Hebrews 12:23

23. While angels are a finished Church above, in future communion with them is a Church below.

Firstborn The term literally designates an eldest son. But as the eldest enjoyed, by Jewish and patriarchal law, a high supremacy, so the word is figuratively used to designate any superior or supreme person, whether eldest or not. So Israel, and Ephraim, and the Messiah, are each termed God’s firstborn. Exodus 4:22; Jeremiah 31:9; Psalms 89:27. And so our author considers his Hebrews to be, Hebrews 12:16, and counsels them not, like Esau, to sell their birthright. And this whole allegory is written to prevent their relapsing from their glorious Christian birthright into Judaism. In coming into Christianity they truly are come into communion with the universal Church of the firstborn, the historic successional Church living on earth in all ages.

Written in heaven See our note on Luke 10:20. It is the heir of heavenly citizenship on earth whose name is registered in heaven. Closing term of the first four is,

God the Judge of all Following the Greek order of the words, Lunemann and others render this, To the Judge (who is) God of all. Alford, however, vindicates on good grounds the English translation.

The last triad of our seven unfolds the nearer and dearer glories, under Jesus, of the New Covenant. They are, 5, the spirits of the Christian brethren now in paradise made perfect; 6, Jesus, who is the mediator of the covenant by which they are perfected; and, 7, the blood through which that consummation has been wrought. Yet even here, as the blood of the atonement reflects back upon the old covenant, so also the spirits of the ancient saints are presupposed as perfected. They are specially associated with Jesus, as being those already actually redeemed by him.

Spirits The disembodied in the intermediate state of paradise, or hades. Note, Heb 11:39-40 ; 1 Peter 3:10; Luke 24:39; Acts 7:59.

Just By faith, pardon, and sanctification.

Made perfect Not simply made perfect in holiness; not merely complete by the finishing of earthly life and the dropping of bodily infirmities; but brought through Christ to the completed stage of a glorified yet disembodied spirit. There is a perfected resurrection stage and state, the ultimate completion of completions and perfecting of perfections yet to come, even for these spirits made perfect. And these disembodied paradisaic spirits are waiting for us, for without us they cannot attain that final resurrectional perfection.