Holding Fast to Truth

In Hebrews 2:1, the writer warns the believer to a spiritual phenomenon that can happen to anyone. It involves the “drifting away” from the faith. The Greek word used is pararreoe and it means a slipping away, a gradual and almost unnoticeable movement as a result of a deviation from the truth. The solution to this spiritual warfare is to pay closer attention [prosechoe – to hold the mind in a particular direction] “to what we have heard”. In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses writes “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons”. The spiritual principle being taught is an attention of the heart to divine instruction as the Holy Spirit illuminates truth in the inner man. Without this approach, we are subject to a slackness in our relationship with God. This may be the most important theme addressed in the book of Hebrews.

In Proverbs 3:21-23, “My son, let them [wisdom and understanding] not vanish from your sight; keep sound wisdom [ability that brings continued advancement] and discretion [discerning the Lord’s plan], so they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble.” The enemy wants nothing more than for the believer to stumble and get discouraged. This process is the beginning of an unbelieving heart. It comes when the believer loses touch with the person of Christ. This happened to both houses of Israel when they stopped treating the Lord as holy, as a sanctuary and He became “a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over”. “Many will stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; they will even be snared and caught” (Isaiah 8:13-15).

Deceitfulness of sin

In Hebrews 3:12:14, “Take care [pay close attention to], brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end”. The deceitfulness of sin is an ever-present reality to every believer. In Romans 7:11, Paul says, “for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me”. Receiving the Word of God with an “honest and good heart, and hold it fast, [they will] bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15). It is all about mixing faith with what we hear (Hebrews 4:2) and not allowing a dullness of hearing (Hebrews 5:11). 

Then again in Hebrews 4:12-16, the writer encourages the holding fast of one’s confession, holding firmly to the faith one professes. The passage acknowledges the living Word of God as discerning the intentions of the heart, confirming that our great high priest recognizes all of our failures in the context of a Man “who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (verse 15). The conclusion of the passage is verse 16, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. The believer is being warned about spiritual complacency, that a consistent drawing near with confidence to get the mercy and grace to help keeps each in the place of trusting in God’s provisions. 

Drawing near 

In Hebrews 10:22-23, the writer further encourages a drawing near “with a sincere [genuine] heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience [freedom from guilt] and our bodies washed with pure water [the purity of the new covenant relationship]”. This verse tells us that the full assurance of our faith, believing the truth, produces freedom from guilt and a sense of purity in our relationship with God. This full assurance of faith is the end result of the God who is faithful, so we hold fast or tightly to our confession. To complete this thought the writer exhorts each believer in verse 24-25, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near”. The commitment to assembling together in a consistent manner, the outward expression of drawing near, creates the environment where each believer stimulates others with love and doing good deeds. 

What then is it that empowers believers to being fully assured in the faith? It can only be by the grace of God, being instructed in a godly life. Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age”. Hebrews 12:15-17 warns the believer not to come short of the grace of God. Any reliance on self or someone other than God is a recipe for failure; it can only create a root of bitterness that causes trouble and defilement. Esau’s refusal of the birthright is used as an illustration of this principle.

The word of truth

In Francis Schaffer’s book, “The Great Evangelical Disaster”, Dr. Schaffer shares a principle he calls the snowshed principle. He uses it as an illustration of the importance of a proper interpretation of Scripture with a commitment to the truth, citing the drifting away from the truth as the great disaster of the evangelical church. He spent many years in the Swiss Alps and observed that as the snow melted in the spring, one face of a mountain would cause the melted snow to flow down to a particular river which would end up emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Just a few feet away, another snowshed would melt and end up in a different river, ending in the Mediterranean Sea. His point was that when one modifies their interpretation of Scripture, it could result in being a thousand miles away from the truth. In 2Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth”. It is of critical importance that the believer approaches the Word of God, the truth, with the proper conviction. 

An unshakeable kingdom

Hebrews final warning is found in Hebrews 12:25-29 in relation to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. These warnings can come from earth or from heaven. “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven [Jesus Christ]. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.’ This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe”. The warfare against the believer is the clash of two kingdoms and the end result is the shaking away of all created (man-made) things. The administration of this unshakable kingdom allows the believer to experience the blessings of that kingdom, producing a heart of gratitude. In Revelation 2:25, Jesus said, “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come”.