Welcome to The Hebrews Bible Study!
Welcome to the Bible Study I’m hosting on the Book of Hebrews!
Every Tuesday of this summer, we’ll be looking at one chapter of Hebrews and pulling truths from each.
Here’s how it’s going to work:
Christians, Other People Are Not the Real Enemy.
Christians, other people are not the real enemy.
In the crazy world we live in, its so easy to think that everyone hates us, everyone opposes us, and we’re the only ones that are “right.”
It’s easy to stand back and judge the world, those people who we refer to as our “enemies.”
And yeah, we probably have good reason to.
The people that want to take away our freedoms – freedoms to speak and think as we please – those people, well, they’re not our favorite.
But those very same people that we’re shouting “You’re the enemy!” at, we’re simultaneously judging. And that’s not okay.
Continue reading “Christians, Other People Are Not the Real Enemy.”
There Is Always Grace
I’ve been really stressed out this week.
You’d think that for a girl who wrote about stress as the very first topic in her book, that I’d be all set.
But I’m not.
People that try to say that stress is nonexistent are wrong, because it totally does exist. And I’m wary to admit it, but stress does consume me sometimes, especially on weeks like this.
(I promise I won’t talk about my problems too much; I just want to give you guys some background.)
Most of you know that I’m doing Camp NaNoWriMo this month. I was doing great, but then I had a week of driver’s ed.
That was all last week. Six hours a day, five days in a row, on what was supposed to be my vacation. It wasn’t terrible, it really wasn’t, but it completely sapped my energy and I wrote a total of 300 words in that entire week, when I can usually write 300 in ten minutes. A writing rut, folks.
*cue dramatic sighing*
Plus, I have some things going on Friday through next week and I’m a little frazzled.
Well, maybe “a little” is an understatement. But I digress.
The point I want to make here is that as Christians, we try to come up with all these “cures” and “reliefs” for stress, when in reality, we’re only masking the problems. Things like “believing harder” or “confessing our sinfulness” or something.
We’re not really dealing with the issue of being stressed, we’re just telling ourselves that we shouldn’t be. But that isn’t fixing anything.
Before you write me off as super-religious, vague, and unhelpful, let me attempt to explain what I mean.
Stress, in and of itself, is not bad. In fact, it can be helpful when trying to achieve a goal. Deadlines are beneficial, and a little extra adrenaline never hurt anyone. Stress can motivate us to just do it.
But the scary part comes in when we’re so overwhelmed by stress that we let it overtake us. We let our feelings consume us and blind us to the hope we have.
Instead of letting stress dictate how we live our lives, we can live in grace. We can know that failing does not make us failures, as I wrote about on Saturday. We can know that we are loved no matter what we do, instead of thinking that our worth is based on our performance. We can know that nothing can separate us from Christ’s love.
I believe that much of our stresses revolve around having to get things done.
For me, this week, it’s studying enough for my test on Monday, completing 6,000 more words before Saturday, and juggling life on top of that.
Part of me is screaming “I CAN’T DO ALL THIS!” because it probably is too much, in the first place. But the other part of me is listening to the lies that are telling me it’s the end of the world if:
1) I fail my test,
2) I don’t get 6k written by the end of the week,
3) I miss another commitment,
4) I keep forgetting to respond to my emails,
5) I don’t write one blog post,
6) I let my friends down,
7) I don’t get to read quickly through the books people are depending on me to review.
I have this weight that’s pulling me down, because I feel like I have to do everything, and everything flawlessly. Is that possible? No. Do I make myself try anyway, and crush myself in the process? Why yes, yes I do. Is it smart or wise? Absolutely not. Do I know this? Yes, I do.
So what is wrong with me???
I have let stress overtake me and affect my thoughts.
I have decided to forget the truths in the Bible that remind me that I need not be perfect. I’ve forgotten the fact that my sins, NEVERMIND MY TEENY LITTLE MISTAKES, were all covered at The Cross. I’ve forgotten that the problems of the world are not my own, that I’m not responsible for other people, that it won’t kill off the world’s population if I take a little break from blogging.
God’s truths of grace and love do not depend on how well I live my life. If they did, I’d be in trouble. His grace stands in the places where I need it most, and His love endures when I feel the most unlovable.
Maybe I’m writing this post just for me today. Maybe I’m the only one that needs to remember that stress doesn’t have to control every hour of my life.
Maybe I’m the only one that needs a reminder of renewed grace for each day. Maybe I’m the only one that needs to be encouraged, especially when I do fail (because I’m very far from perfect).
Maybe I’m the only one that needs to be reminded to do MY best, and not necessarily expect myself to do THE best. I’ll do the best I can, but not beat myself up over what I wasn’t capable of.
But if that’s you too, please know that you’re not alone.
If you’re stressed out of your mind, I won’t try to “fix it,” I’ll only say this. You are not alone. You do not have to handle everything yourself; take some pressure off. And I promise, there is always grace for you.
*aj
You Are Not a Failure. I Promise.
I don’t know when exactly the thought enters our minds, but somewhere along the line, it just creeps in.
You are a failure.
Maybe we’ve overcommitted (I know I have) and been unsuccessful in getting everything done well or on time. Maybe we just didn’t live up to the standards we put on ourselves.
Maybe we think the reason why we’re single is that we’re failures; not pretty enough, not charming enough, too awkward or dumb, or just bad at this whole “life on earth” thing.
Maybe we’ve flunked multiple tests in a row. Been rejected by those whom we once thought were friends. Made poor decisions that affected more than just our own selves.
Maybe we’ve been hurt by others and led to believe that it was our fault. That if we had just [insert action here]-ed, we would not have had to go through our pain.
But, my friend, none of those things makes you a failure.
You are not a failure; I promise you that. Sure, bad decisions can be made, and things can be done to harm us. But we are not considered failures by the One who saved us.
Our failures do not determine our worth, just as our sins do not condemn us now. Why? Because we have been redeemed, and we are loved no matter what.
Just as swimming doesn’t make me a fish, eating carrots doesn’t make me a bunny, and growing doesn’t make me a plant, failing does not make me a failure.
Because I have been redeemed by Jesus’ blood, my God does not count me as a failure.
Sure, I’ll fail. I’ll fail tests, I’ll fail to live up to people’s expectations, I’ll fail to please the people I love, I’ll fail to be perfect, I’ll fail to meet my goals I set for myself.
But it’s okay. Because God does not see me as a failure.
He sees the righteousness of His Son in me.
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
He has overwritten my old nature and given me a new one, that my past might not stain me.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
I am called a Child of God.
Romans 8:15
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
Maybe you’re tempted to call yourself a “failure” or a “disappointment” or you’re constantly beating yourself up over what you’ve done, and possibly what you’re still doing.
But no matter who you are or what you’ve done, God’s grace covers you, no exceptions.
It’s okay to drop your labels and just come to Him. Come as you are. Messy pieces and all.
And I want you to know that once you have been forgiven, you will never be considered by God to be a failure.
No.
You are a holy Child of God. You are sacred, you are His. You are cherished. You are considered blameless before Him. Nothing, and I repeat nothing, can take His love away from you.
And even when you fail, He does not see you as a failure.
*aj
“Why Do You Seek The Living Among The Dead?”
It’s been a few weeks since Easter. Spring has pretty much sprung, and the excitement around Eastertime has mostly faded.
But it doesn’t cease to be my favorite holiday.
See, while we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, we also celebrate the Resurrection of ourselves. Let me elaborate.
When Jesus died, we died with Him. Our sin was totally, 100% paid in full. Why? In order that we might be freed from sin’s control over us and the condemnation that comes with it.
Romans 6:4-6
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
And because we have died with Christ, He has raised us and given us new life. We are alive and free.
We have new life, and therefore, we are to walk in that newness. While I was contemplating this concept, a verse came to mind.
On Easter Sunday morning, three days after Jesus died, some women went to His tomb with spices to honor His body. Upon finding it, they were made aware that His body was gone.
