Hebrews 11:4
The key words are faith, righteous and speaks. The person the author focuses on in this verse is Abel. The connection is that Abel was one from Israel's history who demonstrated great faith. The reason the author includes this list of people is to remind the readers that they are part of the spiritual line who does not shrink back in the face of adversity but believes and is saved (10:39). The people in the list are individuals who are examples of faith in the face of extraordinary odds.
Abel's faith moved him to bring a better sacrifice to God than Cain brought. His faith resulted in God declaring him righteous. There is all kinds of speculation about why Abel's sacrifice was more acceptable to God than Cain's was. Some speculate it was because Abel brought some of the best of his flocks, some speculate it was because Abel's sacrifice involved blood. The truth is that neither Genesis or Hebrews really tell us. All we know is that Abel's sacrifice was motivated by faith. Probably faith in the fact that God was one day going to bring about the Seed that would crush the head of evil forever. This is supported by the fact that faith in the coming Seed and in the coming city is a theme through Hebrews 11. So, Abel's sacrifice was an act of trust in the work of God. Abel trusted God for salvation. Cain trusted himself. The Genesis account indicates that Eve thought Cain was the Seed and Cain has a record of taking matters into his own hands. His sacrifice, rather than being an act of faith in the work of God, is an attempt to gain salvation. In other words, Cain is trying to manipulate God. This self-reliant attitude is prevalent in human history. Against this back drop of self-reliance, Abel's act of faith stands out and continues to speak to us today.
What does it say to us? That God has accomplished salvation and there is no work left to do. It also tells us that God will not be manipulated. I will never be able to get God to owe me anything because of the quality of my service, my sacrifice or my life. It also tells us that God responds favourably to worship from pure motives. Abel's worship was in response to God's provision of salvation. Here's the paradox: when my worship is in response to God's goodness, God responds favourably to my worship; when my worship is an attempt to get God to respond favourably to me, God rejects my worship. There are many times that my worship has been an attempt at manipulation and more focused on me than on God.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
seeing the invisible
Hebrews 11:1-3
The author defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The author will support this definition by reciting those things for which the ancients were commended. The author gives the first example in verse 3: we haven't seen the universe spoken into existence by God but by faith we are certain that this is how the universe came into existence. Now, there is still lots of room for interpretation in the phrase "the universe was formed at God's command."
Even in the formation of the universe the author expands the theme of visible and invisible: what we see was made from what was unseeable (yep, made that word up!). It's a theme that is going to be perpetuated through this chapter: people acting on what was unseen. The author's point is to move the audience to the same kind of faith when facing the situations they are currently in: it might not seem like God is intervening but faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see so the audience can have faith that God is at work to bring about their ultimate redemption, to establish his kingdom in the hearts of humans and, eventually, on earth and that he is present with them in the midst of their severe persecution.
Some of the more ancient traditions and, I think, Hebrew teaching describes God as one who cannot be known. There is truth to that. God is indefinable by scientific standards. He cannot be measured or quantified. While some have seen something of his glory and some have heard him speak, I have never touched, smelt, tasted, heard, or seen God. I think he refuses to reveal himself to me according to any of my senses because he knows that I would then define him by and limit him to that experience and as soon as I do that, I have created God according to my image.
The obvious action plan for me would be to say that I was going to have more faith. However, I know that I can't manufacture faith on my own. I need God to give me the ability to even trust. How often I've prayed the prayer of Thomas: Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief.
The author defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The author will support this definition by reciting those things for which the ancients were commended. The author gives the first example in verse 3: we haven't seen the universe spoken into existence by God but by faith we are certain that this is how the universe came into existence. Now, there is still lots of room for interpretation in the phrase "the universe was formed at God's command."
Even in the formation of the universe the author expands the theme of visible and invisible: what we see was made from what was unseeable (yep, made that word up!). It's a theme that is going to be perpetuated through this chapter: people acting on what was unseen. The author's point is to move the audience to the same kind of faith when facing the situations they are currently in: it might not seem like God is intervening but faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see so the audience can have faith that God is at work to bring about their ultimate redemption, to establish his kingdom in the hearts of humans and, eventually, on earth and that he is present with them in the midst of their severe persecution.
Some of the more ancient traditions and, I think, Hebrew teaching describes God as one who cannot be known. There is truth to that. God is indefinable by scientific standards. He cannot be measured or quantified. While some have seen something of his glory and some have heard him speak, I have never touched, smelt, tasted, heard, or seen God. I think he refuses to reveal himself to me according to any of my senses because he knows that I would then define him by and limit him to that experience and as soon as I do that, I have created God according to my image.
