Thomas Aquinas Commentary Hebrews 3

As was said earlier, the Old Law derived its authority from three sources: from angels, from Moses, and from Aaron, the high priest. The Apostle previously elevated Christ, the Author of the New Testament, above the angels through whom the Law was given. Here, he intends to elevate Him above Moses, who was the promulgator and, as it were, the lawgiver of the Old Testament. In this regard, he does two things: first, he shows Christ’s superiority over Moses; secondly, he concludes from this that Christ is most worthy of obedience (Hebrews 3:7). Concerning the first point, he does two things: first, he mentions Christ’s dignity; secondly, he shows what is common to Christ and Moses (Hebrews 3:3). Concerning the first of these, he does two things: first, he describes the condition of those to whom he speaks; secondly, he describes the one of whom he speaks (Hebrews 3:3b).

He describes those to whom he speaks in three ways.

1. From their charity; hence, he says, holy brothers, as if to say: Because you are brothers of Christ and of one another: “You are all brothers” (Matthew 23:8); “He is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). But charity causes this brotherhood: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalms 132:1).
2. From their holiness when he says, holy; and this is because they receive the sacraments by which we are made holy: “But you are washed, but you are sanctified” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
3. From their calling when he says, who share in a heavenly call. Now this call can be understood to be heavenly in two ways: because of its end or because of its source. Because of the end, for they are not called to an earthly reward as in the Old Testament, but to a heavenly kingdom: “He has called you to his kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12); “Who called us from darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Because of its source, for it is not due to our merits but to grace: “He called us by his grace” (Galatians 1:15); “Who has raised up the just one from the east, has called him to follow him” (Isaiah 41:2). He says, who share in, because not only the Jews have been called to the faith and the New Testament, but also the Gentiles: “who has made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12).

Therefore, because you have charity, are holy, and are called to heavenly things, you should gladly listen to one who speaks of Him through whom these things come to you.

Then he describes the one of whom he speaks when he says, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession: “Look on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The Apostle elevates Christ above Moses and Aaron and, therefore, attributes to Him the dignity of both: of Moses, because He was sent by God: “He sent Moses, his servant” (Psalms 104:26); of Aaron, because he was a high priest: “Take unto you also Aaron, your brother with his sons from among the children of Israel, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office” (Exodus 28:1). But Christ was sent in a more excellent manner than Moses: “I beseech the Lord, send whom you will send” (Exodus 4:13). As if to say: You will send one more worthy. He will be a high priest and a prophet: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalms 104:4). There is no need to consider that apostle, Moses, and the high priest Aaron; but consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, that is, Him whom we confess. For it is necessary for salvation to confess Him: “With the heart we believe unto justice; but with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

Alternatively, of confession can mean of the spiritual sacrifice. For every priest is ordained to offer sacrifice. But there are two kinds of sacrifice: one is physical or temporal, for which Aaron was appointed; the other is spiritual, which consists in the confession of faith: “A sacrifice of praise will honor me” (Psalms 49:25). For this sacrifice Christ was appointed: “I desire not holocausts of rams and fat of fatlings and blood of calves and lambs and buck goats” (Isaiah 1:11). Then he continues: “Offer sacrifice no more in vain.”

Then (Hebrews 3:2) he compares Christ to Moses; first, he mentions what they have in common; secondly, where Christ excels Moses (Hebrews 3:3).

What is common to Christ and Moses is faithfulness to God; hence he says, He was faithful to him who appointed him. Here it should be noted that everything said here of Moses is based on the statement found in Numbers 12:7, where the Lord shows the excellence of Moses after Aaron and Miriam spoke against him. We find these words, which the Apostle cites here: “If there be among you a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision or I will speak to him in a dream. But it is not so with my servant Moses, who is most faithful in all my house” (Numbers 12:7). Here we find Moses commended more highly than in any other place in the Bible. Therefore, the Apostle accepts this as the highest commendation of Moses.

But this can apply to Christ and to Moses. That it is true of Moses is clear from history. But it is true of Christ, because as a man He is faithful to Him who appointed Him, namely, to God the Father, who made him an apostle and high priest. This is not, of course, according to His divine nature, because in that way He was not made or created, but begotten; but it is according to His human nature: “Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). He was faithful to God the Father, first, by not attributing to Himself what He had, but to the Father: “My doctrine is not mine” (John 6:16). Secondly, He sought the Father’s glory and not His own: “He that seeks the glory of him that sent him, he is true, and there is no injustice in him” (John 7:18). Thirdly, He obeyed the Father perfectly: “He was made obedient unto death” (Philippians 2:8). Therefore, Christ is faithful to Him who made Him, as Moses was, and this is in God’s house—this house being the totality of the faithful: “Holiness befits your house, O Lord, unto length of days” (Psalms 93:5). Or, in all of God’s house means in the whole world and not only in Judea, as Moses was: “I have given you to be the light of the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

Then (Hebrews 3:3) he elevates Christ above Moses in two respects: first, regarding power; secondly, regarding their status (Hebrews 3:3b). In commending Christ, he commends Him as having honor in all His house, as Moses had. Yet Christ excels him. First, he gives the reason; secondly, he explains it (Hebrews 3:4).

The Apostle’s reason is that more glory is due to Him who built the house than to the one who dwells in it. But Christ built the house: “You have made the morning light and the sun” (Psalms 73:16); “Wisdom has built herself a house” (Proverbs 9:1), that is, the Church. For Christ, by whom grace and truth came, built the Church as its lawgiver; but Moses was merely a proclaimer of the Law. Therefore, it is only as a proclaimer that glory is due to Moses. Hence, his face became bright: “So that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance” (2 Corinthians 3:7). The sequence of thought is this: You say that Christ is faithful as Moses was. Why then overlook Him? Certainly, this man was counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, inasmuch as the one who has built the house has greater honor than the house. As if to say: Even though Moses deserves mention, Christ is more honorable, because He is the builder of the house and the chief lawgiver: “Behold, God is high in his strength, and none is like him among the lawgivers” (Job 36:22). Therefore, if Moses is worthy of glory, Christ is more worthy: “For if the ministration of condemnation be in glory, much more the ministration of justice abounds in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:9).

Then he proves the minor premise of his argument when he says: For every house is built by some man. The minor premise is that Christ built that house. He proves this, first, by stating that every house needs a builder; secondly, by showing that the house of which he speaks was built by Christ, because the builder of all things is God.

First, therefore, he proves that this house, like any other, needs a builder, because its various parts are put together by someone. This is obvious in a structure where the wood and stones are united by a builder. But the assembly of the faithful, which is the Church and the house of God, is composed of various elements, namely, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free. Therefore, the Church, like any other house, is put together by someone. He gives only the conclusion of this syllogism, supposing the truth of the premises as evident: “Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5); “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).

Then (Hebrews 3:4b) he proves that Christ is the builder of that house, for He is God, the builder of all things. If this is understood of the whole world, it is plain: “He spoke and they were made; he commanded and they were created” (Psalms 32:9). But there is another spiritual creation, which is made by the Spirit: “Send forth your spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth” (Psalms 104:30). This is brought about by God through Christ: “Of his own will has he begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be some beginning of his creature” (James 1:18); “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, God created that house, the Church, from nothing—that is, from the state of sin to the state of grace. Therefore, Christ, by whom He made all things, “by whom also he made the world” (Hebrews 1:2), is more excellent (since He has the power to make) than Moses, who was only the proclaimer.

Then (Hebrews 3:5) he elevates Christ above Moses regarding their status. In this regard, he does two things: first, he states his reason; secondly, he explains it (Hebrews 3:6b).

His reasoning is this: It is obvious that the master is of more value in his own house than a servant in the master’s house. But Moses was faithful as a servant in the house of his master, while Christ is faithful as the master in His own house; therefore, Christ is superior. Here it should be noted how carefully the Apostle observes the words written of Moses, in which he is called a servant and is called faithful, not in his own house, but in the house of our Lord. And in regard to these two things he elevates Christ above Moses: first, he shows what is true of Moses; secondly, what is true of Christ (Hebrews 3:6).