The angel outside the tomb met them and said this, as it tells us here in Luke 24:5b. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” And in verse 24:6 “He is not here, but has risen.”
That’s my question for us. Why do we seek the living among the dead?
In other words, why do we act as though we are still dead in our sins when we have been raised to life?
Why do we walk crippled and in defeat when Jesus has been victorious already?
Why do we forget this verse?
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Christ lives in us, so not only do we not have to live in defeat, but we can live in victory.
We are not dead. We are not enslaved to sin. We are not controlled by the very thing that condemns us.
We are alive. We have hope. We have assurance of salvation and victory.
1 Corinthians 15:57
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
So why do we seek the living among the dead? Why do we forget that we are, in fact, alive, and God sees us as sinless?
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
God does not regard us according to the flesh, that is, our sin. So why do we do it to ourselves and others?
Simply because we see the imperfections in our own lives. But we need not dwell on them. If God sees us as new, why should we treat ourselves as if we’re dead? If God sees us in victory, why should we see ourselves as if we’re failures?
We shouldn’t.
We are not dead; we are alive with Christ. Let us live in light of that. Let us live constantly in the Word of God, seeing how He sees us. Let us live in the joy of our salvation, rejoicing in what HE has done for us. Let us live with a focus not on ourselves, but on God. When our focus is on Him, it is not on our sin, but on His perfection manifested in us.
Romans 6:10
“For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”
To live a life “alive to Christ” is to let go of our old nature, and to embrace the magnificence of how God sees us. We are new, and there is no condemnation for us.
Romans 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
*aj
Joy in Anything
Happy Tuesday, friends!
Back in January, I wrote a post called Don’t Regret Where You Are. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite posts I’ve written on Scattered Journal Pages. (Go check it out if you haven’t read it yet!)
It came from a time when I was really questioning who I was. I don’t mean that I was feeling that when I wrote it, but I did deal with those feelings for a few years. That voice in my head that whispered to me when I was in the middle of so many changes, saying “Am I really doing what I’m supposed to?”
So today, while I’m not experiencing this question in my mind, I thought I’d talk about the flipside of this equation. Not just refraining from regretting what you’ve done and resenting where you are, but thriving in the place that you’re in and finding joy it.
When I was five, I told my cousin I wanted to be an actress and a singer when I grew up. Am I an actress? Not by any stretch, though I like to pretend I am. (That and a secret agent. But that’s a story for another time.) But am I a singer? Well, kind of. What once terrified me is what I now do on a regular basis, in front of real live people at church.
And when I think about this, as much as it can make me happy, it’s accompanied by a bittersweet feeling. Because as much as I do love music, and practically live at my piano, I haven’t played my guitar in a whole year. *winces*
And sometimes, that just upsets me. I taught myself how to play when I was twelve, and I’ll be sixteen on Saturday. (*insert happy dance*) I played guitar almost every day. I led worship every other week for my youth group with one of my closest friends.
I played guitar for three years…and then I just kind of stopped. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. But now, it seems I don’t have the time to pick up one more thing – or even the motivation.
And so many times I equate what I can do with my self-worth. It’s absolutely ridiculous, I know. But don’t we all do it?
Sometimes I tell myself that if I were to have kept up with guitar, playing local venues regularly, I would have gotten “discovered,” or something like that.
However, if I hadn’t played the piano so much instead, I wouldn’t necessarily have been able to do music at my church, because the worship is piano-based.
And whenever I hear those whispers in my head that tell me I’m doing the wrong thing and could be better off doing something else, I have to shut them down and replace them with truth.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that there is a time for everything. Just like Ecclesiastes 3 says.
If I had chosen different things to fill my time this year, I would not have gotten the incredible opportunities that I have now.
So many things have changed in my life this year, and I’ve had to just roll with them. But instead of looking at all the differences as miserable, I can find joy in all things, as Philippians 4 show us.
Because God’s power is not affected by our weakness.
His love is not dependent on our performance.
His grace is never invalidated by our doubts.
God’s presence is not determined by our faithfulness, but on His character.
