The letter to the Hebrews is not a mere theological treatise or a call to future hope. It is God’s urgent, present-tense speaking in His Son—a speaking that concerns the Person and finished work of Christ, and which demands our response today. This is the Gospel: God, in these last days, has spoken to us in His Son, who is the radiance of His glory, the exact representation of His being, and who, having purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3). The Gospel is not simply a message of past events or future reward; it is the living Word from heaven, calling us into a present participation in God’s Rest.
The First Warning: Do Not Neglect God’s Speaking
The first warning in Hebrews is directed to believers: Do not neglect this speaking. We are exhorted to give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we let them slip (Hebrews 2:1-3). If the word spoken through angels brought just recompense for every transgression, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—one that is being spoken by the Lord Himself and confirmed by those who heard Him?
This is not a warning to unbelievers only. The recipients are addressed as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1), and the writer is persuaded of their salvation (Hebrews 6:9-12). Yet, the warning stands: Do not turn away from Him who speaks from heaven (Hebrews 12:25). The Gospel is not a static creed; it is God’s present, living voice, and to neglect it is to forfeit the very blessing it brings.
The Second Warning: Do Not Fail to Enter God’s Rest
The second warning is even more pointed: Do not, through neglect or unbelief, fail to enter into God’s Rest. This Rest is not a synonym for eternal salvation from hell. It is a present, spiritual blessing—God’s own Rest, offered to us today. “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-15). The Rest is held forth as a present reality, associated with the voice of the Lord, and is nothing less than the enjoyment of Christ Himself.
To enter this Rest is to cease from our own dead works and to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). It is the cessation of striving to establish our own righteousness, and the enjoyment of Christ’s finished work. The alternative is tragic: to neglect this speaking is to wander in a spiritual wilderness, living in unbelief, with a hardened heart, and missing the present enjoyment of God’s blessing. This is not a theoretical loss—it is the forfeiture of communion with God, practical peace, and the anchoring of the soul in His presence.
The Nature of Rest: Present Enjoyment, Not Mere Future Hope
The Rest remains for the people of God—today (Hebrews 4:7-11). It is entered by faith, not by works. “He that is entered into His Rest has also ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10). The Rest is not a vague spiritual feeling or a distant hope. It is the practical, immediate enjoyment of Christ, the purging of the conscience from dead works, and the bold approach to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Those who teach that these warnings are irrelevant to believers, or that Rest is automatic for all the saved, ignore the context and the explicit exhortations of the epistle. Hebrews commands us to fear lest any should come short of this promise (Hebrews 4:1-2), and to labor to enter that Rest (Hebrews 4:11). To dismiss these warnings is to rob believers of the very inheritance Christ died to secure.
Christ’s High Priestly Ministry: The Anchor of the Soul
The means by which we enter and remain in Rest is not our own effort, but Christ’s ongoing high priestly ministry. He is our heavenly Joshua, our intercessor for weakness, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3:1). He has passed into the heavens, and we are commanded to hold fast our confession and come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16). It is His intercession, His indestructible life, and His Word of oath that anchor our souls within the veil (Hebrews 6:19-20).
To remain on the “milk” of elementary doctrines is to remain superficial and restless. Hebrews urges us to go on to maturity, to grasp the depths of Christ’s ministry after the order of Melchizedek, and to let our souls be brought into the presence of God Himself. This is not mere head knowledge; it is the practical experience of Rest, the enjoyment of Christ as our portion and satisfaction.
What Is Lost If This Warning Is Ignored?
If you accept the error that Rest is irrelevant, automatic, or merely future, you lose the very heart of the Gospel’s present blessing. You forfeit the cleansing of your conscience, the boldness to draw near, the enjoyment of sonship and inheritance, and the practical peace that comes from ceasing from dead works. You remain in the wilderness—restless, anxious, and alienated from the living God in your experience, even while professing faith. This is not a secondary matter. To neglect God’s present speaking is to undermine the very purpose of Christ’s high priestly ministry and to live beneath your privileges as a son and heir.
The True Discipleship: Rest in Christ
Jesus Himself defined true discipleship as coming to Him for Rest: “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find Rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:27-30). This is not achieved by human striving, but by revelation—by Christ manifesting Himself to us through His living Word.
The Gospel is not about getting to heaven when you die. It is about living Christ today, enjoying His presence, and serving the living God with a purged conscience. It is about holding fast the confession of our hope without wavering, not casting away our confidence, and believing unto the saving of the soul (Hebrews 10:22-39). This is what Paul called “reigning in life” (Romans 5:17), what Peter described as “rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8-9), and what it means for Christ to be magnified in our bodies (Philippians 1:19-21).
The Choice: Wilderness or Rest
You have a choice: You can remain miserable, wandering in the wilderness of unbelief, complaining and living as if God brought you out only to leave you empty, or you can, by faith, enter into the present enjoyment of Christ’s Rest. The former is a denial of the Gospel’s power; the latter is the very thing for which Christ intercedes and ministers as High Priest. Which is more pleasing to the Lord, and which satisfies the soul? The answer is not theoretical. Hebrews leaves you with no escape: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Enter His Rest.
To neglect this is not a minor error—it is to miss the present inheritance of the sons of God. The Gospel is God’s living Word, and His Rest is your portion now. Draw near. Hold fast. Enter in.
