Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 170

(Hebrews Part 14a):

Hebrews 5:13 - For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

This word "unskillful" is a word in Greek that means trial. The word for trial in the New Testament just means experience. That's all it means. It means to have an experience. Because of its negative connotation, a trial is not something that you celebrate. But in the bible, it does not depict it as being negative. It's just an experience that God has designed. In the human it can be negative and difficult.

Well, this is the same word, only with the Alpha-Privative in front of it. So, it literally reads, for every one that uses milk is inexperienced in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. That's the milk drinker.

Hebrews 5:14 - But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

But strong (or solid) meat belongs to them that are of full age (mature). Then he describes what maturity is: even those who by reason of use, and that's the word habit, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. A mature believer is someone who has had their inner senses exercised through the hearing of the word of God, to where their inner faculties and inner senses are sensitive to the spiritual things of Christ.

The word exercise in this text is where we get our name gymnasium from, GUMNADZO. It comes from the Olympic games, and it's taken from the athletic regiment of exercising.

Here's pretty much what the writer of Hebrews is saying:

The same way a person would plan out a schedule for getting in shape, if you wanted to start running to get into shape, you start out slow. After a couple of weeks, you start running. It's something that you have to do every day. If you leave off for a while, you can't just pick right back up where you left off. You have to start slow and build yourself back up again.

(Hebrews Part 13):

Hebrews 4:15 - For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Wow! If you underline from "be touched, all the way through with the feeling of our infirmities," that's actually two words in the Greek text, the word able, and the word sympathy. Our high priest is able to sympathize with our infirmities.

But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Or more literally, but according to all things, according to our likeness, yet without sin. That's how those last two phrases read. So, we do not have a high priest which cannot, and is not able to sympathize with our infirmities, but according to all things, according to our likeness, He was tempted, yet without sin. He had no sin nature.

Hebrews 5:2 - Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

That term "out of the way" means those who wonder in error, compassion on people who are ignorant and are easily led astray. And that's because of the condition of the priest, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity, or weakness.

Hebrews 5:9 - And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

And being made perfect, and this is the word TELIOS which means complete, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all of those who obey him;

The completion: It is finished. He has done it all!

(Hebrews Part 12):

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

For the word of God is quick, which means alive. And powerful. And then thirdly, sharper than any twoedged sword. Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner, or more literally a critic, of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

I like to view the church (fellowship of believers) as a spiritual hospital because that's what it is. It's for people coming to get saved, and for people coming for therapy because they've already been saved, but they need to be transformed from the effects of sin.

The word of God is like an x-ray machine. And this is why some people don't like to be around the word. When some believers are caught up in sin, they don't like to be around the teaching of the word of God because it's "an x-ray machine!"

When it says the word of God, we're talking about the combination of Spirit and scripture. Just the scriptures themselves, those are the words in ink on the page. That's not going to convict you. It is God's Spirit that makes the word of God alive and powerful just like a surgeon's needle and will get right down to being a critic of the motivations and intentions of a person's heart. That's how powerful it is!

(Hebrews Part 11):

Hebrews 3:8 - Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, literally the embitterment (PARAPIKRASMO), in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Hebrews 3:12 - Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Take heed (or pay attention), brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. Very special words that are used in the book of Hebrews for unbelief. It literally means to refuse the persuasion. Unbelief is to reject the persuasion of God's Spirit.

Unbelief, in departing from the living God. The word departing in the Greek text is the word apostasy. A believer cannot commit apostasy. Only someone who is involved, maybe intellectually understanding, being enlightened, and even agreeing with the truth, but when the hardship comes, they leave. It's called apostasy.

So, pay attention brethren, lest there be in any of you (Mixed group), a heart of unbelief.

(Part 2):

On our own, we can't resist temptation. I've found that my strongest point in my relationship with Christ is to confess to Him that without Him I cannot do one thing. If I trust in my own flesh and my own effort to continually resist temptation, I will eventually fail, and then I feel bad because I let the Lord down!

So, when we say lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, we're putting our confidence and trust in Jesus Christ. We're at His mercy. And when temptation comes, we are to surrender to Him and confess that confidence, confess our weakness, our inability to resist in our own efforts.

God Bless!!!

Brother Chris,

(Part 1):

I Have not heard of this before but if you have discovered something on this, I am very interested. From time to time, I like to visit Jewish websites and read the various teachings of the Rabbi's and how some of these things fit into what we read in the scriptures.

