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No.16.
Gifts for Confirmation (2: 3, 4)
pp. 236 - 239
The great salvation which began to be spoken by the Lord was as surely confirmed as
was the first covenant. It will be remembered that the word "stedfast" in verse 2 is but
another grammatical form of the word "confirm". The first Covenant was confirmed in
many ways, both Moses and those who followed after receiving abundant testimony from
God that their ministry was from Him. The second confirmation spoken of is "unto us by
them that heard Him". The nature of this confirmation must now be considered.
First we observe that in giving the special blessing to Abraham, as related in Heb. 6:,
God "interposed with an oath". This is spoken of as "an oath of confirmation"
(bebaiosis).
The confirmation of the Lord's words by the apostle is explained in 2: 4: "God also
co-attesting, both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and distributions of
holy spirit, according to His will."
"God hath spoken" (1: 1) and whoever the
mouthpiece may have been, responsibility to hear follows. Yet an increased
responsibility comes with the fact that God hath at last spoken unto us in the person of
the Son. God "co-attesting" must make each miracle something more than a mere
"wonder". As a translation of sunepimartureo, Dr. E.W. Bullinger's concordance gives:
"To bear conjoint additional decided witness, to bear further or emphatic witness with."
It may be remembered how repeatedly the apostles are called witnesses" during the
Acts: "ye shall be witnesses unto Me" (Acts 1: 8), but notice well what goes before, "but
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be
witnesses unto Me". "Ye shall receive" must come before "Ye shall be". Acts 1: 22;
2: 32; 3: 15; 5: 32; 13: 31; and 26: 16 should be consulted. Notice 5: 32, "and
we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom God hath
given to them that obey Him".
This is a Scriptural exposition of the word "co-attesting". So also Acts 14: 3, "Long
time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, Who testified unto the word of His
grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands." So again Acts 15: 8:
"And God . . . . . bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost".
Looking at the epistle to the Hebrews we see that God testified to Christ (1) that He
liveth (2) that He is a Priest for the age after the order of Melchisedec (Heb. 7: 8, 17).
The elders were attested; Abel obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying
over his gifts. Enoch received this testimony that he pleased God; and so it was with
Noah, Abraham and the rest, "these all, having been attested by means of faith" (Heb. 11:
2, 4, 5, 39). In a special manner God co-attested the word of the Lord through the
apostles. The closing verses of Mark's Gospel seem to refer to Heb. 2: 3, 4: