Hebrews 10:25

10:19-25 The apostle having closed the first part of the epistle, the doctrine is applied to practical purposes. As believers had an open way to the presence of God, it became them to use this privilege. The way and means by which Christians enjoy such privileges, is by the blood of Jesus, by the merit of that blood which he offered up as an atoning sacrifice. The agreement of infinite holiness with pardoning mercy, was not clearly understood till the human nature of Christ, the Son of God, was wounded and bruised for our sins. Our way to heaven is by a crucified Saviour; his death is to us the way of life, and to those who believe this, he will be precious. They must draw near to God; it would be contempt of Christ, still to keep at a distance. Their bodies were to be washed with pure water, alluding to the cleansings directed under the law: thus the use of water in baptism, was to remind Christians that their conduct should be pure and holy. While they derived comfort and grace from their reconciled Father to their own souls, they would adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. Believers are to consider how they can be of service to each other, especially stirring up each other to the more vigorous and abundant exercise of love, and the practice of good works. The communion of saints is a great help and privilege, and a means of stedfastness and perseverance. We should observe the coming of times of trial, and be thereby quickened to greater diligence.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: {8} and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (8) Having mentioned the last coming of Christ, he stirs up the godly to the meditation of a holy life, and cites the faithless fallers from God to the fearful judgment seat of the Judge, because they wickedly rejected him in whom only salvation consists.

The assembling of ourselves together (ἐπισυναφωγὴν ἑαυτῶν) Επισυναγωγή only here and 2 Thessalonians 2:1, see note. The act of assembling, although some explain assembly. The antithesis is, "not forsaking assembling, but exhorting in assembly." Lnemann aptly says that the idea of apostasy which would be conveyed by the rendering assembly or congregation is excluded by ἔθος habit or custom, which implies an often recurring act on the part of the same persons. As the manner of some is (καθὼς ἔθος τισίν) For manner rend. custom. Lit. as is custom unto some. Ἔθος mostly in Luke and Acts. Comp. Luke 1:9; John 19:40. Ye see the day approaching (βλέπετε ἐγγίζουσαν τὴν ἡμέραν) The day of Christ's second coming, bringing with it the judgment of Israel. He could say "ye see," because they were familiar with Christ's prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple; and they would see this crisis approaching in the disturbances which heralded the Jewish war.

Hebrews 10:25 . Τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν , the assembling of ourselves together ) The modern Greek version interprets ἐπισυναγωγὴν , συχνοσὑναξιν ; but the apostle alludes to the Jewish synagogue, while the preposition, ἐπὶ , somewhat changes the signification of the word. The meaning is: you ought not only to frequent the synagogue (synagogam) as Jews, which you willingly do, but also the additional assembly (episynagogam) as Christians: and yet we are not to understand this expression as if it exclusively applied to assembling in one place , or to associating for promoting one faith; but it should be taken in a middle sense, as the mutual meeting together in love , and as the public and private interchange of Christian duties, in which brother does not withdraw himself from brother, but one stimulates the other, and is stimulated by the other. For even spiritual warmth and ardour separate things that are heterogeneous, and bring together those that are homogeneous.

This interpretation affords all that seems necessary for the order of the discourse, in which, next to faith towards GOD, love to the saints is commended; and all that is necessary for explaining the verbal substantive ἐπισυναγωνὴν , and the fact that it is in the singular number; and for explaining the pronoun, which is ἑαυτῶν , of ourselves , not our; and for explaining the complaint, as the manner of some is; and for explaining the antithesis, exhorting .— τισὶν , some ) who were perhaps afraid of the Jews.— παρακαλοῦντες , exhorting ) The power of exhorting, which is required, includes the peculiar ardour of every individual.— καὶ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον , and so much the more ) This refers to the whole exhortation from Hebrews 10:22 : comp. Hebrews 10:37 .— βλέπετε , ye see ) from the signs of the times, and from the very sacrifice for sin having been perfected: Hebrews 10:13 .— τὴν ἡμέραν , the day ) the day of Christ. After Christ had come in the flesh, who was the object of expectation during so many ages of the world, His glorious coming is thought to be now immediately at hand; comp. Hebrews 10:27 ; Hebrews 10:30 ; Hebrews 10:35 , etc. Hebrews 10:25

