AND WE
DESIRE THAT EACH ONE OF YOU SHOW
THE SAME DILIGENCE: epithumoumen (1PPAI) de hekaston humon ten auten
endeiknusthai (PMN) spouden:
(Ro 12:8,11 1Co 15:58; Gal 6:9 Php 1:9-11; 3:15 1Th 4:10 2Th 3:13 2Pe 1:5-8;
3:14)
We desire (1937)
Earnestly long for, have strong desire for (1Ti 3:1)
Lust (1937)
(epithumeo from epí = upon, used intensively + thumós =
passion) (Click
for in depth study of related noun
epithumia)
means literally to fix the desire upon (whether things good or bad). It
means to have a strong desire to do or secure something. Note that the
preposition "epi" can express motion toward! And so it means to have
one's passions or affections directed toward something (good or bad).
That is, we desire (continually -
present tense) that each of you exhibit the same diligence to develop
your hope, which is in danger of failing, into full assurance, unto the end
of the present season of trial with its happy consummation....It is
practically the same whether it is translated full development or full
assurance. The two meanings coalesce. Hope develops into full assurance.
Each (1538)
(hekastos from hékas = separate) every single one. This idea
of separation or singling out is expressed still more strongly by heís
hékastos. It means each and every one of you. The writer gets very personal and does not
want to leave anyone out.
Show
(1731)
(endeíknumi
from preposition en =
in, to + deíknumi = to show) means to point out, to demonstrate, to
put on display, to prove, to show proof, to show forth, to show oneself, to
give visible proof, to show in anything and implies an appeal to facts. The
preposition (in) in the compound suggests more than the simplest
demonstration. It is like laying the index finger, as it were, on the
object. It means to to show something in someone. It can mean to do
something to someone, as Alexander the coppersmith "did" (endeíknumi)
Paul much harm (2 Timothy 4:14
note).
In the papyri it could have a quasi-legal sense of proving a petition or
charge or of proving that a charge was wrong. Josephus used endeíknumi
to describe Herod Agrippa’s display of generosity to those of other nations
(Josephus, Antiquities, 19:330).
The
present tense
calls for the saints to continually demonstrate this diligence
demonstrated by the patriarchs (he illustrates this diligence with "father"
Abraham - see notes
Hebrews 6:13;
6:14;
6:15
). The
middle voice
indicates that we ourselves must each consciously initiate this action
(empowered by the Spirit of course) so that we continually show
forth or demonstrate a zealous urgency.
Diligence
(4710)
(spoude
from speudo = hasten, make haste)
refers to eagerness, earnestness, willingness or zeal. It denotes quick
movement or haste accompanying the eagerness, etc, in the interest of a
person or cause. Thus spoude can refer to swiftness of movement or
action and means haste or speed (like our expression "in a hurry"). It can
refer to an earnest commitment in discharge of an obligation or experience
of a relationship.
Spoude was often used in Greek and
Roman literature and found on inscriptions in reference to extraordinary
commitment to civic and religious responsibilities, which were frequently
intertwined, and also of concern for personal moral excellence or optimum
devotion to the interests of others.
Spoude is primarily an attitude
which leads to an action. Spoude means to do something with intense
effort and motivation, with quick movement and is in opposition to the
attitude of slothfulness. The individual who is "spoude" who is eager to do
something and ready to expend the necessary energy and effort.
Spoude
describes zeal (eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something), passion
(passion applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring-- how wonderful to so
fully be in love with Christ so as to be fully governed by His Spirit).
Note that assurance comes from diligence. If we are diligent in living for
Christ, our hearts are filled with assurance. If we are not diligent, then
we cannot be assured that all things will be well. Living an up and down
life—sometimes living for Christ and other times not living for Christ,
sometimes living in sin and sometimes living in righteousness—causes doubt,
questioning, and wondering about salvation. And it should. We should fear
lest we fall away from Christ and His Word.
F B Hole (Biographical
Note) writes that...
Being thus assured of the salvation of
the mass of those to whom he wrote, there is but one word of exhortation at
this point. The writer urges them to go on doing as they had done — to
continue diligently in this good way to the end, in the full assurance that
their hope was not misplaced.
Hope has a very large place in connection with the faith of Christ, just as
it had in the bygone dispensation. Then, whether patriarchs or prophets or
just the people of God, they all had their eyes directed forward to the good
things to come at the advent of the Messiah. Now the good things have been
manifested in Christ — full atonement has been made, our consciences have
been purged, we have received the gift of the Spirit. Yet even so we are not
in the full enjoyment of the good things. For that we await the second
coming of the Lord. What we actually have at the present moment we have in
faith, and we enjoy by the power of the Spirit, for He is the Earnest of all
we shall inherit. We are saved, in hope of
all that is to come.
It is very important for us to be clear as to this, and even more important
it was for these converted Hebrews to be clear as to it. How often did they
get reproached by their unconverted relations! How often taunted with their
folly in giving up all the outward glories of the Mosaic system with its
temple, its altar, its sacrifices, its priesthood — and for what? For a
Master whom they could not see, for He had left them, and for a whole range
of things as invisible as He! What fools they appeared to be! But were they
really fools?
They were not. And if instructed in that which our chapter says they would
be able to give very good reason for what they had done. They would be able
to say, "It is really we and not you who are following in the footsteps of
our father Abraham. Promises were made to him and you seem to have forgotten
them, settling down as though contented with the shadow system of the law,
which was given through Moses as a provisional thing. We have received
Christ, and in Him we have the pledge of the fulfilment of every promise
which ever was given, and we have fresh, and even brighter promises
besides."
We need to have a hope which is resting
upon a very weld established basis if we are to hold it with full assurance.
It is this thought which leads to verses 13-18.
(Hebrews
Commentary Notes)
Here is an incredible illustration of diligence...
The Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute: The USS Astoria (CA-34) was the
first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island,
a night action fought 8-9 August 1942. Although she scored two hits on the
Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly
after noon, 9 August.
About 0200 hours a young midwesterner, Signalman 3rd Class Elgin Staples,
was swept overboard by the blast when the Astoria's number one eight-inch
gun turret exploded. Wounded in both legs by shrapnel and in semi-shock, he
was kept afloat by a narrow lifebelt that he managed to activate with a
simple trigger mechanism.
At around 0600 hours, Staples was rescued by a passing destroyer and
returned to the Astoria, whose captain was attempting to save the cruiser by
beaching her. The effort failed, and Staples, still wearing the same
lifebelt, found himself back in the water. It was lunchtime. Picked up
again, this time by the USS President Jackson (AP-37), he was one of 500
survivors of the battle who were evacuated to Noumea.
On board the transport Staples, for the first time, closely examined the
lifebelt that had served him so well. It had been manufactured by Firestone
Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, and bore a registration number.
Given home leave, Staples told his story and asked his mother, who worked
for Firestone, about the purpose of the number on the belt. She replied that
the company insisted on personal responsibility for the war effort, and that
the number was unique and assigned to only one inspector. Staples remembered
everything about the lifebelt, and quoted the number. It was his mother's
personal code and affixed to every item she was responsible for approving.
Fifty years ago, a mother's unheralded diligence in an anonymous wartime job
assured her soon-to-be shipwrecked son's survival. But how much greater are
the stakes in eternal matters, and how much greater is the challenge to
diligence in eternal matters! "We want [literally, we long for] each one of
you," says the writer in v11, "to show this same diligence to the very end,
in order to make your hope sure."
