Thomas Aquinas Commentary Hebrews 12

Having commended in a number of ways the faith by which the members are joined to Christ the head, the Apostle now gives a moral admonition to keep the faith in their hearts and show it in their works, as James also urges in his epistle (James 2). First, he teaches how they should behave in regard to evil; secondly, in regard to good (Hebrews 13). But there are two kinds of evil—namely, chastisement and guilt. First, therefore, he teaches how they should behave in regard to tolerating the evils of chastisement; secondly, in regard to avoiding the evils of guilt (Hebrews 12:12). Concerning enduring the evils of chastisement, he first gives the examples of the ancients; secondly, the example of Christ (Hebrews 12:2); and thirdly, the authority of Scripture (Hebrews 12:5).

Regarding the first point, therefore, he says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. This is as if to say: We have said that the saints, although approved by the testimony of faith, did not obtain the promises; nevertheless, their hope did not fail. Therefore, we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses because God is glorified by them in word and deed: So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16); You are my witnesses, says the Lord (Isaiah 43:10).

The saints are called clouds for several reasons:

• First, on account of their sublime way of life: Who are these that fly like clouds? (Isaiah 60:8).
• Secondly, on account of their fruitful doctrine: He lifts up the drops of rain, and pours out showers like floods (Job 36:27); He binds up the waters in his clouds, so that they break not out and fall down together (Job 26:8).
• Thirdly, on account of the benefit of spiritual consolation, for as clouds bring refreshment, so also do the examples of the saints: As a cloud of dew in the day of harvest (Isaiah 18:4).

We have this cloud of witnesses over our head because the lives of the saints impose on us the need to imitate them: Take, my brethren, for an example of suffering evil, of labor and of patience, the prophets (James 5:10). As Augustine says, “As the Holy Spirit speaks in the scriptures, so also in the deeds of the saints, which are for us a pattern and precept of life.” This, therefore, is the example of the saints that he proposes.

But because people are sometimes prevented from conforming to a pattern by some obstacle, the Apostle removes the most formidable one, which is the weight of sin. Tribulation is, as it were, a race: Everyone that strives for the mastery, refrains himself from all things (1 Corinthians 9:25). Therefore, everyone who desires to run to God successfully in spite of tribulation must put aside all obstacles.

The Apostle calls this a weight and the sin that so easily entangles us. The “weight” can be understood as past sin, which is called a weight because it bends the soul downward and inclines it to commit other sins: As a heavy burden my iniquities are become heavy upon me (Psalms 38:4). As Gregory says, “If a sin is not dissolved by penance, its weight soon leads to another.” The “sin which surrounds us” can be understood as the present occasion of sin—that is, everything that surrounds us in the world, the flesh, our neighbor, and the devil.

Thus, we are to lay aside every weight (that is, past sin) and the sin that surrounds us (that is, the occasion of sin): Laying away all malice and all guile (1 Peter 2:1). Alternatively, the “weight” is earthly attachment, and the “sin which surrounds us” is carnal desire, which is caused by the flesh that surrounds us. It is as if to say: Put aside your love for temporal and carnal things if you want to run freely.

Hence, he adds the advice to let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. This means not only that we should patiently endure what is imposed on us, but that we should run willingly: I have run the way of your commandments (Psalms 119:32). This struggle is set before us for the sake of justice: Even unto death fight for justice .

Then, in verse 2, he gives the example of Christ and does two things: first, he shows why Christ’s passion should be taken as an example and what should be considered in it; secondly, he shows the fruit of that consideration in verse 3.

For it says in Ephesians 2:8, By grace you are saved through faith. But Christ is the author of faith. Therefore, if you wish to be saved, you must look to His example. Hence, he says, looking to Jesus in His sufferings. This was signified by the bronze serpent lifted up as a sign, so that all who looked upon it were cured (Numbers 21:8); As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting (John 3:14). Therefore, if you wish to be saved, look on the face of your Christ.

For He is the author and pioneer of faith in two ways. First, by teaching it in word: He has spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:2); The only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him (John 1:18). Secondly, by impressing it on the heart: Unto you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him (Philippians 1:29).

Likewise, He is the finisher and perfecter of our faith. He does this by confirming it through miracles—If you do not believe me, believe the works (John 10:32)—and by rewarding it. For since faith is imperfect knowledge, its reward consists in perfectly understanding what is believed: I will love him and will manifest myself to him (John 14:21). This was signified in Zechariah 4:9, which says, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, namely, the Church, whose foundation is faith, and his hands shall finish it. For the hands of Christ, who descended from Zerubbabel, founded the Church and will bring our faith to its completion in glory: We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). As Augustine says, “Contemplation is the reward of faith, by which reward our hearts are cleansed through faith,” as it says in Acts 15:9, purifying their hearts by faith (Augustine, On the Trinity, Chapter 10).

Three things should be considered in the passion of Christ:

1. What He despised. The Apostle says, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. This could refer to earthly joy, which He was offered by the crowd when they wished to make Him king; but He scorned it by fleeing into the mountain (John 6:15). As it is written, Laughter I counted error, and to mirth I said: Why are you vainly deceived? (Ecclesiastes 2:2). Alternatively, the joy set before Him was the joy of eternal life as a reward, for which He endured the cross.
2. What He endured. He endured the cross: He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8). This shows the bitterness of His torment, because His hands and feet were nailed to the cross, and also the shame and ignominy of His death, because this was the most shameful of deaths: Let us condemn him to a most shameful death .
3. What He merited. He merited to sit at the right hand of the Father. Hence, the text says, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. The exaltation of Christ’s humanity was the reward for His passion: He sits on the right hand of the majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3).

Then, in verse 3, he indicates the fruit of this consideration. First, he advises us to consider Christ’s example diligently; secondly, he shows its usefulness (Hebrews 12:3b); and thirdly, he gives the reason (Hebrews 12:4).

