Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.
All Commentaries on Hebrews 10:25 Go To Hebrews 10
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
501. – After showing the many ways in which Christ’s priesthood is superior to that of the Old Law, the Apostle, in keeping with his practice, comes to a conclusion and exhorts us to adhere faithfully to that priesthood. For above, after recommending something the Apostle always gave an admonition, because he took the trouble to commend Christ’s grace, in order to incline them to obey Christ and desist from the ceremonies of the Law. Therefore, in regard to this he does two things: first, he gives the admonition; secondly, he gives the reason (v. 26). In regard to the first it should be noted that he had said two things about the priesthood of Christ, namely, the power of its rite, because by his own blood, and its dignity, because he is a high priest forever. Therefore, in the admonition he recalls these two things, so that in urging faithful obedience to Christ he first mentions those two things; secondly, he gives the admonition (v. 22). In regard to the first he does two things: first, he recalls the rite of the priesthood; secondly, its dignity (v. 21).
502. – He says, therefore: Therefore, brethren by mutual charity, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary [holies] by the blood of Christ: ‘In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him’ (Eph. 3:12): ‘You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in your most firm habitation’ (Ex. 15:17); ‘I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord’ (Ps. 121:1). And this in the blood of Christ, because ‘This is the blood of the new testament’ (Mt. 26:28), i.e., of the new promise about heavenly things. But he shows how we have confidence in entering, because Christ by His blood opened a new and living way for us: ‘He shall go up that shall open the way before them’ (Mic. 2:13); ‘If I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself’ (Jn. 14:3); ‘It shall be called the holy way: the unclean shall not pass over it’ (Is. 35:8). This, therefore, is the way to go to heaven. It is new, because before Christ no one had found it: ‘No man has ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven’ (Jn. 3:13). Therefore, he that would ascend must inhere in Him as a member in the head: ‘To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is the paradise of my God’ (Rev. 2:7); ‘And I will write upon him the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem’ (Rev. 3:12), because they will be brought in anew. Living, i.e., always continuing. In this appears the power of the godhead, because it is always living. But he shows what that way is when he says, through the curtain [veil], that is, through his flesh. For just as the priest entered into the holy of holies through the veil, so we, if we would enter the holy of glory, must enter through Christ’s flesh, which was a veil of his divinity: ‘Verily, you are a hidden God’ (Is. 45:15). For faith in the godhead is not enough without faith in the incarnation: ‘You believe in God, believe also in me’ (Jn. 14:1). Or, through the veil, i.e., through His flesh given to us under the veil of the appearance of bread in the sacrament. He is not offered to us under His own form because of dread and to obtain the merit of faith.
503. – Then he commends the dignity of the priesthood when he says, a great high priest, who dedicated the way for us. As if to say: Having a confidence in entering in through the priest, namely, Jesus: ‘You are a priest forever’ (Ps. 109:4). He is called a great priest, because His priesthood is not merely over one people, as Aaron’s was, but over the house of God, i.e., the entire Church Militant and Triumphant: ‘That you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church’ (1 Tim. 3:15). He says, over, because ‘Moses was faithful in all my house as a servant’ (Num. 12:7), but Christ over the whole house as the Son, Who is the Lord of all things: ‘All power is given to me in heaven and in earth’ (Mt. 28:18).
504. – Then (v. 22) he gives his admonition, namely, that because He is such a person and so great, He must be faithfully adhered to. This is done in three ways: by faith, by hope, and by charity: ‘Now there remain faith, hope and charity’ (1 Cor. 13:13). First, then, he urges them in regard to things of faith; secondly, the things of hope (v. 23); thirdly, the things of charity (v. 24).
505. – For the first there are two things required, namely, faith itself: ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God’ (Heb. 11:6), and the sacrament of faith. In regard to the first he says, let us draw near to Him with a true, not feigned, heart: ‘Remember how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart’ (Is. 38:3). But this is accomplished when the deed agrees with the heart. Let us draw near in full assurance of faith: ‘He that comes to God must believe’ (Heb. 1:6). Nor is just any faith sufficient, but full faith is required. But this involves two things, namely, that all things proposed for our belief be believed, and that it be formed faith, which is accomplished by charity: ‘Love is the fullness of the law’ (Rom. 13:10).
506. – In regard to the sacrament of faith he says, having our hearts sprinkled, which is an allusion to Numbers (19:12), where is described the ceremony of the red cow, the water from which was sprinkled on an unclean person on the third; but on the seventh day his body and clothing were washed with other water. By the sprinkling with water of the red cow the passion of Christ was prefigured, because on the third day, i.e., by faith in the Trinity in baptism we are cleansed from our sins. In regard to this he says, having our hearts, not our bodies, sprinkled clean: ‘You have come to the sprinkling of blood’ (Heb. 12:24). Having our hearts sprinkled clean, not from contact with a corpse, as by the water of the red cow, but from an evil conscience. Of the washing performed on the seventh day he says, and our bodies washed with pure water. For in baptism not only does the power of the passion work, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are infused in us. Hence, on the seventh day, i.e., in the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit the entire man is washed inside and out from all sin, both actual and original, which is, as it were, corporeal, because the soul contracts it by uniting with tainted flesh. The Holy Spirit is called water, because He cleanses: ‘Purifying their hearts by faith’ (Ac. 15:9); ‘I will pour upon you clean water and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols’ (Ez. 36:25); ‘There shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for the washing of the sinner and of the unclean woman’ (Zech 13:1); ‘By the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Spirit’ (Tit 3:5). As a sign of this the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form upon Christ baptized.
