Once saved, always saved?

Transcription

1 György Suhai Box #591 04/22/06 COVENANT THEOLOGY II Final Paper Once saved, always saved? The Usage of Genesis 2:2 in Hebrews 4:4 1

2 Once Saved, Always Saved? The Usage of Genesis 2:2 in Hebrews 4:4 Thesis statement: In my paper I establish the thesis that the author of Hebrews cites Genesis 2:2 in Hebrews 4:4 in order to prove that those who believe in the good news and persevere to the end will enter the very same rest as that which God has been enjoying ever since the creation of the world. I further argue that the rest of Hebrews has a future eschatological sense and it does not refer to the rest one can enter in this life when he or she puts his trust in Christ. Introduction In Hebrews 3:7-4:11 the author of the epistle warns the addressees, i.e. confessing Jewish- Christians under sever persecution (10:32-34), regarding the danger of falling away from their faith in Christ. When he comes to Hebrews 4:4 in the development of his exhortation he cites Genesis 2:2 in support of his argumentation. The purpose of this paper is to discern how the author of Hebrews used this OT passage, namely how the usage of the Genesis 2:2 fits into his line of thought. In order to accomplish our goal, we need to discern which text the author has used; and then we need to examine what this passage means in its original context in the Book of Genesis. Comparision of texts Hebrews 4:4 in GNT: 4 ei;rhken ga,r pou peri. th/j e`bdo,mhj ou[twj( Kai. kate,pausen o` qeo.j evn th/ h`me,ra th/ e`bdo,mh avpo. pa,ntwn tw/n e;rgwn auvtou/( Genesis 2:2 in MT: hf'_[' rv<åa] ATßk.al;m. y[iêybiv.h; ~AYæB; ~yhil{a/ lk;ûy>w: 2 `hf'([' rv<ïa] ATßk.al;m.-lK'mi y[iybiv.h; ~AYB; tbov.yiw: 2

3 Genesis 2:2 in LXX: 2 kai. sunete,lesen o` qeo.j evn th/ h`me,ra th/ e[kth ta. e;rga auvtou/ a] evpoi,hsen kai. kate,pausen th/ h`me,ra th/ e`bdo,mh avpo. pa,ntwn tw/n e;rgwn auvtou/ w-n evpoi,hsen When comparing the above texts, it is clearly seen that in this case, the LXX translation remains faithful to the MT. It also becomes clear that the author of Hebrews cites only the second half of Genesis 2:2. The quoted text agrees substantially with the LXX, only minor variations occur. The last phrase of Genesis 2:2 has been omitted, w-n evpoi,hsen ( which he had done ) and o` qeo.j evn ( God in ) is inserted in the citation. Though, as Ellingworth points out, Hexaplaric manuscripts of the LXX agree with Hebrews in supplying o` qeo.j evn from Gn. 2:2a. It is uncertain whether the author of Hebrews is following his Vorlage (Ahlborn 27; McCullough ) or whether the LXX manuscripts assimilate to Hebrews. o` qeo.j is added to provide an explicit subject since ei;rhken here and in v. 3 may refer to scripture. The usage of NT writers and scribes varies on whether to omit or include evn with expressions referring to specific days (BI) 200 [I]). 1 To sum it up, we are dealing with a direct quote from the LXX with minor variations that do not influence or change the original meaning of Genesis 2:2. Genesis 2:2 in its original setting In Genesis 2:1-3 we read an account of the events which took place on the seventh day. After God had finished his work of creation in the span of six days (Gen. 1:1-31) he rested on the seventh day. Genesis 2:1-3 is the closing accord of creation and thus, regardless of the chapter divisions of the English Bible versions, is an organic part of the first pericope of the Book of Genesis, i.e. Genesis 1:1-2:3. In form and content the seventh day differs sharply from the preceding six. But this is no reason for making a break in the account between 1:31 and 2:1 as the medieval chapter division suggests. 2 1 Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to The Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993), Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis. (Waco, TX: Word Books, ), 1:34 3