I did read somewhere that they refrain from and don't even acknowledge what is known as the Lord's Prayer because its source comes from the New Testament which they reject. So, an Orthodox Jew won't even go there even though the principles on prayer that Jesus was teaching His disciples fits in with most of what they believe.

I am not aware of any template or prayer that was given to them to recite but it is something that I am interested in learning. I have heard that, and I'm not sure if it's used all the time, but in most cases, they recite Psalm 23 instead.

On the section that says, "lead us not into temptation," I think for the most part that we are in agreement. I like the way you put it where you said, "Lord, hold us back when temptation lies ahead in wait, and give us deliverance from the evil (one)." This matches perfectly with the Greek text is saying.

When I read this in the Greek text, what it is literally saying is "And do not allow us to be led away by temptation but rather (in contrast), deliver us from the evil one."

I think what this means for us is that we are putting our total confidence in God to keep us from being carried away by temptation. With this, I am reminded of John Chapter 15 (My favorite chapter in the entire bible) about the vine and the branches where Jesus says apart from me, you cannot do one thing.

Hi Janathome2.

Jesse has provided the correct answer to your question. The Pagan celebration of Easter has influenced what we see today, such as the sunrise service. We see God condemning it as an abomination in Ezekiel 8:15-16. The Pagans used to light bonfires on the hills for fertility, and young people would run around the fire seven times and leap over or through it on the last round.

This warning is reflected in Deuteronomy 18:10, 2 Kings 17:17, 2 Chronicles 33:6, and other scriptures. Today, Easter is not celebrated on the first day after the Sabbath following Passover, known as the Feast of Firstfruits, the day Jesus was resurrected; instead, it is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, as Pagan Easter day was chosen, as we see every so many years, Easter comes before Passover.

God bless,

RLW.

Hello Janathome2,

We see the Word Easter in Acts 12:4 in our King James Bible, however, this word is not used in the Greek text. I am not sure why the translators used the word Easter but it is the word PASKA for Passover.

Ashtaroth was a pagan festival where we get our term Easter from. Their celebration of life was the bunny and the Easter egg.

Hope this helps!

What in the Bible does Easter mean?

I believe it is so,,,, water above us,

Genesis 8:2

Psalm 148:4

Genesis 1;6

Trust God's Word and not man

Thanks brother S. Spencer for giving us those details. A rather circuitous route to get there, but very useful to know. Many thanks for that.

Brother Jesse, thanks very much for your response to me in relation to your Hebrews chap 3 commentary, but in reference to the "Lord's Prayer" here in this thread (in Matthew 6:9-13): I've always understood this prayer given to His disciples as being something that the Rabbis often gave to their 'disciples'. We know the Scripture in Luke 11:1-4, when one of Jesus' disciples came to Him and asked Him to teach them to pray, even as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples. It seems that these followers of Jesus also wanted to receive a prayer template or recitation, as was given to others by their Rabbis/leaders. Have you heard of this understanding?

And just my thoughts on "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil": using the reference you shared ( James 1:13), I also believe that the the Lord doesn't take us on dangerous paths to be tempted of Satan. Yet, this part of the prayer could also mean, 'Lord, hold us back when temptation lies ahead in wait, and give us deliverance from the evil (one)'. I know that's a very liberal transliteration of mine, but thought to throw it in as a possible way of understanding that part of that prayer. Blessings.

Matthew 20:1-16 Parable of the man hiring for labor in the field; more precisely a vineyard. The explanation is given elsewhere that this was not a penny but a denarius which was apparently a generous offer for this work. Therefore as is stated in verse 15 God could be generous even more so for those who did much shorter labor in the fields. Briefly reading commentaries on this basically states that this doesn't mean that heavenly rewards based on individual service doesn't vary but that the great reward of heaven itself is to all who are truly in the faith. Verse 16 gives the statement that many are called but few are chosen. I haven't seen any good explanations of why that is at the end of this parable but it is repeated in Matthew 22 where we see many reject the wedding feast making excuses. It may make us consider if many of those who are "standing around" as the Matthew 20 parable seems to indicate repeatedly could remain that way by and large because they just don't think it is worth it laboring for the Gospel. It also could indicate; as a more frightening possibility that may laboring in the fields aren't truly saved and are trying to gain favor through acts of self righteousness. We don't curry favor or reward on our terms; and since God is the source of all our strength and holiness and we can't do anything apart from Him.

Matthew 20:17-28 begins with Christ once again predicting His death (verses 17-19). Verses 20-23 show Zebedee's sons with their mother requesting that they sit on the right and left of Him in heaven. It is indicated that it is up to the Father and that they must drink of the cup Jesus does which for James meant martyrdom and John from tradition attempted martyrdom. The others were offended at the request but He reminded them service to God was what brought greatness; and surely all the Apostles lived that way (except for Judas Iscariot who was replaced). The chapter ends with 2 blind men being healed.

Jesse, thanks for the responses. I appreciate that.

Have a restful night and may you awaken refreshed and at peace.

Brother Spencer,

Thank you so much for sharing this information with us all!

Hi Brothers Chris, Jesse and to all.

If you go to the top of the 1st page and select "more" you will come to the "King James Bible Resource page.

Then scroll down to "Bible Comments and Commentaries" and select Discussion Pages on your right.

Then you will have access to all the discussions by the book!

Select on your desired book and chapter such as Hebrews 2.

To search for any of Jesse's postings on Hebrews 2 select the tab that says "More Hebrews chapter 2 Discussions.

You'll be able to recover any of the postings this way for the last several years.

Blessings.

(Part 2):

Well, I'm going on a rant now, but there's so many great points that you bring up that I could spend much time talking about. I'll close with a comment on your second post about those who endure to the end. We are the ones who are enduring and will endure to the end because we have Christ in us, and He will carry us to the end. And yes, even though salvation is offered to every single person who has ever been born into this world, I believe that God knew ahead of time those that would receive Him and those who would reject Him.

I do have a similar understanding of the phrase "lead us not into temptation." James 1:13 comes to mind. Also, I'm aware that in theological circles that this is part of what's known as the "Lord's Prayer," but I personally don't agree that this is the actual Lord's prayer. What's known as "The Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6:9-13, I understand this as the Lord teaching us how to pray. I believe the actual Lord's prayer is found in John Chapter 17 where Jesus prayed in intercession for His people to the Father. That in my opinion is the real Lord's Prayer. Anyway, that's neither here nor there!

I hope you have a blessed weekend. The Lord is good!

Hello GiGi,

(Part 1):

I agree, Satan cannot take us out of the hand of our Savior. In fact, there is a strong case given to us that in Romans 8:38-39 that there is nothing that can separate us from our Savior. As far as Satan not being able to touch us, we do know from scripture that Satan can touch our flesh. But he cannot touch our spirit/soul. The only way he can do that is to penetrate Gods Spirit in us and that's not going to happen. It's like Gods Spirit is a shield over our spirit. And as far as trials and trouble goes, I truly believe that God allows those circumstances in our lives as a way of teaching us to trust Him. For many years, I had to learn the hard way. I would find myself in a difficult circumstance and try to take care of the problem on my own, and it's like how is that trusting Christ?

I like where you said, "Whatever comes my way, He knows." That is a perfect response to all of our circumstances is that Lord, you know, because we don't, even when we think we do! And yes, it is better to think that Jesus is everywhere around us, with us, and in us, as He is omnipresent. Yes, I also have also heard of folks who talk as if Satan is continually interfering with their life. Sometimes you just want to ask them, "Do you belong to Christ?" As believers, Satan knows that he has lost us forever to Christ. So, what does he do? The only thing he can do, which is to chase us and keep our minds occupied on the cares of this life and to wear us down so that we are too tired to study the word and spend time with the Lord so that we might grow spiritually.

Brother Chris,

Yes, when it comes to issues of salvation, I do have a passion to share the things I've come to learn over the years. I hope there is some sort of resolution to where we can view posts going back a bit farther. As it is now, if you miss visiting the site for a day or two, you are probably going to miss a whole lot of great things that others have to share.

I can hardly wait to get into Hebrews Chapters 6 and 10. I think I already know the verses you are referring to but we'll see. There are verses in both those chapters that are used to show that a saved believer can lose their salvation, and I will touch on those. I'll just leave it at that for now.

I think one of the things that often gets overlooked is that there were Hebrew/Jewish people who were following along with the teachings, mixed in with the group of believers, but they knew what would happen to them if they were to denounce Judaism and truly follow Christ (Surrender their life to Him).

From what I have learned, there are three groups of people that this letter was written to, 1-Hebrew believers, 2-Hebrews who understand and intellectually agree with what's being taught, but they have never received Christ, and 3-Hebrew unbelievers, those who were at these meetings, those who were in the crowd that just did not believe.

