PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews
James Barmby [1822-1897] · 397,008 words · 427 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 61
though not existing;" the word is frequent lie~ers from their state of " boncl11ge " ( as to with St. Pe.ul) him the.t had (or, has) the which, see below). On particular expressions power of death, that is, the devil ; and deliver in this pe.ssage we may remark: (1) That, (i.e. from bondage) all those who through "h…
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rather say that bis incarnntion wo.s the means lation, to the extent of pllltioipation in suf- of bis being made like them. Translate fcriug unto death? That he might beoome theretore, observing the position of the sub: a meroiful (or, compa8Bionate) high priest, in stanhrns before the verbs, :For not, I ween, things p…
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the pleadings nod strivings of the Spirit. 2. The dignity of its forst Preacher. "At the first spoken through the Lord" (ver. 3). In eh. i. the writer has unfolde<l an<l illustrated from Scripture th? glory of Christ. He is greater than the prophets of the Old Testament, and more emment than the angels by whose ministr…
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of deterioration from the golden age of his original maturity. "The crown is fallen from our head." Man used his freedom to destroy his innocence. His spiritual nature 1s m ruins. He is the slave of his own evil passions, He feels far away from God, and he bas lost all fellowship with him, 2. His authority is resist…
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sinner's !>.eart into repentance. Rather, it was demanded by the perfection.s and charac- ter of God himself. The sufferings of Christ " became" God's justice, which could not connive at our guilt; bis truth, which necessitated the infliction of the threatened punishment ; his holiness, which could have no pleasure in …
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blood," that by this means he might raise humanity to a higher pinnacle of glory than any on which the loftiest angel can set foot. It is because of this love " beyond a brother's" that even now he does not disdain "to call us brethren" (ver. 11). II. THE PURPOSES ACCOMPLISHED BY CHRIST'S BROTHERHOOD. Some expressions…
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II. TIIE EARLIER REVELATION WAS CONFIRMED DY SUPERNATURAL AND TERRIBLI!! SIGNS, THE LATEH BY MORE NUMEROUS AND GRACIOUS SUPERNATURAL SIGNS. Very awful and alarming wero the extraordinary phenomena at the givin~ of the Law. "The mount burned with fire," etc. (eh. xii. 18-21). "And Mount Sinai was altocrether on a smoke,…
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great salvation" is this. 2. Salvation by great .Agents and means. Not by angels or by men, but by "God manifest in the flesh." "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; " " What the Law could not do in that it was weak throucrh the ~csh, God sendi_ng his own Son," etc. (Rom. viii. 3, 4). The "strong Son o…
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evidence by which His confirmed witnesses to the increased certainty of the punishment of those who neglect it. The very grace which has provided and which offers the "great salvation" renders the punishment of those who reject it more certain and inexpressibly more terrible. Their punishment is more certain, for their…
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things in subjection under bis feet," etc. The psalmist in the original passage amplifies this "all things:" "All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field," etc. There is a reference to Gen. i. 26-28," Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea," etc. In this world man is God's vicegerent. He was made b…
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Ver. 10.-Per/t,dion through B1Jjfering. "For it became him, for whom are all things," etc. I. 'l'RE PERFECTION OF THE REDEEMER WAS ATl'AINED THROUGH SUFFF.RDIG, "Perfect through suffering." The perfection here spoken of does not refer to his character as Son of God, but as Mediator-" the Captain of out salvation." "Th…
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the Saviou_r ar~ rec~ived in!o glory; (3) _the prevalence of_ true religio~ throughout the world, which 1s bemg rapidly accomplished, and the triumph of Divine grace over hu~an sin, which may be continued for many long ages before the end of this dispen- sat10n ;-these and other things encourage the belief that our …
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ashamed to call t~em brethren, saying, I will declare thy Name unto my brethren," etc. Though he 1s "Lord of men as well as angels,'' he calls bis people his brethren. Notwithstanding the lowliness of their condition and the crudeness and imperfection of their character, he graciously acknowledges them as his brethren …
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" Death is the crown of life : Were death denied, poor man would live in vain: Were death denied, to live would not be life; Were death denied, even fools would wish to die. Death wounds to cure ; we fall, we rise, we reign I Spring from our fetters ; fasten in the skies, Where blooming Eden withers in our sight.…
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beiag is the more worthy is he of redemption, nnd the treasures of wisdom an<l love expended i_n h)s redemption will lead to richer results. It was not on this principle that God, in his Son, came to the help of men and not to that of angels. In being aad capacity we believe that aagels are greater than men. In our rem…