4 With verse 4 a new pericope begins, i.e. the description of the first, so called, Toledot (tadl.at), 3 which gives us a more detailed account of what happened on the sixth day of creation. 4 Up till this point in the Genesis narrative we find the repeated pattern of the narrator saying, And there was evening and there was morning, the day to close the accounts of each creation days. Interestingly enough, when we come to the seventh day, we do not find this refrain repeated again. Why is this phrase missing from the description of the seventh day? What does the omission of the pattern imply? What was the message of this passage for the original audience? In order to answer these questions we need to examine this passage in details. First of all, God s creative activity is defined as work (hk'al'm., translated as e;rgon in LXX), which occurs 3 times in this short section. It is the word that is used later to denote ordinary human work (cf. Gen. 39:11, Ex. 20:9). Thus Delitzsch notes, human work is ennobled to the highest conceivable degree, as being the copy of this model. 5 Secondly, the resting of God here is expressed by tbov.yiw: from tbv which has three closely related senses: to cease to be, to desist from work, and to observe the sabbath. It is clear that the second sense is central here, though since God abstained from work on the seventh day,... the sabbatical idea is also near at hand. Nevertheless it is striking that the Sabbath is not mentioned by name. 6 Delitzsch calls to our attention that in no case must the rest of the Creator be understood as the result of fatigue it was the consequence of the now perfect and harmonious whole, combined with the satisfaction and joy (Ps. liv. 31) which this whole, as dam bwm, afforded Him. 7 Then we read that God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. The divine blessing endowed the seventh day with a treasure of grace flowing forth from the rest of the Creator, which is 3 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth is the introductory formula of the toledot narratives of Genesis, i.e. 2:4-4:26, 5:1-6:8, 6:9-9:28, 10:1-11:9, 11:10-26, 11:27-25:11, 25:12-18, 25:19-35:29, 36:1-43, 37:1-50:26. 4 C. John Collins, Genesis 1-4. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), Franz Delitzsch, A New Commentary on Genesis (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publisher, 2001), 1: Wenham, Genesis, 1:34. 7 Delitzsch, A New Commentary on Genesis, 1:107. 4

5 open for those who keep it, and the divine hollowing removed it from among the week days and invested it with a special and distinguishing consecration, both retrospectively and prospectively, because on it He tb;v', i.e. entered into rest. 8 By the later observation of the seventh day as holy God s covenant people were imitating the Creator s example. The omission of the above mentioned pattern designates that the divine rest, which started on the seventh day, has never ended. God has entered into his rest and has been enjoying it ever since. By sanctifying or separating the Sabbath day God invites us to share his rest and enjoy the foretaste of it on one of the weekdays. But, as Delitzsch puts it, the Divine Sabbath has an infinite perspective: it terminates the creation of the world, and after becoming at the close of the world s history the Sabbath of the creature, will last forever and ever. 9 As a summary of this section of the paper we can draw several important conclusions with respect to the original meaning and interpretation of Genesis 2:1-3 and more specifically Genesis 2:2. 1) On the seventh day God rested from his work of creation and he has been enjoying his rest ever since. 2) By resting on the seventh day God provided his people with an example that needs to be imitated. 3) God sanctified and blessed the seventh day which means that blessing will be poured out upon all who imitate the Creator by resting from their labors on the Sabbath day. 4) The author of Genesis uses the word work, which denotes ordinary human work, to describe God s extraordinary creative activity from which he rested on the seventh day. With that in mind we can now move on to examine and evaluate the usage of Genesis 2:2 as it occurs in Hebrews 4:4. 8 Ibid Ibid

