Bible Diary - Hebrews 10:26-31
October 26, 2008
How much should I worry about the fury of consuming fire? Since even the holiest among us still suffer recurring bouts of sin, who is to say whether we are in danger of the judgment described here?
10:26 For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, 10:27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God’s enemies. 10:28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 10:29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for the Son of God, and profanes the blood of the covenant that made him holy, and insults the Spirit of grace? 10:30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 10:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Well, God says - if we take the time to listen to His voice.
Later today I will be with church friends studying what being ‘born again’ means. The theological term is regeneration, and it is the starting event for the race of Christian life. We are discovering why we can be sure that regeneration is permanent and cannot be lost. God alone causes it to happen in the first place, and He never leaves His work unfinished. If that is true, I need have no fear of the words in this passage.
The consuming fire is not to be feared by anyone who is regenerate. The real question is, “Am I regenerate?” Scripture provides all the assurance I need.
Dave
-sdg-
Bible Diary - Hebrews 10:19-25
October 19, 2008
Along with countless Christians before me, I find these words tremendously encouraging, especially during those times when God seems distant and the going is rough. What I need most during such times is renewed confidence that Jesus always stands ready to translate my feeble prayers into something that pleases the Father. In short, this Reformed Christian needs a High Priest.
Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith
10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 10:23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 10:24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, 10:25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
This passage points out that:
- The gift of confidence to draw near to God is unqualified because of the Cross of Jesus,
- Jesus presides as High Priest over God’s house, ready to intercede in my behalf,
- This is because my sin-stained soul has been washed in the pure water of the Cross,
- My hope need not waver; the promise is trustworthy,
- I need the encouragement of other Christians, and we need to spur one another in our faith and good works, and
- I can take comfort that the day of Jesus’ return is drawing near.
These seven short verses carry a lot of freight and deserve frequent study. They are words that must sound silly and weak to those who do not believe, but to the believer they have the power of objective truth.
Dave
-sdg-
Bible Diary - Hebrews 10:8-18
October 12, 2008
If the finality of the Atonement isn’t apparent, the author points to these verses, from Psalm 40 and Jeremiah 31.
10:8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), 10:9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second. 10:10 By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 10:11 And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again – sacrifices that can never take away sins. 10:12 But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, 10:13 where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. 10:14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying, 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,” 10:17 then he says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.” 10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
And that is good enough for me.
Dave
-sdg-
Well, if you’re not catching fish…
October 10, 2008
…one might as well take pictures of the sunrise, and the best place from which to catch sunrises is from the water. On the morning of October 4, 2008, conditions for spectacular sunrise pics occurred, and this frustrated fisherman set his rod aside and picked up his camera. Click on an image to enlarge. Enjoy.
This one is looking East toward Monarch Cove condos from The Falls at the entrance to McCoy Branch Cove.
A little farther into the cove, I looked to the North, toward the Falls condos.
No fish there, so I headed for the North Shore and caught only pink clouds looking back toward Monarch Cove.
Wow! Look at those rays!
Still on North Shore, another image taken looking East (fancy that) toward the rising sun with Bagnell Dam in the distance.
Fall color
October 10, 2008
It appears that we are having a late fall this year. Most trees of my acquaintance are still clothed in their summer green, but a few are testing the color waters on a limb or two.
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Most of the obvious color so far is from the Mums.
This house at the corner of Park Plaza and Maine always puts on a show.
How long before the color spreads and the serious leaf drop begins? When that time arrives, I’ll look for a chance to take camera in hand to record this year’s Fall Walk.
Dave, walkin’ fool.
Bible Diary - Hebrews 10:1-7
October 5, 2008
Recognizing the validity of the Ten Commandments and striving to keep them perfectly in order to find favor with God is a fool’s errand, for the law only points to a reality yet to come.
Concluding Exposition: Old and New Sacrifices Contrasted
10:1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. 10:2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 10:4 For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. 10:5 So when he came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.
10:6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.
10:7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’”
The logic of the uselessness of offering sacrifices year after year to take away the stain of sin is clear. This practice mistakes the shadow for the reality, for we remain conscious of sin in our lives. The insufficiency of sacrificial offerings is described in the quotations from Psalm 40. It takes a perfect man to sacrifice himself for our sins - and make it stick. We know that only one perfect man ever walked on this earth, and He is Jesus the Christ of God.
The author of Hebrews winds up his argument that Jesus is the one and only perfect High Priest in verses 8-18 to follow.
Dave
-sdg-
Bumper 2
October 1, 2008
In July, 1950, a new chapter in space flight began with the launch of Bumper 2 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Bumper 2 was a two-stage rocket with a V-2 missile base topped by a WAC Corporal rocket. The upper stage reached a record altitude of almost 400 kilometers. Those who have visited the modern Cape Canaveral should be interested in how it looked almost 60 years ago.
Seven years later, in response to Bumper 2 and friends, the Soviets launched Sputniks I and II. Our response to their response was to create NASA, 50 years ago today.
In 1950, Harry Truman was President, and I was a sophomore electrical engineering student at Kansas State College. In 1958 I became an engineer for Collins Radio Company (Now Rockwell Collins), provider of space communications for NASA. I wasn’t involved with the space program but contributed to the technology war with the Soviets with long-distance earth-bound radio communications.
Dave, A little spacey himself, at times.
