Grace Unveiled In The Hebrew Letters

Grace Unveiled In The Hebrew Letters

This is an excerpt of the teaching series of Pastor JPrince entitled "Secrets of Grace In The Hebrew Letters". 

Studying Hebrew Alefbet, you will learn something that every letter has a corresponding picture/symbol and numerical value.

                 Chart #1: Hebrew Alefbet with corresponding Pictograph

                 Chart #2: Hebrew Alefbet with corresponding Numerical Value

Kon gamiton and pictograph ug ang gematria sa pagtuon sa Bible, mahibulong ka sa imong madiskobrehan nga daghan sa mga pulong nga atong ginalibkas/ginalitok aduna diay kini lawom nga kahulogan ug diin gipadayag niini ang gugma sa Dios ngari kanato!


Ang ngalan "GINOO" (Jehovah o Yahweh sa English nga hubad)

• Ang atong nahibaloan nga kini mao ang ikaduhang ngalan diin gipadayag sa Dios ang Iyang kaugalingon sa dihang gibuhat niya ang tawo. 

          Ang ngalan "Jehovah" nagkahulogan "the existing One"

Apan adunay pinasahe nga pinadayag kon ato kining hubaron ginamit ang Alefbet pictograph ug gematria. 

     Mao kini ang ngalan "JEHOVAH" sa Hebrew

     It is a four-letter word (tetragrammaton), Yod Hei Vav Hei

     Ang pagbasa sa Hebrew magsugod sa tuo (right) paingon sa wala (left).

Kon imong tan-awon ang Chart#1, ang pictograph sa Yod, kamot; Hei, open hand or open door (ika lima nga letter sa Hebrew Alefbet ug 5 ang numerical value - kini ang hubad sa grasya); Vav, lansang; Hei, grasya.

Duha ka Hei ang imong makita ani nga ngalan: Yod Hei Vav Hei (meaning double grace), huh pagkalamia lagi!

Karon, kinsa ang naa sa imong hunahuna samtang nagbasa ka niini?

Ang inscription sa krus "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" gisulat kini sa tulo ka pinulongan: Aramaic (Arabic/Hebrew), Greek ug Latin aron mabasa ug masabtan sa tanang tawo niadtong panahona.
     
     Latin: INRI - Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Iudaeorvm
     Greek: Iēsous Nazōraios basileus Ioudaios
     Hebrew: Yeshua Ha'Netzeret V'mlech Ha'Yehudim

Kon imong namatikdan, YHVH, ang imong makita sa mga unang letra sa upat ka pulong sa Hebrew. Kini nagpasabot lang nga si Jesus mao ang Jehovah sa Daang Tugon, o sa laing pagkasulti, si Jehovah mao si Jesus nga gilansang sa krus sa Bagong Tugon.

Maoy hinungdan nga ang mga religious leaders miadto kang Pilato aron usbon ang inscription kay ang ilang makita mao man ang YHVH.

Zechariah 12:10
"Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

Exodus 3:15
God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.

What name does God want us to remember? It is YHVH!

Ang ngalan Jehovah, wala lang magpasabot "the existing One" but also "The Covenant making God"

But what covenant is it? THE NEW COVENANT!

Hebrews 8:10-12

10But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,c says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives,d saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. 12And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”e

Huh, sa New Covenant, trabaho sa Dios ang tanan! Ang atong trabaho, simple kaayo, tuohan Siya, sination ang Iyang gugma ug dawaton ang iyang mga panalangin adlaw-adlaw!

What does God want us to remember about Him?
We now know that the name that God wants us to remember is the name "Jehovah". And we also know that by that name we have a revelation of God's redemption plan in the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our salvation.

1 Corinthians 13:23
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. [fn] Do this to remember me." In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it."

Ang Iyang kamatayon sa krus maoy gusto sa Dios nga atong handumun kanunay, sa tanang panahon, kay kini ang magpahinumdum kanato sa dakung gugma sa Dios nga naato--ang kapasayloan sa atong mga sala ug kalapasan ug ang paghimo kanatong matarong diha kang Kristo Jesus!

1 John 4:10
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

CONCLUSION:
Whatever situation you are now, remember Jesus, the One who died for you! His blood is for the forgiveness of your sin/s and His body is for your healing and health.

The End-Time Generation Of Grace!

Message: The End-Time Generation of Grace
                   The Benjamin Generation

Prophetic Truths: 

·      We are living in prophetic times.