He says, therefore, as we have noted, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. But not only that; we must also consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself (Hebrews 12:3). This means to consider Him again and again: In all your ways think of him (Proverbs 3:6). The reason for this is that the remedy for every tribulation is found in the cross.

An example of every virtue is found there:

• Obedience to God: He humbled himself, becoming obedient (Philippians 2:8).
• Piety toward one’s parents, because He provided for His mother there.
• Love of neighbor, for He prayed for sinners: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34); Walk in love, as Christ loved you and delivered himself for you (Ephesians 5:2).
• Patience in adversity: I was dumb and was humbled and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed (Psalms 39:2); He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7).
• Final perseverance in all things, for He persevered to the end: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46).

Hence, as Augustine says, “The Cross was not only the altar on which He suffered, but the chair from which He taught.”

Therefore, consider him who endured. But what shall we consider? Three things:

1. The type of suffering. He endured hostility, that is, verbal affliction, as when they said, Vah, you that destroy the temple of God (Matthew 27:40). It is also written, You will deliver me from the contradictions of the people (Psalms 18:43); All the day long I have spread my hands to a people that does not believe, and contradicts me (Romans 10:21); and, for a sign that shall be contradicted (Luke 2:34). And it was such hostility—that is, so grave and ignominious: O all you that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow (Lamentations 1:12).
2. From whom He suffered. He suffered from sinners, the very ones for whom He suffered: Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18).
3. The person suffering. He suffered in His members from the beginning of the world before His passion, but then He suffered in His own person. Hence, the text says He endured hostility against himself. As it is written, I have made you, and I will bear (Isaiah 46:4); I paid that which I took not away (Psalms 69:4); He bore our sins in his body upon the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

He shows its usefulness when he says, that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. For the consideration of Christ’s passion keeps us from failing. As Gregory says, “If Christ’s passion is recalled to mind, nothing is too difficult to bear with equanimity.” Therefore, let us not fall away from the faith, as though weary in soul: They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31); Be not weary in well-doing (2 Thessalonians 3:13).

Then, when he says, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood, he gives the reason for this. It is as if to say: You should not grow weary in your tribulations, because you have not endured as much as Christ. For He shed His blood for us: This is the blood of the new covenant which shall be shed for you (Matthew 26:28). You, however, have only suffered the loss of your goods. Yet it is a greater work to give one’s life than one's external possessions, although sometimes the root from which the action springs—namely, charity—might be less. Hence, he says that in your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood for Christ.

Having exhorted them to endure evil patiently, according to the example of the ancient fathers and Christ, the Apostle now exhorts them to do the same on the authority of Scripture. In regard to this, he does three things:

1. He gives the authority.
2. He explains its meaning (verse 7).
3. He argues to his conclusion (verse 8).

He cites the authority, which is found in Proverbs 3:11 but in different words from our version. For we have: My son, reject not the correction of the Lord; and do not faint when you are chastised by him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastises; and as a father in the son he pleases himself. But because the Apostle quotes that authority for our consolation, he uses other words. So, he says, And have you forgotten the exhortation. It is as if to say: It is strange, for your comforts have given joy to my soul (Psalms 93:19); I will never forget your justifications (Psalms 118:94).

But he says, exhortation [consolation], that is, God consoling. He speaks emphatically: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:3). He continues, which addresses you as sons. Therefore, if He chastises, He does not hate; His chastisement is directed to our good, because He speaks to us as to sons.

He gives the words of another saying: My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, as some do who hate discipline. He adds the reason, For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves. By this authority he forbids two things: hatred of discipline and impatience with it.

Concerning the first, he says, My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, as some do who hate discipline and of whom it says in Proverbs 9:8: Rebuke not a scorner, lest he hate you; and They have hated him that rebukes in the gate; and have abhorred him that speaks perfectly (Amos 5:10). Therefore, the Apostle says, Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. It is as if to say: God chastises you for discipline; do not regard it lightly [neglect], that is, do not despise it through negligence: He that rejects wisdom and discipline is unhappy .

Concerning the second, he says, Do not lose courage [be wearied] when you are punished by him. For some, even though they do not hate a harsh correction, bear it impatiently. Therefore, he says, Be not wearied, while you are rebuked [punished] by him. For a person is spiritually wearied when they are so sad that they faint: That you be not wearied, fainting in your mind (Hebrews 12:3); Be not grieved with her bonds .

Then when he says, For the Lord disciplines [chastises] whom he loves, he gives the reason. As the Philosopher says, the word “chastisement” is generally used in regard to children, for we call a person chaste whose concupiscence has been chastised. Similarly, a child is said to be chastised when he is well disciplined. For something prone to evil needs chastening, and concupiscence is such a thing, as is a child who follows his own impulses.

Therefore, one who chastises does so to keep them from evil. And because our senses and thoughts are prone to evil (Genesis 6:5), the Lord chastises us to draw us from evil: The Lord chastising has chastised me; but he has not delivered me over to death (Psalms 117:18); You have chastised me, and I was instructed as a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke (Jeremiah 31:18). But He chastises not to punish but to save. So he says, He scourges every son whom he receives. Therefore, those who are not scourged are not numbered among his sons: They are in the labor of men; neither shall they be scourged like other men (Psalms 72:5). So, it is a sign, as it were, of eternal reprobation: My jealousy shall depart from you (Ezekiel 16:42). Nor is it strange if He scourges every son He adopts, because He did not spare His own Son: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things? (Luke 24:26).

Then (verse 7) he shows the meaning of the above scriptural quotation:

1. He explains the meaning of the admonition.
2. He explains the meaning of the reason.
3. He shows that the reason is fitting (verse 7c).

The Apostle’s advice was not to neglect the Lord’s discipline and not to become weary. He includes both in these words, for not to neglect and not to grow weary are nothing less than to persevere in discipline. So Job 6:10 says: This is my consolation that afflicting me with sorrow, he spare not; and Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry (Psalms 2:12). He told us why we should not be negligent when he said, Whom the Lord loves he chastises; so, he says here: God is treating you as sons. It is as if to say: Persevere, because he deals with you as with His sons: You shall call me Father and shall not cease to walk after me (Jeremiah 3:19).

