Doing the Father"s Will

Articles

Ross Triplett
09/27/20 - Articles

Doing the Father’s Will

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will” (Hebrews 2:1-4).

As the Hebrew writer indicated, in the preceding chapter, the Son of God had become “so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:4), the taking “heed to the things that were heard” is paramount. With the authority of Jesus surpassing the angels, as well as Moses, Hebrews 3:5-6, it should be readily seen that mankind cannot be found acceptable to God if they “neglect so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3).

The neglecting of this “great a salvation” is done through “transgression and disobedience:” “For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward,” does it not follow that to “neglect so great a salvation” would be equal to “transgression and disobedience?”

There are many passages that warn the child of God of falling short. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians, saying, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall,” (1 Corinthians 10:12), and, as the Hebrew writer himself said, “But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition; but of them that have faith unto the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:38-39).

Throughout the scriptures, the Lord emphasizes the necessity of obedience, saying, “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (ASV, John 3:36). The KJV of this passage, reads, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Whereas the term “believeth,” is defined as “"to be persuaded of," and hence, "to place confidence in, to trust," signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence” (Vine’s), its counterpart, “believeth not” is not defined as “does not place confidence in,” or “does not trust,” but, “to disobey, be disobedient,” as in “believe” which is a verb that indicates an action. If an individual is not actively pursuing godliness, then they are actively pursuing ungodliness. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants you are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness?” (Romans 6:16-18).

Consider the words of the Lord, saying, “But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, “Son, go work today in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not; but afterward he repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matthew 21:28-31). ret