(Read Heb. 5:7, 8; 6:1, 2; 9:11-15; 13:20, 217Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Hebrews 5:7‑8)
1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1‑2)
11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:11‑15)
20Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20‑21).)
IN all these scriptures you cannot but notice the frequent and emphatic use of the word eternal. We shall look a little at some of these eternal realities. There are many of them, and whatever be their power or force, they are nearly all for the believer. There is only one for the unbeliever, viz.:
1. Eternal Judgment
Oh, sinner, it is high time to wake up. All is summed up in this word, "eternal judgment." You say that is a very dark and gloomy subject. Well, but it is true; and if wise, you will be warned, will believe the gospel, and then gladly turn round to the heavenly realities that belong to the believer.
I want you to carefully notice, that one thing which the epistle to the Hebrews presents is, that the positive inalienable portion of every one who does not believe is judgment. Oh, you say, do not bring that subject ever before us; we do not like it. Ah, you will like it less when you are enduring it. You will remember then how you scoffed at the preacher, saying you did not believe it, and that God was love.
God speaks here (Heb. 6:22Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:2)) of "eternal judgment," and He means what He says. The words are terrible, but true. Alas for the man who through sin and unbelief tastes it Reader, ponder it,—"Eternal judgment." Do you not shrink from it? You well may; but will you escape it, and how?
This is no figure, nor is the language figurative which describes the portion of the believer. He can say, " I have got eternal salvation,' eternal redemption,' which I enjoy, and an eternal inheritance' into which I am going." Oh, you say, when you talk of that side it is very different, and quite true and delightful to listen to. Ah, then it is only when we talk of your side, sinner, that it does not mean what it says? Vain man, know that "eternal" means "eternal," and the “judgment" of the infatuated unbeliever is as enduring as the "salvation" of the believer.
Man is an immortal being, sprung from God, with an eternal existence. Where will you, spend eternity? Oh, beloved friend, think of it. When one thinks of spending it with Christ, every Christian's heart swells with delight. But I cannot describe the eternity of a lost sinner; it is too awful, too terrible; you should flee from it. The poor ostrich when pursued by the hunter hides its head in a thicket, thinking itself safe because it does not see the danger, but the ball pierces it all the same. Because you do not feel the pangs of “eternal judgment," do not, I beseech you, suffer your eyes to be blinded to their reality; while there is time and a way of escape, seize it.
If once you are in judgment, you can never get out of it. The believer will never be in it. Christ Jesus went into it to deliver us from it. Then you will never come into condemnation? No, thank God, I am delivered from it by substitution. " As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall be appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation.”
Well, if death be the common lot of men, how are we to escape from it? You cannot, unless by Christ. "Eternal judgment" is as much the portion of one man as another. “It is appointed unto men," &c. The Psalmist said," Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man be justified." He knew he could not stand before God. In John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24) Christ says, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation " (or judgment; it is the same Greek word rendered judgment elsewhere). The due of man has been borne by Christ, and consequently the believer in Jesus will not come into judgment, just because Christ has for him, and therefore he in righteousness escapes.
Judgment is God dealing with man about sin, dealing out the proper and due reward for his sins. The Christian, the believer, parted company with his sins when he believed the gospel. He learned then, that Christ on the cross took his sins on Himself, and blotted them out; and I can say, It is true for me. Can they not? Two people may be sitting side by side, they were both born in sin, and shapen in iniquity, positive enemies to God; but one, through grace, has been convicted by God, and led to repentance; he has condemned himself, and said,” if I am condemned and damned, I deserve it.” That soul has been led to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The other man has not, and perhaps that is your case, dear reader. What has made the difference between them? Faith. It is only unbelief that prevents your coming to God. The one man has through faith in Christ parted company with everything that would bring him into judgment—his sins, while the other goes on in the thing that must bring him into judgment, out of which he can never rise.
Peter says, “Judgment must begin at the house of God, and if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
That means, there is difficulty, even for the righteous. The difficulty lies in the scene through which he has to pass, because the devil is trying his best to trip up the godly. But if the godly are saved with difficulty, what about the sinner? Oh, careless, unsaved soul heed this, perhaps the last, warning that God shall give thee; awake, see thy danger, and flee from the wrath to come. God has delayed that day, He is keeping back the wheels of judgment, as it were, to give thee time to repent and be saved. Despise not His long-suffering, lest sudden destruction overtake thee!
