Tag Archives: flesh and blood

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 4

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The writer to the Hebrews has given us an overview of the Father’s plan in chapter 2, for redeemed humans to reign with Jesus forever. Jesus is the head and blueprint of this human family. He became a man and qualified to be an atoning sacrifice for our sin by His perfect obedience to the Father.

Hebrews 2:9-11, 14-15 NIV
[9 “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. [10] In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. [11] Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters…

[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— [15] and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

The writer now begins to unpack the salvation, pictured in the Old Covenant, that prepares His sons and daughters to reign with Jesus.

Step one…Jesus had to be fully human both to qualify as an acceptable sacrifice to pay sin’s debt, and a suitable high priest to support us in our times of weakness and temptation.

Hebrews 2:14, 16-18 NIV
[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—…
[16] For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. [17] For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human 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 the sins of the people. [18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

The writer affirms Jesus’ true humanity as did John in his first letter. (To deny that Jesus was not human is the spirit of antichrist – 1 John 4:2-3). If Jesus was not truly human like us, He would not be qualified to atone for our sin. The animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant, as the writer will go on to explain, have no power to deal with sin and our sin nature. They can only cover ceremonial transgressions. Only the blood of a perfect human can atone for sin.

(How important this is when we consider what other religions offer! Every other religion depends on self-help which can never deal with sin and a guilty conscience. God alone can forgive sin on the basis of the full payment of our debt by a perfect sacrifice).

Step two…Jesus had to suffer to test and prove His perfect obedience to the Father.

Hebrews 2:10 NIV
[10] “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.”

Hebrews 5:8-9 NIV
[8] “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered [9] and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him… “

What was the nature of Jesus’ suffering? Was it the suffering of leaving heaven and the Father to live a human life on a fallen planet? Was it the excruciating physical agony of the cross event?

We find the answer in Isaiah’s prophecy and the affirmation in the prologue to John’s gospel.

Isaiah 53:3 NIV
[3] “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain (Hebrew – “choli”, meaning sickness or grief). Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

John 1:11 NIV
[11]”He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

Rejection… The worst that any human can do to another. The Hebrew word for reject… “chadel”, means lacking or vacant. Empty, unoccupied…imagine calling someone “vacant”! The very people He loved, chose, nurtured, protected and gave a land flowing with milk and honey, rejected Him and eventually killed Him.

Our writer also included the suffering of temptation. How did Jesus suffer through being tempted? The gospel reveals the suffering He experienced when He was tempted to give up and go home.

He was tempted in the wilderness to disobey the Father by acting on His own instead of in union with the Father’s will. He countered the test with, “It is written…”

The pressure of His impending death could have turned Him from obeying the Father…

John 12:23-24, 27 NIV
[23] “Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. [24] Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds…
[27] “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”

Just moments before His arrest and hours before His death, He agonised over the coming horror.

Mark 14:33-36 NIV
[33]”He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. [34] “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” [35] Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. [36] “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

How did Jesus respond to the suffering to which His Father subjected Him?

Isaiah 53:10 NIV
[10] “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer… “

1 Peter 2:23 NIV
[23] “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

No anger, bitterness, hatred, resentment, revenge…only mercy and forgiveness…

Naked, bleeding, nailed to a Roman torture stake for no crime but being the Son of God, He cried out…

Luke 23:34 NIV
[34]… “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

Did Jesus qualify to be God’s perfect sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world? Was He really human? Was He obedient to the Father to His last drop of blood and His final breath?

Scripture heartily affirms and endorses His qualification as does the entire heavenly host.

Revelation 5:2-3, 6-10 NIV
[2] “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” [3] But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it…
[6] Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [7] He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. [8] And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. [9] And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. [10] You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

To those who were contemplating a return to the old system of animal sacrifices, the writer to the Hebrews pleads, “Don’t do it!” No money or animal blood can forgive sin, restore us to the Father, and rescue us from eternal damnation. Only the blood of Jesus, a lamb without spot or blemish, can atone for and forgive sin, make us clean, righteous, and acceptable to the Father, and deliver us from the penalty, power, and eventually, the presence of sin.

1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV
[18] “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

To be continued…

TO FIGHT, WE STAND – 19a

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Ephesians 6:12 NLT‬
[12] “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Some leaders in the modern church have thought up and taught some crazy ideas about spiritual warfare based on their own understanding rather than on the clear teaching of Scripture.

  1. False teachers teach the wrong war zone.

Their emphasis is on circumstances, not on the battle in our inner man. In the Old Covenant, the people of God had to fight against the ungodly people around them who led them into idolatry. They were instructed to exterminate the Canaanites, to protect God’s people from their evil influence.

However, nowhere are we told, in the New Covenant, to fight against the people or the difficulties we face in this world, especially the bad things that happen to us through people in the fallen world we live in. In fact, Jesus assured His disciples that trouble in this world is inevitable.

‭John 16:33 NLT‬
[33] “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

When we try to fight against people or circumstances, we are fighting the very instruments God uses to hone our faith in Him.

‭James 1:2-5 NLT‬
[2] “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. [5] If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

We don’t need weapons to fight against the people and circumstances God is using to strengthen our faith and endurance. Quite the opposite. We need wisdom to understand and co-operate with what God is doing.

Paul took the Corinthians to task for using the law to fight injustice between themselves.

‭1 Corinthians 6:7 NLT‬
[7] Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?