I think by understanding these three groups, it helps us better understand some of the scriptures that are being presented. There are sections of scriptures to each one of these three groups in the book of Hebrews.

Anyway, I am excited to get to those two chapters. It should be a great study. God Bless!!!

Further insights on Matthew 19:1-12

This subject is personal to my situation so I feel it needs to be seen as to the meaning of scriptures in detail before moving on with this study. The parameters here make it clear not to make this about me but learning what wisdom I can after going through a divorce hopefully can help to expound on the scriptures. The focus on this series of postings is on Christ as the perfect man.

Forgiveness is what is important here; the Pharisees were legalists and also wanted to trap Jesus into taking one side or another of what the scribes felt was legal grounds for divorce. This was close to the time when Christ would severely rebuke the Pharisees in Matthew 23 days before His crucifixion. Desiring "mercy" rather than sacrifice is in Hosea 6:6 and was mentioned in Matthew 9:13. Ironically; the Prophet himself was told to marry a prostitute and buy her back in the beginning chapters to mirror God's call for His wayward nation and also His lament for Ephriam whose descendants had strayed from God (see chapter 11).

Verses 13-15 of Matthew 19 discuss children being brought to Christ and Him laying hands on them and praying; although exactly what was said is unclear. What can be seen is that the children were important and not as the rest of society deemed inferior much as women were in the section above in regard to being divorced or "put away" at times for the least perceived offence. Jesus was outstanding in His relations with the outcasts of society thus they falsely accused Him for hanging out with "sinners".

The rest of the chapter focuses on the rich young man who didn't want to give up all he had to follow Christ. We notice that Jesus says nothing to him in regard to following all the commandments. One could say he was arrogant; and of course no one can follow the letter of the law not to mention have intentions always good. Nonetheless the biggest problem was his money.

Jesus shows eternal rewards following Him.

Matthew 19:1-12

First of all; my apologies; apparently there was still mass healings with Christ at this late stage of His earthly ministry as we read Matthew 19:1-2. This was the last one in this Gospel of that sort; the only other one being mentioned was the two blind men being healed before the Crucifixion (hopefully I read this right this time).

Once again we have the subject of divorce and remarriage also covered in the Gospels of Luke and Mark where ALL divorce was said to be adultery; the "exception" clause here being "fornication". And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. (verse 9). Here it states that even the innocent party cannot remarry without it being considered adultery of the original covenant of marriage; and it also uses the word fornication followed by adultery. These two terms make it clear that it was for fornication which seems to indicate it was the Jewish espousal period and unique to Matthew along with the only mention of divorce in all of scripture among the saints with Joseph considering it with Mary during his espousal. This subject is covered elsewhere in depth but it is noteworthy that as God even though Jesus was here as one of us as a man His law superceded that of Moses; in particular in Deuteronomy 24 where he allowed such practices as divorce which according to Malachi God hates. This also shows that some laws are universal not just particular to the nation of Israel at the time such as ceremonial laws. Marriage is recognized in every culture of the world usually iinvolving vows and clearly God was the initiator of covenant marriage; not something that is merely a contract that can be broken without doing untod collateral damage. However we look at it in the age of grace stoning isn't given for adultery but it is deadly serious; divorce is an option not requirement

Thanks again brother Jesse for sharing your understanding thus far in this great epistle. I can see your passion coming through when expounding this portion of Scripture and can well imagine this will come to the fore again when you deal with some of those verses (as given in chaptes 6 and 10) that have been understood differently by many.

It bears remembering as we read Hebrews, as I think you highlighted at the beginning (can't refer to it now because of this Site's limitations on earlier pages), of the readership of this epistle. They were predominantly Jewish converts living outside of Palestine, even as the references the author makes to the OT: the understanding they had & the practises that were required of them before they found salvation in Jesus & not in the keeping of the Law. And of course, there would be some that were outside of Christ, yet coming under the sound of the Gospel as the Diaspora cleaved together in a Gentile world. Gentile converts amongst them would have very little intimate knowledge of such things, but such direction & encouragement given here by this author to the "Hebrews", would certainly have cleared the air of any doubts or misunderstandings, showing Christ as the Preeminent One & Redeemer of all. Blessings to you brother as you continue in this work, and to each one of us as we read together from this very important Book.

