God’s New World
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire” Hebrews 12:28,29
The passage that concludes with our text above is an ominous warning that God has said He will shake earth and heaven. This is the only way all of creation will become what He intended it to become.
The passage looks firstly back to God’s thunderous voice to Israel at Mount Sinai. ‘At that time his voice shook the earth’ (12:26). But the nation failed to abide by the covenant conditions, ‘… they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth…’ (12:25). This recurring inability meant there was a need for a new covenant with new promises (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
But the transition to the new world promised in this new covenant will not be quiet. It will be tumultuous. Not just earth but heaven and earth will be shaken in such a way that everything transient will fall away. As Revelation 21 insists, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The present heaven and earth will undergo radical change, almost like a death and a new birth.
This extraordinary promise of God’s new world comes not only as a promise though but also as a warning. Those who refused to listen to Moses faced dire calamity. How much more extreme will the repercussions be for those who refuse Christ, the Lord of the Universe?
The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. He is not a sickly sweet, indulgent parent. He ‘is a consuming fire.’ God doesn’t change between the old and new covenants. The same God who announced His saving plan to Israel in the Old Testament has brought it to completion in the New. We really begin to appreciate Christ’s sacrifice for us when we meditate on the holiness of our otherwise unapproachable God.
The right response to our God is thankfulness and worship. When we bow before Him and joyfully thank Him for what He’s done and what He will do, we are like a priest offering the purest and most heart-felt sacrifice. This is our privilege as followers of Jesus Christ. This is the life that our consuming fire God has called us to.
Hebrews’ author knew those he wrote to had to hear this message. How much more do we in our day?
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