Hebrews 4 is often used to discuss Sabbath observance or resting in Christ for salvation. I found myself torn between those interpretations, but seeing the flow from Hebrews 3 into chapter 4, along with the book’s overall emphasis, finally revealed what I believe is the proper understanding: persevere in our faith in Christ, no matter what we face, so that we do not fall short as others did. This discovery also explained why the most natural interpretation had not occurred to me earlier.

The Interpretive Challenge

Interpreting Hebrews 4 has been challenging for me. I had been torn between two possible interpretations. Though I hadn’t studied this chapter or the subject of the Sabbath for many years, my recent reading has shed new light on this passage, leading to a breakthrough in my understanding. This insight doesn’t change my doctrine or faith, though the truth, as in this case, deepens my commitment to Him and yields a sound interpretation that is solid enough to teach others.

For me, even more important than the new understanding are my observations about why I was stuck between interpretations, unable to rightly interpret God’s Word. For this reason, I will first introduce what I learned from this hermeneutical “lesson.” If you only want to see the biblical understanding and a general exposition of Hebrews 3 and 4, continue to Part 2: Entering God’s Rest: The Message of Hebrews 4.

However, my experience and difficulty interpreting this passage highlight important principles for interpreting Scripture. We need to be honest that our first reaction or interpretation, even if preached by a great pastor, is not always the best or most accurate. I’ll share a few reasons for this. (I wonder how many personal relationships could be improved if this principle were kept in mind.) Issues, presuppositions, and doctrinal mindsets can keep us from rightly interpreting God’s word. The issue is not sincerity but “accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). We are called to exercise diligence. Our preconceived doctrines, experiences, and worldviews often, unawares, shape our interpretation and dull us to God’s Word.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).

Bias often shapes our understanding. It’s easier to sound certain and definitive than to be a humble learner. I was raised at the intersection of liberalism, Reformed theology, and dispensationalism. What a mix. Each theological framework influences how one interprets Scripture.

Theological Liberalism and Hebrews 4

Early learning strongly shapes our understanding. This is why it is easier to raise up a new believer than to change a believer’s mindset. We don’t doubt that God gives new life to all believers; however, other matters, apart from Christ, can influence our spiritual lives. I have had to spend a great deal of time studying to discern common mindsets and popular culture and to navigate my underlying presuppositions that can distort my interpretations.

I learned early on to argue against the liberal mindset because they reject the authority of God’s Word. Why study Hebrews 4 if it is not authoritative? My faith was at stake. I was disgusted by well-crafted commentary sets that reflected this unbelieving mindset. I had to challenge that mindset by carefully defining and defending a believing understanding, largely grounded in Jesus’ approach to the Scriptures. This holy respect for God’s Word has stayed with me over the years. (This is another story in itself.)

Liberal presuppositions shape one’s interpretation at the most fundamental level. If one is unsure whether God speaks through His Word, he will not expect God to speak; his doubt blinds him, even though God has repeatedly claimed the Bible as His Word (Heb 11:6). It is God’s Word, as Jesus taught us (Mat 4:4).

Liberalism didn’t trouble me in Hebrews 4 because I had already moved beyond this dangerous interpretive mindset, but it does affect many.

The Reformed Viewpoint and Hebrews 4

Two other mindsets, namely systematic theologies, have hindered me from rightly approaching God’s Word in Hebrews 4. I’ll now introduce them.

The Reformed use Hebrews 4 to teach the importance of observing the weekly Sabbath rest—not for salvation, which is, agreeably, through faith in Christ, but to secure our salvation. Observing the Sabbath remains an important moral principle for Christian living, “So there remains a sabbath rest.”

9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. (Heb 4:9–11, NASB)

The Reformed viewpoint rightly emphasizes salvation by faith, a crucial teaching that many have lost. Keeping the sabbath is not a means to get saved. Reformed teaching, however good it is, becomes a filter through which people interpret God’s Word. A filter can help or worsen one’s interpretation, but the most difficult part is that one’s bias is hidden away and not discernible. The Reformed emphasis on faithfulness to God’s Word, the importance of covenants, God’s faithfulness, holy living, and especially the belief that we are saved by faith in Christ tremendously directs those predisposed to self-works. This tendency toward self-works is found in many religions, including Roman Catholicism and even Protestantism.

