Security and Comfort in Christ
Security and Comfort in Christ
My dad lived through the Great Depression. Between ages 11 and 21 (1929 and 1939) Dad lived without having ample supply. He was fortunate to live on a dairy farm, so he was able to trade for many goods he could not buy, but the years of lack took a toll on him that rippled through his entire life. To say Dad was frugal would be an understatement. Everything was saved, from scraps of metal to buttons. Everything was repaired or patched until it was completely used up or worn out.
From childhood many of us have been trained to live with the constant sense that we are lacking what we need, or if we currently have enough, the day may soon come when we do not. We are raised to plan and prepare for the future. To think ahead to a time when we may be in need, and to lay up resources, to save for a rainy day.
Just to be clear, I am not saying that we should flit through life without planning or saving. Life in this temporal realm provides significant negative consequences for failing to prepare. What I am saying is that we who are in Christ are in this world, but we are not of this world. The Kingdom from which we hail has a completely different set of rules.
Look at 2 Corinthians 1:3–5 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (Gk:paraklesis) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort – Gk:paraklesis) also aboundeth by Christ.” (KJV 1900)
In this passage we are told that God is the Father of mercies. He is the God of all comfort. We learn there that He comforts us in all our afflictions. He does this, we are told, so that we can comfort others who are in trouble. God gives us so much comfort that we can comfort others out of the overflow.
This is such a powerful truth to understand. What Father provides is provided in abundance. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Elsewhere we read that He is the giver of every good and perfect gift and again that His gifts are irrevocable. Our Father is the universe’s richest man.
People with great wealth face problems with greater confidence that you and I might. Things that would have us anxiously scrambling they might assign to an assistant. Situations that would seem nearly insurmountable to us they might solve by simply spending money and going about their regular activities. Rather than living from lack or fear of lack, they live from abundant supply.
In the spiritual realm, the Kingdom of which we are citizens, we too can live from abundant supply. What Father supplies He supplies in abundance, and everything comes from Father. 2 Corinthians 9:8 points out how Father gives. It says that “God is able to make all grace abound (or overflow) toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound (or overflow) to every good work.” (KJV 1900)
In Philippians 1 Paul prays that the love the Philippians have will overflow. Then in verse 11 he says that they are “filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
Colossians 2:6–7 counsels us “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding (or overflowing) therein with thanksgiving.” (KJV 1900)
Then in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 we read that the Lord will make us “increase and abound (or overflow) in love one toward another, and toward all men.” (KJV 1900)
Notice in these passages that it is God who is attributed as the source of the fruit being borne by us and we are filled with this fruit. It is Father who makes grace overflow to us. We always have enough in all things, according to what we read. He gives us so much supply that love, grace, mercy, and spiritual fruit overflow from us to those around us. Scripture is clear about this and we can rely upon its truth.
With this backdrop, let’s turn our attention to Hebrews 4:12–16. There we read:
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (KJV 1900)
The word of God can be a loaded phrase for us. In John we learn that Jesus is the Word of God. That makes sense because He spoke into being all that is, and it was through Jesus that this took place. Many of us were also taught that the Bible is the word of God. That may lead us to assume that the writer of Hebrews is talking about the Bible being sharper than a two-edged sword.
In speaking here of the word of God, the Bible is not in view. Indeed, the only written scripture available at the time Hebrews was written was the Tanach. The Tanach is the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings of the Hebrew scripture. We call that the Old Testament. The Bible as we know it came into existence around 170AD and the churches were not in substantially unanimous agreement on the included texts until at least 363AD.
So, if the Bible is not in view in this passage in Hebrews, then how are we to understand the meaning of “the word of God?” Certainly, it is true that Jesus is portrayed in Revelation 1:16 and 2:12 as having a double-edged sword coming from His mouth. This is an image of the power of the word of God. Jesus is said in these passages to “have” this sword. Scripture does not say that He “is” a double-edged sword.
