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Lesson for July 13, 2014
The Book of Hebrews
Chapter 2:10-13
Verse 10
“For it was fitting for Him, for Whom are all things, and through Whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the Author of their salvation through sufferings.”
God the Holy Spirit shows us the reason for the previous verse. We see Jesus crowned because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and we see Him seated at the right hand of the Father. The Author of salvation is Jesus Christ. Salvation was accomplished on the Cross (through sufferings) and is the means for bringing many sons (believers) to glory (eternal life in Heaven). This accomplishment by Jesus Christ was part of God the Father’s plan for the human race (it was fitting for Him). (Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:13-19)
The Greek word for perfect is “teleioo”and means to accomplish an objective, to cross a goal line. It doesn’t mean you are perfect when you cross the goal line. The goal line is Operation Footstool where Jesus Christ overthrows Satan and supersedes him as the ruler of this world. Christ is already wearing the crown but He won’t have the kingdom until its citizenship is complete. To perfect would be better translated “to bring to the objective.” The Father brings His Son to the objective/objectives. The first objective for the Son is to go to the Cross so that He might have an eternal kingdom made up of believers. So, the Father’s objective for Christ was to take on human form, live a sinless life and pay the penalty for sin on the Cross. It was also the objective of God the Father to bring believers to glory. We go to glory (ours) because of the sufferings of Christ on our behalf.
Verse 11-13
“For both He Who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim Thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in Him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”
We enter into union with Jesus Christ at salvation through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus Christ was on the Cross he said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He was forsaken because He was paying the penalty of sin. The penalty of sin is spiritual death. He was paying the penalty in full for the entire human race. He was “made sin for us,” and He was separated from God even as the first Adam was at the point of his original sin. So, the One doing the sanctifying is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the One Who solved the problem that man created by his sin. When Adam became negative toward God, and the Fall occurred, man became spiritually dead, which is the penalty of sin. And when Adam became spiritually dead he forfeited the rulership of the world and created a kingdom for Satan to rule. However, Jesus Christ purchased the future rulership of the world for Himself at the Cross.
Christ was also alone on the Cross. He was bearing our sins and taking our place. He was forsaken by most of those who loved him and was totally and completely alone. When Jesus Christ was resurrected and ascended He was the only member of the human race to have a resurrection body. However, the next group to get a resurrection body will be His bride (the Church) at the resurrection that will occur at the Rapture. When the Church Age is over, the body of Christ is going to do exactly what Christ did – rise and ascend into Heaven. Then, Christ will no longer be alone; He will now have His bride. Later He will come back with His bride to the earth to take the kingdom of this world away from Satan. So, the One sanctifying is Jesus Christ, and He is the One who makes it possible for members of the human race to be set apart to God and join His family. We are in union with Him and in the future we will have a resurrection body exactly like His. The one being sanctified, then, is the bride of Christ, which is the body of believers in the Church Age. So the One Who sanctifies is Jesus Christ; the ones being sanctified are Church Age believers.
The principle is that in His humiliation of bearing our sins Jesus Christ was definitely said to be alone; prophetically, Psalm 22:1; historically, Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34. But in His glorification He has to have someone with whom to share His glory (a King must have a kingdom). The first man Adam had a glory; he was the ruler of this world. So as the ruler of this world it was not good for him to be alone, and he wasn’t. God the Son provided for Adam a bride. The last Adam, Jesus Christ is also going to rule, therefore God the Father provides for Jesus Christ what Jesus Christ provided for the first Adam — a bride. The bride in the first case was a woman and the bride in the second case is all believers of the Church Age.
Since both Jesus Christ and all believers of the Church Age are members of the Royal Family of God, He (Christ) is not ashamed to call us brethren (family). God’s grace found a way for Him not to be ashamed of any believer. The writer of Hebrews then quoted prophetic passages from the Old Testament regarding this unique relationship. (Psalms 22:22; Isaiah 8:17-18) The quotation, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” spoken by Christ on the Cross is from Psalm 22:1 and is followed by verses that bring us to Psalms 22:22 which is quoted here. In the midst of the congregation meant the assembly of Israel when David wrote the book of Psalms. When they were together David praised the Lord. So this was the original response of David as the writer of Psalm 22, in the middle of the congregation of Israel. But here, now that it has its prophetical significance fulfilled in the Church Age, we translate it “in the middle of the church.”
We also have a quotation from Isaiah 8:17-18. The quotation from Isaiah 8:17, which comes first presents the human side. Isaiah 8:18 is the divine side of the same picture. And again is a special way of introducing a quotation from the Old Testament which occurs twice. The first “and again” — Isaiah 8:17, indicates we have a permanent result in the Church Age of every believer being part of the bride of Christ. How do you become a bride of Christ? (Answer: By believing in Jesus Christ) Isaiah 8:17 is quoted to indicate the permanence of the relationship. You are a part of the bride of Christ forever as of the moment you believed in Him. The object of faith is Jesus Christ.
