FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE FIRST
PRINCIPLES - XVI
Hebrews 6:7 For the earth
which drinks in the rain that comes oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet
for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from Elohim:
8 But that which
bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to
be burned.
9 But,
beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany
salvation, though we thus speak.
THOUGH
WE THUS SPEAK
Last week, we ended with this comment:
Moving on to perfection may not be an option; but wisdom
would compel you to try.
Last
week, we focused on the message that followed the verses setting forth the
elementary (first) principles of the doctrine of Messiah:
Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were
made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 And have tasted the good
word of IAUE, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of IAUE afresh, and put him to an open shame.
There
have been many teachers since the resurrection of Messiah and the completion of
the canon of scriptures we now call the Bible; who have attempted to suggest
that this warning does not and could not apply to actual believers in Messiah. I
have heard all manner of fanciful contortions of the clear instruction of this
passage; even Greek scholars trying to explain that the word “IF” in this
passage means, “IF it were possible, but it is not.” Sadly, millions through the centuries have
believed their lies, reinforcing their selfish lives to ignore the one clarion
call given to all who would be called a disciple of the Master, Yahushua
Messiah to DO THE WILL OF IAUE.
We
must remember that this passage of Scripture is actually a command to receive
the revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah provided through these six
first principles and move on unto perfection.
“…leaving the principles…let us go on.”
That this passage is given to those who
are already believers is confirmed through the previous chapter’s explanation
that the subject of this passage of Scripture pertains exclusively to those who
have been disciples long enough already to have become teachers but who have
remained babes.
The
reason for the command is obvious within the text. The grace to repent may no longer be extended
to the one who refuses to grow up; resulting in an unnatural thing that is
worthy only of being cast out and burned.
Hebrews 6:7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes oft upon it,
and brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing
from IAUE:
This
is the writer’s way of repeating, “If you have been enlightened, have tasted the
heavenly gift, have received the Holy Spirit of IAUE, have tasted the good word
of IAUE and have experienced the power of the world to come,” and you have grown
in grace, you are one who “receives blessings from IAUE.”
You are not the people who are the subject of this passage of Scripture because
you have walked in obedience to the will of IAUE.
Hebrews 6:8 But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh
unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Those
who should have been teachers by this point in their walk but who are still
babes are the subject of this verse.
They have experienced the enlightenment, the heavenly gift, the word of
IAUE, the Holy Spirit and the powers of the age to come and have remained
babes, following their own selfish wills and not obeying the will of IAUE. Fruitlessness
beckons cursing.
Do you remember
what Yahushua said to the fig tree that had not borne fruit? “No man hereafter shall eat fruit of thee forever,”
and the fig tree dried up from its roots and died (Mark
11:14, 20).
Do
you remember what the Master taught about bearing fruit?
John 15:5 I am
the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing.
6 If a man abide
not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Do
you remember what Paul said regarding the works of the flesh versus the fruit
of the Spirit? He told the disciples in Galatia that if they would just walk in
the Spirit, they would not walk in the flesh, producing the “works of the flesh.”
Walking in the flesh produces an extensive list of wrongful behaviors. At the
end of the list Paul said, “they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of IAUE.”
Hebrews 6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of
you, and things that accompany salvation,
though we thus speak.
Fruitlessness,
which is a condition of not continuing to grow in grace, accompanies cursing
and burning. Clearly this was the concern of the writer of this book to the
Hebrews.
There
are four things that are primarily responsible for interfering with the “things that accompany salvation.”
1.
The
definition of salvation - The
prevailing definition of salvation which is responsible for the “unnatural
things” that fill the churches throughout the world is “forgiveness of sins
which results in going to heaven when one dies.” The truth is, all men already are forgiven. Messiah paid the penalty to obtain
forgiveness for everyone. The message of
reconciliation is to tell the world that they are already forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Forgiveness of sin actually has very little
to do with salvation. Zecharias provided
the only complete definition of the salvation that Messiah provided to man; and
that was the freedom to be able to serve IAUE in holiness and righteousness for
the rest of our lives, forever (Luke 1:67-79).
The message of reconciliation, of being forgiven already by IAUE, is
simply the way men become aware of this salvation: freedom from all that has
prevented us from realizing the very purpose of our existence: to do the will
of IAUE
2.
Contemporary Christian theology - “Your sins have been forgiven past, present
and future.” “Once saved, always saved.” “Just ask Jesus into your heart to forgive
you of your sins, to become your personal lord and savior, and you will be
saved, and you will go to heaven when you die.”
All such doctrinal presentations are void of a basis in Scripture. Yes, there are certain verses in the
Scripture that would provide a Western man the opportunity to string together a
belief system like this; but the Scripture was not written by Western men. It was written by Easterners. Westerners from birth are trained to relate
to all of life from an empirical mindset:
A+B = C. For example, “If I am a
believer, and believers go to heaven when they die, then I am going to heaven
when I die.” Sounds simple enough, but
it eliminates the larger picture of the teaching of Scripture that warns us
regularly to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith; to exhort one
another daily lest any be overcome by the deceitfulness of sin; to understand
that those who do the works of the flesh have no inheritance in the kingdom of
IAUE, that Messiah is made of effect to us only if we abide in Him, that we can
fall from grace by trusting in something other than our relationship to
Yahushua Messiah, that we become partakers of Messiah if we remain steadfast
until the end, etc. False Christian
doctrine contents the believer that having once prayed what I like to call, “the
magic prayer,” that secures for them a blessed eternal future. The result is the total absence of the need
to do anything other than what you want to do.
Obedience to the will of IAUE becomes absolutely voluntary and of no urgent
necessity. As long as you tow the line
of what is expected of your outward behavior as a church member, no one really
cares how you live your life. You are
going to heaven when you die.
3.
Stubbornness and rebellion - Both are reflective of a life that is not
humbled before IAUE to hearken unto His voice; to obey His will in all things.
1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath IAUE as great delight in burnt offerings
and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of IAUE? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of IAUE, he hath also rejected thee from
being king.
Self-will,
pride, ego – these are the things that fill the heart of every unrepentant man
on the earth. He cannot help it. It is in his nature. We escape the nature of man by abiding in
Messiah, by walking in the Spirit. The
Hebrew writer was concerned about the self-willed believers, fearing for them
lest the grace to repent would no longer be made available to them. Stubbornness
is standing one’s ground against obedience.
It is hardening the heart against hearing the voice of IAUE. Rebellion is the rejection of IAUE’s right to
rule. Both of these sound hideous, but
they are far more commonplace in the church than those who live in a manner
that accompanies salvation.
4.
Satan – He is diligent in his efforts “to steal, to kill and to destroy” (John
10:10). He ”goes
about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He desires “to sift
us like wheat,” shaking our faith loose of its hold on the Master (Luke
22:31). Most people do not understand
this about Satan. This destructive
nature that defines the force behind all of his activity is how he was created.
It is his job to try to attempt to tear down that which we build; and that
which is built within us. In essence, he
is the winter and the wind to try our faith so we have the opportunity to see
that it is more precious than gold.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the Elohim and Father of our Master Yahushua Messiah,
which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Yahushua Messiah from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of IAUE through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your
faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Yahushua
Messiah:
We
were created to do the will of IAUE. If
our lives are devoted to any other purpose, we should fear lest the grace to
repent and be restored to the will of IAUE is forever denied us. This is not a game, this discipleship to the
Master Yahushua Messiah. This is the
time within which we demonstrate whether or not we are worthy to be made partakers
both of his glory and of the glory of the kingdom of IAUE.
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
No comments:
Post a Comment