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(I referred to this article in a recent lesson and wanted to share the full article)

Why Men Don’t Talk

By Hampton Keathley

I read a book a couple of months ago that really changed my thinking on a few things and helped me understand a lot more about myself. The book was The Silence of Adam by Larry Crabb. It was so good, that I read it twice. It is called The Silence of Adam because he starts off by asking where Adam was when Eve was talking to the serpent.

Tradition has always taught, and I had always assumed that Eve was alone at that time, and that after she was deceived and ate the fruit, she went in search of Adam and gave him some to eat. But Crabb pointed out that Adam was right there with Eve during the conversation with the serpent. When I read that, I immediately got off the couch and went to get my Bible to read the verse for myself.

Genesis 3:6 says, When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, (imah) and he ate.

Wow! Adam was with her! I don’t know about you, but that blows away my categories. We always talk about how Eve was deceived, (In fact we read that three weeks ago in 1 Tim 2:14 right here in class.) And I think deep down, we sort of blame Eve for getting us all in this mess in the first place, even though we know technically that Adam was responsible.

But what if Adam was standing right there the whole time that Eve was talking to the serpent? I think this sheds new light on just how responsible Adam was for what happened. What does this say to us about not doing anything when we are not sure exactly what we should do or say? It sure makes inactivity look more sinful to me

If Adam was there, then why didn’t he say something? Why didn’t he tell the serpent to get lost? Why didn’t he correct Eve when she misquoted the command not to eat of the tree? Why didn’t he suggest they go somewhere else to talk about the situation? Why didn’t he stop Eve when she reached for the fruit?

Why Adam was silent? I’m not going to answer that right now. The answer will become obvious as we work through several concepts.

We are going to divide our study into the following topics:

• The Search for Real Men
• Man’s model—God’s role in creation, because man is created in God’s image and we need to see what that entails.
• Man’s responsibility—to walk in God’s image.
• Man’s natural tendency—to be silent.
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• What Speaking is Not.
• The Reasons for Silence
• The Solution
• Woman’s responsibility

The Search for “Real Men”

I think the first time I ever heard any talk about “real men” was in college when someone said, “Real men don’t eat quiche.” I think there was a whole string of “real men” jokes going around then, but that is the only one I remember.

The traditional view of a real man is one who is broad-shouldered, self-confident, tough, unemotional and successful. If you ever read any Louis L’Amour books, the main character was always tall, dark and invulnerable and he didn’t talk much. John Wayne and Clint Eastwood always played that kind of man in their movies.

But for the past ten years there has been a call for men to be more sensitive, to be vulnerable, to share their feelings, to cry more. Men are supposed to be more concerned with connecting with others than with trying to achieve and conquer the world. I remember my dad once making the comment that there didn’t seem to be any actors rising on the scene to replace John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Maybe that is the reason. Their character type was out of style. John Wayne has been replaced with Billy Crystal.

I think the John Wayne tough guy image is a warped model of what a man should be. But I also think that the soft, vulnerable, almost homo-sexual image that we are bombarded with in the secular media is a pendulum swing too far in the other direction.

There is obviously a problem, but what is the solution? What constitutes a real man?

In the Christian world, we’ve been trying to come up with the answer. We have Family Life Seminars, Promise Keepers conventions, hundreds of self-help books on how to be a good father, how to be a good husband, how to be a good whatever. The list of self-help books is endless.

I think that phrase “self-help” is significant. I don’t mean to discredit any of those things I just mentioned, because they all have their place. In fact, many of them were started because people felt like churches weren’t dealing with the issues. But our tendency, when we realize there is a problem, is to go find a book written by some expert with the answers or go to a “professional counselor” or go to some conference to learn some neat steps to follow or principles to apply, to get motivated to work hard, and then we go home and try really hard to follow those steps. We do them for the next few weeks or months. But eventually, we slip back into our old habits and wait for the next conference. Perhaps that is why the Promise Keepers have to come back each year. We don’t keep our promises. The problem is that we were doing all these things out of our own energy, not God’s energy.

