Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
The author comes to a point of application marked by “therefore.” This is the common pattern for this epistle which appears more like a written sermon than a letter. The “therefore” basically says that based on the example of the Israelites in the desert described in ch. 3, how should the readers (we) respond? The author applies the situation of the Israelites to his readers. The promise of entering God’s “rest” is still relevant. The “rest” is similar but different. The difference is obvious, that the readers are in a totally different kind of situation. In fact, we are uncertain who the readers were. It is similar in that it will be a ceasing from slavery and the struggle of against the control of others. The author is appealing to “rest” as a metaphor for being free from slavery to sin and the struggle against temptation and apostasy. This “rest” represents God’s promises to the readers. We also have received God’s promises as we read or hear about the gospel in the Bible. The question is, how will we respond to this? To fall short of entering God’s rest means to reject God’s promise of full salvation. It could mean turning our back on Christ or falling back into our life of sin. This is a serious call to consider our spiritual status before God and how strong our faith is in God. Our faith will be measured by our willingness to follow God’s leading, especially in the call to full commitment and consecration of ourselves to him.
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