The divine side is quoted from Isaiah 8:18 and “I” refers to Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father. The moment you believed in Jesus Christ was the moment when God the Father gave you to Jesus Christ as a part of His bride. Every believer has been given to Jesus Christ by God the Father. In the Church Age the believer becomes part of the “body” of Christ (the universal church) and will be the “Bride of Christ” in the future. It is this act that secures forever the believer’s eternal life and assures us that we can never lose our salvation. The believers are said to be the sheep and Christ is the shepherd. In other words, God the Father has given the Son a “flock.” (John 10:1-39)
Christ the Good Shepherd
(Psalms 23:1-4)
The corrected translation of Psalms 23:1 is, “Jehovah is the one shepherding me, I cannot lack for anything.” Jehovah (Jesus Christ) is the one shepherding the believer. (John 10:11) Sheep are totally helpless if left alone. They cannot guide themselves – we are guided under the filling (control) of the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13-14) Sheep cannot clean themselves – we are cleansed by the Holy Spirit when we acknowledge our sins. (I John 1:9) If sheep are injured, they are helpless without the shepherd – the believer is helpless without the Chief Shepherd. (God is a very present help in time of trouble. Psalms 9:9; 46:1) Sheep are defenseless – we are defenseless without protection from God (John 14:27) Sheep cannot find food or water alone – the Holy Spirit leads us to spiritual food and water (the Word of God). (John 14:26) Sheep are easily frightened – Bible doctrine circulating in our souls calms us. (John 14:16-17) Sheep produce wool that belongs to the shepherd – all that we have belongs to our Shepherd. (John 15:4-5) God always provides life support and blessing to every believer. (I Corinthians 6:1; II Timothy 2:1; II Peter 5:12) Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, Who gives His life for the sheep. (Positional Sanctification – John 10:9-11) Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd, Who is risen from the dead. (Experiential Sanctification – Hebrews 13:20-21) Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd, Who is coming in glory. (Ultimate Sanctification – I Peter 5:4)
Grace Blessing Based on Capacity in Time
Psalms 23:2 speaks of a relaxed mental attitude as a result of Bible doctrine resident in the soul. Rest and tranquility of soul come through the utilization of the Faith-Rest Drill (claiming the promises of God by faith). The corrected translation of Psalms 23:2 is, “He causes me to have a relaxed mental attitude, He leads me to His Word for spiritual food which refreshes my soul.”
Restoration to Fellowship and Momentum
In Psalms 23:3 the Hebrew word for restores is “shuh” and means, “to turn back or return to the Lord.” When the sin nature is in control of the soul, the believer is commanded to turn back to the Lord. The source of temptation to sin is the sin nature, but human volition is the source of all personal sin. Temptation is not a sin, but succumbing to the temptation is a sin. There are two categories of personal sins: sins of cognizance and sins of ignorance. The believer is responsible for both categories of sin.
There are also two categories of temptation: temptation to sin and temptation to evil. Sin is any thought, motivation or action that violates the laws of God. Evil is a series of sins following a pattern of arrogance, which leads to rebellion against God (it can be legalism or lasciviousness). After the soul of the believer is restored to fellowship, he is mandated to keep moving toward spiritual maturity. (I John 1:9; Matthew 6:33) The translation of Psalms 23:3 is, “He restores my soul to fellowship with Him and leads me in the ways of righteousness which glorifies His name.”
Dying and Living Grace
The corrected translation of Psalms 23:4 is, “In addition to this, when I walk through a death-shadowed valley, I cannot fear wrath, disease, adversity or disaster because Jesus Christ is with me, His rod of discipline keeps me on track and His staff of protection and guidance comforts me.” Even in the “death-shadowed valley” the advancing believer can have the capacity for dying as a result of capacity for living. Capacity for living develops capacity for dying. (I Corinthians 15:55-57) The Bible says, “Perfect peace drives out fear,” which is a result of proper execution of your spiritual life. (I John 4:18) Evil in this passage refers to wrath, disease, adversity, disaster, etc. When God is allowed to control your life in every circumstance, you will fear nothing that man can do to you. (I Peter 1:3-9: Psalms 56:3-4) The rod represents divine discipline to keep us on track. The staff represents protection and guidance.
As Christ’s “flock,” it is important to remember that all three members of the Godhead are intimately involved in our daily lives. Our understanding of the Trinity (or Godhead) affects our understanding of Christology, the doctrine of the Person and work of Christ. It also affects our understanding of Pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, our power source. Understanding the Godhead and the role of each member is essential to a believer’s ability to live the Christian Way of Life. (Psalms 110:1; John 10:30)
The Trinity does not mean that there are “three gods in one.” The Trinity does mean that there is “one God existing as three persons”. Each person of the Trinity is co-equal, co-eternal and co-infinite and possesses the same nature. Each person of the Trinity is a separate person who possesses the same attributes individually. Each person of the Trinity has a distinct purpose that is related to God’s eternal plan. For example, the Father is the planner and source of all things, the Son is the executor of the Father’s plan and the Holy Spirit is the revealer of the plan to mankind and the power for him to execute it. (Matthew 28:19)
The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible; it is a technical, theological word to describe the Godhead. It is a concept unique to Christianity and is established in both the Old and the New Testaments. Even the Hebrew word for God (Elohim) in Genesis 1:1 is a plural noun used with a singular verb asserting that all persons of the Trinity took part in Creation. In Genesis 1:26-27 we see the phrase “Let us make man in our image…” indicating the Trinity. (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2)
All three members of the Godhead possess identical attributes. These attributes are Sovereignty, Righteousness, Justice, Love, Eternal Life, Veracity, Immutability, Omnipresence, Omnipotence and Omniscience. When a believer understands who God is, by learning about His attributes and perfect character, he can begin to build a stable foundation of inner happiness and peace. This foundation, based on God’s character, will sustain the believer in adversity and in prosperity. Relying upon God’s character results in good decisions and actions regardless of life’s circumstances.
It must be remembered that God’s attributes work in harmony. For example, Righteousness and Justice work in harmony with Love in answer to “How can a loving God send someone to hell?” God’s righteousness and justice demand a penalty for man’s sin and God’s love provides the payment – Jesus Christ. Once the salvation solution is accepted, God’s other attributes become operational in the life of the believer. (John 3:18)