Does this advice sound like ‘fighting the enemy’?

Paul, himself, tried to escape hardships. He begged God to take them away but God said “No!” because hardships were the very things He was using to teach Paul to rely on His grace. Paul’s response should alert us to the folly of fighting ‘the devil’ in our circumstances.

Paul acknowledged that Satan was in the mix, tempting him to react from his old nature,

2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NLT‬
[6] If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message,
[7] even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud….”

But…

[8] “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. [9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul learned that, though the tests came from the devil, often through ungodly people, God was using them to expose the real war zone inside himself. So, he could explain to the Galatians that the struggle was between the old nature still in him and the Holy Spirit who was his new master, not between him and humans.

‭Galatians 5:16-17 NLT‬
[16] “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

  1. False teachers teach the wrong weapons.

Again, they use Scripture to endorse their incorrect solution. Take, for example, Paul’s explanation about ‘pulling down strongholds’.

‭2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV‬
[3]”For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. [4] The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. [5] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Some translators miss the point by inferring that the strongholds are in the people who are warring against us. For example,

‭2 Corinthians 10:3-5 CEV‬
[3]”We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people [4] or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments [5] and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.”

However, if this was what Paul intended, he would be contradicting himself because he stated clearly, in our Scripture today, that we are NOT fighting flesh and blood.

If we are fighting a war against people, how is it possible for us to change the way other people think and act towards us by some magical use of words like, for example, ‘taking authority over’ or ‘praying against’? Is this the power of God working through us?

Paul specifically declares that we are not fighting against people. Our struggle is against the spiritual forces in the world that are out to influence us aganst God because they cannot influence God who is their real enemy. How do they do that? By playing on the old nature in us that pulls us towards sin.

The battle zone is not in our circumstances. It is in our minds. Thoughts and beliefs produce actions and behaviour. We cannot magically change what other people think but we can change our own behaviour by thinking and acting according to God’s thoughts instead of in our own.

The old strongholds of error and unbelief can be demolished in us only as we are ‘transformed by the renewing of our minds’.

‭‭Romans 12:2 NLT‬
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

The power to change other people lies in our godly response to the way they and circumstances treat us.

‭Luke 6:35 NLT‬
[35] “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

Jesus followed His own instruction. He absorbed into Himself every evil act against Him without retaliation and even prayed for those who killed Him.

‭Luke 23:34 NLT‬
[34]”Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.”

‭1 Peter 2:22-24 NLT‬
[22]”He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. [23] He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. [24] He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

God’s mighty power lies, not in our attempts to change other people, but in our own transformation, bringing our unruly spirits under the Holy Spirit’s control.

‭Romans 5:17 NLT‬
[17]” For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”

To be continued…

No Fear Of Death

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NO FEAR OF DEATH

Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says:

‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.’ And again, ‘I will put my trust in Him.’ And again He says, ‘Here I am and the children God has given me.’

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of Him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb. 2: 11-15)

No fear of death! Wow!

Why does the believer in Jesus no longer need to fear death? Because he no longer fears punishment! Jesus shared our humanity and took our punishment so that we are free to come home to the Father and to His perfect love.

There is no fear in love. But perfect loves drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4: 18)

Death has lost its terror since Jesus faced death for us and overcame. Death was the devil’s trump card because he knew that death was final and sealed the fate of all humanity. There was no escape and no return from death. Jesus took death on the chin for us and came back in a resurrection body that can never die again to tell us that He conquered death once and for all.

The devil went one step too far by having the Son of God put to death. He thought he would destroy Him forever and the chance for mankind to be rescued from his clutches. Death is the penalty for sin, but Jesus did not sin. Therefore death could not hold Him forever. He passed through death and returned to declare that God’s estranged children were free to return home. The Father’s wrath against sin had been satisfied. Satan no longer had the power to hold us in death.

This was God’s final and most powerful act of perfect love. What seemed to be folly and weakness was the most powerful power in the universe – the power of love. Love accepted the worst that sinful people could do to an innocent man without retaliating. Jesus bore the injustice, the insults, the physical agony and even the horror of being abandoned by the Father with nothing but perfect love. He forgave in the midst of His pain and died without a murmur or a word of rebuke or a threat of revenge.

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2: 23)

Everything Jesus accomplished through the cross culminated in one thing – God’s children are free to return home. The implications are huge. Home! That means back to the Father’s dwelling place where we are safe in the Father’s care and eligible to participate in all the benefits and blessings of family life together with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

God is a family. He made us to be part of His family. He gave us His name; we are free to live with Him in His home; we have an inheritance with the Son; we share in all the resources, privileges and blessings of life in the family of God and we have the responsibility of representing the Father to the unbelieving world by demonstrating what it is like to live in God’s kingdom.

How amazing that we are actually brothers and sisters of Jesus and, what’s more, He’s proud to call us His brothers and sisters! How can that be? Because, through His death He has made us holy! Holy? Yes, holy, set apart for and belonging to God. We have share in the nature of God (2 Peter 1: 4). We have the same nature as the Son. We are part of a new race made in the image of the last Adam, our elder brother Jesus.

And we are free! Free to live life to the full because we have no fear of punishment or death. When death comes, we go home to the Father’s house to dwell with Him forever. And we die in the hope of resurrection because our Brother, Jesus, rose from the dead – and He is the firstfuits of the resurrection and the guarantee that we, too, will rise again.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.