HEBREWS 7:18–28 Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself (Hebrews 7:27). One of the most important issues at the time of the … Continue reading “THE FINAL SACRIFICE”
MELCHIZEDEK’S PRIESTHOOD
HEBREWS 7:1–10 This man [Melchizedek], however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises (Hebrews 7:6). The author of Hebrews is writing to Jewish Christians who, because of persecution and the arguments of the Jews, are being tempted to go back into … Continue reading “MELCHIZEDEK’S PRIESTHOOD”
THE PANTOCRATOR
EXODUS 6:1–12 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the Lord [Yahweh] I did not make Myself known to them (Exodus 6:3). The Hebrew for God Almighty is El Shaddai. This phrase has been given several meanings by scholars: The All-Sufficient One, The Thundered, The Mountain-Like … Continue reading “THE PANTOCRATOR”
THE ONE AND THE MANY
1 CORINTHIANS 12:12–20 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). “In the beginning God created.…” The word God here is the Hebrew word Elohim. This word is plural, but it … Continue reading “THE ONE AND THE MANY”
THE MASTER OF ALL THINGS
PSALM 8 O Lord, our Lord, [O Yahweh, our Master], how majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1a). Today we consider the name Lord. Most of our English Bibles actually provide two versions of the word Lord. When we see it written in small capitals, Lord, it is a translation of the … Continue reading “THE MASTER OF ALL THINGS”
I AM WHO I AM
EXODUS 3:1–17 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). If we ask most philosophers if God has a name, they will reply, “Oh, no. God is ineffable, sublime, indescribable, beyond naming.” This sounds very … Continue reading “I AM WHO I AM”
THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE GOD
DEUTERONOMY 29:9–29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29). Christianity teaches that God is incomprehensible. This means two things. First, no human being can ever understand everything there is … Continue reading “THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE GOD”
FAITH AND PATIENCE
HEBREWS 6:9–20 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:12). The Hebrew Christians seemed to be stuck in the wilderness. God had promised to deliver them from Jewish oppression because Jesus said that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed. But … Continue reading “FAITH AND PATIENCE”
GOOD WORKS IN GOD’S FIELD
HEBREWS 6:7–8 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God (Hebrews 6:7). The author provides an analogy of growth and judgment for his readers. Man is made of earth, and so the crops that grow … Continue reading “GOOD WORKS IN GOD’S FIELD”
GROW OR DIE
HEBREWS 6:4–8 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened … if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance (Hebrews 6:4–6). The last two “elementary things” the author mentions are the resurrection from the dead, which establishes that Jesus has entered God’s rest and we will follow Him, and eternal judgment, … Continue reading “GROW OR DIE”