God’s Love in Unconquerable, But it Can Be Rejected

The letter to the Hebrews can be one of the more challenging books of the New Testament to read. It is addressed most likely to Christians with a Jewish background or origin. Hebrews seems to have been written to Jewish converts with the aim of encouraging them to keep the faith and not slide back into the prior covenant that had no power to save souls (Heb 10:1-4). In any case, this letter begins, saying “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Heb 1:1-4). Of course we know this Son to be the Second Person of the Trinity. Through Him the universe was made. He shares the glory, the being, and the majesty of God. He is the Word through which the universe was made and He “sustains all things by his mighty word.” He is superior to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, and so forth just as He is superior to all of the angels. He is uncreated, He is eternal, He is all-powerful. He “accomplished purification from sins” by becoming man so as to die on the cross all while remaining God. He is much more than a prophet, He is much more than an angel. He is God.

This passage from the beginning of Hebrews not only echos the beginning of Genesis but also the beginning of John’s Gospel as well: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be” (Jn 1:1-3). Paul’s letter to the Colossians makes the same point about Jesus: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:15-17).

All of this creative and recreative activity of the Trinity was and continues to be an expression of divine love. God did not have to create the universe, but chose to do so. God did not have to create us, but chose to do so. God did not have to create us in His own image and likeness, but chose to do so. God did not have to tolerate our wickedness, but chose to do so. God did not have to become one of us, but chose to do so. God did not have to suffer, die, and rise from the dead in order to save us from our wickedness, but chose to do so. God did not have to give us the Church and the grace-conferring sacraments, but chose to do so. God did not have to promise us eternal life in the world to come, but chose to do so. All of these things God chose to do are expressions of His divine love and His divine might. This ought not be a surprise to us given that God is love. And all of this was done with, through, and in Jesus.

Out of love, Jesus “sustains all things by his mighty word.” He sustains you and He sustains me. Jesus sustains and He preserves our beings in both body and soul. Yes, the material of our bodies grows and decays, but it does not cease to exist: our bodies return to the dust from which we are fashioned. Once our souls are separated from our bodies at death, He continues to sustain our souls. We do not cease to be but we continue to live without our bodies. Part of Jesus’ sustaining all things and holding them together includes our resurrection at the end of time, He will give us immortal bodies, either glorified bodies fit for eternal life in heaven or ignominious bodies fit for eternal life in hell.

God creates us, He redeems us, He offers us eternal life. God desires that all men be saved (1Tim 2:4, 2Pet 3:9) but many, probably most, people reject His offer. He wants us to be saved out of love, but out of love God respects our choice to spurn the offer of salvation. The grace to be reconciled to God, the grace to desire heaven, and the grace to persevere in faith, hope, and love are all unmerited gifts offered out of God’s love, gifts many people will sadly choose to reject.

—Fr Booth