HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1482
H EBREW S 5
did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne
of our gracious God. There we will receive his
mercy, and we will find grace to help us when
we need it most.
5
Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with
God. He presents their gifts to God and offers
sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal
gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for
his own sins as well as theirs.
4 And no one can become a high priest simply
because he wants such an honor. He must be
called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.
5 That is why Christ did not honor himself by
assuming he could become High Priest. No, he
was chosen by God, who said to him,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.*”
6 And
in another passage God said to him,
“You are a priest forever in the order of
Melchizedek.”*
7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered
prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and
tears, to the one who could rescue him from
death. And God heard his prayers because of
his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus
was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the
things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified
him as a perfect High Priest, and he became
the source of eternal salvation for all those who
obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a
High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
A Call to Spiritual Growth
11 There is much more we would like to say about
this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since
• Character
H E B R E W S 6 :1 1 -1 2
All of us experience periods of spiritual
dullness and disinterest. We are emotional
creatures, and we grow tired and bored
physically and mentally as well as spiritually. The writer of Hebrews gives some
practical advice: Imitate those Christians
who have paved the way before you.
When you no longer feel creative and
full of energy, it can help to simply follow
another person’s example. Those who
keep the faith and cultivate patience—
even through less than stimulating
times—will not go unrewarded.
page 1112
you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.
12 You have been believers so long now that you
ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need
someone to teach you again the basic things
about God’s word.* You are like babies who need
milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone
who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t
know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for
those who are mature, who through training
have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
6
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us
go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again
with the fundamental importance of repenting
from evil deeds* and placing our faith in God.
2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection
of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so,
God willing, we will move forward to further
understanding.
4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those
who have experienced the good things of heaven
and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted
the goodness of the word of God and the power
of the age to come—6 and who then turn away
from God. It is impossible to bring such people
back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God,
they themselves are nailing him to the cross
once again and holding him up to public shame.
7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain
and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has
God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and
thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
9 Dear friends, even though we are talking
this way, we really don’t believe it applies to
you. We are confident that you are meant for
better things, things that come with salvation.
10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how
hard you have worked for him and how you
have shown your love to him by caring for other
believers,* as you still do. 11 Our great desire is
that you will keep on loving others as long as
life lasts, in order to make certain that what you
hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead,
you will follow the example of those who are
going to inherit God’s promises because of their
faith and endurance.
God’s Promises Bring Hope
13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear
by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:
5:5 Or Today I reveal you as my Son. Ps 2:7. 5:6 Ps 110:4.
5:12 Or about the oracles of God. 6:1 Greek from dead works.
6:10 Greek for God’s holy people.