6 The examination of Hebrews 4:4 As we alluded to it in the introduction, the overall purpose of the Epistle is to remind a group of early Jewish-Christians of their foundation of their faith in Christ and to warn them regarding the danger of falling away from him due to societal and religious pressures and severe persecution. In order to attain his goal, the author of Hebrews powerfully presents the accomplishments of Christ as being a prophet, high priest, and king par excellence, the one in whom and by whom a new period of God s redemptive history has begun. Our text, Hebrews 4:4, is imbedded within one of the four specific warning sections 10 of the epistle, i.e. 3:7-4:11. There has been a debate over the question, what the textual boundaries of the pericope are. Due to shortage of space we will only enumerate some suggestions. Ellingworth along with the UBS text, the NIV and NRSV takes v. 11 as the closing verse, since it marks the end of the exposition of Ps. 95, while 12f. have the character of independent saying. 11 However, F.F. Bruce decides for v. 10, but does not give us any reasons for his choice. 12 The ESV considers verses as the concluding paragraph of the pericope. But there are others, e.g. Harold Attridge, who considers 3:1-4:16 as one pericope. 13 I am in favor of Ellingworth s choice, since (besides his argument) v. 11. also mentions the overarching theme of this section, i.e. entering God s rest and that is when the author again draws together all that has been developed before and applies it to the recipients of the epistle :1-4, 3:7-4:13, 5:11-6:12, and 10: Andrew H. Trotter, Jr., Interpreting the Epistle to the Hebrews, Guides to New Testament Exegesis, no. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997), Ellingworth, The Epistle to The Hebrews, F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews. Revised ed. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), Harold W. Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hermenia - A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989), Martin L. Hawley, There Remains a Sabbath Rest For the People of God: Interpreting Sabbatismo.j in Hebrews 4:9, (M.A.T.S. thesis, Covenant Theological Seminary, 2005), 38. 6

7 In this section the author of Hebrews puts special emphasis on God s rest 15, more specifically on the danger of failing to enter God s rest. In the introductory section, 3:7-19, he evokes the sorrowful history of God s people in the OT and sets them as a deterring example before the recipients of the epistle. By recalling the events recorded in Numbers 13 and 14 and by quoting and expositing Psalm he draws an analogy between the situation of the wilderness community and that of the readers of the epistle. He points out that just as the exodus community was taken through trials by God in the wilderness (3:8), likewise they are also under God s trial (see wider context, 10:32-34). Just as the exodus community, instead of drawing closer and trusting more deeply in God due to the trials, became disobedient (3:18), had a hardened heart of unbelief (3:19), and as a result failed to enter God s rest, likewise the readers are also in danger of failing to enter God s rest if they respond in the same way to the trials they are undergoing (3:12, 4:11). Our interrogative questions are as follows. What does the author of Hebrews mean by entering God s rest? When and who can enter God s rest? What kind of rest are we supposed to think of? It is clear from our passage that the author of Hebrews emphasizes the future aspect of entering God s rest throughout this section, i.e. as an unfulfilled, remaining promise 17, that the recipients might fail to reach (4:1, 6, 9). According to v. 3. those who have believed are in the process of entering God s rest 18, which also implies that they have not entered it yet. The only apparent exception is v. 10, which talks about entering this rest in the past (aorist) tense, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 19 But immediately after this statement he says, Let us 15 The term rest occurs ten times in this pericope, 8 times as a noun, kata,pausij and 3 times in verbal form, katapau,w 16 See Heb. 3:7-11, 15; 4:3, 5, Stanley D. Toussaint, The Eschatology of Warning Passages in Hebrews, Grace Theological Journal 3 (Spring 1982): He also appeals to the heavenly estate described in Rev 14:13 rest. Although the term used there for rest is a semantically overlapping term - avna,pausij, not the identical term of 3:7-4:11 - kata,pausij. 18 Note the durative aspect of the present tense of eivse,rcomai. Ellingworth takes it as futuristic present. Ellingworth, The proper interpretation of this verse depends mostly on the proper interpretation of works (e;rga), which we will examine briefly, later. 7

