Book of Common Prayer

Fear Falling Short of Entering God’s Promised Rest

4 Therefore, let us fear that at any time while a promise to enter into His rest is left-remaining [open], any of you should seem to have come-short^[a]— ² for indeed, we have had-good-news-announced^[b], just as those^[c] also.

In Moses’ Day Only Those Who Believed Entered The Promised Physical Rest

But the word^[d] of hearing did not profit those ones, they^[e] not having been united in faith with the ones^[f] having heard. ³ For we, the ones having believed^[g], enter into the rest, just as He has said: “As I swore in My wrath, they shall never enter into My rest” [Ps 95:11].

And Yet God’s Rest Began On The Seventh Day, Not In Moses’ Day

And-yet, His works have been done since the foundation of the world. ⁴ For He has spoken somewhere about the seventh day as follows: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works” [Gen 2:2], ⁵ and in this [Ps 95:11] again: “They shall never enter into My rest”.

And David Still Calls Us To Enter God’s Rest “Today”

⁶ Since then it remains that some may enter into it, and the ones formerly having had-good-news-announced to them did not enter because of disobedience, ⁷ He again designates a certain day— “Today”— saying by^[h] David after so much time just as it has been said-before: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” [Ps 95:7-8]. ⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not be speaking after these things about another day^[i].

So God’s Spiritual Rest Remains Open For Us To Enter

⁹ Therefore a Sabbath-rest remains for the people of God. ¹⁰ For the one having entered into His rest also himself rested from his works, just as God did from His own.

God Sent His Son Into The World That All Believing In Him May Have Eternal Life

¹⁶ “For^[a] God so^[b] loved the world that He gave His only-born Son, in order that everyone believing in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send-forth the Son into the world in order that He might judge^[c] the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ The one believing in Him is not judged. But the one not believing has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-born Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment^[d]: that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing bad things hates the Light, and does not come to the Light in order that his works may not be exposed. ²¹ But the one doing the truth comes to the Light in order that his works may become-visible— that^[e] they have been worked in^[f] God”.