25 . the assembling of ourselves together ] i.e. “our Christian gatherings.” Apparently the flagging zeal and waning faith of the Hebrews had led some of them to neglect the Christian assemblies for worship and Holy Communion ( Acts 2:42 ). The word here used ( episunagôgç ) only occurs in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 , and is perhaps chosen to avoid the Jewish word “synagogue;” and the more so because the duty of attending “the synagogue” was insisted on by Jewish teachers. In the neglect of public worship the writer saw the dangerous germ of apostasy. as the manner of some is ] This neglect of attending the Christian gatherings may have been due in some cases to fear of the Jews. It shewed a fatal tendency to waver in the direction of apostasy. exhorting one another ] This implies the duty of mutual encouragement . ye see the day approaching ] The Day which Christians expected was the Last Day ( 1 Corinthians 3:13 ). They failed to see that the Day which our Lord had primarily in view in His great eschatological discourse (Matthew 24) was the Close of the Old Dispensation in the Fall of Jerusalem. The signs of this were already in the air, and that approaching Day of the Lord was destined to be “the bloody and fiery dawn” of the Last Great Day—“the Day of days, the Ending-day of all days, the Settling-day of all days, the Day of the promotion of Time into Eternity, the Day which for the Church breaks through and breaks off the night of this present world” (Delitzsch).

(25) As the manner of some is. —Some members of this community, it would seem, had persuaded themselves that the relation of Judaism to Christianity, of the “synagogue” (the Greek word here used seems to allude to this technical name, and yet intentionally to avoid it) and the Church, was such as to permit them to avoid close intercourse with Christians and direct association with Christian assemblies. This neglect was the first step towards apostasy. Exhorting.—Better, encouraging. (Comp. Hebrews 12:12.) The day.—See 1Corinthians 3:13—“the day shall declare” every man’s work. Elsewhere we read of “the day of the Lord” (1Thessalonians 5:2); “the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). The words of Jesus to His disciples (Matthew 24; Luke 17) had enabled all who were willing to hear to understand “the signs of the times.” As the writer gave these warnings, the day when the Son of Man should come in His kingdom, bringing judgment upon Jerusalem (Matthew 16:28), was close at hand—that day which is distinctly presented to us in the New Testament as the type of His final coming.

25. assembling of ourselves together—The Greek, "episunagoge," is only found here and 2Th 2:1 (the gathering together of the elect to Christ at His coming, Mt 24:31). The assembling or gathering of ourselves for Christian communion in private and public, is an earnest of our being gathered together to Him at His appearing. Union is strength; continual assemblings together beget and foster love, and give good opportunities for "provoking to good works," by "exhorting one another" (Heb 3:13). Ignatius says, "When ye frequently, and in numbers meet together, the powers of Satan are overthrown, and his mischief is neutralized by your likemindedness in the faith." To neglect such assemblings together might end in apostasy at last. He avoids the Greek term "sunagoge," as suggesting the Jewish synagogue meetings (compare Re 2:9). as the manner of some is—"manner," that is, habit, custom. This gentle expression proves he is not here as yet speaking of apostasy. the day approaching—This, the shortest designation of the day of the Lord's coming, occurs elsewhere only in 1Co 3:13; a confirmation of the Pauline authorship of this Epistle. The Church being in all ages kept uncertain how soon Christ is coming, the day is, and has been, in each age, practically always near; whence, believers have been called on always to be watching for it as nigh at hand.

The Hebrews were now living close upon One of those great types and foretastes of it, the destruction of Jerusalem (Mt 24:1, 2), "the bloody and fiery dawn of the great day; that day is the day of days, the ending day of all days, the settling day of all days, the day of the promotion of time into eternity, the day which, for the Church, breaks through and breaks off the night of the present world" [Delitzsch in Alford].

Helps to the performance of both the former duties, to God and fellow Christians, with their respective motives, are laid down in the following part of the chapter. The first is couched in this verse; neither slighting in thought, nor vilifying in word, nor separating, nor leaving by dissociation. Not forsaking: egkataleipontev imports such a desertion, as leaves destitute in deep trouble or distress, when they should be helping. The assembling of ourselves together: episunagwghn strictly notes an addition to this synagogue of the Jews; an accession of new members to the former church assembly, even the Gentiles, becoming Abraham’s seed by their conversion to, and confession of, the faith of Christ. This some of the Jews, from the self-conceit of their being the only people of God, disdained, and continued in a separation from them, and all communion with them. This the Spirit reproves, and adviseth not to leave the assembly thus augmented, lest in doing it they forsook God and Christ, as well as ordinances of worship and duties attending such church meetings, and promoting their salvation.

As the manner of some is; such desertion of those assemblies in the worshipping and serving of God, was the common custom among some of these Hebrews; a usual, frequent mode of them to do it; some idolizing their own nation; others, their own selves, thinking them holier than others, Galatians 2:12-14 ; others, that valued honours, riches, and ease more than Christ or their souls; some for fear of persecution, as foretold, Luke 8:13,14 , fulfilled, Galatians 6:12 . But exhorting one another; parakalountev supposeth assembling, in opposition to the former desertion, and the duty of the assembled; and signifieth, counselling, reproving, encouraging, and comforting one another, so as they might persevere in performing the duties for which they assembled, according to Christ’s mind and will; so as to strengthen each other’s hearts and hands in the faith, and in the other duties instanced in before.