The Birth of Jesus and Our Identity in Christ

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed^£ to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”^{£ 29}But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”^£

³⁵And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born^£ will be called holy—the Son of God.

- Luke 1:26-35

This is an amazing passage. God sends an angel to a young woman (who had no idea what was going on) to tell her that she will bear the “Son of the Most High” and “of his kingdom there will be no end.” I imagine that Mary was in complete shock and awe. The promise was amazing – she would be the mother of the King of Kings, a king in the line of David except unlike David (and the other kings in that line) the kingship of Jesus would endure forever. Surely Mary was amazed and taken aback, but she managed to ask the question that we would all want the answer to:

“How will this be?” You see, Mary was betrothed to marry Joseph of Nazareth, but they had certainly not been involved in any baby-making activities (that would call for a stoning in those days). It’s significant the way that Mary asks this question. Earlier in Luke 1 when Zechariah is told that he and his wife Elizabeth will have a son in their old age he asks “how shall I know this?” He asks the question out of disbelief (how can you prove that this will happen). Mary’s response is different: “how will this be?” In other words, she believes it will happen she just doesn’t yet understand how.

And it’s the how that I specifically want to address here because this is one of the truly amazing things about the way in which Jesus Christ took on flesh and in turn these truths shed light on our identity in Christ.

1. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit

The angel Gabriel proceeds to tell Mary how this will be: “the Holy Spirit will come upon you.” Jesus was like unlike all babies ever born due to this huge truth regarding his beginning as a man: he was not conceived by man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born with the Holy Spirit in Him, which is an amazing thought.

And notice what the angel says to Mary. Because this baby will be born of the Spirit “therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God.” This conception of the Holy Spirit brings holiness which leads to the simple conclusion that this is the Son of God. The Holy Spirit leads to holiness which leads to identity as the Son of God.

This is especially amazing when we realize that when we are “born again” this rebirth is conceived by the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus explains to Nicodemus in John 3 – salvation is a re-conception by the Holy Spirit:

³Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again^£ he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

- John 3:3-6

We only come into our new identity as sons of God by being born again and this only happens by the work of the Holy Spirit. And so we see that the way in which Jesus was conceived is a picture of the way that we experience spiritual birth.

But that’s not all.

2. Jesus was adopted

How can I say this? Well, it’s true that Mary gave birth to Jesus. But Jesus had no blood relationship to Joseph, who became Mary’s husband. Joseph acted on obedience to God, proceeding in marrying Mary (knowing that she carried a child who was not biologically his). But Jesus’ identity as the son of Joseph of Nazareth is crucial. Do you see why?

Verse 32 says, “the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.” In other words, Jesus’ genealogy can be traced back to David. There are two records of his genealogy in the gospels. Matthew 1 traces Jesus through David back to Abraham and Luke 3 traces Jesus through David all the way back to Adam. However, in both of these genealogical records Jesus is named as the son of Joseph. It was only by Joseph taking on the responsibility of fatherhood to a child that he did not personally sire (which I am referring to as adoption) that prophecy was fulfilled. Can you imagine? The validity of the Old Testament scriptures was hanging on the matter of whether or not Joseph would adopt this baby as his own. Without Joseph’s adoption of Jesus, there would be no lineage to David.

Of course, God had a plan since the beginning of time for how this would unfold and adoption was part of that plan, even for Jesus. In this God fulfilled the promise that He had made long ago to David:

¹⁶And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^£ Your throne shall be established forever.’”

- 2 Samuel 7:16

God knew even then that his plan to fulfill this promise was through adoption.

What is the impact of this upon us? When we are in Christ, we are called Sons of God and this identity does not happen biologically for us – it happens through adoption. God’s adoption of us into His family. So I believe it’s very significant that God chose to use adoption in the life of Jesus as a picture for us.

¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

- Romans 8:15-16

Here we see how these two concepts of conception by the Holy Spirit and adoption fit together: we have received the Spirit of adoption. The Holy Spirit who has spiritually conceived us confirms that we have been adopted as sons of God. The Spirit bears witness and testifies to us that we are children of God! Unbelievable!

But let’s not forget the way that was made for us to become children of God: the baby that was born to Mary and Joseph grew up, lived a sinless life, speaking the truth in love everywhere he went. Then he was crucified on the cross, paying the debt (death) for our sin. He rose three days later from the grave as testament that He defeated death once and for all. He ascended to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the throne of God. And what is Jesus Christ doing right now?

²⁵Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost^£ those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

- Hebrews 7:25

Jesus Christ, king forever, is interceding, praying for us right now – he made the way for us to be called sons of God and he is constantly praying for us to make it home. He has placed His Holy Spirit inside us to guarantee that this happens. The cute baby in the manger is so much more than that – he is our Savior who has made the way to bring many sons to glory.

Amen.

* Quick Note: I use the term “Sons of God” throughout this post and not “Daughters of God.” This is not because I’m sexist but because the Bible uses the language “Sons of God” intentionally throughout. This is because in those times it was the sons who were heirs in the family (daughters had no such rights). The Bible uses the term “Sons of God” for both men and women to show that regardless of sex we share equally in our identity as children of God.

Where Security and Joy Come From

‎"I have set the LORD always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure."
- Psalm 16:8-9

David, the writer of Psalm 16, is telling us the secret to living a life of joy and security. He makes it plain for us:

1. I have set the LORD always before me.

We must look straight at Christ and fix our gaze and our direction toward Him. Notice this is not setting who we believe the Lord to be in front of us. No, the Lord God is active and living and reveals Himself through the Word of God. We cannot set our perception of who we believe the Lord to be in front of us, because then it is moving as we move. There is no direction.

Instead, we set the Lord God as revealed through scripture in front of us in all we do so that He is the desire of our life and the object of our affection. Hebrews 12 paints a beautiful picture of this:

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
- Hebrews 12:2-3

Look to Jesus Christ and walk as He walked, follow the narrow way that He has made.

2. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Not only should our gaze be constantly fixed on Jesus, at the same time He is right beside us. If we have been granted life-altering belief in Christ as our Lord and Savior, He is right there beside us! He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within us and promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. This leads the psalmist to say, “I shall not be shaken.”

This reminds me also of Hebrews 12 and the analogy that the author there uses of God shaking the earth and only those who cannot be shaken shall remain. If your gaze is fixed on Christ, He is at your right hand – He is right there with you – and you will not be shaken! Hallelujah.

You could end the psalm there and it would be amazing, but it gets even better.

3. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices.

With the direction, fellowship, and security that come through knowing and following Christ, there flows another wonderful thing: joy. When we look to Christ and realize He is with us, our fear is gone, our hearts fill with joy because if God is for us, who can be against us? With Christ before us and beside us, we cannot help but overflow with joy.

I love that David says “my whole being rejoices.” Everything in me shouts for joy to God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – For the saving work and fellowship with Jesus Christ. Body, mind, and soul – all rejoice!

So if we do not feel secure or joyful in life, the message is clear: look straight ahead to Christ in full belief, enjoy the security of knowing He is with you, and let Him overflow you with joy unspeakable.

Hebrews: What It Taught Me About Studying the Word

Here it is, the last of the Hebrews posts, although there’s no doubt that many posts in the future will have some relationship to Hebrews. I spent over a month in the book of Hebrews, reading each chapter several times, taking notes, listening to sermons on the passages. I even checked out a Bible commentary on Hebrews from the library but honestly had no idea what I was looking at so that didn’t last long.

Believe me, I’m not sharing this to say “oh, I’ve got it figured out.” I had it all wrong for a good long while and it was only by God’s grace that he led me to Hebrews and opened my eyes to His Word. It’s all God. I’m just hopeful that what I’m sharing here may offer you some encouragement. I’m sure there are plenty of people who could tell you more about studying the Bible than I could. I’ve barely even begun. But I do think I may have a unique perspective since I’ve never even considered seminary or preaching or anything like that. I’m pretty much an everyday normal guy who’s a Christian and is learning what that means and trying to be pliable and let the Word of God mold him. That’s me.

But somehow when I dug into Hebrews, God used that to make me fall head over heels in love with His Word and now I just can’t get enough of it. So I’m hopeful to discuss here what changed and what practical things we can we do when we open our  Bibles to see more than just old words on a page.

First some background: I grew up in the church and ever since I could read I was encouraged to read the Bible every day. Eventually, at some point several years ago, it started to feel pointless. I would trudge through a chapter each day with my mind a million miles away on what I would be doing that day or whatever. So for awhile, I stopped reading my Bible on any sort of regular basis. I sometimes wondered why I got nothing when I read the Bible.

This past fall God seriously got my attention and made me see my need for Him and His forgiveness. I knew that I needed to be reading the Bible so I picked it up and started trying again. And there definitely was a difference between then and my previous experience. I still struggled with my mind drifting, but the fact that I actually wanted to hear what God had to say generally meant that something would stick out each time I read that provided food for thought.

Then my friend David and I decided that we would read a book of the Bible and discuss it together a few weeks later. He picked Hebrews (which I had just read a few weeks prior and had almost the entire thing fly right over my head). David’s been through seminary and will soon be the associate pastor at our church so I figured he definitely had a big head start on me in understanding Hebrews, so I tried to just jump in and learn as much as I could.

And so off I went and I was in the book for more than a month, reading pretty much every night. I normally approached it something like this:

• Read the next chapter straight through without worrying about taking notes, just trying to get a feel for it.
• Read the chapter again trying to understand somewhat the overall theme.
• Read the chapters from the Old Testament that are referenced in the chapter. There are lots of references in Hebrews so I found myself in everything from Deuteronomy to Psalms to Jeremiah to Exodus as I tried to gain some context for what the author was saying.
• Read the chapter slowly, paragraph by paragraph and underline any thoughts or phrases that strike me.
• Read through the chapter slowly again, perhaps underlining more things. But at the end of the paragraph write a summation in the margin of the key things that God is showing me in that paragraph.
• After pretty much marking up the whole chapter, I read through it one final time, reading my notes alongside it.

Of course, this is a lot more work than just breezing through a chapter and moving on with your day. So how did I get so much out of Hebrews? Here are some things that I think made the difference:

1. Confession. I could not truly want to hear from God or be able to hear from God with sin in the way between us. There were times when I came to Hebrews and started to read and just wasn’t feeling it and pretty much every time it was because there was something I needed to confess to God and make right with someone – spouse, child, friend, whomever. Sin stands between our minds and God’s Word and we needed to confess our need for God before we can expect to be able to understand anything that He says in an applicable way.
2. Prayer. I prayed before reading that the Holy Spirit would speak to my heart through the Word of God. I believe if that if we desire to hear from God, He absolutely honors that request.
3. Desire. I wanted to understand what God was saying in what I was reading. I’d go further than that to say I desperately wanted to  understand. And when you want it really bad, you search hard, you look at phrases to try to soak every last drop out of the Word of God. You read a chapter as many times as needed until the meaning starts to come out and soak into you.
4. Saturation. Reading nightly was great and thoughts of what I read often went through my mind during the day. But I also found that memorization was a huge help in meditating on the Word. So I found verses that seemed to be a bit more than I could grasp and I memorized them, then thought about them during the day as I drove to work or heated up my lunch. The more that those words ran through my mind, I found the Holy Spirit revealing meaning that I did not understand when I read them before. I also listened to a sermon series on Hebrews by John Piper which helped bring outside perspective. Really, I found that the more ways that I could get into Hebrews and have it in my mind the more that I was able to understand – the more it became a part of me.
5. Sharing. As I saw and was convicted of truth, it was hard not to want to share – and that’s because God’s Word is meant to be shared! So I often found myself bubbling over to the point where I had to let Tiffany know what I just saw or incorporating the lessons of Hebrews into Ian’s bedtime Bible story. And of course this blog came about because I wanted to have somewhere else to share. God’s Word when it is alive and active in us is designed to be spread.

At the end of reading Hebrews, I felt compelled to write a letter to God at the end of the book (the last page was mostly whitespace so it worked out well). I want to share that with you just so you can see what this Word can do:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you beyond all words for the truth You reveal of Your Self in this book and for the warnings, exhortation, and encouragement that You give. Through this book I see:

1. You will shake the heavens and earth in final judgment (chapter 12), leaving only those who cannot be shaken.
2. Jesus Christ, forever priest (chapters 7 and 8) is the only unshakeable foundation. Only those who enter through His priesthood remain.
3. To enter through Christ’s priesthood into the unshakeable Kingdom of God we must draw near to God (else we shrink back and are destroyed).
4. The sacrifice of Christ provides forgiveness of sin and cleansing of conscience so that we may have confidence to draw near to God.
5. It is only through faith that the sacrifice is applied to us, forgiving our sin, cleaning our conscience, and giving us trust in the everlasting city that is to come.

Now we are sojourners on this earth. Soon we will reach the everlasting city. We must persevere and run to win, believing that soon we will obtain it.

Shaken or Standing Firm?

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, but waited until now to publish it. I believe this is the next-to-last post I will do from Hebrews.

I'm convinced that God works in amazing, mysterious ways and it seems that one of those ways is quite often timing. I've been trying to study through Hebrews at night and hoped to really dig into chapter 12 last night, but was way too tired so I only made it through a couple paragraphs. In my morning quiet time I've been reading through the Bible chronologically and today's reading started with Exodus 19 which turned out to be exactly what the seemingly cryptic words toward the end of Hebrews 12 were drawn from. Between those two passages we get a fear-inducing, awe-inspiring picture of God and great appreciation for His work in our lives. The picture makes it clear why the message in the book of Hebrews is so important: so that we will hold fast to Jesus Christ, our strong foundation.

Let's look at Exodus 19 first. Some back-story to begin: God has redeemed His people from slavery in Egypt, destroyed the Egyptian army as the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea on dry land, and provided food and water despite constant grumbling from the Hebrews. Now The Lord is going to give the people His Law (the 10 commandments). But first we have a chapter of vivid description about the setting:

⁹And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever." When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD, ¹⁰the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments ¹¹and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹²And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, 'Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. ¹³No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain." ¹⁴So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. ¹⁵And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."
Exodus 19:9-15

So we have some very clear specifics from God here for what the people should do and what will happen if they disobey. The Lord is going to reveal Himself on Mt. Sinai - the particulars here are important. He does not want the people to perish. He wants them to receive His law, but He is a holy, righteous God. They are a sinful people. If they come near Him, they will surely die. But the point of all this is in verse 9: "that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever." This is a day that is intended to stick in the minds of the Hebrews for the rest of their lives. They will see God descend on the mountain and speak.

¹⁶On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.¹⁸Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. ¹⁹And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. ²⁰The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Exodus 19:16-20

Can you imagine how terrifying this must have been for the people? They know that God is powerful - they've seen what He has done to the Egyptians. But now He is demonstrating Himself to the Hebrews for the purpose of filling them with fear and awe. If I close my eyes and picture the scene - the thunder and lightning, the earth shaking, and fire descending on the mountain it certainly brings the conclusion: this the living, all-powerful God.

Surely this passage had a great effect on the author of Hebrews because it's the image that he reaches for as he crescendos toward the end of Hebrews to show why everything he has written up to this point is so important.

¹⁸For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest ¹⁹and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.²⁰For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned." ²¹Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear." ²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:18-24

^{Wow. The picture in Exodus 19 is a shadow of the heavenly reality. The Hebrews who were led out of Egypt saw an all-powerful, all-loving, all-judging God descend to the mountain. We will see that same God some day. But we see more! We see "Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant" (verse 24) who makes it possible (as we've discussed prior) for us to draw near to God, to actually be in His presence and live. And not just live as we are accustomed to living on this earth, but to truly live in the city of the living God!}

^{I don't know about you, but that is what I want! The book of Hebrews with it's glorious depiction of Christ and of our struggles makes me more than ever cling to Christ because He is the only way to live in the city who builder is the living God. But we continue...}

²⁵See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. ²⁶At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." ²⁷This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:25-29

This is what Hebrews is about: preparing us for what is going to happen. The same God that brought (and still brings) the thunder and lightning and shook the ground at the mountain in Exodus is going to shake the whole earth and the heavens. The judgment that came on those who disobeyed God and touched the mountain is small in comparison to those who "reject Him who warns from heaven" (verse 25).

In verse 27 we see that when God shakes this world those who can be shaken will be removed. They will be gone. All that will last is what cannot be shaken. And there is only one thing in this world that cannot be shaken: the kingdom of God. If we are truly a part of that kingdom, we cannot be shaken (verse 28). Hebrews is about ensuring that we are actively living in that kingdom! If we aren't living in it, we aren't in it.

We see how important a strong foundation is. So how do we hold on to this strong foundation?

¹⁸God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:18-20

Jesus Christ is the answer (isn't He always?). We look to Jesus. A great place to start is this book of Hebrews to read about the amazing thing that Christ has done in sacrificing Himself and becoming our high priest to make the way for us to draw near to God. And as you look to Jesus, pray that the Holy Spirit would draw you close to God, to give you confidence in the unshakable, firm and secure anchor for your soul: Jesus Christ.

Faith Part 2: Endurance

This is part 2 of my posts about faith. Previously we looked at Faith and Belief.

In looking at the tremendous examples of faith in Hebrews 11, one of the characteristics that clearly sticks out is that the faith that these men (and women) had was an ongoing, difficult challenge. Their faith was not true without endurance.

⁷By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
- Hebrews 11:7

No doubt, constructing an ark was not a quick, easy thing. We don't know exactly how long it took Noah, but it likely took from 90-100 years. Can you imagine the ridicule and doubt that Noah must have endured during that time? To spend every day building a gigantic boat when there was no water around for miles? Noah's faith was so grounded in God's word, that it stood the test of time. He kept on building and endured. And then one day God's promise came true and the floods came. The thing that Noah had worked on for almost a century was proven to be worthwhile and because of Noah's faith humanity was saved. Amazing.

¹¹By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
- Hebrews 11:11-12

Here's another story of faith in the face of a long, seemingly impossible wait. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son. He did not promise them how long it would take. Can you imagine the conversations Abraham and Sarah must have had during the time between God's promise and its fulfillment. No doubt they each had days where it felt like they would never have a son - surely it seemed impossible. But together they held tight and clung to God's promise because it was all they had. Together their faith endured. And one day it happened. Isaac was born and through his lineage God blessed the entire world.

I have recently been learning of this kind of faith of necessity. Near the beginning of this year God called Tiffany and I to adopt a child. We have no doubt that God placed the desire in our hearts and confirmed it in many ways. We worked hard and did all the paperwork, interviews, etc. God provided (amazingly) all of the money needed for the adoption. Everything that we can do has been done. And yet there is no baby yet. We wait, knowing that any day we could get the phone call announcing that there is a baby for us to bring home or an expectant mother to meet. That call could come tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. We don't know. We just have to wait.

And as we all know waiting is hard. But it doesn't mean that God isn't coming through on His promise. It means that He is coming through in His time for His glory and our good. Honestly, this time has made me dig deeper into God's word, seeking out His will and His promises. And the one thing that the Holy Spirit has consistently been reminding me of through God's word is the importance of endurance. Endurance is the shoe leather side of faith.

³⁴For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
- Hebrews 10:34-36

We have need of endurance, which comes only through confidence in Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. We need endurance in times of waiting, in times of difficulty, in times of suffering to know that through Christ we have a better, abiding possession and a great reward. But notice what verse 36 says: we have need of endurance so that when we have done the will of God we may receive what is promised. I believe it means that enduring in faith in God's promise is the will of God. Yet at the same time it takes endurance to carry out what God desires, whether that is adoption or building an ark.

But notice the sequence of thought in verse 36: we need endurance to do the will of God to receive what is promised. Through enduring faith we do what God desires. As we do what God desires (in obedience) we receive what is promised. And based on all that we have looked at my conclusion is that faith works like this:

1. God makes a promise.
2. We believe the promise and live for that promise.
3. We endure, believing that promise through whatever difficulty may arise.
4. God's will is done in our life for it is His will that we endure in faith.
5. God's promise is carried out.

Honestly, in looking at it in that sequence the fulfillment of God's promise is amazing, but is it any less amazing that He grants us to endure in faith and carries out His will in our lives making it possible?

So we see the importance of endurance and the role of endurance in faith. Also (thank God) Hebrews 12 shows us how to endure:

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
- Hebrews 12:1-3

There are two key points that I gather from this passage that show how to endure to the end:

1. Get rid of everything that holds you back from living (running for) the reward. It's important to notice the wording "let us lay aside every weight and sin" meaning that there may be things in our lives that are not sin per se, but are weighing us down and keeping us from wholeheartedly following God. The things that come to mind for me (your list may be different) are entertainment - television, sports, video games, etc. It could be things like worry or arrogance. Or it could be sin. There could be idols with deep footholds in our lives that are keeping us from running with endurance. These must be thrown off so that we can have enduring faith.
2. Look to Jesus. Three simple, but all-important words. Pick up God's word and look how Jesus endured the cross and endured hostility from sinful men. He endured to do the will of God to secure for us what is promised! If Hebrews 10:34 looks distant and impossible from where you stand, look to Jesus. He made the way! He endured through faith to become the founder and perfecter of our faith. When in doubt look to Jesus, look to Jesus, look to Jesus, and when you finish doing that look to Jesus!

We can, no we must, trust God that He is faithful in what He has promised. That happens through faith, believing and enduring so that we may see God's will done in our lives and His promise fulfilled.

Faith: True, Unshakeable Belief

I originally wrote this post about faith a couple weeks ago and forgot to post it. Since then there is another aspect of faith that I see in these verses that I would like to discuss in an upcoming post. So consider this post to be part 1…

In the last post we looked at the fact that what we truly need is to draw near to God and how Christ makes that possible, not just by providing forgiveness for our sin, but by cleansing our conscience so that instead of being ashamed and hiding from God we will desire God.

Many may think “that all sounds great, but my conscience still doesn’t feel clean. I feel guilty. The idea of drawing near to God is frightening.” That is where faith comes in. Faith is what makes belief in Christ’s sacrifice and the promises of God possible. Because if we don’t believe how can we lay hold of the promises? We cannot see the promises of God fulfilled in us unless we believe in God and trust that He will deliver on what He promises.

Why is it so important that we have faith? The last verse of Hebrews makes it clear:

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Hebrews 10:39

Without faith in God we will not have a clean conscience, thus we will shrink back from God and be destroyed. This is serious.

Thank God we have Hebrews 11, a chapter filled not just with an explanation of what faith is but many examples of faith in action. The chapter begins with a simple, but profound description of what faith is:

¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

Faith is complete conviction of what we hope for, knowing that someday we will see what for now we have to trust. It is complete, unrelenting belief that God will follow through on His promises. But it’s much easier to claim that we have faith than it is to live it out. Faith in our minds might mean that we go to church every Sunday and read our Bible every day knowing that there is a God out there who has something to say to us. And it is that, but if that is all that faith is to us then we are missing the boat.

What does faith look like in someone’s life? Let’s look at a couple examples from Hebrews 11. I discussed the faith of Abraham in an earlier post (which also has roots in Hebrews 11) as he obeyed God to the point of willingness to sacrifice his only son, but this time I particularly want to look at his faith as a sojourner, believing God’s promise:

⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:8-10

Consider that Abraham never had a house. His entire life he lived in tents, packing up and moving on as God led, onward to the promised land. This is weird to our 21st century American minds. Abraham never settled down? He never had a home? By faith Abraham was confident that he did have a home: the city built by God. And though he did not see that home while he was on earth, he had complete confidence that one day he would see it. The faith of Abraham completely changed the way he lived. He did not live the good life on earth. He lived as someone who was looking forward to something far better.

I fear that thought is so foreign to us. It is such a temptation to try to create a comfortable life for ourselves with a comfortable home and live like the here and now is all that matters. But it’s a huge mistake. We can look to Abraham as an example of someone who realized that and lived for a city built by God.

I love the verses that follow explaining the importance of Abraham and other heroes of the faith living as sojourners:

¹³These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:13-16

So one practical application of what faith looks like in our lives is that faith leads us to live for what is to come, not for the here and now. The second example that we see with Moses is an extension of this thought:

²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Hebrews 11:24-26

Moses had a sweet life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He had everything a person on earth could want. But in faith he decided to identify with the Hebrews and take on the resulting punishment instead of identifying with the sinful Egyptian culture which had subjected the Hebrews to slavery. Can you imagine how difficult this was for Moses? Moses was a prince in Egypt, yet gave that completely up to follow God. “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.” He was “looking to the reward.”

So what are we looking to? Financial security? Wealth? A happy family? Those things pale in comparison to what we would be looking to if we lived by faith: we would be looking to the reward that God gives those who draw near to him. This challenges me to the core.

This faith that Abraham and Moses and the other people discussed in Hebrews 11 had was not just a belief. It resulted in endurance through all challenges because they had full conviction that what was to come was far greater than their “light and momentary afflictions.”

But the ultimate hero of faith is Jesus Christ:

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2

Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith. He is the only thing that makes it possible for us to have faith. The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 endured much but Jesus endured the cross. Without that truth, faith is meaningless. Faith always comes back to Jesus Christ. We must believe with all our hearts that Christ’s work has made the way to God, giving us a true eternal home in the city that God has built. If we truly believe that, it will change our lives both now and forever.

How Can We Draw Near to God?

Hebrews contains a unique mix of rich theology about Christ and practical urgings and exhortation to the reader. The further that we go through the book of Hebrews, the stronger that the connection between these two formats becomes, to the point that one provides the understanding needed to interpret the other.

In Hebrews 7 we find the author first bring up the term “draw near to God”:

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:25

Powerful, comforting words. But how can we draw near to God? How can we desire to be near Him instead of hiding from Him in shame? This is an all-important thing to consider as Hebrews 10 warns of the alternative:

For,"Yet a little while,
   and the coming one will come and will not delay;
³⁸ but my righteous one shall live by faith,
   and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him."
³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Hebrews 10:37-39

Everything rests on whether we draw near to God or shrink back and are destroyed. So what is it that keeps us from drawing near to God? The easy answer is sin. God is a righteous judge and if He sees sin in us, then surely we will be too scared to draw near to Him. Legally, that’s the issue. But it amazes me to find that Hebrews looks at this problem from a different perspective as well: the fact that we have a guilty conscience that is ashamed and shrinks back from God. Not only is there the problem of sin which makes it legally impossible for us to be near God, there’s the problem of our guilty conscience which makes it impossible for us to want to draw near to God.

Hebrews 9 talks about the priests in the Old Testament and how the sacrifices then do not accomplish what Christ has accomplished. I expect the reason given to be that the sacrifices do not provide true forgiveness of sins (which is true), but surprisingly that’s not what the author of Hebrews focuses in on:

According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper.
Hebrews 9:9b

It’s the conscience of the worshipper that the author focuses on. Why? Because without a clean, guilt-free conscience we cannot draw near to God. I should pause here to say that we may devise many ways to try to deal with the problem of conscience on our own. We can live in denial of our guilt, we can try to go so far as to sear (kill) our conscience so that it will no longer haunt us. No doubt these are the popular methods of today to deal with the problem of guilt. I know because I’ve tried both and it left me empty. Why? Because I still had a guilty conscience that made me shrink back from God. I could not draw near to Him.

Like pretty much all of the dilemmas and problems that Hebrews exposes, the answer to the problem of a guilty conscience is Christ. Thank God Hebrews doesn’t just leave us there to figure out the answer on our own. Hebrews continues this theme of conscience in several passages as the book continues. Right after we learn that earthly sacrifices cannot purify man’s conscience, the author reveals what can:

¹¹But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) ¹²he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:11-14

It’s Christ! The perfect sacrifice, God’s only Son, who can cleanse our conscience. Not only can He make us right before God, He can clean our conscience. And I would go so far as to say that if He only did one, what use would the other be? Justification in God’s sight would be pointless if we shrink back from Him out of guilt. A clean conscience would be worthless if the reality remained that we are sinners in the hands of an angry God (Hebrews 10:31). We need both to draw near to God and Christ has provided it!

As a result Hebrews 10:19-23 is beautiful music to our ears and heart:

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,²⁰by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let 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. ²³Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:19-23

All who have faith in Christ (that will be the topic of the next post) have a great, unshakeable hope: a clean conscience that not just allows, but makes  us desire to, draw near to God. Through faith in Christ His sacrifice is applied to our hearts and we have confidence to draw near to God. I’d like to close with these confident words from James:

⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8

Jesus is The Word

I started studying Hebrews a few weeks ago, largely because the first three verses grabbed me to such a degree that I felt like I must see and understand what follows. Those first three awe-inspiring verses are as follows:

¹Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:1-3

Those verses are packed with meaning and questions and my goal with this post is to share (at least as I see it) how these verses should leave us in complete awe of God.

First is the fact that in the Old Testament God spoke through the prophets. He used various means and ways, but it was always that God had a man to deliver his message. This was good and it was certainly by His grace that he revealed Himself to us though anyone at all.

Now, in these last days, God has spoken to us, not through his man (prophet) but by His Son. And there is something very special about His Son because He is appointed by God the Father as heir of all things (because He is the Son) and – here’s the amazing part – God the Father created the world through His Son.

If you’re like me at this point you may be thinking, “Wait a second. I don’t remember Christ creating the world. Wasn’t it God the Father who created the world?” Well, let’s look at Genesis 1:

¹In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
³And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3

So the question is where is Christ in the creation? We see God the Father and we see the Holy Spirit (Spirit of God) but we don’t explicitly see Christ (the Son). Or do we? In pondering this question another account of creation came to mind from the gospel of John:

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:1-3

According to this passage through the Word (notice the capitalization, that’s important) all things were made. And even before creation the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was Jesus Christ. So in looking again at Genesis, creation can be summarized as God spoke and it was. And what did God speak? The Word. God the Father spoke The Word. He spoke His Son. He created the world through The Word. Hebrews 11 affirms this thought:

³By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Hebrews 11:3

I don’t know about you, but that blows my mind: God creates though His Word – The Word – Jesus Christ. Not only that, but looking back at Hebrews 1:3 Christ upholds (sustains) the universe “by the word of his power.” In other words, if The Word ceased to be or was false we would cease to be. It is only in Christ by the power of His word that we continue to exist from second to second.

This is an incredible truth and if that was all there was to this we would be blessed beyond belief, but it goes even farther than this.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

The Word, God’s perfect Son, became flesh – became a man. Can you imagine the risk of this? Of course, God is sovereign and knows all things. He knew that His plan would work – that death would be defeated and that Christ would become our eternal priest who makes it possible for us to draw near to God. But honestly (and this is all hypothetical) based on the fact that The Word is what God uses to create and sustain the world, I believe that if Christ sinned while He was on earth we would all cease to be. The Word would no longer have been perfect and true.

Of course we know, however, that’s not what happened. Christ lived a perfect, blameless life and then took the full weight of death and sin upon Himself for all who would believe. By The Word becoming flesh and perfectly living out The Word of God now there is a way to God. Hebrews 1:3 is the summation of what John 1:14 points to:

³He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3

Lord willing next post I will dive into how Christ made it possible for us to draw near to God. But for now, just know that He did. Our God is truly worthy of worship. Amen.

Melchizi-who?

If you read the last post I made, you will recall that Hebrews chapter 6 ends with these words: “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

God’s oath fulfilled in Jesus is a steadfast anchor for our soul and gives us access to God (holiness). I understand that and it’s awesome. Then the chapter ends with the confusing words “having become a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

I have Googled Melchizedek and found a wide variety of thoughts about who he was (almost all contradict each other). There are only three places in the Bible that Melchezedek is mentioned. They are:

Genesis 14 after Abraham rescues Lot:

¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) ¹⁹And he blessed him and said,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰and blessed be God Most High,
   who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"
   And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Psalm 110 (by David):

⁴The LORD has sworn
   and will not change his mind,
"You are a priest forever
   after the order of Melchizedek."

And then Hebrews 7 provides probably the most information about Melchizedek in scripture:

¹For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ²and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. ³He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
⁴See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! ⁵And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. ⁶But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. ⁸In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. ⁹One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

So it’s not a lot of information to work from, but it’s quite interesting. Based on what scripture provides there are a few things we know about Melchizedek:

1. His name means righteousness and peace.
2. He is a man (see verse 6).
3. He has no family line.
4. His priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood (that’s why Hebrews goes to such great lengths in explaining how Abraham tithed to Melchizedek).
5. He is a priest forever.
6. Everything about his priesthood points to Christ.

