Hebrews 11:40

Context

Hebrews 11 is famously known as the "faith chapter," a profound catalog of Old Testament heroes who lived by believing God's promises, even without seeing their full fulfillment in their lifetime. Verse 40 serves as the concluding summary of this long list of faithful individuals, bridging the gap between their anticipatory faith and the ultimate fulfillment found in Christ, which is experienced by New Testament believers. It clarifies why their ultimate reward was deferred, emphasizing God's overarching redemptive plan that encompasses all generations of believers.

Key Themes

• The Superiority of the New Covenant: The phrase "God having provided some better thing for us" points directly to the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ. This "better thing" is the full and final revelation of God's grace, offering complete forgiveness of sins and direct access to God, unlike the temporary provisions and shadows of the Old Covenant. It signifies a more complete and lasting salvation for all who believe.
• The Unity of God's Redemptive Plan: This verse profoundly emphasizes that the Old Testament saints' perfection was intrinsically linked to the New Testament believers. Their ultimate consummation or completion (`teleioō`) in God's plan would not occur independently of us. This highlights the singular, unfolding nature of God's redemptive history, uniting all believers, past and present, in one grand purpose centered on Christ. We are part of one continuous story of salvation, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
• Future Perfection and Consummation: The "perfection" mentioned here (Greek: teleioō) is not about moral flawlessness, but about the ultimate completion of their salvation and reception of their full inheritance and reward in God's presence. It signifies a shared destiny for all who believe, a final state of blessedness that awaits the gathering of all God's people in Christ. It means they could not be made perfect through Christ's sacrifice until Christ's work was complete and His body, the church, began to be formed.

Linguistic Insight

The Greek word translated "perfect" is teleioō (τελειόω). It means "to bring to an end, to complete, to consummate, to make perfect." In this context, it doesn't imply that the Old Testament saints were imperfect in their faith or standing before God, but rather that the full realization and completion of God's promises, their ultimate reward, and the final state of glory awaited the full unfolding of God's plan through Christ and the inclusion of all His people. Their journey to ultimate glory was intertwined with ours.

Practical Application

This verse offers profound comfort and insight for believers today:

• Shared Hope: It assures us that all believers, regardless of the era they lived in, share the same ultimate hope and destiny in Christ. We are part of one continuous story of salvation, united in God's eternal plan.
• Patience and Perseverance: Just as the Old Testament saints persevered by faith without seeing the full consummation of God's promises in their lifetime, we too are called to patient endurance, trusting that God will bring all His promises to their perfect fulfillment. Our hope is in the culmination of God's redemptive work.
• Christ-Centeredness: The "better thing" is Christ Himself and the new covenant He inaugurated. Our perfection, and the perfection of the saints of old, are found in Him alone. This underscores the central and indispensable role of Jesus in God's entire redemptive plan, from creation to consummation. It reminds us that our ultimate hope is not in our own efforts but in His finished work on the cross and His future return.