The Work of the Holy Spirit to Jewish Christians (James and Hebrews)

(Essay #13 – God’s Prophetic Spirit)

Kindle Version

As we move on from the book of Acts, we must remember that most of the epistles that follow were written during the same period of history. And, just as significantly, they were penned to the churches that were established within the events of Acts. That means the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit we explored in Essay #12 cannot be forgotten. For example, Paul’s distribution of prophetic abilities to the twelve disciples in Ephesus, his subsequent miracles, and his “endorsement” from the evil spirit to the sons Sceva cannot be forgotten when one reads the letter he addressed back to the Ephesian church. The epistles are not divorced from Acts. They are woven into its history and doctrine.

With that foundation, the approach that the essays, from this point forward, will take is examining the epistles in a loosely chronological manner.[1] In so doing, one will be encouraged to remember each epistle’s historical connection back to the events recounted for us in Acts. Hopefully this connection will help the reader to remember that the epistles are simply explaining and applying the work of the Holy Spirit which Luke thoroughly documents in his inspired record.

In our discussion of the epistles, we will expand our focus slightly. In the preceding essays, we have looked for direct references to the Holy Spirit. However, in the epistles there are several verses which do not use the word “Spirit” but do speak of His power and work in the churches. It will be our intention to include as many of those references as feasible in these studies.

Our first grouping of epistles will examine James and Hebrews. We begin with James because it is considered by most to be the earliest of the epistles and is usually dated to the last half of the decade of the 40’s. It is written to a church which was still largely, if not completely, Jewish. This makes Hebrews a good companion to it in an essay such as this. These are the two epistles clearly written to the Jews.

The Work of the Holy Spirit in James

Within the epistle of James, the word “spirit” appears in most English translations only twice. The first reference is indisputably a statement about the human spirit (2:26). The second reference is one about which commentators are divided concerning the nature of the spirit mentioned (4:5). Yet that does not mean the work of the Holy Spirit is not referenced in this first of the Christian epistles. In fact, if one listens to the opening words of James and remembers to place them within the events of Acts, he will find a strong promise about the Spirit’s work among the saints.

James 1:5-6

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Very few commentators see this passage as a direct statement of the Spirit’s work. This author believes that position is a mistake. If James is placed within the history of Acts, this encouragement to ask God for wisdom is both expected and would have been necessary for the recipients of this epistle. Given that James is written to the “twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (v. 1), it must have been written after the scattering of the saints in Acts 8:1-4. Yet, its lack of any mention of Gentile converts likely places it before, or at least not long after, their inclusion in the gospel in Acts 10-11.  That means none of the missionary journeys of Paul have occurred before James was written. The apostles still likely resided in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). Consequently, the saints who were scattered abroad had to practice their new faith without the personal oversight or assistance of the apostles.

How did this change impact them? Having lost the direct oversight of the apostolic influence, they would need to turn to another source to guide them. Even in Acts 8, it is said as they scattered abroad, they “went about preaching the word.” How did they accomplish this mission? Not a single book of the New Testament had been penned by the time described in Acts 8.

No written record of the Gospel existed. From whence did the scattered saints get their inspired assurance of the Gospel? The only method by which these individuals could have preached the word was by the prophetic gifts of the Holy Spirit that they had received through the indwelling of the Spirit. Undoubtedly, as these Christian communities sprang up in the Roman world, questions of doctrine and practice would have arisen.[2] Prior to Acts 8, the apostles would have been available to help guide them.  Once scattered from the apostles, that guidance was no longer present with them. James 1:5-6 promises that the lack of apostolic presence in the lives of these scattered saints would not prohibit them from finding answers to these questions of doctrine and practice.

In this first letter to the saints, it opens with a promise that the Spirit’s prophetic gifts were dynamically responsive to prayers of faith. The reassurance of the fulness of the Spirit’s powers confirmed here is a repeated item in the rest of the New Testament.

Each part of James 1:5-6 indicates its connection to the Spirit’s prophetic work among the saints and lays the foundation for how the Spirit’s work is implemented throughout the totality of the epistles to the church.