To judge, however, is God's "strange work." He loves to bless and save, and therefore He puts before us, in this epistle,
2. Eternal Salvation
Do you honestly ask, How can I escape judgment? In Heb. 5:8, 9,8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:8‑9) we read: " Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." It was a new thing for Christ to obey. He had always commanded hitherto, but now He learned what obedience was; and, to do His Father's will and bidding, He went forward unflinchingly, even to death. He who had never sinned, died for sin. He was made perfect, and became the author of "eternal salvation" to all who obey Him. How am I to be saved, then? You have to bow down to Christ. God is preaching "eternal salvation,” and it is His free gift through Jesus. You can never lose it, you can never forfeit it. The gift of God is eternal life. It is a great salvation, a present salvation, a common and an eternal salvation. These are its chief characteristics. Whom Jesus saves, He saves to the uttermost. Men in this world take up people for a time, but it is only to drop them in a little, like a hot coal. There is so much selfishness in the world. Jesus takes you up in the unlimited grace of His own heart, and saves you by virtue of the work which He did on the cross. You can never forfeit salvation, because you never deserved it. If our salvation depended on anything in us, we must leave out the word "eternal." But the blessed truth is this, that what God gives He does not take away. His gifts and calling are without repentance. The "Eternal salvation," of the believer rests not on what he is, or feels, or does, but on what Christ is and has done, and God's appreciation of His Son and His work for sinners.
Jesus is the Author of this salvation, and it is a common blessing,—as the rain falls freely all over the land. Must we not pray for it? I shall put it this way. You ask me to your house, and when I go I see the table laden with food then I begin to ask and beg you to give me some,—" Oh, do give me some food." Why, you would think me out of my mind. But it is the folly of man's mind to think he must bring something to God, or ask for the thing God is pressing on him. God is now beseeching you; God is giving; God is inviting souls to come to His Son, whom He sent to be the author of eternal salvation. You must obey Him. He says, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest." Looking to Him is obeying Him. The blind man in John 9 said, "Lord, I believe." That was obeying Him; and in Acts 9 we get Saul saying, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” There is an obedient soul.
Oh, let me entreat you to bow down to Him now. Which side are you on? the Lord's, or the world's? I hope I am on the Lord's side. You hope! Then I have a strong suspicion that you are not. There is no mere hoping, if it is a question of anything in this world. “Who is on the Lord's side?" rang out in force and power in days gone by. All who have obeyed Him are on His side; we cannot be, unless there is the principle of subjection of heart to Him, If there be in our hearts this subjection of faith, we shall rejoice in having.
3. Eternal Redemption
In chap. 9. we get the basis of faith and groundwork of the gospel. These Hebrews were inclined to drop back into their gorgeous ritual, and the apostle tells them it was only a shadow of the good things; they, the realities, had now come. Every-thing was wrapped up in Christ. According to the instructions of Lev. 16,—a type of better things,—a bullock was slain, and its blood sprinkled on and before the altar, and atonement was made for twelve months. Then it required to be repeated. Christ “by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." It is not an annual atonement. Once for all the work has been done. Nor is Christ like Aaron, who came out again; but, in virtue of that finished work, He sat down, and He will never rise up to do a single thing again for the purgation of sins. It is all done. If you are convicted and self-condemned, turn round and believe in Christ. What is then your place? It is Christ's place; a totally new one. The gospel knocks off our shackles and sets us free. "In whom we have redemption, through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." What kind of redemption is it? It is an “eternal redemption." Can we never lapse back? No, never! Then what about the dog returning to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire? Simply this, that the dog returned because it was a clog, nothing else; and the sow because she was a sow. When she was washed she was a clean sow, before that she was a dirty one, but she was never anything else than a sow. People may say they are Christians. Ah but actions speak louder than words.
Nothing will meet your case, my friend, but divine grace. The works of the flesh are vain. A man told me the other day that he had signed the pledge. I said, you may bind and fetter yourself as you like, and have the blue ribbons of pledges too, but that can never save you. You are still like the man in Mark's gospel, who had been often bound in fetters and chains, yet had broken them all, neither could any man tame him.
In chap. 9:14, we see that the blood of Christ purges the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. You are a worshipper now, in living association with Christ. You have a clean conscience, and you become a worshipper; you become attached to Him, who has delivered you, through the blood of the covenant. The old one had an “if" in it. The first thing the people did was to break it. The law said, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image," &c., and they were worshipping one within forty days The new covenant is pure, sovereign, absolute grace. I have got an eternal salvation, and now.
4. Eternal Inheritance
is reserved in Haven for me (9:15). God puts one hand on the inheritance and the other on the heir. Is there any doubt as to my getting it? Oh, no. All that is Christ's is mine. He is the rightful "heir of all things," and we are "joint-heirs with Christ" by grace. What an inheritance is ours!
Then in chap. 13. we get the "God of peace" (not judgment), acting on the basis and ground of the.
5. Eternal Covenant
God takes a new title, and preaches peace through Christ. The blood of the everlasting covenant can never fail in its value, and all rests on it. The Lord Jesus, raised from the dead through the blood of the eternal covenant, is the incontestable witness of the value of the work He has effected. How sure then is the blessing, when we see that God binds Himself to bless and save eternally, on account of the accomplished work of His Son! May the Lord give you, my reader, to rest on Christ simply, and know now the joy of these eternal realities, for His own name's sake. W. T. P. W.