8 therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience (4:11), which again, clearly points to a future fulfillment of entering that rest. Hebrews 4:4 is a key verse in the author s flow of thought, since here he defines the nature of rest more explicitly for the readers by introducing Genesis 2:2 connecting it with the exposition of Psalm 95. The author makes it clear that the rest which Psalm 95 refers to and which the readers are to enter through perseverance is God s creational seventh day rest, which has been lasting and available ever since. 20 The wilderness community did not enter God s creational rest under the leadership of Moses because of disobedience (3:16.), nor did those who under the leadership of Joshua 21 entered the promised land (4:8), nor did those who lived under the reign of David (4:7), and nor have yet the readers of the epistle entered it (4:9). Thus, the flow of verses 3-5 goes like this, there is still a place of rest available to us (v. 3a), Ps 95:11 attests its existence (v. 3b). However, God s place of rest existed from the time of creation (v. 3c). This is attested by Gn. 2:2 (v. 4).This is the same place of rest (v. 5a) of which Ps. 95:11 spoke (v. 5b). 22 That is, by citing Gen. 2:2, Hebrews is arguing that the rest that is the reward to the faithful new Exodus community is to be understood not as physical land, but as an eschatological rest, specifically, the rest that God has enjoyed since the completion of his creative work 23 Thus, we may conclude that based on the definitions given by the Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible the author of Hebrews develops within this second warning passage a form of pesher exegesis and applies the midrash method in Hebrews 4:4 based upon the 20 The MT uses the word ytix'wnm. in Psalm 95:11, my resting place, a noun derived from a different root (x;wn) than the verb tbv of Genesis 2:2, which the LXX renders as kata,pausij mou (Ps. 94:11). The author of Hebrews points out that the resting place mentioned in Psalm 95 is ultimately what God entered when he rested (tb;v') from his work of creation. 21 The Greek word VIhsou/j, can be legitimately translated as either Joshua or Jesus. However, Joshua fits better into the author s argumentation, since he is talking about the exodus community. 22 Ellingworth, The Epistle to The Hebrews, Peter E. Enns, Creation and Re-creation: Psalm 95 and Its Interpretation in Hebrews 3:1-4:13, The Westminster Theological Journal 55 (Fall 1993):

9 rabbinic gezera shawa rule. According to this rule, one passage may be explained by another, if similar words or phrases are present. 24 There are a wide variety of interpretations of the term entering God s rest even within Reformed circles, but after careful analysis of the passage it seems that only one of them, i.e. the one we have been arguing for, does justice to the author s original intent. In the following section we will briefly present and evaluate the two most popular interpretations. Possible interpretations Some commentators takes this passage as an exhortation for the weekly Sabbath observances. 25 The fundamental linguistic problem with this interpretation is that had the author of Hebrews wanted to convey the idea of repeated Sabbath keeping or Sabbath observances, as some have suggested, he could have employed a plural form. The fact that the author chose the singular implies that this term refers to a present singular event or perhaps either present or future continuous state. 26 Not to mention the fact that it does not follow the logic of the cited section of Psalm 95 nor that of Hebrews 3:7-4: The second and probably the most popular interpretation, held also by the author of this paper until doing some research on the passage in view, is the so called, already and not yet fulfillment of the promise of entering God s rest. 28 Namely that although those who believe in Jesus Christ have 24 Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible, See e.g. Francis Nigel Lee, The Covenantal Sabbath (London: The Lord s Day Observance Society, 1969.), Hawley, It is important to notice that the author of Hebrews omits the first half of Psalm 95, verses 1-7a, i.e. a call to worship in God s presence, which section might indeed have some reference to the regular Sabbath observance, and only cites verses 7b-11. This makes sense if we look at the context of Hebrews, since the author s primary intention is not to call the recipients to worship, but exhort them for faithful perseverance. 28 See e.g. Gerard Van Groningen, From Creation to Consummation (Sioux Center, IA: Dordt College Press, 1996), 74. Or George Eldon Ladd, Hebrews. In A Theology of the New Testament, Revised edition. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993),