He says, therefore, that Moses was faithful as a servant, that is, as a faithful steward: “Well done, good and faithful servant: because you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things” (Matthew 25:21). Christ is a servant in a sense, namely, according to the flesh: “Taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). But Moses was God’s servant in proposing God’s words to the children of Israel. From this it is clear that because he was a faithful servant, the things he said were ordained for another, namely, for Christ: to testify to the things which were to be spoken later. “If you did believe Moses, you would perhaps believe me also; for he wrote of me” (John 5:46). Therefore, because he was a servant, he was not in his own house but in another’s; and because the things he said were a testimony to those things which were to be said of Christ, Moses was in these respects lower than Christ.

Then (Hebrews 3:6), But Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son, he shows what belongs to Christ: that Christ is not as a servant but as a Son in His Father’s house and, consequently, in His own, because He is the natural heir: “Whom he has appointed heir of all things, by Whom also he made the world” (Hebrews 1:2). For the Church is Christ’s house: “A wise woman builds her house” (Proverbs 14:1); “The Lord has said to me: You are my son, this day have I begotten you” (Psalms 2:7); “My beloved son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Therefore, He is not a servant but a Son, and in His own house, whereas Moses is a servant in another’s house: “The son abides forever” (John 8:55).

Then when he says, We are his house, he shows what that house is. That house is the faithful, who are the house of Christ because they believe in Christ: “In the house of God which is the Church” (1 Timothy 3:15) and also because Christ dwells in them: “That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts” (Ephesians 3:17). Therefore, this house is we, the faithful. But in order that we be the house of God, four things are required, which are necessary in a house and are not in a tent.

1. Our hope and faith must be firm and permanent. A tent, even though it is firm, can be quickly moved and signifies those who believe for a while but fall away in time of temptation. But they are the house who retain the word of God. Therefore, he says, if we hold fast our confidence. For it has been stated above that confidence is hope with firm expectation and without fear: “And such confidence we have through Christ towards God” (2 Corinthians 3:4).
2. It must be properly ordered. Therefore, he says, and pride in our hope, that is, ordered to the glory of God, so that scorning all else, we may take pride in the hope of glory: “Let him who glories, glory in knowing and having known me” (Jeremiah 9:14).
3. It must be persevering. Hence, he says, unto the end: “He that perseveres to the end, he shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22).
4. It must be firm and not dislodged by any adversity. Hence, he says, hold fast: “Who have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us, which we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm” (Hebrews 6:18).

Having proved that Christ is greater than Moses, the Apostle now concludes that Christ is more deserving of our obedience. He does this by the authority of David the prophet in Psalm 94. In this section, he does three things:

1. He proposes the authority, which contains an exhortation.
2. He explains it (Hebrews 3:12).
3. He argues from the authority and the explanation (Hebrews 4).

Regarding the first point, he again does three things:

1. He hints at the authority of the following words.
2. He makes the exhortation which is the authority (Hebrews 3:7b).
3. He presents a comparison (Hebrews 3:8b).

The authority of these words rests on the fact that they were not uttered by human lips, but by the Holy Spirit. For this reason, he says, Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says. It is as if to say: Christ has more grace than Moses. Therefore, if we listen to Moses, we should not harden our hearts against hearing Christ. He cites words from the Old Testament for the New so that no one might suppose they refer only to the Old Testament; for they should also be applied to the New Testament and to another time.

They are the words of the Holy Spirit, because, as it says in 2 Peter 1:21, Prophecy came not by the will of man at any time, but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit. For David himself says, The spirit of the Lord spoke through me (2 Samuel 23:2). In this, therefore, he shows that the authority is true because it is from the Holy Spirit—an argument against the Manicheans.

Then, in verse 7b, he gives the admonition, in which he does three things:

1. He describes the time.
2. He mentions the benefit (Hebrews 3:7b).
3. He gives the admonition (Hebrews 3:8).

The time is today, that is, daytime. The time of the Old Law was called "night" because it was a time of shadows, as stated in Hebrews 10:1: For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come. But the time of the New Testament, which dispels the shadow of the Law's night, is called "day": The night is passed, the day is at hand (Romans 13:12). This time is called "day" because it witnessed the rising of the sun of justice: But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise (Malachi 4:2). This day is not followed by night, but by a clearer day—that is, when we will see the Sun of justice with His face revealed, when we will see Him in His essence.

And on this day, a benefit is given to us. For he continues, when you hear his voice. We hear His voice directly, which was not the case in the Old Testament, where the words of the prophets were heard. As Hebrews 1:1 says, In times past God spoke to the Son; and Isaiah 52:6 says, Therefore, my people shall know my name in that day, because it was I myself that spoke, behold, I am here. Also, Let your voice sound in my ears (Song of Solomon 2:14). In this, the benefit so long desired is shown to us: If you had known... in this your day, the things that are for your peace! (Luke 19:42).

Therefore, if this is the benefit, here is the admonition: harden not your hearts. For a hard heart is a sign of evil. Something is hard when it does not yield, but resists and does not receive an impression. Therefore, a person's heart is hard when it does not yield to God’s command or easily receive divine impressions. As Sirach 3:27 says, A hard heart shall fare evil at the last, and Romans 2:5 says, But according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath.

This hardening is caused by two things:

1. By God not offering grace: He has mercy on whom he will, and whom he wills, he hardens (Romans 9:18).
2. By the sinner hardening himself by not obeying God and by not opening his heart to grace: And they made their heart as the adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by the hand of the former prophets (Zechariah 7:12).

Therefore, harden not your hearts means do not close your hearts to the Holy Spirit, as it is written, You always resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51).

Next, he presents a comparison when he says, as in the rebellion. This comparison is based on a past event, for the faithful are instructed about what to do in the New Testament by things that occurred in the past, as Romans 15:4 testifies: What things soever were written, were written for our learning. He first gives a general example by citing their guilt, and then gives specific examples (Hebrews 3:9).

If we are to follow the Apostle’s explanation, we must interpret the words in a way that fits his meaning. We read that among others, the Jews committed two sins that were severely punished. One was the disobedience of the spies mentioned in Numbers 13 and 14, for which the Lord intended to wipe out the people. For this reason, He swore that no one but Caleb and Joshua would enter the promised land. He calls this a "rebellion" because, although they had offended God in other ways, this sin was particularly bitter. Just as unripe, bitter fruit is not fit for eating, so God’s anger was inflexible: How often did they provoke him in the desert, and move him to wrath in the place without water? (Psalms 77:40); You have provoked him who made you .

The other sin was that of testing God. They frequently tested Him—sometimes for water, sometimes for meat, and sometimes for bread—so that they tested Him ten times: They have tempted me now ten times (Numbers 14:22); Behold, these ten times you confound me (Job 19:3). For this reason, he says, in the day of testing. Someone might suppose that "rebellion" and "testing" are the same, and that the Apostle should have said, "Harden not your hearts as in the rebellion, which occurred in the day of testing." But this does not agree with the Apostle’s explanation. Therefore, we should understand it as, "Harden not your hearts as in the rebellion, and as in the day of testing," indicating two separate sins. Thus,Psalms 77:41 says: And they turned back and tempted God; and grieved the Holy One of Israel.

Then, in verse 9, he considers their specific sins. He mentions the sin of testing, shows its gravity (Hebrews 3:9b), and describes the punishment (Hebrews 3:10).

He says, therefore, that they were guilty of testing God in the desert: because your fathers tempted me there. Here, the author speaks in the person of the Lord. It should be noted that temptation is an act of testing something one does not know. Therefore, a person tests God out of unbelief. For example, someone who uses his own horse to flee a danger is testing its limits out of necessity, not for the sake of the test itself. But if the action is useless, then he is merely testing. Likewise, if someone, compelled by necessity, exposes himself to danger while hoping for divine help, he is not testing God. But if he does so without necessity, he is testing God. This is why the Lord says in Matthew 4:7, You shall not tempt the Lord, your God, because there was no need for Him to cast Himself down.

So, they tested the Lord because they doubted His power, complaining against Moses as if the Lord could not give them food, even though they had witnessed His power in greater matters. Therefore, they were guilty of the sin of unbelief, which is the greatest sin.

Next, he mentions the gravity of their sin when he says, they proved and saw my works. For the more benefits one receives from God and the more certainty one has of God’s power, the more gravely one sins by later doubting. They had seen signs and wonders in Egypt, the parting of the sea, and other miracles, and yet they did not believe. Thus, it is stated in Numbers 14:22: Yet all the men that have seen my majesty and the signs that I have done in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now ten times, have not obeyed my voice. Therefore, he said, proved—that is, they wished to test—and saw—that is, they experienced—my works, which are effects that could not have occurred unless performed by one with infinite power. This happened not just for one day, but for forty years while they remained in the desert, for they always had manna and the pillar of fire and cloud. Alternatively, they proved and saw me means that He never failed them.

Then, in verse 10, he describes the punishment for their sin: For which cause—that is, for which sin—I was provoked, meaning outraged. This is not to say there is anger in God, except metaphorically, because He punishes as one who is angry does. This punishment is frequently mentioned in Exodus and Numbers, for they were often struck down. In 1 Corinthians 10:5, the Apostle speaks of the punishment for that sin. Alternatively, the phrase could be translated as "I was near," meaning near to them in punishment. For when the Lord helps the good and punishes the wicked, He is near them. But when He overlooks the sins of the repentant or hides the affliction of the just so that their merit may increase, He seems to be far away: The clouds are his covert, and he does not consider our things, and he walks about the poles of heaven (Job 22:14). A third interpretation is that "near" refers to divine mercy, because the fact that God punishes them in this life is a sign of great mercy, as Augustine prayed, "Here burn, here cut, but spare me in eternity."

Next, in verse 10c, he describes the sin of provocation in detail, mentioning their persistence in evil and their departure from the good. He says, therefore, "I was always near them" (meaning, by punishing them), and "I said" (that is, in the eternal plan): They always go astray in heart. As it is written, You have always been rebellious against the Lord (Deuteronomy 31:27), and, If the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots: you also may do well, when you have learned evil (Jeremiah 13:23).

A person, therefore, provokes God in one way by obstinately clinging to evil, and in another way by scorning the good. For this reason, he says, They have not known my ways. This is not simple ignorance, but a willful ignorance. The sin, therefore, is that they have not known because they refused to know: We desire not the knowledge of your ways (Job 21:14); He would not understand that he might do well (Psalms 36:3). Alternatively, they have not known means they have not approved, as the Apostle says, The Lord knows who are his (2 Timothy 2:19).

Finally, he shows the punishment when he says, As I have sworn in my wrath: they shall never enter my rest. These words suggest immutability, for when God or an angel swears, it is a sign of the unchangeable nature of the matter: The Lord has sworn and he will not repent (Psalms 110:4). Yet at times God swears only conditionally, meaning that if the people did not repent, these evils would come upon them. Next, he suggests that this punishment is not given merely as a threat but is aimed at their destruction, because he says, in his wrath. This is why the psalmist prays, Lord, rebuke me not in your anger (Psalms 6:1). Therefore, He swore in His wrath, they shall never enter my rest.

Now, there is a threefold rest:

1. Temporal rest: You have much goods laid up for many years: take your rest; eat, drink, make good cheer (Luke 12:19).
2. The rest of conscience: I have labored a little and have found much rest to myself .
3. The rest of eternal glory: In peace in the self-same I will sleep and I will rest (Psalms 4:9).

Therefore, what is stated here can be explained in each of these ways: they have not entered the rest of the promised land, the rest of conscience, or the rest of eternal happiness.

Above, the Apostle showed on the authority of the Psalmist that Christ must be obeyed strictly. In that passage, he found three things: the exhortation, the guilt, and the punishment. He now explains these in that order: first, the exhortation; second, the guilt (see verse 16); and third, the punishment (see verse 18). Regarding the first point, he does two things: first, he exhorts them to be carefully attentive; and second, to engage in mutual exhortation (see verse 12).

Therefore, he says to take care. For everyone should consider the state in which they are: Let everyone prove his own work (Galatians 6:4); See your ways in the valley (Jeremiah 2:23). Therefore, take care, brothers, each one for himself, because each is part of the assembly. As Scripture says, to each one God gave commandment concerning his neighbor . Take care—that is, let one test the other—lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God.

He says this as if to say: many of you are in a mature state, yet because of weakness and free will, evil could be present in some of you. Behold, they that serve him are not steadfast; and in his angels he found wickedness. How much more shall they that dwell in houses of clay, who have an earthly foundation? (Job 4:18–19); Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? (John 6:71). Therefore, no one should be concerned for himself only, but also for each member of his group.

