“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10).
God rested when He had completed His work of creation. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Genesis 2:2). The writer of Hebrews refers to that rest in describing the rest we enter as believers. Just as God rested after creation we as believers can rest from our work.
The writer of Hebrews is saying that we don’t have to work to obtain our salvation because the work has been completed. The problem with legalism that requires us to work for our salvation is that it disregards what Jesus has done. What He did was enough for us and we don’t have to strive to win God’s love or maintain our relationship with Him.
In discussing salvation, Hebrews specifically refers to the requirements of the Old Testament such as the killing of bulls and goats. It tells us that we no longer have to observe ceremonial washings and regulations that included various sacrifices. Jesus fulfilled everything that was once expected of us and now faith in Him is what God wants from us.
When a task is completed we can stop working. We never stop working for God but as believers we no longer work for our salvation. We can rest in what Jesus has done and that means that we exert our energy in service for Him, not in a desperate attempt to meet His approval and gain His love. Our salvation is complete because of what Jesus did and we can rest in that knowledge.
