1-4, the author builds on a
point he has made earlier---that the annual repetition of sacrifices in the
old order indicated their inability to actually remove sins. Once again he
uses a logical-deduction argument. Had they truly cleansed the conscience,
there would have been no need to repeat them for the offerers; they would
have seen themselves as cleansed from sin's defilement forever. But these
sacrifices could not remove sin because they were based only on the death of
animals.
The annual repetition did remind offerers that they were still very much
sinners and still very much in need of an adequate substitute if their sin
was ever to be removed. The sacrifices were but a shadow of the good things
that are coming---not the realities themselves. A shadow indicates a
reality, but has no substance in itself. I waited on a downtown street comer
one day for a friend who always wore a Western hat. Suddenly I saw his
distinctive shadow on the sidewalk and knew that he was standing just around
the comer. I could not actually see him, but I knew he was there. So the
offerings witnessed to the person of Christ and his sacrifice, though they
were not that reality themselves. They were but his shadow that indicated he
was soon to appear. (ibid)
CAN NEVER BY THE
SAME SACRIFICES YEAR BY YEAR WHICH THEY OFFER CONTINUALLY: tais autais
thusiais as prospherousin (3PPAI) eis to dienekes oudepote dunatai (3SPPI):
(Heb 10:3,4,11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
16, 17, 18; 7:18,19; 9:8,9,25)
Can (1410)
(dunamai - see study of related word
dunamis) means to be able, to have
power especially achieving power. It refers to intrinsic power or inherent
ability, the power or ability to carry out some function, the potential for
functioning in some way (power, might, strength, ability, capability), the
power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. In this case the nature
of the yearly sacrifices is such that they lack the power to perfect the
sinner.
Never (3763)
(oudepote from oude = not even, and poté = ever) mean
absolutely not ever at any time! Never at all, neither at any time, nothing
at any time.
Sacrifices (2378)
(thúo = to sacrifice) that which is offered as a sacrifice or the act
of sacrificing or offering.
Year
(1763)
(eniautos) a year or any definite time.
Offer
(4374)
(prosphero from prós = to, toward + phéro = bring)
means to carry or bring something into the presence of someone usually
implying a transfer of something to that person carry to. It refers to an
offering, whether of gifts, prayers, or sacrifices.
Continually
(1336)
(dienekes) means uninterruptedly, perpetually, continuously. This is
really an idiom, eis to dienekes - continually, perpetually.
An effective thing
does not need to be done again; the very fact of the repetition of these
sacrifices is the final proof that they are not purifying men's souls and
not giving access full to God.
MAKE PERFECT THOSE
WHO DRAW NEAR: tous proserchomenous (PMPMPA) teleiosai
(AAN):
Make perfect
(5048)
(teleioo related to
teleios from telos = an end, a
purpose, an aim, a goal) means to
be complete, mature, fully developed, full grown, brought to its end,
finished, wanting nothing necessary to completeness or in good working
order. It means not merely to terminate a thing but to carry out a thing to
the full. Teleioo signifies the attainment of consummate soundness
and includes the idea of being whole. Interestingly the Gnostics used
teleios of the one fully initiated into their mysteries and that may
have been why Paul used teleios in this epistle.
Teleioo signifies the attainment of consummate soundness
and includes the idea of being made whole. Interestingly the Gnostics used
teleios of one fully initiated into their mysteries and that may
have been why Paul used teleios in this epistle.
In
Hebrews 12:2 (see note)
Jesus is designated as "the author and perfecter of faith" where perfecter
is teleiotes, the Completer, the One Who reached the goal so as to win the
prize so to speak.
Wuest has
this note on the NT word group (telos, teleioo, teleios, teleiosis,
teleiotes)...
Teleios the adjective, and
teleioo the verb. The adjective is used in the papyri, of heirs being
of age, of women who have attained maturity, of full-grown cocks, of
acacia trees in good condition, of a complete lampstand, of something in
good working order or condition. To summarize; the meaning of the
adjective includes the ideas of full-growth, maturity, workability,
soundness, and completeness. The verb refers to the act of bringing the
person or thing to any one of the aforementioned conditions. When applied
to a Christian, the word refers to one that is spiritually mature,
complete, well-rounded in his Christian character.