·      God is revealing prophetic truths that are going to be a great blessing for His church.

Prophetic teaching has the ability to pass on what was spoken hundreds, even thousands, of years ago into the “here and now”. What was spoken of back then becomes relevant for us today.

·      One key prophetic truth: God wants to make known to us is that before Jesus comes again for His people, the last generation will become known as the Benjamin Generation.

Truths about Benjamin:

1. He is the last son of Jacob           

·      This means that the Benjamin Generation will be the last generation before Jesus comes again!

2. He is the younger brother of Joseph of the same mother.

    

              

            Joseph is the type of Christ (our elder brother, the firstborn Son)

            Benjamin is the type of the Church

GRACE marks of Benjamin Generation, not judgment!

           

• Today, God wants His people to know that the end-time church is the Benjamin Generation.

            Grace defined: Hebrew: Chen (khān); Greek: charis (khä'-rēs)

            (Graphic #3)

                  "it is unmerited, unearned and undeserved favor"

God wants to emphasize to His people that His blessings come by grace alone.

3. His life was a life of undeserved favor and blessing.

           

a. He is greeted by Joseph with words full of grace.

When Joseph and Benjamin were reunited, the first words Joseph spoke to Benjamin
were words of grace. When Joseph saw his youngest brother, he said,

Genesis 43:29

Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "[Is] this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."

b. His life is stamped with #5 (it is the number for grace in the Bible)!

Note: The number five speaks of God’s abundant provision through His grace.

Genesis 43:34

Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Gidulotan silag pagkaon nga gikan sa lamesa ni Jose ug si Benjamin gidulotan ug lima ka pilo kay sa gidulot ngadto sa uban niyang mga igsoon. Nanginom sila ug naglipay kauban niya.

Genesis 45:22

Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver and five changes of garments.

Gituman kini sa mga anak ni Jacob. Gihatagan sila ni Jose ug mga sakyanan sumala sa sugo ni Paraon ug mga pagkaon alang sa ilang panaw. 22 Gihatagan usab niya silag tagsa ka buok bisti nga ikapuli nilag sul-ob apan si Benjamin gihatagan niyag 300 ka salapi ug lima ka sinina.

           

Note:

Whenever the number five appears in the Bible, you will see God’s grace being manifested.

a. 5 offerings. (Leviticus 1–7)

b. 5 smooth stones David brought with him when he went to face Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:40)

c. 5 loaves multiplied by Jesus to feed 5,000 people. (Mark 6:37–44)

Benjamin symbolizes God’s grace. Likewise, the last generation before Jesus returns is a generation of grace.

·      And if grace is God’s unmerited, unearned favor, then we are the generation that will experience His undeserved favor, His grace.

c. His name was changed from Ben-Oni to Benjamin

Genesis 35:18

Himatyon na si Raquel ug sa dayon nang kabugto sa iyang kinabuhi, ginganlan niyag Ben-oni ang bata apan Benjamin ang gingalan ni Jacob kaniya.

            Ben-Oni = “son of my sorrow” (anak sa akong kasub-anan)

            Benjamin = "son of the right hand" (anak sa akong tuong kamot)

           

·      Right hand is the hand of favor, the hand which brings His help. The psalmist declared,

Psalm 63:8

My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

APPLICATION:

When we were born, our destiny was to be Ben-Onis, sons of sorrow. But because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are now Benjamins, sons of His right hand.

            Isaiah 53:3

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, [our] faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Gitamay nato siya ug gisalikway; nakasinati siyag mga kagul-anan ug mga pag-antos; gani walay motan-aw kaniya; wala nato siya tagda ug gipakawalay bili lamang.

·      Jesus took our place at the cross so that so that we might become sons of His right hand, seated in the place of

Ephesians 2:5-6

even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,

Gibanhaw kita niya uban kang Cristo aron maghari uban kaniya didto sa kalangitan.

·      This is what marks us, the end-time church, as the Benjamin Generation.

Gloom In The World, Glory In The Church

·      Some people are surprised to hear that God is going to bless the end-time church through His unmerited favor My friend, are you surprised? Some people are so conditioned to hearing doom-and-gloom preaching about the end times. They hear preachers tell them that in the end times, darkness will cover us all.

Isaiah 60:2

“For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people...But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”

Tabonan sa kangitngit ang kalibotan, ug ang katawhan tikyopan sa kangiob. Apan ang GINOO mosidlak kanimo, ug makita diha kanimo ang iyang himaya.

APPLICATION:

When the devil makes the world darker with terrorism, earthquakes, tsunamis, new strains of viruses and all kinds of evil things, the Word of God tells us to get ready because our light will be seen.

·      In other words, as the world gets darker, the church will be blessed more and more. The Bible says thatthe path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day when Christ returns. And we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, so our path is getting brighter and brighter!

Proverbs 4:18

But the path of the just [is] like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Sama sa banagbanag sa kabuntagon ang dalan nga gilaktan sa mga matarong mag-anam ug kahayag hangtod nga moabot ang kabuntagon.

·      We have nothing but increasing light to look forward to. As the Benjamin Generation, we have only good in front of us. And those who believe this will experience it... even in the midst of darkness.

Conclusion:

We are the Benjamin Generation.

What Happens to Unfruitful Branches?

What Happens to Unfruitful Branches?

Paul Ellis

Jesus said, “if you love me, keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). In the hands of a religious person this becomes a conditional statement: You have to keep the commands of Jesus to prove your love. The problem with that, however, is the commands of Jesus are impossible to keep. As we saw in our last post, Jesus said anyone who keeps His commands, “will do what I have been doing and even greater things.” Well Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. Can you? On your own it’s impossible, but that’s okay because you know what? Jesus has a plan. In the very next verse He begins to tell us what it is:

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever.” (Jn 14:16)

Who is the Helper? He’s the Holy Spirit, the One who empowers us to show and tell the gospel of the kingdom(Rms 15:19). (Note that the Holy Spirit doesn’t come and go. Jesus said He will “be with you forever”!) Jesus then tells the disciples that on the day that the Holy Spirit is given,

“… you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (Jn 14:20)

This is the most awesome, incredible thing in the world! This is the mystery that Paul sought to make known to the Gentiles – Christ is in you! And you’re in Him! Do you need a picture to help you see this? Then look at the picture on the right…

Jesus said He is the true vine and we are the branches. Look at the picture and draw a mental circle around the vine. Do you see any branches that are not part of the vine? The vine is bigger than any branch but there’s no branch that is not also vine. Touch any branch and you are touching the vine. This is how Hudson Taylor describes it:

“Here, I feel, is the secret: not asking how I am to get sap out of the Vine into myself, but remembering that Jesus is the Vine – the root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit all indeed… I have not got to make myself a branch. The Lord Jesus tells me I am a branch. I am part of him and I have just to believe it and act upon it.” (Quoted in The Normal Christian Life, pp.56-7)

Now Jesus knows that you can’t bear fruit – “no branch can bear fruit by itself” (Jn 15:4) – but He plans to bear His fruit through us. What’s our part in this? He wants us to abide in Him, which means to dwell or stay put. It means don’t run off and try to do your own thing in your own strength. What’s His part? He plans to live His life through us and go on healing the sick and delivering the oppressed and doing all the other heaven-on-earth things He did when He was here in the flesh (Mk 16:17-18).

Are you a branch with no fruit?

What happens to unfruitful branches? Jesus said the branches that don’t bear fruit are “lifted up” (Jn 15:2). They are not cut off – that is a bad translation that would’ve made no sense to a Mediterranean listener! A viticulturalist would never throw away a branch for that would be like amputating part of the vine. (If you’re thinking of suckers, see my note in the comments below.) Unfruitful branches are lifted out of the dirt and re-dressed so they can be nourished by the sun. Sticking with that metaphor, the reason why some Christians are barren is that they’re facedown in the dirt and not looking at the Son. They’re busy, distracted, stressed, and have wandered from their protos agape, their primary love. When believers lose sight of Christ’s love they tend to become religious, just like the Ephesians. The next thing you know, they’re thinking that they have do stuff like obey His commandments to prove their love or earn His.

What is the remedy for unfruitful branches? God is. He is the Gardener who does the lifting up. He is not there to slash and burn but to prune and lift. As you begin to bear fruit it will be for His glory, not yours. If you’ve been distracted doing the dead works of religion, just stop and come back to your first love which is His love. His love is like food for us. We are energized by it. I might tell myself that I am writing these posts because of my love for Him, but in truth, it’s His love for me that compels me to tell others the good news. I would not love Him except that He has first loved me (1 Jn 4:19).

God believes in you!