Then he shows that the reason is fitting when he says, What son is there whom his father does not discipline [correct]? For it is the father’s duty to correct his son: He that spares the rod hates his son; but he that loves him corrects him promptly (Proverbs 13:2); A horse not broken becomes stubborn; and a child left to himself will become headstrong . Therefore, correction is necessary, as a sting of the flesh was given to Paul, lest he fall (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Then (verse 8) he argues from what he has already said:

1. He concludes to something unwelcome.
2. He gives an example (verse 9).
3. He mentions the resulting usefulness (verse 11).

In regard to the first point, he gives this reason: All the saints who have pleased God passed through many tribulations, by which they were made sons of God. Therefore, one who does not persevere in discipline is not a son but a bastard, that is, born of adultery. From this reason he draws this conclusion: If you are left without discipline [chastisement], in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

All who would live godly lives in Christ will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12); All that have pleased God passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful . Nor is it necessary that the saints always have outward tribulations, when they are afflicted inwardly by the wicked lives of perverse men: Lot dwelling among them that vexed the just soul from day to day with unjust works (2 Peter 2:8).

A son, properly speaking, is born of a legitimate father. Our mother is the Church, whose spouse is God Himself: I will espouse you to me in faith (Hosea 2:20). Therefore, those born of the spirit of the world or the devil are bastards: But draw near here, you sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and of the harlot (Isaiah 57:3). Therefore, it is clear that they are not truly sons unless they are born of a legitimate father.

Then (verse 9) he gives the second reason, drawn from our own experience with paternal correction. This proceeds according to the twofold difference between God the Father and the father of our flesh. The first difference is that a man begets a man as to the body, but not as to the soul, which is created and not transmitted: I have not given you a spirit and a soul . So, he says, We have had earthly fathers to discipline us, and as it is written, Have you children? Instruct them . And we respected them, as it is commanded, Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12).

But God is our Father in a more excellent way, namely, as to the soul, which He creates: The spirit will return to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Furthermore, He makes the soul just by adopting us as sons: The Spirit gives testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God (Romans 8:16). So, he says, shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, that is, our souls, which are called spirits because they are not evolved from matter, and live? For the end of obedience is everlasting life: If anyone keep my word, he will not taste death forever (John 8:52); He became to all that obey him the cause of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9).

Secondly, there is a difference between human and divine correction. First, as to the end, the end of human correction is transitory, for it is directed to living well in this life, which lasts a few days. Secondly, as to the reason, a man corrects according to his will, which can be mistaken, yet we obey it. But this is not so in divine correction, for He instructs us in something useful for eternity, namely, to receive the holiness which He Himself is: Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; let him be your fear and let him be your dread. And he shall be a sanctification to you (Isaiah 8:13).

Therefore, he says, they disciplined us for a short time; and this is in regard to the first point. And at their pleasure, in regard to the second. But he disciplines us for our good, as it is written, I am the Lord who teaches you profitable things (Isaiah 48:17), and this is that we may share his holiness. Therefore, we should all the more accept his chastisement.

He continues: All discipline [chastisement] seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [justice] to those who have been trained by it. This is the third reason, which is drawn from the benefit of the correction. Since chastisements are forms of medicine, the same judgment seems to be true of chastisement as of medicine. Just as medicine, when it is taken, is bitter and disgusting, yet its end is very sweet and desirable, so chastisement, although it is harder to endure, brings forth the best fruit.

It should be noted that chastisement, that is, discipline, is drawn from the word “to learn.” Children who are taught learn from the rod. Therefore, discipline is taken for science, as in the beginning of Posterior Analytics: “Every intellectual doctrine and discipline comes into existence from pre-existing knowledge,” which in Greek is called epistemon. But sometimes it is taken for correction, which in Greek is paideia.

He says, therefore: All chastisement, which is instruction by blows and annoyances, for the moment, indeed, seems painful rather than pleasant, because outwardly it brings sadness in enduring it, but inwardly it brings sweetness because of the end intended. So he says, seems and not “is”: As sad and always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10); A woman, when in labor, is sorrowful; but when she has brought forth, she no longer remembers the anguish, for her joy (John 16:21); That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation works for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Therefore, he says, later it yields fruit, for fruit implies sweetness; so, fruition is delight in the end now achieved. Most peaceful, for fruit is had here with the disturbance of external inconveniences and internal trials; therefore, it is not most peaceful, as it will be there. In glory, indeed, there will be no inward gnawing of conscience, no inclination to sin, and no outward affliction. For according to Augustine, whatever you desire will be there; therefore, the fruit will be most peaceful. It will be peaceful in the tranquility of conscience, more peaceful in obtaining the first stole, and most peaceful in obtaining the second: My people shall sit in the beauty of peace, in the tabernacles of confidence and in wealthy rest (Isaiah 32:18); Her fruit is better than the chiefest and purest gold (Proverbs 3:14).

Therefore, it will yield the fruit of righteousness [justice], that is, which justice earns: To him that sows justice there is a faithful reward (Proverbs 11:30). Or of justice, that is, to lay hold of justice: Sow for yourselves in justice and reap in the mouth of mercy (Hosea 10:12); Going, they went and wept, sheaves (Psalms 125:6). But fruit is brought forth only to them that are exercised in it, that is, by discipline: Strong meat is for the perfect; for those who by custom have their senses exercised (Hebrews 5:14).

Having indicated how we should behave toward the enduring evils of chastisement, the Apostle now shows how we should act to avoid the evils of guilt. In this regard, he does two things: first, he gives his admonition; second, he provides the reasons (Hebrews 12:18). Regarding the first point, he warns those who are sinning, and then those who are not yet sinning (Hebrews 12:14). There are two kinds of sin—omission and transgression. Therefore, he first warns against sins of omission, and second, against sins of transgression (Hebrews 12:18).

A sin of omission occurs in two ways: one, when a person fails to do good, and another, by failing to endure evil and adversity. Regarding the first, he says, Therefore—that is, because chastisement yields the most peaceable fruit—to obtain this fruit, lift your drooping hands. Since the hand is the organ of all organs, it is said to droop when it stops performing good works. Therefore, it must be lifted up with a right intention to do things pleasing to God: Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God (Lamentations 3:41); The lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice (Psalms 140:2); The slothful hand has wrought poverty; but the hand of the industrious riches (Proverbs 10:4); The hand of the valiant shall bear rule, but that which is slothful shall be under tribute (Proverbs 12:24). As a sign of this, when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel conquered; but when he let them fall, Amalek overcame them (Exodus 17:11).

Regarding the other sin of omission, he says, strengthen your weak knees. The entire weight of the body is held up by the knees. Therefore, those who lack the courage to endure adversity bravely have weak knees. This weakness must be put aside: You have strengthened the weary hands; your words have confirmed them that were staggering, and you have strengthened the trembling knees (Job 4:3); Strengthen the feeble hands and confirm the weak knees (Isaiah 35:3). Therefore, lift up your hands and knees, and do not give in to idleness or hesitate because of weakness.

Then, in verse 13, he rebukes the sin of transgression. Now, that sin is a kind of obliqueness and curvature. For something is straight when its middle does not point in a different direction from its ends; that is, its action does not depart from its proper intention and goal. But there are three kinds of obliqueness: in the affections, in action, and in understanding. From sinful affection follows obliqueness in the understanding and depravity in loving. Therefore, regarding the first, which is the root of the others, he says, make straight paths for your feet—that is, correct your affections. For as the feet carry the body, so the affections carry the mind. Therefore, straight feet are proper affections: Their feet were straight feet (Ezekiel 1:7). Therefore, make the affections straight, by which the whole body is carried spiritually. Make straight in the wilderness the paths of our Lord (Isaiah 40:3); that is, as far as it is in your power, devote yourself to this.

Regarding the second kind of obliqueness—in our actions—he refers to what is lame. For just as the tibia is said to be lame when it does not follow the rule of the locomotive power, so an action is lame when it turns to the right in prosperity or to the left in adversity, and does not follow the rule of divine law: This is the way: walk in it and do not go aside to the right or left (Isaiah 30:21). Or, a person limps who, along with the Gospel, observes the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Regarding the obliqueness of the understanding, he warns that it should not be put out of joint. For an intellectual error follows an evil action: They err that do evil (Proverbs 14:22); These things they thought and were deceived; for their own malice blinded them . Therefore, a person who would avoid these two deviations must have his feet and his affections right; for this reason, he says, but rather be healed. For just as bodily health consists in the proper balance of the humors, so spiritual health consists in the proper arrangement of the affections: Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed (Jeremiah 17:14).

Then, in verse 14, he advises those who are not sinning to avoid sin. In this regard, he does two things: first, he presents certain remedies to help avoid all sins; second, he advises them to avoid specific sins (Hebrews 12:15b).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that there are various ends of human actions. Some are ordered toward another, as justice orders a person toward his neighbor, and the end is peace; as Isaiah 32:17 says: Peace will be the work of justice. Others are ordered toward the one acting, such as fasting, and the end is purity, for we fast for the sake of cleanness and purity. Regarding the first, he says, Strive for peace; that is, do not only have it, but seek how to have it with all people: If it be possible, as much as in you lies, have peace with all men (Romans 12:18); Seek after peace and pursue it (Psalms 33:15). Regarding the second, he says, and for the holiness, for Let us wash ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1).

He shows that these remedies are necessary by indicating the two injuries we incur without them: first, the loss of glory in the future, and second, the loss of grace in the present. Regarding the first, he says, without which no man shall see God, in which happiness consists: This is eternal life: That they may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:50). It is as if to say: Without peace toward our neighbor and cleanness and purity in regard to ourselves, we cannot be happy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). But the inheritance of the beatific vision is owed only to sons: Nothing defiled shall enter into it (Revelation 21:27); Lord, who shall dwell in your tabernacle? He that enters without stain (Psalms 14:1); Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? The innocent in hands and the clean of heart (Psalms 23:3).

Regarding the second loss, namely, of God’s grace in the present, he says, see to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God. For grace is lost by discord and uncleanness: He is not a God of dissension, but of peace (1 Corinthians 4:33); His place was made in peace (Psalms 75:3); Your eyes are too pure to behold evil; and you cannot look on iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13); The Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful… He shall not abide when iniquity comes in . But the Apostle is speaking figuratively, for grace is not obtained by merit; otherwise, grace would not be grace. Yet a person must do what he can. God, in His most generous will, gives it to all who prepare themselves: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man open to me, I will come in to him (Revelation 3:20); He will that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, God’s grace is not lacking for anyone, but it communicates itself to all, as far as it is concerned, just as the sun is not lacking for the eyes of the blind. He says, therefore, see that no one fail to obtain the grace of God.

But on the other hand, if grace is not given because of works, but only because a person places no obstacle, it seems to follow that the possession of grace depends solely on free will and not on God’s choice. This is the error of Pelagius. I answer that the very fact that a person places no obstacle is due to grace. Therefore, if anyone places an obstacle and his heart is moved to remove it, this is due to the gift of God’s grace calling him by His mercy: But when it pleased him who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace (Galatians 1:15). But this gift of grace is not sanctifying grace. Therefore, the fact that a person removes that obstacle is due to God’s mercy; if it is not removed, it is due to God’s justice. But he does not say, "lest you fail," but lest anyone fail, because everyone should be concerned for his neighbor: He gave everyone commandment concerning his neighbor .