The obvious action plan for me would be to say that I was going to have more faith. However, I know that I can't manufacture faith on my own. I need God to give me the ability to even trust. How often I've prayed the prayer of Thomas: Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
the need to persevere
Hebrews 10:32-39
The author continues with the theme of perseverance. In this section, the author uses positive reinforcement to motivate the reader to persevere. In the previous section, the author used negative reinforcement. The author commends the audience for standing firm under severe persecution in the past and reminds them of their need to continue to persevere in the present.
The author lists the positive actions of the audience in the past: publicly exposed to insult, stood with those who were publicly exposed to insult, suffered with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of property. The key to their perseverance is seen at the end of verse 34: you yourselves knew that you had better and lasting possessions. The audience understood that no matter what was done to them on earth that there was something better waiting for them in eternity that could not be taken away by humans. The author encourages the audience that eternity is closer than they think.
I need this mindset. I need to remember that there is something coming that is far better than anything the present has to offer. If I truly understood what eternity was about, even just a little bit of it, I would be much bolder in my work for the kingdom of heaven, I would hold on to my possessions much more loosely and I would not be as stressed about finances.
The author continues with the theme of perseverance. In this section, the author uses positive reinforcement to motivate the reader to persevere. In the previous section, the author used negative reinforcement. The author commends the audience for standing firm under severe persecution in the past and reminds them of their need to continue to persevere in the present.
The author lists the positive actions of the audience in the past: publicly exposed to insult, stood with those who were publicly exposed to insult, suffered with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of property. The key to their perseverance is seen at the end of verse 34: you yourselves knew that you had better and lasting possessions. The audience understood that no matter what was done to them on earth that there was something better waiting for them in eternity that could not be taken away by humans. The author encourages the audience that eternity is closer than they think.
I need this mindset. I need to remember that there is something coming that is far better than anything the present has to offer. If I truly understood what eternity was about, even just a little bit of it, I would be much bolder in my work for the kingdom of heaven, I would hold on to my possessions much more loosely and I would not be as stressed about finances.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
the hands of the living God
Hebrews 10:26-31
The key idea in this paragraph is that a terrible judgment is waiting for those who deliberately treat as unholy the blood of Christ. The connection to the previous paragraph is that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins so those who continue to deliberately sin after receiving knowledge of Christ's sacrifice have no other sacrifice to depend on. If there is no hope of salvation because they have rejected the sacrifice of Christ, then the only hope, or expectation, is judgment.
The author uses very graphic words to describe both the judgment and the sinfulness of those who deliberately turn from God's grace. The judgment is described as raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. The deliberate sinfulness is described in terms of trampling Christ underfoot, treating the blood of the new covenant as unholy and insulting the Spirit.
This helps me to understand the horror of my willful sinfulness. It drives me to repentance. I have not only knowledge of the truth but encounters with the Truth. Yet, I have willfully sinned. According to the author, I have not only sinned by thinking or acting in rebellion against God, I have deepened my sin by cheapening the grace of God and making the blood of Christ common and unholy. What grace that I am still alive! What grace that I still have salvation and the Spirit! What grace that the hands of the living of God have become a place of rest, shelter and protection instead of a place of judgment, wrath and fear!
I am struck by the image of God's hands. By the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ, I no longer fear being in his hands. In fact, there is no other place I'd rather be. And, by the grace of God and the work of Christ, I can place people in God's hands knowing that he will protect and provide grace and mercy for their time of need. Yes, God's hands are still a dreadful place to be for those who disregard the holiness of the blood of Christ but they are an awesome place to be for those who are covered by the grace of Christ.
The key idea in this paragraph is that a terrible judgment is waiting for those who deliberately treat as unholy the blood of Christ. The connection to the previous paragraph is that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins so those who continue to deliberately sin after receiving knowledge of Christ's sacrifice have no other sacrifice to depend on. If there is no hope of salvation because they have rejected the sacrifice of Christ, then the only hope, or expectation, is judgment.
The author uses very graphic words to describe both the judgment and the sinfulness of those who deliberately turn from God's grace. The judgment is described as raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. The deliberate sinfulness is described in terms of trampling Christ underfoot, treating the blood of the new covenant as unholy and insulting the Spirit.
This helps me to understand the horror of my willful sinfulness. It drives me to repentance. I have not only knowledge of the truth but encounters with the Truth. Yet, I have willfully sinned. According to the author, I have not only sinned by thinking or acting in rebellion against God, I have deepened my sin by cheapening the grace of God and making the blood of Christ common and unholy. What grace that I am still alive! What grace that I still have salvation and the Spirit! What grace that the hands of the living of God have become a place of rest, shelter and protection instead of a place of judgment, wrath and fear!
I am struck by the image of God's hands. By the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ, I no longer fear being in his hands. In fact, there is no other place I'd rather be. And, by the grace of God and the work of Christ, I can place people in God's hands knowing that he will protect and provide grace and mercy for their time of need. Yes, God's hands are still a dreadful place to be for those who disregard the holiness of the blood of Christ but they are an awesome place to be for those who are covered by the grace of Christ.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
putting the spurs to you!
Hebrews 10:19-25
This paragraph is a "since, then" construction. There is a lot of theological information in this paragraph but it is basically a summary of the author's arguments up to this point from which a conclusion is drawn. The author uses the word "therefore" to connect the practical application to the previous arguments. The subject is: what should we do since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy place and a great high priest over the house of God? The complement: We should draw near to God with a sincere heart, hold unswervingly to the hope we profess and spur each other on to love and good deeds.
I think it is significant that one of the ways that we can spur each other on to love and good deeds is to meet together. At least one of the purposes of meeting together is for mutual encouragement. The author speaks directly against those who are giving up this habit and appeals to the imminent return of Christ as a reason to continue. However, just getting together is not what the author has in mind. For there to be actual encouragement and "spurring" taking place, we must be willing to be vulnerable and honest with those we meet together with (wow! bad grammar!). There must be those with whom we can be completely open and vulnerable and who will call us on our masks and b.s. I've never been spurred but they don't look very comfortable for the horse. I think that if I have the kind of community that the author is referring to here, it won't be comfortable at times but it will be good!
I think this passage is very appropriate for the time of year. I love the sentimentality of Christmas but it is so much more than a sentiment or "Christmas spirit." This passage reminds me what Christmas is about: God became flesh so he could bleed and by his blood a way has been open for me to draw near to God and to have an everlasting hope.
This paragraph is a "since, then" construction. There is a lot of theological information in this paragraph but it is basically a summary of the author's arguments up to this point from which a conclusion is drawn. The author uses the word "therefore" to connect the practical application to the previous arguments. The subject is: what should we do since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy place and a great high priest over the house of God? The complement: We should draw near to God with a sincere heart, hold unswervingly to the hope we profess and spur each other on to love and good deeds.
I think it is significant that one of the ways that we can spur each other on to love and good deeds is to meet together. At least one of the purposes of meeting together is for mutual encouragement. The author speaks directly against those who are giving up this habit and appeals to the imminent return of Christ as a reason to continue. However, just getting together is not what the author has in mind. For there to be actual encouragement and "spurring" taking place, we must be willing to be vulnerable and honest with those we meet together with (wow! bad grammar!). There must be those with whom we can be completely open and vulnerable and who will call us on our masks and b.s. I've never been spurred but they don't look very comfortable for the horse. I think that if I have the kind of community that the author is referring to here, it won't be comfortable at times but it will be good!
I think this passage is very appropriate for the time of year. I love the sentimentality of Christmas but it is so much more than a sentiment or "Christmas spirit." This passage reminds me what Christmas is about: God became flesh so he could bleed and by his blood a way has been open for me to draw near to God and to have an everlasting hope.
Monday, December 21, 2009
not necessary
Hebrews 10:15-18
The superiority of the new covenant is seen in that the laws of the covenant are written on our hearts and not on tablets of stone... although my heart certainly resembles stone at times. I think this means that we are no longer dependent on legal experts and priests to interpret the laws for us. The Holy Spirit is at work in each of us to interpret the laws of the new covenant. We have the Word, the Spirit and the Church and in this new covenant, each member of the Church has as much to contribute to my understanding as anyone else. While there are those who are certainly wiser and more studied, the Spirit is the real "legal expert" and as the Spirit has been given in equal measure to each of us, just as God had apportioned, there is no way that I can discount the contribution of anyone.
The key to the covenant is the forgiveness of sins. I love the simplicity of the final statement of this paragraph: "and where these (sins) have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary." I think I still find this hard to believe. I know, of course, that I don't have to find an unblemished sheep or a spotless ox and burn it on an altar but I am still making sacrifices for my sin in other ways - I'm trying to earn my salvation. What I'm really saying by doing this is that Christ's sacrifice is insufficient. The truth is that it is more than sufficient. Instead of de-valuing the sacrifice of Christ, I want to accept it totally and completely.