Wisdom was Gifted from the Spirit

The opening verses of James are a promise of God-given wisdom. Notice how often in the New Testament, wisdom is tied to the prophetic endowment or revelation of God:

• Matthew 13:53-54 – And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
• Mark 6:2 – And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?
• Luke 1:15-17 – . . . and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
• Luke 2:40 – And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
• Luke 21:14-15 – Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
• Acts 6:3 – Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
• Acts 6:10 – But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
• Acts 7:9-10 – “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him . . . and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh . . .
• 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 – [A]nd my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
• 1 Corinthians 2:7 – But we impart – a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
• 1 Corinthians 2:13 – And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
• 1 Corinthians 12:8 – For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
• Ephesians 1:8-9 – [W]hich he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
• Ephesians 1:17 – [T]hat the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
• Colossians 1:9 – And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
• Colossians 2:2-3 – [T]hat their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In the New Testament, wisdom is not the ability to make judgments about the personal choices we have in life. The wisdom that is being given from God is the ability to reveal the “hidden wisdom” of the mystery of God. It is revelatory in its nature. A failure to understand the setting in which the epistle of James was written causes us to strip the passage of its power. This wisdom that is promised was powerful because it came directly from the mind of God.  It strengthened infant Christian communities to stand against the trial of their faith that had begun because of the persecution which caused them to be scattered from the apostles’ protection in the first place.

Wisdom is Given to the Faith-Filled

The wisdom here promised is not learned. It is given. Further, it is given to those that ask in faith. Is there any connection between faith and the giving of God’s blessings in the New Testament? Consider the connection between faith and the prophetic powers given to the saints in Matthew 17:

And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:14-20)

The ability to accomplish their prophetic or miraculous role was tied to their faith. Their lack of faith limited the exercise of the power of God through them. The same is true of the prophetic powers of the Spirit in the New Testament church.

The prophets of the early church played a pivotal role in the exercise of the gifts through them. While we will comment on this topic more fully in the essays on each of the epistles, note that each prophet had a responsibility to desire the best gifts and pray for access to those powers (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1; 14:12-13; 14:39). They were responsible for the condition of the Spirit within them and for encouraging a greater demonstration of the Spirit’s gifts in their lives (1 Corinthians 14:32; 14:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).

God’s gifts were given to men who prayed for those gifts and exercised them in their lives. The laying on of an apostle’s hands was not a once-for-all-time gift. As we will discuss in our comments on those verses above, the recipients of that apostolic blessing played a pivotal role in how that gift manifested itself in their lives. By faith and prayer, they had the ability to expand the demonstration of the Spirit’s power in them. This would certainly include a greater dispensation of the “utterance of wisdom” that is expressly part of the Spirit’s gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8).

For these saints who had just recently been scattered from the divine wisdom of the apostles, how could they conceive James’ words in any other manner?

How does God Give Wisdom?

In the end, there must be a manner by which the promise of James is fulfilled. The question, “how does God give wisdom?” must be answered. The challenge for those who do not see prophecy in James’ words is found in the elemental nature of wisdom. Wisdom is made up of specific content. It tells us how to act in each situation. Being wise helps us control our responses to stimuli. It directs the way we think, speak, and live. Wisdom is a fact, not a feeling. No urging, hunch, leading or feeling can be called wisdom.

In the Bible, wisdom is taught. It is revealed. It comes down from above (James 3:17). The hidden wisdom of God, which man cannot discover on his own, is taught in words delivered by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). As the prophet Jeremiah stated, it is not within man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). The wisdom to walk in the ways of God does not come from within man’s heart, nor is it implanted directly there. It is delivered by the revelation of God’s mind through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Solomon succinctly describes this process in these words:

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).

There is no other biblical process by which God has ever given wisdom to man.

The inspired prophets of both testaments heard the voice of God through the Holy Spirit. Through inspiration they spoke those same words to man. In time, they encapsulated their words in the writings of the Bible. The sum of the divine wisdom for man is contained in those words. If the Bible is truly sufficient to equip to every good work; if it has within it everything that pertains to our life and godliness, there can be no divine wisdom we need outside of its revelation. Whether it is spoken or written, God gives wisdom from the words of His mouth. That is the only way the Bible ever states that it is done.

The simple truth is that unless there is some impartation of the wisdom of God apart from His words, James’ promise must be fulfilled by God’s words. To the saints of the Dispersion, those words came only through the prophetic powers of the Holy Spirit.

