Someone made the comment: “I understand this is a subject with different opinions” and asked for comments.
“Yes Paul was talking about and in the old testament we have the sample of king Saul”.
“Yes a believer can loose their salvation because we have an enemy the devil who want us to fall and fall.
“… Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”(1Peter 5:8)”
“We think of men like Peter, for example, who denied Christ. But the fact that he was restored shows that not every professing believer who falls has fallen past the point of no return. At this point, we should distinguish a serious and radical fall from a total and final fall.
Many believers have held that yes, true Christians can lose their salvation because there are several New Testament texts that seem to indicate that this can happen. I’m thinking, for example, of Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 1:18–20: Examples Hymaneus, Alexander and Judas Iscariot………….”
”Thanks for citing these examples my brother. So with these can we say it is possible to fall beyond repair? I am also thinking in the line of Hebrews 10:29 I also recall Hebrews 3:12 which is directed at the ‘brethren’”
“The Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of the eternal God, Who knows all things said, Matt 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” The Lord Jesus also said in John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: v28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man (“man” not in the original Greek) pluck them out of my hand.” Then some people, based on certain verses, say that you can lose your salvation. So there is a seeming contradiction in GOD’s WORD?!? The questions therefore are: Can there be contradictions in God’s Word the Bible? God inspired it all (2Tim 3:16-17) and the Holy Spirit inspired the men to write it (2Peter 1:20-21). So there cannot be contradictions in God’s Word. Therefore if the Lord Jesus’ words differ from my understanding of other Scriptures who is wrong? Can the Lord Jesus be wrong? Or is it that my understanding of certain verses could be wrong? One point that I have recently said is that context is very important for the proper understanding of the Bible. Take a text out of context and it becomes a pretext.
Another issue is the Lord Jesus (see Matthew 7:22-23) and the apostles (see 1John in particular) recognised that there were those who professed to be Christians but did not possess eternal life and so were never saved in the first place. That must be taken into account with certain Scriptures e.g. Hebrews 10:28-29. A further consideration is that as the Lord Jesus does the saving, and not me, can He (God) fail? A good book that gives help with the difficult, supposedly lose your salvation, verses is, “Once In Christ, In Christ Forever” by William MacDonald. Also there is “Once Saved, Always Saved” by R T Kendall and “Assurance – How to know you are a Christian” by J C Ryle. Also how could Paul confidently say while in prison (Eph 3:1, 4:1) to all the believers miles away at the Ephesus church in 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has (past tence) blessed us (not me) with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” if you cannot know whether you are saved or not? How can you rejoice if you do not know whether at the last minute of your life you could be lost?
“Sincerely speaking and I want to believe which is the GOSPEL truth, a believer may lose his/her salvation-Ps51:10-12 in addition to other examples in the NT given already. The doctrine of once saved is saved forever is not for the children of LIGHT. why is it written in the scripture “handle your salvation with trembling hands…” may GOD uphold us to the end IJN Amen SHALOM”
“I agree Sir. Once saved, forever saved messages make me question the place of ‘follow peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord’ Hebrews 12:14. Would love if anyone holding this doctrine would shed more light on it.”
“CAN A BELIEVER LOSE HIS/HER SALVATION?
Firstly, we need to know what makes a man a believer.
Romans 10:9-10 says; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
A believer gains salvation by confessing with his mouth the Lord Jesus and can lose his salvation by confessing with his mouth that Jesus is no longer his Lord.
Matthew 12:37 says; For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The mouth a man uses to confess that Jesus is his personal Lord can also be used to confess that Jesus is no longer his personal Lord and saviour.
Secondly, A believer can lose his salvation by making his faith in God to start declining. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: If the faith that brought salvation to a man is not well nurtured, it can die because faith is a seed. Once a man stops nurturing his faith in God by God’s Word, then he can lose his salvation because faith comes by hearing and by hearing the Word of God. Once personal relationship with God and Congregational fellowship with God is no longer appealing to a believer, then he would definitely lose his salvation.”
“This is so true, anyone who denounces the faith or deliberately walks away having tasted Christ cannot be helped, the bible confirms this in Hebrews 6:4-6.”
“What would you say though of some who believe that according to Jesus’s words concerning the Father in John 6:39 that “…that of all He has given me I should loose nothing”? Also in vs 40”
“Very true there will always be a “son of perdition” the truth is that it is all a matter of choice.”
