Receiving Mercy, Finding Grace - Hebrews 4:11-16

The second of five exhortations uses the calling and apostasy of Israel during the Exodus as a warning to the readers of this epistle not to do the same. Salvation is realized only by the remnant, who not only begin the journey of God’s call but live it out to completion. This section calls readers to remain faithful to Jesus and avoid the peril of drifting away. This is as necessary in the present time as it was in the past, since we, like those in the faith community of that time, are prone to drift, particularly when persecuted by the secular world or wooed by fleshly trappings. Readers are called to cast off any weight or entangling sin by fixing their eyes upon Jesus, the initiator and perfecter of their faith (cf. Hebrews 12:1-3).