By: Scott Shifferd, Jr. People want to believe what they want to believe. Wanting to know the truth is the first step to knowing the truth about reality. In the context of a coming apostasy, Paul revealed that those who do not love the truth would not be saved (2 Thess 2:10). Paul told Timothy of a coming time when many will not endure sound doctrine but seek teachers to tickle their ears (2 Tim 4:3–4). Christians often struggle to let go of habits and traditions especially when believers tie these things into their beliefs. Many believers hold close their upbringing and very fundamental assumptions of life. Traditions and assumptions often undermine understanding the Scriptures. Every Christian must decide to put aside the wisdom of men for the truth. The supremacy of Christ overcomes many false doctrines. The Christian faith did not come lightly in mere sophistry of words. Jesus Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of His nature (Heb 1:3). Christians must stand firm professing the greatness of Jesus Christ encouraging faith among their peers. Hebrews addressed Jewish Christians of whom unbelieving Jews were trying to persuade to leave Christ and forsake the assembly of the saints. The writer of Hebrews exhorted Christians to give more attention to what they heard from Jesus Christ and attested by those who heard Him (Heb 2:1–3). Hebrews is concerned with believers drifting away from Christ for not giving attention to the teaching and drifting away from the truth (Heb 2:1). Furthermore, God affirmed the teachings of those who heard Jesus by signs and gifts from the Holy Spirit (Heb 2:4). Christians have no reason to neglect the revelation of God from Christ. The writer of Hebrews overwhelms readers with the greatness of Christ. God subjected the world to come to Christ (Heb 1:10–12; 2:5). God put all things under the subjection of Christ’s feet (Heb 2:6–8). God made Jesus lower than the angels when Jesus shared blood and flesh. Jesus suffered death for everyone (Heb 2:9). Jesus became complete through suffering (Heb 2:10). Jesus was sinless and the source of holiness for all. Jesus came in the flesh and blood so that He destroy one who has the power of death (Heb 2:14). Christ became human in every respect to become a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb 2:17). His death made atonement for sins (Heb 2:17). What can Christians do to keep believers from leaving Christ? The faithful must continue to speak of Christ among Christians and unbelievers. The church needs the faithful to speak in the church. The church needs leaders who speak of Jesus when they sit and walk, lie down and rise up. This action will change the church and the world.
People are quick to identify Jesus as “the Son of God” or “the Messiah.” However, few know the implications of Jesus being the Son of God. How each person views Jesus has a huge impact on what one believes and how a person lives one’s life. Many people recognize Jesus as the Messiah but not as God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14). Others perceive Jesus as the Son of God, but they also include Jesus as God among many infinite gods (John 8:58). Those who believe these heresies form religious groups that most Christians recognize as cults. Many nominal “Christians” do not desire to learn more about Jesus’s divine nature. When people do not respect Jesus’s deity, they do not respect His words. Who reads Jesus’s words as the words of God? Christians who know Christ know His words are essential. Furthermore, Jesus upholds the world by the word of His power (Heb 1:3). While in time past, God spoke by the prophets in many ways, He has spoken through His Son in the last days (Heb 1:1–2). The epistle to the Hebrews recognized the deity of Christ by the fact that God created the world through Jesus inferring that Jesus is equal in creative power with God. Because Jesus is equal in creative power, then Jesus is equal in deity to the Creator God. John observed that Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1–3). God spoke the creation into existence by the Word. Furthermore, Hebrews revealed that Jesus is the radiance of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Heb 1:3). God declared the greatness of Jesus. He is greater than all angels (Heb 1:4). No one should perceive any transcendent being or angel as greater than God’s Son. All the angels worship Jesus (Heb 1:6). Jesus sits at the right hand of God in heaven (Heb 1:13). Jesus became flesh to conquer death by making appeasement for sins (Heb 2:14, 17). Jesus was tempted in every way and yet He is without sin (Heb 4:15). Christ’s sinless state affirms that He is God come in the flesh. The writer of Hebrews revealed from scripture that Jesus is God forever and God anointed Him God who is Jesus (Heb 1:8–9). Jesus being the Word of God laid the foundation of the earth and formed the heavens (Heb 1:10). Unlike the creation, Jesus has no end of years (Heb 1:11–12). Faith in Jesus includes more than believing that Jesus is the Son of God or a great prophet. Faith in Jesus means believing that Jesus is God for whom all things were created. He is sinless and His teachings are without error. For this reason, every observant person lives by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus’s deity changes the believer to a disciple. Anyone who wants life to change will first recognize who Jesus really is. Jesus taught, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins” (John 8:24 ESV).
