Obedience The Sacrifice Acceptable By God

...which stood only in meats and drinds,

and divers washing, and carnal ordinances,

imposed on them until the time of

reformation. But Christ being come 

an high priest of good things to come,

by a greater and more perfect

tabernacle, not made with hands,

that is to say, not of this building;

neither by the blood of goats and calves,

but by His own blood He entered in 

once into the holy place, having

obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:10-12

     Let take a moment to meditate upon these verses: Jesus Christ is the High Priest that does not need a physical building and did enter into the Most Holy place in the tabernacle, the place where God has His presence, once for all eternity this entrance is done, final, never again to be repeated. This entrance into the greater tabernacle He was able to do by the shedding of His own blood, and not be meat, or drink, or any other animal as was needed to be performed by the tabernacle made by hands. The entrance into this greater tabernacle did what the tabernacle of could not do: redemption. Not a temporary redemption that needed to be repeated at least once a year by the high priest of Israel, but an eternal redemption once for all time: "For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sancitifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 10:13-14)? God accepted the sacrifices given by the ancient Hebrews but now a greater High Priest came and by the eternal Spirit (Notice that this word "Spirit" is not a neuter word in Greek, rather a masculine word, therefore it speaks that this "Spirit" was not just some power, rather God in the Third Person who alone Himself can accept the sacrifice of spotless blood by Jesus Christ"). If the old sacrifice could sanctify, how much more then can the blood of Jesus sanctify? How much greater is this event of the death of Jesus than the previous economy and dispensation of God in the ancient tabernacle? A person by their coming to God and offered a sacrifice by faith pleased God, and the high priest making intercession for sin pleased God and sanctification could be applied, how much more should we sacrifice ourselves to God? We are alive in Jesus Christ to serve Him. The question is: are you? What is this sacrifice that is acceptable to God? It is your obedience! The bringing of an animal,or fruit, or vegetable was done in obedience, and it is this obedience that is acceptable to God, nothing else albeit good and philanthropy. You must die to yourself, and anything and anyone who would attempt to cause you to think differently. Think upon this: "And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15). by means of the sacrifice given by the ancient Hebrew by faith he believed the promises of God. By means of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we have a sure promise of eternal life, and inheritance that only God Himself can give to anyone. Do you want a blessing? Good! Here it is: Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, a salvation of eternal life, and to receive an inheritance, and adoption by God. What else do you need? If God is God, then only God can give redemption, only by the action of God can there be a sure redemption, and Jesus being the High Priest under the dispensation of God gives redemption, and this is another testament to Him being God, the Second Person of the Godhead. The miracle of God is salvation. You cannot earn it, do anything to cause God to give it, but you can accept it, and you can convert to Him by denying yourself and picking up your cross and follow Him. God gives freely faith, and receive that faith upon acceptance and that faith grows as does your earthly sanctification by studying His word and applying His word in your life and this then is obedience, and obedience of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed for you, are you willing to sacrifice for Him?

Deliver thyself, O Zion,

     that dwellest with 

the daughter of Babylon.

             Zechariah 2:7

Sacrifice yourself by obedience

Richard L. Crumb

The Sacrifice Approved And Accepted By God

Now when these things were thus

ordained, the priests went always

into the first tabernacle, 

accomplishing the service of God.

but into the second went the

high priest alone once every year,

not without blood, which he offered

for himself, and for the errors of the

people; the Holy Spirit signifying, 

that the way into the holiest of all

was not yet made manifest, while

as the first tabernacle was yet 

standing: which was a figure for

the time then present, in which were

offered both gifts and sacrifices, that

could not make him that did the 

service perfect, as pertaining to the

conscience

Hebrews 9:6-9

     As we grow in knowledge we grow in our faith and in our continual growth in sanctification, we grow into Authentic Christians with Authentic Biblical Faith. Not just any knowledge, rather the knowledge that come by means of Scripture rightly translated and not be some man(s) presupposition founded on poor exegetical study. Many people throughout the years who aligned with Christianity did not thoroughly understand what God has revealed and added to what they learned what they believed a verse, or narrative, meant and taught this as truth. It is not that many of those men did not believe in Jesus Christ, or followed good Biblical morals, it is that they did believe and did attempt to be a "good" Christian. It is that they did not remove from their thinking error because that error fit their theological bent. Last blog I wrote about the Neo-Orthodox and how they followed teaching that was not Scriptural. It is not that those men as with Karl Barth and others did not believe that Jesus was our Savior and is God, it is that they added their own belief that is leading people to practice and believe what Scripture does not teach. Often there is a holding on to practices and beliefs of a denomination or religious body even while rejecting other practices and beliefs. Examples of this can be seen in such "Christian" Churches that teach Modalism, or teach mysticism, or the need to practice some spiritual gift: i.e., speaking in gibberish tongues, or healing ministries, or the need to empty oneself and to meditate in this emptiness (as do the Buddhist, and Hinduism religion teach), to teach a prosperity religion, etc., all of this not found in Scripture for an Authentic Christian to practice and believe. but it is taught as truth and many fall prey to such heresy. Take for instance Jehovah Witnesses founded by Charles Taze Russell who could not hold to the idea of hell as taught and practiced by other denominations, or that Jesus was God, and prophesied times for events that did not occur but then gave that problem a spiritual bent: they too call themselves, "Christian." The Greek Orthodox do not believe in "Sola Scriptora" among many other things and still, even though leaving the Roman Catholic Church, still have many of those same practices, albeit some are renamed. May not be heresy, but it is not according to Scripture. 