I believe this last point is the most important. The details of Melchizedek and how he came to be are not that important to know. What is important is that scripture shows that he was a priest of The Most High God, was outside of the Hebrew genealogy (he was around before there were Hebrews) and is a priest forever. If there’s one thing to remember about Melchizedek it’s that he is a priest forever, a picture of Christ who was to come.

Hebrews 7 makes it clear. Jesus Christ did not come as just another priest in the long line of Israelite priests (who always came from the tribe of Levi). Jesus was born from the tribe of Judah and is not a priest because of his lineage, but instead because of his eternal quality:

¹³For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. ¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
¹⁵This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷For it is witnessed of him,
"You are a priest forever,
   after the order of Melchizedek."

Why is Melchizedek in the Bible? Because if Jesus served as a priest in the order of Levi we would have no hope! His sacrifice would not be eternal. It would not last and it certainly could not save wretched sinners such as you and I. It is only because Jesus Christ is a priest forever (pointed to by Melchizedek) that we have any ability to draw near to God:

²³The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,²⁴but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. ²⁵Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Not only is Christ’s priesthood forever. His sacrifice is forever. And not only that, but His sacrifice is Himself. As we discussed before it is God’s oath that makes this possible, to create a people for Himself though our Forever High Priest Jesus Christ:

²⁶For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. ²⁸For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

So what does this mean for us 21st century Christians? It means that what God has done through Christ lasts forever, that by sacrificing His Son at Calvary we can have a relationship with the God who created us. It means that when we are God’s, we cannot be stolen away. When Christ’s blood atones for our sin, that lasts forever. It means that we can have supreme confidence that God’s work in us through Christ and the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped if we are His.

Melchizedek was no accident in scripture. He points straight to our eternal, unchanging, mysterious God.

Why God Swore

I’ve been studying the book of Hebrews the last few weeks and have been amazed at the incredible truths revealed about Christ in the book. I hope to share more soon about Hebrews, but I came across something tonight while reading about Abraham in Genesis that reminded me of something I read last night in Hebrews. I love to see how the Bible ties perfectly together and this was one of those times that just blows me away in amazement of who God is and how He works.

In Hebrews 6:13-17 the author ponders God’s oath to Abraham to bless him and make a great people from him:

¹³For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, ¹⁴saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." ¹⁵And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. ¹⁶For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

There was nothing greater for God to swear by than himself in his oath to Abraham (which ultimately has become a promise to us as well). God did not have to make an oath to Abraham. He had already made a promise and had no debt to Abraham by which he was forced to reveal himself. God chose to make an oath to Abraham.

But why? And why Abraham? I believe the reason why was so that Abraham would believe and not doubt (a constant theme in the Bible). But why did God choose Abraham and not someone else? Abraham was surely not the only good, moral man in the world at the time. Sometimes God’s choice in whom He loves and blesses can seem arbitrary. But it’s not. And here’s where Genesis 22 comes in.

God told Abraham to take his only son Isaac, the son of his old age through whom God’s oath and promise must surely come and to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering (to atone for sin). Abraham obeyed. He took Isaac to the mountain that God told him to and laid the wood on the altar, bound his son, and raised the knife and the flame. Surely Abraham had questions. Surely he had no idea what God was trying to accomplish through this. But Abraham obeyed because he knew that he could trust God more than himself.

Of course, as most all of us know, right before Abraham did the deed God sent an angel to speak to him and stop him, saying, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And God provided a ram, caught in a nearby thicket as a substitute sacrifice.

That’s always been the point in the story of Abraham and Isaac where my brain shuts off. But here’s the amazing words that follow from Genesis 22:15-18:

¹⁵And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, ¹⁸and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

God said that he has sworn by himself because Abraham did not withhold his only son. And then he says that the nations will be blessed because Abraham has obeyed his voice. The amazing thing is that God already made this oath, several chapters earlier, well before Isaac was ever born God made the oath to bless the earth through Abraham. And he made that oath because in God’s sovereignty He knew that Abraham would have the faith to obey. God swore the oath because of what would happen.

More amazing, that oath that God made to Abraham was surely what Abraham trusted in when he took Isaac to the altar. God had swore an oath. Abraham would trust that oath no matter what.

So how does this apply to our lives in the 21st century? God’s oath and his promise still stand to create a people for Himself, set apart. And God knows who will see that oath and in faith (which is in itself a gift of God) believe. We will believe when life is crazy. We will believe when we don’t understand what is going on. We will believe when we suffer. We will believe because God has swore an oath to Abraham and to us to bless His people.

So going back to Hebrews 6, the point of God’s oath is that it is his grace to us, a means by which we may believe. Hebrews 6 ends with these words:

¹⁷So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. ¹⁹We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

*Maybe more on this Melchizedek fellow next time.