When Jesus said, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments,” He was not making a threat but a promise! He was saying, “If you love me you will do the works and greater works that I have done because I’m the one who’s going to do them through you. Trust me! Believe in me! Abide in me!” Why does Jesus say we will do greater works? Because 2000 years ago there was only one Christ, but now there are millions of Little Christs. Back then He was just a tender shoot (Is 53:2), but now He’s a mighty vine with branches reaching into every place.  Back then God lived in just one man, but now He lives in millions of men, women and children all around the world and He wants out! What are the greater works? They are the works of Jesus done millions of times over, every day, all over the world by ordinary branches like you and me.

Aren’t you amazed that God operates this way – through people? It’s like God is saying, “I believe in you. I have confidence that you will come to rest in my love and allow me to reveal myself to you and through you.” Carnal religion says it’s all about you and your faith so you’d better perform, but the gospel of grace declares it’s about Him and His faith so rest! Paul understood this which is why he said, “the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me” (Gal 2:20).

Branches can not bear fruit but vines can and do so naturally, without any effort. As a branch you carry the nature of the True Vine in you and He will bear His fruit through you. He promised! Do you believe Him?

At this point you probably want me to tell you what to do. “What’s the takeaway? What must I do?” We Christians are so hung up on working for God that we don’t know what to do with Jesus when He says, “just abide!” Okay, here’s something you can do. Write this down. The next time you’re faced with a problem or trial, take a moment to let Jesus love on you. Allow the Lifter of your head to turn your gaze from the dirt back to Himself and then bask in His love. He is already shining on you. He has already been gracious to you and blessed you and given you His peace. Receive it!

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (Jn 15:9)

Note: The Greek word airo that is sometimes translated in Jn 15:2 as “cut off” or “take away,” can also mean to elevate, raise up or lift up. Here are some of examples of Jesus using the same word elsewhere: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24). “They will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all” (Mk 16:18). “Rise, take up thy bed and walk” (Jn 5:8). It makes about as much sense to cut off your bed and walk as it does to cut off bits of an unproducing vine.

Hebrews 10:26 explained

Hebrews 10:26

by Paul Ellis

I get asked more questions on Hebrews 10:26 than any other verse in the Bible. Evidently, this is a verse that troubles many Christians:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left (Heb 10:26)

Wow! That looks scary! Let’s take a quick survey. Please put your hand up if you have lived a sinless life since accepting Jesus as your Savior. Hmmm. I don’t see any hands. I have been saved for decades and – if I’m honest with you – I cannot say my performance has been flawless throughout that period. I’m pretty sure I sinned this one time back in 1987…

Ha! It’s easy for me to make jokes. I’ve been set free. I no longer mine at the pits of religion with condemnation. I’m drawing from the wells of salvation with joy!

The wrong way to interpret Hebrews 10:26

All jokes aside, Hebrews 10:26 is an oft-abused scripture. If you wanted to use this verse to scare people, there are a couple of angles you could take:

1. You could use this verse to present a “balanced” view of God, like this: “He is a God of grace and He is a God of judgment. He’s not some senile Santa in the sky. He’s a God of vengeance and a consuming fire. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

2. You could also use this verse to preach works: “You will be judged according to the light of your revelation and those who have received the knowledge of the truth will be held to the highest standard. It’s time for judgment to begin in the house of God. If you fall away it is impossible to be brought back to repentance!”

What is the problem with these messages? Well if you listen to the first one you’re going to come away thinking that God is schizophrenic, at war with His own nature. He loves you, but He doesn’t. It’s unconditional love – with conditions. And if you listen to the second you will either end up a religious fraud or a nervous wreck. You may even wish that you had never heard the gospel because ignorance is bliss.

The tricky part with these false messages is that they are composed of true statements. Our God is a consuming fire. But the interpretation is all wrong. They are anti-cross and anti-Christ. Any message that tells you that God is double-minded or that the good news is bad news ought to be rejected. You know that, right? Good. So how do we read Hebrews 10:26?

Trampling the Son of God under foot

A key to unpackaging this scripture is to recall the audience. Hebrews was written for – surprise, surprise – Hebrews. It was for those who have grown up with the “elementary teachings” of the Old Covenant. In other words, the author writes for an informed audience. They know all about the law, sacrifices, and high priests. But what they may not appreciate is that the law was only a shadow of the good things to come. The law points to the true high priest Jesus and His eternally perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews was written to reveal Christ and His work so that we may “enter through the new and living way,” “go on to maturity,” and “draw near to God.” That last bit is the key. How do I know the two sermonettes above are carnal nonsense? Because neither will inspire you to draw near to God. Indeed, they will have the opposite effect.