What the writer of Hebrews is talking about here is the truth that has been communicated by God in many places and in differing ways. We read in Hebrews 1:1–2 that “GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (KJV 1900)
But before we go too far, we need to notice that in verse 13, the word of God is referred to as “He.” The Word of God is the Greek word logos. It is living and active because it is Jesus and Jesus is the truth that came from God. John 1:14 makes this clear in saying, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:17–18 go on to help us understand. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (KJV 1900)
Jesus is both the message, the Word of God, and the messenger who brought that word. God has communicated in many ways, and He continues to communicate through His Spirit as we will see, but everything He has to say is embodied in Jesus Christ.
The word of God came through the prophets, it came in and through Jesus, we receive it from the Bible, and Holy Spirit within us is communicating that same truth to us today.
Jesus promised this in John 14:26 “But the Comforter, (Gk:parakletos) which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (KJV 1900) Again in 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” (KJV 1900)
From this we understand that the word of God, that truth He has communicated in various ways, and continues to communicate by His Spirit in those who are His, is the thing that divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow.
The word of God is “quick.” It is living and active. The word of God gets to the heart of the matter. It gets to the deepest and most profound part of life. It shows the true nature of thoughts and intentions of the heart. Verse 13 goes on to tell us that no creature is outside the range of God’s vision. In Ephesians 5:13–14 we find that “Everything exposed by the light is made visible, for what makes everything visible is light.” (CSB) Indeed, Jesus is that light and He lives in us by His Spirit. More on that in a moment.
This light shows what is in people’s hearts. Everything in their hearts is completely visible and apparent to God and He is the one people must answer to. People do not need to answer to us. They must answer to God. God is the truth, and the Word of truth makes clear the condition of everyone’s heart.
This is not meant to cause us fear. On the contrary, it is for our comfort. Holy Spirit is the comforter—the paraclete who comes along side us and ministers grace to us. As I mentioned, Jesus is that light, and He lives in us by His Spirit.
Now here’s some great news. In verse 14 we read that Jesus is our high priest and that He has actually been in heaven. Verse 15 goes on to tell us that He isn’t a cold and uncaring priest. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Don’t you just love that gentle phrasing? There is no sense of shaming here. No insinuation of our being at fault or disappointing Him by our imperfections and failures. What we see here is our tender Lord Jesus touched by our feelings of inadequacy. Understanding of our faults and failures.
I’ve mentioned the Greek word paraclete in one form or another several times during this little study. It means “comforter.” But it carries the important idea of one who comes alongside another and helps them. Jesus called Holy Spirit the Comforter. He also called Him the Helper.
Holy Spirit living in us is both of those things. He helps us see the truth about the perversion and delusion found in this world. He helps us understand the truth the God continues to communicate to our hearts in many ways and at various times. He also comforts us by reminding us of the truth. He comforts us by reminding us that we are forgiven. He teaches us that denying ungodliness, we should live upright and godly lives in this world. He shows us that, though it seems foreign to everyone in this world, there is a better way.
Holy Spirit, the same powerful Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, produced abundant fruit in us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are all ours. His love is poured all over our soft and loving new hearts. So great is His provision within us that it overflows from us making us a fragrant aroma of Christ to everyone around us.
Finally, verse 16 in our Hebrews 4 passage says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (KJV 1900)
You are God’s greatly loved child. You can go boldly to Him because He is trustworthy in every way. Nothing you can bring up in speaking with Him will be surprising or cause Him to flinch. He will not turn you away or belittle you. In Matthew 7:9–11 Jesus asks, “what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (KJV 1900)
I want to encourage you not to allow the way you view Father to be influenced by the common idea that He is a Scrooge-like character in heaven just waiting for you to mess up so He can gleefully impose harsh consequences and lasting repercussions upon you.
Instead, please see Him as He portrays Himself. The Psalmist had it right in Psalm 23:3 saying that “He leads us into paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Father knows that righteousness is the very best thing for His children. He is ready and willing to give every good and perfect gift. He is clear that when we come to Him, He is going to provide mercy and grace.
In Psalm 23:6 King David the Psalmist concluded “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (KJV 1900)
Knowing that Father is helping and comforting and teaching us by His Spirit within us is excellent cause for rejoicing. Such truth leads us toward those godly works He has prepared in advance to characterize our lives. It leads us toward upright and godly living.
That about sums it up.