His promises are unconditional.
And His plans are always best.
And no matter what we choose to do, God will be with us through it.
Instead of moping in what we’re going through, we should make the best of it. When difficulty rolls in, let us use those times as chances to grow. Chances to trust God more. To know Him even when darkness surrounds us.
Jeremiah 29:11 says,
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
God works through the choices we make. Instead of regretting what we did or didn’t do, let us see our lives as beautiful.
Let us look for God’s hand in everything we encounter, and see trials through the eyes of someone who can grow through them.
And instead of filling ourselves with bitterness over where we are, let us find joy in the incredible grace of God.
*aj
Easter, Repentance, and a Change of Focus
Hey, friends.
This post was originally going to be longer than it is now, but the first half of my post disappeared into thin air at midnight. Not sure how, but it did.
Anyway, because tomorrow is Easter, I wanted to talk about what it really means, the significance of forgiveness, and how repentance fits into all of it.
Easter is my favorite holiday because we celebrate being forgiven. This forgiveness – the forgiveness of sins – gives us eternal life in Christ. I tweeted this yesterday:
Easter is about life – eternal life, yes, but also our lives now.
Furthermore, I wanted to continue the discussion I started on Tuesday about repentance.
After reading the post multiple times, and reading the wonderful, thought-provoking comments you all left, I wanted to clarify a few things.
I’m not at all against repentance, if that’s what I seemed to imply in Tuesday’s post. For if we deliberately harbor sin in our hearts, we will of course damage our relationship with God. I’m not bashing confession in the sense that I think that we should never come to God about our wrongdoings.
In fact, that’s not it at all.
I only hope to lead us away from an obsession with repentance, one in which we’re constantly walking on eggshells is the Christian life. I don’t think we should live a life in which we’re so obsessed with trying to do what’s right that we make sure we fess up every single time we think we might have done something wrong.
To be totally honest, I don’t believe that’s what God has for us.
We are called to freedom and grace, and no longer do we live under a yoke of slavery to sin.
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Instead of living trapped to a life of “try hard>>fail>>confess>>do it all over again,” let us live in grace. Instead of legalism, let us listen to the Holy Spirit.
Now, that’s all well and good in talking about it, but how do we actually carry it out?
What does it really look like to live under grace?
1) Get to know God by reading the Bible.
I’ve written a few posts on this topic. Post 1, Post 2, and Post 3 (in reverse chronological order). The Bible is a blessing, not a burden. But it takes more than just hearing people say that for it to become true for us. Read the New Testament for a fresh view on grace, starting in Romans. You’ll see things differently. You’ll see the contrast between God and man, and how Jesus didn’t just “wipe our slates clean,” He gave us whole new slates.
2) Submit to the work of the Holy Spirit.
You know that nudge you feel when you know God’s calling you to do something? Listen to it. Go talk to that new kid and be their friend. Share your faith with that cousin of yours. Go step out in faith to do something that you feel God wants you to do, even if it seems crazy.
Do you feel God calling you to start a YouTube channel or blog about your faith? Do it! Do you feel like you’re being called to vocational ministry? Pursue that. The Holy Spirit speaks in subtle ways, but by following His leading, we are following God’s will.
3) Continue to pray for a passion for the Gospel.
Pray all the time. Pray that you’d have a desire to live for God. Pray that you’d be used by Him. Pray that He’d show you His plan for your life. Pray that He’d use you in the lives of others. Pray that He would equip you to share your faith – even when it’s absolutely terrifying.
Prayer helps us to advance in our relationship with God, and through it, we come to trust Him more and more.
We don’t need to overemphasize repentance because as we live in submission to the Holy Spirit and our new nature, the desire to sin will decrease.
We don’t need to overemphasize repentance because Jesus’ death has pardoned our sin and given us a new nature.
We don’t need to overemphasize repentance because God does not see our sin when He looks at us – He sees Jesus’ righteousness.
When we’re in the Bible consistently, we see the significance of things like Easter. The Resurrection. Forgiveness that washes away every last one of our sins.
