Hebrews Chapter Seven, King Of Salem

 

Hebrews 7:2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning, “king of peace,” [3] without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

 

Moving along, the writer explains that when Melchizedek met with Abram, the patriarch tithed to him. “And he gave him a tithe (or tenth) of all,” Genesis 14:20. What may be considered from this? First, Abraham’s tithe clearly assumes Melchizedek’s role as priest of God Most High. The king-priest blessed the patriarch, and Abraham have him a tenth of all the spoils.

Hebrews Chapter Seven, Searching For Melchizedek

 

Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

 

Recall how the author of Hebrews already addressed the person of Melchizedek, saying, that Jesus Christ was called, “by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing,” Hebrews 5:10, 11. Beginning in this passage the author deigns to pause the progression of his doctrine and enters into a parenthetical portion of the epistle.

Christ, The Savior Is Born

 

Merry Christmas, one and all! I pray that everyone is having a blessed and safe holiday. In light of Christmas’s arrival, I would like to focus on the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Molehills Part 2, The King James Only Movement

 

“Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us,” Luke 9:49.

 

The King James Version (KJV or AV) is indeed an old translation of the Bible, translated largely from the Textus Receptus (Received Text) and the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Beloved by many, it has found itself thrust into the uncomfortable position of divine appointment. In short, the KJV has developed a movement over the decades of people that believe it is divinely inspired and without error, like the original Biblical autographs God inspired the prophets and apostles to write.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Christ's Priesthood

 

The picture is painted of Jesus Christ as God’s eternal High Priest, who enters the Holy of Holies in Heaven into the presence of the Father to mediate the covenant ratified by His blood shed on the cross for our sins. One reason this need be done once for all is that while the Old Testament sacrifices anticipated payment for sin’s transgression, Christ our Lord fulfilled what the Aaronic priesthood symbolized: the satisfaction of God’s justice.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Behind The Veil

 

Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, [20] where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

 

Verse 19 leads in from the verse previous, which stated that the saints should, “lay hold of the hope set before us.” The idea is that this hope, visible through faith, is on display for the pilgrim walking in its direction. When we face it, we may see it; when we turn from it, it is gone because we have chosen a path, of which, the hope displayed is no longer our end goal. We have “fallen away” from the foundation of our faith if this is so, and thusly our hope likewise shifts to another object.

Hebrews Chapter Six, God's Immutable Nature

 

“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel.” Having established who the heirs of promise are, we move on. Tracking backward a little, note that God is determined to show something. We learn that His intended audience, the people to whom He wishes to demonstrate this something are the heirs of promise, the saints of all time of the seed of Abraham. 

Hebrews Chapter Six, Extreme Consolation

 

Hebrews 6:17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it with an oath, [18] that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

 

To begin, let us map verse 17 and dig a little bit into the grammar. “Thus,” it begins, leading out of verse 16. The previous verse attested to how men used swearing as a means of settling a matter, appealing to an authority above their own as a sign of dealing honestly.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Invoking The Name Of Yahweh

 

Hebrews 6:16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end to all dispute.

 

Verse 16 is not an endorsement of the practice of swearing, or taking oaths. The writer, as we have already noted numerous times, is addressing a readership of Jewish Christians who are therefore well acquainted with the concept of swearing in the name of the Lord, and all that it entails.

Hebrews Chapter Six, When God Swears

 

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, [14] saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” [15] And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

 

It said numerous times in the New Testament not to swear, but to simply answer yes or no to an inquiry. Furthermore, we are cautioned that going beyond merely saying yes or no is of the devil, or Satanically inspired, James 5:12, Matthew 5:34, 37.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Practicing Diligence

 

Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, [12] that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

 

This labor of love the Hebrews performed was shown toward Jesus’ name. How? In that they ministered to the saints, and continued still to do so. In verse 11 the writer addresses them individually, compelling each of them to show the same diligence, persistence, or thoroughness.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Consolation

 

Hebrews 6:9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. [10] For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

 

Hearkening back to my previous argument regarding salvation’s durability, these verses confirm that fact. Verse 9 concludes the author’s thought processes on infant faith, sterility, lack of progression and finally falling away from the object of our faith. Yet even at this lowly state, Paul encourages the downhearted by reminding us all, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny himself,” 2 Timothy 2:13.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Blessing Or Burning

 

Hebrews 6:7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; [8] but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

 

The primeval curse in Eden is recalled in this passage. “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,” Genesis 3:17, 18. The visible manifestation of sin’s curse lay in the ground Adam was taken from, verse 19. By nature the cursed earth would yield thorns and thistles: the symbols of sin.

Hebrews Chapter Six, If They Fall Away

 

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit [5] and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, [6] if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

 

I have written rather extensively on this passage back in 2010, specifically Hebrews 6:4-8. If anyone wants to read the content, you can find it here. Nonetheless it is good to take in the whole counsel of God, so we’ll address this topic again.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Pressing On

 

Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do if God permits.

 

To understand how the writer is transitioning his thoughts we need to focus on this verse for a moment. “And” is a coordinating conjunction: it connects two grammatically equal parts of a sentence. It is also used to link the idea that a former thought coincides with a future thought; that is, what comes before “and” and what follows are conceptualized together.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Final Destinations

 

Hebrews 6:2d and of eternal judgment.

 

Eternal judgment: two simple words. When linked together however, they challenge false doctrines that are all too prevalent in the Church. Universalism is the belief that God will not punish the wicked, but that all will go to Heaven one way or another.

Hebrews Chapter Six, The Hope Of The Resurrection

 

Though God has “put eternity in [our] hearts,” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) we ignore the pang that humanity wasn’t meant to wallow in the mire we find comfort in. Like a modern Sodom, we heap up things in our country to substitute for God, or to fill the void only spiritual life in Jesus Christ can truly fill. 

Hebrews Chapter Six, Resurrection In The Old Testament

 

Hebrews 6:2c of resurrection of the dead,

 

The veracity of the resurrection of the dead has been heckled and questioned by critics since the beginning. In the time of Christ there was a sect of Jewish religious leaders called the Sadducees. Having become a sect during the Maccabean period of Israel’s history, they derived their name from Zadok, one of David’s priests and claimed descent from him. 