In our day, too many men are seeking more diligently for their manhood, than for God. However, if you read the biographies of the great Christians of the past, like Dwight L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, etc., it becomes obvious that they sought God first. They spent hours in the word and in prayer. They were very godly men. And look what God did through them. They are remembered as great men. Therefore, I think it is safe to say, “The only way to be manly is to be godly.” (Crabb, p. 32)

How do we become godly? By reflecting the image of God. We can’t do that unless we know what God is like. So we need to study what God is like. That by the way is theology. I almost hesitate to say that because most people think of theology as booooooring, but you will see that is very relevant. It is relevant because if we are to be godly, we have to know what God is like.

The Model: God’s Role in Creation

Genesis 1:2 says that the earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep. In other words, everything was chaos. Then, while everything was darkness and chaos, God spoke into the darkness and He created life and beauty.

For years, people have argued about the “Gap theory” or “Restitution Theory” which proposes that there were two creations. After the first creation, Satan messed up the earth and so God had to rebuild. All this was supposed to happen somewhere between Gen. 1:1 and 1:3.

I think one reason this idea became popular was to try to explain why there was chaos. The question people asked, was “Why would God create a chaotic earth on his first pass, and then have to come back and fix it up later?” The gap theory also gained popularity when science started saying that the earth was millions of years old. A “Gap” between a first and second creation left room for that. The fact that the earth appears to be millions of years old can be explained without a gap theory. If God created a tree, and we cut it down the next day, how many rings would it have in it? 50? 100? God created trees, man, everything, including the earth, with apparent age. So we don’t need a gap theory as an answer to evolution.

Also, a good understanding of Hebrew shows that there is no reference to a gap in time in Gen. 1:3.

So, why the part about the earth being formless and void in vs. 2? Let me propose another reason—a theological one.

When Moses wrote Genesis, he left out lots of stuff. He covered 6000 years in just a few pages, and then focused in on Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. I think Moses was very selective in what events he recorded. He only recorded what he did because they make a theological point. Therefore Gen. 1:2 is as much a theological statement as it is an historical one. It is not just giving us a chronological order of events.

When I say it is a theological statement I mean that, the part about the earth being formless and void is there to make a statement about God—to let us know what God is like. What it is saying about God is that God moves in darkness and chaos and creates order and life. The statement is there so that man, who is created to walk in God’s image will know what that involves. It involves moving into the chaos and creating order and life.

That brings us to the next point.

Man’s Responsibility: To Walk in God’s Image

Genesis 1:26 says that man was created in God’s image and one purpose was to rule over the rest of creation. Man was to help keep the order. One of the first things Adam did was to name the animals. That did three things:

• It demonstrated his superiority over them, and fulfilled the command to rule over creation.
• It helped fulfill his role of being in God’s image and taking part in creating order out of chaos.

Lori and I were talking about that the other day. If animals didn’t have names, you would find yourself saying things like… I saw one of those yellow, furry animals down by the creek today. The other person would say, “The one with the long neck?” Then you would say, “No, it had a short neck..” Then the other person would say, “The one with stripes?” “No, the one spots…” And on and on it might go. That definitely would be a chaotic situation.

• Adam was also “like” God because naming the animals involved speaking into the disorder.

I imagine that naming all those animals was not easy. Imagine if someone brought a few hundred species of animals to you and asked you to name them. Would you be overwhelmed? Sure you would. It was probably all you could do to think of a name for your baby. And if you’re like us, you didn’t decide untill they were rolling mom and baby out of the hospital.

So, Gen. 1:3 says God spoke and then in Gen. 2:19-20 man spoke. There is a logical connection between the two. Man was reflecting the image of God by speaking into the chaos and creating order.

