Hebrews 2:5-18

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:
"What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet."

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,  "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." And again,  "I will put my trust in him." And again he says,  "Here am I, and the children God has given me."

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death €”that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement forthe sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Here we see the first real glimpse of the hope of Jesus in the book of Hebrews: "...so that by his death he might destroy...the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." The fear of death from sin under the law, the law of life perverted by the enemy. 

Knowing what sin was by the law, they were afraid to live lest it bring about their death. And they were afraid of death because they feared the punishment of God. They couldn't be sure of their salvation because they had sinned too much and they couldn't be sure whether they had done enough to atone for those sins.

So Jesus came and died for all the sins. He was the last sacrifice to fulfill the sacrifice required under the law.

Simple, yes?

Well, not really. I mean how easy is it to believe that there's nothing to be done to make ammends for sins? If it were so easy, people would do it. This takes away all of the control. I have no control. If I sin, i can't do anything to make it right again.

I can't pray five times, or fast for 10 days, or give money to the poor, or give 10% to my church, or spend 3 years in prison, or clean the church bathrooms, or go on a missions trip to Africa, or sell all of my belongings, or suffer through disease, or go silent for a few months. Nothing. I can't suffer my way through my guilt to earn forgiveness.

It's freeing and scary all at once. 

If you watch enough Dr. Phil, you'll see that people do this stuff all the time. They live a life that is less than they could live because they believe they don't deserve it, that they deserve to be punished. Well, sure you deserve to be punished, but you don't need to be. Jesus paid for those sins already and no amount of self-inflicted punishment can earn you a damn thing. So stop it. 

Hewbrews 2:1-4

"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

We pay closer attention because it was told to us by the Son of God. We listened to the angels and Jesus is way more important that they are. I mean we listened to the prophets and they were just men.

Not only did Jesus say it, but his words were confirmed in those who heard his message by God himself! 

Whoa. I mean, is Jesus' message confirmed in me by God working through miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit? That's quite a question for everyone who has heard and has believed is it not? How is this message confirmed in me?

Looking critically at myself, I am forced to say that I don't know and that lack of surety and confidence is shameful. 

And it Begins...

Hebrews 1

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did He ever say,
"YOU ARE MY SON,
TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU"?

And again,
"I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM
AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME"?

And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
"AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM."

And of the angels He says,
"WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS,
AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE."

But of the Son He says,
"YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER,
AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.
"YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS;
THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU
WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS."

And,

"YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH,
AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;
THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN;
AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT,
AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP;
LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED
BUT YOU ARE THE SAME,
AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END."

But to which of the angels has He ever said,
"SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES
FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET"?

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

God made the world through Jesus. Meaning that Jesus didn't just show up on the scene in the book of Matthew. I remember that being quite a revelation when I heard it. The rest of the stuff about Jesus being the son of God and higher than the angels and at the right hand of God, it's great but I already knew all of that.

That's the common Christian jargon stuff. I mean I had been celebrating Christmas for almost 20 years. Of course I knew that Jesus was God's son and all that jazz.

But he was there at creation? WTF? Seriously. It's astounding. It's like the opening passages of John: 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Did not comprehend it indeed. 

These passages are exciting to me. It's like a secret. I mean, it's like I know a something that once was hidden to me. It's amusing to me as well because I don't think that's the point of the opening of Hebrews. The real focus is clearly to define Jesus' position above the angels, but, like I said, that was always obvious to me. I mean who worships angels, right?

Been a Long Time

It's been a long time since I posted anything here! A lot has been going on, but that's not a real excuse. I kinda forgot that this blog existed. I mean in my normal day-to-days I just never thought to remember it.

That's really too bad, though. 

I don't have too much to say today either, though. I've been thinking a lot about the Book of Hebrews. I haven't been reading it as much as I've been thinking about it's significance in my life. I've been focused on chapter 12 for almost a month.

When I was asked why I decided to follow Jesus, I said that it was because of the new covenant; the idea that Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and didn't just show up with a new plan or his own agenda. I learned that through the Hebrews. 

I say all of that to mean that Hebrews has been an important book to me in the past and the stuff contained within it really defines who I am as a believer. Or, it should define me as the foundation of my faith, yes?

Over the next couple of weeks, I intend to go through the book and see how much it actually does define me. It's a matter of integrity and I hope my actions line up with my words.