Tag Archives: Faith

Bible Studies, Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 6

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The Importance of Spiritual Maturity
Teaching – This chapter is a parenthetical excursion from the development of Jesus Christ as High Priest, to the neglected area of spiritual maturity. The writer believed this was a stumbling stone to his audience because they were dull and hard of hearing. (Heb 5:11-12)

The first paragraph of this chapter is difficult to understand. There are several ways to understand it, and since the overriding subject of the chapter is spiritual maturity, it is no surprise that a difficult passage, requiring a bit of hard work and yes, spiritual maturity, is central to its understanding.
Simply Broken Out  Summary / Thoughts

Heb 5:11-14 The passage begins a detour to the spiritual maturity “train station.” He needs to call them to a sharp change of direction, otherwise they are in danger of foregoing salvation which can only come from faith, back to the old, deadness of the Law of Death. He accuses them of being babes and not even to late childhood, let alone adulthood!
Heb 6:1-3 The therefore is the linkage from Chapter 5’s exhortation to maturity. The word is teliotes, and can also be translated “perfection.” Dead works connotes the works we do outside the power of the Holy Spirit. All throughout the passage, the power of the Spirit in our goal is an absolute requirement, there is no getting around it. This idea is coupled with faith, not, as we shall see, a “foundation of repentance,” but to maturity.
Heb 6:4-6 There are at least three  understandings of what this means:
Arminians hold that the people described in these verses are Christians who actually lose their salvation. If this be so, notice that the passage also teaches that it is impossible to be saved a second time
Some hold that the passage refers not to genuine believers but to those who only profess to be believers. Thus the phrases in verses 4-5 are understood to refer to experiences short of salvation (cf. v. 9). The “falling away” is from the knowledge of the truth, not personal possession of it.
Others understand the passage to be a warning to genuine believers to urge them on in Christian growth and maturity. To “fall away” is impossible (since, according to this view, true believers are eternally secure), but the phrase is placed in the sentence to strengthen the warning.
Source: Ryrie Study notes, Heb 4:6
Heb 6:7-8 This is an analogy where we are the ground, and we either bear fruit or thistles. What is harvested, the fruit, or burned away, the thistles, is not us, but WHAT WE BEAR. Therefore, the passage here speaks not about losing salvation, but of rewards. It is vitally important tto go on to spiritual maturity, not to lay aside the gift of God, since this can lead to (apparently) permanent stunted spiritual growth. Mat 13:3-8 v 8 Note that  1 Cor 3:15 > The individual is CLOSE to being cursed.
Heb 6:9-12 This verse is critical in resolving the unclear meaning of verses 4-6.  A couple of things to consider:He speaks of things that accompany salvation, not sustain it! This jibes perfectly with James 2:17 (and the whole passage there in James); that the works are a manifestation of salvation, not the cause. “Though we are speaking in this way.” is an additional gentle chide and encouragement, as is verse 12.
Heb 6:13-20 The writer nows goes on after this pressing rebuke (from the end of Chapter 5), to reassure and encourage them not promising what he can do or show or give an attaboy, but by appealing to the nature of God as not being able to lie; consequently being good for His word. Te confidence of hope, real hope, capital H Hope. Unlike wishful thinking, it is sure, and brings confidence and amazing endurance to the mature believer.

 

Memory Verse – “Beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.” Hebrews 6:9

Application – How will you live out what you have learned?

Bible Studies, Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 5

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Bible Study Made  Simple
Title – Jesus Our High Priest

Teaching – Although the Hebrews needed to be able to “contrast and compare” Jesus and the High Priest, they were not far enough along spiritually to make the grade. Are we? Types are a central literary device in this passage (and the whole book!) . It is important to know what a type is.

Simply, types are people, things or events that foreshadow a fulfillment in the New Testament. The most common, of course are types of Jesus Christ. Melchizedek, discussed here, is a type of Christ.

Another example is of Sarah and Hagar in Gen 21:10and following as types of enslavement to the Law, outlined by Paul in Galatians 4:21-31

We use types because the New Testament clearly defines them, and we believe that the Holy Spirit, author of the Bible 2 Pet 1:21, 2 Tim 3:16-17.