That is the theological basis for our study. God spoke into chaos and created life and order. Man is created in God’s image and part of man’s responsibility is to speak into chaos and create life and order.

How does that apply to us today? We don’t need to name the animals.

For me, that means that when life is chaotic, I need to speak. I need to say something and I need to do something. I need to get involved. I should not remain silent. If I remain silent, I am like Adam in the garden. I am sinning.

But man’s natural tendency is to remain silent. That takes us to the next topic.

Man’s Natural Tendency: To Be Silent

If Adam were the only man in the Bible who was silent, then perhaps one could say that this conclusion is doubtful. But, there are several examples in the Bible of men who were silent. Let’s look at them and see where it got them.

The Example of Adam

We’ve already looked at this one, but I just wanted to make it a part of the list so I could ask you what were the consequences of Adam’s silence? The result was that billions of people have lived miserable lives and then died and most have gone to hell.

The Example of Abraham

Everyone probably knows of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen 15)—that he would have a son and be the father of a multitude, through whom God would bless the world. After ten years, and no children, Sarah comes to Abraham and says, take my slave, Hagar, and have children with her so that God’s promise can come true. What did Abraham say to that? Nothing. Gen 16:2 says He listened to the voice of Sarah.

Then later after Hagar has Ishmael, Sarah is jealous and Abraham tells her to do what she wants to her slave. And he lets her treat Hagar harshly.

So, Abraham was silent and did what Sarah said. What was the result? The Arab/Israeli conflict that still rages today.

The Example of Lot

We know from 2 Peter 2:7f that Lot was a righteous man, but you would never know it from the Genesis account. He stayed in Sodom and Gomorrah and was silent about the evil around him. When he offered his two daughters to a crowd of men to protect God’s messengers, that was not the action of a strong man. At the end of that account, when they are fleeing the city, and Lot’s wife looks back at Sodom and turns into a pillar of salt, it becomes obvious who it was that wanted to live in Sodom and Gomorrah and who was in really running the family. If Lot was tormented in his soul by the evil around him (2 Pet 2:8), then why didn’t he leave? Because his wife didn’t want to. Lot remained silent and passive.

Some time later Lot’s daughters commit incest with Lot while he is drunk and they get pregnant. So, we see further damage result from Lot’s silent passive life.

The Example of Bethuel

Do you remember the story of how Isaac got his wife? His father, Abraham, sent a servant back to the home country to get a wife for his son, Isaac. In the account in Gen. 24, the servant goes to a well, meets Rebekah, follows her home, and then proceeds to bargain with her brother Laban for her hand in marriage for Isaac. At the end of the account, (24:50) it says Bethuel agreed to the arrangement. It seems to me that Laban was the one who was involved, and Bethuel was along for the ride. I can’t swear to it, but nothing is said about him, and he doesn’t speak until the end of the account.

What was the result? He had two very controlling children. Laban and Rebekah. We know that Rebekah was very involved with the deception of Isaac when Jacob deceived his father out of the family blessing. And we know that Laban made life miserable for Jacob when he tried to marry Rachel and got Leah instead. So, by being a silent and uninvolved father, Bethuel helped create at least two manipulative and very controlling children.

The Example of Isaac

We don’t have to read much further in Genesis before we come to the next silent man —  Isaac. He was a very passive man. If you read through Genesis, you see that he didn’t do anything right except allow his father to almost sacrifice him.

Isaac knew the prophecy of God that his older son, Esau, would serve the younger son, Jacob, but he preferred Esau who appeared to be a strong, manly man always out hunting. And at the end of his life, he was going to go ahead and bless Esau in spite of the prophecy. Why? I think it was easier to go along with the tradition of blessing the oldest son than to trust God and bless Jacob. Why? Perhaps he was afraid of Esau’s reaction? After all, Esau was the hunter. Perhaps he was afraid of what others might say when they found out. Because he was afraid to act, his wife tried to take over and handle the problem. It backfired and the family was split up and Isaac and Rebekah never saw Jacob again.

Conclusion

Here we have five examples of men who were silent. In each situation the result was much harm to others. We might say the result was chaos.

When God spoke, He made order out of chaos. When man fails to act in God’s image, and speak, the result is more chaos. And very important to recognize: It brings the severing of relationship. And that is what this is all about – relationships. How is my silence going to affect my relationship with others? The Bible shows that it wll definitely destroy them.

• Adam’s silence destroyed his relationship with God and his wife.
• Abraham’s silence resulted in the Arab/Israeli conflict.
• Lot’s relationship with his daughters and his wife was not good.
• Isaac had almost no relationship with his wife or son, Jacob. This is obvious when you read the story of Isaac’s deception at the blessing. Isaac never talks to Rebekah. He never talks to Jacob (except when he thinks Jacob is Esau). Rebekah never talks to Esau. And Jacob never talks to Esau. You see a family divided right down the middle.

Notice also that in each of these situations, when the man was silent, the women stepped in and took control. God said that was going to be the woman’s natural tendency in Gen. 3:16, and we can see it happening over and over again.

So, man’s natural tendency is to be silent. But what we’ve seen so far ought to do away with the description of a man as “The Strong Silent Type.” When you understand these principles, it makes you want to change it to “The Weak Silent Type.”

Summary

• What we’ve seen is that God speaks into disorder and creates order and life.
• Man is created in God’s image and should also speak into disorder and create order and life.
• But man’s natural tendency is to avoid the chaos and to be silent.
• When he does that he creates even more chaos and destroys relationships.

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“For though by this time you ought to be teachers.. . .” (5:12).

In the Middle Ages, a list was made of the “seven deadly sins.” The authors must have considered these seven sins worse than any others. The “seven deadly sins” contained such expected sins as pride, envy, anger, avarice, gluttony, and lust.

But there is one surprising item— the Greek word accidie, which is normally translated “laziness” or “sloth.” We may not think of it as one of our most serious offenses because to us the word “sin” normally conjures up images of sexual or anti-social offenses. But the church in the first century considered “sloth” to be one of its most serious offenses.

Another characteristic of accidie might be a “couldn’t-care-less” attitude.  We  might think that our problems are very different from those of ancient people because our lives are more complicated than theirs. But listen to this description of a lazy fifth-century monk: “When the poor fellow is beset by it, it makes him detest the place where he is, and loathe his cell; and he has a poor and scornful opinion of his brethren, near and far, and thinks that they are neglectful and unspiritual.

“It makes him sluggish and inert for every task; he cannot sit still, nor give his mind to reading; he thinks despondently how little progress he has made where he is, how little good he gains or does . . . he dwells on the excellence of other and distant monasteries; he thinks how profitable and healthy life is there; how delightful the brethren are, and how spiritually they talk. On the contrary, where he is, all seems harsh and untoward; there is no refreshment for his soul to be got from his brethren, and none for his body from the thankless land; . . . and so, with his mind full of stupid bewilderment and shameful gloom, he grows slack and void of all spiritual energy, and thinks that nothing will do him any good save to go and call on somebody, or else to betake himself to the solace of sleep.” 1

Sloth is  our  problem  as well.  We  see  the debilitating effects of not caring. Discouragement easily robs us of our will to go on with our Christian calling.

The Hebrews’ author says in 6:12, “That you may not be sluggish. . . .”

One of the problems of those Christians was that they had “hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.” Having lost their original intensity, they were vulnerable to new ideas or doctrines (13:9). This sluggishness was especially evident in the problem of lack of church attendance (10:25) and in their temptation to “neglect” their great salvation. Sluggishness was only the beginning of what could turn into apostasy (6:6).

DULL OF HEARING

There is more than one way to be sluggish. We have already noticed some of the symptoms of sluggishness among the readers of Hebrews. But another aspect of sluggishness is often overlooked. In 5:11, the author suddenly says, “You have become dull of hearing.”

