Lesson Themes: In Hebrews, the ascension of Christ marks the beginning of His rule and the beginning of His high-priestly ministry in heaven. When Christ ascended into heaven, He appeared in the presence of God in our behalf (Heb. 9:24). In Old Testament times, every male was required to appear in God’s presence three times a year. The pilgrim festivals were Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths (Exod. 23:14–17). Their purpose was to appear before God (Ps. 42:2).
Christ appeared in heaven in the presence of God in our behalf. In accordance with the Old Testament feasts, Christ died on Passover. Then after His resurrection, He ascended initially to His Father at the time when the priests waved their sheaf of barley (see John 20:17; Eph. 4:8). Christ ascended again a final time after 40 days to sit at the right hand of God. As the inauguration of Christ as our High Priest took place in heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out during Pentecost on Christ’s followers on the earth.
When God appeared to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, they were fearful of God’s presence. Moses became their intermediary. All through the history of Israel, priests were the mediators. But even they were prohibited from going whenever they wanted into the Most Holy apartment of the tabernacle. The veils functioned both as boundaries and protection for the priests when ministering in the sanctuary. Hebrews invites its audience, and by implication us, to approach the sanctuary through the veil; that is, through the flesh of Christ (Heb. 10:20).
Part II: Commentary
“The Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect”: In Hebrews 12:22, 23, Paul addresses his audience with these words: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (NRSV). The question that we will pursue in regard to this passage is: Who are “the spirits of the righteous made perfect”? That is, what kind of beings are they?
In preparing to answer this question, let us look at the context of Hebrews 12:22, 23, which is Hebrews 11. In Hebrews 11, Paul offers praises in honor of the heroes of faith, followed by a strong exhortation at the beginning of Hebrews 12 to fix our gaze upon “Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2, NRSV). Then the section that follows in Hebrews 12 deals with God’s discipline in the Christian life. The fact that righteous people suffer is not a sign of divine displeasure but of God’s parental affection. That is why Paul states, “For the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts” (Heb. 12:6, NRSV).
Next follows a double exhortation to peace and holiness: “Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14, NRSV). To reinforce the warning, Paul brings forward the illustration of Esau, described as an “immoral and godless” person—the very antithesis of the example of faith in Hebrews 11—who traded off his firstborn-inheritance rights for the immediate gratification of a meal (Heb. 12:16, NRSV). Finally, Paul compares the Exodus generation with his own audience. The former was confronted with a theophany on Mount Sinai. Moses recalled the scene and declared: “ ‘I [trembled] with fear’ ” (Heb. 12:21, NRSV). In contrast, the audience of Hebrews has not come to this terrifying mountain, but to the heavenly dwelling place of God, the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22, NRSV). They have access to “God, the judge of all,” to “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,” and to the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:23, NRSV).
Who are the “spirits of the righteous made perfect”? Most scholars of the book of Hebrews employ Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., Jub. 23:30, 31; 1 Enoch 22:9; 1 Enoch 102:4; 1 Enoch 103:3, 4; 2 Apoc. Bar. 30:2) to understand the phrase “spirits of the righteous made perfect.” On this basis, they conclude that these spirits must be immaterial souls, devoid of the body, who are dwelling in heaven. Such a conclusion needs to be challenged by the data presented in the book of Hebrews itself. To that end, we will analyze the noun “spirits,” the adjective “righteous,” and the adjectival verb (participle) “made perfect.”
The noun “spirits,” or “spirit,” has three different uses in the letter to the Hebrews. First, “spirits” is used to designate angels who are ministering spirits (Heb. 1:7, 14). Second, “spirit” designates the Holy Spirit who gives gifts, speaks about the new covenant, and bears witness to it (Heb. 2:4; Heb. 3:7; Heb. 6:4; Heb. 9:8; Heb. 10:15). Sometimes the Holy Spirit seems to be described as the “Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29), or the “eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14). Third, “spirits” refers to human beings who are alive and who are subject to the piercing penetration of the Living Word of God (Heb. 4:12). Similarly, when Paul talks about God disciplining His children, he says “We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb. 12:9, ESV). Thus, we can conclude that the “spirits” in the phrase “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:23, NRSV) are not angels, nor the Holy Spirit, but human beings who by faith have approached Mount Zion, the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22).