James 4:5

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

James’ epistle contains only one potentially direct reference to the Holy Spirit, and it is found in this verse. However, it is a most difficult passage both to translate and exegete. Translators have rendered the verse as a reference to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit given by God, and others, as a reference to the human spirit that God has given to each of us. The ESV translators, as well as the KJV, NIV, and ASV, begin verse 6 with the word “but.” That suggests a contrast between the jealousy of the spirit in verse 5 with the grace of verse 6. However, the ESV suggests that it is God that is jealous of the spirit; while other translations state it is the spirit within us that lusts to jealousy. If it is God that is jealous of the spirit, then verse 5 quite possibly could reference the Holy Spirit. However, if it is the spirit in man that is lusting to jealousy, it is most unlikely that the Holy Spirit could be envisioned in this passage. The text is undoubtedly challenging.

However, for our purposes in this study, the passage is of little impact in shaping a doctrine about the work of the Holy Spirit. First, it is always dangerous to establish doctrine from an uncertain translation. Second, even if it can be established that the spirit of this text is the Holy Spirit, all the verse asserts is that the Holy Spirit was given by God. The purpose and/or effect of that giving is left unstated. Very little of a specific nature about the Spirit’s work can be gathered with certainty from this text.

Other “Spirit” Texts in James

There are handful of other passages in James which somewhere between “possibly” and “likely” have the Spirit’s prophetic work in their background. The references may not be clear enough to make specific argumentation from them, but their content at least needs to be remembered and considered as one studies the work of the Holy Spirit.

• 1:17 – The “good” and “perfect” gift coming down from God has a possible connection to the “good gifts” of Matthew 7:11 and the giving of the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:13.
• 1:18 – The Jewish converts to whom James wrote were a part of the “firstfruits” of the gospel. The “first” quality of the Jews in the gospel is stated in numerous passages and has been discussed in these essays.[3] They are called the firstfruits of God’s creatures. The language is very similar to the language of Romans 8. The recipients of the Roman letter are said to have the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:23). We will discuss this connection more fully in our comments on Romans.[4]
• 1:21 – James instructs his readers to “receive” the “implanted word.” While this could simply be a statement of receiving the word through the “hearing” of it mentioned in verses 22-23, the “implanting” of the word could also be a reference to the deposit of God’s word in the earthen vessels of the early saints (2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2 John 2).
• 3:13 – There are numerous examples of prophetic individuals being said to be full of wisdom and knowledge. Some of those have already been listed in this essay. The reference in this verse to those endued with knowledge and wisdom could easily be a reference to the same.
• 3:17 – As stated earlier, wisdom comes from the mouth of God. The wisdom that is from above could have only come down through some prophetic form of revelation.
• 5:14-15 – While the specifics of this challenging text are outside of the scope of these essays, it is entirely possible, and perhaps even likely, that the power of the elders to heal and the prayer of faith are part of the prophetic gifts God provided to the pastors or elders He set in the church (Ephesians 4:11).

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Hebrews

Penned twenty or so years after James, the audience of the book of Hebrews is the same: Jewish Christians. Like James, the role of the Holy Spirit in this epistle is less of a focal point than in epistles written to groups of Christians comprised of both Jewish and Gentile people. Yet, what is stated about the work of the Holy Spirit is consistent with what the Jewish prophets had proclaimed and had been taught through the apostles and prophets of the New Testament as well. In Hebrews the Holy Spirit is the Revealer of the word of God.

The word “spirit” appears a dozen times in Hebrews. Two of those times it is used in reference to angels.[5] Once it is used in a clear reference to the human spirit.[6] Twice it appears in statements expressing the relation of the Father to the “spirits” He has created.[7] There remain seven direct instances of the word “spirit” which need to be examined in our study.

However, Hebrews’ reliance on Old Testament prophecy creates numerous examples of quotations of the Spirit’s words. Three of the seven “Spirit” references expressly attribute an Old Testament passage to the words of the Holy Spirit:

• 3:7 – Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice . . .”
• 9:8 – By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing.
• 10:15 – And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying. . .

In addition there are at least 28 instances in which the same formulaic use of Old Testament passages occurs without a direct reference to the Holy Spirit.[8] So while there are only about four direct statements about the Holy Spirit’s work with man, there Holy Spirit’s work and its prophetic impact is fully in the background of this epistle.

Hebrews 1:1-2

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

This text makes no direct reference to the Holy Spirit. But we know, as Peter confirmed, that the prophets of the Old Testament were able to speak the words of God to the father by the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). In passing, it should be noted again that God only speaks through prophetically empowered people. In the Old Testament, it was the prophets. In the life of Jesus, it was through the Son. In the time of the New Testament, it was by the prophetically empowered apostles and prophets (see comments on Hebrews 2:4 below). This verse, when connected to 2 Peter 1:20-21, affirms that those prophets are the ones who have access to the Holy Spirit. Once again, a man’s connection to the Spirit makes him a prophet.

Hebrews 2:3-4

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

This verse affirms one of the reasons for the gifts of the Holy Spirit among the early saints. It was through the signs, wonders, and miracles performed by the Holy Spirit through the saints that God bore witness to the great salvation in the gospel of Jesus. This concept of God’s witness being borne through miracles was found in the defense of the life of Jesus (Acts 2:22; 10:38). It is in this light that the witness of the given Holy Spirit of Acts 5:32 should be understood as well.[9]

Hebrews 6:4-6

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

This is a most difficult text for many reasons and deserves some measure of discussion. The answering of three questions will help to bring some clarity to it.

1.      What is Impossible?

The opening words of this verse calls the action contained within it “impossible.” That is an accurate translation. The Greek word comes from the particle “a,” which is the particle of negation, and from the word “dunatos” which means “powerful.” So, the word means having no power or unable to perform an action. This passage is then describing something this not just hard or difficult. It is speaking of something that there is no power to accomplish.

The “impossible” act is stated to be to “renew to repentance” the people of this verse that have “fallen away.” Unless one’s doctrine is that an “enlightened” person cannot fall away, the words here are as easy to understand as the word impossible. They are translated properly. This verse is describing those who have fallen aside from the gospel. Some argue that this verse is wholly hypothetical and not truly possible.[10] Yet, that concept ignores the purpose of the writing of this epistle. The whole letter is focused on exhorting Christians not to “fall aside” and to turn back into their former life. The heed needed in 3:12; the sorer punishment and certain judgment of 10:26-29; the call to continued endurance of 10:35-36; and the destruction of those who shrink back of 10:39 are not just hypothetical or theoretical. The falling away possibility in Hebrews was a clear and present danger to their faith. And for those who succumbed to it under the banner of this passage, it would be impossible to renew their former walk of life.

It is not the words of this text that are so difficult. Its challenge resides in the fact that the doctrine contained in this verse disproves what many currently believe.

2.      For Whom Would Repentance Be Impossible?

However, it is important to read the whole passage. This text describes a group of people for whom repentance would be impossible. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of these people before drawing a conclusion about the meaning of these verses. The people of this text had a particular relationship to the Holy Spirit. Five characteristics of these people are enumerated. Each one of them is a statement of prophetic empowerment:

• They have been Enlightened
• They have Tasted the Heavenly Gift
• They have Partaken of the Holy Spirit
• They have Tasted the Good Word of God
• They have Tasted the Powers of the Age to Come

These five items describe the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church as succinctly and comprehensively as any place in the Bible.

In scripture, enlightenment comes from the revelation of God. Paul’s preaching enlightened men to see the mystery of God (Ephesians 3:9). Through the gospel, Jesus “brought to light” life and immortality (2 Timothy 1:10). It is God who brings light to man through Jesus (John 1:9) and reveals the hidden things (1 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 3:9). Enlightenment comes from the knowledge of God and His word. The audience of this verse had been “once” enlightened. This is not a statement then of their ongoing growth in the gospel. This phrase is looking back to a point in time when they were given the revelation of their enlightenment (cp. Hebrews 10:32). The source of the revelation is specifically spelled out in the four items that follow. It was at the time when they received the Holy Spirit.[11]

