August 3, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the next 13 days we will be spending time together walking through the book of Hebrews! Hebrews is written to Jewish Christians who were undergoing persecution for their faith and considering running back to Judaism. The author of Hebrews takes an in-depth look at the practices and regulations of the Old Testament as articulated in the Torah and argues for how Jesus is both superior to each of them and supreme over all of them! The author also warns his audience of the grave danger facing them should they choose to now reject Jesus and return to their former way of life. These warnings can and should make us feel uncomfortable as we read through the book together; allow the Spirit to do what He wants to do in your heart through them! Overall, the message of Hebrews is that Jesus, the Son of God as well as our Savior and Messiah, is infinitely superior to anything or anyone else we could give our lives to, and He is worthy of all our devotion and worship. Jesus is greater!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this chapter the author begins further explaining Jesus\u2019 role as high priest which he began at the tail end of chapter 4. He reminds his audience of the role of high priest as making atonement for the sins of the people and representing them before God, as well as the fact that high priests are chosen and appointed by God Himself. Jesus meets all of these criteria and more, since He, as the perfect and sinless high priest, does not have to offer sacrifice to atone for His own sins!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The author then goes on to tell of how Jesus was \u201cmade perfect\u201d by what He experienced and the suffering He endured during His earthly life and ministry. The author does not mean that Jesus was sinful or somehow less than perfect in the first place, but that as He endured in perfect obedience to the Father through all of His suffering, He matured and was made perfect and complete as a human being. Because of this, His perfect righteousness is \u201cthe source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him\u201d (v.9), and through His perfect obedience we also are being made perfect, just as He was!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This chapter ends with the beginning of a scathing rebuke and warning towards the author\u2019s audience. The author accuses his audience of needing the basics of the gospel and the Christian faith laid out for them again, though they have been following Jesus long enough that they ought to be able to instruct others in the Way by now! He calls them spiritual infants, who need to be fed on the spiritual \u201cmilk\u201d which babies eat rather than the spiritual \u201csolid food\u201d with which the mature in Christ are fed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many of us have been content for years, decades even, with feeding on the spiritual \u201cmilk\u201d, remaining infants in Christ, helpless and needing constant feeding from those who are mature rather than becoming mature ourselves? How many of us are content with remaining helpless consumers instead of growing into the kind of believers that invest spiritually in others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God’s will for each of us who are in Christ is for our growth into spiritual maturity. Let us each wake from our stupor and grow into the maturity to which Christ has called us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n