In Hebrews, the adjective “righteous” appears only two times outside of the passage under investigation. The first time that it appears, it is used in the context of endurance: “My righteous one will live by faith” (Heb. 10:38, NRSV). God has no pleasure in those who shrink back in doubt or unbelief. The second time, the adjective is used in the context of Abel offering a better sacrifice than Cain offers. Because of that better sacrifice, Abel receives the testimony that he is “righteous” (Heb. 11:4). Both instances refer to persons when they were alive, not dead or in a bodiless state of being. Thus, these individuals are not depicted as immaterial souls. So, we may conclude that the “righteous” are those people who live by faith and express their faith by the sacrifices they make.
The term “made perfect” appears several times in Hebrews, yielding three uses. First, Christ was made perfect through sufferings and becomes the Source of eternal salvation (Heb. 2:10; Heb. 5:9; Heb. 7:28). Second, the law cannot make perfect the conscience of the worshiper (Heb. 7:19; Heb. 9:9; Heb. 10:1). Third, human beings are perfected. In Hebrews 10:14, Paul states, “For by a single offering he [Christ] has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (NRSV), and in Hebrews 12:23 the “spirits of the righteous” are perfected. Thus, the objects of perfection are Christ and human beings, not bodiless beings in a metaphysical sphere.
Finally, the phrase “assembly of the firstborn” seems to be part of a parallelism, synonymous with the phrase that follows it: “who are enrolled in heaven” (Heb. 12:23, NRSV). The image of righteous people being enrolled in the heavenly books is common in Scripture (Exod. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Luke 10:20; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 17:8; compare Phil. 3:20). Moses contended with God either to forgive Israel’s sin or blot out his own name from the book of life. Consequently, the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” should be interpreted as human beings rather than bodiless souls of people who died.
In sum, the textual evidence points to the fact that the noun “spirits” is used for angels, the Holy Spirit, and humans. The adjective “righteous” is used for faithful people such as Abel and the audience of Hebrews. The term “made perfect” is used to describe Jesus being made perfect, the inability of the law to make anything perfect, and humans who have been made perfect by Christ’s sacrifice. Thus, we can safely conclude that the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” are not immaterial souls, devoid of corporeal form, who are dwelling in heaven after their earthly sojourn and subsequent death, and who are now enjoying heavenly peace. Rather, the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” are human beings whose names have been registered in heaven. Through faith, the addressees of Hebrews approach God, Jesus the Mediator of a new covenant, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable angels, and these human beings who have been made perfect by faith and whose names are recorded in heaven. This passage should be understood as an exhortation to believers, similar to the author’s exhortation to his audience when he says: “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness” (Heb. 4:16, NRSV).
Part III: Life Application
As Seventh-day Adventists, we hold many beliefs in common with other Christian denominations, such as prayer, righteousness by faith, sanctification, the Godhead, tithing, et cetera. Besides distinctive Adventist beliefs, such as those connected with the sanctuary doctrine and our self-understanding as the end-time remnant of Revelation, some denominations can be found within Christianity that share our beliefs in the Sabbath, the Second Coming, the gift of prophecy, and the state of the dead. During this week’s lesson, we looked at the state of the dead through the passage of Hebrews 12:22, 23. As Seventh-day Adventists, we are distinguished from other Christian groups, though not exclusively, in believing that the soul is not immortal. We believe that God created Adam “from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7, NRSV). Other translations render the phrase “living being” as “living soul.” With death, the living being ceases to exist. Through the influence of Greek philosophy, most Christians throughout history have believed that humans are born immortal and that when one dies, his or her spirit goes to heaven or hell to live with God or to burn eternally.
What dangers arise when we superimpose our presuppositions onto the biblical text instead of permitting the Bible to speak for itself?
Can we indeed be completely objective and free of presuppositions? Why, or why not?
Notes
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Key Texts: Heb. 9:24; Exod. 19:3, 4; Heb. 12:18–21; Lev. 16:1, 2; Heb. 10:19–24; Col. 3:1.