1. That reception is called receiving the “gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 and 10:45. Here it is referred to as tasting the heavenly gift.
2. Their receiving of the heavenly gift caused them to partake or share in the Holy Spirit. This is a statement of having, being given, or receiving the Holy Spirit. The effect upon the people of these verses is that whatever blessings the Holy Spirit provided the saints they had tasted, partaken, and shared of them.
3. What that sharing provided them was the same blessing that the “having” of the Holy Spirit “in” a person has always provided. When a man “has” the Holy Spirit, he is a prophet. Because of their participation in the Spirit’s prophetic ministry, these saints had tasted the word of God. Being able to “taste” God’s word, the gospel of Jesus, as He was in the process of revealing its words is precisely that which the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit provided early Christians.
4. However, the words given to the saints of Hebrews 6 needed prophetic confirmation to the same degree as the message that was first spoken by Jesus and the early prophets who had heard Him in person (Hebrews 2:4). That evidence, both in 2:4 and here in 6:4-6, was provided through signs, wonders, and miracles given through the Holy Spirit. The word of God came to the Hebrews in a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. This context affirms that they continued to preach the word by the Spirit in the same manner.[12]

This is an overlooked passage in defining and understanding the work of the Spirit in the church. Even thirty-plus years after the beginning of the gospel, the work of the Holy Spirit is still limited to prophetic influence.

What is important to understand then is the limited application of this passage. These verses do not make a unilateral statement about the ability of fallen Christians to repent. The people in this text are prophetically gifted individuals. These essays have made the case that in fulfillment of Joel 2, that “all flesh” in the kingdom was given access to the Spirit’s power. However, the distribution of the Spirit was coming to an end by the time Hebrews was written. Within 5-7 years after the penning of this epistle, the Spirit’s work would have been accomplished.[13] If church history is accurate, by this time some, likely many, of the apostles had already died. The late writing of Hebrews means that a second and third generation of Christians had begun to populate the church. In other words, non-gifted Christians would have become more common as the prophetic age came closer to its end.

That is significant in this text. The saints in danger of not being able to repent are those who had been Christians for some time. In the former days (i. e. nearer to Pentecost in Acts 2) they had been illuminated and empowered (Hebrews 10:32). These are the saints that are expected to be mature and teachers of others (cp. 5:12-14). Yet despite all the longstanding access to the Spirit’s teaching they had been provided, they were not maturing and were in jeopardy of falling back into their former lives.

3.      Why is it Impossible to Repent?

The question of why these Christians would not be able to repent remains unanswered. That question has plagued commentators of all kinds. The specific statement in the text is that they had “crucified once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” Yet Jesus specifically stated that sins against Him would be forgiven:

And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come (Matthew 12:32).

It is on this point where much difficulty is established. Hebrews 6 does not affirm, as some suggest, that these individuals could not be forgiven of holding up Jesus to contempt. It states that it would not be possible for them to repent. Those are two different statements. One is the action of man. The other is the action of God. This text denies the action of man, without making any statement about the work of God.

Some have held then that this text is based on the hardening of people’s hearts to the point that they won’t repent. In practical terms, that statement is true. Man can so persist in sin that his heart becomes resistant to the word of God. Yet, in an absolute sense, it is doubtful that a man is ever truly passed the capacity of repentance. His hardened heart may be stony, but it is not beyond the power of the gospel. His task is difficult, but it is not impossible. This text demands the impossibility of repentance.

For a moment, step back from this text and consider:

When does it become impossible for a man to repent?

The answer is found in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 9:27 states that man is appointed to die once and after that to be judged. There is the answer. It becomes truly impossible for a man to repent only after he is dead.

It is on that point, that keeping the book of Hebrews in its historical context is most helpful. It was penned just a few short years, perhaps months, before the fall of the capital city of the Hebrews: Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the home of the temple. It was the seat of Israel’s national identity. Its pull on the hearts and minds of Jewish Christians was strong. And during the days leading up to its fall, national Israel appeared to have rebelled successfully against the Roman authorities.[14] Jewish patriotism and hope would have been at its peak when the letter to the Hebrews arrived.

Jerusalem’s long-standing place before God is found in this text. Many students fail to appreciate the impact of verses 7-8 on the meaning of this text:

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Prophetically, Israel was the nation that had long-drunk from the cup of God’s blessings. It was His precious vineyard (Isaiah 5).  Yet, it had failed to produce the fruitful crop for which it had been created. For that reason, it was about to be destroyed. In the words of the Hebrews’ writer: “It is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.” The immediacy of the impending judgment on Israel is stated again in 10:37: “For, ‘Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay.’” God was about to move against Israel.

Why this matters in this text is the impact God’s promised, impending judgment would have had on Jewish Christians who fell away from the gospel in the time of this letter. The saints of Hebrews 6:4 in falling away from the gospel had to fall into something else. Into what would those saints have fallen? The saints of the books of Hebrews were Hebrews – They were Jewish Christians. They would not have turned to paganism. The danger they faced was in returning to their former life in the Jewish religion.

They had seized a hold of the better covenant, the better promises, and the better mediator. They needed to remember that they had not come to a physical Zion, but the spiritual one (12:22ff). The exhortation was to endure and not “shrink back” into their former life (10:39).

It is important to consider what would have happened in A. D. 68 to a Jew who turned from the gifts of God given him through the Holy Spirit? He would have returned to his people. What then? Simply put, he would have died. The reason he would never be able to repent, was that his life would have ended because he failed to heed the prophecies of Jesus to leave Jerusalem and Judaism behind when Rome came in judgment of Israel:

By your endurance you will gain your lives. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. (Luke 21:19-22)

Jesus’ call for endurance that leads to the gaining of their lives is the same plea found in Hebrews:

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised (10:35-36).

It is they, who had long been Christians and who long received the outpouring of God’s prophetic word from the Holy Spirit, who should have been leading the church away from Judaism. But instead, they were the ones wavering. The simple point of the Hebrews’ writer is that if they failed this last test, all hope for them was gone. The saints of this solemn text would die with their unconverted countrymen. Neither group would obey Jesus and flee the declared abominable desolation for which their homeland had been destined. Their end would be the fires of God’s judgment on Jerusalem.

In summary, Hebrews 6 is a warning to the mature Christians in Jerusalem, those who had been given the Holy Spirit from the apostles, not to waver because their lives were quite literally at stake in the days to come.

Hebrews 9:14

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

This text is not a statement about the Spirit’s work in the church. The “eternal Spirit” here is depicted as He who empowered the service of Jesus. There is some difficulty in the rendering and the meaning. A few manuscripts have the word “holy” in this text which would make it a direct reference to the Holy Spirit.[15] However, it is also possible the “eternal Spirit” is a reference to the divine nature of the Christ or some similar concept. In any case, the verse makes no statement about the work of the Holy Spirit with man.

Hebrews 10:29

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

This text draws a comparison between the rejection of the first covenant given by Moses and the new covenant of Jesus Christ. Rejection of the first covenant resulted in punishment. The argument is then that the rejection of the better covenant should result in a more severe punishment. This rejection is said to profane the blood of Christ and to outrage the Spirit of grace.

This text makes no actual statement about the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a statement of His reaction to the saints’ works. The question is why does the rejection of the covenant of Jesus outrage the Spirit? The connection is clear. That covenant was revealed and confirmed by the outpouring of the Spirit starting in Acts 2. As we have studied in this essay, the Holy Spirit had been in the Hebrew saints sharing with them the message of this new covenant and bearing witness to it for nearly 40 years. For these generational, Spirit-empowered saints to reject the Spirit’s message is worthy of every drop of the Holy Spirit’s outrage.

The Jews and Indwelling

What is telling in Hebrews and James about the Holy Spirit is primarily what is missing from them. In Paul’s letters, the indwelling of the Spirit is used as the evidentiary mark of equality among believers. The Spirit’s prophetic presence authenticated, not just the message, but the people who were received by the true Gospel. Paul’s argumentation follows Peter’s defense of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10, 11, and 15.[16] The Pauline use of the Spirit’s indwelling is missing from the letters written to Jewish audiences.

It was not needed. Neither Hebrews nor James has an argument like Galatians 3-4 or Romans 8. The “indwelling” is not emphasized in argumentation before Acts 10. It is not found in the epistles to the “Hebrews.” This point needs to be noted here, as it will be developed more fully as we move forward to the writing of the Pauline epistles where the controversy between Paul and Judaizing Christians becomes more pronounced. When writing to an exclusively Jewish audience, no argument about indwelling is necessary.

