Hebrews 6:6

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 6:6 

“And then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” –  Hebrews 6:6  

The idea found in Hebrews 6:4-6 is one of the most difficult and controversial one to understand in all of scriptures. Lets look at verses 4-5. “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” Hebrews 6:4-5. This here speaks of ‘spiritual enlightenment’: understanding and acceptance of the truth. We know these are Christians for it states they are ‘partakers of the Holy Spirit’. They have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. These are not simply those who declare they are Christians when actually they have never given their lives to Christ. These are actual Christians.

Then, it is in our focus verse where the major difficulty comes. “and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” Hebrews 6:6. Many people see this as a losing of their salvation. But this is not what it is saying. They are not ‘losing’ their salvation, they are ‘leaving/walking away from their salvation. They are becoming ‘apostates’, which are those who abandon or renounce Christianity, and ultimately Christ Himself. Remember what John wrote. “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9. Unfortunately, as Christians we will sin from time to time. However, if we go before Him and ask Him for forgiveness, He will grant it to us. Therefore, this is not what the author was speaking of. Falling away refers not to sin in general, but to the specific sin of apostasy. By backing away from the faith, you essentially back away from what He did for you. Thus, the idea regarding be crucified again.

The next two verses give us an illustration using farmland. “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. ” Hebrews 6:7-8. The rain that falls from heaven corresponds to the enlightening blessings of verses 4–5. If the seed of the word of God is truly present in the soil, the hearts of men and women, the rain causes fruitful crops to grow, fulfilling the blessing intended by God. But where the word of truth, though heard, has been rejected, the rain can only quicken that which is already in the soil, that being thorns and thistles. And continued rain will only make matters worse, not better. Such fruitless land will merit the ultimate cursing of God and be finally given over to burning.

Such a scenario parallels the condition Jesus describes of certain branches of the true vine which do not abide in him and are therefore cut off and gathered into the fire and burned. Jesus says essentially the same thing as written by John. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:1-6.

In closing, those who stay true to Christ and follow His ways are guaranteed eternal life with Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:24. However, there will be some who will reject the faith they had believed in. Their eternal future is not glorious. But will be eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Spend time in the scriptures, strengthen your faith through study and prayer. And also use this time as preparation to be ready to help and strengthen those who need assistance in keeping their faith. “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2. If you see someone drifting away, do what you can, in love, to draw them back to the truth. You will be blessing them, yourself, and ultimately God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 5:14

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 5:14 

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” – Hebrews 5:14    

Here, the writer of Hebrews wants to continue on the subject of Melchizedek and Christ, however, he does not see how, for it will be hard for him to explain due to their lack of understanding of his listeners. “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” Hebrews 5:11.  It is important to see that the difficulty he was having was not due necessarily to his inability to explain it, but in the audiences ability to receive it. The phrase ‘dull of hearing’ is used to refer to ‘mental dullness. He was finding difficulty because the audience had become sluggish in their learning the things of God.

Then he explains what he meant. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Hebrews 5:12. This and the following two verses contain imagery widely used in Greek literature, and especially in popular philosophy, for describing levels of education. Semantically it introduces a contrast between what the readers are and what they should be. Because they have been Christians long enough, they should by now be able to teach others. But in fact, they need to be taught. Teachers, as used here probably does not denote the office of teaching, as the word is sometimes used in the New Testament. The meaning here is that mature believers have the capacity to teach, even if they are not filling the office of teacher.

Then, moving on to the next verse, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.” Hebrews 5:13. Anyone who can understand only the basic elements of Christian doctrine lives on milk and is inexperienced or unacquainted with the teaching about righteousness. When referring to training in righteousness, this probably alludes to the ethical dimensions of Scripture, taking righteousness here not in the forensic sense of justification but in the ethical sense of matters of right and wrong.” There is a phrase I like to use. “Do the do’s, and don’t do the don’ts”. In other words, learn what the do’s are and do them, and what the don’ts are and don’t do these things.  

Then we read in our focus verse. “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14. And this is how we can distinguish between the do’s and the don’ts. We need to know, understand, and practice our Christian life. We must grow in our faith from a new Christian who can only have milk, to become a mature believer who continues to grow in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. And as we learn and live it, we need to help others attain this level of growth. What we know and are sure of, we need to help others understand and be sure of as well. That is our calling. And we must never stop studying and learning more of our life in Christ. If we stop studying and learning, we will not understand fully this life, and may fall back to milk again.

I want to encourage everyone who is reading this to spend time learning and teaching others what this Christian life is truly about. As Paul said to Timothy, “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.” 2 Timothy 2:14-17. Take time to read, study, and teach the truth of God’s word. It is the only way to do the work God has called us to do.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 5:10

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 5:10 

“Being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” –  Hebrews 5:10   

This section of Hebrews speaks of Christ as High Priest.  We start here in verse 1 where he speaks of the Jewish view. “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.” Hebrews:5:1-4. He starts out by showing that   men selected for this role were concerned with the descendants of Abraham. The High Priest was the supreme religious leader of the Israelites. He was to teach everyone regarding the Law and Jewish beliefs. But the most important duty of the high priest was to perform the service on the Day of Atonement. Only he was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place behind the veil to stand before God. Having made a sacrifice for himself and for the people, he then brought the blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the mercy seat, God’s throne. He did this to make atonement for himself and the people for all their sins committed during the year just ended.

Then we read that Jesus is now our High Priest. “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, You are my Son, today I have begotten you; as he says also in another place, You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:5-6. Christ is our High Priest.  And He was ordained by God from all eternity to stand as the representative of His people before the throne. And He was also the sacrifice as well. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. And He fulfilled His role while here. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, ” Hebrews 5:7-9. While He was here, He prayed greatly to God for us all, with tears and cries. He was very emotional in this because of the love He has for us. His Father brought Him here and He was obedient to Him through all His suffering. And because He was without sin He was able to be our salvation.

Now there is one more thing stated in Hebrews 5 that is important to note. “being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:10. What does this mean? This is an interesting question, and not easy to answer. Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” was a king of Salem/Jerusalem and priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and disappearance in the book of Genesis is somewhat mysterious. Melchizedek and Abraham first met after Abraham’s defeat of Chedorlaomer and his three allies. Melchizedek presented bread and wine to Abraham and his weary men, demonstrating friendship. He bestowed a blessing on Abraham in the name of El Elyon (“God Most High”) and praised God for giving Abraham a victory in battle (See Genesis 14:17-24). Also, the phrase ‘after the order’ would normally indicate a succession of priests holding office. But there are no others mentioned in that order, which lends credence to the idea he and Christ may be one and the same. Speaking of Melchizedek, the writer of Hebrews states, “He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” Hebrews 7:3. So, are Melchizedek and Jesus the same person? A case can be made either way. At the very least, Melchizedek is a type of Christ, prefiguring the Lord’s ministry. But it is also possible that Abraham, after his weary battle, met and gave honor to the Lord Jesus Himself.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 4:14

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 4:14 

“Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” – Hebrews 4:14   

This verse speaks of the main focus of Christ’s coming. First, let’s go back to chapter 2. “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18. It says here that we see that Jesus “became a merciful and faithful high priest.” And because of this He paid the penalty, thereby accomplishing what we could not do, being a propitiation for the sins of all mankind. In the Mosaic Law, the high priest would intercede on behalf of the people and was at least a symbolic head of the current priestly administration. The priest would bring sacrifices to God on behalf of the people of Israel and would do so repeatedly, as the law prescribed. While ordinarily the high priest would bring the sacrifice, Jesus Himself was the sacrifice. His personal sacrifice was an incredible act of mercy, and He could be the sacrifice because He had become like those for whom He was giving Himself up for.

Now to our focus verse. “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Hebrews 4:14. The Jewish high priest went once a year into the most holy place in the temple, to offer the blood of the atonement. The author says that the Christian High Priest has gone into heaven. “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Hebrew 9:24. Instead of having to go once a year, Jesus once and for all went into the presence of God on our behalf. And because of this we can have complete confidence in our eternal future. “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:17-20.

And because He was made like us, “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. He was made like us so He knows our temptations by a practical experience of them. And though He was without sin, yet the same sins that are put before us by Satan were also set before Him. Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He is not only touched with the feeling of the heroic endurance of the martyrs, but he sympathizes with everyone. “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41.

And because of all this, “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16. We have a Friend at court; our Bridegroom is on the throne. He who reigns in heaven loves us better than we love ourselves. Come, then, why should we hesitate, why should we delay our approach to His throne of mercy? What is it that we want at this moment? Let us ask for it. If it is a time of need, then we see clearly from this verse that it is a time when we are encouraged to pray. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 3:14

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 3:14 

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” – Hebrews 3:14   

Here, the writer of Hebrews is going to use an idea found in Psalms, where it is written, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” Psalm 95:6-9.  This verse makes sense when you know what Meribah and Massah mean.  Meribah is the Hebrew word for ‘strife’ or ‘contention’, while Massah is the Hebrew word for ‘trial’ or ‘temptation’.

And in Exodus, we see where these words were original used. “Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD? But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me. Then the LORD said to Moses, Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.  Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight elders of Israel. And he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?” Exodus 17:1-7. Note in verse 7 that Moses changed their names with words describing the attitudes of the Israelites.

Now, nearly 3,500 years ago, the Lord delivered His people from Egyptian bondage as described in Exodus, chapters 1–12. They were to take possession of the land God had promised their forefathers, a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Prior to entry, however, they became convinced they could not oust the current inhabitants of the land, even though God told them they could. Their lack of belief in God’s word and promises brought forth the wrath of God. He cursed them with forty years of wilderness wandering until the unbelieving generation died off and never stepping foot in the Promised Land. 

The people whom Hebrews was written for was the Jewish Christians, therefore they would understand what the author meant. Back when they were rescued from Egypt and were heading to the Promised Land, they did not trust or believe God when He told them they would enter the land flowing with milk and honey. Only two did, Joshua and Caleb. The author was using this as an example to the Jewish Christians. Remember our focus verse. “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” Hebrews 3:14.

The problem was that the Jews, other than the two mentioned above, would not believe God when He told them His promises to them. God had promised them victory. The land He commanded them to go in and take was already theirs; they simply had to trust and obey, but this they did not do. God will never lead us where His grace cannot provide for us or His power cannot protect us. Indeed, the Israelites had seen the powerful hand of God at work during the plagues and miracles of the Exodus. Yet, like many people, they walked by sight and not by faith, and their unbelief displeased God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6. Their failure to believe in God’s word kept them from entering the Promised Land. This truth has never changed. He told them they had the promises of God if they continued to believe and remained firm to the end. He told them, “For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” Hebrews 3:16-4:1.  And one more thing, this does not simply apply to Jewish Christians, but to every Christian.

This is what the author wanted his audience to remember and never forget. Stay firm and do not harden your heart against God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 3:1

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 3:1

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,” – Hebrews 3:1   

As Moses especially was the prophet by whom, as seen in Hebrews 1:1, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,” being the mediator of the law, the writer of Hebrews deems it necessary now to show that, great as Moses was, the Son of God is greater. He first notes the feature of resemblance between Moses and Christ, in order to conciliate the Hebrew Christians whom He is addressing, and who still entertained a very high opinion of Moses. “who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” Hebrews 3:2. Jesus was faithful as was Moses was, so in this way they are alike. We see here what God spoke about Moses. “And he said, Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Numbers 12:5-8. We see here difference of degree God saw between Moses and His other prophets.  As we can see here, God held Moses more highly than any of the others. And lastly here, the phrase “He is faithful in all my house” refers to Israel, and with Jesus, the Church.

Now, in verse two we see a comparison of equality in their faithfulness, in verse 3 we see Jesus seen as greater than Moses. “For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)” Hebrews 3:3-4. The thought may well be, that Moses, as servant, is only a member or a part of the house of which Christ is the founder. Remember, Moses did not create Israel, God did. Moses was put over them to guide them where they were to go.

Then in the next two verses, the writer sums up his thoughts. “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” Hebrews 3:5-6. This, I believe, helped the Hebrew Christians understand why Christ is worthy of more glory then Moses, and of everyone for that matter. They always held Moses up as someone who deserved great acknowledgement. But what the writer was helping them understand was that ultimately, it is God who built the house, not Moses. And just as Moses was a servant, we are as well.

And Paul lays out our role as Christians, where he wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. The Church belongs to God, and we are a part of that house, and servants, meant to go out and fill the house with as many believers as possible. For we are His ambassadors, to go out and spread the word and living the lives God desires all to live.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 2:17

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 2:17

“Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” – Hebrews 2:17  

This is a very interesting section in Hebrews, for it speaks of why the salvation of man was accomplished as it was.  Starting in verse 14 we read. “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,” Hebrews 2:14. Because mankind were fleshly beings with blood, He also needed to spend this time with the same limitations. Remember, there was only one way to pay the penalty for our sins. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23. However, it must be a perfect sacrifice, not from us who are imperfect. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:17-19. This is why it was essential that a perfect person had to die. No one can pay for their sins, for they are not perfect. In essence, once you sin you can never pay the penalty for that sin.

It even becomes more powerful in the next verse. As a continuation of the previous verse, “and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Hebrews 2:15. Christ delivered us who were destined for eternal misery and torment, with no possible deliverance. Paul put it this way. “For as by a man came death, by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:21-23. Now it is important that we do not see this as a ransom, as some think. Theologian David L. Allen puts it this way. “The ransom theory of the atonement claims that the death of Jesus somehow paid a ransom to the devil. But, as Oden rightly noted, this theory is contrary to Hebrews 2:14–15 where the author explicitly stated that the death of Christ was a triumph over the devil, not a ransom paid to him.”

Now, coming to our focus verse, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17. In order for Him to have paid the penalty for us, He had to be made like us. I like the wording here “in every respect”. There was absolutely no difference in how we were and how Jesus was. And this indicates that the likeness is not a superficial one. It will later be qualified only on the matter of Christ’s sinlessness. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. The purpose served by this likening explains to some extent the nature and end of the Son’s perfecting. The incarnation and suffering of Christ took place so that he might be a High Priest characterized by mercy and fidelity.

And this is why man’s salvation was done in this way, why it was necessary for Christ to come here and die. He was the only one who could die for all in order to save all if they turn to Him. We could not even die for our own sin, so He died for them all. This is love in it’s true form. And this is the love God has for us. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 2:5

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 2:5

“For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.” Hebrews 2:5.  

In order to help understand this verse, we must first go back to Chapter 1 for a moment. There we read the following. “But to which of the angels has He ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? ” Hebrews 1:13. The answer to the rhetorical question is ‘None’. No angel has ever been addressed this way because no angel has ever deserved such acclamation and exaltation. Then in the next verse we see what they are. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14. God never subjected the world to them. On the contrary, they are sent out by God to minister for Him to those who are to inherit salvation. In essence, all the angels, even those of the highest order, are employed by their Creator to serve those who believe in Christ Jesus. This clarifies that He did not subject the world to them, even though many Jews believed this to be the case.

Therefore, the question remains, who did He subject it to? This is answered in what follows. He starts off by saying, “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.” Hebrews 2:5. He makes it clear that it was not angels.  Then, “It has been testified somewhere, What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?” Hebrews 2:6. The testifier alluded to is David, and the somewhere is Psalm 8. What David is saying is that man, from the time of Adam till then was sinful, therefore he questions why is God at all concerned with him.

But then David continued, “You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” Hebrews 2:7-8. The word “man” here is the Greek word Anthropos, designating a human being, male or female. This does not refer to anyone in particular, but to mankind as a whole. And the word “son” is the Greek word uihos denoting the offspring of men.

Now, we will see who He subjected it to. “You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:7-9. David here is referring to the coming Messiah, and the writer of Hebrews confirms this by stating Him to be Jesus. As a man, you made Him a little lower than angelic beings and put everything under subjection to Him.

Now, notice verse 8. “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” This is not found in Psalm 8. The reason being that Hebrews is referring to something that has already happened, whereas Psalm 8 is a prophetic statement yet to be fulfilled. The writer is saying all things are subject to Him, but in this sinful world we do not see it, YET. However, he continues, “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9. We may not see it completely fulfilled; however everything is under subjection to Him, and we shall at some time, in the near future, see Him in His full glory.

We are living in a fallen world, and it may not look like things will ever be good again. However, we must always understand that Jesus is in full control, and He will come back to make things as they were always intended to be.  Brothers and sisters, keep strong and do not forget that our situation is temporal, and that infinity will be glorious.  And in remaining strong, spread the news to all the world, especially where you are now, the truth of Christ. It is our calling during this time, therefore, let us fulfill this calling with everything we are.     

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 2:1

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 2:1

“For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” – Hebrews 2:1

This verse is linked to chapter 1, and we know this because of the first three words, ‘For this reason’. The question is how far back? I tend to agree with Theologian Paul Ellingworth where He wrote that it was only back to the last one. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14. Ellingworth wrote the following, “Because God intends to give us salvation as a permanent possession, we must be all the more attentive to what he and others have said about it.” I believe the author of Hebrews intends to link all of chapter 1. However, I am not necessarily disagreeing with Ellingworth, for verses 1-13 leads to the last verse. And I believe the others must be included in order to understand verse 14.