SO AS TO
REALIZE THE FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE UNTIL THE
END: pros ten plerophorian tes elpidos achri (until) telousn:
(Heb 3:6,14; 10:22 Isa 32:17 Col 2:2 1Th 1:5 2Pe 1:10 1Jn 3:14,19) (Hope -
Heb 6:18-20 Ro 5:2-5; 8:24,25; 12:12; 15:13 1Co 13:13 Gal 5:5 Col 1:5,23 2Th
2:16,17 1Pe 1:3-5,21 1Jn 3:1-3) (To the end - Heb 3:6,14; 10:32-35 Mt 24:13
Rev 2:26 )
See result of Abraham's
faith and patience in
Romans 4:21 (see notes)
The expression full assurance is used three times in the NT.
(1) Full
assurance of faith—we rest on God’s word, His testimony to us (see note
Hebrews 10:22).
(2) Full assurance of understanding—we know and are assured (see
note
Colossians 2:2).
(3)
Full assurance of hope—we press on with confidence as to the outcome (Hebrews
6:11).
How does one in fact "realize the full assurance of (the) hope"? It is thru
faith and patience and so the writer gets very pragmatic, reminding his
predominantly Jewish audience of one they would be very familiar with
(Abraham) and in fact quoting directly from the Lxx of Ge 22:17, as
probably the ultimate example of Abraham's faith...he had believed God in
Ge 15:6 but God's call to sacrifice his son Isaac was the ultimate test of
Abraham's faith (obedience) by which he became the father of all those who
believe.
Only as we apply zeal and apply faith and patience can we have an
assurance that we will one day "inherit the promises". Without them, we
become sluggish, and as such expose ourselves to the danger of apostasy.
This idea of applying diligence is very important if you desire to sense
"spiritual security". Peter describes this need for
diligence (2Peter 1:5; 2Pe 1:10; 1:11 see notes
2Peter 1:5;
1:10;
1:11)
Note hope is modified by the definite article the (tes") in the
Greek so
this is a very specific hope, not some generalization or "pie in the sky by
and by". This reflects the absolute certainty of future good,
because as taught below Jesus has entered thru the veil and will be there as
our High Priest forever. That is a sure & steadfast anchor for our souls
when storms of life assail us, which are in fact guaranteed if we are truly
His children (Philippians 1:29-note, Jn 16:33)
Hope
(1680)
(elpis)
in
Scripture is not the world's definition of "I hope so", with a few
rare exceptions (e.g.,
Acts 27:20)
but is is an absolute certainty of future good. Hope is defined as a
desire for some future good with the expectation of obtaining it or as Peter
Anderson put it "Hope is faith in the future tense." Hope
is confident expectancy. Hope is the looking forward to something
with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment. See related study on
the
Believer's Blessed Hope.
I like John Blanchard's definition
of the Christian's hope...
'Hope' is biblical shorthand
for unconditional certainty.
Hope as the
world typically defines it is a desire for some future occurrence of which
one is not assured of attaining. The ancient world did not generally regard
hope as a virtue, but merely as a temporary illusion. Historians tell
us that a great cloud of hopelessness covered the ancient world.
Philosophies were empty; traditions were disappearing; religions were
powerless to help men face either life or death. People longed to pierce the
veil and get some message of hope from the other side, but there is none
outside of Christ.
it. In the OT there
are several Hebrew words translated
"hope"
but each has the idea of inviting us
to look ahead eagerly
with confident expectation, the
same idea conveyed by
elpis.
Each Hebrew word for "hope"
calls for patience,
reminding us that the fulfillment of our hope lies in the future ("hold
on...the best is yet to come").
Hope is by no
means a passive attitude but a stimulant to action for Thomas
Brooks writes that...
A man full of hope will be full of
action... Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.
John
Calvin adds that...
When hope
animates
us there is a vigour in the whole body.
Hope
is a repeated theme in Hebrews. Study the 5 uses in context...
Hebrews 3:6 (note)
- but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house --whose house we are,
if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until
the end.
Hebrews 6:11 (note)
- And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to
realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
Hebrews 6:18 (note)
- so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God
to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to
take hold of the hope set before us.