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Generation obtains amongst men, but not amou..,st ano-els. We are born with an inclination, a bias, to that which is evil. Were bit not for the grace of God that iucline.tion wo1;1ld be irresistible. If Christ had not come to our help, we must'have been utterly rumed by reason of a transgression for which we could n…
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is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." (2) To meet the deep needs of man's spiritual nature. Man needs the removal of his alienation from God. His sins have separated between him and his God. He is alienated and an enemy in his mind by wicked works. And the death of the Only Begotten of the Father was …
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untled with "the heirs of salvation;" tile writer has brought his hearers to this point -the grandeur of the salvation they inherit. But, remember, he has one object before him, the confirmation of the Hebrews wavering under the pressure of persecution, He doesn't write merely as a logician, but as an anxious friend…
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refusing that grace which would have saved us had we let it. 2. To drift away from <Jhrist is to disregard the supreme dignity of him who offers the salvation to us. "So great sa.l vntion, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord." The point is the dignity of him who brings the snlva.tion to us. Angels were e…
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are worth n~thing.) In justifying the Incarnation, the writer uses in this chapter four progressive arguments, c-!osely woven together yet distinct. 'l'he first is in this passage. Subject-The di!fttity of human nature 8hows that the Incarnatioii was not degradi'Tlg to the Godheas!,, 'l'rue, Christ did assume human …
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who kept hie tomb, and that lifeless body I Think of the Lord of angels needing angelic minieti·y J • Hie earnest prayer, hie deepening groans, Wero heard before angelic thrones ; Amazement wrapped the sky ! 'Go, strengthen Christ,' the Father said: Th' ast.onieh-!d seraph bowed his head, And left the rea!ms on h…
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ability to save. Apart from his humiliation he could not have been a perfect Saviour. ri;1ie apost!e says, therefc-:-e, that to make Christ perfect as a Saviour, through humilia- t10n, was m harmony with the perfections of God. Subject-The Incarnation, being the only means of securing perfect salvation for men, was …
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perfect glory. For between us and the celestial city are dangers any of which is enough to swallow us up. But if he who comes to save is a perfect Saviour, he must lead us safely through all these, and not leave us till he has brought us within the golden gatel! where no foe can enter. Christ claims to do that. "He is …
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quot.es here. 'l'hey are not the texts we should have chosen-indeed, we should hardly have applied them to Christ; but he who, like the writer, is taught by the Spirit and has deepest spiritual insight into these pages, discerns Christ where others do not' as Jesus did when" beginning at Moses and all," etc. The Old…
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is but another name for his sense of guilt, his knowledge that be is under the curse of the Almighty. 2. The curse being removed, man is set free to holiness. Holiness is the end of Christ's work. The passage begins with," He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified." 'l'o sanctify us was his aim. But holiness is …
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ms BRETHREN; that is, he passed through every class of human suffering. 1. Ther, were _the sufferings which came through human frailty. Christ had no sin, but he experienced thos~ forms of suffering to which innocent human nature is exposed, such as poverty, weariness, dependence, pain, fear of death. We get through…
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o.lfa!re, whether they were the gaining of victories, the founding of cities, or the coro- nation of monarchs. There are many ranks, orders, and principalities amon"' the angels, who are pre-eminent for their wisdom, power, and holiness; but they rnu~t all yield to One who is far above them all. This is the Son of God,…
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Vers. 10-13.-His exaltation endears his association with his followers. There is a Divine becomingness and suitability in the process of salvation, which suggests that as the Leader of believing souls should pass through sorrow and gain his official perfectness throu.gh sufferings which show at what a cost redemptio…
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have been to some degree inconceivable by us. He took hold of the seed of Abraham, and enshrined his Divine nature in human flesh 11nd blood, and felt all the innocent emotions and sensations of our race. He was hungry and thirsty, he was weary and slept, and wept and rejoiced like his brethren. Then be felt the pa.n"'…
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to punish him. But God, we know, can sp<'cify offences ns we ca.nnot; and here is one, that when a man has spiritual and eternal sa.lvation laid before him he yet neglects it•. ~n~ the more we study this state of negligence, the more we shall see how great a sin 1t mvolves. III. Tm: INEVITABLE PUNISHMENT WHICit WIL…