Simply Broken Out  Summary / Thoughts

Heb 4:14-16 The author picks back up from Heb 2:17 & 3:1 where the revelation of Jesus as High Priest is introduced, having gone through the necessity of belief and he warnings of failure to appropriate the rest we have in salvation and the accompanying power from the Holy Spirit.
Heb 5:1-4  The attributes of the High Priest are to be human, to offer gifts and sacrifices, dealing kindly with broken humanity, and is appointed.
Heb 5:5-10 Melchizedek was a suitable type of Christ as High Priest, because:
He was a man (Heb 7:4; 1 Tim 2:5);
He was a king-priest (cp. Gen 14:18 with Zech 6:12 – 13);
His name means “my king is righteous” (cp. Isa 11:5), and he was king of Salem (i.e. “peace,” cp. Isa 11:6 -9);
He had no recorded “beginning of days” (cp. John 1:1) or “end of life” (cp. Rom 6:9; Heb 7:23 -25);
He was a high priest by human appointment (Ps 110:4). But the contrast between the high priesthood of Melchizedek and Aaron is only as to person, “order” (or appointment), and duration. In His work Christ follows the Aaronic pattern, the “shadow” of which Christ was the substance (Heb 8:1 – 6; 9:1 – 28).
Source: Scovill notes on Heb 5:6
Heb 5:11-14 Oh snap, the writer is pointing put they Hebrew believers as spiritual babies. It is an unflattering, borderline frustrating passage for the writer. Note the key to spiritual maturity, training. Training of what????

Memory Verse – Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. — Heb 5:8

Application – Practice spiritual maturity by obedience to the Word of God. 

Bible Studies, Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 3 & 4

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Title – Missing out on the promises of God because of fear disappoints God and cowers us.
Teaching – If repetition is the best teacher, then don’t fail to believe what God promises is true.

Simply Broken Out Summary / Thoughts

Heb 3:1-6  Both Jesus and Moses were faithful to all who were in their “house”, the people to whom they were responsible, but Jesus is even more so, for He created people, and thus made the house, so He has a higher stature than Moses.
3:6 This passage links the house analogy to belief. Note how we boast, like a student who has studied diligently and has the subject so “nailed down” she can’t wait to get to class to let everyone see how eel she understands the subject. That’s what this means.
3:7-11  Here is quoted Psalm 95, written by David, some 400+ years after the Jews were brought out from Egypt, the ten plagues, the Red Sea crossing, yada, yada, yada. If you go through this in Exodus, you find God was pretty upset by their whining out of unbelief, after experiencing miracle after miracle.
3:12-19 v 12 is a marker for falling away. An “evil, unbelieving heart.” The Greek OT (Septuagint uses the term only twice, in Jer 16:12, 18:12. in  there is noted stubbornness. The seems to be willful refusal to hear. “He who has ears to hear” is repeated at least 4 times in the Gospels by Jesus the sower 2x, about John once and the parable of the ludicrous dinner once.So the takeaway is to encourage others to live the faith life, and to avoid sin and encourage others to do the same. How? By breaking the faith barrier.

The Geometry of Faith – the Faith Barrier

The Geometry of Faith
The Geometry of Faith

 

4:1-2 It’s not enough to hear the message (the Gospel), I have to act on it, just as much as once I am saved, to act on God’s promises.
4:3-7 Of all believers alive now or during the Exodus, some (almost all) go through life the hard way, not really believing the clear promises of God, rather than the way Joshua and Caleb took. See Numbers ch 13 and 14 for the details.
4:8-13
Do you understand what a Sabbath rest is? It’s resting from labor, for the unsaved, salvation as a  a way to God, for the believer, that we don’t have to grit and bear the things God has asked us to do as believers, like share the Gospel. There’s an easy button, much like David used with Goliath, relying on God to see him through his fight. There are two different rests: salvation, and sanctification (the process by which we become more Christ-like). 2 Cor 5:7 and Col 2:6 address these.
4:14-16 And don’t think Jesus doesn’t understand this. He does, He cares, He bought the t-shirt!

Memory Verse – One verse you have set to memory.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Application – How will you live out what you have learned?
I (the author, not you the reader) am going to pick up an old habit of journaling, writing down the events God has led me through and proven Himself faithful, so that I can remember those events. They have a habit of fading away otherwise.     Check out this excellent teaching by Hal Lindsey.