Hebrews 7:19 (note)
- (for the Law made nothing perfect ), and on the other hand
there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to
God.
Hebrews 10:23 (note)
- Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He
who promised is faithful;
Gabriel Marcel
said,
“Hope is for the soul what
breathing is for the living organism.”
A study of
concentration camp survivors found that those prisoners who were able to
hold onto their sense of hope (‘things are going to get better’ or ‘we’re
going to get out of here one day’ ) were much more likely to survive. Hope
then is not optional but for these prisoners proved to be a matter of life
and death.
Vincent writes
that hope
"in classical Greek, has the general
signification of expectancy, relating to evil as well as to good. Thus Plato
speaks of living in evil hope (“Republic,” i., 330); i.e., in the
apprehension of evil; and Thucydides, of the hope of evils to come; i.e.,
the expectation or apprehension. In the New Testament the word always
relates to a future good." (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament
Vol. 1)
Seneca, Rome's leading
intellectual figure, tutor of the depraved emperor Nero (who forced Seneca
to commit suicide!) and contemporary of Paul tragically defined hope
as “an uncertain good”, the antithesis of Biblical hope! What a
difference the new birth in Christ makes in one's perspective.
The cynical editor
H. L. Mencken also inaccurately defined hope as
“a pathological belief in
the
occurrence of the impossible.”
His cynical definition
does not even agree with the secular Webster's Collegiate dictionary which
defines "Hope" much like the NT declaring that hope means "to cherish
a desire with anticipation, desire with expectation of obtainment, expect
with confidence."
Biblical hope
is not "finger crossing", but is alive and certain because of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Life without Christ is a
hopeless end whereas life in Christ is an endless hope.
The book of Hebrews
defines hope as that which gives "full assurance" (see note
Hebrews 6:11).
Thus we can have strong confidence that God is going to do good to us in
future. The opposite of hope is despair, (hopelessness; a hopeless
state; a destitution of hope or expectation) which is all that those without
Christ as Savior can know, for Paul defines hope as "Christ Jesus, Who is
our Hope" (1Ti
1:1). Thus genuine Biblical hope is not a concept but a Person,
Christ Jesus!
Jeremiah
pleaded with God on the basis of His Name, "Hope of Israel" (God's
Names all reveal some aspect or attribute of His character), declaring
"Thou Hope of Israel, its Savior
in time of distress. Why art Thou like a stranger in the land Or like a
traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?" (Jer14:8)
Again Jeremiah
says
"O LORD, the hope of Israel, all
who forsake Thee will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be
written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even
the LORD." (Jer
17:13)
The psalmist
declares
"Thou art my hope; O Lord GOD,
Thou art my confidence from my youth." (Ps
71:5)
Paul uses makes an
allusion to this OT name ("Hope of Israel") speaking to the Jews explaining
that
"I requested to see you and to speak with
you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of
Israel." (Acts
28:20)
Although the Old
revealed spoke of the Hope of Israel and predicted His coming to save His
people as well as Gentiles, there was no mention that the Messiah of hope
would actually live within each member of His redeemed church. Paul
explained that in the New Covenant, "God willed to make known what is the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory." (see note
Colossians 1:27)
The unsaved are born into the world but have "no hope and (are)
without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12
note,
1Thes 4:13-
note) and if they die without Christ,
he will be hopeless forever.
The Italian poet,
Dante, in his Divine Comedy, put this inscription over the world of the
dead:
“Abandon all hope, you
who
enter here!”
In other words, life
without Christ is a hopeless end whereas life in Christ is an endless hope.
Hope in
Scripture is the absolute certainty of future good and believers are to be
continually, actively, expectantly
"looking for the
blessed hope and the appearing of
the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." (see note
Titus 2:13).
A living hope should
motivate a "looking" hope, so that we are waiting anxiously for Christ's
return at any time, this event providing great incentive to "discipline
(one's self) for the purpose of godliness" (1Timothy 4:7-note)
knowing that godliness "is profitable for all things, since it holds promise
for the present life and also for the life to come." (1Timothy 4:8-note)
G K Chesterton
said that
"Hope means hoping when things are
hopeless or it is no virtue at all...As long as matters are really hopeful,
hope is mere flattery or platitude. It is only when everything is hopeless
that hope begins to be a strength."
Hope is an
essential and fundamental element of Christian life, so essential indeed,
that, like faith and love, Peter refers to it in this verse to designate the
essence of Christianity
Hope is one
component of the great triad of Christian virtues, along with faith and
love.
“But now abide
faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”
(1Cor 13:13; see note 1Thessalonians
1:3;
5:8; Gal 5:5, 6; see notes
Ephesians 1:15
1:16;
1:17;
1:18,
Ephesians 4:2;
4:3;
4:4;
4:5;
Colossians 1:4;
1:5;
Hebrews 10:22;
10:23;
10:24;
1 Peter 1:21;
1:22).
Faith and
hope are inseparably linked. We
believe and so
we hope.
Paul prayed for
believers
"that the eyes of (our) heart may be
enlightened, so that (we) may know what is the hope of His calling." (see
note
Ephesians 1:18)
Hope is a "helmet
of salvation" for we know that
God has not destined us for wrath but for
obtaining salvation through our Lord
Jesus
Christ (see note
1Thessalonians 5:8).
Hope as you can see is a deep well, which is well worth lingering over
if you have time. To renew your mind with this great Biblical truth go over
the following Scriptures, asking what each teaches about the "source" of
hope, the stabilizing effect of the truth, the sanctifying effect, etc. Then
study the chart summary at the end of the references --
(Job
8:13; 27:8, Ps 31:24; Ps 42:5-6; 71:5; Ps 119:49-50; Ps 130:7;
Ps 146:5 Pr 10:28; 13:12 Jer
14:8; 29:11; Jn 5:45 Acts 2:26; Acts 23:6, 24:15; 26:6; 28:20; Ro 4:18; 5:1-2; 8:25;
12:12; 15:4; 15:13 1Co 13:13; 15:19, 21-23 2Cor 3:12 Eph 1:15-18, 2:12; 4:2-5;
Gal 5:5, 6 Col 1:4, 5, 1:27 1Th 1:3; 1Thes 2:19; 4:13-18; 1Thes 5:8; 2Thes 2:16; 1Tim
1:1; Titus 2:11-13; 3:7 Heb 6:11, Heb 6:18-20; 7:19; 10:22-24; 1Pet 1:3; 1:21–22,
1Pet 3:15; 1Jn 2:25; 1Jn 3:2-3 ; Jude 1:21)
End (5056)
(telos)
refers to the goal. It is used 5x in Hebrews...
Hebrews 3:6 (note)
- but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house --whose house we are, if
we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the
end.
Hebrews 3:14 (note)
- For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of
our assurance firm until the end,
Hebrews 6:8 (note)
- but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being
cursed, and it ends up being burned.
Hebrews 6:11 (note)
- And we desire that each
one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of
hope until the end,
Hebrews 7:3 (note)
- Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made
like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
A
reliable sign
of regeneration is a faith that does not fail and continues to the end of
life. It may at times falter and grow dim as it faces various trials and
pressures, but it cannot be wholly abandoned. One wag has observed,
“If your
faith fizzles before you finish, it’s because it was faulty from the first!”
Ray Stedman writes...
I
recall once receiving a phone call from a young new Christian who said,
“I’ve decided to give up being a Christian; I can’t handle it anymore.”
Knowing him well, I said, “I agree. That’s probably what you ought to do.”
There was silence on the line for a moment, and then he said, “You know I
can’t do that!” And I said, “No, I know you can’t.” And he couldn’t—and he
didn’t!