Now, we see this same idea in the Old Testament. “When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you shall prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.” Deuteronomy 32:45-47. Notice the words ‘observe carefully, even all the words of this law.’ This goes along with our focus verse. “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1. The readers are exhorted here to pay close attention “to what we have heard.” This phrase implies submissive acceptance of what is heard. The consequence of failing to pay attention to the word is that the readers would “drift away.”

Now, we see in the next two verses a comparison between the circumstances surrounding the giving of the law to Moses through angelic mediation on Mt. Sinai and the salvation brought by Christ. “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” Hebrews 2:2-4. What is said here is that if God’s Word back in the time of Moses, spoken to them by Yahweh and was absolutely true, steadfast, and unchangeable, how can we assume it is not, and yet escape if we neglect and overlook Christ’s words while here, declaring salvation through His saving grace on the cross? It is important to understand what is meant here is that we cannot.

I truly accepted Christ back in 1977. I mean truly in that I had never really given my life to Him, but simply went forward in my church when I was 10 to be accepted by others. It seems I wanted that more than Christ. Unfortunately, my lifestyle never changed, inside or out. I never did spend time with God, but simply went through the motions. Then, in 1977, God showed me reality which brought me to my knees because I now understood my predicament. And unfortunately, there are many who claim they are Christians but have not accepted His word as absolute truth. Using our focus verse, they are drifting away because they are not paying attention to what they hear but simply ignore or refute it. Many only follow the things they like and ignore the rest.

In closing, to not accept all points of the Christian faith as declared in the scriptures is a definite danger zone. There is much to learn, but if we refuse to accept God’s way, we are not paying attention to God’s way but to our own. God’s Word is unchangeable. We either accept it as is and live with Him or deny it and be rejected by Him.  I did this back when I was ten years old, but then listened to God and accepted the truth. And I can assure you that accepting what God really says is much better than our version of His Word, which is more acceptable to far too many in this world.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 11:3

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Hebrews 11:3 

“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3

In this world there are two different views of the universe.  One is that the universe has been here forever with no beginning, and the other is that the  universe has a beginning.   Logically, both of these statements cannot be true.  And as we look at the reality of existence, we will see that what the Bible states is far more plausible than what man has come up with.

Stephen Hawking, the most famous theoretical physicist in the world, said the following regarding the universe.  “So long as the universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really completely self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?”  From here, we can see he believed that because the universe was eternal, both past and future, and that the universe has no boundaries, hence filling infinite space, there is no need for a God.  In his words, what place is there for a creator?

Today, science puts forth the idea that there is no need for a creator because modern science can explain everything.  Again, Stephen Hawking put it this way.  “Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there is not. I’m an atheist.”  This is a prevailing view of modern man, that God does not exist, and they strive to find evidence to prove this point.  However, there are several truths that show this view is improbable. 

First, The universe is running down, and something that is running down must have started at some point.  For is the universe is eternal, it would have already lost all energy.  The second law of thermodynamics states that the universe is running out of usable energy.  No matter how long it would take, a fixed amount of energy that is being depleted would eventually use up all energy, with the result being a dead universe.  And the universe is expanding.  How can something continually expand without at some point having a  beginning from which to expand fron? 

However, the Bible makes it clear that the universe is not eternal, that it does have a beginning.  In fact, the very first verse in the scriptures bring out.  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.  And as you read through chapter one of Genesis, we see that He also created everything in this universe.  Paul wrote to the Church of Colossae the following.  “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16.  And John said in Revelation, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:11. 

So, looking at the above, it actually makes complete sense that the universe had a beginning.  This then brings up the question, how did it come into existence.  Again, we have two choices.  The first is that it just came into existence, out of nothing, without the action of anyone or anything.  Or secondly, a supreme and eternal being brought it into existence.  And by faith, understanding that what exists could not have come into existence but for an eternal and intelligent being, God created everything just as stated in His word.  And it must be truth, for God spoke to John which he wrote in his gospel; “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:17.  If anything came into existence, it had to be by an eternal being with infinite power to do anything He pleases.  And  I can see no other way for what is to exist.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.