Spiritual and Divine Rest

“So, then there remains a rest to the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9)

This is one of the most difficult Scriptures to understand because of the translations.  The word “rest” means God’s rest or a Sabbath rest. But here is the clincher. The Sabbath rest we associate with the day of rest is the Greek word “katapausis.” But the Greek word used for rest in our Scripture which means God’s rest or Sabbath rest is something else because the Greek word used was “sabbatismos.” The meaning is more spiritual and divine than what we may think. Bengel's Gnomen (1687-1752) asserts that it’s “the enjoyment of rest, one, perfect, eternal.” So, he had the sense that it was a divine kind of rest.

Marvin Vincent (1834-1922) states that Israel was unable to obtain that rest because of their sin and unbelief. This rest only comes when we are one with God. This comes when we have become the new creation of God through the born-again experience when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. So, it seems that true children of God can come to this divine rest. It doesn’t matter if one is a Jew or not, but whether one has been born again of God with the nature of God, the old man having been put to death at the cross. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision has any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:15-16)

In reading several different commentaries on “katapausis and sabbatismos,” there seems to be confusion. And some literally think that “katapausis” is rest and that “sabbatismos” means attending church or keeping the sabbath. The word is so rare that one commentary said Bible theologians thought Paul made up the word. One thing for sure, Paul used that word for a special and specific kind of rest.

The Jews couldn’t obtain it through the old covenant. But this rest is available to those in the new covenant fulfilled by Jesus. Then Paul writes something that seems to fly in the face of that rest. “Therefore let us labor to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Hebrews 4:11) Paul writes we must labor to enter into that rest. The word labor means to make an effort. This is contrary to entering into that rest through Jesus. He also writes “Therefore, a promise being left to enter into His rest, let us fear lest any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1) We can come short and not enter into this rest. Peter also writes “Therefore, brothers, rather be diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall.” (2Peter 1:10)

I know your head is swimming with doubt now. In reading 2 Peter we learn that Peter is referring to growing in the knowledge of Jesus. “ Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and virtue, through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also in this very thing, bringing in all diligence, filling out your faith with virtue, and with virtue, knowledge; and with knowledge self-control, and with self-control, patience, and with patience, godliness, and with godliness, brotherly kindness, and with brotherly kindness, love. For if these things are in you and abound, they make you to be neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Peter 1:2-8) A true child of God has hunger for God’s Word. It’s how we will grow in our knowledge of Him. It’s how we grow and mature in the Lord. It’s the power of the Word of God that feeds our spirit and changes us in those times of testing of our faith into the image of Christ.

The Christian labor or work is not physical nor mental. It’s spiritual. It’s growing in the knowledge of God. That’s how we enter into His rest because it changes us. Yes, we are born again of God, but we can be in danger of falling into unbelief. This world and the prince of this world will see to it that circumstances come to us that if we don’t have knowledge can turn us upside down. Our faith can go out the window. “Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) It’s the Word of God that will keep our faith strong. We can enter into that spiritual rest.

This rest is not the same as keeping the Sabbath. It’s a different word which indicates it’s a spiritual and divine rest which is available to those who are born of God. It’s a rest we must make an effort for in order to enter into it. It’s growing in the knowledge of God through His Word. Not making that effort can cause us to fall into doubt and not enter into that perfect and eternal rest.