39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Verses 39 and 40 summarize chapter 11 to transition to the thought of endurance in chapter 12. The faith of those in chapter 11 led to better things from God (vv. 39–40).
11:39
And all these,
All prophets without reservation acted with courage by faith.
having obtained a good testimony through faith,
God commended the heroes of chapter 11 for their faith.
did not receive the promise [singular],
This is the first place in the book of Hebrews whereby “promise” is used in the singular. None of those who functioned by faith in chapter 11 experienced the fulfillment of the singular New Covenant fulfilled by Christ. Instead, they anticipated the fulfillment of that promise by faith.
11:40
God having provided something better for us,
The New Testament believer has a “better” promise than Old Testament believers. The church has the New Covenant fulfilled in Christ.
that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Converted Jews of the New Testament were tempted to revert to Judaism. They needed to come to grips with the New Covenant for them. If so, they would mature into full-fledged New Testament believers (He 12:2, 23). Jews needed the completion of New Testament truth. The challenge was for the Jewish readers of Hebrews to understand that persecution for taking a stand for truth was not unique.
PRINCIPLE:
Believers mature through their faith.
APPLICATION:
Faithful believers know what is ahead for them (Ro 8:18; 1 Pe 1:4). They believe not only what they can see but what they cannot see, the future. Believers count on God’s promises for the future (Jn 20:29).
True faith rests on God’s future blessing. It also reaps God’s honor. Believers of the Old Testament exercised their faith under the Old Covenant; however, Christians in the New Testament have much more upon which we can trust God. Greater provision from God ought to launch our faith to greater exploits for Him. This will produce a mature believer.
From your commentary. >> “The New Testament believer has a “better” promise than Old Testament believers. The church has the New Covenant fulfilled in Christ.
You are of course, referring to Hebrews 8:6. However, in the context of Hebrews 11, “the things promised” is talking about heaven. That is what these verses show us very clearly. >>
Hebrews 11:13-16
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
So when Hebrews 11:39 and 40 says this: >> 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. —- It is talking about heaven and not “a better promise” of the New Testament times as it Hebrews 8:6.
6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
So your explanation for Hebrews 11:39-40 does not make sense. These two verses, like Heb. 11:13-16, are definitely talking about heaven!
P.S. And how does having us having the full knowledge of Christ (receiving the promise) supposed to make the Old Testament saints perfect? It seems to me that they were already made perfect (righteous) through their faith in God. They certainly don’t need any future believers to make them perfect. That is why I think these two verses are talking about being made perfect in our glorified bodies when Christ returns at the rapture. They will not receive those glorified bodies:
apart from us.
P.P.S. I think that this Scripture gets my point across.
Romans 4:13-16
13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham.
Martin, I appreciate your posts because you are serious about understanding the Word of God.
Note: if you go to my “Introduction” you will see that the idea of “better than” is a theme throughout the book of Hebrews. Thus, the entire argument of Hebrews shows that the New Testament economy is “better than” the Old Testament economy. We see this in passage after passage throughout the book of Hebrews.
Secondly, I think you miss the entire point of Hebrews 11. Each of the illustrations of those who lived by faith, lived by faith in the daily course of their lives. The context is not dealing with salvation or heaven but staying true to faith in God. This was the central problem and argument of the book. Hebrews was written about believers who were tempted to revert to Judaism. The inferential particle “therefore” in the next verse (Heb 12:1) draws an application to the person of Christ. The “cloud of witnesses” in 12:1 are those who daily lived by faith in chapter 11. Christians are to “lay aside the sin which easily ensnares them.” They do this by “looking to Jesus,” who is the “Author and finisher of our faith.”
Thirdly, the word “perfect” in 11:40 is teleos, which means mature. Thus, the issue of chapter 11 is that those who live by faith develop maturity in their faith.
Fourth, the point of Hebrews 11:13-16 harks back to Old Testament believers who never knew that Christ brought the New Covenant into fruition, which is a major point in the book of Hebrews. Yet, this passage points to the fact that although they did not have the benefit of the New Testament economy, they still daily walked by faith. Your rationale entirely misses this point. They did not have a full understanding of the New Testament economy and thus did not have a complete understanding of the faith. That is, that which is “better” than the Old Testament economy.
Obviously, when a person receives Christ as Savior by faith in the finished work of Christ, they are declared to be a right as God Himself (justification is the argument of Galatians and Romans). However, this is not the argument of the book of Hebrews nor of the immediate context.