The Better Things Which Accompany Salvation

Next Part The Better Things Which Accompany Salvation 2

"But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak." Hebrews 6:9

It appears, from several passages in this Epistle, that the Hebrews, to whom it was written, were suffering under severe persecutions; and not being firmly established in the faith, they manifested under the pressure of these heavy trials a wavering disposition. It is for this reason that we find the Apostle Paul intermingling in this Epistle solemn warnings and admonitions with suitable encouragements.

He felt for them as undergoing persecution; but his keen, discerning eye perceived in some of them symptoms of wavering; and this led him to speak to them in a tone of solemn admonition, such as we scarcely find in any other of his Epistles. In the sixth and tenth chapters, especially, of this Epistle, we find two most solemn warnings; and perhaps there are no two chapters in the Bible which have more tried God's people than those just mentioned.

As the text is intimately connected with the fearful warning in the sixth chapter, it will be necessary for me, as briefly as is consistent with clearness, to drop a few hints on it, before I enter on the words of the text. In so doing, I shall set out by stating it as my firm persuasion that the Holy Spirit is not speaking of the children of God in that place; but that when he is describing those whom, if they should "fall away", it is impossible "to renew again unto repentance", he means professors of religion, entirely destitute of a work of grace on their souls. "It is impossible," he says, "for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame".

If we look at the words, there certainly seems to be a very near approach to what takes place in the heart of a child of God; and yet, if we examine the passage more minutely, we find nothing said in it of a work of grace, nothing of repentance unto life, nothing of faith in Christ, nothing of hope in God's mercy, nothing of love towards the people of God; in a word, nothing of that spiritual teaching which makes a man wise unto salvation.

1. The first thing said of these dreadful characters, is, that they were "once enlightened". The apostle does not say they were quickened into spiritual life, regenerated, and born again; but he speaks of them as being "enlightened".

Now there are two different kinds of enlightenment; the one, spiritual and saving, such as the apostle speaks of in Eph 1:18, "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling." And so David, "The entrance of your word gives light". "With you is the fountain of light; in your light shall we see light". In these passages, spiritual saving light is spoken of; what the Lord himself calls the "light of life"; that is, not merely light to enlighten the understanding, but life accompanying it to quicken the soul.

But there is another enlightenment, and of that the apostle speaks here, the enlightening of the natural understanding; not a spiritual light, such as attends a regenerating work on the conscience, but an intellectual light, whereby the truth is perceived by the natural mind in the letter of the word.

2. "And have tasted of the heavenly gift." In the apostolic times "gifts" were communicated to the churches for the profit of the saints. There were gifts of healing, of tongues, of prophecy, and others such as we find mentioned in 1Co 12:8,9. These were given for the profit of the body, and were distinct things from grace, as the apostle declares in 1Co 12:31; when, after describing these gifts, he adds, "And yet show I unto you a more excellent way", that of "charity" or love--and then he goes on to say, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal; and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."

These gifts then, are called "heavenly gifts", as being communicated from heaven for certain purposes; but are not "grace", whereby the soul is regenerated. In the exercise of these gifts a natural pleasure was found by their possessors, here called "tasting". Similarly in our day, there are gifts in prayer, gifts in preaching, gifts in conversation, gifts in interpreting and expounding the Scriptures. Now a man may have all these gifts, and yet be entirely destitute of grace; and when he exercises them, he may find a certain pleasure and delight in their use, which is called a "tasting of the heavenly gift"; and is perfectly distinct from eating the bread of life, enjoying the presence of God, and feeding by faith on the savory meat of the gospel.

3. But it is also said, they were "made partakers of the Holy Spirit". This perhaps is one of the most stumbling expressions in the whole passage; but I think we may clear it up by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Do we not read of Saul that "the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied"? Is it not also recorded when on one occasion Saul sent messengers to take David, in two successive instances, when they came into the presence of Samuel, "the Spirit of God was upon the messengers, and they also prophesied"? Do we not read too what the Lord says, "See, I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to do all the work of the tabernacle?" And did not Balaam speak by the Spirit, and prophesy wonderful things concerning the Messiah? Thus in this outward sense, a man may be "made a partaker of the Holy Spirit"; his natural understanding being illuminated, but his soul never regenerated, nor the grace of God communicated to his heart. Balaam and his donkey both spoke as God moved their tongues, but the rider was no more regenerated than his beast.

4. "And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come." There is much in the word of God, which can be understood and relished by the natural understanding; there is in parts great eloquence, many flowers of poetry, many moving expressions, and compassionate sentiments; and all these things may have a certain effect upon the natural mind, quite independent of and distinct from any revelation or application of truth to the soul by the power of the Holy Spirit, quite different from the inward reception of truth in the heart and conscience. There may be also a natural relish for "the good word of God", and a receiving of the gospel with gladness which is meant by the expression "the world to come", where there is no peace nor joy in believing.

But the Apostle having shown how far a man may go in a profession, and prove at last utterly destitute of vital godliness, proceeds to bring forward a word of encouragement and consolation for the people of God, who might have been tried and exercised with the solemn warning set before them. He therefore adds, in the words of the text, "But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak."