Richards commenting on the
word group (telos, teleioo, teleios, teleiosis, teleiotes) writes that
These words emphasize wholeness and
completeness. In the biological sense they mean "mature," or "full grown":
the person, animal, or plant achieved the potential inherent in its
nature. The perfect is the thing or person that is complete, in which
nothing that belongs to its essence has been left out. It is perfect
because every potential it possesses has been realized. (Richards,
L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency)
Stedman writes
that...
To make perfect a sinner before
God would be to have sin and its effects totally removed. These include not
only the effects on the spirit and soul but the body also—regeneration, full
sanctification and resurrection. Though resurrection awaits the final coming
of Christ, nevertheless, full and continuing access to God, “without the
constant necessity of removing the barrier of freshly accumulated sin”
(F F Bruce 1964:227), was available by faith to every believer in Jesus
throughout the believer’s lifetime (Ro 5:1, 2).
Telioo is used 19 times
of 24 total NT uses in Hebrews, often in the sense of to make perfect or
fully cleanse from sin in contrast to ceremonial (Levitical) cleansing. The writer
is emphasizing the importance of perfection...
(which should cause any Jew who is contemplating the worth of Christ and the
New Covenant to realize his utter hopelessness to every attain perfection
under the Old Covenant).
Hebrews 2:10
(note) For it was fitting
for Him, for Whom are all things, and through Whom are all things, in
bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation
through sufferings. (Comment: This does not imply any moral
imperfection in the Lord Jesus, but speaks of the consummation of the human
experience of suffering the death of the Cross, through which He must pass
if He is to become the Author or Captain of our salvation.)
Hebrews 5:9 (note) And having
been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the
source of eternal salvation,
Hebrews 7:19
(note) (for the Law
made
nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a
better hope, through which we draw near to God. (Comment:
This means to carry through completely, to make complete, to finish, bring
to an end. The old covenant could bring nothing to conclusion. The Mosaic
economy could reveal sin but it could never remove sin, and so it
had to be removed. It gave no security.
It gave no peace. A man never had a clean conscience.)
Hebrews 7:28
(note)
For the Law appoints men as
high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the
Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
Hebrews 9:9
(note) which is a symbol for
the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which
cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
Hebrews 10:1
(note) For the Law, since it
has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of
things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer
continually, make perfect those who draw near. (Contrast with
Jesus in Hebrews 5:9 above. The idea in Hebrews 10:1 is that the
ceremonial law could not actually save the believer. Its work was always
short of completeness.)
Hebrews 10:14
(note) For by one
offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
(Comment: Wuest writes "Here, the completeness of the state of
salvation of the believer is in view. Everything essential to the salvation
of the individual is included in the gift of salvation which the sinner
receives by faith in Messiah’s sacrifice. The words “for ever” here are to
be construed with “perfected.” It is a permanent state of completeness in
salvation to which reference is made. The words “them that are sanctified”
are descriptive of the believer. He is one set apart for God) (ibid)
Hebrews 11:40
(note) because God had
provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be
made perfect.
Hebrews 12:23 (note) (But you have
come...) 23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are
enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
righteous men made perfect,
In sum the fundamental idea of telioo is the bringing of a person or
thing to the goal fixed by God.
It is interesting and doubtless no
mere coincidence that in the
Septuagint (LXX)
teleioo is translated numerous times as consecrated or
consecration, especially speaking of consecration of the priests (cf Jesus
our "great High Priest") (Ex 29:9, 29, 33, 35 Lv 4:5;
8:33; 16:32; 21:10; Nu 3:3). The LXX translators gave the verb teleioo a special sense of consecration to
priestly service and this official concept stands behind the writer's use in
this passage in
Hebrews 5:9 (note).
It signifies that Jesus has been fully equipped to come before God in
priestly action.
Draw near
(4334)
(proserchomai from prós = facing + érchomai = come)
means literally to come facing toward and so to approach or come near. To
come to visit or associate with. It describes the approach to or entry into
a deity’s presence. In the
Septuagint (LXX)
proserchomai was the verb used to describe the approach of the
priests to Jehovah for worship and to perform of their priestly (Levitical)
functions. But here in Hebrews, under the
New covenant, all seven uses of proserchomai refer to believers
possessing the privilege of access to God the Father
through Christ the Great High Priest.