Hebrews Chapter Six, Laying On Of Hands

 

Hebrews 6:2b of laying on of hands,

 

The doctrine of the laying on of hands, like baptism, is filled with controversy in the Christian church. The Charismatic/Pentecostal churches, like Assemblies of God or NAR, advocate laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit. In addition to this, of course, some sects also include the necessity to speak in tongues as a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. Other denominations or Christian churches have done away with laying on of hands altogether.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Doctrine of Baptisms

 

Hebrews 6:2a of the doctrine of baptisms,

 

The word defined as baptisms in this verse is, “baptismos,” and, not to be confused with water baptism or the baptism of the Holy Spirit, is translated, “distinct from baptisma (the term for water immersion), it is used for the ceremonial washing of a vessel.” That being said, the NKJV (or KJV) has a weaker translation. The NIV renders the term, “cleansing rites.” The NASB uses, “washings.” The HCSB renders it, “ritual washings.” Finally, the RSV translates the term, “ablutions,” which simply means cleansing something with water. If the writer meant for the readers to understand this to be exclusively related to water baptism, something practiced by John the Baptist and by the Christian Church, he would have used the word baptisma.

Hebrews Chapter Six, Elementary Lessons

 

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

 

Therefore, in context with the passage, indicates the writer’s interest in pressing past the comparison between solid food and milk. Having made his point that solid food belongs to the mature or to those who exercise Biblical discernment, he wants to lead his readership onward. He moves away from the elementary principles of Christ to perfection. In the New Testament the term “perfection” is often (but not always) synonymous with “maturity.”

Molehills Part One, Sabbath Keeping

 

“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things,” Romans 14:1.

 

Romans chapter 14 begins a series of examples of issues that Paul would consider peripheral, or perhaps even nonissues in terms of fellowship and faith. In our church there are many divisions. Sometimes those divisions are necessary and clear; they delineate between orthodox faith and aberrant or heretical teaching. Such issues address the gospel, the person of Christ, the nature of the Holy Spirit, God the Father, salvation by faith through grace alone, etc.

Hebrews Chapter Five, Maturing Spiritually

 

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

 

The brief detour comes to an end concerning the writer’s defense for why he believes it necessary to return to the elementary principles, leading into said principles in chapter 6. His final comment definitely bears some weight, however. 

Hebrews Chapter Five, Regression

 

Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

 

Every teacher is always a student, too. We never stop learning, or maturing. In light of that statement we want to focus on the word, “only.” All of us begin with just milk, like a newborn babe. As we are physically born as helpless children, entirely dependent upon or mothers to feed us, so too is the newborn Christian dependent on other saints to help him on his walk.

Hebrews Chapter Five, Melchizedek's Order

 

Hebrews 5:10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” [11] of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

 

Verse 9 iterates how Jesus, being perfected in His resurrection, became salvation’s author, or our “aitios: that which (literally) causes something to happen,” to all who obey Him. He is called by God according to Melchizedek’s order, not Aaron’s: a contrast we have been having explained since Hebrews 5:4.

Hebrews Chapter Five, Christ: The Author Of Salvation

 

Hebrews 5:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

 

The NT synonym for “perfect” is “mature.” Yet in this instance in Hebrews I do not believe that is what is necessarily meant. Scripture always explains itself, so if we look we may find answers. When Jesus our Lord was walking through the villages teaching, heading toward Jerusalem, He was warned by some Pharisees that Herod sought His death. Jesus’ response was most interesting. “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected,” Luke 13:32. 

Hebrews Chapter Five, Learning Obedience

 

Hebrews 5:7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, [8] though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

 

We begin this passage with the phrase, “in the days of His flesh.” The writer draws our attention back to the gospels that record Jesus’ life prior to, and past, His crucifixion and resurrection. Turning to the Gospel of Luke, specifically chapter 22, we can read of Jesus’ prayerful agony in the garden of Gethsemane, at the Mount of Olives. We know that Jesus ascended bodily into Heaven from this same mount, Acts 1:12.

Hebrews Chapter Five, According To The Order

Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” [6] As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”;

 

The two citations quoted by Hebrews’ author to demonstrate Christ’s calling to the office of High Priest belong to Psalm 2:7, and Psalm 110:4, respectively. Just as Aaron was called in Exodus 28:1, so too was Jesus called by the Father, and did not take the mantle of priesthood upon Himself.

Hebrews Chapter Five, Called By God

 

Hebrews 5:4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.

 

We are informed that no man may take the honor of high priest to himself, but must be called by God. The Greek word for “honor” is, “tee-may” and means “a value.” Rendered more plainly, it would mean what an object is valued at.

Hebrews Chapter Five, As For The People, So For The Priest

 

Hebrews 5:2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. [3] Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.

 

Because the high priest is chosen from among men to minister on behalf of his brethren he can commiserate with their weaknesses. The author tells us that the high priest can exercise compassion on those who, through ignorance, go astray.

Hebrews Chapter Five, Taken From Among Men

 

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

 

We find in Exodus, “Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest,” Exodus 28:1. Aaron’s lineage was chosen of God to be ministering priests in the tabernacle. The priests acted as mediators between God and man, accepting the sacrifices of the penitent in God’s name (by the authority He vested them with) as a token that his sins were atoned for, or covered over.

Who Is The Lord?

 

Have you ever considered what Jesus asks in Luke 6:46? Our Lord laments and wonders, why does mankind bother calling Him Lord if we have no intention of obeying Him? It is a fair question, and one that should infiltrate our minds as we consider our Christian walk, or for some of us, the absence of a Christian walk.

Hebrews Chapter Four, The Throne of Grace

 

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Verses 14 and 15 describe Jesus the Son of God as our sympathetic High Priest, having gone into the Heavens on our behalf. The purpose of the High Priest was to serve God for the sake of offering atonement for His people, and so the writer commends our Lord as the ultimate High Priest, the Aaronic priesthood being a type of Him who was to come.

Hebrews Chapter Four, The High Priest Of Our Confession

 

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

 

As chapters 1 and 2 dealt primarily with contrasting the angelic order to our Lord, chapters 3 and 4 broach the Old Testament patriarch and Lawgiver Moses. Moses can hardly be mentioned without thinking about the Decalogue and the Levitical priesthood. Of course Moses’ cousin Aaron was the first high priest chosen by God of the tribe of Levi. To this tribe the priestly ordination remained throughout united Israel. 

Hebrews Chapter Four, All Things Exposed

 

John, bearing the same testimony as Paul, writes, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us,” 1 John 2:19. Who is the “they” John refers to that apostatized from the church?

Hebrews Chapter Four, The Dividing Word

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [13] And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

 

Chapter four has been building to verse 12, which is a cornerstone in the epistle of Hebrews. Verse 1 begins with the promised rest God offers, with a warning to fear that any saint may appear to come short of it. Verses 2 and 3 contrasts the hearers who rebelled and listeners who believed.

Hebrews Chapter Four, Commending Diligence

 

Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

 

The word diligent can be defined in a number of ways, but context tends to dictate proper translation. In this instance, a fitting synonym to provide elucidation would be conscientious. In fact, Oxford defines “diligent” as, “careful or conscientious in carrying out a task or duties.”

Hebrews Chapter Four, Resting Or Working

 

We are told that God speaks of another day even after the settlement of Canaan’s conquest. This appeal to enter God’s rest ironically (or providentially) came at the time of Israel’s zenith when David reigned over the kingdom.

Hebrews Chapter Four, Man-Made Righteousness

 

Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. [9] There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. [10] For he who has entered His rest has himself ceased from his works as God did from His.

 

There seems to me a companion passage to what we are currently reading found in Romans. Recall that the author is addressing his Jewish audience, former Judaists familiar with the the Torah and sacrifice, who would be especially interested in and versed with the many illustrations the writer is currently employing. These historical events and Scriptural references would, from the perspective of authority, mean very little to the Gentile worshipers entering into the Christian church since the nations outside of Israel were not partakers of its commonwealth, Ephesians 2:12.

Hebrews Chapter Four, Today

 

Hebrews 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, [7] again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

 

The allusion to the Jewish Sabbath continues. I stress the “Jewish” Sabbath because Christians do not celebrate the Sabbath. Traditionally, we celebrate the Lord’s Day, which is the first day of the Jewish week, or in modern terminology, Sunday.

Hebrews Chapter Four, To Rest

 

Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. [4] For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; [5] and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

 

The author contrasts his Jewish/Christian audience with the Hebrews of yore. Whereas they did not mingle faith with hearing, resulting in the forfeiture of entry into the Promised Land, the writer references those who, having heard believed.

Hebrews Chapter Four, Progressing From Hearing To Faith

 

But the spoken word did not profit them. What does it mean to profit? The word means “advantage or benefit” and comes from the Latin “profectus” meaning “progress,” according to Oxford. They did not progress from hearing to listening. The gospel accorded them no advantage or benefit because they disregarded its message; therefore they disregarded the efficacy of that message. The gospel has no power to convert when the individual has no interest in believing.

Hebrews Chapter Four, Profitable Hearing

 

Hebrews 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

 

For those among us that believe the gospel is entirely a New Testament, church-era doctrine, we would be mistaken. Of course we would be. God has only, and will only, save those who believe the message of salvation. The gospel was preached to us: an inclusive catch-all indicating the church, and them: Israel in the days prior to Christ, a particular nation chosen by God as His revelatory vessel until the hour of the fulfillment of the times.

Hebrews Chapter Four, Entering God's Rest

 

Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

 

We find the word, “therefore,” once again, so here we pause and consider. Therefore is written to direct our attention to a previously revealed truth or point the writer wishes to emphasize. In this case, Hebrews 3:18, 19, etc. The rebels heard the word proclaimed along with those of faith, but it profited them nothing. 

Defiling The Marriage Bed: The World's Corruption of Marriage And Sex

 

We live in a society in America awash in sexual excess. What was once considered the fundamental norm is now an antiquated notion reflecting outmoded societal values. Love, sex and marriage are being constantly redefined and updated by the vocal minority and lawmakers who permit these things to be so. But what does Scripture say about these three, extremely controversial topics? And how do we, as Christians, treat them? Do we align with the views of our Lord and Savior by obeying what He says regarding sex and marriage? Or do we cast off our Lord’s yoke in favor of progressive advancements to societal enlightenment?

Hebrews Chapter Three, False And Genuine Faith

 

Hebrews 3:16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? [17] Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? [18] And to whom did He swear that they wound not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? [19] So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

 

Scripture presents the two-sided coin of salvation: Faith and obedience. Permit me to explain. Works DO NOT save anyone. Going backward in these verses, let us begin with verse 19. We learn that the Jews of Moses’ time did not enter into the Promised Land under Joshua because of unbelief.

Hebrew Chapter Three, Whom To Trust

 

Hebrews 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, [15] while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

 

Verse 14 relates back to the latter portion of verse 6, stating, “whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” What is the beginning of a Christian’s confidence? It isn’t in our effort or accomplishment. “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,” Romans 4:4, 5. 

Hebrews Chapter Three, The Danger Of Sin's Deceit

 

Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; [13] but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

 

The letter to the Hebrews began with, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets,” Hebrews 1:1. This verse would be most meaningful to the Jewish audience the author was writing to.

Hebrews Chapter Three, Action & Reaction

 

Hebrews 3:10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ [11] So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

 

We know from verse 9 that “this generation” refers to Israel wandering for forty years when the spies gave a bad report to the congregation. In this we see the difference between genuine faith demonstrated by Joshua and Caleb, and the ten spies who spoke contrarily about Canaan and its insurmountable dangers.

Hebrews Chapter Three, Rebellious Israel

 

Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, [8] Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, [9] Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.

 

The quote the writer uses beginning with verse 7 comes from Psalm 95:7b-11. It would benefit us to look back on this Psalm, entitled in my NKJV as “an exhortation to worship,” to learn why it was written. Verses 1 and 2 commend singing as a method of worship. Above that, in both verses the word “shout, NKJV” is used twice, denoting lively and loud singing at that. The word “shout” is followed by the adverb “joyfully,” connoting the inner nature of the worshiper singing to God. 

Hebrews Chapter Three, Over His Own House

 

Hebrews 3:5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, [6] but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

 

The author takes pains to reiterate Moses’ fidelity toward God. Though in verse 3 we learn that Christ is worthy of more glory than Moses, this is by virtue of His very nature. Verses 3 and 4 clarify this point: Jesus, the maker of all things is worthy of more glory than Moses since He is the Creator. Hebrews 1:4 stated that Jesus is superior to the angels by virtue of the inheritance of His name. 

Hebrews Chapter Three, Worthy Of Honor

 

Hebrews 3:3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. [4] For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.

 

Continuing to contrast Jesus and Moses, we are told that Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses; the reason being that the builder of a house deserves more honor than the house itself. The house, impressive though it may be, is a testimony of the genius and ingenuity that designed and constructed it. 

Hebrews Chapter Three, Faithful In The Father's House

 

Hebrews 3:1b consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, [2] who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses was faithful in all His house.

 

The author commends us to consider (reflect on or contemplate) our Apostle and High Priest, Jesus. In Hebrews 2:17 Jesus was previously referred to as High Priest. We know from the Old Testament that the high priest was charged with the responsibility of atoning for the sins of Israel on the Day of Atonement. That day, and that day alone, the high priest would go behind the veil of the Holiest of All to the Ark of the Covenant with blood, shed on behalf of his people’s sins, him included.

Hebrews Chapter Three, Partakers Of The Heavenly Calling

 

Hebrews 3:1a Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,

 

The holy brethren are the ones who are partakers of the heavenly calling. This begs the question: what is the heavenly calling? Jesus explained this calling in a parable from Matthew chapter 20, describing the kingdom of Heaven. It is the parable that begins the chapter, Matthew 20:1-16.

Considering Original Sin, Part 2 (of 2)

 

Original Sin reveals that no free moral agent apart from God is capable of infallibility and perfection. God made man with the ability to accept or reject Him; He gave us the power to refuse His offer of salvation, as many do because we prefer the lure of the sin nature’s immediate gratification, even if our pleasures are always uncertain, and sprinkled with grief while the fear of death’s approach is always on the horizon.

Considering Original Sin, Part 1 (of 2)

 

The doctrine of Original Sin is something that has long been contested in Christendom. Because the Roman Catholic Church stood as a champion of the doctrine might have been a contributing reason for Christians to consider rejecting it wholesale. But Rome did not originate the doctrine: the Bible did.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Jesus: Our Propitiation

 

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. [18] For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

 

We are informed that Jesus had to be made like us “in all things,” so that He would be a merciful and faithful High Priest. Jesus our Lord became a Man. In His sinless humanity He ministered the gospel, worked His miracles and offered Himself as a sin offering for the world.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Giving Aid

 

Hebrews 2:16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

 

Backtracking to verse 9, let’s place this verse in simple context. Verse 9 begins with Jesus, incarnated as a Man, in a position lower than angels. His purpose was the suffering of death (man’s punishment for sin) crowned with glory upon His triumph over it, since we are told that He tasted death for everyone.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Bondage To Fear

 

Adam has begotten all of humanity. From one blood arose all nations on earth, Acts 17:26. Since we are physically born we are made in Adam’s image and receive his inheritance. This is what Jesus refers to as being born by water. The second birth, the spiritual birth, grants us what Paul describes as bearing the image of the heavenly Man. “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit,” John 3:5, 6. There are two types of births on this planet.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Destroying The Devil

 

Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [15] and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

 

We read in a parallel passage, “The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man,” 1 Corinthians 15:47-49.

Hebrews Chapter Two, The Children God Has Given Him

The next three verses in Psalm 22 are a petition to the Father that He be not far from the suffering Servant in His moment of pain and shame, with verse 21 being a simple and comforting: “You have answered Me.” Verse 22, an introduction to the latter half of the Psalm, says, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” After our Lord’s suffering we are told God answered Him, and He responds by saying how He will declare the Father’s name amidst His brethren. In Psalm 68:18 we read, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men,” see also Ephesians 4:8. 

Hebrews Chapter Two, Sanctified By The Word

 

Hebrews 2:11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, [12] saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” [13] And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”

 

Here we see the fulfillment of what John records of Jesus’ prayer when our Lord says, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth…that they all may be one (who believe in Him), as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,” John 17:19, 21.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Jesus: The Source Of Salvation

 

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.

 

Context is necessary to understand this verse more clearly, and for that we will quote verse 18. “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Jesus, the captain (originator or author) of our salvation, was made perfect through suffering. And this suffering came in the form of temptation. I believe this word, “tempt,” can be sorely misunderstood.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Tasting Death

 

Mankind (male and female) has been crowned with glory and honor. We are made in God’s image, Genesis 1:26. God forbade idolatry. He commanded Israel, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth,” Exodus 20:4. While the boundaries of human government are demarcated in Genesis and Psalm 8, we find a parallel in Exodus.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Under Man's Feet

 

Hebrews 2:7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. [8] You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

 

The author of Hebrews, applying this OT passage, explains that God created us lower than the angels. The angelic hosts are God’s messengers, servants and guards in the heavens. Mankind, created in a position lower than angels, has been made custodians of the created order, as is explained in Psalm 8:7, 8, “All sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.” 

Hebrews Chapter Two, Marveling At Creation

 

This world to come is placed in subjection to mankind, not the race of angels. In Genesis 1:28 we read what God related to our first parents, “fill the earth and subdue it.” The command of subduing the earth is a strong one. The language suggests bondage, subjugation, or conquest. Man was meant to harness the natural world, being distinctively different from the plant and animal kingdoms that surrounded him, gifted with an intellectual and spiritual awareness unique to our race. This command is the foundation of true science, and men of science prior to (and after) the advent of Darwinism answered that command.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Justified, Sanctified, Glorified

 

Hebrews 2:5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels.

 

God has put, “the world to come” in subjection to mankind, not angels, we are told. As Adam was steward to God’s kingship on Earth, so too does a glorious future and destiny await the sons of the King. Jumping back to verse 2, we read again, “so great a salvation.” Sometimes, or perhaps especially, mundane words need to be expounded upon to dig out their value. The word “great” is defined as, “of ability, quality, or eminence considerably above the normal or average.” We have forms of salvation involved in the amazing work Jesus accomplished on our behalf.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Bestowing Gifts To Men

 

The writer, briefly pausing to confirm the transmission of the gospel, affirms that the Lord Himself began to preach it, and was conducted by those who heard Him firsthand. Many believe Paul to be Hebrews’ author, but I respectfully disagree. Though I offer only an opinion, I do not believe Paul wrote Hebrews. The writer tells us that he received the gospel and further teaching by those who heard the Lord firsthand, implying that he was not such a one. “[It] was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” 

Hebrews Chapter Two, Making Light Of Sin

 

Twice in this chapter, the Holy Spirit through Ezekiel issues a stern warning about the consequences sin brings into our lives. “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” “For I have no pleasure in the death of the one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” Ezekiel 18:23, 32. 

Hebrews Chapter Two, The Angel Of The Covenant

 

Hebrews 2:2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, [3] how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, [4] God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will?

 

The deacon and martyr Stephen, when addressing the Sanhedrin in his greatest and final sermon, accused them of this at the last: “[you] have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it,” Acts 7:53.  So the “word” of Hebrews 2:2 is the “law” of Acts 7:53. This, of course, relates to the Mosaic Law given at Sinai.

Hebrews Chapter Two, Drifting

 

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.

 

The writer arrests our attention with the adverb, therefore. Because of these things, he says, give the more earnest heed to what we have been taught. The typical date given for Hebrews having been written seems to hover around 68 A.D., two years before the destruction of the temple at the hands of the Roman general Titus. Angels, while playing a large role in the Old Testament, could become an inappropriate object of fascination, as is demonstrated in the Book of Enoch, an Apocryphal text, typically excluded from Protestant Bibles. More than this, however, one must consider the advent of Gnostic teaching and its emphasis on angels, including ones Gnostics term aeons.

Spiritual Lethargy in America

 

The Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines lethargy as, “a lack of energy and enthusiasm.” It hails from the Greek, “lethargos,” which means, “forgetful.” I believe this term does an adequate job defining much of modern Christianity, or as the term is coined, Churchianity.

Hebrews Chapter One, Sealed By The Holy Spirit

Herein let us pause a brief moment to reflect on the profound difference between the Old Testament’s filling of the Holy Spirit and the New Testament’s sealing of the Holy Spirit. In numerous instances through the Old Testament we read of the saints being filled with the Holy Spirit in readiness for ministry of various types. But we also read David’s very real fear, expressed in Psalm 51:11, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Can a believer be cast away? On the surface this verse appears to suggest that. But it is extremely unwise to build doctrine off of a single verse of Scripture. 

Hebrews Chapter One, Angels, Prophets, And Apostles

 

The chastening by the hands of the apostles has since passed with the deaths of the apostles. The criteria for becoming an apostle seems to be this: “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection,” Acts 1:21, 22. The apostleship was finished, and perhaps no longer needed by the time of John’s passing and the completion of the New Testament. Peter alludes to this notion, likening the OT prophets to the NT apostles in compiling the doctrinal body we now refer to as the Bible, 2 Peter 3:2. Paul had doggedly taught that each local church was to have elders and deacons to govern the body. Note, he never mentions pastors, though pastoral duties would be a part of the eldership. 

Hebrews Chapter One, Virtue And Vice

 

Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? [14] Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

 

Hebrews’ author continues to explore the Old Testament as he contrasts the nature and position of angels with that of the Son. It is painfully clear at this point that the race of angels with their respective titles (powers, principalities, thrones, etc.)  are not qualitatively the same as the Son. To continue impressing this point, the writer quotes Psalm 110:1. The whole of this Psalm (entitled “The Psalm of the King-Priest in my NKJV) details God foreswearing to Christ about His eternal priesthood, and how the Son would sit at the right hand of the Father until His (the Son’s) enemies were made His footstool. Verse 2 exclaims, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”

Hebrews Chapter One, Unfailing

 

The 2^nd law of thermodynamics, the law of increasing entropy, relates that energy goes on from a highly useful to an increasingly useless state in a closed system. The universe is running down. The very idea that this law exists is a testimony that there was a beginning in which all matter or energy functioned at full capacity, so to speak. Then degradation began. The law of increasing entropy is a corollary to the law of sin and death. Eventually this sin-cursed earth will be done away with, Revelation 20:11. “They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment.” This is the crux of verse 11: “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal,” 2 Corinthians 4:18. Joshua and David understood this principle, as should we as Christians. Our kingdom is not of this place; we are sojourners or pilgrims, pitching tents in a land we’re passing through. Like Israel wandering the wilderness while God provides for them, we wait to be housed in our eternal dwelling, made by God.

Hebrews Chapter One, The Witness Of Nature

 

Hebrews 1:10 And: You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. [11] They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; [12] Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and Your years will not fail.

 

To preface this quote from the Old Testament we begin at verse 8, where we read, “But to the Son He says…” The second passage quoted as the author continues to build upon the message of who God the Son is comes from Psalm 102:25-27. This deific attribution describes the Son of God. Moving from His reign as King, taken from Psalm 45, we now find the mantle of Creator placed on His shoulders. Christ, described as Lord, laid the earth’s foundations and made the heavens; they are the work of His hands. We read in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Later, God reminded Moses and the Israelites, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day,” Exodus 20:11.

Hebrews Chapter One, A Scepter Of Righteousness

 

Note that the scepter is a scepter of righteousness. While Oxford simply defines “righteousness” as “morally right or justifiable,” the Hebrew word, which has a male and female form, are, “tsedeq (male) and tsedaqah (female).” Though this word apparently holds a little notoriety for the proper application of its translation and resultant definition, it seems to be a two-fold term that holds both a relational and legal aspect. A relationship in which parties faithfully uphold expectations is considered righteous by strict definition. The word can also denote righteousness in the form of justice in conformity with the reigning authority: be it God, His word, or a representative king. Since God is the source of justice He is innately and perfectly righteous. Being a triune God in perfect harmony between the persons, God is the fountainhead and definer of righteousness from both the relational and legal aspects. Whether referring to its relational or its judicial definitions, both aspects possess a moral quality, and it is by this moral quality that righteousness is defined.

8 (Long) Years In Review

 

Having spent so much time away from my blog, I believe it is fitting to begin my review in October of this last year. October found me in a bad place, jaded and unsettled by life, taking a walk with my wife one afternoon after work. My birthday had come and gone and I didn’t celebrate it simply because of my funk. There were many reasons, and COVID had really made things stranger for everyone, myself included. I went from managing a single store, to managing no stores, being laid off temporarily, and then managing two locations. My smallest girl was only 3 during that time and we headed into quarantine.

Hebrews Chapter One, King Of The Nations

 

Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. [9] You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

 

The author contrasts what is said about the angels to what is said about Jesus. In verse 7 we learn #1: the angels are created (Who makes His angels). #2: they possess no physical body that is native to them (spirits). #3: angels serve as ministers like ambassadors or soldiers in God’s host (His ministers). #4: The Greek for “flame of fire” is “phlox,” which comes from the word “phlego,” and means, “to shine, flash, a blaze.” The angels are given power from God to carry out God’s judgment upon evil (a flame of fire.)

Hebrews Chapter One, Angelology's Summary

 

Yet when we read the first chapter of Ezekiel we find this description: “Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies…As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of burning torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning,” Ezekiel 1:11, 13. The living creatures (living beings, NASB translation) bear an uncanny resemblance to the seraphim in Isaiah chapter 6. But later we read it is explained that the four living creatures of Ezekiel chapter 1 are the cherubim of Ezekiel chapter 10. “And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar,” Ezekiel 10:15, 1:5. In Revelation we once more meet these “living beings” before God’s throne, always in the closest association with Him.

Hebrews Chapter One, On Demons & Seraphim

 

Not just Satan, but his servants can also come into the Lord’s court for the time being, as witnessed in 2 Chronicles 18:20, 21, when a lying spirit came before God’s throne and offered to mislead Ahab king of Israel to his downfall. Clearly this “lying spirit” was not a holy angel, but a fallen one. The Bible has a term for such angels. Like Satan, who lost his name of Lucifer and has now become the Adversary, the formerly holy angels that left their first abode have been given the name demons.

Hebrews Chapter One, Angelology

 

Hebrews 1:7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”

 

Here the author quotes Psalm 104:4 from a Psalm that celebrates God’s creative and preservative power. The surrounding verses speak of God’s creative activity first in verse 3 about Him laying the upper beams of His chambers in the waters, and how He walks on the wings of the wind as if the upper atmosphere was His proverbial floor. Though the language here is poetic I believe he refers to the second and third heaven in verse 3. His upper chambers seem to describe the Heaven of heavens, while the waters, as it were, alludes to space, the celestial heavens. If we read the opening account of Genesis we learn that God divided the waters under the firmament (land) from the waters that were above the land, dividing liquid water from the expanse of the heavens. In Genesis 1:8 the word rendered firmament could more appropriately be translated “expanse,” and is in fact translated thus in the ESV. Verse 14 reveals God creating the lights in the firmament (expanse) of the heavens to divide day and night. He called into being the sun, moon, and the stars in their courses. On the fourth day then, astronomical activity began. The purpose for two of the “lights” was to grant light to the earth: namely the sun and the moon, verses 15, 16. A little further we learn that God created birds to fly, “across the face (surface) of the firmament of the heavens,” Genesis 1:20. That being said, if the dizzying heights birds could reach was merely the face of the expanse of the heavens, then the “body” went far afield.

Hebrews Chapter One, The Worship Of Angels

 

Hebrews 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son”? [6] But when he brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

 

The word angel means messenger. The messenger can be human or heavenly; if the former it is a prophet or minister elected by God for a specific reason. If the latter, much the same case, but often having purposes beyond the message bearing of the prophets. The first instance of angelic activity was in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:1 tells us that a serpent beguiled Eve, who in turn enticed Adam to disobey. We learn with absolute certainty that “the ancient serpent,” Revelation 12:9, NIV, also called the dragon, the devil, and Satan, was the self-same being in the primeval garden. Before Satan determined to corrupt our first parents in an act of defiant rebellion against his Maker, he had already departed in his heart.

Hebrews Chapter One, Tracing Heresies

 

Here we begin our proper study of angels, or Angelology, begins here. But sadly we begin with the negative. Jesus is being contrasted now to the angels, God’s messengers throughout created time. Whereas first we view His superiority to the prophets of old, now the writer compares our Lord to angels and their respective place and purpose. Worship of angels is widespread. Cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists believe Christ to be an angel, or a mighty god. Some say that he is Michael the Archangel. All pseudo-Christian cults attribute to Him much honor, save for the honor of acknowledging Him as God the Son, second member of the holy Trinity. This depreciated belief can be traced back at least to Arius (circa. 250-336 AD). Arius and his followers believed and taught that Jesus was created by the Father and was by definition of His creation, not co-eternal with Him. This rejection of Biblical truth led to extreme heresy, and while Arius attempted to mollify his critics by attributing to Christ high praise for the position God elevated Him to, it was faint and damning praise since it robbed Him of His native divinity.

Hebrews Chapter One, Superiority To Angels

 

Hebrews 1:4a having become so much better than the angels,

 

A certain line of logical connection leads us to this juncture. The KJV renders the beginning of the verse, “Being made,” whereas the NASB, HCSB, or NIV closely follow the NKJV in saying, “Having become.” In either case this verse does not argue for the Son as a created being, made superior to angels. Rather, we trace this thought from verse 2. God spoke in His Son, through whom He made the universe. The word “being” in, “Being the brightness of God’s glory,” is a present tense verb, implying a continuous state. Jesus is perpetually the effulgence of the Father’s brilliance, and the express image or exact representation of His character or nature. The author speaks boldly about the identicalness of Father and Son. Not only that but Christ upholds all things (the universe and all life) by the word of His power. By Himself He purged our sins, and as testimony of His accomplished, one time action, He sat down to demonstrate no more sacrifice for sin was necessary or acceptable.

Hebrews Chapter One, Jesus Paid It All

 

Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

 

These two verses alone (verses 2 and 3) are a staggering crescendo of the revelation of Jesus’ character and accomplishments. After the writer expresses the person of Christ and His native identicalness with the Father, and explaining how creation continues by virtue of His mighty word, he comes to expiation of sin. Many contrary views loom now as to what happened on the cross, and what Jesus exactly did on our behalf. But no opinion can supplant Scripture, and tradition never trumps truth. In verse 3 we receive a clear revelation of Jesus’ immense and singular accomplishment at Cavalry. “When (denoting a particular and unrepeated/unrepeatable action) He (the Son incarnated as a Man to represent humanity) had by Himself (past tense for the action committed; Jesus alone performed this unrepeated/unrepeatable action) purged (Greek, poieo katharismos: to do expiation or cleansing) our sins.” Does this fit our view of the Atonement? For those who continue to sacrifice or suffer to merit, expiate, or purge sin, this verse tells us in no uncertain terms that Christ did this alone, once, for our (read: everyone’s) sins.

Hebrews Chapter One, The Word of His Power

 

Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,

 

Christ is the brightness of God’s glory, the express image or exact representation of His person, and He upholds all things by the word of His power. In the previous verse the author of Hebrews tells us that Christ is the heir of all things. All things—that is, all that exists as created by God—are His by virtue of His inheritance as the only begotten Son of God. Not only that, but He upholds those same things by the mere word of His power. He speaks and it is so. Power goes out from Him. In Christ He only gives. He need take nothing, for our Lord needs nothing. He is utterly and eternally sufficient.

Hebrews Chapter One, Character

 

Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person

 

The writer of Hebrews is still focusing on Jesus in this passage, mentioning that our universe enveloped in time was made through Christ, and that this same Christ is the brightness of God’s glory, and the express image of His person. Brightness can also be translated as effulgence, which has a much more fascinating implication. It means to shine out or radiate, to be in a constant state of brightness. Effulgence, then, is the visible expression of its source. Jesus, in the flesh, was the effulgence, the radiant glory, of the Father. That is why we read: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness,” John 1:4, 5. Later, we find Jesus telling His audience, “I am the light of the world,” John 8:12.

Hebrews Chapter One, Jesus: Inheritor Of All

 

Hebrews 1:2d has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,

 

Continuing in verse 2, we learn that the Father has appointed (chosen or prearranged) Christ to be heir of all things. Hebrews delves deeply into Christology, or the study of the person of our Savior. Wasting no time, the author lets us know that God not only spoke in His Son in the last days, but that He has made Christ heir of all things. We read in Isaiah:

Hebrews Chapter One, Christ: The Word Of God

 

Hebrews 1:2c has in these last days spoken to us by His Son,

 

In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son. A more literal translation can be found in the NASB footnotes. “By His Son” is, “in Son.” Christ is God incarnate, the Prophet. As the prophets were servants of Yahweh, Jesus IS Yahweh and thus their employer. He gave them words to speak and they shared them, sometimes freely and boldly, sometimes with much resistance and distress. However, Christ, as the Word of God, spoke only what the Father commanded, doing so with an authority that demonstrated His sovereignty. The prophets prefaced their oracles by the likes of, “Thus says the Lord.” In turn, Jesus always addressed His audience by saying, “I say unto you.” Notice the tremendous difference. The prophets speak in the name of the Lord. It’s like a child that you’ve written a check for, and they are free to cash it, but only to the amount it was written and no more, regardless of how much funds are left in your account. Claiming the Lord’s name was a seal or validation for their testimony, a scrawl that reveals that what they are saying is not their own words or ideas, but it was inspired by, and approved of God.

Hebrews Chapter One, Waiting for God

 

Hebrews 1:2b has in these last days

 

Whereas in former times, the ministry of the prophetic office was discharged by God’s servants, in the last days He sent His Son. The writer of Hebrews uses the phrase the “last days.” Christ our Lord cautioned His audience that the coming of the Lord will be as a thief in the night, and we will not know the hour of His coming. His return is ever imminent, and its imminence was meant to inspire action in the service of God’s church. Though 2,000 years have elapsed since Jesus initially uttered those sayings, what is that to us? His coming is ever imminent; what I mean is, nothing prophetic needs to occur between His ascending into Heaven to wait at the right hand of the Father before His return. We are, as it were, in the valley of the church age that looms between the mounts of Christ’s First and Second Coming. The prophecy of the 70 weeks detail God’s relation with Israel and His contention with the Man of Sin, the Lawless One who rises to power in the absence of the church to serve as a witness against his nature and purpose. But I digress about these things, because this topic could lead us down a long detour.

Hebrews Chapter One, The Prophetic Burden

 

Finally, we have Noah. The bridge between pre-Flood and post-Flood worlds, by faith he built an ark when he was warned of things not yet seen, Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 6:13, 17. While Hebrews 11:7 informs us that his act (like Abel’s) demonstrated a faith that made him an heir of righteousness, it also condemned the pre-Flood world. Was Noah’s act evil? No. Noah, unlike his generation, was faithful, Genesis 6:8. It was the unsaved world that was evil and desperately so, corrupting everything and filling the earth with violence. Noah’s act perhaps seems evil in the face of the unsaved that perished, but recall we are considering the prophets right now. Were the peers of Noah warned of the wrath to come? Peter referred to Noah as a “preacher of righteousness,” 2 Peter 2:5.

Hebrews Chapter One, God Of The Prophets

 

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

 

The writer of Hebrews offers no benediction or greeting. Instead, like a horse breaking right out of the gate for a race, he begins with the object of his letter: God. The Greek word for God is “theos” and simply means “deity” or can more specifically address the supreme divinity. God had spoken at various times throughout history prior to the time of Christ. The literal, original rendering (which can be found in the NASB) is “in many portions and in many ways.”

About Church, Part 2 (0f 2)

 

The church, while intended to be a body of individuals saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, is still peopled with fallible men and women. The writer of Hebrews warns us that sin can ensnare us, Hebrews 12:1. James warns us that, “we all stumble in many things,” James 3:2. He includes himself with the addition of “we,” and observes that “many things” cause us to stumble. The danger is universal and legion. Paul, confronting the Galatian church over the error of legalism tells us that saints can “fall from grace.” Meaning, positionally we have moved away from the simplicity of the gospel and polluted our thinking with additions to salvation’s message that are not necessary, welcome, or Biblical, Galatians 5:4.

About Church, Part 1 (of 2)

 

The church is the representative of the faith it houses. But what is the church? For many religions that may hold a variety of answers, but for the Christian faith, which I am focusing upon, there is but a single answer.

Malachi Chapter Four, The Last Word

 

Christ’s ministry, immediately following John’s, terminates 69 of Daniel’s 70 weeks, to be taken up again when the Great Tribulation begins and the final momentous seven year period brings this chapter of human history to an end. I make mention of this because Elijah’s ministry, by Malachi’s reckoning in both chapters 3 and 4 is followed abruptly or suddenly by the visible coming of Messiah in glory. Verse 6 states, “lest I come…” The Lord will come to strike the earth with a curse. 

Malachi Chapter Four, The Day of the Lord: Good Or Evil?

 

Too many Christians look on the Day of the Lord as a terrible thing, something to be prevented at all costs. It’s like a Hollywood movie where a great calamity threatens to exterminate humanity, only to be stopped at the eleventh hour by some noble sacrifice. Yet Christians must realize that Christ made that noble sacrifice on the cross two millennia ago and any who place their faith in Him have passed from death to life and will no longer be subject to God’s wrath, being sons of the regeneration. Worse, there are those that think passages pertaining to the Day of the Lord are pernicious myths, fabricated Jewish horror stories emerging from the Messiah fever that the Jewish mind was apparently awash in during the centuries surrounding Christ’s first advent. If this is your viewpoint then, like the Jews Malachi speaks of, you need to repent. God will make all things new; Christ’s Second Coming in power and glory will right the wrongs of this world and vindicate God’s name and word forever. Are we like Peter, “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God?” 2 Peter 3:12. Or like John, when we read, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20.

Malachi Chapter Four, Making Ready For Messiah

 

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. [6] And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

 

Chapter 4 is devoted to what this verse terms “the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” In this passage we have something of a chronological progression of events. As already stipulated in Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3-5 Elijah’s coming would precede the Christ’s, and the purpose of his coming would be to prepare for Him. To be more specific, to prepare the people. John the Baptist’s ministry fulfilled the role of Elijah as the forerunner to the Christ. Jesus testified of John, telling us, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come,” Matthew 11:14. John’s purpose was to make the people ready to receive the kingdom through the ministry of repentance. To repent can be transliterated as “change your mind” about a formerly held viewpoint. John taught repentance to the Jews to make them ready to receive their King. In this respect John was certainly the forerunner of Messiah, as Malachi and Isaiah both testified. And for those willing to receive John’s ministry, the Scripture was accomplished in him.

Malachi Chapter Four, Justification By Faith

 

But the fact remains that Moses is recognized as the lawgiver. The Jews weren’t commanded to remember Moses, but the Law. It was for “all Israel,” and the nation was meant to govern itself “with the statutes and judgments,” within its pages. Jesus Himself, in the quotation mentioned above, emphasized the witness of Moses’ writings. The Sanhedrin, when interrogating the man born blind, vehemently assailed him when he asked them if they wished to become disciples of Jesus. They answered, “We are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses,” John 9:28, 29. This was actually a very condemning admission to make. A little later, when the Pharisees asked Jesus if they too were blind, He answered, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains,” John 9:41. The Law made mankind accountable. The Law exposed sin for what it was is; it magnified sin’s nature because the Law magnified or demonstrated God’s holiness and justice. Contrasted against a holy God’s denouncement of sin, the Law only made the hearer guiltier before God.

Malchi Chapter Four, Remembering

 

Malachi 4:4 “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

 

This verse, settled in the midst of two passages dealing with the Day of the Lord, is a final staunch reminder to remember the words of Moses. Moses brought the Decalogue down the mountain to Israel. The fifth and final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, retells the triumphs and tragedies of Israel’s sojourn as they make ready to enter Canaan. It was repeated in vivid detail again due in part for the youth of Israel who rose up in the wake of their elders that died along the way while they wandered 40 years in the wilderness.

Malachi Chapter Four, The Sun Of Righteousness

 

Here we find the fruit of human works merging into the fruit of the womb, and the traditions the Canaanites passed on to their children, including sorcery (witchcraft), phallic idolatry and sexual practices, and child sacrifice. Believers are commanded to, “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them,” Ephesians 5:11. On a smaller scale judgment had come to Canaan, and all the proud, yes, all who did wickedly, were stubble before the day that burned them up. Canaan’s conquest revealed not only God’s judgment upon man’s iniquity and our unwillingness to surrender our sinful pleasures, it concurrently exposed human inadequacy for doling out divine judgment. Judges 1:27-35 demonstrate human bias and partiality for a variety of reasons, leading to compromise. First God’s command is compromised, followed by the people being compromised as they mingle God’s truth with human error. The result of the remainder of Judges was summarized in the verse: “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” Judges 17:6. Malachi 4:1 is God’s answer to the question of “Where is the God of justice?” asked in 2:17, and His remedy to sinful men seeming to escape said justice in 3:15 can be found here. “[God] has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained,” Acts 17:31.