In observing the lack of “indwelling” argumentation in the two Jewish epistles (one from the beginning of the apostolic age and one from the end), we can better appreciate that Paul’s use of indwelling in his epistles is not truly a universal argument. We must understand the “indwelling” texts in the epistles are all found in places where the Gentile Christians are being defended against the complaints of the Jews. That argument was first voiced in Acts 10-11 and permeates the letters of the apostle Paul to the Gentiles. Reading Romans and Galatians without this understanding in place will hinder our understanding greatly. Its purpose is to answer a specific doctrine taught by his Judaizing opponents. 

Conclusion

These two epistles fall perfectly in line with everything in the Bible we have before the writing of Hebrews and James. Not one new truth or doctrine about the Spirit’s work is found in these epistles. To the Jewish Christians of the first century, just like all their countrymen and ancestors before them, the work of the Holy Spirit was to give dreams, visions, and prophecy. The Holy Spirit’s work is always prophetic.

[1] Given the brevity of some epistles and the relatively few references to the Spirit in some of the epistles, the grouping within these essays does not always follow the chronological approach. This essay is a good example of that as both James and Hebrews have a relatively small number of direct “Spirit” references and are separated by about 20 years in their writing. Yet, their thematic and recipient overlap makes placing in the same essay appropriate. Chronological accuracy is a primary but not singular consideration in the coming organization of New Testament epistles portion of this series.

[2] Please see Essay #7: “The Purpose of Miracles and Prophecy in the Church” for a full discussion of the need of the early church for prophetic gifts in its service and worship.

[3] Please see Essay #10: “God’s Mystery Established by the Holy Spirit”

[4] Please see Essay #16: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in Rome and Galatia” for comments on Romans 8.

[5] 1:7; 1:14

[6] 4:12

[7] 12:9; 12:23

[8] 1:5; 1:6; 1:7; 1:8; 1:10; 1:13; 2:6; 2:12; 2:13; 3:15; 4:3; 4:5; 4:7; 5:5; 5:6; 6:14; 7:17; 7:21; 8:5; 8:8; 9:20; 10:5; 10:9; 10:30; 10:37; 12:5; 12:26; 13:6

[9] Please see Essay #12: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in Acts” for comments on Acts 5:32.

[10] Albert Barnes, for example, equates this verse to one’s supposing what would happen if the ocean overwhelmed a continent, “It is material to remark here that the apostle does not say that any true Christian ever had fallen away. He makes a statement of what would occur on the supposition that such a thing should happen – but a statement may be made of what would occur on the supposition that a certain thing should take place, and yet it be morally certain that the event never would happen. It would be easy to suppose what would happen if the ocean should overflow a continent, or if the sun should cease to rise, and still there be entire certainty that such an event never would occur.” Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Hebrews to Jude, vol. 13 of Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1983), 130.

[11] It is possible the reception of their enlightenment in this passage is looking to the point of their conversion. Enlightenment comes through revelation. It does not matter whether that revelation is given directly or through the preached word. The content of the revelation is still the same and so the effect of bringing illumination to the hearer would be the same. If this verse does look to the point of conversion, then this passage exactly parallels Acts 2:38 in that the hearing of the preached word led to the Jews of Jerusalem repenting and being baptism and then receiving the “heavenly gift.”

[12] Please see Essay #11: “God’s Mystery: Finished by Judgment” for a discussion of the Holy Spirit and the “ages” in the Bible.

[13] Please see Essay # 8: “The End of Prophecy” for a fuller discussion of this topic.

[14] The First Jewish Revolt coincided with Nero’s suicide (A. D. 66-68). After an initial victory for the Jews at Beth-horon and an interruption for the Roman armies while Vespasian returned to Rome to secure the throne, national zealots and a few false messiahs arose. These events are concurrent with the writing of Hebrews.

[15] Instead of “eternal Spirit,” which is supported by several early manuscripts, a few early manuscripts and later witnesses related to them have “Holy Spirit.” The Greek words for “eternal” and “Holy” are similar, and may have been confused (Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible)

[16] Please see Essay #10: “God’s Mystery: Established by the Holy Spirit” for a discussion of this concept.