Hello Jesse,

I am glad that things are getting approved by the insurance company, that is the first step and sometimes the most frustrating. But, then again, I imagine that the contractors in your area are over-booked since the storms. So, I will pray that time opens up quickly for a contractor who will do a great job on your home.

Thanks for your prayers about our boundary dispute with our neighbor. We got an email cease and desist letter from the neighbor's attorney ordering us not to begin building our fence. We had the contractor all ready to begin this week and now we have to put it off.

We contacted an attorney and sent him the documentation he needs to review our case to determine if he can take it. We sent these in an e-mail along with the neighbor's attorney's letter and a letter from us to our attorney speaking to what was notated in the letter from the neighbor's attorney. Good thing I have an excellent memory, as I could recall so much that has been said and done in the years since he moved in for evidence. We never wrote anything down of any conversations or agreements with the neighbor because we never dreamed this would happen as our relationship has been friendly and peaceful since this situation.

We have never needed to have an attorney except for our will and certainly not for any type of litigation. So, I, too, have waves of anger, but I keep praying to think rightly about this neighbor. He needs salvation and I want to be a good witness as well as keeping a check on my emotions and attitudes. I want to please God most of all. It is a challenge with this, but I know that the Holy Spirit is working in me to become more Christ-like with this trial. I am encouraged knowing this is so.

Jesse,

I agree, that those who endure to the end are, indeed, those who are saved. This is because they were elected to salvation before the foundation of the world when God decreed to elect those who would receive salvation. It was a done deal then and always come to pass in real time and history. This is such a comforting truth for those of us who have been born again! We have been brought from death unto life in Christ and we cannot die (as to become un-reborn) again.

Jesse,

I like how you emphasized that one who is born of God cannot be touched by Satan. That is how I think, too, in that Satan cannot take us out of the hand of our Savior as we have been given to Jesus by the Father. Satan has no rights to us after we have been born again. We belong to Christ, not Satan. Satan may try to mess with things in our lives to get our eyes off of Jesus and tempt us to turn away from Jesus, but the Holy Spirit is who "keeps" us. If we undergo trials and troubles in this life, God always knows all of the matter and allows it to occur to work it out for our good.

Many talk as if Satan is continually interfering with their life, joy, peace, etc. I am not sure that is generally the case, but can be. In some Pentecostal circles, this "devil under every rock and around every corner" "warfare" is common. I have not had that experience in my life. I have felt under God's protection and watch. Whatever comes my way, He knows and is willing to help when I turn to Him. But others may have more difficulties than I have had, so I wish to be compassionate.

Perhaps it is better to think that Jesus is everywhere around us, with us, and in us. What better protection from the enemy than Himself! I am grateful that God does not allow us more than we can bear when we rely on Him and desire to obey Him.

I have heard that the saying of the Lord's Prayer that says, "lead us not into temptation" is not saying that God leads tempts us. Rather, it means that we ask God to not let us be tempted beyond to where we have no recourse but to sin. I love that, for if we pray for such help from our Father, we will receive it. He loves us so. He doesn't want us to be in the grip of sin having freed us from its captivity, nor does He want us to dispair of being able to escape temptation because He promises to give us a way out of temptation.

How lovely is this!

(Hebrews Part 10d):

Hebrews 3:6 Continued:

You see, that's also a lack of understanding of what salvation is. If you have the Spirit of God living inside of you, how do you go out and do whatever you want to do? Do you think the Holy Spirit is just going to sit there and say "Well, I'll just wait for you to come home?" We take Him with us. God loves us, and so He disciplines us. He convicts us. And if we don't give in to the word in conviction, He has other ways of getting our attention.

But He will not let us continue in sin, because He's alive, He's real. He's not just a person that we believe in who lived 2,000 years ago. He's alive inside of us. How do you think that you get a license for sin if you have Christ living within you?

So, there's a lot of misunderstanding in the body of Christ today. Multitudes of people think that you're saved just because in your mind, you agree with the bible, rather than being born of the Spirit of God. If we understand that as salvation, then we're going to have to explain how we get the Spirit out of there if we don't want to be saved.

Jesus said I will never leave you nor forsake you. That's at the end of Hebrews Chapter 13. But Jesus used a double negative, and a triple negative. I will never leave you. That Greek word means I will not leave if you tell me to. Secondly, and I will never ever forsake you. I will never leave you on my decision. That's Jesus. So, if I tell Him to get out of my life, He's going to say no. He's never going to leave me, ever, because His Spirit is in my spirit. We're one, and that is never going to be undone throughout eternity.