When we keep our ears tuned to what we feel God is leading us to do, we live a fruitful life, and not one of destruction.
When we keep in communication with God through prayer, and see that He answers our prayers, our relationship with Him grows.
Simply, a change of focus is what we need. A focus on the finished work of Christ as opposed to the filthiness of our sins. And so often, that makes a world of difference.
Happy Easter, everyone. Instead of getting caught up in simple traditions, let us remember the true meaning of it all – of sacrifice, of forgiveness, and above all, of hope.
*aj
Why I Don’t Talk Much About Repentance
This week, I’ve really had something on my heart.
After reading a blog post on the importance of repentance, and realizing I tend to avoid the topic on my blog, I decided it best for me to explain my reasons behind not talking about it much.
I am not anti-repentance. For us to let go of our pride and accept what we know we could not earn – salvation – is a truly powerful thing.
However, I believe that we Christians often overemphasize the teaching of repentance where it really does not belong.
For starters, Hebrews 6:1 refers to repentance as an elementary doctrine. Elementary means simple. Baseline. Something that’s a building block.
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God[.]”
This verse in Hebrews tells us to leave the elementary doctrine of repentance. I believe this is such an important point, and I’ll elaborate in order to explain what I mean, though it seems confusing at first.
When we get saved, we’re usually told to repent of our sins (though I believe it’s more accurate to tell people to acknowledge the fact that they’re sinners, not to repent of every sin they’ve ever committed). We’re told to repent and receive forgiveness. But that’s not all.
We’re then told that when we sin, we must confess it to God in order to stay right with Him.
But wait a minute. I don’t see how that’s actually accurate.
We believe that Jesus died to pay for our sins, right? And we believe that He was the perfect sacrifice, covering every single one of our wrongdoings: past, present, and future, correct?
When we put such an emphasis on repenting for every one of our sins, we underscore ourselves. Going with the idea that we must apologize to God for every sin we commit after we’re saved, does that mean that if we die without confessing our last sin, we’ll go to Hell?
I know we don’t mean this, or I surely hope we don’t. What about what Jesus said, in John 10:28?
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
No one will snatch them out of my hand. That, my friends, is assurance of salvation. That when we put our trust in Jesus for salvation, we cannot lose that.
When we put such an emphasis on ourselves, and on making sure we don’t sin without confessing it, we forget about God’s grace.
Do we remember what Galatians 2:20-21 says?
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
Paul points out a few imperative things here.
1) Sin’s controlling power does not live any longer, for it is Christ’s righteousness that lives in us.
2) We live by faith, not by ‘trying harder.’
3) Our right-standing with God is not through us obeying the law; it is by grace. For if it were, Christ died pointlessly.
What’s the central message of this? Living under grace. God knows we’re not perfect, and that’s why Jesus came! For what other reason would He have come to earth? To be a ‘good moral teacher?’ No!
If we put such an emphasis on post-salvation repentance, we disregard God’s grace. We disregard the fact that when we received salvation, the righteousness of JESUS HIMSELF was poured out on us. Our sins have been removed from us completely.
See, the Bible even explicitly states it in Psalm 103:12.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
Colossians 2:13-14
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
Have you ever forgiven someone for something they’ve done to hurt you, but they still apologize profusely, even after you have assured them that it’s all good? When that happens with me, I just want to say, “Chill out! I forgive you, and we don’t need to keep revisiting what you did. I don’t hold it against you; can we move on?”
I think we forget that it’s a bit like that with God.
Jesus has forgiven all of our sins. God has pardoned every last one of them. By forcing people to repent of every sin (the ones that Jesus’ blood has already covered), we minimize the power of the cross.
We make it about us, instead of making it about Him.
And while I definitely have more to say on this, I’ll leave you with this thought in closing:
We are forgiven already. Let us move on from stressing repentance, and let’s stress His grace instead and see how important it is to live filled with the Spirit.
Come back on Saturday for part 2, where I’ll be digging deeper into what repentance should mean for us, and how to live in grace in a biblical sense.
*aj
Scattered Journal Pages 