Whose House Are We, If - Hebrews 3:6

Sometimes the littlest of words are the largest.

Author: Randy Pritts

Today's Text:

kjv@Hebrews:3:6 @ But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Introduction:

There is no word in this verse any larger to its meaning than "If". The author has begun this sentence with an excellent delineation between Moses in God's overall plan and Jesus. Both men were faithful. Both performed major roles in entirety of scripture; perhaps like no others. Only one however "was counted worthy of more glory than Moses" Jesus v3. There is a proper explanation of why more glory is due as well: "Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after" v5. Which brings us to the place that we are today "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we....". Are we clear so far on that?

It is that next word "If" that takes the next 13 verses in the chapter to explain. "If" makes the previous clause "whose house are we" conditional.

"if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" v6.

Doesn't "if" do away with the doctrine of election?

The next verses through to the chapter's end speak of a time of Israel's "provocation" of God in the wilderness. Israel has been delivered out of the land of Egypt by God in a fulfillment of earlier prophecy given to their Father Abraham. In the process of this deliverance Israel has been witness to a great many of HIS mighty miracles. By some estimates, there are over a million or so Hebrews being guided cloud by day, flaming pillar by night, fed heavenly manna, not one sickness, not even the soles of their shoes wearing thin. There is no humanly possible way to explain what is happening to them other than being moved toward the Promise Land by their God Jehovah. Yet all is not well in the relationship between the people of Israel and Jehovah.

In kjv@Numbers:14:11-23 Moses pleads with God for Israel's merciful pardon. God's summation of the problem is perhaps best stated in kjv@Numbers:14:22 saying: "Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice". See the final straw was that the LORD had commanded Israel to move directly into the Promised Land and prepare to miraculously receive it. Instead, they sent twelve chosen spies to survey their chances, ten of those spies ended up talking Israel back out of obeying this commandment. As a result, Israel spend close to forty more years in the wilderness. All but two of that generation of Israelite's lived to enter into the Promise Land (the two willingly obedient spies).

In our present context, this first initial outcome would be reckoned to the house that Moses faithfully served. It illustrates well the particulars of a conditional "if". God proved HIMSELF capable, desirous and willing. God eventually was willing to bring them (their descendants) as a nation to glorious day of crossing the Jordan. But you see, for that particular generation, they would not enter "HIS rest". As our author today concludes "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief".

What can we say then about God's choosing and election?

Is not God all powerful and sovereign?

None of us should be too hasty trying to understand all of this. It is difficult, if not impossible, for the finite brain to fully comprehend the infinite mind and infinite being. We are attempting to use human words tagged onto human concepts to wrap our heads around all of this.

Here's what we safely can say at this point:

God in order to be God does have to be all powerful and sovereign.
There is also ample evidence given that our consent as proven through obedience is important to HIM.
The Bible is replete with passages attesting to both sovereign God and the desire of God for our volition.

There are some complicating factors to also consider however:

In the case of Israel, what is being considered is not their eternal salvation, but their earthly receipt and possession of what had been promised to father Abraham.
We are literally talking about the birth of a new nation that will be used by God for many more generations toward the eventual establishment of God's eternal Christ.
In the process of using Israel for this purpose, it may well be important to God that the difficulties of human will and volition be magnified/diagnosed and the cure prescribed.

I believe this logic to be quite reasonable. Allowance for human choice in these smaller earthly matters does not obstruct election in the greatest of all matters, especially if it brings the elected closer to the understanding and acquaintance of why sin has happened and why it took such and such to get the man back out. And if the elected receive any earthly possession of the side effects of such election by similar consent as proven by obedience, then human choice has much more the benefit of said election.

There is also the consideration added that in proper view in these cases we are talking about the consent proven by obedience of larger human masses, nations, churches, generations; not necessarily the volition of the individual.

"Whose house are we, if..."

Should we look at the house built by Christ any different? Is the house here speaking of individuals or of masses? Does the conditional "if we hold fast" obstruct acceptance of there being a more eternal doctrine of election? Or does the "we, if" mean "all we" (the elected) in regards to our earthly receipt and possession.

The concept in deed is intriguing. If so, there is much to learn of why only two out of more than a million could come to the right choice and had no chance of directing correctly all the others. Why Moses would be spotlighted temporarily pleading to God for HIS mercy and why despite this tremendous provocation God would mercifully yet remaining all powerful and sovereign grant it.

The concept would have equal curiosity as to why in the present Christ-House the human heart is equally as provoking and disobedient. How the Church has never really entered into His place because of its' disbelief, kept typically at the threshold of something miraculously great and yet so disjointed and taxing. Like Israel, being drawn from here to there and to another until the generations of disbelief pass on the reigns to their more obedient descendants.

What hope then does either of us, you and I have in these desert sands? We have the hope by God's sovereign plan and much needed pardon and mercy we might "hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope (found in Christ) firm unto the end".

What is "the confidence" and "the rejoicing of the hope" we are to hold fast to unto the end?

Confidence dict:strongs G3954 brings with it the idea of having full assurance. Like Israel's, our confidence should not be in the size nor the scope of our enemies. It should not be in the "woe are we" "we would have been better off back where we were in Egypt. It should not be be in the "God has led us here to kill us", "where is your God now when you need HIM most Moses". That is not confidence as much as it is bondage to fear and not yet knowing your God to believe HIM. Our confidence should really be more on the side of "I don't know how or when or why God has told us to do this, but HE is more than powerful enough to see all of us through this". And it may not be our eternal salvation that is being threatened, but the testing of our grit and our faithfulness and our obedience, meant to strengthen us, meant to put us in a position of receiving His greater blessings and promises beyond that.

Rejoicing dict:strongs G2745 is a derivative from a Greek word meaning to boast. It is to joyfully glory in. Man glories in himself. Man glories in man. The elect glory to glorify Christ. Knowing that as low as a man himself can be, in Christ God extends HIS hand of mercy. As low as we (a group of men and women) can be, mercy such as this involves the soothing salve of pardon. Rejoice that despite what man is, proven by the acts of Christ what man will on his own always be, there is a hope and a rest to enter into and believe. To consent enough to partake of and to obey!

"Whose house we" are speaks of many, of one alone being Christ who died for the sins of a great many, of those whom He gathers back into His fold and washes clean, feeds them safe and warm. They look to Him for their everything. He points His staff towards the beyond and calls to them "come now my lambs, let us now go". "Whose house we are, if..." if we with "the confidence" in Christ and rejoicing hope do go.

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