Text: Hebrews 12:22-24
The theme of the book of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ over Moses and the old law. In our text, the Hebrew writer described the privileged position we have in Christ. This is more than just fellowship with God and our fellow Christians. It includes the angels and “the righteous.” But what did he mean by “the spirits of the righteous made perfect”? Who were they? What does perfection mean? We will consider these in our lesson.
The Immediate Context (Hebrews 12:22-24)
- Christians have come to a particular place, and the Hebrew writer describes its conditions
- Location – Mount Zion, city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem
- Inhabitants – myriads of angels, general assembly and church of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, the spirits of the righteous made perfect
- Authority – God, the Judge of all; Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant
- His point – while in the church on earth, we have fellowship with those of the past and those in heaven
The Broader Context (Hebrews 12:18-29)
- Throughout the book, the Hebrew writer has been contrasting the old way and the new way
- The old way – handed down by Moses; many Hebrew Christians were tempted to go back to this
- The new way – in Christ; better in every way (revelation, sacrifices, priesthood, etc.)
- In this passage, he described the scene at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-18) – there, Moses received the law from God (Exodus 31:18); the people were afraid and asked that God not speak to them except through Moses (Exodus 20:19)
- In the verses that follow, the Hebrew writer warned them not to refuse the one who is speaking – God will “shake” heaven and earth, removing those things which are temporary; what will remain is what “cannot be shaken,” the kingdom of God
- Therefore, we are to serve God “with reverence and awe”
Who Are “the Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect”?
- Righteous men, but who? – different from “the church of the firstborn”; the “firstborn” are those who belong to God (cf. Exodus 13:2); Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), and Christians have united with Him (Romans 6:3-5); so “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” is not synonymous with those who are in the church
- These are the righteous men who lived before the new covenant – the difference between the two covenants has already been discuseed (Hebrews 12:18, 22; 8:6); many of these righteous men were discussed in the “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11); they were approved by God for their faith, but were not “made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40)
- What does it mean to be “made perfect”? – it means to be brought to completion; passive (God is perfecting them), but conditional (faithful); similar but slightly different statements in Hebrews 12:23 (perfect tense) and Hebrews 11:40 (aorist tense)
- 11:40 (aorist tense) – they were lacking without the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:4, 10, 14)
- 12:23 (perfect tense) – continue in the state of completeness; no chance of falling; eternal life
What Is the Lesson for Us?
- Those who are faithful enjoy fellowship with God, with all the righteous, and with all the heavenly host
- Jesus’ blood is able to perfectly cleanse us from sin – there is no sin that cannot be forgiven if we repent
- There is no hope apart from Him – only those in His kingdom will remain; everything else will pass away
- We must faithfully serve Him – be part of His church, be righteous, serve Him with reverence and awe