Hebrews 10:26 describes those who have received the knowledge of the truth (i.e., they have heard the gospel) but they have rejected it. The writer compares those who reject grace with those who reject law:

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:28-29)

This passage is not talking about Christians but those who, like Judas, have heard the truth and spurned it. Judas spent time in the company of the Lord. He not only heard the truth, he saw Grace and Truth in the flesh. But Judas rejected Jesus as Lord. He never saw Jesus as anything other than a rabbi. Calling Jesus “Rabbi” is a bit like calling the President “Mister,” only infinitely more so. It’s not just insulting, it’s unbelief.

Jesus came to give His life for Judas but Judas wasn’t interested. He preferred his own sinful life of greed and betrayal. I am sure Judas had many opportunities to repent (i.e., change his mind) and put his faith in Jesus, but he never did. He rejected the grace of God that could empower him to say no to sin.

Jesus died for Judas. What more could He do? There is nothing! There is no more sacrifice for sins other than the one Jesus provided. To reject Jesus as Lord is to trample the Son of God underfoot and treat the blood of the covenant as unholy.

How do you insult the Spirit of grace?

If I was to give you a free car out of the generosity of my heart, but you insisted on paying for it, I would be insulted. Similarly, we insult the Spirit of grace by trying to pay, with works and sacrifices, what God has freely given us. We may call it “proving our salvation” or “appropriating what God has given” but it is unbelief. It is like saying, “I don’t believe Jesus has done it all. I need to finish what He started.”

The wrong way to read Hebrews is to think that God is judging us on our performance. Over and over again Hebrews tells us that it is Jesus and His performance that matters. It is His sacrifice that made us holy, indeed, perfect forever (Heb 10:10-14). How can we interpret Hebrews 10:26 as a warning against sin when Hebrews 9:26 says that Christ appeared once for all “to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself”? Is His a finished work or isn’t it? If it is, then sin is no longer the problem. Where there is remission of sins, “there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” (Heb 10:18). The good news is that the Son of God is the once and final solution for sin. Because of Jesus, both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit choose to remember our sins no more (see Heb 8:12, 10:17).

The warning of Hebrews

In a forthcoming post I will look at Hebrews 6:4-6, which is another passage that bothers some. But the punch-line is the same. The main warning of Hebrews is not in regard to sin but unbelief:

So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Heb 3:19)

The Hebrews of Moses’ day never entered God’s rest because they hardened their hearts to His voice. In the New Testament era, many Jews were doing exactly the same thing. They received the knowledge of truth, they heard the gospel of truth, but they rejected it. They may not have said so in so many words, but by their actions they revealed their distrust.

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. (Heb 4:2)

The author of Hebrews writes to stir up faith. Without it we cannot please God. With it we can come boldly to the throne of grace.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Heb 10:39)

Some people hear the good news of God’s grace and shrink back. They cannot believe it. “It’s too good to be true,” they say. “I’d better cover myself by doing works.” Do you see the danger? You cannot cover yourself. This is idol-worship. You are elevating yourself to co-savior with Christ. You are insulting the Spirit of grace by trying to pay for what God has already given you. This is why sermons that put the emphasis on you and your performance are dangerous. Don’t buy into any message that purports to give you a list of keys or steps that will help you achieve/accomplish/appropriate what you already have. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and the sweat of men to take away sins and it is faithless to strive for what you already have (every good thing!).

According to Hebrews there are only two kinds of people; those who don’t enter because of their unbelief and those who believe and are saved. Sin is not the variable; faith is. Where does faith come from? Jesus! He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). Fix your eyes on Him.

Hebrews 6:4-6 explained

Hebrews 6:4-6

by Paul Ellis

One of the benefits of believing the gospel of grace is that it completely changes the way you read the Bible. You realize that God is not in the bait and switch business of drawing you in with love only to hammer you with law – He is love all the way through. When you see this you will no longer get frightened when you read a passage like Hebrews 10:26  or this one:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Heb 6:4-6)

If you wear the lenses of performance-based Christianity, this could be a scary scripture, for it sounds like your salvation hinges on your behavior. Do good, get good, but fall away and you’re lost forever. If that’s how this scripture appears to you, change your glasses! What you look through determines what you see. So read this scripture through the lens of Jesus and His finished work.

So who and what is this passage describing?

