Monday, December 21, 2009

Day 355 - Hebrews 1-6

Hebrews 1

The Son Superior to Angels
 1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.  5For to which of the angels did God ever say,
   "You are my Son;
      today I have become your Father[a]"[b]? Or again,
   "I will be his Father,
      and he will be my Son"[c]? 6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
   "Let all God's angels worship him."[d] 7In speaking of the angels he says,
   "He makes his angels winds,
      his servants flames of fire."[e] 8But about the Son he says,
   "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
      and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
      therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
      by anointing you with the oil of joy."[f] 10He also says,
   "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
      and the heavens are the work of your hands.
 11They will perish, but you remain;
      they will all wear out like a garment.
 12You will roll them up like a robe;
      like a garment they will be changed.
   But you remain the same,
      and your years will never end."[g] 13To which of the angels did God ever say,
      "Sit at my right hand
   until I make your enemies
      a footstool for your feet"[h]? 14Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Hebrews 2

Warning to Pay Attention
 1We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Jesus Made Like His Brothers
 5It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6But there is a place where someone has testified:
   "What is man that you are mindful of him,
      the son of man that you care for him?
 7You made him a little[i] lower than the angels;
      you crowned him with glory and honor
    8 and put everything under his feet." [j]     In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
 10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says,
   "I will declare your name to my brothers;
      in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."[k] 13And again,
   "I will put my trust in him."[l] And again he says,
   "Here am I, and the children God has given me."[m]
 14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for[n]the sins of the people. 18Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 3

Jesus Greater Than Moses
 1Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Warning Against Unbelief
 7So, as the Holy Spirit says:
   "Today, if you hear his voice,
    8do not harden your hearts
   as you did in the rebellion,
      during the time of testing in the desert,
 9where your fathers tested and tried me
      and for forty years saw what I did.
 10That is why I was angry with that generation,
      and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
      and they have not known my ways.'
 11So I declared on oath in my anger,
      'They shall never enter my rest.' "[o]  12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15As has just been said:
   "Today, if you hear his voice,
      do not harden your hearts
   as you did in the rebellion."[p]
 16Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed[q]? 19So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Hebrews 4

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
 1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For 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.[r] 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
   "So I declared on oath in my anger,
   'They shall never enter my rest.' "[s] And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."[t] 5And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."  6It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
   "Today, if you hear his voice,
      do not harden your hearts."[u] 8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
 12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,[v] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 5

 1Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
 4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
   "You are my Son;
      today I have become your Father.[w]"[x] 6And he says in another place,
   "You are a priest forever,
      in the order of Melchizedek."[y]
 7During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Warning Against Falling Away
 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 6

 1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[z] and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so.
 4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because[aa]to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
 7Land 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. 8But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
 9Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
The Certainty of God's Promise
 13When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants."[ab] 15And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.  16Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18God 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. 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Footnotes:
  1. Hebrews 1:5 Or have begotten you
  2. Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
  3. Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
  4. Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
  5. Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
  6. Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
  7. Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
  8. Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1
  9. Hebrews 2:7 Or him for a little while; also in verse 9
  10. Hebrews 2:8 Psalm 8:4-6
  11. Hebrews 2:12 Psalm 22:22
  12. Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:17
  13. Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:18
  14. Hebrews 2:17 Or and that he might turn aside God's wrath, taking away
  15. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
  16. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
  17. Hebrews 3:18 Or disbelieved
  18. Hebrews 4:2 Many manuscripts because they did not share in the faith of those who obeyed
  19. Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
  20. Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
  21. Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
  22. Hebrews 4:14 Or gone into heaven
  23. Hebrews 5:5 Or have begotten you
  24. Hebrews 5:5 Psalm 2:7
  25. Hebrews 5:6 Psalm 110:4
  26. Hebrews 6:1 Or from useless rituals
  27. Hebrews 6:6 Or repentance while
  28. Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17

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