Here are the seven
uses of this proserchomai in Hebrews...
Hebrews 4:16 (note)
Let us therefore draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and may find grace to help in time of need. (Comment: "Let us..."
emphasizes that this privilege is always available to those under the New
Covenant. Do we really comprehend and avail ourselves of the profundity of
this privilege?)
Hebrews 7:25 (note)
Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near (present
tense = emphasizes
continual activity) to God
through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 10:1 (note)
For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not
the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year,
which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews 10:22 (note)
let us draw near 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.
Hebrews 11:6 (note) And without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes (drawn near) to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 12:18 (note) For you have not come
(drawn near) to a mountain that may be touched and to a
blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,
Hebrews 12:22 (note) But you have come
(drawn near) to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels
The Law made nothing
perfect. In context (He 10:2) the Law can never give the worshiper a clear conscience,
that sense that he is not guilty and conversely the sense that he has been
pleasing to God. Why not? because animal blood can not take away sins (and the
associated guilty conscience).
As much as those
living under the law desired to approach God, the Levitical system provided
no way to enter His holy presence (cf. Ps 15:1; 16:11)
There is a story of an English village whose chapel had an arch on which was
written:
“We Preach Christ Crucified.”
For years godly men preached there and
they presented a crucified Savior as the only means of salvation. But as the
generation of godly preachers passed, a generation arose that considered the
blood of Christ & the Cross and its message antiquated and repulsive. They
began to preach salvation by Christ’s example rather than by His blood. They
did not see the necessity of His sacrifice. After a while, ivy crept up the
side of the arch and covered the word “Crucified,” and only “We Preach
Christ” was visible.
Then the church decided that its message
need not even be confined to Christ and the Bible. So the preachers began to
give discourses on social issues, politics, philosophy, moral rearmament,
and whatever else happened to spark interest. The ivy on the arch continued
to grow until it covered the third word. Then it simply read, “We Preach.”
In 1873, Philip P. Bliss caught a vision of the believers’ exalted position
through Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on their behalf:
FREE FROM
THE LAW
Click to play Free from the law, O happy condition,
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Grace hath redeemed us once for all.
Now are we free—there’s no condemnation,
Jesus provides a perfect salvation;
“Come unto Me,”O hear His sweet call,
Come, and He saves us once for all.
“Children of God,”O glorious calling,
Surely His grace will keep us from falling;
Passing from death to life at His call,
Blessed salvation once for all.
Once for all, O sinner, receive it;
Once for all, O brother, believe it;
Cling to the cross, the burden will fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.
><>><>><>
Today in the Word - U.S.
critic and lecturer John Mason Brown was giving a lecture at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art when he noticed in the light of the slide
projector that someone in the audience was mimicking his every move.
Brown, annoyed, invited the person to leave. No one moved, and he
continued his lecture. The mimicking shadow appeared. It took the
nervous Brown another ten minutes to realize that he was seeing his
own shadow.
That story illustrates the problem with focusing on a shadow. Since
it's not the real thing, you can get distracted from the business at
hand. The writer of Hebrews called the Law of Moses a shadow--not the
reality. That was not a negative statement toward God's holy Law, but
simply a statement of the old covenant's built-in temporary nature.
The system of sacrifices instituted under Moses was designed by God to
foreshadow the coming of Christ and His once-for-all sacrifice.
But by the time Christ came, many in Israel did not recognize Him.
They were so caught up in the rituals of Judaism that what was
intended to be a shadow had become a thick cloud, obscuring the very
Person the Law was meant to foreshadow.
Somewhere in all of this were the people we know as the Hebrews,
apparently feeling intense pressure to step back into the shadows of
the old system. But in chapter 10, the writer of this book continued
his eloquent plea for them to come back to the light of Jesus Christ.
As we have seen time and time again, there was really nothing for them
to go back to. Since Christ had rendered the Law obsolete by His
atoning death, God was not pleased by the continual offering of
sacrifices (He 10:8). The priests may stand and offer their sacrifices
day after day, but the fact has already been established that those
sacrifices can never take away sins (He 10:11).
