Lighthouse scribes

Growth v 1-3

After spending the first five chapters of his letter teaching the fundamentals about who Christ is, the writer of Hebrews urges them to progress to maturity. Earlier today, I played a game with my younger son by asking how many letters were in certain names. Each time I did this, he’d spell out the name with finger counts for each alphabet until he announced the number of letters in the name. His elder brother heard us, and every time I said a name, he’d immediately respond with the number of letters. I wanted to tell him the game was for his brother, but there was no complaint, so I let it slide.

As I typed this post, I thought of how the depth of their understanding informed how they both answered. I’d have been apprehensive if my eight-year-old, who mentally adds up thousands, approached the game in the same manner as his younger brother. So, while it was good to talk about the fundamentals again because clearly, knowledge of them was lacking, it was important to focus on their Christian maturity. In our self-assessments, we should be able to tell if we are progressing in our knowledge and understanding of this Christian life we have chosen or if we have deviated and should return to the basics. It is draining to keep returning to basics, so the advice to them and us is to GROW.

Death v4-7

While there are different schools of thought, I believe that verse 4-7 refers to apostates and not to Christians who fall into sin. For a man who falls into sin can be restored—case in point, Peter. These verses speak about a person who renounces Christ. They were enlightened spiritually, experienced God’s word and power, and received the power of the Holy Spirit, then they turned against God—case in point Judas. These verses tell us three things: a person can know God and choose to reject God. People reject good things all the time. We may not understand why, but it happens, and it happens with God, too. Such a person cannot be brought back to repentance (what else is left to do to convince a person who rejects a conviction they once had?) When people do this, it’s like taking Jesus through the suffering and shame of the cross again.

I find the argument that these kinds of people were never believers to be wrong because the descriptions in verses 4-5 clearly show that they were believers. Also, putting the text in context, the letter was a strong warning to Christians who were in danger of sliding back into their old ways of Jewish beliefs and worship, which eventually would lead to rejecting the way of salvation through Christ.

What instructions do these verses hold for us as Christians?

Habits of the household. V11-12

The writer encourages the believers to continue loving others as long as life lasts, reminding them that God takes note of their work for Him and their care for other Christians. The believers in the context had praiseworthy qualities after all, but it was important to first deal with the doctrinal issues.

What godly habits have we neglected in today’s church? Can the love of God be seen in our dealings with one another? When correcting others, do we encourage their good attributes too?

God is Sure.

What is the hope that is set before us? V18

Colossians 1:5, 1 Peter 1:4. This refers to God’s inheritance to all who have come to Him through Christ. The Bible speaks of an inheritance for Christians, and in Ephesians 1:14, we are told that the Holy Spirit living in us is a guarantee or deposit (first payment) for that inheritance. It’s shortsightedness at best to think that we were saved so that we can prosper financially and live prosperously on the earth. We must always trust that if we are seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness in every aspect of our lives, then He will always provide all that we need. For one Christian it may be one talent, and for another, it may be ten. We must be faithful in whatever the Lord commits to our hands, and we must also remember that what He commits to us as He wills. 

The beauty of it all is that we know that God’s promise is neither fickle nor mundane. His promise to us is made binding by the oath He’s bound himself by—the shedding of the blood of Christ. In Genesis 15:10–19, God makes a promise to Abraham and then seals it with an oath, a blood covenant that cannot be broken. For many years, I read these verses so many times, and I didn’t understand the picture. Surely there was a reason why the Bible records the animals that were split and the smoking fire and flaming touch that passed between the halves of the carcasses. There was a reason why we were given the picture, as the Bible didn’t just say, ‘God made an oath…’ Then two years ago, as I read Jeremiah 34:18 I understood the text in Genesis. In Jeremiah, God talks about the oath men had made to Him by splitting the sacrificial calf and walking between the split parts; it was a pledge to God and a curse on themselves if they renegade on their promise to God. God had done the same thing with Abraham long before the record in Jeremiah. In the New Covenant, Christ is that split sacrifice by which God has sworn an oath to us. God can’t go back on His promise to those who are in Christ Jesus.

The promise is fully obtained in heaven, but while we are on earth, God gives us all that we need, daily, and the guarantee that His promise is valid is the Holy Spirit present in us. Now think about that.

Love,

Osi

P.S

I’d love to learn. Please share what you have learnt from reading Hebrews 1-6. Thanks.