Some say that this scripture is referring to Christians – those who have become sharers or partakers in the Holy Spirit. If so, then the argument being made is deliberately nonsensical. If they fall away it is impossible for them to get saved again because Jesus would have to come and die again. Since Jesus isn’t going to die again, then it’s impossible for them to fall away. Instead of being a threat to your eternal salvation, this verse actually supports it. But I know not everyone will agree.

How many times can you be born again?

I have heard one reputable teacher say that if you are saved through an act of your free will, then you can get unsaved through an act of your free will. I guess the conclusion follows the premise but how true is the premise? Were you born into this world through an act of your free will? No, you had absolutely no say in the matter. So what about your spiritual birth?

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (Joh 1:12-13).

To be born again literally means to be born “from above” or, as John puts it, “born of God.” It is 100% a work of the Spirit. You may think that you came to God of your own free will, but reflect for a moment on what actually happened. Who was it that planted and watered the seed of the gospel? (Not you.) Who was it that made the seed grow? (Not you.) Who was it that lifted the veil so that you could see things as they really are? (Not you.) Do you see? You would never have called on the name of the Lord if He had not first called on you.

I don’t mean to get all zen on you, but here’s my point: When you were dead in the trespasses and uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with Christ (Col 2:13). You were dead; now you are alive – all this is because of Him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, (2 Cor 5:17-18a)

The important thing is not how you got saved, but that you are saved. When you received the gift of salvation, you became a new creation. If you were to fall away, it would be impossible for you to be born again because you have already been born again. It would be like an adult trying to return to the womb and re-enter the world through the birth canal. Just as it can’t happen in the natural, it can’t happen in the spiritual. Once you’re born you’re born! To claim that you can lose your salvation – that you can undo what God has done – is like saying that God makes mistakes. And He doesn’t.

You may act like an old creation just as a butterfly may act like a caterpillar. But when you do, you are acting contrary to you true identity. We used to say that Christians who fell into sin were back-sliders. But a more accurate description is that they are hypocrites. They are acting contrary to their true identity in Christ.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)

“Be holy” is not an instruction for improving performance; it’s an admonition to be who you truly are. Be holy, because you are, in fact, holy. “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus once for all” (Heb 10:10).

Eat the bread of life, don’t just taste it

Others say that this scripture (Heb 6:4-6 remember?) is referring to unbelievers. It is describing those who have tasted but not eaten the heavenly gift. They have seen the light but preferred the darkness. They may have received the gospel with joy but the seed never took root and grew. When trouble came they fell away. To my mind this is a perfect description of Judas.

Along with the other disciples Judas was involved in a supernatural ministry that saw him casting out demons and healing the sick (Mk 6:13). He may have even prophesied in Jesus’ name. Judas tasted the goodness of the word of God but ultimately he rejected it. When he walked out of the first communion he walked out on Jesus. He was basically saying, “No, your blood and your body are not good enough for me.” Judas preferred a DIY religion to the grace of God.

Hebrews 6:4-6 says that it is impossible for people like Judas to be brought back to the place of repentance. Why? Because they have heard the truth and rejected it. They have followed the way of Cain, held to the teaching of Balaam, and are in danger of ending up like Korah. Those who have never heard the good news of God’s grace may yet receive it. But those who have heard and hardened their hearts toward it, are well and truly lost.

A hard heart is a deadly thing. It will keep you from repenting, it will keep you restless and in bondage to works:

So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert.” (Heb 3:7-8)

Judas heard the voice of the Living Word but hardened his heart. He became restless to the point of suicide. He never came to the place of repentance. He never entered that rest which comes only through faith in Christ.

Righteous rain

In Hebrews 5 and 6 we learn that Jesus has been designated by God as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. To a Hebrew reader raised on the covenant of law, this would have been an astonishing announcement: “Jesus, the eternal high priest, will forever mediate a new and superior covenant of grace underwritten by the unshakeable oath of God.” There are only two possible responses to such an announcement:

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. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Heb 6:7-8)

We can either receive the blessing of God that comes down from heaven like rain and, by so doing, become fruitful and useful, or we can reject what God offers us and be worthless and in danger of being cursed. The righteousness that God gives comes to us is like rain:

You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it. (Isa 45:8)

God sends His rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. All we can do is respond. We can either put up umbrellas of religious works and say, like Judas, “No thanks, I don’t need it.” Or we can say, “Rain on this filthy sinner and make me clean.” The bad news of the old covenant is that no one will be declared righteous by observing the law (Rom 3:20). The good news of the new is that the righteousness gifted by God comes through faith in Jesus to all who believe (Rom 3:21).
___