9 Bathing in His Rest

This special rest remains only for God's people who are regenerated through belief in the gospel. Believers no longer have the need to please God through good works as if to appease and angry pagan god or perform the rituals of Temple worship under the Mosaic Law. Most if not all of the Jews in the audience of this book had been under the yoke of the pharisaical system of non-biblical laws and rule keeping. These Jewish believers would rest from those activities into what Christ had done for them. The rest described here is one that is available here and now. It is not speaking of heavenly rest when we leave the earth. But we have assurances of it here while we live in this wicked degenerating evil world. Here people will not listen to the gospel or refrain from falling back into sin and looking for unfulfilling rest in old religious practices instead of God Himself. We have the promises of God as given in the Scriptures to assure us. But we must take advantage of them when the world is pressing in on us.