Jimmy's Question From Hebrews
Answered By Rich Katekawa (M. DIV)
| Scripture:
“God 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." (Hebrews
6:18) |
| Question:
In Hebrews 6:18, what are the two unchangeable things that the
writer is talking about that he referred to as impossible for
God to lie? |
| Answer:
The two unchangeable things are first, the fact that God is
pre-eminent and cannot swear by things higher than himself (v.
13), and second, the fact that once God decides to do something
he will not change his mind (v. 17). The context (vv. 13-20)
deals with the assurance of our salvation. "Once
saved, always saved!" as the Reformed say. See v.
19 whenever you feel that sin has stolen your salvation away.
It can make you feel horribly guilty, but it cannot change God's
eternal verdict in your favor. Your salvation is a sure
thing!
Special
Q&A on "Once Saved, Always Saved"
|
| Scripture:
“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning
of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest
forever." (Hebrews 7:3)
"In the one case, the tenth is collected
by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared
to be living." (Hebrews 7:8)
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| Question:
From Hebrews 7:3 and 7:8, does this suggest Melchizedek was
an angel? |
| Answer:
While Melchizedek is a mysterious stranger in the OT [Old
Testament - Ed.] I do not feel he was an angel.
The book of Genesis is not shy about angelic encounters.
Abraham hosts three angels (ch. 18). The Angel of the
Lord stops him from killing his son Isaac (22:11-12).
Jacob encounters angels (32:1) and wrestles with an anonymous
man who ends up being God himself! (32:22-32). If Melchizedek
was an angel, then the writer of Genesis, the prophet Moses,
would have explicitly said so. Melchizedek is one of those
mysterious Gentile priests who worship Yahweh, like Jethro (Exodus
18:9-12) and Job (Job 1:1-5). |
| Scripture:
“This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that
the gifst and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear
the conscience of the worshiper." (Hebrews 9:8) |
| Question:
Was the first tabernacle still standing when Hebrews was written
and if it was still standing, does Hebrews 9:8 suggest that
somehow the gospel was not revealed until the end of the 2nd
Temple? |
| Answer:
No, the first tabernacle was long destroyed when Hebrews was
written. It was replaced by Solomon's temple. Hebrews
9:8 teaches that both the tabernacle, and latter, the Temple,
were earthly facsimiles of God's true throne, and that only
Jesus as the ultimate high priest was able to access the heavenly
throne by his blood. A theme of Hebrews is the superiority
of New Covenant to Judaism. The tabernacle represents
Judaism. While this religion lays the foundation for knowing
God, it is incomplete and insufficient to assure sinners of
salvation. Jesus accomplishes everything that Judaism
cannot. Thus the book of Hebrews, which is addressed to
Jewish contacts, urges its audience to commit themselves fully
to Jewish Christianity and to reject the idea of returning to
Judaism. |
--Jimmy Li
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Last
Edited
October 20, 2007 0:46
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