The Book of Hebrews contains many of the keys for understanding the doctrine of Immanuel. Most people miss these clues, though, because they believe that the many warnings about falling away from the faith apply to non-believers instead of to themselves. By doing this they turn Hebrews into a worthless relic fit only for the rubbish heap. Alternatively, I believe the Book of Hebrews to be on par with the Book of Revelation with respect to its hidden mysteries. As I stated in my last post I believe the book could accurately be entitled “The Book of the Sons of God.”
I had considered tracing Hebrews’ many Old Testament references in this study and explaining them Scripture by Scripture and prophecy by prophecy, but you can do that yourself if you will take the time. I suggest you buy a copy of the English Standard Version Bible which contains all of their many excellent references. This is by far the best study Bible I have ever used. I find its references to be accurate and incredibly enlightening. No, it does not contain every valuable reference, but it will lead you to all of the quoted Scriptures and to many of the original sources of particular prophetic ideas.
Today I want to focus on one of Hebrews’ greatest mysteries, the teaching about righteousness. It remains a mystery to so many because, I believe, most Christians do not want to apply it to their own lives. Some may give lip service to it, but few apply it. This teaching, really, is the theme of my entire website. I consider it to be the main revelation God gave me for my teaching ministry. It has become, in fact, the standard by which I judge all spiritual teaching. If someone does not yet understand the teaching about righteousness, then he is not a mature Christian. It is as simple as that, and that is exactly what the writer of Hebrews taught. He said,
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus[a] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:7-14 ESV)
The “word of righteousness” here is the “teaching about righteousness” of which I speak because it is translated with those words in other versions of the Bible. Baby Christians who feed only on milk (the doctrines which most Christians preach and eat week after week and which we see enumerated quickly at the beginning of Hebrews 6) remain ignorant (unskilled) concerning the word of righteousness. This explains why so many Christians still argue about the basic definitions of sin and why so many teach and even practice wickedness. But solid food, i.e. the word of righteousness, remains a teaching only for mature Christians. It can only be understood by those who have “trained” their “powers of discernment.” They train themselves by “constant practice” of actually distinguishing “good from evil.” They also understand that “to distinguish good from evil” is not enough. They know that they must actively choose the good, and this takes us to the doctrine of Immanuel.
Recall now the first mention of Immanuel in the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah prophesied,
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.[h] 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. (Isaiah 7:14-16)
This is the first time that the prophecy of Immanuel occurs in Scripture. Because the New Testament states that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy most people believe that all of the prophecy applies to him. It does not. Did Jesus have to learn how to refuse the evil? If he did then that means that he must have chosen evil at least one time before he learned how to choose only the good. I thought that Jesus was perfect and that he never sinned. Didn’t you? Remember, Jesus is the exact image of God. In him, in his earthly flesh, dwelt the fulness of God. He had power to lay his life down and to raise it up again. Within him dwelt life itself. Satan had no hold on him because he never sinned. This is the defining doctrine of all Christianity which remains true to the original faith in any respect at all. Catholics even go so far as to claim that Mary herself was without sin. How much more then was Jesus Christ himself without sin! No, Jesus did not have to learn how to refuse evil and how to choose good. He was the Word! And remember, it is the Word, and only the Word, which defines good and evil.
The Immanuel prophecy, then, speaks mainly of someone else. It speaks of a boy, a son, who learns how to refuse evil and how to choose good. This passage succinctly defines the teaching about righteousness. It is also tells us that those who become mature, who understand and practice this word of righteousness actually become the ones whom Isaiah calls Immanuel. These are the prophesied sons of God. And the writer of Hebrews attempts to awaken us to this fact in the first section of his book as he begins to end by saying,
10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. (Hebrews 2:10-11)