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.
I think that it is interesting that the writer of Hebrews would spend this much time in detail for us sharing that if we understand what an athlete goes through, every day, exercise, exercise, exercise, building up the endurance, and building up the condition of the muscles so that we can handle larger amounts of distance.
So, we build up our endurance, and we become what we reach as a place of being in shape. And we consider ourselves being conditioned. What the writer of Hebrews is saying is that when you put yourself under the hearing of God's Spirit through His word, God's Spirit is exercising your inner senses to the spiritual things of God.
And the more consistent you hear the word, the more sensitive you become to the spiritual things of Christ. But if you ever leave off, the inner senses become dull, and we become more in tune with the world around us. Whereas, as often as we would like to submit ourselves to the study of God's word, we become ready for the solid food, and for the in-depth details of God Himself.
I think that it is interesting that you can be a Christian for 20 or 30 years, but not be in shape at all, and be like a babe. It doesn't have anything to do with bible study attendance, or church attendance. It has to do with one's personal relationship with Christ, with God's Spirit through His word. That's why we study.
The last phrase there says having their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, which in the Greek text is right and wrong. You have to be able to know what's right and what's not right according to God's word. It's not just an intellectual thing. There's a spiritual sensitivity to the things of Christ and the truth!
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 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 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 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.
Hebrews 5:14 Continued:
I think that it is interesting that the writer of Hebrews would spend this much time in detail for us sharing that if we understand what an athlete goes through, every day, exercise, exercise, exercise, building up the endurance, and building up the condition of the muscles so that we can handle larger amounts of distance.
So, we build up our endurance, and we become what we reach as a place of being in shape. And we consider ourselves being conditioned. What the writer of Hebrews is saying is that when you put yourself under the hearing of God's Spirit through His word, God's Spirit is exercising your inner senses to the spiritual things of God.
And the more consistent you hear the word, the more sensitive you become to the spiritual things of Christ. But if you ever leave off, the inner senses become dull, and we become more in tune with the world around us. Whereas, as often as we would like to submit ourselves to the study of God's word, we become ready for the solid food, and for the in-depth details of God Himself.
I think that it is interesting that you can be a Christian for 20 or 30 years, but not be in shape at all, and be like a babe. It doesn't have anything to do with bible study attendance, or church attendance. It has to do with one's personal relationship with Christ, with God's Spirit through His word. That's why we study.
The last phrase there says having their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, which in the Greek text is right and wrong. You have to be able to know what's right and what's not right according to God's word. It's not just an intellectual thing. There's a spiritual sensitivity to the things of Christ and the truth!
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 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 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!
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