507. – Then he mentions what pertains to hope. He does two things: first, he exhorts to certitude in hope; secondly, he gives the reason (v. 23).
508. – It should be noted that by faith in Christ is given to us the hope of eternal life and entrance into the kingdom: ‘He has regenerated us unto a lively hope’ (1 Pt 1:3). Hence, he says, Let us hold fast, not the hope, but the confession of our hope, because it is not enough to have hope in one’s heart, but it must be confessed with the mouth: ‘With the heart we believe unto justice; but with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation’ (Rom. 10:10). Furthermore, it must be not only by word, but also by deeds; against those of whom it says in Titus (1:16): ‘They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny him.’ This confession is made by works, by which one tends to things hoped for: ‘Hold fast what you have, that no man take your crown’ (Rev. 3:11). Without wavering, i.e., not departing from that confession in prosperity or adversity: ‘But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord will lead out with the workers of iniquity’ (Ps. 124:5); ‘This is the way, walk in it: and go not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left’ (Is. 3:21).
509. – The reason for this is because ‘he is faithful who has promised’, and He cannot lie: ‘The Lord is faithful in all his works’ (Ps. 144:13); ‘God is faithful without any iniquity’ (Dt. 32:4).
510. – Then (v. 24) he mentions what pertains to charity. He does three things: first, he does what he said; secondly, he removes the contrary of charity (v. 25); thirdly, he assigns the reason from the fittingness of the time (v. 25b).
511. – In regard to the first it should be noted that although charity principally clings to God, it is shown by love of neighbor: ‘He that does not love his neighbor, whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?’ (1 Jn. 4:20). Therefore, it pertains to charity to love one’s neighbor; hence, he says, let us consider one another, so that we will be careful to do what pertains to our neighbor: ‘And he gave to everyone of them commandment concerning his neighbor’ (Sir. 17:12). But because some consider some things that pertain to their neighbor with the zeal of envy, and some with the zeal of hatred, against whom Proverbs (24:5) says: ‘Seek not after wickedness in the house of the just,’ he says, to stir them to charity, i.e., that we provoke them to charity: ‘As long as I am the apostle of the Gentiles I will honor my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to emulation them who are my flesh, and may save some of them’ (Rom. 11:13). But such provocation proceeds from love, which extends to outward works: ‘Let us now love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth’ (1 Jn. 3:18). For as Gregory says: ‘The love of God is not idle: for it does great things, if it exists, but if it refuses to work, it is not love. Therefore, the proof of love is the showing forth of the work.’ Hence, he says, the good works: ‘Being fruitful in every good work’ (Col. 1:10).
512. – Then he removes the contrary of charity when he says, not neglecting to meet together. For since charity is love, whose function is to unite, because, as Dionysius says, love is a uniting force: ‘That they may be one, even as we are one… and the world may know that you have loved them as you have also loved me’ (Jn. 17:22); therefore, to withdraw from one another is directly opposed to charity. Hence, he says, not neglecting to meet together in the assembly, namely, of the Church, which some forsake in three ways: first, by apostasy from the faith because of persecutions. These are signified by those of whom it is said (Jn. 6:67) that ‘they went back; and walked no more with him; ‘When there arise tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized’ (Mt. 13:21); They believe for a while, and in time of temptation they fall away’ (Lk. 8:13). Secondly, wicked prelates who leave the sheep in danger: ‘The hireling flees, because he is a hireling’ (Jn. 10:13). But others from pride, because, since they could be useful for ruling, they separate themselves from the others on a note of pride: ‘These are they, who separate themselves, sensual men, having not the spirit’ (Jude 1:19) as though under the pretext of higher perfection. Perhaps there were such at that time also; hence, he continues, as is the habit of some, against whom it says in 1 Corinthians (11:16): ‘If any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the church of God.’ Then he adds what they should do, saying, but encouraging one another; as if to say: if you observe that your companion is not behaving well, do not desert him, but console him, not as those who forsake the assembly, of whom he says, as some do.
513. – Then (v. 25b) he gives the reason for this. For someone could say: Why should we make progress in the faith? Because a natural movement, the closer it gets to its goal, the more intense it becomes, whereas the opposite is true of a forced movement. But grace inclines in the manner of nature; therefore, he says, not neglecting, as some do, but encouraging; and this all the more as you see the day, i.e., the end, approaching: ‘The night is passed, and the day is at hand’ (Rom. 13:12); ‘The path of the just, as a shining light, goes forward and increases even to perfect day’ (Pr. 4:18).
