“Jesus Paid It All”
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” – Hebrews 4:9
The word, “rest” in Scripture, is used in different ways. It is used in reference to Canaan rest, Heaven rest, and Sabbath rest. It, obviously, is used in reference to the rest of salvation. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
The study of the Book of Hebrews reveals a background problem, on the part of the Jewish believers. Many failed to realize, in the words of the old song, “Jesus paid it all”! Many were stagnated in their Christian growth because of their underlying problem of not breaking with the Law and O.T. order. Many had an immature hang-up in the matter of the understanding of the perfection of Christ and the implications of His finished work at Calvary. They are reminded in the Book that Christ is better than the O.T. system under Moses and that they needed to go forward in the matter of maturity.
Rather than cling to the sacrificial and incomplete types under the Old Testament Law, they now were to embrace the finished work of Christ and realize that His redemptive work was the fulfillment of those types. Their “restless” immaturity was the result of their failure to accept the full work of Christ and to walk by faith. The immature Jewish believers knew not the “rest” resulting from faith in what Christ truly accomplished at Calvary.
Many Christians today, similarly, live restless lives filled with uncertainty and distress. Many live in fear and worry and seem to never find real day by day peace. Many never seem to obtain victory for they remain defeated and are constantly up and down. The problem is that their “state” does not correspond with their “standing”! It is possible to be saved and have the secure standing of eternal life yet possess a state of insecurity, due to failure to mature in the understanding of Christ’s finished work.
Christians who walk by faith and understand that Christ fully paid our sin debt enjoy “rest”. What blessed “rest” to know that He delivered us from sins penalty, does deliver us from sins power, and will eventually deliver us from sins presence! “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow.” – Elvina M. Hall
Chuck Peters – 1/7/2023
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