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lines, and mnde some at least of their auditors in every place to feel that what they said rested on a sure foundation of a reality. III. AN EXPLICIT STATEMENT OF HOW THIS CONFIRMATION WAS PRODUCED. Never let us forget that the apostles were peculiarly witness-bearers (Luke xxiv. 48; Acts i. 8). Again and again this i…
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V<Jr. 10.-The Father bringing the sons to glory. Observe- I. 'l'HE TERMS IN WHICH THE .l:<'ATHER IS HERE DESCRIBED. Fatherhood is, of course, implied when sonship is spoken of; and this Father is the Being "for whom are all thiugs, and by whom are all things." Here is the great unity towards which, consciously or unco…
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idea.. The Author of salvation is now described in relation to his followers as the Sanctifier, and these followe~s as the sanctified. Jesus it is who sets us apart for God, and sets us a.part by making a real difference between us and those who do not believe in him. In other words, if there is no real difference betw…
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life just because life holds all that is certain to them. All their treasures are stored up on earth, for they have no notion of any other storehouse. It is, indeed, miserable work to have everything dependent on so uncertain a tenure a.s that of natural life. But Jesus comes and opens the prison-door. That is all h…
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Ver. 1.-Wherefore, holy brethren, par- case " constitute," not " create'' (so Ge- takers of a heavenly oaJ.lillg, consider the aenius). The preceding words, d1r&,no/\.0111eal Apostle and High Priest of our oonteasion, l.px«pfa, though it is not necessary to supply 1es118 (Xpur.-bv before '1710'01111 is ill supported, t…
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house, or household, thus esta.blishcd. 01Kos, premisses have been established, and the it is to be observed, mny include in its conclusion follows; the relation of Obrist to meaning the familia, e.s well a.s the house the Builder of the house has been set forth itself, a.s KaTa<rK<t,cl(rn, ma.y include the idea in the…
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eive term, including in its geneml meaning 2; 1 Cor. v. 6 : ix. 15; 2 Cor. i. 14 ; v. 12; the Law, the gospel, and the final consumma- ix. 3 ; Gal. vi. 4: Phil. i. 26; ii. 16). Its tion-the whole diepeusation of redemption, proper meaning is not (as is by many sup- beginning with the Lo.w, and completed o.t posed) the …
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to," i.e. " after the me.nner of." The former ginning with the Divine oath, "As truly aa agrees best with the Hebrew psalm, which I live," which is a.go.in repeated in ver. 28. hns "As at Merib11h, as on the dav of The occasion was not the murmuring either llfassah in the wilderness," referring to the Rt l\fasse.h o…
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Life and the Source of all life and salvation. Ver. 14.-l!'or we are become partaker■ (or, The thought of the momentous consequence partneTs) of Christ, if only we hold fast the of the falling away of Christians after light beginning of our cou1ldence ftrm unto the enjoyed is prominent in the Epistle (see end. This is …
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the second advent) a general one to the much as Joshua o.nd Caleb (nnd it might be cl?s~ of the period of grace during which some few others) remained faithful. But "1t ls co.lied 'l'o-day." to say this is unnooesso.ry and irrelevant Ver. 15.-While it is said, To-d11y, etc. to the argument, the drift of which is to …
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HOMILETIUS. Ver. 1.-0onsider Jesw. The exhortation of thls verse marks the transition from the first section of the treatise to those which follow. Its reference is both retrospecLive aud prospective. Indeed, the whole Epistle says in effect, "Consider what is written hereiu concerning Jesus; for he is greater than th…
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. I._ CHRIST'S SIMILARITY TO MosEs. (Ver. 2.) The very fact of a comparison being mst1tuted between Jesus and Moses reminds us of Moses' greatness. Moses had a romanti~ personal history ; his character was adorned with the grandest girts of grace and !!:emus; and he accomplished an illustrious life-work. He was a ty…
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lmpeni~ent, and disobedient. 3. Final a,posta_sy. (Ver. 12.) A~ acts produce habits, so habits form character. A human heart mdurated by unbelief, and confirmed in moral insensibility, will lapse either into atheism, or immorality, or settled worldlinc~s; and, unless Divine grace interpose, will for ever" fall away …
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animated by one Spirit; we are tending to one home, our "Father's house." Let us endeavour to realize this relationship, and to practically express its spirit. "Love the brotherhood." 2. They are consecrated in chamcter, " Holy brethren." By applying to them the term "holy,'' the writer does not affirm that all those w…
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Ver. 6.-The Church, God's temple. "But Christ as a Son over his house; whose house are we," etc. Observe- !. THE CHURCH IS THE TEMPLE OF Goo. It is here designated " bis bouse." And St. Paul speaks of "the house of God, which is the Church of the livin2; God." Individual Christians aro spoken of as temples of God (1 C…
