Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. [my emphasis]
Another blogger, in her Christmas post, quoted a poem. One line caught my imagination. It said, in essence, that a kite flies because someone is tightly holding the other end of the string. I immediately thought of Jesus, and the hope I have in Him being the anchor of my soul. Jesus is holding my string, anchoring me to God. I can fly!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Hebrews 6:4-6 Impossible
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Someone I care about put faith in Jesus once. I was present at the baptism. After a few years walking as a follower of Christ, however, they fulfilled Christ's prophecy, which He spoke to his disciples in Matthew 26:31b (NIV). He said, "...you will all fall away..." When we spoke about it, I was told that return was impossible, because it said so in "my" Bible. I know the Scripture referenced was Hebrews 6:4-6 (above).
Maybe you have had a similar experience. Maybe you think your loved one is forever lost, and are heartbroken because of it. I understand, and I say take hope! God is in charge. He started the work in the one you love, and He is responsible to finish it.
So what does this mean in Hebrews 6? It plainly says it is impossible to bring one who has fallen away to repentance. But we need to find out to whom it is impossible, to man or to God. To understand this, we need to look more deeply into God's Word.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Here in Matthew 19, Jesus Himself says that it is impossible for a rich man to save himself, but He affirms that with God all things are possible. This is repeated in Mar 10:27 "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." and Luke 18:27 "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Also, in Luke 1, after Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and the power of God, he ends by saying, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)
So in Hebrews, it must mean that it is impossible for man to renew such a one to repentance. With God, all things are possible.
There is one more thing we need to know, and that is what is possible for us:
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
This means it is possible for us to intercede with God for our loved ones when we have faith and believe in Jesus, God's Son. This father confessed both his belief and his unbelief, and asked for help, and Jesus healed his son. He will do the same for you and for me, because He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6b)
So take heart and intercede with God for those you love, then get out of the way and let
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Someone I care about put faith in Jesus once. I was present at the baptism. After a few years walking as a follower of Christ, however, they fulfilled Christ's prophecy, which He spoke to his disciples in Matthew 26:31b (NIV). He said, "...you will all fall away..." When we spoke about it, I was told that return was impossible, because it said so in "my" Bible. I know the Scripture referenced was Hebrews 6:4-6 (above).
Maybe you have had a similar experience. Maybe you think your loved one is forever lost, and are heartbroken because of it. I understand, and I say take hope! God is in charge. He started the work in the one you love, and He is responsible to finish it.
So what does this mean in Hebrews 6? It plainly says it is impossible to bring one who has fallen away to repentance. But we need to find out to whom it is impossible, to man or to God. To understand this, we need to look more deeply into God's Word.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Here in Matthew 19, Jesus Himself says that it is impossible for a rich man to save himself, but He affirms that with God all things are possible. This is repeated in Mar 10:27 "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." and Luke 18:27 "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Also, in Luke 1, after Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and the power of God, he ends by saying, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)
So in Hebrews, it must mean that it is impossible for man to renew such a one to repentance. With God, all things are possible.
There is one more thing we need to know, and that is what is possible for us:
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
This means it is possible for us to intercede with God for our loved ones when we have faith and believe in Jesus, God's Son. This father confessed both his belief and his unbelief, and asked for help, and Jesus healed his son. He will do the same for you and for me, because He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6b)
So take heart and intercede with God for those you love, then get out of the way and let
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Galatians 5:16-18 Under the Law
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
There is a lot of talk about whether Christians are under the law, and what place the law has in a Christian's life. Well, I want to share something from this passage which God just showed me.
In his letters, Paul talks a lot about the law. I won't try to go through all that here, it is a huge study. But in these verses, he concludes by saying if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law. This does not mean that Christians are never, ever accountable to God's law. It does mean that IF I, as a Christian, am being led by the Holy Spirit, THEN I am not under the law.
Conversely, if I, as a Christian, am being led by my sinful, fleshly desires, then I AM under the law, and the Holy Spirit uses it to convict me of my sin.
There is a lot of talk about whether Christians are under the law, and what place the law has in a Christian's life. Well, I want to share something from this passage which God just showed me.
In his letters, Paul talks a lot about the law. I won't try to go through all that here, it is a huge study. But in these verses, he concludes by saying if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law. This does not mean that Christians are never, ever accountable to God's law. It does mean that IF I, as a Christian, am being led by the Holy Spirit, THEN I am not under the law.
Conversely, if I, as a Christian, am being led by my sinful, fleshly desires, then I AM under the law, and the Holy Spirit uses it to convict me of my sin.
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