     Why all this about various doctrines and practices? The early Christians faced similar problems and those men inspired by the Holy Spirit to write wrote to confront error and they used Scripture to interpret Scripture and so should we do the same. 

     The writer of Hebrews is going about this problem in regards to who Jesus Christ is gives examples recorded in the Old Scripture that point to Jesus Christ. The tabernacle was a figure for something else, and that else was about Jesus Christ. The priests who serviced in that tabernacle did so to accomplish the will of God, the service that presented to God sacrifices for the people. Not that service or sacrifices made them perfect, this cannot be done by anything natural, rather to present to God in faith that His required sacrifice would be accepted for the sins of the people. Now, the most Holy Place where the high priest entered into once a year did so by bringing into that tabernacle blood, which he offered first for himself and then for the errors of the people. This sacrifice points to the sacrifice of blood offered on the cross by Jesus Christ and the picture of the old tabernacle was that the high priest had to do this once each year whereby Jesus only needed to sacrifice His blood once for all time. The picture was only a picture pointing to a future event. The sacrifices and gifts brought to the temple pictured a future event and they brought to the temple those things commanded by God in faith that they would do what they were intended to do: show their faith, to show that something was needed to remove from their sins but this had to be done regularly. With the actual, the reality of that which was pictured was that by Jesus pouring out His blood, and entering into the High Place sitting at the right hand of God there was no longer any sacrifice for sins needed: it was done once and for all time. 

     So, what are we to do? It is not by doing that saves you or removes sin from you so those teaching a doctrine of works are wrong and leading people to believe that they are accepted by God by means of their works are misled and have a different idea of God and of Jesus Christ than what is taught in Scripture. Jesus is the High Priest foreshadowed in the Old Testament, therefore, you must believe upon Him as to who He is and testified to be in Scripture, not man's idea. First, then, believe and you will be saved: "and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Upon our belief there must be manifested that this is authentic and this is done by obedience and by obedience your life becomes sanctified, not by doing some special work, rather by doing what we are commanded to do: live a life according to what Jesus laid out for all believers to live and that is found in Scripture rightly translated and interpreted, nothing added, do what Scripture says to do and do not do that which Scripture says not to do. Our natural self cringes at this but the natural must be turned into the spiritual be sacrifice. This does not mean works, no it is denying oneself and this is the true sacrifice to God, it means the deliberate commitment of yourself whom God has saved. Sanctification means more that deliverance from sin, it means the deliberate commitment of yourself, no matter what it costs, to God. Become a living sacrifice, sacrifice the natural to the spiritual otherwise you will be mocking God and will often cause a person to live an undisciplined life and refuse to discipline ourselves, physically, morally, or mentally. If not sacrificing yourself to God only ruin is ahead of your personal life for God. This may mean that you leave the denomination you are now in, or that religion that you are in, and as you come to know the difference between false teaching and truthful teaching you will not reach the level of being an Authentic Christian. This is serious business!

Only be thou strong and very

     courageous, that thou mayest

observe to do according to all the law,'

    which Moses my servant commanded thee:

turn not from it to the right hand or to the

    left, that thou mayest prosper 

whithersoever thou goest.

                      Joshua 1:7

Obedience God's requirement

Richard L. Crumb

Why Study The Events Of The Bible?

 Then verily the first covenant 

has also ordinances of divine 

service, and a worldly sanctuary.

For there was a tabernacle made;

the first, wherein was the

candlestick, and the table,

and the shewbread; which is

called the sanctuary. And after

the second veil, the tabernacle

which is called the Holiest of all; 

which had the golden censer,

and the ark of the covenant overlaid

round about with gold,wherein

was the golden pot that had manna,

and Aaron's rod that budded, and

the tables of the covenant; and 

over it the cherubiums of glory

shadowing the mercy seat; of 

which we cannot now speak particularly.

Hebrews 9:1-5

 

     The writer of Hebrews previously gave the narrative of Melchisedec and how he symbolized Jesus Christ. This picture of Melchisedec, a person well known by the Hebrew people as this narrative would have been part of the teaching throughout the history of the Hebrews for he was a major part of the narrative about Abraham their father. While these men, Abraham, and Melchisedec lived their lives the one thing that stands out above all other things was their faith in God, not the gods of the nations round about, but the true God Jehovah. They did not know that they were to be illustrations of our faith and of Jesus Christ. What these men knew was that God was real, and that God led their lives. Abraham pictures faith in the unknown (he left the land of Chaldea to go to a place he did not know but would be shown) and he made mistakes along the way and when he recognized his mistakes he repented, not to just say he was sorry, but he repented, turned around his life and gave it all to God. What a picture of God's mercy and how we should view our sins and what we ought to do when we realize we have sinned against a Holy God. Melchisedec pictured Jesus Christ and the writer of Hebrews used this to prove that Jesus was the Messiah for He too had no beginning (yes He was born of a woman and as man He had a beginning and an end in death), and no ending, He was eternal. Melchisedec had a beginning, when we do not know, and an end, when we do not know, yet he lived on this earth as a man, a man of God, a man of peace, a priest of God, homage was to be given to him as king. As Abraham gave to Melchisedec we too are to give to the One whom Melchisedec pictured, Jesus Christ, our King, and Priest. 

     Now the writer of Hebrews having given why we are to believe that Jesus is the Messiah he turns his attention to the tabernacle, the service required and how this pictures more than just a tent, or just a service, it pictures something that we need to heed and see how it applies to Jesus Christ and our faith. Too often, as is done with the list of genealogies in the Old Testament, these verses are passed over and other more easily accepted verses are expounded and when this is done there is a lost of valuable understanding of our faith. This is a waterdowning preaching and the people are left without be led to a faith that will increase and a way to be able to defend their faith properly. 

     A few years ago while I was attending as a student at a local "Christian" university I overheard one of the professors give much praise to a man that has had great influence among pastors and teachers so I took time to examine this man, Karl Barth (1886-1968). Karl Barth was a Swiss theologian in the Reformed tradition and a vigorous opponent of theological liberalism and modernism and is known as "the father of Neo-Orthodoxy." On the surface this sounds good, but is it good or is it something that we must avoid as it may have led to false teaching. Have you been under the influence of Neo-Orthodoxy teaching? You may not know because you do not know about it, and it is not spoken about in your Church. So, why might this teaching be a problem? 

     A good concise definition to aid you to grasp the Neo-Orthodox view is to see how they view Scripture, and the inspiration of Scripture. Wikipedia summarized this very well:

The Neo-orthodox doctrine of inspiration is summarized by saying that the Bible is “the word of God” but not “the words of God”. It is only when one reads the text that it becomes the word of God to him or her. This view is a reaction to the Modernist doctrine, which, Neo-orthodox proponents argue, eroded the value and significance of the Christian faith, and simultaneously a rejection of the idea of textual inerrancy. Karl Barth and Emil Brunner were primary advocates of this doctrine.

This teaching has denigrated expository preaching because in the view of Barth what is said is more important than the written words of Scripture and that they were completely accurate in every way. Preaching today is more about "tickling" the ears than teaching accurately God's word and causes people to put their faith in other things than in God.
It is not that the Neo-Orthodox do not hold to a fervent passion for Jesus Christ that comes from an encounter with Him, it is that it does not come form an acceptance of propositional truth. This is a dichotomy between event and proposition and is false. The Bible is to be studied its propositions with fervor for we are to love God with our minds and our heart. This involves the study of propositional truth. There is a need for authoritative, propositional interpretation of the events in the Bible. Did not Jesus Christ be revealed in those events and the events of His life? Without the propositional interpretation of those event how would we ever come to fully understand them? What is meant by propositional interpretation? It is to look at a statement (which is being done in this blog) which something is affirmed or denied, so that it can therefore be significantly characterized as true or false. Did not Jesus reveal Himself in the events that happened to Him to prove His Messiahship and to be the Savior? Yes! (read Luke 24:36-49). How can we fully understand them if we do not propositional interpret those events from Scripture if we do not hold to the infallibility and innerancy of Scripture? We cannot! The apostles gave witness concerning Jesus Christ and reported about the events surrounding Jesus Christ and they wrote about it in a manner that we can come to understand and have joy to the full (1John 1:4b). God has given us His word, those narratives that we can come to know Him as He is revealed in Scripture: "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" (1John 5:20). 
     It must be remembered that Authentic Christian Faith is not to just merely assent to propositions, it is also a living and active trust in Jesus Christ. We cannot separate these two things for, nor can we really trust in Jesus Christ without truly assenting to Scripture's teaching and without this trust in Jesus and our trust cannot fully be trust without being persuaded by Biblical propositions. All this so we can have a firm foundation for trusting in Jesus. 
      I will give more on this in future blogs as this is very important to our faith, a true Authentic Biblical Faith. It may be somewhat tedious but will give you a firm foundation for your faith.

Until I went into the sanctuary
    of God; then understood I
their end.
      Thou shalt guide me with 
thy counsel, and afterward
     to receive me to glory.
                 Psalm 73:17, 24

Allow God to guide you by His word

Richard L. Crumb
      


 

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