Since atonement for sin could never be achieved through the bodies of
sacrificial animals, God prepared a body for His Son. It was in that
body that Jesus offered Himself on the Cross as the final sacrifice.
The Hebrews, and all believers before and since, were the
beneficiaries of Jesus' death. (MBI
- Today in the Word) |
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Hebrews 10:2
Otherwise,
would they not have
ceased to be
offered,
because the
worshipers,
having
once been
cleansed, would
no
longer
have
had
consciousness
of
sins? (NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
epei
ouk
an
epausanto
prospheromenai,
dia
to
medemian
echein
eti
suneidesin
amartion
tous
latreuontas
apac
kekatharismenous?
Amplified: For if it were otherwise, would [these sacrifices] not have stopped
being offered? Since the worshipers had once for all been cleansed,
they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin.
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Barclay: For if these sacrifices could achieve that, would they not have
stopped being brought because the worshipper had been once and for all
brought into a state of purity and no longer had any consciousness of
sin? (Westminster
Press)
NLT: If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would
have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all
time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: For if it had, surely the sacrifices would have been discontinued -
on the grounds that the worshippers, having been really cleansed,
would have had no further consciousness of sin. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: since then would they not have ceased to be offered, because the
worshippers once cleansed would not be having any longer even one
compunction of conscience with respect to sins? (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: since, would they not have ceased to be offered, because of those
serving having no more conscience of sins, having once been purified? |
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OTHERWISE, WOULD THEY NOT HAVE CEASED TO BE OFFERED: epei ouk an epausanto
(3PAMI) prospheromenai (PPPFPN): (He 10:17; 9:13,14; Psalms 103:12;
Isaiah 43:25; 44:22; Micah 7:19)
Otherwise
(1893)
is a conjunction which means in other respects or under different
conditions.
Cease
(3973)
(pauo) means to cease from an activity in which one is engaged.
This verse implies that the Temple sacrifices were still being carried
out, which would date the writing of Hebrews prior to 70AD, the date
of the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by the Roman
general Titus (who later became Emperor).
Offered
(4374)
(prosphero from prós = to, toward + phéro =
bring) means to carry or bring something into the presence of someone
usually implying a transfer of something to that person carry to. It
refers to an offering, whether of gifts, prayers, or sacrifices.
BECAUSE THE
WORSHIPERS HAVING ONCE BEEN CLEANSED WOULD NO LONGER HAVE HAD CONSCIOUSNESS OF SINS:
dia to medemian echein (PAN) eti suneidesin hamartion tous latreuontas (PAPMPA)
hapax kekatharismenous (RPPMPA):
The worshipers
(3000)
(latreuo
from latris = one
hired or latron = reward, wages) means to work for reward, for
hire or for pay, to be in servitude, render cultic service.
Latreuo was used literally for bodily service (e.g., workers on
the land, or slaves), and figuratively for “to cherish.”
In the NT the idea is to render service to God, to worship, to perform
sacred services or to minister to God in a spirit of worship.
John
MacArthur explains that latreuo
"...might best be translated “to
render respectful spiritual service.” True worship goes beyond
praising God, singing hymns, or participating in a worship service.
The essence of worship is living a life of obedient service to God.
“Do not neglect doing good and sharing,” exhorts the writer of
Hebrews, “for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews
13:16). True worship involves every aspect of life." (MacArthur,
J. Philippians. Chicago: Moody Press)
Latreuo
can therefore convey either the idea of "worship" or "service"
and frequently appears to mean both which suggests that "service"
cannot be separated from "worship."
Many Christians
desire to "worship" the Lord on Sunday but are too busy to "serve" Him
at other times. The New Testament knows nothing of this dichotomy. On
the other hand notice that the order in Scripture is first “worship”
and then “serve”. Acknowledgment of God Himself must have
precedence over activity in His service. Service to God derives its
effectiveness from engagement of the heart with God. Any true
worshipper of God is also a servant, ready to do his Master's bidding,
discharging his or her priestly duties.