In 5:1-10, he starts the central section of the book showing that Jesus Christ is the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. After describing the levitical requirements for priesthood (5:1-4), he demonstrates that Jesus Christ fulfills all requirements.

Having experienced the agony of suffering (5:8, 9), He has been designated the “high priest according to the order of Melchizedek” (5:10). This fact is first mentioned in 5:10 and is then developed in chapters 5 through 10. For most people, the argument about the high priesthood of Christ is the most memorable section of the epistle. We learn that Jesus is no ordinary priest. Unlike levitical high priests, He lives forever (7:3, 23).

To our surprise, this discussion is interrupted in 5:11. The author leaves the subject to address his readers personally. We know that the author consistently ends his expositions of the Old Testament with some words of encouragement. The longest exhortation in the book is found in 5:11—6:12.

The subject which the author introduced in 5:10 is too difficult for the readers: “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain.” The Greek word for “hard to explain” (dusermeneutos) literally means “hard to communicate,” not “hard to interpret.”

Hebrews is sometimes known for its difficult arguments, especially  in  the  description  of  Christ  and Melchizedek. We wonder why the author pursued a matter that is “hard to explain” with Christians who were dropping out of the community.

Why did he not try “pep rallies” or other new gimmicks to stir their interest? Often, we think the church should consider things that are “hard to explain” only after all other matters have been solved. Or we reserve such matters for the experts, not the entire church.

But the author was convinced that matters “hard to explain” were meant for the whole church—even a tired and  bored  church—to  pursue.  In  chapters  7 through 10, he continues this difficult message. We may wonder why the author pursues such a topic in a book on church renewal. The answer is that the only renewal that matters is a lasting renewal. There is a need for depth and roots if we are to maintain our vitality for a long period. A pep rally may be useful for a while. But a church that endures needs a firm anchor (6:19) where it can find the security and encouragement to keep the faith. Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, said, “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.” The author introduced a topic “hard to explain” because he knew the church needed a place to stand.

It is easy to lose the balance between the tasks of informing and exhorting in preaching. A sermon that merely informs may never confront the audience with the demands of God on their lives. A sermon which only exhorts may easily be without substance.

The author of Hebrews, a model preacher, knows that a living church maintains its vitality through both exhortation and information. He recognizes that a church needs firm roots in solid, demanding study. He is not afraid of confronting Christians with challenging words. He knows that a faith that is easily reduced to a few slogans does not give a firm place to stand. There is a place in biblical preaching for a challenge to our minds. There is no substitute for words that are “hard to explain” because the enthusiasm for learning provides roots for living.

AN INDICTMENT

Preaching should sometimes confront us with our responsibilities and indict us for our failures. The author of Hebrews says that the word is difficult to explain because “you are dull in hearing.” The Greek word for “dull” (nothros) is the same word that is translated “sluggish” in 6:12. This word was often used for a lazy student who refused to develop his mind. The author might have said, “The fault does not lie in the word itself. The fault is yours. You have not developed the capacity to understand.”

The readers had apparently been Christians for at least a generation. The author mentions the amount of time which has elapsed since they first became Christians (“by this time,” 5:12). The readers had sufficient time to sharpen their minds and become competent to teach. Their problem was sluggishness manifested in a lack of physical and intellectual energy.

The answer for a tired church, according to the author, is to be fed “solid food.” In the ancient times, a beginning philosophy student was introduced to a few “first principles” by his teachers. The student was often described as a “babe” who had to rely first on “milk” before he went on to “solid food.” The students intended to develop their potential in order to become teachers themselves. Any student who remained at the beginning level for a long period of time caused serious problems.

This was appropriate imagery for the author of Hebrews. After a generation, the readers were still in their infancy (5:13). Their diet consisted of milk, and they were unable to digest the solid food that the author would offer. The author probably looked at the tired community and wanted to say something that would strengthen their faith. But he observed that their lack of intellectual growth made it almost impossible for him to communicate what they needed most. He recognized that the church can never main- tain its identity unless it is grounded in the solid food of the Word of God.

A FAITH FOR OUR MINDS

According to the author of Hebrews, Christianity cannot survive unless it is taught. It must be treasured enough to capture our minds. Christians in every age have set up schools to pursue the scholarly study of Scripture. The health and vitality of Christianity benefits from a respect for learning. As heirs of a long, respected tradition of learning, we depend on the survival of educated church members. Faith must be explained, and faith seeks understanding. Only a shallow, inconsequential religion makes no demands for continued learning.

R. Glover, a great classical scholar, once explained a major reason why Christianity was victorious in the ancient world. There were many causes competing for the people’s commitment, but Christianity conquered their minds and hearts. Glover said Christians did better thinking than other people.

The Christian read the best books, assimilated them, and lived the freest intellectual life the world had known. Jesus had set him to be free to fact. There is no place for an ignorant Christian. From the very start every Christian had to know and to understand, and he had to read the gospels, he had to be able to give a reason for his faith. They read about Jesus, and they knew him, and they knew where they stood. . . . Who did the thinking in that ancient world? Again and again it was the Christian. He out-thought the world.2

 A WASTE OF TIME?

We sometimes think of study as a waste of time or a diversion from more important things. We live in a culture which favors action over reflection. But we must question the value of actions which are not guided by careful study. The author makes a careful distinction between those who are nourished on milk and those who are nourished on meat. Those who exist on milk are “not accustomed to the word of righteous- ness” (5:13). Those who live on meat “have their senses trained to discern good from evil” (5:14). The Greek word for “unskilled” literally means “inexperienced” or “ignorant.” The author says some Christians remain perpetually like beginning students. The “word of righteousness” or the Christian faith remains incomprehensible to them because they have no habit of careful study and reflection and no recognition that faith requires an understanding, responsive mind.

On the other hand, some Christians can distinguish between good and evil because their minds have been trained by practice. The author uses the illustration of an athlete who trains himself through habits of practice and self-control. The same language was sometimes used for the discipline of the philosophy student because he knew the importance of training the mind.

In the same way, there is training in the Christian faith. We can develop the necessary sensitivity to make moral decisions only through such training. Our minds are trained to “distinguish good from evil.” Without this training, we have no way to evaluate new ideas. We may easily become prey for any new popular idea. Without disciplined training in the “word of righteousness,” we cannot distinguish between the Christian faith and the many other claims.

But Christianity is not a religion only for learned people. Paul could describe some of the early Christians as being “not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” (1 Corinthians 1:26). But Christianity called all of these to use their own gifts to become more intelligent in the faith.

We notice also that it is not just a certain group of experts in Hebrews who were called to develop their understanding of the faith. The words “you are dull of hearing” were addressed to the whole congregation. It was the author’s reminder that, while we may want responsible leadership to guide our study, others need to use their own gifts to grow up in the faith.

Are we also “sluggish in hearing”? What has happened to families who should have a thorough knowledge of the basic content of the Bible? As James Smart wrote in his book The Strange Silence of the Bible in the Church, there is a danger that the church will largely ignore the Bible in its educational curriculum. The indictment of a bored church long ago may also be indictment of contemporary congregations.

Not all educational programs based on the Bible are equally beneficial for the vitality of the church. We often demonstrate that we do not take the Bible seriously by the way we treat it in our programs. In some instances, we abuse it by limiting our study to only a few sections. Sometimes, it is used only to prove a point reached long ago. The mere fact that we use the Bible does not mean that we will “train our senses,” as Hebrews puts it. We grow when we study with enough seriousness to be prepared to hear the whole story, not just the parts we prefer to hear. We wonder why people who read a lot do not read more books on religious subjects. Some people take their Christianity very seriously. They keep informed in many fields by reading the best books.

