Question: What is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which sets us free from the law of sin and of death? (Rom. 8:22For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2).) B.
Answer: When we have seen that the death of Christ has delivered us from judgment, our sins forever put away, then God gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. So that we have life in Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit also dwelling in us. This is the power of the new life, and is called the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. With Christ in glory as the one we desire now to please, we are no longer under the power of sin and of death. We refuse to allow It to act in us; it is not any longer our master. We own that we belong to our Lord Jesus now.
Answer: Prophecy was like a light shining in a dark place, and it should be heeded. The transfiguration made it more sure, or confirmed the truth that the Lord Jesus was King, but the Kingdom is yet to come in power and display. In the meantime the Christian has the blessed hope in his heart already of the coming of the Lord as the bright, morning Star that will appear before the day dawns when the Sun of Righteousness will come with healing in His wings. (Titus 2:1313Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13)). We have already this hope in our hearts. We wait to hear His shout, and to be taken up to be forever with Him. Peter does not say it in this way, but it is what he points to. (Rev. 2:28; 22:1728And I will give him the morning star. (Revelation 2:28)
17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)).
Answer: The Lord Jesus is seen in this epistle as the Apostle and High Priest. The writer is addressing the Hebrews, and he is one of them. They are seen as journeying on to the heavenly Canaan, but, as with Israel of old, they were a mixed multitude, and those who would reach the end and be saved, were those who held fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Being born again, or new creation life, is not mentioned in this epistle, but the evidence of life is seen in the things that accompany salvation (6:9, 10).
Those who go back to Judaism are apostates; they deny Christ as the Son of God, and go back to their old sacrifices that can never take away sins. This is the willful sin (see 6:4-6 and 10:26-29) that leaves nothing for them but eternal judgment, for Christ is the only Savior.
But no true child of God could say, Christ is no Savior. They might, like Peter, deny that they knew Him. But the Lord could not let any of His own perish, to whom He had given eternal life.
The object of the Epistle to the Hebrews is to unfold to us the surpassing excellency of the glories of our Lord Jesus Christ in contrast with Judaism.
Answer: Our Lord Jesus was the true bread come down from heaven (read verses 25 and 48 to 58), but it was not enough that He came down from heaven. Sin had to be atoned for, so He must die, and in this verse (53) we have a figure of His death, and we feed upon Him as in death. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood, points to Christ in death, here our blessing begins. Men speak of Christ as “our example,” leaving out His death; but we must feed upon Him as dead; that is, we believe that he has died for our sins, and that He has been raised from the dead. He is glorified now. It is this feeding that gives us eternal life, and a sure and blessed hope for the future. Otherwise, “ye have no life in you.”