What Does The Love Of God Mean?

Therefore leaving the principles 

of the doctrine of Christ, let us

go on unto perfection; not laying again 

the foundation of repentance from dead works, 

and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms

 and the laying on of hands, and of resurrection 

of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 

And this will we do, if God permits. 

Hebrews 6:1-3

     To leave behind the principles of the doctrine of Jesus Christ is not to mean that they are never or hardly ever, remembered or are the foundation that is no longer a part of an Authentic Christians Faith. The literal translation makes this point very clear: "Wherefore, having left the of the beginning of the Christ discourse" (Hebrews 6:1a). Example: A carpenter does not just pour the foundation of a house, that is what will carry the house as it reaches completion, made ready for habitation. This is what is meant by the "leaving behind the principles of the doctrine of Christ," as that is the foundation, the beginning, and from the beginning we grow to maturity, "perfection" is not to mean as some did that there is Christian perfection to be reached in this life, no, as the Greek word: "τελειότητα" means, to be brought to completion, fully accomplished, fully developed to be perfect in some point of character, in respect to a certain standard. We are to come to full growth in Jesus Christ and this can only have some measure of accomplishment by our obedience. 

     These verses have caused much distress and discourse by many theologians and often led some to oppose the doctrine of the believers perseverance. In the day of this writer especially were there miracles and a time, which has so often no longer used, that those who desire to come into the Church had to first come to a knowledge of the first principle, that is, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to come to a place where they could make a satisfactory profession of faith. All this before they could be admitted into the Church: how far has the Church left this important aspect for the Church and how much liberal Christianity and the culture of this world entered into the Church. Some by this failure admit homosexuals into teachers, and preachers and to be able to partake of the Lord's Supper, and other things, to allow same sex marriage, etc.... why, they allowed the world to come into the Church and did not take the time to ensure that a person who comes into the Church is a truly professing Christian. There must never by teaching that does not first make necessity of repentance from the works of men, those who are dead in their sins. There is much discord about baptism, should only adults be baptized, or infants, and should there be wine, or grape juice, or should the one entering speak in some mysterious tongue. What is meant by the laying on of hands, and those solemn practices for the dead. What as does one such church teach, to lay on tombstones and get some infusion from the dead. There is so much attention and time to teach these practices before teaching the first principles of Jesus Christ. 

     A problem is: very few of us know anything about the conviction of sin. Oh, some rely on the experience, or the experience of being disturbed because of doing wrong, but conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit is given excuses, and often blotted out. This is not Authentic Christian Faith, for the Holy Spirit does blot out every relationship on earth and leaves a person to have only one relationship: Jesus Christ. A person may know that he is convicted of sin, but here is a major difference in regard to conviction: a man knows when he is convicted that God dare not forgive him, for if this were true then that man would have a greater sense of justice than God. Yes, God does forgive sin! But not due to a person coming to know that he is a sinner, that is a first step but not for God for His forgiveness is only by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This grace of God, this miracle of forgiveness is not only that He forgives sin, He do to the death of His Only Begotten Son that enables Him to forgive sin. By this death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that enables the Divine nature to forgive sin and remain true to Himself. How often do you hear: "God forgives us because He is love." that is shallow nonsense to say that, and when we are truly convicted of sin we will never say that again. The love of God means Calvary, and nothing less: the love of God is spilled out upon the cross and nowhere else. This is the only ground on which God can forgive a person, through the cross of Jesus Christ. 

     God forgives and you can be saved from hell and made right for heaven, but forgiveness means that you are forgiven into a recreated relationship and identification with God in Jesus Christ. This is the miracle of Redemption and this means that God has turned you from what you were into what God intends you to be, to come to the standard of Himself, and putting into you a new disposition of Jesus Christ. 

Seek the LORD, and ye shall live:

     lest He break out like fire

in the house of Joseph, and 

    devour it, and there be none

to quench it in Bethel.