Then, in verse 15b, he comes specifically to advising the avoidance of sins contrary to each of the previously mentioned remedies. First, he advises them to avoid sins contrary to peace; second, sins contrary to holiness (Hebrews 12:16).

He says, therefore, that no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble. That is bitter which cannot be tasted without disgust. Therefore, a person’s conduct is said to be bitter when it cannot be without offending those with whom he lives. Against this, it is said of wisdom: Her conversation has no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness, but joy and gladness . Therefore, one knows how to live in wisdom when his conduct is not bitter. This happens when his words and deeds are not harsh. Therefore, he says, that no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble—that is, bitterness gradually begun and rooted in the heart, springing up to cause trouble and hinder peace, and consequently, to hinder grace and the vision of God: Lest there should be among you a root bringing forth gall and bitterness (Deuteronomy 29:18); Ephraim has provoked me to wrath with his bitterness (Hosea 12:14). Or, the root of bitterness is an evil thought of harmful pleasure, which springs up when, by consent, one accomplishes the deed. And by it many become defiled, because not only the one in whom it exists but others also are defiled by his example: A little leaven corrupts the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6).

Then, when he says, Lest there be any immoral person (fornicator) or profane person, like Esau, he warns them to avoid sins contrary to holiness. Specifically opposed to holiness are carnal sins, such as gluttony and lust, which are completed in carnal delight and by which the mind is defiled. Therefore, they defile the mind and the flesh. For this reason, he particularly warns them to avoid these, saying that each one should be looking diligently, not only in himself, but also lest he be an immoral person and sin against his neighbor. As Augustine says, "Mutually guard each other’s purity." Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be so much as named among you, as becomes saints (Ephesians 5:3); Keep yourself from all fornication . Secondly, he forbids gluttony, saying, or profane person. Here "profane" suggests something far from the temple, as gluttons are, who make a god of their belly, like Esau. He uses Esau as an example because he sold his birthright because of gluttony. So, too, a glutton sells his eternal inheritance for a bit of food. But Esau was not only a glutton; he was also lustful, because he married two foreign wives against his parents’ will. The birthright had two portions and, before Aaron’s priesthood, included the priestly honor; therefore, in selling his birthright, he was committing simony. It seems, then, that Jacob, who purchased it, also committed simony. But this is not so, for Jacob understood through the Holy Spirit that it was owed to him, according to what is stated in Malachi 1:2: Jacob I loved, Esau I hated. Therefore, he did not buy it, but redeemed from an unjust possessor something that was owed to him. And this is what the Apostle says: who, namely Esau, sold his birthright for a single meal.

Then he shows the punishment that followed when he says, for you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For it says in Genesis 27:30 that after Isaac had blessed Jacob, Esau came and asked for a blessing, which he did not obtain. Although his father had acted unknowingly, in the stupor that he experienced, he was in ecstasy and learned from the Holy Spirit that he was not to retract what he had done. Therefore, he said: I have blessed him and he shall be blessed (Genesis 27:33). Thus, Esau, by the counsel of the Holy Spirit, was rejected. This helps us understand that no one should neglect to do good as long as he lives, no matter how rejected he may be in God’s foreknowledge, because after this life no one can obtain God’s inheritance, even though it may be naturally desired.

For he found no place to repent, though he sought it with tears. For as it is recorded in Genesis 27:34: He roared out with a great cry, and being in great consternation, said: Bless me also, my father. But on the other hand, it says in Ezekiel 18:21: If the wicked do penance for all his sins, which he has committed, and keep all my commandments and do judgment and justice, living he shall live, and he shall not die. I answer that as long as one is living in this world, he can do true penance. But sometimes a person repents not from a love of justice, but from the fear of punishment or temporal harm. This is the way Esau repented—not because he had sold his birthright, but because of the rejection. Consequently, his penance was not accepted, because it was not genuine. For this is the way the damned in hell repent, as it says in Wisdom 5:3: Repenting, not because they had sinned, but because they have been excluded.

Yet, according to a Gloss, the phrase immoral person or profane person has another meaning: an "immoral person" is one who, along with the faith, observes the carnal ceremonies, as though having a concubine as well as a wife; but a "profane person," that is, one far from the temple, is, as it were, entirely unbelieving.

Having warned them to avoid the evils of guilt, the Apostle now provides the reason, which is based on a comparison between the Old and New Testaments. He does two things in this regard: first, he makes the comparison, and second, he argues from it (Hebrews 12:25). In making the comparison, he also does two things: first, he mentions what relates to the Old Testament, and second, what relates to the New (Hebrews 12:22).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that, as Augustine says, “The slight difference between the Law and the Gospel is fear and love,” for the Law was our tutor in Christ. But children are influenced by fear; The wicked man being scourged, the fool shall be wiser (Proverbs 19:25). Therefore, the Apostle says here that when the Law was given, certain fearful things took place. He first mentions the things that frightened those to whom the Law was given, and second, he deals with the terror inspired by the lawgiver (Hebrews 12:21). In the first part, he mentions three things:

1. The frightening things they saw.
2. The frightening things they heard (Hebrews 12:19).
3. The frightening things regarding threats (Hebrews 12:19c).

These three points relate to the three things that were frightening there: from God, from the Law, and from the ministers of the Law. From God’s side, he mentions three frightening things: the zeal to punish, the severity of the punishment, and the concealment of the Lawgiver. The zeal is designated by fire: The Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24); He is like a refining fire (Malachi 3:2). For this reason, God frequently calls Himself jealous, because He does not let His spouse’s crime go unpunished: I am the Lord, your God, mighty, jealous (Exodus 20:5); The Lord, his name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14); The jealousy and rage of the husband will not spare in the day of revenge (Proverbs 6:34). Therefore, it says here: For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire.

