Expert: Dean Gade - 7/13/2009

Question
What exactly does this greek phrase mean?

ὁ γὰρ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ὁ Θεός.

Does it mean "He who has entered God's rest, HAS ceased from his work as God did from his" or "He who has entered God's rest WILL cease from his work God did from his." or even something else ?


Answer
The "rest" of God and our "rest" are not easy to understand but are important enough to continue to study and seek to find more and more of in our lives.

God and Christ rested from the work of creation and the work of redemption on our behalf. This was done so that we could have "rest".

The context of these verses says that the Israelites who were freed from slavery in Egypt were to receive rest from their enforced labor in a wonderful land of their own for perpetuity on earth.  This was a foreshadowing  of the reality of eternal rest with God in heaven.  

Much of the history of the OT is physical/earthly pictures, about the reality of Christ for all people when He entered the world:

Col 2:13-17
"13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
NIV

The people did not believe/trust God.  They tested God continually instead of letting God test them for strengthening to enter the rest.
They hardened their hearts against God and so lost the promise to enter His rest.  They (the adults who tested Him) did not enter the promised land...and those that continued in that unbelief did not enter the eternal rest after their life on earth.

Jas 1:2-8
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
NIV

Now, we who have received redemption through the work of Christ are to be warned by their bad example.  Even though our faith is not perfected, we are to persevere in times of trouble and burdens rather than blame God and so test Him.

The WORKS that WE are to cease from are OUR OWN WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS and WORKS OF THE LAW.   
Christ is our righteousness.   We have escaped the slavery of sin and the fear of Law by His blood.   
We are now told not to doubt God's work of love for us nor return to the self-righteousness of our former life.

Trusting God gives us rest in our hearts and conscience.  The more we learn to trust God, the greater our "rest" in this life and the confirmation in our hearts for the life to come.

Times may seem bleak, but God will never leave us nor forsake us.

May His peace and rest be with you.