THIS IS WHY WE STUDY▬ A closer examination of the Word Today we will be evaluating Hebrews 8:11, a verse often misapplied and/or taken out of context. And when this occur we lose the spiritual revelation of what is being spoken to us and wind up with speculations instead. Let us continue, shall we? Hebrews 8:7-13 is referring to the New Covenant. The Old Covenant is spoken of and contrasted with the New Covenant. Paul is repeating the words of the Lord here in verse 10: 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Now this is leading us into the misapplied verse 11: 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. I could explain this myself...but since someone has already explained it for me, and I confer, I feel its only appropriate to use the teaching aids that the Holy Spirit has inspired in people through the rendering of their commentaries. Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: this is not to be understood, so as to set aside the external and public ministry of the word, which is a standing ordinance of God under the Gospel dispensation; or even the, private instructions of saints one to another, in Christian conversation, whereby they may build up one another in their most holy faith; but the sense is, that men should not only teach, but the Spirit of God should teach with them, and by them; and it stands opposed to particular and pretended revelations, and especially to magisterial dictates; and denotes the abundance of knowledge that should be in Gospel times, which should not be restrained to particular persons, and sets of men, but should be shared by all believers, more or less: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest; from babes to fathers in Christ; not with a natural, but with a spiritual knowledge; not with general knowledge of him, that he is, but with a special knowledge of him, that he is theirs; not with a legal, but with an evangelical knowledge; not with the knowledge of him in, and through the creatures, but in Christ; and that not speculative, but experimental; such as is attended with faith in him, fear of him, love to him, and a cheerful obedience to his will: the knowledge of the Lord, under the New Testament dispensation, is greater than under the former dispensation; the subject matter of it is more distinct; God is more known in the persons of the Father, Son, and Spirit, in the perfections of his nature, in his titles and characters, and in his Son; the manner of it is more clear, open, and perspicuous; the persons to whom it is communicated are more numerous; it is not restrained to Jews, but is given to the Gentiles; and all this owing to a greater effusion of the Spirit; see 1 John 2:27. Clearly the Lord is not teaching us not to teach others nor one another to know Him, for there could be no relationship formed with the Lord unless one knows Him and getting to know the Lord is a lifelong process. And we are definitely taught that the Lord needs to know us, for if He never knew us He would tell us to depart from Him, we who practice lawlessness...and banish into everlasting flames: which is the second death. But the context is that we are not to teach people apart from the indwelling of the Spirit of Truth; in the Power and Knowledge of the Holy Spirit, as by the use of the infallible Word of God. We are not to teach a nature acknowledgment, but a spiritual one, since nature already tells us there is a God...no one needs to be taught that. But the Spiritual revelation of God must be taught as in the spreading, preaching, teaching and laboring of the Gospel to all.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 20:23:03 +0000
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