10 already entered God s rest, 29 they will only enjoy it in its fullest sense after the resurrection. In answer to this interpretation, first of all, we have to admit that there are so called proleptic passages in Hebrews which have a partial realization aspect, cf. 3:14, 10:14, and also in the wider context of the New Testament, cf. Jesus promise of rest in Matthew 11: It is not my intention to question the interpretation or undermine the significance of such passages, but I argue that though this view is theologically correct, this is not what the author of Hebrews is intending to communicate in this specific exhortatory section. Such interpretations fail to take into account that other texts within Hebrews (3:6, 14; 10:25; 12:1-17) in which the author is clear that receiving the promises is dependent upon finishing the race (i.e. finishing in faith at the end of life). 30 Thus, according to the third interpretation, which has been presented and argued for in this paper, the term entering God s rest neither refers to regular Sabbath-keeping nor to the present rest of the believer in Christ, but to a future, eschatological Sabbath-rest (called, sabbatismo.j in 4:9) which only those can enter who persevere in faith to the end. The author of Hebrews in support of his argumentation cites Genesis 2:2 in order to identify this eschatological rest with God s creational rest which he entered on the seventh day of creation and which has been available to the people of God ever since. In 4:10 he draws an analogy between God entering his rest and the faithful believers entering God s rest, further emphasizing the future aspect of the promise, i.e. that just as God rested form his work, similarly the believers will only enter that rest when they also rest from their works 31 done throughout their lives. 29 The primary argument for this interpretation is that we should understand works in verse 10 as denoting our restless efforts to earn God s favor, i.e. our works-righteousness from which we rest in Christ at our conversion. But if we examine the usage of this term either in Genesis 2:1-3 or in the epistle of Hebrews, we do not see anything in support for this interpretation. Whenever the author of Hebrews talks about work in this sense he consistently uses the adjectival phrase, dead works (6:1, 9:14). 30 Hawley, e;rgon here can have both a general meaning, i.e. ordinary human labor, or can also refer to the good works that the believers are required to do by God, out of gratitude for his grace as visible evidence of their faith (cf. 6:10, 10:24). If we read Hebrews 10:36 with that in mind, we see that it gives further support for the legitimacy of the second interpretation of e;rgon in Hebrews 4:10. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done (aorist) the will of God (i.e. the 10

11 Pastoral concerns As for the pastoral implications of this passage, we have seen that the author of Hebrews strongly argues against the idea promoted by the oft quoted slogan, once saved, always saved, which for so many believers today has become an excuse for not living a godly life, for not fighting against sin and temptation, and for not enduring trials, hardships or suffering. The Epistle to the Hebrews were written for confessing believers who are exposed to several temptations and trials and are in a pilgrimage of faith towards the eschatological Promised Land, the never ending rest of the Creator, where only those can enter who have saving faith. According to the author of Hebrews the visible proof of saving faith is perseverance. The pilgrimage of the people of God is not yet over, they have not yet attained their God-ordained goal. It is not enough to start well, they have to end well, too. But there is also another promise held out to the believers, i.e. that God will give them the grace that is needed to accomplish their pilgrimage, which they must ask for, boldly (4:15,16). good works) you may receive what is promised (i.e. the entering of God s rest). (Heb. 10:36) A more detailed examination of the usage of works in Hebrews would be worth another research paper. 11

12 Bibliography Attridge, Harold W. The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hermenia - A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Hebrews. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, Collins, C. John. Genesis 1-4. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, Delitzsch, Franz. A New Commentary on Genesis. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publisher, Ellingworth, Paul. The Epistle to The Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, Enns, Peter E. Creation and Re-creation: Psalm 95 and Its Interpretation in Hebrews 3:1-4:13. The Westminster Theological Journal 55 (Fall 1993): Groningen, Gerard Van. From Creation to Consummation. Sioux Center, IA: Dordt College Press, Hawley, Martin L. There Remains a Sabbath Rest For the People of God: Interpreting Sabbatismo.j in Hebrews 4:9. M.A.T.S. thesis, Covenant Theological Seminary, Ladd, George Eldon. Hebrews. In A Theology of the New Testament. Revised edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Lee, Francis Nigel. The Covenantal Sabbath. London: The Lord s Day Observance Society, Toussaint, Stanley D. The Eschatology of Warning Passages in Hebrews. Grace Theological Journal 3 (Spring 1982): Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis. Waco, TX: Word Books,