The superiority of the new covenant is seen in that the laws of the covenant are written on our hearts and not on tablets of stone... although my heart certainly resembles stone at times. I think this means that we are no longer dependent on legal experts and priests to interpret the laws for us. The Holy Spirit is at work in each of us to interpret the laws of the new covenant. We have the Word, the Spirit and the Church and in this new covenant, each member of the Church has as much to contribute to my understanding as anyone else. While there are those who are certainly wiser and more studied, the Spirit is the real "legal expert" and as the Spirit has been given in equal measure to each of us, just as God had apportioned, there is no way that I can discount the contribution of anyone.
The key to the covenant is the forgiveness of sins. I love the simplicity of the final statement of this paragraph: "and where these (sins) have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary." I think I still find this hard to believe. I know, of course, that I don't have to find an unblemished sheep or a spotless ox and burn it on an altar but I am still making sacrifices for my sin in other ways - I'm trying to earn my salvation. What I'm really saying by doing this is that Christ's sacrifice is insufficient. The truth is that it is more than sufficient. Instead of de-valuing the sacrifice of Christ, I want to accept it totally and completely.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
I'm Perfect
Hebrews 10:11-14
The author contrasts the repetitive daily religious duties of the priests in the temple with the one time sacrifice of Christ. The author uses an almost comic image: the image is of priests scurrying around, performing the same tasks day in and day out. Then Jesus steps us, performs one superior sacrifice and sits down in his easy chair, waiting for his footstool to be brought to him. It's a picture of royal relaxation. I don't want to down play the significance of Christ's sacrifice for it is vital and bigger than I can fully fathom but the image of Jesus relaxing while the priests scurry is humorous to me.
The author also contrasts the results of Christ's sacrifice to the results of the daily sacrifices of the priests: the priests' sacrifices can never take away sin but Christ's sacrifice made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Two things I see in that phrase: one, that I have been made perfect forever by the sacrifice of Christ. This means that there is nothing I can do to make myself more perfect. Everything has already been accomplished in Christ so my perfection is no credit to myself. There is no ability or characteristic in myself that makes me perfect. I needed an outside force to achieve perfection. Secondly, I am still in the process of being made holy. I think holy and perfect are synonyms with slightly different meanings. So the author is basically saying that Christ's sacrifice has achieved perfection for those who are in the process of being made perfect. It sounds like an oxymoron but there is truth to it. In regards to the justice of God, I am wholly justified through the sacrifice of Christ - I am already perfect. When it comes to fully realizing and living out that justification, I still have a long way to go - I am being made perfect.
Both are a result of Christ's sacrifice. Yes, I believe that I have a minor role to play in working out my salvation but even my ability to live out my perfection is completely dependent on the grace of God in Christ. I will never be able to boast (which 'nucks because I like boasting) because I have done nothing except believe.
The author contrasts the repetitive daily religious duties of the priests in the temple with the one time sacrifice of Christ. The author uses an almost comic image: the image is of priests scurrying around, performing the same tasks day in and day out. Then Jesus steps us, performs one superior sacrifice and sits down in his easy chair, waiting for his footstool to be brought to him. It's a picture of royal relaxation. I don't want to down play the significance of Christ's sacrifice for it is vital and bigger than I can fully fathom but the image of Jesus relaxing while the priests scurry is humorous to me.
The author also contrasts the results of Christ's sacrifice to the results of the daily sacrifices of the priests: the priests' sacrifices can never take away sin but Christ's sacrifice made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Two things I see in that phrase: one, that I have been made perfect forever by the sacrifice of Christ. This means that there is nothing I can do to make myself more perfect. Everything has already been accomplished in Christ so my perfection is no credit to myself. There is no ability or characteristic in myself that makes me perfect. I needed an outside force to achieve perfection. Secondly, I am still in the process of being made holy. I think holy and perfect are synonyms with slightly different meanings. So the author is basically saying that Christ's sacrifice has achieved perfection for those who are in the process of being made perfect. It sounds like an oxymoron but there is truth to it. In regards to the justice of God, I am wholly justified through the sacrifice of Christ - I am already perfect. When it comes to fully realizing and living out that justification, I still have a long way to go - I am being made perfect.
Both are a result of Christ's sacrifice. Yes, I believe that I have a minor role to play in working out my salvation but even my ability to live out my perfection is completely dependent on the grace of God in Christ. I will never be able to boast (which 'nucks because I like boasting) because I have done nothing except believe.
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