They emphasize salvation by faith and the inadequacy of our works to please God. Now, through faith, we have entered into Christ’s eternal rest and have eternal salvation, but there was one struggle that confused me when interpreting Hebrews 4. We need enduring faith, but is that endurance genuine if we don’t sincerely observe the Sabbath?

They see this “Sabbath rest” for those who have “rested from his works” and no longer trust one’s works for salvation. And we need to be diligent, unlike those in the wilderness, who did not obey the Lord. The Reformed emphasis on the Ten Commandments, written on stone, gives them ongoing relevance, such as in the observance of the Sabbath. Hebrews 4 teaches that the Sabbath is kept as a work that follows salvation, not as one earned for salvation. I’ll point this out later in our brief exposition.

God’s people, therefore, are to keep the Sabbath. Rest in Christ’s work, and yet faithfully keep the Sabbath. I remember that during one period, regional Reformed Baptist churches were legalistically divided over their differing interpretations of how to keep the Sabbath. They must prove their faithfulness and, evidently, prove their genuineness by how they keep the Sabbath.

While I agree with the grid of salvation through Christ alone, Hebrews 4 is not explaining how to keep the Sabbath.

The Dispensationalist and Hebrews 4’s Rest

Dispensationalists treat the sabbath rest (however it is practically worked out) as the lens through which one interprets Hebrews 4.

The Dispensationalists are known for their analysis of how God works differently at different times, or dispensations, throughout redemptive history. They emphasize that the New Testament reiterates all the Ten Commandments except the Sabbath. Since the Sabbath is not re-commanded in the new era, they are therefore open to different interpretations of the Sabbath, in contrast to others who can be very rigorous and specific about how they think one should keep it, especially since many of us do not live in an agricultural setting.

Dispensationalists instead stress the eternal rest in Hebrews 4, which God’s people enter through salvation. They emphasize that many Old Testament laws are like an old wineskin and lack the greater glory of the New Covenant found in Christ. This is the theme of Hebrews. Christ is better. The New Covenant supersedes the Old. Like the Reformed, they emphasize that we enter that Sabbath rest through faith.

The Book of Hebrews consistently contrasts these two covenants, demonstrating the superiority of the New Covenant in Jesus the Messiah. In any case, Hebrews 4 does not intend to answer the question of Sabbath observance or to address the relationship between the Old and New Covenants.

When Theology Becomes an Interpretive Filter

Either of the above interpretations of Hebrews 4, which I will explain further below, is inadequate. They are shaped by a theological mindset and therefore come out lacking. They both emphasize salvation through faith in Christ; they are, importantly, right there, but their filtered theologies don’t allow them to easily sift through them to discern the proper interpretation.

(1) Reformed: Emphasize the Sabbath rest as salvation through Christ; trust Christ’s works rather than ours. Being saved by faith, we are then called to diligent Sabbath observance as an important expression of Christian obedience.

(2) Dispensationalists: In the dispensational interpretation I encountered, the Sabbath rest (however it is practically worked out) is the picture and promise of eternal rest gained through faith in Christ, not works.

While I appreciate the two efforts above, I draw on my own experience to show how systematic theology can become an interpretive filter that leads us astray from a passage’s intended meaning. Our approach, such as my seeking to understand whether and how to keep the Sabbath, and our conclusions and mindsets toward doctrines, shape our interpretations, whether we can observe this or not. For me, in this case, their proposals kept me from properly understanding God’s Word.

The breakthrough for me came from a simple reflection on Hebrews 4 during my quiet time. I must admit I have read this passage for many years, yet I do not remember seeing this before. My slowness to understand, likely due to the other mindsets mentioned above, only emphasizes the need to keep seeking God to speak to us through His Word. Just a simple light from the Spirit gives me a more sure approach to Hebrews 4.

Continue to Part 2: Entering God’s Rest: The Message of Hebrews 4 — Persevering in Faith and Finishing Well »