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. Vers. 7, 8.-0n heai·ing God's voice. "The Holy Ghost saith, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Introduction. The witness of the New Testament to the Divine inspiration of the Old. '"!'he Holy Ghost saith" (Ps. xcv. 7-11). We have in the text- I. A GREAT FACT IMPLIED. That God speaks to man. …
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i.9 not local. In this respect separation from the Divine presence is impossible· "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" etc. (Ps. cxxxix. 7-12). 2. This departure is not theological. The corruption of a man's creed will almost certainly be followed by deterioration of bis cha…
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assume~ _attractive disguises; it propounds plausible reasons ; it exhibits fascinating Jet fict1t1ous prospects. For example, to those who are " not far from the kinp;dom of Godt and who are almost entirely decided to serve him heartily and wholly, the deceitful and dangerous suggestion is presented that to-morrow …
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here spoken of totally unfitted them for entering the promised land (see Numb. xiv. 1-4, 22, 23, 26-35). Their unbelief had stripped them of hope and of courao-e, ancl reduced them to humiliating despondency and cowardice. No one can enter u;in any worthy inheritance without the exercise of faith. For the discovery of …
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Vers. 7-19.-The comparison of Christ and Moses suggests the possibility of apostasy from Christ. As Christ and Moses occupied similar positions as leaders of the house- hold of God, and Israel was faithless under the leadership of Moses, and came to ruin as the result, so it is possible that, under the leadership of…
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<Jhrist is to fail of the rest to which he leads. "For to whom aware be," etc. Rejection from Christ is the one deadly sin. "This is the condemnation; " "He that believeth not is," etc. ; "And this is the condemnation, that light," etc. How much more so in the case of the apostate I "I saw," said Bunyan, "that from the…
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into his observatory to gaze in silence on the glory of the heavens above, It .was needful for Jewish Christians to look to tbe glory of Christ, as the best way to counteract the discouragements which arose from the opposition of the synagogue and of those to whom the cross of Christ was a stumbling-block and an offenc…
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be brotherly love among Christians, who were affectionntely to warn each other against the evils of departing from the truths and profession of the gospel. Their counsel was to be directed to the state of the heart, which if unbelieving was an "evil heart," and therefore full of guile, pride, readiness to receive objec…
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Ver. 1.-TVhat (Jhrist is to us. I. CONSIDER THE PEOPLE HERE ADDRESSED, AND THE SPEAKER IN RELATION TO THEM. A.mid t.he endless, fruitless discussion as to the author• ship of this Epistle, so much at least it is not unreasonable to conclude, that the author was a Hel:.rew Christian, not a Gentile one. The Hebrews were …
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ment they might correspondingly depreciate Christ. The nation of Israel was as the house where Moses dwelt as appointed responsible director and custodian, A servant certainly, but a servant of a peculiar kind. He is called 9,p&-,,,,,,,, Nowhern else in the New Testament is a servant called by this name ; it is as if t…
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Ver. 13.-The deceitful'MSS of sin. It matters little whether we take the reference lier~ a~ t-0 the sin of unbelief specialiy, or to sin in general. All sin is deceiving in its hegmnmgs. The seed hides much which the sower cannot understand until he is compelled _to reap the fruit. And his only safety is to trust a tim…
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a..-011.,l..-,Ta,, etc. A different view of the need in the New Testament to express drift of the warning in this verse, me.in- " deficiency," or " falling short " ( cf. espe- te.ined very decidedly by Ebre.rd, demands cially in this Epistle, eh. xii. 15): it is attention. It rests on the interpreto.tion of never. else…
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~lu~re in it, however long delayed, was no historical reference, but os denoting mhmated b~, the typical history of the hearkoners genernlly. Alford, however, Israelites under Moses, and by the warning though adopting this as the best solution nnd renewed invitation of the psalm. This of an acknowledged diffioulty, …
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be intimo.tcd: it ho.cl contiuucd open poten- first division '(eh. ii.) the conrso of thou"ht tio.lly to mo.n. was-Dominion over creation has b~en Vera. 1, 5.-l!'or he ha.th ea.id somewhere nssigncd to man: man has not attained it: (,rou: cf. eh. ii. 6) of the seventh day on Jesus has; and in Jesus man fulfils his th…
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then would I flee away, and be o.t rest I" sense of "to fall into," o.nd is frequently so Mo.ny siure Job have felt something of his used in the LXX., and the subordinate longing to be where "the wicked cease from position of wl<r(I in the sentence-between troubling, and the weary are at rest." Is ,l,ro5,/1',ran and…
1,030 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.