Hebrews 3:12-19

I started graduate school at the University of Maryland in January 1979. UMD is inside the Washington, DC beltway and I knew of an “alternative” socially-conscious church in DC known as Sojourners Fellowship. Very shortly I started attending there. One Sunday after a couple of visits a young lady said that a number of them were going out for lunch, would I like to go along? I declined, explaining that I was a graduate student and that I needed my Sunday afternoon and evening to prepare for the week ahead. She replied that God had given us a Sabbath rest and that I should take advantage of that. I said thank you, no, but I’ll think about it.

So I went home and when I picked up my Bible for my day’s reading the passage covered Hebrews 3-4. I was stunned to learn that this “rest” was a gift, not as a requirement – and I enjoyed receiving gifts! So prior to the next Sunday’s service I got all my week’s prep work done on Saturday and went to church at Sojourners. Sadly, that same young lady was not in attendance and no one asked me to lunch. So I took the day off and explored DC for the first time – the White House, Congress, the Lincoln Memorial – the whole works! Then I drove back home and continued my “rest” into the evening. Come Monday morning I was ready for the week ahead. And from that weekend forward, I never did any Sunday school work, not even grading exams, unless my classroom students or my fellow graduate students leaned heavily on me to work with them. And that pattern has continued for Carol and me to this very day. I am so thankful for that young lady and for the discipline that I had even back then to be reading Scripture every day. GLORY to God!!

As for today’s reading, my Study Bible pointed to the three questions in verses 16, 17, and 18, and to the answers to those questions. Those who were denied God’s rest were rebellious (v. 16), sinful (v. 17), and disobedient (v. 18). So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. (v. 19) Folks, let’s believe – and rest!! GLORY!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 3:1-11

Psalm 95 (Ps 95:7-11 in today’s reading) touches a soft heart for Carol and me. We met at a Bible Study hosted by a graduate student couple at the University of Maryland. The leader of the Study was teaching on the book of Exodus. He was also a gifted song-writer and singer and he had composed a song using Psalm 95 as the base. So anytime we see or read Psalm 95 we have fond memories.

After being compared to angels in the first two chapters, here in Chapter 3 Jesus is compared to Moses and rises above Moses in glory and honor with two comparisons. First, Jesus is the builder of the “house” and Moses is only a part of the house and …the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (v. 3b) Second, Moses was a servant (v. 5), but Jesus is a Son. (v. 6)

Finally, an encouraging word: And we are His house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (v. 6b) We are up there with Moses, part of the “house” that Jesus is building. Nice!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 2:14-18

For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. (v. 18) This is such an encouraging verse. Often we think of Jesus’ three temptations in the wilderness as relating to areas where we might be tempted – money, power, food, etc. However, Jesus was also tempted at Gethsemane and probably on numerous other occasions that are not documented. So He’s got us covered. And now seems like a good time to recall every Christian’s “temptation verse”: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

Something struck me that I had never thought of before. Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and we (mankind, in general) have all followed suit. Lucifer also sinned – and other angels with him? – and they were cast out from Heaven. However, Jesus came to Earth to rescue mankind, but did not do anything to rescue the fallen angels. That makes His salvation act even more special, that he left Heaven, skipped right over the angels, and came to Earth for us. We are blessed!!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 2:9-13

Splitting these verses for our reading list is difficult. My reading schedule had us ending with verse 8 yesterday and beginning with verse 9 today. We could just as easily have had the split between 9 and 10. So the best that we can do is read ahead a verse or two on “Day 1” if our Bible does not show a natural break and then go back a verse or two on “Day 2”. Just that…

So, today, another clarification – pronouns again…! For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source… (vv. 10-11a) I have cited the ESV translation which does not capitalize deific pronouns. But for these verses that would still be confusing. So I am rewriting those verses adding parenthetical names where pronouns are used: For it was fitting that He (God the Father), for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons (us) to glory, should make the founder(Jesus) of their (our) salvation perfect through suffering. For he (Jesus) who sanctifies and those who are sanctified (us) all have one source (God the Father)… Helpful?

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 2:1-8

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard… (v. 3b, with “It” being the gospel of salvation). This verse gives us one of the arguments against Paul or one of the apostles being the author of this epistle, in that the writer is not claiming to have been with Jesus when He was alive or that Jesus appeared to him as he did to Paul. In the next verse the writer points to signs and wonders and various miracles as providing witness to the truth of the Gospel as presented by Jesus, Paul, and the apostles. Again the “signs and wonders…” provide the proof that the writer did not see personally.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (vv. 1-3a) These verses may be a bit confusing, but my Study Bible helped me. They maintain that the message declared by angels was the Law given at Mt. Sinai. They cite Deuteronomy 33:2, The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; He shone forth from Mount Paran; He came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand. So, with that understanding the verse now reads that if the Jews were punished for disobeying the Law, then greater punishment should fall on us if we neglect Jesus’ gospel!

What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. (vv. 6b-8) These verses are from Psalm 8, one with which I am more familiar (myself not being very familiar with the Psalms in general!), largely because I have been humbled at the extent to which the Psalmist elevates mankind. Verse 8b continues with that theme, creation being subjected to mankind. But then the author, knowing full well that these verses from Psalm 8 are meant for mankind now applies these verses to Jesus: But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor… (v. 9). That is, in His incarnation Jesus for a time became lower than the angels, but then He would be crowned with glory and honor through His death on the cross. Psalm 8 now means more to me than ever before! Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 1:8-14

This author clearly knows his Jewish scriptures. No doubt he had a scroll in hand, but he still needed to know what to look for and where to look. And I’m also sure that he was very familiar with many of the Old Testament Messianic verses and that he was well versed in the newly-forming Christian “theology” so that he could see how these verses applied to Jesus. All in all, a Biblical scholar!!

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (v. 14) Here I see the “they” in this verse referring to the angels back in verse 13. So essentially our author is saying that we who are among “the elect” (my words) have angels constantly serving us! But he could also be referring to those who are not yet, but will be saved. Either way, we see angels actively serving us here on earth. What a thought!!

So, much of what the author says in this first chapter is that Jesus is superior to the angels, and since we hold angels in high regard, we should give greater glory to that ONE who is supreme over all. GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

Hebrews 1:1-7

A full day, a long delay in getting to my post… Today we begin Hebrews; we’ll spend the rest of the month – and then some – in this book. Unlike all the other epistles, the author of Hebrews is unknown. There are arguments for and against Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and Apollos, with other names also suggested. So we move on with an anonymous author.

Whoever this author is, he was clearly well versed in the Old Testament scriptures. We’ll see Old Testament verses quoted and stories told throughout the book. My Study Bible suggested that he was writing to Jewish Christians who were being told by “Judaizers” that they still needed to follow traditional Jewish teachings. The author goes beyond all Judaizers, arguing only for and asking his readers to follow Jesus. That would suffice! In just the first four verses the author highlights seven or eight attributes/statements highlighting Jesus’ superior status in human (and eternal) history. It’s worth reading those verses a couple of times, focusing on each of those statements, embracing who Jesus is and what He has done. It would be good to have each of these statements at the tip of our evangelistic tongues!

Finally, it’s worth quoting verse 6b: Let all God’s angels worship him. Let’s all join the angels and fall down and worship Him together!!

Slava Bohu!

II Peter 3:10-18

After talking about the end times, Peter asks the question: …what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness…? (v. 11b) End times or not, we can ask ourselves that question, what sort of people are we? How do others – the world – see us? I know that there is a lot of derision directed to evangelicals today that quickly and all too easily gets passed on to the traditional church. We need to counter that perspective. We can’t let ourselves be seen as Bible-thumping people-haters. It’s so easy for our fundamental principles to be seen as judgmental by outsiders. But God is the One who judges! Somehow we need to hold on to our principles, but also exude love in all that we do.

More clarification… And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you… (v. 15a) It’s a confusing verse until you refer back to verse 9 from yesterday: The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. So the patience of which Peter speaks in verse 15 is Jesus’ patience toward all His people, not wanting any to perish. So yes, Jesus’ patience is, in fact, salvation to those for whom He has waited.

Peter’s last written words to us: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. (v. 18) Our growth in His grace (i.e., our continuing, increasing understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us), plus our increasing knowledge of all that has been passed on to us – both of these working together bring honor and glory to Jesus, who is our Lord and Savior. GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

II Peter 3:1-9

Clarification on the following verses: …scoffers … will say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (vv. 3-4) Essentially the scoffers (false leaders/teachers) are saying that, since the world has not changed since the beginning of creation, it is clear to them that God has not intervened. Jesus is not coming back. However, in the next two verses Peter reminds them of Noah and the flood – a major intervention by God – and …they deliberately overlook this fact… (v. 5a)

Today’s last verse is really sweet: The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (v. 9) Our loving Lord waits and waits for us to repent – presumably He only takes “sinners” when He sees that their heart will forever be steadfast against Him. This verse brings to mind an incident in my life. My mother was killed in a car-train accident, a really horrible conflagration (I’ll leave out the details). However, in the crush and the flames my younger brother was spared. My mother was ready to go, but my brother was not. He later came to the Lord and remains a believer today.

Slava Bohu!

II Peter 2:12-22

Carol will attest to the fact that I have trouble with pronouns. I’m consistently asking her which “him” or “her” she is referring to. So I had to ask myself in today’s reading, who are the “they”, “them”, and “these” to whom Peter is referring? And as I read and re-read today’s passage, I find that those three pronouns all refer to those “insiders” who are leading people astray with their false teaching. Two sentences refer to their unrighteous “evangelism” efforts: They entice unsteady souls (v. 14b) and For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. (v. 18) Clearly their target in these verses are new Christians or older Christians who have not yet been fully discipled. There are two other third-person plural pronouns in verse 18 cited above – “those”. Here the first “those” refers to those “unsteady souls” mentioned in verse 14b, while the second “those” refers to “unrighteous” persons completely outside the Christian community. So as you read this passage, all of Peter’s chastisement is falling on those “false leaders”.

The end of today’s reading challenges the “once saved, always saved” proposition. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” (vv. 20-22) Again, those third-person pronouns refer to the “false leaders” – they have come to Jesus, but then turned away. My Study Bible points to John 10:27-30 and Romans 8:28-39 as support for the “once saved, always saved” argument. So the question hinges on whether or not these false leaders are genuinely saved. And the last verse – the references to dogs and pigs – suggests that these leaders are not genuinely saved; they started as dogs and pigs and they are still dogs and pigs. Draw your own conclusion!

Slava Bohu!