Anna the
prophetess exemplifies latreuo in action for even thought she
was
"a widow ... age of
eighty-four...she never left the temple, serving (latreuo)
night and day with fastings and prayers." (Lk
2:37)
How did she
"serve"? "Fastings and prayers"! From Anna's example, one can see how
the serving aspect of latreuo overlaps with the idea of
worship.
Once
(530)
(hapax) means once for all. The idea is that which is done has
perpetual validity and never needs repetition. The animal sacrifices
could not effect such a "cure".
Once in
Hebrews - Heb 6:4 Heb 7:27 Heb 9:7, 12, 26, 27, 28 Heb 10:2, 10 Heb
12:26, 27
F B Meyer
on the word "once"...
THERE is a word here which recurs,
like a note on an organ beneath the tumult of majestic sound. Five
times, at least, it rolls forth its thunder, pealing through all ages,
echoing through all worlds, announcing the finality of an accomplished
redemption to the whole universe of God "ONCE!" And there is another
phrase which we must couple with it, spoken by the parched lips of the
dying Saviour, yet with a loud voice, as though it were the cry of a
conqueror: "When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said,
'It is finished'; and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost." It is
very seldom that man can look back on a finished life-work. The chisel
drops from the paralyzed hand ere the statue is complete; the chilling
fingers refuse to guide the pen along another line, though the book is
so nearly done; the statesman must leave his plans and far-reaching
schemes to be completed by another, perhaps his rival. But as from his
cross Jesus Christ our Lord looked upon the work of redemption which
he had undertaken, and in connection with which he had suffered even
to the hiding of his Father's face, he could not discover one stitch,
or stone, or particle deficient. For untold myriads for thee and me
and all there was done that which never needed to be done again, but
stood as an accomplished fact forevermore...
THE "ONCE" OF A PURGED
CONSCIENCE - (He 10:2). We are not in the position of the Jews,
needing to repeat their sacrifices year by year, in sad monotony; our
sacrifice has been offered once for all. Therefore, we have not, like
them, the perpetual conscience of sins. Our hearts are, once and
forever, sprinkled from an evil conscience (He 9:22). There is no
necessity to ask repeatedly for forgiveness for the sins that have
been once confessed and forgiven. God does not accuse us of them; we
need not accuse ourselves. God does not remember them; we may well
forget them, save as incentives to gratitude and humility. There is
daily need for fresh confession of recent sin; but when once the soul
realizes the completeness of Christ's work on its behalf, it cries
with great joy: "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he
removed our transgressions from us." (Ps 103:12) (F. B. Meyer. The Way
Into the Holiest)
Cleansed
(2511)
(katharizo from katharos = pure, clean, without stain or
spot; English words - catharsis = emotional or physical purging,
cathartic = substance used to induce a purging, Cathar = member of a
medieval sect which sought the purging of evil from its members) means
to make clean by taking away an undesirable part. To cleanse from
filth or impurity.
Click here
(and
here) for more
background on the important Biblical concept of clean and
cleansing.
Figuratively
katharizo referred to cleansing from ritual contamination or
impurity as in (Acts 10:15). In a similar sense katharizo is used of
cleansing lepers from ceremonial uncleanness (Mt 8:2-3, et al)
Another
figurative use in 1John 1:9 (cf James 4:8, Hebrews 10:2) describes the
purifying or cleansing from sin and a guilty conscience thus making
one acceptable to God and reestablishing fellowship.
To cause to
become clean as from physical stains and dirt (Mt 23:25).
This word group
conveys the idea of physical, religious, and moral cleanness or purity
in such senses as clean, free from stains or shame, and free from
adulteration.
In secular Greek
katharizo occurs in inscriptions for ceremonial cleansing.
There are 31
uses of katharizo in the NT...
Matthew 8:2 And behold, a
leper (see Lev 13) came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord,
if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 And He
stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be
cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Comment:
cleansing leprosy had religious, physical, and cultural implications
because it was regarded as a defilement and hence made the leper
ritually unclean and entailed in the lepers segregation from everyday
society. The cleansing of leprosy had religious implications and thus
the healing had to be verified by priests before the person was
sanctioned as ritually cleansed).
Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick,
raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you
received, freely give.
Matthew 11:5 the blind
receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and
the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them.
Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of
the cup and of the dish (Mark 7:4), but inside they are full of
robbery (Luke 16:14, 20:47) and self-indulgence. 26 "You blind
Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so
that the outside of it may become clean also. (see parallel verse Luke
11:39)
Mark 1:40 And a leper came
to Him, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying
to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 41
And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him,
and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." 42 And
immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
Mark 7:19 because it does
not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus
He declared all foods clean.)
Luke 4:27 "And there were
many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet (2Ki 7:3); and
none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian (2Ki
5:1-14)."
Luke 5:12 And it came about
that while He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full
of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored
Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me
clean." 13 And He stretched out His hand, and touched him, saying,
"I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy
left him.
Luke 7:22 And He answered
and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard:
the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel
preached to them.
Luke 11:39 But the Lord said
to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of
the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and
wickedness.
Luke 17:14 And when He saw
them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And it
came about that as they were going, they were cleansed...17 And
Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the
nine-- where are they?
Acts 10:15 And again a voice
came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer
consider unholy." (see cross references - Romans 14:2, 14, 20; 1 Tim.
4:4; Titus 1:15; Matthew 15:11; Mark 7:15)
Acts 11:9 "But a voice from
heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no
longer consider unholy.'
Acts 15:9 and He made no
distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by
faith.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore,
having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God.
Ephesians 5:26 (note)
that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing
of water with the word,
Titus 2:14 (note)
who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless
deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession,
zealous for good deeds.
Hebrews 9:14 (note)
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 9:22 (note)
And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are
cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness. 23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of
the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. (Comment:
consecrate by cleansing or purifying)
Hebrews 10:2 (note)
Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the
worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no
longer have had consciousness of sins?
James 4:8 Draw near to God
and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
1 John 1:7 but if we walk in
the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all
sin.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Katharizo
is used 93 times in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Note the predominance of uses in Leviticus) (Gen. 35:2; Exod. 20:7;
29:36f; 30:10; 34:7; Lev. 8:15; 12:7f; 13:6f, 13, 17, 23, 28, 34f, 37,
59; 14:2, 4, 7f, 11, 14, 17ff, 23, 25, 28f, 31, 48, 57; 15:13, 28;
16:19f, 30; 22:4; Num. 6:9; 8:15; 12:15; 14:18; 30:5, 8, 12; 31:23f;
Deut. 5:11; 19:13; Jos. 22:17; 1 Sam. 20:26; 2 Ki. 5:10, 12ff; 2 Chr.
29:15; 34:3, 5, 8; Ezr. 6:20; Neh. 12:30; 13:9, 22, 30; Job 1:5; Ps.
12:6; 19:12f; 51:2, 7; Prov. 25:4; Isa. 53:10; 57:14; 66:17; Jer.
13:27; 25:29; 33:8; Ezek. 24:13; 36:25, 33; 37:23; 39:12, 14, 16;
43:26; 44:26; Dan. 8:14; 11:35; Hos. 8:5; Mal. 3:3).
Here are a few
representative uses...
Genesis 35:2 So Jacob said
to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign
gods which are among you, and purify (Lxx = katharizo)
yourselves, and change your garments
Psalm 12:6 The words of the
LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth,
refined (Lxx = katharizo = purified with the
perfect tense
= describing the
persistent state of purification of God's Word) seven times.
Psalm 19:13 Also keep back
Thy servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I
shall be blameless, And I shall be acquitted (Lxx = katharizo =
cleansed of) of great transgression.
Psalm 51:2 Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse (Lxx = katharizo) me
from my sin.
Psalm 51:7 Purify me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean (Lxx = katharizo); Wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow.
Malachi 3:3 "And He
(Messiah) will sit as a smelter and purifier (Lxx = katharizo)
of silver, and He will purify (Lxx = katharizo) the sons
of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present
to the LORD offerings in righteousness.
John Donne
spoke of spiritual cleansing...
Sleep with clean hands, either kept
clean all day by integrity or washed clean at night by repentance.
Roy Hession
(The Calvary Road) noted that one of the dominant themes of the
great awakening in East Africa was a constant cleansing from sin which
prompted him to write
We do not lose peace with God over
another person's sin, but only over our own. Only when we are willing
to be cleansed, will we have His peace.
No
(3367)
(medeis from medé = and not, also not + heís =
one) means not even one.
Longer
(2089)
(eti) refers to extension of time up to and beyond an expected
point.
Consciousness
(4893)
(suneidesis
from sun = with + eido = know) literally means a
"knowing with", a co-knowledge with oneself or a being of one's own
witness in the sense that one's own conscience "takes the stand" as
the chief witness, testifying either to one's innocence or guilt. It
describes the witness borne to one's conduct by that faculty by which
we apprehend the will of God.
Webster
defines "conscience" as the sense or consciousness of the moral
goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or
character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be
good.
The Greek noun
Suneidesis is the exact counterpart of the Latin con-science,
“a knowing with,” a shared or joint knowledge. It is our awareness of
ourselves in all the relationships of life, especially ethical
relationships. We have ideas of right and wrong; and when we perceive
their truth and claims on us, and will not obey, our souls are at war
with themselves and with the law of God
Suneidesis
is that process of thought which distinguishes what it considers
morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad, and so
prompting to do the former and avoid the latter.
To have a "clear
conscience" does not
mean that we have never sinned or do not commit acts of sin. Rather,
it means that the underlying direction and motive of life is to obey
and please God, so that acts of sin are habitually recognized as such
and faced before God (1Jn
1:9)
A "clear
conscience" consists in
being able to say that there is no one (God or man) whom I have
knowingly offended and not tried to make it right (either by asking
forgiveness or restoration or both). Paul wanted Timothy to have no
doubt that he endured his present physical afflictions, as he had
countless others, because of his unswerving faithfulness to the Lord,
not as a consequence of unfaithful, ungodly living. So as Paul neared
his death, he could testify that his conscience did not accuse or
condemn him. His guilt was forgiven, and his devotion was undivided.
To continually reject God’s truth causes the conscience to become
progressively less sensitive to sin, as if covered with layers of
unspiritual scar tissue. Paul’s conscience was clear, sensitive, &
responsive to its convicting voice. Click on the books below to study
the NT picture of conscience.
NIV = and would no longer have
felt guilty for their sins.
The continued
consciousness of sins despite offering sacrifices for sins sums up the
the problem with the Old Covenant which could not cleanse the heart
and mind of guilt (see notes
Hebrews 9:9,
9:14).
In marked contrast, the new covenant in Christ provides a clean
conscience and access to God to Whom worshipers can now draw near with
boldness.
><>><>><>
TODAY IN THE WORD - “Climax”
is a narrative term meaning a very important or exciting moment--a
moment at which the main character’s fate is decided, or at which the
audience discovers what the story is about or if the story has a happy
or sad ending. At least one “climax” is required in any form of story,
whether a novel, television drama, or classical opera. This might take
the form of a confrontation, a conversation or speech, a revealed
secret or sudden insight, a fight or battle, an escape, a choice, or
any event to which a storyteller or character gives great weight or
emphasis.
In the story of salvation, Jesus Christ is the “climax” of the Old
Testament sacrificial system. His actions determined the outcome of
the story, which is already guaranteed by God (cf. Eph. 1:4-10).
Why was Christ the climax or fulfillment of the old system? First, His
sacrifice was the reality, of which the preceding sacrifices had been
only shadows or forerunners (He 10:1; cf. Col 2:17). Second, His
sacrifice was powerful and effective, while the sacrifices that had
gone before were powerless to take away sin (He 10:3, 4, 10-14). His
sacrifice actually did all that the Law had only shadowed.
When Ro 10:4 calls Christ’s sacrifice the “end” of the Law, the Greek
word used is “telos.” “Telos” can mean a
stopping or cessation; or a goal, culmination, or fulfillment; and in
this case it probably suggests both. Christ’s sacrifice put a stop to
the old system, because the goal had been reached. The price for sin
had been paid.
A whole “new” system is now established. Instead of worshipers making
burnt offerings and sin offerings, we see the total submission and
obedience of our Savior (Heb. 10:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). His once-for-all
sacrifice is the basis for faith and worship. It has already made us
perfect forever, yet paradoxically is still working to make us holy
(He 10:14). (MBI
- Today in the Word) |
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