In this message we come to the matter of discipline for holiness (Heb. 12:5-14). One of the basic concepts of this book is that God wanted the Hebrew believers to be holy, to be separated absolutely unto Him, not to remain common in Judaism (v. 14; Heb. 3:1), but rather to enter into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 10:19, 22). True holiness is to enter into the Holy of Holies. Once we have entered into the Holy of Holies, we have reached the peak of holiness. There is no place where we can be more holy than in the Holy of Holies.
Entering into the Holy of Holies is not merely a matter of being in the shekinah glory. Even this is somewhat outward and superficial. Although we may be in the shekinah glory in the Holy of Holies, we still need to experience the contents of the ark. Even inside the ark there is something concealed — the hidden manna in the golden pot. This hidden manna is near the tables of the testimony, the ultimate item in the experience of Christ. To be holy means to reach the consummate point of the experience of Christ, that is, to experience the law of life. Nothing can make us more subjectively holy than the law of life, for it works God’s holy nature, which is true holiness, into our being. God’s divine nature is the substance of holiness. Nothing other than the law of life is able to work God’s divine nature into our being. Only when we experience the law of life can we be truly holy.
The aim of the book of Hebrews is to bring us on into the Holy of Holies, with the intention that we may experience the contents of the ark of testimony. These contents consist of three things: the hidden manna, the budding rod, and the law of life. Both the hidden manna and the budding rod are for our enjoyment and privilege, but the law of life is for God’s working. Through it, He works Himself into our being. Therefore, if we would be holy to the uttermost, we must experience the law of life by which God works Himself into us as our real holiness.
Hebrews 12:7, referring to the persecution of the Hebrew believers, says, “It is for discipline that you are enduring.” From God’s point of view, the persecution which the Hebrew believers suffered from Judaism was a discipline, a chastening. They were being disciplined that they might be separated from the common things unto the holiness of God.
Verse 10 says, “For they indeed disciplined us for a few days as it seemed good to them, but He for our profit that we might partake of His holiness.” Discipline is the Father’s dealing with His sons that they may partake of His holy nature. God’s discipline, God’s dealing with us, is to bring us into His intention, which is that we forsake everything other than the Holy of Holies and enter into the Holy of Holies where we may have genuine holiness. However, like the Hebrew believers in the ancient times, many of us do not cooperate with God in this way. Thus, under His sovereignty, He disciplines us that we might be brought into His intention.
As we have seen, holiness is God’s nature, and to partake of God’s holiness is to partake of His nature. It was common, unholy, for the Hebrew believers to remain in Judaism. They needed to be separated to God’s new covenant that they might partake of God’s holy nature. For this purpose, persecution was aroused to discipline them that they might be separated from the common to the holy.
In verse 9 God is called the “Father of spirits.” “Father of spirits” is contrasted with “fathers of our flesh.” In regeneration, we are born of God (John 1:13) in our spirit (John 3:6). Hence, He is the Father of our spirits. Since the staggering Hebrew believers were wandering in their mind, not following the Lord in their spirit, the Father of spirits used the persecution by Judaism to force them to turn from their mind to their spirit (4:12) that they might partake of His holy nature.
Discipline is for holiness resulting in righteousness. Holiness is the inward nature, the nature of the divine life, and righteousness is the outward behavior, the behavior of the sanctified believers, which comes out of the inward nature and which brings forth the peaceable fruit, the fruit of peace (v. 11; Isa. 32:17). If we have never been permeated inwardly with God’s holy nature, we can never have proper righteousness in our outward behavior. Firstly, the law of life must work God’s divine nature into us. Then in our outward behavior we shall have the peaceable fruit of righteousness as the issue of inward holiness. In our practical experience, holiness is first, righteousness is second, and peace is third.
The Hebrew believers were being persecuted by the Judaizers. Some of the persecutors were probably their relatives, perhaps even parents or children. As they were under this persecution, they tried to make peace with their persecutors. But they did so at the neglect of their holiness. Holiness is entering into the Holy of Holies to reach the law of life, the working of which saturates us with God’s holy nature. When we are saturated with God’s nature, we spontaneously have the issue of righteousness, and this righteousness brings in genuine peace. Many Christians have a peace which is not genuine; it is a peace which comes from compromise. Some of the Hebrew believers might have said, “Oh, father, if you will not let me be in the new covenant way absolutely, then maybe I can go with you to the temple on the seventh day and attend the Christian assembly on the eighth day, the first day of the week. Then we can be at peace.” This peace is a peace through compromise, a peace which comes from sacrificing holiness.
As we have seen, peace is the fruit of righteousness, and holiness is the inward nature, while righteousness is the outward behavior. God’s discipline helps the believers not only to partake of His holiness, but also to make them right with both God and man that in such a condition of righteousness they might enjoy peace as a sweet and peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Verses 12 and 13 say, “Wherefore lift up the wearied hands and the paralyzed knees, and make straight paths for your feet that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather may be healed.” The Christian life is not a matter of theoretical doctrines for the mind. Rather, it must be practical in providing paths for our feet. All the sound, healthy doctrines of the Bible are for the paths. This is absolutely true with this book of Hebrews. This book firstly ministers to us the most high and healthy doctrines concerning Christ and His new covenant. Then, based upon the proper doctrines which it has shown us, it charges us to run the race and make straight paths for our feet. The first section of this book (1:1-10:18) is of doctrines, and the second (10:19-13:25) is of a race, of paths.
