Hebrews 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
I am so thankful that the Bible is clear that the Christian’s hope is not in this world. Some people might accuse me of looking at the dark side of life and that is fine if they want to think that way. My hope is in the true God and when I look at His Word, I see trouble across the globe because of the paganism that permeates mankind. I believe those who study God’s Word will have the same outlook that the apostles had in the first century. They knew their government was wicked and they also knew that there was a large contingency of false teaching. However, they had a hope that was real and they encouraged others to know the true God and live in the light of the Lord’s soon return. That is the hope of man. Hebrews 11 is focussed on true faith. We will see that when we get there.
Some people falsely accuse true Christians of being escapists who are just looking for a way out of this current situation. It is true there have been cults who sold everything and moved to the mountains or like Jim Jones fled to another country and drank the kool-aide. God does not tell true Christians to do that. True saints are to be busy witnessing to the lost and assembling together faithfully in anticipation of the soon return of the Lord. II Timothy 4 gives us clear instructions of what is important.
II Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
The Bible teaches us that true Christians hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact the Bible teaches us that all people need to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Sadly, most want no part of trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are saved, are actively involved in seeking to invite others to trust in the true God for salvation. As they are doing that, they are also looking for the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God warns often of the importance of being saved “today”. God warns of the danger of putting off the truth for another day. Eventually it will be too late. Salvation is a great blessing. The gift of eternal life is precious. Those who have it, can enjoy walking with God and knowing His peace and blessing.
In verse 38 God reminded the saints of the words of God first recored by Habakkuk.
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
The just are those who have been made just by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who live by faith cannot draw back. They cannot allow doubts and fears to overtake them. God says He takes no pleasure in those who doubt His faithfulness. There is no reason to doubt Him. He is faithful all the time.
God speaks of the saved here in verse 39. He states that the saved are not of those who draw back unto perdition. Perdition speaks of “ruin or loss”. The saved person cannot suffer ruin. The saved person can sin, but he or she cannot remain in sin. God often reminds us of this.
The devil is a liar and he wants to try to convince the saved that sin does not matter. However, the Holy Spirit indwells the true child of God and He points out that the saved person cannot live in sin. He convicts the saved when they sin and God also reminds the saved of the necessity of confession of sin and forgiveness of sin. Since the saved person has been given a new nature, it is that new nature that motivates the saved person to please God.
Notice that it is God that tells us that the saved person believes to the saving of his or her soul. It is not that believing is the way of remaining saved. It is that believing is the way of being saved and then once saved, the true child of God continues on for the Lord because his faith is in the true God. The true child of God learns the importance of walking by faith, and thus not fulfilling the lust of the flesh.
As we see here, God is building chapter by chapter throughout this book. It is always important to keep the context in mind as we study God’s Word. If we are going to do a topical study, we must keep the context in mind. If we do not, we come up with all kinds of strange doctrine. In chapter 11, God is going to point out the reality of true faith and also show many examples of those who walked by faith. Even Old Testament saints could and did walk by faith. The God of the Bible is faithful and equips any true saint with the ability to please Him.
Genesis 4 shows us that Abel pleased God, while Cain did not. Both of them had access to the same truth. Abel chose to believe the truth, while Cain chose to reject the truth. God’s truth was just as powerful then as it is now. God’s truth never loses its relevance. Let us today take God’s truth to heart and know God’s peace and blessing.
Pastor Bartel
