let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:22-25 ESV)
I really enjoyed this chapter, but this part definitely hit me as a call to charge forward boldly, purified by God, with a full assurance of faith, holding "fast the confession of our hope without wavering." Talk about empowering, but man do I need prayers for that kind of boldness and fearlessness to confess our hope without wavering. But that leads right into the next part that calls us to build each other up and stir up a desire in one another to show God's love and do good works. Also to encourage each other and build community with one another.
We desperately need to see this call and be committed to it. Not only to never go stagnant in our pursuit of God and think we're fine/better off than the next guy, but to always be drawing near to him and aligning our will with his so that we are not fighting with him but gladly giving our life to him and letting him work through us.
But the call doesn't stop here. We cannot let ourselves get so consumed in our "me-centered" world that we forget the impact that we have on those around us. We also have this call to build up other believers and encourage them in their faith because there will be times when we stumble and will need the help of a community of believers to pick us up and vice versa. This is a beautiful way that God can work in his church to help each other in times of trouble or sinfulness. This is the beauty of an active church community, and we are called to take part in this.
I also want to reflect on the part that talks about stirring up this desire to love and good works, not just in ourselves but in one another. That doesn't just mean giving in and serving and unwillingly helping people on occasion, but delighting in the opportunity to show the love of the Almighty God to other people so much that we not only desire the opportunity but want others to understand what a truly beautiful thing it is. Especially when selfless acts surprise people as much as they do in a world that is often ruled by selfishness and greed. Let us be a light in the world, pouring out his love to all people and empowering our brothers in Christ.
I love yall, and I'm loving this opportunity to read and discuss scripture with you.
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
ReplyDelete(Hebrews 10:12-14 ESV)
Amen. Christ's work is done! Now we just wait until God has appointed his enemies to be his footstool! I love also how it says that he has perfected those who are being sanctified. God has made us perfect and is now making us like Christ. He is good!
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." Hebrews 10:39
ReplyDeleteI was incredibly encouraged and challenged by this passage. So often it is hard to settle in for the long and trying journeys. But our victory has already been won in Christ! Jesus is literally sitting in Heaven waiting for the end to arrive. This is all the encouragement we should ever need. No matter how trying the time or dark the hour, we never have to doubt the outcome. This is a pretty amazing promise. No other religion has such an assurance. All they can do is hope that their good deeds add up in their favor. But we have the hope of salvation in Christ, which has already been secured. And it is a hope that will never fail. Surely we serve an amazing God.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
ReplyDeleteHebrews 10:24-25
This is a strong passage to me. Not only are we to strive to imitate Christ with our own actions, but we are called to stir encourage and stir this up in others as well. Christianity is built on strong groups of believers encouraging each other and spreading the Word of God together! When a strong group of believers come together in God's name, great things can happen. If we live with joy and love everyone as ourselves, we can create this among us and be able to serve God and show His love in incredible ways!
I agree with DiSalle. I found the passage powerful for the same reason: that we are called to encourage love and good works in each other. I do not think it is an accident that the verses immediately prior and immediately after discuss individual actions (v. 22-3, 26-7) , suggesting that our behavior in community will influence our beings in private. Yes! This is true. The private and public selves influence each other, as is made clear by Jesus' example (praying alone in the wilderness, his time with his disciples, overturning the tables of the moneychangers, etc.) Perseverance is required to live the Christian life, constantly fine-tuning the public and the private into greater harmony with the Creator.
DeleteMay we live as if we truly believe.
"If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgement and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries."
ReplyDeleteHebrews 10:26-27
We need to be careful about letting ourselves sin or letting others around us sin. While the author here is almost certainly talking about the fact that if you learn about Jesus and renounce Him, then no sacrifice exists to obtain forgiveness for such a grave sin, it is important to realize that any sin produces a level of breakage between you and Jesus. We need not strive for elements of THIS world that separate us from the King who has saved us.
"We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life." Hebrews 10:39
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to compare the old sacrifices to the final one. Because they had to continually offer new sacrifices, you know that the old sacrifices did nothing to purify the person. Every time the person sinned again, you needed a new sacrifice to cover it. However, under the new covenant, one worked for all time. Which means that we ourselves have been made pure. It is a perfect sacrifice because it covers not only the sins, but also the sinner.