But they seldom read a book about the realities of faith, about God, Christ, prayer, and the Bible.

Most of us have known people in the church with extraordinary competence in the academic, professional, or business world who have not grown beyond a few fundamentals in the Christian faith. In business they have shown their keen minds and capacity for growth. But they exhibit an unbelievable immaturity when it comes to faith. The author of Hebrews knows sluggish minds do not give vitality to the church.

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

The preacher’s indictment of his community is not the end of the sermon. Preaching also offers words of hope and encouragement. People must see a reason to engage in the action to which they are called. So the author of Hebrews encourages his community to leave the “elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity” (6:1f.). In this word of exhortation, there is a stern warning that ap- pears in two other instances in Hebrews (10:26f.; 12:17).

If those who have been “once enlightened” fall away, it is impossible to restore them to repentance. The author does not elaborate on his statement, so his warning is hard for us to understand. We must remember, though, that his words are not addressed to people who have already fallen away and are seeking readmission to the church. His major point is that our faith is far too precious to throw away. Our “enlightenment,” or our beginning Christian life, only happens once. To think that we all “fall away” and then return cheapens our salvation. We must “go on to perfection.” Without that progress we will die.

The preacher must also provide the resources that will challenge the people to go on. The author offers two reasons to his community to keep their commitment. First, verses 7 and 8 provide an illustration from nature. The land which receives rain and bears useful fruit is blessed by God. If it bears only thorns and thistles, it will be burned. God calls the land to be responsible. He provides His blessing only if the land does its part. It is the same way with this tired community. God promises His blessing only to those who discipline themselves to grow up in the faith.

Second, we have invested so much of ourselves in the faith that it would be a tragedy to throw it away. The readers of this epistle demonstrated their “earnestness” (spoude) long ago when they served the saints. In 10:32-35, there is another reminder of what their faith had meant to them. They endured loss of property and abuse from their society. They visited prisoners (10:34), endured a hard struggle (10:32), and ministered to the saints (6:10). This faith meant far too much to them to be thrown away now.

Our church life often appears unpleasant. Disagreements with others and dissatisfaction with the direction of the church can cause us to become disheartened and sluggish. We need to remember our previous investment in a cause in which we believed. If God does not forget our “work and labor of love for his sake” (6:10), our past should also stimulate us to “show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end” (6:11).

If the author of Hebrews had written his book two thousand years later, he probably would have said about the same thing. A weary church in the twentieth century needs to hear both his word of indictment (5:11-14) and his word of encouragement (6:11). Both sound as if they were addressed to us.

* Appreciation to Dr. James Thompson

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1 David H. C. Read, Virginia Woolf Meets Charlie Brown (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1968), 141.

2 Donald Baillie, To Whom Shall We Go? (New York: Scribner’s Press, 1955), 63.

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Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV) 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The author’s enthusiasm for the Word of God seems to be naive to many contemporary Christians. Instead of seeing the Word of God as the answer for a dying church, many today suspect that it is the cause for much of our apathy.

Sin in the life of a child of God can bring terrible consequences. We have seen what sin did to Israel: It hardened their hearts, produced unbelief, and kept an entire generation out of the Promised Land.

The writer of Hebrews said that the same misfortunes can befall Christians. He encouraged his readers not to make the mistakes the Israelites made (v. 11).

If sin is so terrible, what can be done about it? Specifically, what should a child of God do with his sins?
For us, words can be cheap. We make promises to each other that we do not take seriously. We make oaths to God that we easily break. It is easy for our words to mean nothing because too often we have turned them into nothing.

But God is different. He says to Jeremiah, “‘Is not My word like fire?’ . . . ‘and like a hammer which shatters a rock?’” (Jeremiah 23:29). Our commitments may be meaningless, but God’s Word is lasting. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

We cannot hide them (4:11–13)
People deal with their sins in many different ways. Some deny them; others ignore them; many make excuses for them. Then there are those who try to hide them. The author of Hebrews said, in effect, that it is impossible to hide our sins. The Word exposes them (v. 12). Further, God knows when we sin (v. 13).