“It is quite amazing that we sinners who became believers in Christ are a gift of God the Father to the Son. I agree with you that the words of the Lord Jesus “that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,” shows that our salvation is eternally secure. Also that “and none of them is lost, but the son of (i.e. characterised by) perdition (eternal and spiritual loss/ruin)” i.e. Judas, (John 17:12) shows that he was never saved in the first place. The Lord Jesus reveals that while Judas was among the disciples he was never part of those who were the gift of the Father to the Son. No person’s will is stronger than the God’s and the Lord Jesus’ will. Judas was never a believer at all. He manifested his lost condition by betraying the Lord. The other disciples ran away or denied the Lord but did not betray Him.”
“Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” What is the holiness referred to here? In the New Testament holiness is used in three different aspects concerning believers.
1. First is that there is positional holiness which the believer receives at the moment of faith. See 1 Cor. 1:2 & 6:11. Due to the believer’s union with Christ he is sanctified/holy forever. For our standing before (or relationship to) God is concerned Christ is our holiness.
2. There is a practical sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3; 5:23). We should daily separate ourselves from every form of evil in a progressive holiness.
3. Lastly there is complete or perfect holiness when a believer goes to heaven (Phil 3:21). Then they are forever free from sin because the old sinful flesh is removed. The believers state (or fellowship with God) is perfectly the same as his standing (or relationship to God).
Now which holiness are we to pursue? We do not strive after positional holiness because God immediately makes us that when we are born again. We do not strive after the perfect holiness in heaven as that will be ours when we arrive there and see Christ. So that only leaves our practical or progressive holiness through sanctification which involves our continual obedience to God. We must cultivate this holiness continually. The fact that we must follow it, proves that we do not fully arrive at it in this life. In a practical sense we will not see the Lord without practical holiness/sanctification.”
“Where in the Bible, and do give chapter and verse, does God tell us what sins a believer has to commit to lose their salvation? Please note that the “unpardonable sin” of Matt 12:22-32 and Mark 3:22-30 was committed by the unbelieving Pharisees and scribes.”
“The issue here is not the giver of the gift; God we know, is perfect and will do whatever He says He will do but the receiver; humans who have the freewill to decide and choose for themselves as we learn from Deuteronomy 30:19 (I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:) God will in no way, shape or form be blamed for what we do with our freewill as we see in Adam and Eve.”
“Can children ever stop being the children of their parents? If, in a family situation, there was, sadly, a bad fallout and one of the children disowned their parents and said that they were no longer their child and did not want to be known as their child, would that stop them from being their child? Obviously not and God’s Word says the same thing about believers being the children of God.
1John 3:9 “Whoever has been born of God does not (Greek habitually, continually) sin, FOR HIS SEED REMAINS IN HIM; and he cannot (Greek habitually, continually) sin, because he has been born of God.” If a believer can be lost how can the Holy Spirit inspire John to say “His (God’s) seed (of eternal life) remains in him … he is born of God”? God says that eternal life remains in the believer.
The apostle John spoke with great assurance to the children of God.
1John 3:2 “Beloved, NOW ARE WE THE CHILDREN OF GOD; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but WE KNOW that WHEN HE IS REVEALED, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS.” That is the language of complete and absolute confidence about the believer’s eternal future. How could John say that if he had any doubt that he might one day not be saved? And how could he know whether he might even die on that day of being unsaved? If that possibility was true that would take away all assurance and he would not be able to write the above nor confidently state other of God’s promises.’
Before looking at the Hebrews c3-4 passage I will ask a couple of questions.
What is grace? You no doubt are aware of: Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, v9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” So we are saved by grace … not of works …”. So grace is totally undeserved favour.
This is confirmed in Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” Here the Holy Spirit, through Paul, says that grace cannot in any way be mixed with works. If a person is saved by grace (i.e. undeserved favour) then works cannot be involved because if works were involved then grace would be no more grace. If a person is saved in any way through works done by themselves (i.e. personal merit), including them doing the clinging on or being kept by their persistent believing, then salvation is not by grace. If a person is saved by works, that is something that has personal merit in it, then they are not saved by grace. Consequently grace excludes, in every believer, every single, great or small, personal thought or work, both before and after salvation.
Another verse of confirmation is: Romans 5:20 “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, v21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
As God is infinite (Psalm 145:3; 147:5; Revelation 4:8 etc) therefore His grace is infinite whereas, while our sins are immense, they can be counted by God and so have a limit. So God says that where sin reached its high water mark God’s grace has greatly over flooded it. Also “sin reigned (i.e. absolutely sovereignly) in death” in the unbelievers’ lives. However grace reigns (also absolutely sovereignly) to eternal life, which is both here as a possession, and in eternity in its fulness. Grace is made available in righteousness and so is in full harmony with God’s righteous character and not at the expense of it.
The other question is what the difference between root and fruit? The root brings fruit but the fruit does not change the root. As we know the root of salvation, with the receiving of eternal life, is faith in Christ alone. Salvation, including eternal life, produces a change in the life e.g. 1John 2:3-6. One of the fruits of that is continuing in the things of God even, at times, when circumstances go against you.
1John 2:24-25 “Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. v25 And this is the promise that He has promised us–eternal life.”
“Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.” There is a safeguard for genuine believers against false teachers. It is to “let that abide (remain) in you which you heard from the beginning” which refers to the truth the apostles gave about the Lord Jesus and salvation from the first day of their salvation, which for us is, as we know, the Word of God.
“If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”
So if the truth abides (remains) in them, that is by continuing to believe those truths they have already learned there would be an consequence on them. The consequence was that they would remain in a living relationship with God. Abiding permanently in the Son means that we also continue in the knowledge and fellowship of the Father.
v25 “And this is the promise that He has promised us–eternal life.” When we abide in the Christian doctrine, we are giving evidence of the reality of, our faith. God then says that the reality of continuing in the Son is not a temporary abiding. It is the fulfilment of a Divine promise and that promise is eternal life. It also underlines the undeniable fact that without the Son there is no eternal life.
Colossians 1:23 “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Here the apostle Paul adds one of those “if” passages which can be very confusing and disturbing to believers. The verse seemingly teaches that our continued salvation depends on us continuing in the faith. If so, how can this verse be reconciled with other Bible verses e.g. John 10:28-29 (previously mentioned) which states that none of Christ’s sheep can ever perish?
God’s Word not only teaches the blessedness of eternal security but also, as mentioned above, the consequence or quality of true faith which is permanence, in a genuine believer in Christ, i.e. who will continue in God’s things to life’s end. Continuance in God’s things is a proof of faith’s reality. Of course there is always the danger of backsliding, but a Christian falls only to rise again (Proverbs 24:16 “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.”). He does not forsake or reject the faith in Christ.
Then why has the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles to write these “if” passages in God’s Word? These have been added to challenge the reality of all those who profess faith in Christ. Sadly not everyone who professes faith in Christ as Saviour possesses eternal life because their faith was/is not genuine. The aim of all such teaching is to encourage those with genuine faith and to awaken those who are perhaps self-confident but only professors of faith in Christ. So the apostle is exhorting the Colossians not to be moved away from the hope that goes with the gospel. They should continue with and be grounded in the truths of the Christian faith.
Hebrews c3-4
As far as God is concerned there are basically two types of people in the world, i.e. the lost, or perishing unbelievers, and the (1Cor 1:18). The perishing/lost can be further sub-divided into those that are openly lost with no interest in God (e.g. Rom 1:32) and those who have professed to have trusted in Christ and have not actually done so (e.g. 1John 2:18-19). They are likely to fall away in times of persecution (e.g. Matt 13:21 and Mark 4:17) and therefore become apostates (Heb 6:4-6). The word “apostate” is not in the New Testament (NT) in English but it is in the Greek e.g. Heb 12:25
“See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him (
The book of Hebrews was written to save the pressurized Jews, who had believed in Christ, from going back to the inferior Old Testament (OT) way of approach to God. It sets out the superiority of Christ and His sacrifice and resurrection against the OT Judaistic system. It encourages the believers in Christ and points out, that those who deliberately leave Christianity, were never saved in the first place. The letter was written to who had professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour calling them “brethren” (see 3:1; 10:19 and 13:22). However, among the genuine believers, were those who were not genuine, i.e. they had professed to have trusted in Christ for salvation, but in their hearts had not actually done so, and subsequently turned away from Him (Heb 6:1-8 and another example is 1John 2:18-19).
We are seeking to answer those who think that Heb c3 – 4 show that a believer can lose their salvation. First of all, it should be noted that while the words “salvation” and “save” are mentioned in Hebrews they are not mentioned at all in Hebrews c3-4 and “saved” is not mentioned at all in Hebrews. However, the words for “rest” is mentioned eleven times in ten verses in c3-4 and nowhere else in the letter. Ten out of the eleven come from the same root word (i.e. katapauo and katapausis) meaning ‘to repose or settle down’ (Strong’s Concordance). The exception is Heb 4:9
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
This means ‘a “sabbatism”, i.e. (figuratively) the repose of Christianity (as a type of heaven):’ (Strong’s)
In Heb 3:1-6 Christ is shown to be superior to Moses and in 3:7-4:11 there are four mentions of entering into God’s rest.
1. 3:7-4:2 Rest to those who left Egypt.
2. 4:8 Rest in Joshua’s (translated as “Jesus”) time.
3. 4:3-7 Rest in David’s time.
4. 3:9-11 Rest for Christian believers.
As God is true so this Bible, that He inspired, is true (2Tim 3:126-17 & 2Pet 1:20-21). It should be noted, therefore, that where the Bible emphasizes a truth and then there are a relatively few verses that seem to say the opposite, then we need to seriously reconsider those few that say the opposite in case we have misunderstood their meaning.
The problematic verses concerning the eternal security of the believer in Christ are below:
1. Heb 3:6 “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”
Christ’s superiority to Moses is seen because He is not a “servant” (v5) but a “son” (v6). He is not “in” the house of God (v5) but He is “over” it (v6). The house i.e. the believers in Christ, is not someone else’s house (v5) but is “His” house (v6). “Whose house are we” shows that God’s house today consists of all true believers in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.
“if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”At first this seems to indicate that our salvation is dependent on our holding fast. If that was the case, salvation would be by works which is contrary to God’s Word (e.g. Eph 2:8-9; Rom 11:6). Also, this passage talks about holding fast to the “confidence and rejoicing” and not to salvation. People are confident when they know that something is true and so we are to hold onto the truth of God’s promises which causes us to rejoice. The true meaning is that we show that we are God’s house if we hold fast. So, continuance and endurance is a proof of the reality that faith has been, and is, in Christ. Those who lose confidence in Christ and God’s Word and return to religious rituals and ceremonies, reveal that they were never saved in the first place.
2. Heb 3:12 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
“Take heed, brethren” As in other places the Hebrew readers are spoken to as “brethren”. This does not mean that they were all true Christians as Heb 6:4-6 shows.
“lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” This is a solemn exhortation in case that what happened to those who came out of Egypt, could also happen to some of them. Could there be some among them, who were outwardly travelling with God’s people, but who had not inwardly trusted in Christ as their Saviour? This was a call for the individual to examine their own heart.
3. Heb 3:13-14 “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. v14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.”
“For we are made partakers of Christ”“Partakers” (Greek metochos) is translated as “partners” in Luke 5:7, “fellows” in Heb 1:9 and “companions” by Darby here. So, believers are companions of Christ.
“if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”
Again, it is the believer holding steadfast confidence in God’s Word that is in view and not steadfastly holding onto their salvation.
“For”
links v14 with v13 which is the exhortation to not become hardened, through sin’s deceitfulness, in unbelief. The assurance and confidence which marked the beginning of the believer’s spiritual life is to be maintained until the end. So those who are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, give outward evidence that they never were genuine believers. Genuine believers do not become hardened, instead they persevere i.e. they hold on to their original confidence steadfastly to the end.
“Holding … steadfast”is not the root of salvation but it’s fruit.
4. Heb 4:1-3 “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. v2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. v3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest” This “being left us” was written to those N.T. Hebrew believers and so the offer is still current and has yet to be fulfilled. This must refer to the future eternal rest.
“a promise being left us … any of you should seem to come short of it.” So, to whom would this apply? Matt 11:28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”(“Rest” “anapauo” similar to “katapauo” above). This is the rest of salvation and conscience that comes from Christ paying, once and for all, the penalty for all one’s sins at Calvary’s cross. Therefore, it would be rather surprising to write the following to those people who already had been assured of rest through Christ.
The writer was, either mindful of Israel’s history, e.g. Heb 3:7-11, or perhaps had some knowledge or discernment of these Hebrew believers, that gave him reason to think that some among them, who seemed to be believers, had failed to reach the goal or fallen short of it. What was the goal? It was entering into God’s rest through faith in Christ. So, they were journeying as believers but had not actually trusted in Christ as their Saviour.
“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them:” So the Christians had the good news preached to them of everlasting salvation and rest in heaven through faith in Christ. Also, the exodus Israelites had good news preached to them, of rest in the land of Canaan (e.g. Exodus 6:1-9), but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. However, the word preached did not benefit those Israelites because they did not believe it and so did not put it into practise.
“For we which have believed do enter into rest,” We learn that we who have believed are those who enter into God’s rest. Faith is the essential need to enter that rest as pointed out in the
“For we who have believed do enter into that/the rest”ASV, ESV, NKJV and Darby’s translations). So, God’s eternal rest is only for genuine believers in Christ and for no one else.
“as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest:”Israel’s sin of unbelief brought out God’s anger and so kept them from entering into His rest. This is the meaning of the AV’s difficult translation of v3“if they shall enter into my rest”. The swearing in God’s wrath, and the questioning “if” is a way of saying, “They shall not enter” as in the NKJV and ASV.
“although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” God knew that His creatorial works were perfectly good (Gen 1:31) and were satisfactorily finished and so He rested from the foundation of the world. It is this Divine rest that believers by faith start the road to, and will enter into when in the glory.
Heb 4:4-5
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. v5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
“For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise”
The lack of a reference to the passage does not show any ignorance by the writer. He either thought that his readers were familiar with the OT or was his way of quoting a verse from a book that, at that time, was not divided into chapters and verses.
“And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.”
God did not rest on the seventh day because He was tired nor idle. God’s rest was a pleasurable satisfaction with a completed work. Gen 2:2 does not talk about
“the evening and morning of the seventh day”.
So, this day of rest did not end with the seventh day, but it began then, and is still continuing.
“And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.”
Or ASV and NKJV “They shall not enter into my rest.” To emphasize that the reference to God’s rest immediately after creation is still available today, the writer uses the future tense again when quoting Psalm 95:11,
“They shall not enter My rest.”
Man early spoiled that rest after creation by sin and so could not enjoy it. And the context is v7-10 where God speaks of Israel’s testing Him by their complaints and unbelief in the wilderness. However, God still sends out the message that He wants to share His rest with men but if they have unbelief they cannot enter “My” rest.
Heb 4:10
“For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. v11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
“For he that is entered into his rest,”
Here God states that there are those who do enter into His rest. How does that happen? The writer affirms an established principle in the NT, which principle is part of Bible based gospel preaching. That is that a person who enters into God’s salvation and rest is someone who has realised that their own works contribute nothing to it. Eph 2:8-9
“For by grace are ye saved through faith … Not of works”
and Rom 4:5
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him”.
It is after salvation that we work, at times with much effort and weariness, for God and Christ, Who loved us unto death.
“he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”
This, however true, is not quite the emphasis here. It simple affirms that rest will be enjoyed when the work is done, as in Gen 2:2
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”
Until the eternal day the work of the Godhead concerning the sin problem continues (John 5:17), and by grace we have a share in it. However, in the eternal day when God rests, so shall we. All the believer’s work and trials of this life, with its tiredness and difficulties, will be ended. We shall rest being perfectly holy and happy but this not mean that we will be inactive in heaven. We shall still worship and serve God but in His power and without weariness.
“Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest,” “Let us therefore use/give/be diligence to enter into that rest”
Darby, ASV, NKJV. The only way we can enter into that rest is to be diligent, or sure, that our faith is only in Christ and in no one and nothing else.
“lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” “the same example of unbelief”
refers to the Israelites who were careless about God’s promises. They were not diligent to take God’s promises by faith. They were disobedient, wanted to return to Egypt and consequently never reached Canaan.
“Lest any man fall”
would be the professors, and not possessors, who would fall away under persecution and should be warned by Israel’s bad example. The opposite of perseverance is disobedience.
Heb 4:14 “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.”
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into
(“passed through” NKJV, Darby, ASV)
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,”
The writer continues the thought, previously mentioned in 2:17 and 3:1, of Christ as the great High Priest of His people. He is presented as the great help of His needy people and able to keep them while they are in the wilderness of this world. The Lord Jesus Himself has passed through the atmospheric heaven and the starry heaven to the third heaven. As He is “Jesus” it speaks of His humanity because that was the name given to Him at His birth. Being “the Son of God” shows Jesus’ Divinity and His absolute equality with God the Father (John 5:18, 23).
“let us hold fast our profession.”
This real priest of ours is “Jesus,” Who can fully understand human needs and “the Son of God” and also fully understand the demands of Deity. There was never was a priest like Him before and so to leave Him for a, now dead, religious system, is not the reaction of faith. Also knowing who their Great High Priest is gives great encouragement to persecuted believers to persevere with the confession of the Lord Jesus’ name.
Also, 1John 5:13
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, John here clearly states the reason why he had written the previous passages to the believers in the Son of God. It was so
“that ye may know that ye have eternal life”.
It is not a matter of hoping so, nor of waiting until the end to see, but of having an absolute assurance and certainty now. If you have the characteristics of a child of God, then you can know that you have been born of God and so are part of God’s family. This verse also emphasizes that assurance of salvation comes through believing the Word of God.
“and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
This has been translated as
“who believe on the name of the Son of God.”
(Darby) or
“[even] unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.”
(ASV) or
“even unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God.”
(RV). Therefore this clause renews, at the end of the verse, that it is the believers in the Son of God who have eternal life in contrast to unbelievers who, sadly, do not have eternal life.