                  Amos 5:6

Do you know that you are in need of a Savior?

Richard L. Crumb  

Learning To Be Skillful In The Word Of Righteousness

Of whom we have many things to say,

and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are

dull of hearing. For when for the time

ye ought to be teachers, ye have

need that one teach you again which

be the first principles of the oracles

of God; and are become such as have

need of milk, and not strong meat.

For every one that useth milk is 

unskilful in the word of righteousness:

for he is a babe. But strong meat 

belongeth to them that are full age,

ven those who be reason of use

have their senses exercised to

discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:11-14

     Dull hearing; a problem most people have had at one time or another. This dull hearing spoken here is to have difficulty in interpretation, to speak that interpretation and this comes about by the sluggishness in hearing. It isn't that the ears with their various elements for hearing do not hear sound, they do, but they will not, or do not, hear with their minds, so they cannot utter correct interpretation. It is not that they do not at least some element of the truth, they do, but they will not or cannot understand complete truth. This comes about when a person will not take the time to examine all things (1Thessalonians 5:21), and then be able to hold fast to the truth. We know that the truth had been taught to those whom the writer to the Hebrews was writing, they should have been teachers but were not, they were either teaching falsely, or not at all. They needed teaching again for the only slurped up milk, and avoided the toughness of meat. They took in what they liked, that which tickled their ears, that which fit their presuppositions, and would not listen to any other teaching. The result was and is: they were unskilled in the word of God. They are and were babes in God, not mature in God. There is not excuse for this for a person comes of age whereby they can take time to examine, to test, to learn of the truth, and then to avoid the false. They who are growing in the truth come to a place where they can discern the good and the bad. The starting point is the first principles of the Gospel and that is that Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, the Wisdom of God in the flesh, came to die to pay this debt we owe to God, and this by dying on the cross. This sacrifice, vicarious, propitiation sacrifice, makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and by our faith in Jesus Christ we have the promise of God for eternal life. Apathy, laziness, dullness, or any other possibility that takes a person from the truth is abhorrent to God and God will not bless that person, and this may show that that person is not an Authentic Christian and the promise of everlasting life may not apply to them, at least at this time. Man can change and this change come by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). This free gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) is by our reading and hearing the word of God and then that faith being applied and exercised in our life. 

     Inspect what you expect: a rule that should be a guide for a person' life. Do not just believe, do not just agree, do not just follow a person, take time to inspect, to examine. Is their anything else that is more important than the truth? No! I had the privilege to speak to and witness to two Jehovah Witnesses and notice a fault that occurs in many religious organization, they follow only that organization, and they take what, or whoever, teachers as truth without taking time to examine. They can quote Scriptures, but without context, and apply their beliefs to those Scripture and this without knowledge of the grammar or language, and this is they are taking for granted what they are hearing. This is sluggishness, laziness, it is easy, it sounds good, but is it truth, not necessarily. How would a person know if it was if they do not exam and test and inspect what is being taught. Why sit in a chair, pew, and hear the sermon and do not test what the preacher is saying, you might find that he is teaching truth, or not, and then you can take proper action, to stay, or not to stay in that organization. God will bless those who actually with a desire to know the truth to come to the truth and this by means of the Holy Spirit who guides you into truth, that is if we listen for and to the Holy Spirit. Not some man, or some doctrine, but the Holy Spirit, God, will teach you and lead you and make clear by your study, your examination to find and know the truth. The question is: Will you test, will you examine, will you become mature, or will you ever need milk. Only you, or I, can answer that question. 

Awake, awake; put on thy strength,

     O Zion; put on the beautiful gaments,

O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth 

    there shall no more come into thee the

uncircumcised and the unclean.

                   Isaiah 52:1

You are the city of God, the holy city

Richard L. Crumb 

Jesus Our High Priest: After The Order Of Melchizedek

As He saith also in another place,

Thur art a priest for ever after 

the order of Melchisedek. Who in

the days of His flesh, when He had

offered up prayers and supplications

with strong crying and tears unto Him

that was able to save Him from death,

and was heard in that He feared;

though He were a Son, yet learning

obedience by the things which He 

suffered; and being made perfect, He 

became the author of eternal salvation

unto all them that obey Him; called 

of God an high priest after the 

order of Melchisedec.

Hebrews 5:6-10

     The Hebrew writer as he has been doing applies Old Testament history and in this case Melchisedec a man who we know little about inasmuch that we do know he approached Abraham, blessed him and was given tithe to him. We find no genealogy, no from where he came, or where he was going, but we do know he was a priest of God. Melchizedec was king of Salem, a place that came to be known as Jerusalem. The name Melchizedec means "king of righteousness" and his title King of Salem also means "king of peace." We know nothing of any religious rituals, but we do know that Melchizedec brought "bread and wine" for Abraham (Abram). Lack of any record for Melchizedec and this little amount of information about his background in Scripture we can only surmise that he demonstrated the same qualities as Jesus Christ. Some theologians theorize that Melchizedek was a theophany of Jesus Christ, a manifestation of deity. I do not hold to that theory for Melchizedec was a king of a certain place: Salem (later Jerusalem). 

     A key point in the book of Hebrews is that Jesus is our high priest just as was Melchizedek, one appointed by God, as this must also have been the appointment for Melchizedek. Melchizedek interceded for Abraham and Jesus Christ intercedes on our behalf. Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God, the One who took on flesh as we are flesh. As a Man Jesus Christ learned obedience through suffering and by not sinning He was made perfect, the exact payment for what was lost by Adam. Obedience, this is our requirement, it is for us to discipline ourselves to obey Him for in Jesus Christ is the source of eternal salvation.

     This use of the word "fear" must be understood for in our society "fear" is not necessarily a good thing, in fact it is most often used to show a "bad feeling." This is not the Greek word used and translated as "fear;" εύλαβείας: A receiving of good godliness, a reverential fear, a holy fear. A concern or an apprehension, to be cautious. Is this not the type of fear we should display? Yes! We must never think that Jesus had any desire to sin, for He did not, He, while being man, was also God in the flesh, He could not sin, but nonetheless He was buffeted by sin, and in His manliness Satan thought that He could ruin this Messiah. What Satan must not have know was that Jesus was no ordinary man, He was God/Man. As Man Jesus kept in close contact with the Father who had sent Him, and obeyed the will of the Father even though all this world and all its problems were felt by Him and were distressing to the point of tears, tears for man who did not have this godliness but could have it if they would only obey. Obedience is the test of our Authentic Christian Faith. This High Priest, Jesus Christ, and is the Author of eternal life, asks of us to obey, and if we want eternal life then we obey and if we fail we have a Savior who know our infirmities and makes intercession for us, although we are never to abuse this wonderful intercession (Hebrews 1-:26). God has called you, will you answer? God has made all that which we need to know about Him and salvation. Will you accept what God has provided? This will require discipline, you must discipline yourself, and you must turn from sin to have this eternal life, for if not, then it is questionable whether or not you are an Authentic Christian. We are still human we make mistakes, not excuse, but we do make mistakes, we just do not do them again, and when we learn of our mistakes we turn to God, to our Savior, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. We live this life we have, but we do it by the guidance of the Holy Spirit that leads us to God's word for us to know sin, and to know what not to do, and what to do. We must do it: God will not! We are to walk in circumspect, that is to be prudent, to observe and to do. There is no alibi, there is no excuses, God will not accept them, we, and we only are responsible for our lives and for our obedience. God calls, you and I are to respond to that call. 

The LORD knoweth the days 

     of the upright: and their

inheritance shall be forever.

                 Psalm 37:18

To be the image of Jesus is obedience

Richard L. Crumb

 

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