In verse 13 the writer tells the Hebrew believers to “make straight paths for your feet that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather may be healed.” The Greek word translated “put out of joint” may also be rendered “dislocated” or “wrenched.” The implication of the context is that the staggering Hebrew believers should abandon all appearance of the practices of Judaism (that is, to make straight paths) that they, the lamed members (limbs) of the Body may not fall into apostasy (that is, may not be put out of joint), but rather may be fully brought into the new covenant way (that is, may be healed). Thus, to make straight paths is to abandon all appearance of the practice of Judaism; not to be lamed is not to fall into apostasy; and to be healed is to be fully brought into the new covenant way.
The new covenant way must be straight, having no curves. If the Hebrew believers still went to the temple on the Sabbath day with their relatives, they would have been making curves in the paths of the new covenant way. Every compromising activity is a curve. I like the way highways are built in the United States — straight and flat. Many Christians today have seen the new covenant way, that is, the way of the Lord’s recovery. Although they know that the way of the church life in the Lord’s recovery is the right way, they do not dare to pay the full price. They compromise by putting curves in the way of the church in the Lord’s recovery. How could the Hebrew believers make the new testament way straight? Only by abandoning every appearance of Judaism. They had to say to their relatives, “Because the temple is an appearance of the Jewish practice, I will never go there with you on the Sabbath day.” Some saints today who have seen the way of the church are afraid of being criticized and say, “Let us not go to the extreme and cause trouble. Let us go along with others a little bit.” During the past fifty years, God has never honored such a compromise. Some have said, “Yes, we know that we are the church, but we should not say this because others will be offended. Let us just be the church.” This is compromise. If you are a lamb, you must say that you are a lamb. If you are a dove, you must declare that you are a dove. We should not say, “I am a lamb, but it is better not to say that I am a lamb.” By compromising in this way, many have added curves to God’s straight paths. If denominations are wrong, we must plainly say that they are wrong. In the book, Further Talks on the Church Life, Brother Watchman Nee says that if denominations are wrong, we should tear them down to the ground. We should not shake hands over the denominational fences in a compromising way. Shaking hands over the fence makes curves in the path.
In the past twelve years, which way has won the fighting in the United States and in Europe? Not the curved way but the straight way. God will never honor the curves. God is not a God of curves; He is a straight God. If a certain way is not right, we must condemn it. But if it is right, we must tell everyone, including the angels and the demons, that it is right. To make the way straight is to abandon the appearance of anything that is not God’s new covenant way.
The lame members alluded to in verse 13 were the staggering Hebrew Christians. Paul did not want the lame members to be put out of joint, that is, to be dislocated. To be put out of joint, dislocated, is to fall into apostasy, into the heresy of Judaism. The staggering Hebrew believers were in danger of falling into such apostasy. If your ankle is out of joint, it will be easy for you to fall from the right way. The words “but rather may be healed” mean to be brought fully into the new covenant way.
During the early years of the Lord’s recovery in this country, I saw the lameness and paralysis in the denominations. If the denominations were right, we had to join with them. But if they were wrong, we had to declare that they were wrong and tell people what was the right way. By the Lord’s mercy, this is what we did. We were, of course, condemned for it. But we do not care for people’s condemnation; we care about God’s honor. By His mercy, we sounded the trumpet in a clear way, describing things as they really were. Many were lame because the way was not straight but was full of curves. It was very difficult for them to find the right way. Praise the Lord that in the Lord’s recovery in the United States today there is a highway from Los Angeles to New York. Because the way has been made straight, many ankles have been healed. In the Lord’s recovery today, there is hardly one of us who is in danger of being out of joint. We all have been healed. According to Hebrews 12, to be healed is to be brought fully into God’s new testament way. Today everyone’s eyes are clear. Black is black, white is white, and gray is gray. Thank the Lord for such a straight path. I praise the Lord that there is hardly any dislocating or wrenching and that everyone is standing upright and walking along the straight path. We are not only walking — we are running.
Verse 14 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness without which no one shall see the Lord.” The proper Christian life must be a balance between peace and holiness. With God, holiness is His holy nature; with us, it is our separation unto God. The implication here is that while we are pursuing peace with all men, we must also pay attention to the matter of holiness before God. Our pursuing peace with all men must be balanced by our holiness before God, our separation unto God, without which no one shall see the Lord and have fellowship with Him.
We should not attempt to have peace with others without first having holiness. Peace without holiness means compromise. We do not want such a compromising peace. We want the peace that is the product of holiness. In the past years I have met many Christians who compromised in order to keep the peace. Eventually, there was no peace among them. Outwardly, they compromised about so many things, but inwardly they were fighting with one another. Praise the Lord that in His recovery today, the more we come into the Holy of Holies, the more we are at peace. If the elders in a certain local church are not at peace with one another, that is a shame. When we care for holiness, that is, for being in the Holy of Holies, we have true peace. Praise the Lord that for more than twelve years the church in Los Angeles has been at peace. The same is true of the church in Anaheim. When you come here, you cannot find a hint that peace is lacking. The peace among us is not produced by compromise; it is produced by the holiness in the Holy of Holies.
The staggering Hebrew Christians tried to keep the peace with their opposers, but eventually they lost their holiness. Therefore, the writer tried his best to bring them back to the proper peace, the peace which is the fruit of righteousness and true holiness. Peace is for us to live with man, and holiness is for us to see the Lord. Although you may have peace with man, do you still have the presence of the Lord? We must firstly care for the Lord’s presence and then for our living with others. Our peace must issue from the Lord’s presence. For us today, His presence is our practical holiness.