I. What does he mean by these "better things"? He means graces in opposition to gifts; the work of the Spirit upon the heart and conscience, as a thing distinct from any mere profession of religion, or any mere intellectual understanding and natural reception of truth. And why are these "better things"? They are better, because gifts are for time, grace for eternity; gifts profit the church, grace saves the soul; gifts puff up men with pride, grace gives a single eye to the glory of God; gifts, when unaccompanied by the grace of God, harden the heart; grace melts and softens the soul, and makes it fit for "the inheritance of the saints in light"--gifts leave a man where they find him, or I might rather say, unaccompanied by grace, worse than they found him for the more a man touches sacred things with unclean hands, the more hardening effect they have upon him, while grace in its communication, makes a man a new creature, and lifts him up into the eternal enjoyment of the Three-One God.

Inasmuch then, as eternity is better than time, salvation better than damnation, and heaven better than hell; so are the blessed graces and teachings of God's Spirit in the soul "better" than the highest gifts and brightest attainments which are short of the work and witness of the Holy Spirit in the heart.

II. But the Apostle adds also, "things that accompany salvation", which he was "persuaded" those to whom he wrote were in possession of.

What then is "salvation"? In looking at salvation, we must consider it from two points of view; salvation wrought out for us, and salvation wrought out in us. Salvation was wrought out for us by the finished work of the Son of God, when he cried with expiring breath, "It is finished." The salvation of "the remnant according to the election of grace" was then completely accomplished, so that nothing could be added to, or taken from it; for "by one offering he has perfected forever those who were sanctified"; and thus the elect stand complete in Christ, without "spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing".

But there is a salvation which is wrought out in us; the manifestation and application of that salvation which Jesus has wrought out by his sufferings, blood-shedding, and death--and this we can only know experimentally, so far as the blessed Spirit brings it into our hearts, and seals it there with holy unction and heavenly savor.

But all the people of God cannot feel sure they have this salvation as an experimental reality; doubts, fears, darkness, and temptations becloud their path; Satan hurls his fiery darts into their souls; and they are unable to realize their interest in the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation. They do not doubt whether the Lord Jesus is the Savior of those who believe; they know that there is no other refuge for their guilty souls but the blood of the Lamb. They are effectually stripped from cleaving to a covenant of works; they are not running after things that cannot profit them, nor hiding their heads in lying refuges; from all these things they are effectually cut off, and cut out by a work of grace on their souls. But through the unbelief of their hearts, the deadness of their frames, the barrenness of their souls, and the various temptations they are exercised with, they fear they have not the marks of God's family, and are not able to realize their saving interest in the love and blood of the Lamb.

The Apostle, therefore, speaks of "things that accompany salvation"; that is, certain marks and signs, certain clear and indubitable tokens of the work of grace on the soul. And, speaking to the Hebrews, he says for their comfort and encouragement, "we are persuaded", whatever be your doubts and fears, whatever the darkness of your mind, however exercised with sharp and severe temptations, "we are persuaded" you are in possession of those "better things", of those "things that accompany salvation"; and that this salvation is therefore eternally yours.

Let us then with God's blessing, endeavor to trace out a few of these "better things", these "things that accompany salvation"; and show how far better and more blessed they are than any gifts that hypocrites or mere professors may be in possession of.

1. A work of grace on the soul then, is "a better thing" than any mere gift, and is "a thing which accompanies salvation". And what is a work of grace on the soul? It is to be quickened by the Spirit of God into spiritual life; it is to be made a new creature, by being brought to experience the almighty work of God on the conscience, renewing us in the spirit of our minds; and it consists in the communication of eternal life to the soul, with all its blessed consequences.

But wherever this work of grace takes place in a man's soul, there will be certain fruits and results that follow out of it. A man cannot be a partaker of the grace of God, and remain where he was before the Spirit quickened his soul; being "a new creature, old things are passed away" with him, and "all things are become new". And thus, being a new creature, and having the life of God in his soul, it will be manifested by the certain fruits that invariably spring out of it.

And I know not a surer test that this good work is begun than when the heart is made tender in God's fear. The Lord took especial notice of this mark in Josiah, when Shaphan the scribe read to him the book of the law, which Hilkiah had found in the temple, and he sent to enquire of the Lord--"Because your heart was tender, and you have humbled yourself before the Lord, I also have heard you" 2Ki 22:19. This tenderness of heart was a mark in Josiah, on which the Lord, so to speak, put his finger; it was a special token for good which God selected from all the rest, as a testimony in his favor. The heart is always tender which God has touched with his finger; this tenderness being the fruit of the impression of the Lord's hand upon the conscience.

This spiritual tenderness of heart is a very different thing from a natural conscience. Many people mistake the movings to and fro of natural conscience for a heart made tender by the work of God's Spirit. But you may know the difference between a natural conscience, and a heart tender in God's fear by this, that the natural conscience is always superstitious and uncertain; as the Lord says, it "strains at a gnat, and swallows a camel". It is exceedingly observant of self-inflicted austerities, and very fearful of breaking through self-imposed rules; and while it will commit sin which a man who has the fear of God in his heart would not do for the world, it will stumble at mere unimportant trifles in which an enlightened soul would not feel the least scruple. It will "pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin", while it "omits the weightier matters of the law"; and "will not go into Pilate's judgment-hall lest it should be defiled" John 18:28, at the very time that it is seeking to imbrue its hands in the blood of the Savior.

But here is the mark of a heart tender in God's fear; it moves as God the Spirit works upon it; it is like the mariner's compass, which having been once touched by the magnet, always turns toward the North; it may indeed oscillate and tremble backwards and forwards, but still it will return to the pole, and ultimately remain fixed at the point whence it was temporarily disturbed. So when the heart has been touched by the Spirit, and has been made tender in God's fear, it may for a time waver to the right hand or to the left, but it is always trembling and fluctuating until it points toward God, as the eternal center of its happiness and holiness.

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