Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. FOR. Such diligent striving (Hebrews 4:11) is incumbent, FOR we have to do with a God whose "Word," whereby we shall be judged, is heart-searching, and whose eyes are all-seeing (Hebrews 4:13). The qualities attributed to the word of God show that it is regarded in its JUDICIAL power, whereby it doomed the disobedient Israelites to exclusion from Canaan, and shall exclude unbelieving Christians from the heavenly rest. The written Word is not the prominent thought, though the passage is often so quoted. Still the Word of God (the s...

12._For the word of God is quick, _or _living, etc. _What he says here of the efficacy or power of the word, he says it, that they might know, that it could not be despised with impunity, as though he had said, “Whenever the Lord addresses us by his word, he deals seriously with us, in order that he may touch all our inmost thoughts and feelings; and so there is no part of our soul which ought not to be roused.” (71) But before we proceed further, we must inquire whether the Apostle speaks of the effect of the word generally, or refers only to the faithful. It indeed appears evident, that the word of God is not equally efficacious in all. For in the elect it exerts its own power, when humbled by a true knowledge of themselves, they flee to the grace of Christ; and this is never the case, except when it penetrates into the innermost heart. For hypocrisy must be sifted, which has marvelou...

11-16 Observe the end proposed: rest spiritual and eternal; the rest of grace here, and glory hereafter; in Christ on earth, with Christ in heaven. After due and diligent labour, sweet and satisfying rest shall follow; and labour now, will make that rest more pleasant when it comes. Let us labour, and quicken each other to be diligent in duty. The Holy Scriptures are the word of God. When God sets it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully. It makes a soul that has long been proud, to be humble; and a perverse spirit, to be meek and obedient. Sinful habits, that are become as it were natural to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, are separated and cut off by this sword. It will discover to men their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of many, the bad principles they are moved by, the sinful ends they act to. The word will show the sinner...

Verse Hebrews 4:12. _FOR THE WORD OF GOD_ is _quick, and powerful_] Commentators are greatly divided concerning the meaning of the phrase 'ολογοςτοςθεου, _the word of God_; some supposing the whole of _Divine revelation_ to be intended; others, _the doctrine of_ _the Gospel faithfully preached_; others, the _mind of God_ or the _Divine intellect_; and others, the _Lord Jesus Christ_, who is thus denominated in John 1:1, c., and Revelation 19:13 the only places in which he is thus _incontestably_ characterized in the New Testament. The disputed text, 1 John 5:7, I leave at present out of the quest...

FOR THE WORD OF GOD - The design of this and the following verse is obvious. It is to show that we cannot escape the notice of God; that all insincerity, unbelief, hypocrisy, will be detected by him; and that since our hearts are perfectly open before him, we should be sincere and should not attempt to deceive him. The sense is, that the truth of God is all-penetrating and searching, and that the real thoughts and intents of the heart will be brought to light, and that if there is insincerity and self-deception there can be no hope of escape. There has been a great variety of opinion here about the meaning of the phrase “the Word of God.” Some have supposed that it means the Lord Jesus; others, the whole of the divine revelation; others the gospel; others the particular threatening referred to here. The “Word of God” is “what God speaks” - whether it be a promise or a threatening; whethe...

EXPOSITION A REST STILL OFFERED TO CHRISTIANS. HEBREWS 4:1 LET US FEAR, THEREFORE, LEST, A PROMISE BEING STILL LEFT OF ENTERING INTO HIS REST, ANY ONE OF YOU SHOULD SEEM TO HAVE COME SHORT. This verse is a renewed warning against remissness, based (as is shown by the connecting οὖν) on the preceding argument, but introducing also, by means of the clause, καταλειπομένης, etc., a new thought, the elucidation of which is the subject of what follows. The new thought is that the true "rest of God," typified only by the rest of Canaan, remains still for the attainment of Christians. That this is the ease has not yet been shown; and hence the clause, "a promise being still left." etc., does not point to a conclusion already arrived at, but to what is com

FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS QUICK AND POWERFUL,.... This is to be understood of Christ, the essential Word of God; for the Word of God was a known name of the Messiah among the Jews; John 1:1 and therefore the apostle makes use of it when writing to them: and the words are introduced as a reason why care should be taken, that men fall not off from the Gospel, because Christ, the author, sum, and substance of it, is the living God, omnipotent and omniscient; for not a thing, but a person is spoken of, who is a Judge, and a critical discerner of the secrets of men's hearts: and certain it is, that this Word is spoken of as a person, and is said to be a priest in the following verses; to which may be added, that the several things said of the Word exactly agree with Christ: he is "the Word of God"; as the word is the birth of the mind, he is the only begotten of the Father; he is the Word that s...

Hebrews 4:1. _Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it._ Not only dread coming short, but dread the very appearance of it. Oh, that we might now enter into that rest, and so clearly enjoy it that there should not even be a seeming to come short of it. Hebrews 4:2. _For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it._ They were not united to it by faith; consequently, as they did not receive the Word, it was taken away from them. Hebrews 4:3. _For we which have believed do enter into rest._...

CHAPTER 4 _ 1. What the rest of God is (Hebrews 4:1)_ 2. The power of the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12) Hebrews 4:1 “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left of entering into His rest, any one of you might seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” These words of exhortation belong properly to the preceding chapter. What is the rest of which these verses speak? It is generally explained as the rest which the true believer finds and has in the Lord Jesus Christ in believing; that his conscience has rest. It is frequently identified with...

HEBREWS 4:1 continues the exposition of Psalms 95. The writer has already dealt with the warning contained therein; now he shows that this very warning implies a promise. In declaring that His rest is withheld from those who had proved unworthy of it, God would have us know that it is still in store. The fulfilment of that promise which had been offered in vain to ancient Israel is reserved for the people of Christ. HEBREWS 4:1 F. Transition from warning to promise. The warning of the psalm is one that directly concerns ourselves, for, since the Israelites under Moses were forbidden to enter into the promised rest, it is still waiting, and we Christians may possess it, if we do not fail as they did. The message which came to them has come also to us. They heard it, but missed the blessing which it