As Exodus 19:18 says, that fire was physical and therefore could be felt. It was in a definite place, so one could approach it. But in the New Law, the fire of the Holy Spirit was given (Acts 2). For just as the fire of zeal appeared to the Jews fifty days after their departure from Egypt, so the Holy Spirit’s fire—which could not be sensed, but perceived by the mind—appeared to the disciples on the fiftieth day after the resurrection: From above he sent fire into my bones and has instructed me (Lamentations 1:13). But that fire was infinite in nature and place, for he inhabits unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) and could not be approached.

The severity of the punishment is signified by the whirlwind, which is wind accompanied by rain: He shall crush me in a whirlwind (Job 9:17). Or it can refer to temptations. For the Law did not restrain sinful desire, because it did not give grace that would aid ex opere operato; it only repressed the act. Consequently, it generated a whirlwind of temptations.

The concealment of the lawgiver is signified by the darkness, which showed that the state of the Law was hidden, that is, veiled: Even to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart (2 Corinthians 3:15). But in the New Law, that veil is removed. As a sign of this, the veil of the temple was torn during Christ’s passion, because we behold the glory of the Lord with open face (2 Corinthians 3:18). Likewise, that darkness signifies the divine excellence. For just as that which is in the dark cannot be clearly seen, and a strong light blinds the eye, so He Who inhabits unapproachable light made Himself dark.

Then when he says, and a tempest, he mentions the things terrifying to the hearing on the part of the Law. There were three terrifying things about the Law: the severity of the threats, the strictness of the precepts, and the large number of precepts. Regarding the first, he says, and a tempest, which, strictly speaking, is a disturbance of the sea, but in a wider sense is a disturbance of the air accompanied by a whirlwind and rain. It signifies the strictness of the precepts, whose fulfillment was enjoined on man as though he were waging war against himself.

The voice of words signifies the vast number of precepts. These were God’s words spoken by an angel: Being ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator (Galatians 3:19). For God spoke there through angels. All these things were so terrifying that those who heard that voice entreated that no further message be spoken to them. For this reason, it is stated in Exodus 20:18: Being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, saying to Moses: You speak to us and we will hear. Let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die.

He mentions the reason they excused themselves: they could not endure God’s words. Therefore, they could not endure the order that was given: What is all flesh that it should hear the voice of the living God, who speaks out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be able to live? (Deuteronomy 5:26). For God’s words are said to be unendurable either when they cannot be understood by the intellect or when they transcend the affections.

Then he gives the threatened punishment, saying: And if even a beast shall touch the mountain, it shall be stoned. Everyone that touches the mount, dying he shall die. No hands shall touch him, but he shall be stoned to death, or be shot through with arrows. Whether it be beast or man, he shall not live (Exodus 19:12). To heighten the terror, the Apostle here mentions only the beasts that the Law commands to be killed, in order to show the gravity of sin. Mystically, however, the mountain is the loftiness of the divine mysteries, and the beast is a man living like a beast: Man, when he was in honor, did not understand: he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them (Psalms 48:13). This beast touches the mountain in two ways: first, by blasphemy: They have set their mouth against heaven (Psalms 72:9); Bring forth the blasphemer outside the camp… and let all the people stone him (Leviticus 24:14). Second, by intruding into divine matters: He that is a searcher of majesty shall be overwhelmed by glory (Proverbs 25:27).

From all this he draws the conclusion that they were terrifying things, because not even the beasts were spared. Therefore he says, and so terrible was the sight. This indicates the difference between the New and Old Testaments. The Old Testament was given in terror to frighten the hearts of the Jews, who were prone to idolatry, but the New was given in love: You have not received the spirit of slavery again in fear, but you have received the spirit of the adoption of sons, by which we cry Abba: Father (Romans 8:15). For this reason, Christ did not begin His preaching with fearful things but promised the kingdom of heaven: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2); The law of clemency is on his tongue (Proverbs 31:26).

Then, when he says, Moses said: I am frightened, and tremble, he deals with the lawgiver’s fear, namely Moses: For the law was given by Moses (John 1:17). Now, if Moses himself, in giving the Law, was so frightened as to say, “I am frightened inwardly and I tremble outwardly,” and he was more perfect than the rest, this was a sign that the Law was terrifying even to the perfect, because it did not give grace but merely disclosed guilt. It was a heavy yoke of which Peter says: which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear (Acts 15:10). But Christ’s law is a sweet yoke, because the charity of God has been poured forth into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).

It should be noted that the words the Apostle uses here are not found in Exodus 20. Perhaps he took them from Exodus 4:10, where Moses was frightened at the sight of the burning bush and said, I am not eloquent from yesterday or the day before, after which he said, in deed if not in word, “I am frightened and tremble.” Or perhaps the Apostle was using another version that we do not have. But it all shows that the Old Law was a law of fear.

Then he mentions the conditions of the New Testament, saying: But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God. Here he shows the things proposed to us in it. Three things are promised to us: the hope of future glory, participation in the Church, and intimacy with God.

In heavenly glory, two things will particularly gladden the just: the enjoyment of the Godhead and companionship with the saints. For no good is joyfully possessed without companions, as Boethius says, and in Psalm 132:1: Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together. But enjoyment consists in two things: the intellect’s vision and the will’s delight. For, as Augustine says, “We enjoy the things we know, in which the delighted will rests.” Because of the vision, he says, You have come to mount Zion, for Zion signifies the loftiness of divine contemplation: Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnity (Isaiah 33:20). The gladness and pleasure of the will is signified by the heavenly Jerusalem: and to the city of the living God. Jerusalem, which is built as a city (Psalms 121:3); Who has placed peace in your borders: and filled you with the fat of corn (Psalms 147:12, 14); That Jerusalem which is above is free (Galatians 4:26). Therefore, there will be nothing further to be desired: Since I am become in his presence as one finding peace (Song of Solomon 8:10).

An additional joy will be the company of the saints, of whom he says, and to innumerable angels: Their angels always see the face of my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:10). That there are thousands is clear from Daniel 7:10: Thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him; Is there any numbering of his soldiers? (Job 25:3); And the number of them was thousands of thousands (Revelation 5:11).