The Israelites fell because they did not heed God’s Word. The same will be true of us if we do not pay close attention to the teaching of the Scriptures.

In context, “the word of God” refers to the Old Testament passages the writer was quoting, but the message is applicable to all of God’s revealed will.

First, it is “living and active.” God’s Word is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (v. 12a). The Word can reveal even the most carefully hidden sin.

The Bible is not a book of thousands of isolated verses. It concerns the God whose Word is “living and active,” who offers our lives a promise. 

Early Christians were sustained largely by the conviction that the thread running through the Bible was the word of promise:

• They recalled that God had made promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:2) and David (2 Samuel 7:10-17).
• In the coming of Jesus Christ, they recognized that God had kept His promise.
• Paul told his listeners in one speech, “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus” (Acts 13:32, 33).
• The good news was the word that was “promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2).
• God’s Word—pierces “as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow” (v. 12b). The message is that the Word of God lays bare all of a man. If we look into the Word with an honest heart, we see ourselves as we really are (James 1:22–25).
• The Word is therefore “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (v. 12c; emphasis mine). The Israelites fell in the wilderness because of a heart problem. As our lives are com- pared to God’s Word, our hearts are revealed.

God Knows When We Sin (4:13).
The writer moved easily from the Word of God to God Himself. God’s Word is an expression of Himself; the two cannot be separated.

The passage says that no one can hide from God: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight” (v. 13a). God knows everything. “All things are open” to His eyes (v. 13b).

Think of an individual who has done everything he can to hide the flaws of his body. Then think of his embarrassment as he is stripped of his clothing and every flaw is exposed. Even so, regardless of outward religious show, God sees us as we really are.

Everything is “laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (v. 13c).

Right now God knows all about us, and someday we will stand before Him in judgment and give an account for all that we have said and done. The conclusion from this is that we need to repent of our sins and change our lives!

Words of cheap grace do not sustain the life of the church. It is the confrontation with God’s word of judgment which calls us to repentance and accountability.

We must acknowledge our sins and turn to Jesus for mercy Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

If we cannot hide our sins, what should we do with them? We should acknowledge them and turn to Jesus for mercy.

We Have a Sympathetic High Priest (4:15).
He passed through the heavens (4:14). The most sacred locale ever entered by an earthly high priest was the physical Holy of Holies (the “Most Holy Place”; NIV), but Jesus went “into heaven itself” (9:24).
He can sympathize with our weaknesses (4:15). This was not always true of earthly high priests.
He is sinless (4:15). This was definitely not true of earthly high priests.

He administers grace. Earthly high priests could administer law and even justice, but not grace. Jesus gives “grace to help in time of need” (4:16).

Verse 14 says that since Jesus is our High Priest, we should “hold fast our confession”—that is, the confession we made before we were baptized, the confession that Jesus is the Christ. If we hold fast that confession, we will never leave Him or cease to follow Him.

To phrase verse 15 positively, “we have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted in all things as we are (yet without sin).”

We Can Come Before Him With Confidence (4:16).
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” (v. 16a). Someday Jesus’ throne will be the throne of judgment; but today, for the faithful child of God, it is “the throne of grace,” which means “the throne that is characterized by and inhabited by grace.”

We need to draw near “so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (v. 16a). We need mercy and grace to be saved; we also need mercy and grace to stay saved.

Hebrews 5:7-10 (NIV) 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Many interpret the “loud cries and tears” are here because of Jesus’ concern about the pain on the cross. While there was much pain involved during those last few hours, the tears and cries here are about the time on the cross when God turned His back on Him as He took on the sins of the whole world.

It should give us an indication why we must deal with our sins God’s way…they separate us from God and it should trouble us with ‘loud cries and tears of our own.’