Lesson Themes: In Hebrews, the ascension of Christ marks the beginning of His rule and the beginning of His high-priestly ministry in heaven. When Christ ascended into heaven, He appeared in the presence of God in our behalf (Heb. 9:24). In Old Testament times, every male was required to appear in God’s presence three times a year. The pilgrim festivals were Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths (Exod. 23:14–17). Their purpose was to appear before God (Ps. 42:2).
Christ appeared in heaven in the presence of God in our behalf. In accordance with the Old Testament feasts, Christ died on Passover. Then after His resurrection, He ascended initially to His Father at the time when the priests waved their sheaf of barley (see John 20:17; Eph. 4:8). Christ ascended again a final time after 40 days to sit at the right hand of God. As the inauguration of Christ as our High Priest took place in heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out during Pentecost on Christ’s followers on the earth.
When God appeared to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, they were fearful of God’s presence. Moses became their intermediary. All through the history of Israel, priests were the mediators. But even they were prohibited from going whenever they wanted into the Most Holy apartment of the tabernacle. The veils functioned both as boundaries and protection for the priests when ministering in the sanctuary. Hebrews invites its audience, and by implication us, to approach the sanctuary through the veil; that is, through the flesh of Christ (Heb. 10:20).
Part II: Commentary
“The Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect”: In Hebrews 12:22, 23, Paul addresses his audience with these words: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (NRSV). The question that we will pursue in regard to this passage is: Who are “the spirits of the righteous made perfect”? That is, what kind of beings are they?
In preparing to answer this question, let us look at the context of Hebrews 12:22, 23, which is Hebrews 11. In Hebrews 11, Paul offers praises in honor of the heroes of faith, followed by a strong exhortation at the beginning of Hebrews 12 to fix our gaze upon “Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2, NRSV). Then the section that follows in Hebrews 12 deals with God’s discipline in the Christian life. The fact that righteous people suffer is not a sign of divine displeasure but of God’s parental affection. That is why Paul states, “For the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts” (Heb. 12:6, NRSV).
Next follows a double exhortation to peace and holiness: “Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14, NRSV). To reinforce the warning, Paul brings forward the illustration of Esau, described as an “immoral and godless” person—the very antithesis of the example of faith in Hebrews 11—who traded off his firstborn-inheritance rights for the immediate gratification of a meal (Heb. 12:16, NRSV). Finally, Paul compares the Exodus generation with his own audience. The former was confronted with a theophany on Mount Sinai. Moses recalled the scene and declared: “ ‘I [trembled] with fear’ ” (Heb. 12:21, NRSV). In contrast, the audience of Hebrews has not come to this terrifying mountain, but to the heavenly dwelling place of God, the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22, NRSV). They have access to “God, the judge of all,” to “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,” and to the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:23, NRSV).
Who are the “spirits of the righteous made perfect”? Most scholars of the book of Hebrews employ Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., Jub. 23:30, 31; 1 Enoch 22:9; 1 Enoch 102:4; 1 Enoch 103:3, 4; 2 Apoc. Bar. 30:2) to understand the phrase “spirits of the righteous made perfect.” On this basis, they conclude that these spirits must be immaterial souls, devoid of the body, who are dwelling in heaven. Such a conclusion needs to be challenged by the data presented in the book of Hebrews itself. To that end, we will analyze the noun “spirits,” the adjective “righteous,” and the adjectival verb (participle) “made perfect.”
The noun “spirits,” or “spirit,” has three different uses in the letter to the Hebrews. First, “spirits” is used to designate angels who are ministering spirits (Heb. 1:7, 14). Second, “spirit” designates the Holy Spirit who gives gifts, speaks about the new covenant, and bears witness to it (Heb. 2:4; Heb. 3:7; Heb. 6:4; Heb. 9:8; Heb. 10:15). Sometimes the Holy Spirit seems to be described as the “Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29), or the “eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14). Third, “spirits” refers to human beings who are alive and who are subject to the piercing penetration of the Living Word of God (Heb. 4:12). Similarly, when Paul talks about God disciplining His children, he says “We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb. 12:9, ESV). Thus, we can conclude that the “spirits” in the phrase “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:23, NRSV) are not angels, nor the Holy Spirit, but human beings who by faith have approached Mount Zion, the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22).