And to the assembly of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven: these are the members of the Church, which is called the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). The firstborn saints, who received the gifts of grace first and more abundantly, are the apostles, through whom grace flows to others: And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:23); Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). For just as in ancient times among the Romans, the senators who were raised to great dignity and whom the first Pompilius inscribed on golden tablets were called “Chosen Fathers,” so the Apostle here, to indicate the dignity of the apostles, says that they are written in heaven. The book in which this is written is the knowledge God has within Himself of those to be saved. Therefore, just as that which is written does not soon slip from memory, so those who are written there by final justice will be saved infallibly. For this reason, that book is called the book of life: Rejoice and be glad, because your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).

Then when he says, and to a judge who is God of all, he shows how they have attained intimacy with God. First, with God the Father, because you have come to a judge Who is God of all, that is, God the Father, from Whom judicial authority proceeds. For it is from the Father that the Son has power to judge: This is not befitting you who judge the whole earth (Genesis 18:25). But the statement in John 5:22 that the Father has given all judgment to the Son is understood as referring to His bodily presence, because only the person of the Son will appear in the judgment. This approach is by faith and charity: Being justified, therefore, by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom also we have access through faith into this grace, wherein we stand (Romans 5:1–2).

Second, he shows intimacy with the Holy Spirit when he says, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. According to a gloss here, there are three interpretations, of which the best is in Greek:

1. “And the Spirit of the just made perfect,” meaning you have come to the Holy Spirit Who makes the saints perfect in justice: As I see, there is a spirit in men (Job 32:8); Know you not that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16). For all justice and perfection is from the Holy Spirit.
2. Another version has: “And of the spirits of the just made perfect.” Here the sense is: “You have come to God Who is indeed the judge of all, but is the inheritance of the spirits of the just made perfect.” The Lord is my portion, says my soul (Lamentations 3:24).
3. The third version has: “And the spirit of the just made perfect,” meaning that we might be with the spirits of the saints who are just and perfect. But the first is better and clearer.

Third, as to intimacy with the Son, he says: and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. It is as if to say: You have come to Christ, Who is the mediator of that new covenant in which spiritual things are promised to us. But this was not so with Moses. For this reason, he says above : For if the blood of goats and heifers, and the ashes of a heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled to the cleansing of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ? The Apostle speaks according to the rite of the Old Law where, after the Law was given, the People were sprinkled with blood, which was a figure of Christ’s blood, by which the faithful were to be cleansed.

Then he continues: that speaks more graciously (better) than the blood of Abel. For the shedding of Christ’s blood was prefigured in the shedding of the blood of all the just from the beginning of the world: The lamb which was slain from the beginning of the world (Revelation 13:8), that is, foreseen to be slain. Therefore, the shedding of Abel’s blood was a sign of that shedding. But Christ’s blood speaks better than Abel’s blood, which cries for vengeance, whereas Christ’s blood cried for pardon: Father, forgive them (Luke 23:34); He prayed for transgressors (Isaiah 53:12); This is the blood of the new covenant, which shall be shed for you unto the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). Or, “speaking better” can mean “making to speak better,” because the blood of Abel makes us say that Abel was a pure and just man, but the blood of Christ makes us say that Christ is true God, making us just.

After describing the condition of both testaments, the Apostle now argues from this description and does two things: first, he argues; second, he draws the conclusion (Hebrews 12:28). Regarding the first point, he also does two things: first, he prefaces his intention; second, he argues toward his conclusion (Hebrews 12:25b).

He says, therefore: We have said that the blood of Christ speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel. See to it, therefore, that you do not refuse—that is, despise—him who is speaking, which means you must fulfill what he says. The blood of Christ says two things to us: first, it speaks by reminding us of His favor, by which He remitted our sins. Therefore, one who sins again despises the one speaking. Furthermore, He speaks by exhorting us to imitate Him: “Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example to follow in his footsteps” (1 Peter 2:2). Therefore, one who does not take up his cross to follow refuses the one speaking: “Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalms 95:8); “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5).

Then, when he says, “For if they escaped not... much more shall not we,” he argues by comparing the speaking of the Old Testament to that of the New in two regards: first, the manner of speaking, and second, the efficacy of the speaking.

Regarding the manner of speaking, in the Old Testament He spoke on earth, but here in the New, He speaks from heaven. Hence, the Apostle says that if they—that is, the ancient fathers—did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how can we? This speaker on earth was Christ, as it is written, “For I myself that spoke, behold I am here” (Isaiah 52:6).

He spoke through angels or prophets—“God who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1)—or through the angel by whom the Law was given to Moses: “Ordained by angels” (Galatians 3:19); “For if the word spoken by angels became steadfast” (Hebrews 2:2); “This is Moses who was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on mount Sinai, and with our fathers” (Acts 7:38). Those who refused did not escape the vengeance of the divine law: “The way to escape shall fail them” (Job 11:20); “Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense” (Hebrews 2:2).

The conclusion follows by arguing from the lesser case: If those who refused the one speaking on earth did not escape, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven, because we will not be able to escape. For the one who speaks to us in the New Testament is Christ, who is already in heaven: “The Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven” (Mark 16:19); “From heaven he made you to hear his voice that he might teach you” (Deuteronomy 4:36).

Therefore, the doctrine of the Old Testament is the doctrine of Christ speaking on earth for two reasons: first, because under the figure of earthly things He spoke of heavenly things; and second, because He promised earthly things there. In contrast, the doctrine of the New Testament is that of Christ speaking from heaven, because we turn earthly things into signs of heavenly things by a mystical interpretation. Likewise, heavenly things are promised in it: “For your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:12); “If I speak to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how will you believe, if I speak to you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12).