But why do this? So that there will not be an evil, unbelieving heart in any of you. This is the evil the Apostle speaks of: an unbelieving heart, that is, a heart not firm in faith. Wickedness consists in this, for just as the soul’s good consists in clinging to God—It is good for me to adhere to my God (Psalms 72:28)—through faith, so a person’s evil consists in withdrawing from God: Know and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for you to have left the Lord, your God (Jeremiah 2:19).

He also speaks of “falling away,” because one departs from the living God through unbelief: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13). He says “from the living God” because God is life in Himself and is the life of the soul—In him was life (John 1:4). He says this to show that by withdrawing from God, a person incurs spiritual death.

But if that evil is found in anyone, should they despair? No, they should be admonished all the more. Therefore, he says, but exhort one another every day—that is, continually—by discussing matters of conscience and by encouraging one another to do good, as long as it is called today. This means while the present time of grace lasts: I must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day (John 9:4). This is done so that none of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For, as stated previously, the heart is hardened by persisting in evil. A person clings to sin because he is deceived. It is natural for the appetite to cling to what is good, but it withdraws from the good because it is deceived: They err who work evil (Proverbs 14:22); I have strayed from the path of truth .

Then, in verse 14, he explains their condition. It is as if he is saying: Our condition is more powerful than theirs, because they only heard, whereas we share in Christ. And he speaks correctly, because in the Old Testament there was only hearing, and grace was not conferred ex opere operato. But in the New Testament, there is both the hearing of faith and the grace given to the one who acts. Therefore, we are partakers of grace in three ways:

1. By accepting the faith: That Christ by faith may dwell in your hearts (Ephesians 3:17).
2. By the sacraments of faith: As many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).
3. By partaking of the body of Christ: The bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16).

It should be noted that there are two ways of sharing in Christ: one is imperfect, through faith and the sacraments; the other is perfect, through the presence and vision of the reality itself. The first we already possess in reality; the second we possess in hope. But because hope has the condition that we must persevere, he says, if only we hold our first confidence firm unto the end.

For whoever is baptized into Christ receives a new nature, and Christ is somehow formed in him: My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you (Galatians 4:19). This will be truly completed in us in heaven, but here it is only a beginning. This beginning comes through a “formed faith,” because an “unformed faith” is dead: Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Therefore, unformed faith is not the beginning of partaking in Christ, but formed faith is. As it is written, Faith is the substance of things to be hoped for—that is, the foundation and the beginning.

He says, therefore, that we are partakers of Christ, yet only if we hold our first confidence firm unto the end. But it seems that fear is the beginning, because it says in Psalm 110: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I answer that faith is formed by love, but love does not exist without a reverent fear. Therefore, a formed faith always has love connected to it. Thus, both faith and fear are the beginning.

Then, when he says, who were they that heard, he explains what he had said about their sin. It is as if to say: “You are made partakers of Christ if you do not harden your hearts, as they did who heard and yet were rebellious. Was it all of them? No, not all, for two—Caleb and Joshua—remained and encouraged the others.”

From this, we are given to understand that since the entire Church does not fall, but only some members do, the wicked are punished, but not the good. This is seen in the case of those two: And I will leave me seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal (1 Kings 19:18); There is a remnant saved according to the election of grace (Romans 11:5).

Then, in verse 17, he explains what he had said about the punishment. He says, therefore: With whom was he provoked forty years? Was it not with them that sinned? From this, it is clear that “forty years” refers to the statement, I was provoked. Therefore, he says that God was offended throughout those forty years. Here it should be noted that all who left Egypt died in the desert, as stated in Joshua 5:4, but not all were “laid low”; only some were. Some were struck down by God, as when the earth opened and swallowed Dathan and Abiram (see Psalm 77); others were struck down by Moses, as with the construction of the golden calf (see Exodus 32); still others were killed by enemies, and some died a natural death. Therefore, not all were struck down. Thus, it was not a universal punishment, although it was general enough that only two entered the promised land.

And concerning that land, he asks, and to whom did he swear—that is, firmly decree—that they should never enter into his rest, but to them that were incredulous? From this, it is clear that they could not enter His rest because of their unbelief. Therefore, he concludes, we see that they could not enter because of their unbelief. We “see” this either from our own experience or by observing their punishment.