In Hebrews, the adjective “righteous” appears only two times outside of the passage under investigation. The first time that it appears, it is used in the context of endurance: “My righteous one will live by faith” (Heb. 10:38, NRSV). God has no pleasure in those who shrink back in doubt or unbelief. The second time, the adjective is used in the context of Abel offering a better sacrifice than Cain offers. Because of that better sacrifice, Abel receives the testimony that he is “righteous” (Heb. 11:4). Both instances refer to persons when they were alive, not dead or in a bodiless state of being. Thus, these individuals are not depicted as immaterial souls. So, we may conclude that the “righteous” are those people who live by faith and express their faith by the sacrifices they make.
The term “made perfect” appears several times in Hebrews, yielding three uses. First, Christ was made perfect through sufferings and becomes the Source of eternal salvation (Heb. 2:10; Heb. 5:9; Heb. 7:28). Second, the law cannot make perfect the conscience of the worshiper (Heb. 7:19; Heb. 9:9; Heb. 10:1). Third, human beings are perfected. In Hebrews 10:14, Paul states, “For by a single offering he [Christ] has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (NRSV), and in Hebrews 12:23 the “spirits of the righteous” are perfected. Thus, the objects of perfection are Christ and human beings, not bodiless beings in a metaphysical sphere.
Finally, the phrase “assembly of the firstborn” seems to be part of a parallelism, synonymous with the phrase that follows it: “who are enrolled in heaven” (Heb. 12:23, NRSV). The image of righteous people being enrolled in the heavenly books is common in Scripture (Exod. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Luke 10:20; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 17:8; compare Phil. 3:20). Moses contended with God either to forgive Israel’s sin or blot out his own name from the book of life. Consequently, the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” should be interpreted as human beings rather than bodiless souls of people who died.
In sum, the textual evidence points to the fact that the noun “spirits” is used for angels, the Holy Spirit, and humans. The adjective “righteous” is used for faithful people such as Abel and the audience of Hebrews. The term “made perfect” is used to describe Jesus being made perfect, the inability of the law to make anything perfect, and humans who have been made perfect by Christ’s sacrifice. Thus, we can safely conclude that the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” are not immaterial souls, devoid of corporeal form, who are dwelling in heaven after their earthly sojourn and subsequent death, and who are now enjoying heavenly peace. Rather, the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” are human beings whose names have been registered in heaven. Through faith, the addressees of Hebrews approach God, Jesus the Mediator of a new covenant, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable angels, and these human beings who have been made perfect by faith and whose names are recorded in heaven. This passage should be understood as an exhortation to believers, similar to the author’s exhortation to his audience when he says: “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness” (Heb. 4:16, NRSV).
Part III: Life Application
As Seventh-day Adventists, we hold many beliefs in common with other Christian denominations, such as prayer, righteousness by faith, sanctification, the Godhead, tithing, et cetera. Besides distinctive Adventist beliefs, such as those connected with the sanctuary doctrine and our self-understanding as the end-time remnant of Revelation, some denominations can be found within Christianity that share our beliefs in the Sabbath, the Second Coming, the gift of prophecy, and the state of the dead. During this week’s lesson, we looked at the state of the dead through the passage of Hebrews 12:22, 23. As Seventh-day Adventists, we are distinguished from other Christian groups, though not exclusively, in believing that the soul is not immortal. We believe that God created Adam “from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7, NRSV). Other translations render the phrase “living being” as “living soul.” With death, the living being ceases to exist. Through the influence of Greek philosophy, most Christians throughout history have believed that humans are born immortal and that when one dies, his or her spirit goes to heaven or hell to live with God or to burn eternally.
What dangers arise when we superimpose our presuppositions onto the biblical text instead of permitting the Bible to speak for itself?
Can we indeed be completely objective and free of presuppositions? Why, or why not?
Notes