Next, he compares the two testaments regarding the efficacy of the speaking. Concerning the efficacy of the Old Testament’s speaking, he says, “His voice then shook the earth.” This means it brought about many changes on earth, for example, through the signs in Egypt, the parting of the sea, and the earthquake in the desert: “The earth was moved: and the heavens dropped at the presence of the God of Sinai, at the presence of the God of Israel” (Psalms 68:8). This signified that all that speaking moved their hearts with earthly promises.

Then, when he says, “but now he has promised,” he addresses the efficacy of the New Testament, proving it by the authority of a prophet and then explaining it.

That authority is found in Haggai 2:6-7, but not according to the version common to us, which reads, “Yet one little while, and I will move the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.” The Apostle, however, quotes it as, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” The sense, however, is the same. It is clear that these words were spoken near the end of the Old Testament era—that is, after the return from captivity, when the Old Testament was drawing to its close. Therefore, it is clear that what was promised was to be fulfilled in the New Testament: the new heaven and the new earth, as it is written, “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17), and “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1).

In that new creation, the heavens will be moved. But “heaven” can be understood in two ways. First, it can mean the ethereal heaven, which will be cleansed by the fire of the final conflagration, as has been stated before. Second, it can mean the starry heaven, which will not be cleansed but will be changed to a new state: it will cease its motion, and the brightness of its parts will be increased, for “The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven times brighter” (Isaiah 30:26). Therefore, he says that now—that is, through the New Testament—He makes this promise: “Yet once more and I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.”

Then, when he says, “This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of what is shaken,” he explains the words of the prophecy, laying great stress on the phrase “Yet once more.” By saying “yet,” he shows that these things are subject to change. But by saying “once more,” he indicates that they are to be changed from a state of changeability and corruptibility to a state of incorruption and immutability. If they were to remain in a changeable state after that change, he would not have said “once more,” but “again and again.” This stands against Origen, who believed that the world will be renewed and restored an infinite number of times.

The Apostle continues, explaining that this phrase “indicates the removal of what is shaken... as of what has been made.” As if someone were asking whether God can do this, he adds the reason: because they are created things. All created things are subject to God’s power. Therefore, just as God made them from nothing, so He can change them as He wills. This is done “in order that what cannot be shaken may remain.” This means that they remain immovable in their essence, but are changed in certain accidental dispositions: “As a vesture you will change them, and they shall be changed” (Psalms 102:26). This was explained in chapter 1.

From all this, it is clear that although the things of the Old Testament were shaken, it was not into a state of incorruption and immutability. This transformation happens only in the New Testament, signifying that the promises of the Old Testament were changeable, but those of the New are not.

Then, when he says, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,” he reaches his main conclusion. After commending in many ways the grace and benefits given and to be given to us by Christ, his main desire is to lead us to serve Him. He concludes that since immovable things are promised in the New Testament, we should serve Christ, who promised them, in fear and reverence. This is the principal conclusion of the argument.

First, he recalls the favor granted. He says that since God promises an immovable heaven and earth, which signify the immovable and eternal good things to come, we should be grateful—that is, we should give thanks: “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). We are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” because we receive it now, if not in reality, then in the hope of the promise: “Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages” (Psalms 145:13); “Of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).

Alternatively, “receiving” can be understood as the gift of grace, which we receive in the present as a pledge of future glory. Thus, he says we are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,” meaning the future glory promised to us: “Fear not, little flock, because it has pleased your Father to give you a kingdom” (Luke 12:32). For what we hope for, we already possess in a sense—that is, we have received grace as the beginning of glory. If nature is not lacking in what is necessary, much less is God. Therefore, He gives us the hope of that kingdom and, consequently, the grace by which we may arrive at it: “We have access by faith into grace” (Romans 5:2); “The Lord will give grace and glory” (Psalms 84:11).

He continues: “and so let us offer to God acceptable worship.” Here he comes to the service required of us. Natural reason dictates that we are obligated to show reverence and honor to anyone from whom we receive many favors; how much more, then, to God, who has given us the greatest things and has promised us infinitely more. Hence, he says that by that grace—that is, the grace given and to be given to us—we should “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” It is not enough merely to serve God, which can be done by outward action; we must also please Him with a right intention and with love: “He pleased God and was beloved” ; “I will please the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalms 116:9). God is especially served by an inward service: “Let us serve him in holiness and justice” (Luke 1:74–75). By reason of creation, God is called Lord, but by reason of regeneration, He is called Father. Fear is owed to a Lord, while love and reverence are owed to a Father: “The son honors the father, and the servant fears his lord. If I am your father, where is my honor; and if I am your Lord, where is my fear?” (Malachi 1:6). Therefore, the Lord should be served with fear and reverence: “Serve the Lord in fear; and rejoice unto him with trembling” (Psalms 2:11).

He proves that we should serve God in this manner by the authority of Deuteronomy 4:24: “For our God is a consuming fire.” When God is said to be a fire, it does not mean that He is something corporeal. Rather, it is because intelligible things are often designated by perceptible things, and among these, fire has several key properties:

1. It has great nobility and clarity.
2. It has great activity.
3. It has a higher natural place.
4. It is more cleansing and consuming.

Therefore, God is called a fire especially because of His clarity, for He “inhabits light inaccessible” (1 Timothy 6:16); because He is supremely active, for “You have worked all our works in us” (Isaiah 26:12); and because He is in a loftier place, for “The Lord is high above all nations; and his glory above the heavens” (Psalms 113:4).

Furthermore, He cleanses and, as it were, consumes sins. This is why He is called a consuming fire: “He is like a refining fire” (Malachi 3:2), who “shall purify the sons of Levi” and is the one “making purgation of sins” (Hebrews 1:3). He also consumes sinners by punishing them: “But a certain dread in expectation of judgement and the rage of a fire that shall consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:27). Therefore, because such things are true of our God—“And the light of Israel shall be as a fire, and the Holy One thereof as a flame” (Isaiah 10:17); “A fire shall go before them and shall burn up enemies round about” (Psalms 97:3)—we should strive to serve and please Him.