Now we come to the partakers of the heavenly calling. The term heavenly calling is used by the writer of this Epistle to compare this calling with the earthly calling. All the people in Judaism participated in an earthly calling for earthly blessings. Nothing in Judaism is heavenly. But in God’s economy, in His full salvation, we have been called by God from the heavens and called to everything that is heavenly. Therefore, this calling is a heavenly calling. Everything in it has a heavenly nature. We, the holy brothers, are partakers of such a heavenly calling. Do you like to stay with the earthly calling, or will you cross the river to be a true Hebrew partaking of the heavenly calling?
The concept of the book of Hebrews is focused on the heavenly nature of the positive things. First of all, it points out to us that Christ today is sitting in the heavens (1:3). He has entered into the heavens (9:24). He has passed through the heavens (4:14) and has become higher than the heavens (7:26). Then this book unfolds to us the heavenly calling (3:1), the heavenly gifts (6:4), the heavenly things (8:5), the heavenly country (11:16), and the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22). It also tells us that we are enrolled in the heavens (12:23) and that God warns us today from the heavens (12:25). All the things in the Old Testament which were held in Judaism were of an earthly nature. In this book the writer’s intention is to show the Hebrew Christians the contrast between the heavenly nature of the New Testament and the earthly nature of the Old Testament that they may forsake the earthly things and attach themselves to the heavenly.
The heavenly calling firstly calls us to the heavenly Christ (1:3, 13; 4:14; 6:20; 7:26; 9:24; 10:12). Where is Christ today? He is in the heavens. He was on earth and He will return to earth, but now He is in the heavens. He is the heavenly Christ ministering the heavenly life, supply, and riches to us all the time that we may live a heavenly life while we are still on earth.
The holy brothers have partaken of the heavenly calling, but they are still on earth. Yet they have been enrolled in the heavens, (12:23) having their names written in the heavens. Today we are not in the heavens, but our names are written there. We are partakers of the heavenly calling, sharing in the heavenly enrollment. So we are a heavenly people (Phil. 3:20).
We, the partakers of the heavenly calling, have been called to taste the heavenly gift (6:4). The heavenly gift should be the heavenly things given to us by God at the time of our salvation, such as forgiveness, righteousness, divine life, peace, and joy. As partakers of the heavenly calling, we all have tasted these heavenly things.
As partakers of the heavenly calling, we also need to have the heavenly worship (8:5; 9:23-24). Although we are on earth, our worship to God must be heavenly. The holy brothers have been called to have the heavenly worship on earth. We have to keep our worship from any earthly nature. Both our life and worship should be heavenly.
People under the Old Testament came to the earthly Jerusalem. But we, the partakers of the heavenly calling, come to the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22). The earthly Jerusalem symbolizes the law with its bondage (Gal. 4:25), whereas the heavenly Jerusalem symbolizes grace with its freedom (Gal. 4:26). The Hebrew believers should not remain under the law as children of bondage coming to the earthly Jerusalem. They should give up the earthly Jerusalem and come to the heavenly one as the children of freedom under grace.
We, the partakers of the heavenly calling, have been called to the heavenly country (11:16). We are traveling through the earth and shall reach the heavenly country.
As partakers of the heavenly calling, we are also partakers of the Holy Spirit (6:4). The Holy Spirit is what God promised to give man in His gospel (Gal. 3:14). In His gospel, God has called us from the heavens to the heavenly things that we may partake of His Holy Spirit. It is by God’s Holy Spirit that we have tasted the heavenly gift. It is by God’s Holy Spirit that we can live a heavenly life on earth. It is by the Holy Spirit that we can partake of the divine holiness. The Holy Spirit is just God Himself. As partakers of the Holy Spirit, we partake of God as our enjoyment. It is also by God’s Holy Spirit that we can have the heavenly worship.
We, the partakers of the heavenly calling, also partake of the divine discipline (12:8). I have been told that in Great Britain the crown prince, the successor to the throne, receives a great deal of discipline. A prince needs to be disciplined before he can assume the throne and have the kingship. This is the kind of discipline that we are now partaking of. As successors to the throne, we all are under the divine discipline. As holy brothers we need to partake of the divine holiness brought to us by the Holy Spirit within us. As partakers of the heavenly calling, we need to partake of the divine discipline accomplished by the Holy Spirit through our environment. We holy brothers are partakers not only of the heavenly calling but also of the Holy Spirit, of the divine holiness, and of the divine discipline for us to be perfected, equipped, and qualified that we may be the proper partners of God’s anointed One.