Jesus Is Better | Week 7

By Josh Willett

The Past, Present, and Future Reality of God’s Rest

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11 ESV)

The main theme of Hebrews 4 is rest, a surprisingly complex subject which ultimately finds its fulfillment in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we read Hebrews 4, one question should begin to come to the forefront of our minds: is God’s rest a present or future reality? Are believers in Christ promised rest here and now, or are they to await and hope in a future, heavenly rest? The answer is yes.

Past, Present, and Future

Fascinatingly, in Hebrews 4 the author of Hebrews speaks of entering God’s rest in all three aspects of time: past, present, and future. In verse 3, he speaks of the present, saying that those who have believed in the Gospel, “enter that rest” (εἰσερχόμεθα εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν) of God. The verb “to enter into” (εἰσερχόμεθα, eiserchometha) in the Greek is in the present middle voice, meaning that while believers have some agency in entering God’s rest, at the same time it is also something that is happening to believers. In the context of Hebrews 4, the author uses this present middle verb to show that believers enter into God’s rest by faith in Jesus, unlike the wilderness generation of Israel who failed to enter the Promised Land because of their “evil, unbelieving hearts” (3:17).

By faith, Christians accept Christ’s invitation in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. The rest that both Jesus and the author of Hebrews allude to is a rest from works; specifically the burden placed on us by the law to work for our salvation. Instead, Jesus invites us to take on His yoke–the yoke of faith. Those who have believed in Christ’s righteousness for their salvation, and not their own works, enter God’s rest. This is a present reality; Christians have found salvation and rest in Jesus Christ! You believe and, by consequence of your faith, enter today and all days after into the rest of God.

So, Christians presently enter God’s rest, and yet the author of Hebrews speaks of rest in verse 10 in the past tense: “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” How does one make sense of this, are Christians already in God’s rest or are they entering His rest? Another look at the Greek in this verse will help one’s understanding. The author of Hebrews uses the same word in verse 10 for “entering into” as in verse 3, but this time in a tense form called the “aorist” (εἰσελθὼν, eiselthown). The aorist tense in Biblical Greek does not have a proper English equivalent and is most often translated into the English past tense as it is here. The aorist tense, however, does not clearly communicate time. An action in the aorist tense can refer to something that started at a point in time and is still ongoing, something that stopped at a certain point but is unknown when it started, or something that merely existed/took place at a certain point. The key to understanding the aorist tense is context.

According to the context of Hebrews 4, the best understanding of εἰσελθὼν seems to be in the first sense. Believers entered into God’s rest at a certain point in time: the moment they put their faith in Jesus and received justification and His righteousness; and entering into God’s rest is still an ongoing action. In short, Christians have entered into God’s rest, and they are entering into God’s rest daily. From the moment the Holy Spirit regenerates one’s heart and causes them to confess that Jesus is their Lord and Savior, they enter into the rest from having to earn their salvation. At the same time, every day Christians are entering into God’s rest more fully by learning to trust Him deeper, surrendering more of their lives to the will of the Father, and becoming more and more like Christ over time. God’s rest for the believer is a past reality, an ongoing, present reality, and a future eschatological hope all at the same time.

Hebrews 4:11 shows the future sense of entering God’s rest: “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” This time the author uses the Greek verb σπουδάσωμεν (spoudazomen), translated by the ESV as “let us strive”. This verb is in the Greek “subjunctive” mood, which is known as the mood of possibility and/or potential. In using the subjunctive here, the author of Hebrews is communicating the future potential of entering into the fullness of God’s eternal Sabbath rest. In order to enter this rest, however, one must strive or be diligent in holding on to the Gospel of Jesus! Christians must strive and exhort one another to pay much closer attention to the Gospel of Christ and how it is, or is not, working out in one another’s daily lives.

One may only enter into this full, beautiful, and eternal rest of God by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Joshua led Israel to the Promised Land, but that was not the fullness of God’s rest for His people (v.9). The exodus narrative leading to the Promised Land served to foreshadow the future fullness of rest for God’s people, a time where one can fully rest and enjoy God forever without sin or distraction. In Christ alone and by faith alone we have entered rest, are daily entering rest, and will one day fully enter into the rest of God.

What Does This Mean For Us?

The past, present, and future reality of God’s rest means that while we certainly have much to look forward to when Christ returns to sit upon the throne of His everlasting kingdom, there is also a Sabbath rest for us today. Every morning Jesus renews the invitation to rest in Him. One way that we “strive to enter that rest” is by accepting this invitation through intentionally slowing down the pace of our lives.

If we are in Christ, we have entered into rest, and yet it may be impossible for us to see the truth of this in our lives if we are trying to keep up with the hurried pace of life. The truth is, our culture is intentionally designed to keep us distracted. We are constantly looking at our phones, working to save up money for the next vacation, completing the next task on our to-do list, or binge-watching the latest new TV series. These and many more things may not be inherently bad things to do, but they are all certainly distractions from the rest that has been offered to us through the gospel of Jesus. All too often, we get caught up in the breakneck pace of our 21st century, technology-driven, consumerist society and begin to wonder where God is in the midst of all of it. The Holy Spirit is indeed dwelling within us, we just need to slow down enough to recognize His still, small voice in the midst of the chaos.

How do we do this? I would personally direct you to pick up and read John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry to help you get started. In this book, he dives much deeper into the heart of the issue of hurry and distraction while offering some practical ways to combat it, no matter what stage of life you find yourself in. One specific practice that he goes into is the observance of Sabbath. This is a very simple practice, derived from the Bible itself, that helps us slow down enough to recognize the presence of God in our daily lives and find rest for our souls in Jesus. You will have to “strive” and work to intentionally carve out this time, but it will certainly prove fruitful over time in your spiritual life.

My friends, I implore you to today, while it is still today, accept Jesus’ invitation to enter into His rest and cleave to His gospel. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13)