By: Scott Shifferd, Jr. The apostle Paul warned that those who pervert the gospel of Christ will be accursed (Gal 1:6–9). Paul also revealed that distorting the teaching of the bodily resurrection rejects Jesus's bodily resurrection (1 Cor 15:12–19). This disbelief led many in the church to live immoral lives (1 Cor 6:9–15; 15:31–34). I find that most false teachings and immorality come by a distortion of the core truths of the gospel of Christ. For instance, someone who does not believe that Jesus is sinless and infallible infers that Jesus is not God come in the flesh (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Furthermore, if Jesus is not the fullness of God bodily, then Jesus must have sinned and His words would be fallible and have errors (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9). When someone does not see Jesus's words as without error, then neither are the Scriptures inerrant that record the words of Christ, His apostles, and past prophets of the OT. With this view, most if not all doctrines of Christ become open to one’s personal opinions. People begin following self and society, or they alter true worship, the Lord's Supper, and baptism. Many do not understand nor believe that Jesus bodily rose from the dead. That lack of faith undermines basic truths including Jesus's deity. Jesus's sinless nature means that the consequence of sin — death — could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). If Jesus did not resurrect, then the hope of bodily resurrecting to glory is lost (1 Cor 15:20–28, 54–57). Jesus's resurrection overcame the corruption and decay of this world for the redemption of the bodies of believers on the last day (Rom 8:18–25). Furthermore, rising from baptism to new life loses significant meaning for salvation and forgiveness of sins if Jesus did not actually resurrect (Col 2:12–13; 1 Pet 3:21). Dismissing Jesus’s resurrection affects other teachings. For example, many forsake assembling with the church on the first day of the week. On the first day of the week, Jesus resurrected and came to His disciples. His disciples felt the wounds of Jesus's death marveling with joy as they became witnesses to Jesus's bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36–49). Likewise, Christians assemble on the first day of the week as believers marveling with joy at Jesus's resurrection. For the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the faithful assemble to thank and praise God together and seek to grow in His Word. Without Jesus’s resurrection, Christians would not have a foundation for assembling on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). We should not think that God approves of whatever we want to believe. Jesus is God in the flesh and without sin. Therefore, Jesus’s words are without error. He died, was buried, and resurrected bodily because He did not sin. Christ ascended to the right hand of God in heaven. These elementary teachings are essential to avoid error.
By: Scott Shifferd, Jr. Jesus foretold of the last day when the dead will bodily resurrect and come forth from the tombs (John 5:28–29; 6:40; cf. 1 Thess 4:13–18). This event is “miraculous” — a supernatural wonder worked by God. The glorification of resurrected bodies, the catching up to be with Christ, the first heaven and earth passing away, and the new heaven and new earth coming to reality. This miraculous event is coming and so supernatural wonders have not ceased in every way forever. God does wonderful things today even healing all diseases (Ps 103:3). Today, many people claim to receive direct revelation from God and some claim to work “miraculous” gifts through their hands (Acts 14:3). The apostle Paul revealed that spiritual gifts — supernatural works done by the hands of the faithful — would cease at the completion of knowledge and prophecy by the coming completion of God’s revelation (1 Cor 13:8–12). When was this completion of revelation? In the first century, the writer of Hebrews declared that God has spoken to humanity in these last days by His Son (Heb 1:2). Near the end of his life, Peter also reflected that God had given all things for life and godliness by the knowledge of Christ (2 Pet 1:3). Along with claims to doing wonders, many are declaring that they have direct revelation from the Holy Spirit because Jesus promised that the Spirit would guide His apostles into all truth (John 14–16). However, Jesus promised this to His apostles and not every Christian. If this passage applied to every believer, then Christians would have no need of the Scriptures because the Spirit would reveal all truth to each believer (John 16:12–13). Because Jesus gave all truth through His apostles and prophets in the Scriptures, then He does not need to reveal all truth again (2 Tim 3:16–17; cf. Eph 3:3–5). However, many now claim to have more revelation to add to “all the truth” that the Holy Spirit already revealed. The purpose of “miraculous” signs done by men’s hands was to confirm that these apostles and prophets spoke God’s revelation (Mark 16:17–20). The evangelist Mark revealed, "And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs" (Mark 16:20). Hebrews 2:3–4 also revealed that God bore witness by signs, wonders, and powers through gifts of the Holy Spirit. Have the miraculous signs confirmed the message of Christ? Yes. Has the Spirit revealed all truth through the apostles to the church in the New Testament Scriptures? Yes. The working of supernatural signs through people’s hands has fulfilled its purpose and has ceased, because the Spirit has completed His mission to reveal all truth accomplishing the completion of revelation by prophecy.
By: Scott Shifferd, Jr. All the lofty goals and great expectations that we seek to accomplish can become overwhelming. We feel guilt, regret, and degradation for oneself when we cannot meet our own expectations. Most of us become frustrated, resentful, and angry when others get in the way and keep us from doing what we see is best for everyone. Many of us struggle with anxiety, worry, and stress because of circumstances outside of our control. Eventually, a few of us simply give up, depress, and isolate ourselves, so we feel exhausted and empty. However, Christians do not need to live this way. Christians can make goals, plan to do great things, and never meet those personal expectations. Who set those expectations? We do not determine God’s love for us by us accomplishing personal goals offered to Him. Christ can accomplish great things through each person without them setting the goals and giving exhaustive effort to change what they cannot control. People want their spouses to change for the better, and they want their children to live life in a more sensible way. However, they can never do enough to earn their constant love and admiration. Mature Christians can see that they can do little to affect change except to live a simple life in Jesus Christ and let Christ affect others through them. No one has greater control or influence over another than Jesus Christ. He is the one person in history who has changed the world and continues to change the world. Most of us want to change everything around us and yet we refuse to make the one simple change that changes everything. Give yourself as a living sacrifice to Christ and be renewed in your mind (Rom 12:1–2). As the apostle Paul resolved to honor Christ in life or death, Paul declared, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). For Paul, to live in the flesh meant fruitful labor to do what is best for others by living for Christ (Phil 1:20–26). Therefore, the apostle had decided earlier in life no longer to live for himself because he was crucified with Christ. Paul professed, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). Instead of overbearing yourself with various expectations, just live a simple life devoted to Jesus Christ and let Christ work great things through you. The best path for each person is to live a life that is Christ getting to know Christ and becoming more and more like Him. Trials and temptations were never go away, but every person can draw closer to Jesus Christ. The faithful live having learned from Christ “to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:20–24).
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Dean Road
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