(Hebrews Part 10c):

Hebrews 3:6 Continued:

Paul said in Ephesians Chapter 2, and along with Ephesians Chapter 4 that the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantee until the redemption happens, when Christ comes for us. 1 John 5:18-20 says the one who has been born of God, Satan cannot touch him, because God keeps him. 1 Peter 1:5 says we are those who have been saved by the power of God, and we are kept by the power of God unto salvation.

It's His faithfulness. I'm saved today because I have Christ in me, not because I act a certain way or don't act a certain way. It's because I have Christ in me. And because I have Christ in me, I'm going to make it all the way to the end, no matter what goes on because I'm a child of God.

But some people use that verse, that phrase, that conditional clause, to show that it's possible for someone to lose their salvation. "If you don't make it all the way, you lose your salvation. Or if you quit." But that's an expression of not understanding what salvation is. I'm not saved because I decide I want to be saved. I'm saved because I'm born of the Spirit of God. Now that God's Spirit is in me, if I don't want to be saved, something's got to be done with His Spirit. I hope this makes sense? We can't just quit!

And then you'll have those who will say that if you sin, then you lose your salvation. Well, we've all lost it then, haven't we? If that's the case, nobody is ever going to be saved. Some say that because you say you cannot lose your salvation, you are giving Christians a license to sin, that you can do whatever you want because you're never going to lose your salvation.

(Hebrews Part 10b):

Hebrews 3:6 Continued:

Now, this can only mean one of two things:

One, you can just be putzing along and being part of the house, and functioning as a Christian, and someday decide that you just don't want to be a Christian and that you don't want to be a part of this, and that means that you lose your salvation.

Or two, the other condition would be that it's describing the person who is saved, and that one of the qualifications of salvation is that you make it all the way to the end because you have the Holy Spirit. A believer will make it to the end. And here's the basic scripture that it's all based on, and I wanted to squeeze this in because it's a very important topic to me, and hopefully to you.

Jesus said about the last days, but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Again, it makes it sound conditional, doesn't it? "If you want to be saved, you have to make to the end." But please check this out. The term "shall endure," is what is called an Aorist Participle in the Greek. And it means the one who has endured to the end, that same one shall be saved.

This is a description of the characteristic of a person who is saved. The one who has already made it to the end, that's the person who shall be saved. In fact, that's the answer to all questions. How do we know who's saved or not?

Of course, this is a message to people who have gone about 75 to 80 percent of the way and are thinking of dropping out. They're not saved. All saved people will make it to the end because they have Christ, and they belong to Christ.

(Hebrews Part 10a):

Hebrews 3:6 - But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

I'm going to share the contrast that I mentioned in my last post first and then I want to spend a little bit of time on this verse because I think there's a salvation issue here.

First of all, the contrast: But Christ as a son, circle that. Over his own house. The contrast is that Moses was faithful (in) the house, and the Son was faithful (over) the house.

And then it says whose house we are. It's not a building. It's a family. We are the dwelling place of God, individually, and in the future throughout eternity, collectively, we will be the new city Jerusalem whom God will dwell in forever. So, the contrast: Christ Jesus is of more glory than Moses. But if you tell that to a Jewish person, his ears will perk up and he gives you the reasons why.

Then the condition, and this is a good one:

Now whose house we are, and here is the first of several conditional clauses in the book of Hebrews which causes people to say that the letter is being written to the same group of people, therefore there's a challenge as to whether we can keep our salvation or not!

And that's not what he's saying. Whose house we are, if we hold firm the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Conditional clause! Whose house we are, "if" you meet this condition.

GiGi,

The repair process has not started yet, but we are working with a contractor who says they should be able to do all the repairs for what our insurance is covering. It's just a waiting game for now. With all this being said, our insurance is paying for a new roof, new windows, new siding on the entire back of our house, new gutters and gutter helmet replacement, refinishing our deck, and other miscellaneous items that were damaged. The sad part is that our house is not even two years old yet. Thankfully it is only outside damage.

I'll send an update once all is complete. I am also praying for a peaceful resolution for you and your husband's situation with your neighbor. I wanted to comment on this last night but I was a little angry after reading about what you are going through. I guess I just need to calm down a little and trust that the Lord is going to do what is right.

May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly!