Out with the old in with the new (Hebrews 13)

With the Lord’s death the old rule under which the Israelites came to God was also put to death. No longer do we come to God through physical sacrifices and earthly priests. Now we come to God through Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 9:13-14 “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

The Lord was put to death outside of the camp (Hebrews 13:12 “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”). The camp in Israel was where all these procedures and practices took place. (The only thing that wasn’t permitted within the camp was the burnt offering. This took place outside the camp, a picture of Christ’s death.)

We too should leave the camp and follow the Lord down to Calvary.

Hebrews 13:13 “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”

When the Lord gave up His Spirit to His Father the curtain was torn from top to bottom signifying that the Old Testament practices no longer have effect.

John 19:30 “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

Matthew 27:51  “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,”

That time (the OT time of practices) has gone. Hebrews 13:14 tells us “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”  We do not have a static camp where we offer our service to God as the Israelites did. No, now salvation is available to all (Romans 11:11 “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”). God’s land used to be in the camp of Israel. Now it is in the hearts of those who follow Christ. (What a responsibility!) (Note, this does not mean that Israel are no longer God’s chosen people) No longer do we offer physical sacrifices upon an altar, now we offer Him ourselves. We give ourselves to Him as living sacrifices, living in a way that is pleasing to Him. We give Him sacrifices through our praises to Him and our preaching to others who don’t know Him about His glory and His greatness.

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

The only thing that pleases God is our faith in Him (Hebrews 11:6). That should be our foundation, not religion. Through such faith and trust in Him we become obedient to Him, not by our own efforts but by the Lords blessing. He will renew our minds and we will ultimately become Godly beings, pleasing, valuable service to Him and joyful people in our own lives.

The death of the Lord signified the death of legalism. When I say legalism I do not mean rules. When I say legalism I mean following religious practices and rules so much so that those practices take our focus off God and direct them towards our own self, our own efforts and our own standing.

Rules can become legalistic, but rules are not legalism. Too many people today hear legalism and equate it to rules. So much so that we have become a generation that claims to love God but throws all of His rules out the window. What sort of a witness is that to non-christians? How to take the power out of our gospel. By not living according to the gospel we claim to believe in we are taking away from the workings and power of that gospel in non-christian’s lives. We are taking away from what non-christians perceive the gospel to be. We need to stop picking and choosing what to believe in and believe in the Word of God!

No wonder we have such confusion in our world concerning Christ; because we show such disunity in what parts of the bible we believe and what parts we don’t. This is not a post about hypocrisy, which is a different issue and something that you should examine yourself about. This is about recognizing the detrimental effect that our disobedience to God has both on ourselves and on others. It takes away the power of the gospel if we claim to abide by such a life changing doctrine and then so easily disregard the points that we don’t like. We condemn our brethren for not keeping certain practices and then willfully break others without blinking an eye as if it’s okay. It’s not okay.

Our biggest testimony is in our actions. That is not an excuse to hide behind our actions so that we need not use our words. We have been given the task of telling all we know about Christ and if we are truly saved we should definitely want to and desire to. If you have no desire to do such I would seriously seek the Lord in prayer and ask why that is and question your salvation.

Now, words are stronger than actions. This is not a contradiction. The Bible makes it clear how strong words are. Words are described as a double-edged sword. Words plant seeds. Words convict. Words cut to the heart. But, it is our actions which allow those seeds we plant through our words to begin to grow in people’s hearts. Our actions add power. Our actions back up our claim. If we say one thing and then do another, what we have said is empty. But if we make a claim and then act in coincidence with that claim then our claim becomes powerful.

What does Hebrews 13 say on this?

Hebrews 13:15-16 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Notice how the instruction to us to use our words to exalt God directly preceeds the instruction to act in a way that backs up those words. The Bible is telling us that it is not enough to merely have words, nor is it enough to act in a charitable way. No we must have both. Speak words of praise and exaltation to God and others and be joyful. But remember, act in a way that adds up with what you are saying! That adds power.

Therefore we must ensure we abide by the requirements of our Lord. Not requirements of churches, or Old Testament practices, but the requirements that allow us to live from strength to strength and become sanctified and holy. It is living in such a way that adds power to our gospel. Some may think that to be told to obey rules is legalism. It is not legalism. Rules are not legalistic. Rules are good. Rules are to be kept. Without rules there would be anarchy. Everything is subject to rules. We are subject to the rules put in place by our government; our government is subject to the rules of higher bodies such as the UN and EU; the earth is subject to the rules of seasons and weather patterns and time frames; and we are all subject to the rule of God! Too often do we see rules as a negative thing. But rules are not a negative thing. Rules allow us to enjoy things, as we should.

People today jump from relationship to relationship, seeking fulfillment. They may be fulfilled just for a fleeting moment (or at least think they are), but due to their impatience and unwillingness to conduct themselves properly in the way that the Lord instructs them to, they have missed out on a much greater fulfillment if they had obeyed the Lord and remained pure and upright until marriage, but because they did not obey God’s commands they lose out. Of course not everybody gets married and this does not mean in any way that those single people will not be fulfilled, but this is just an example of a common situation when we shun a rule of God which we think limits us and in doing so we limit ourselves. We cause ourselves unnecessary pain and hurt because we were unwilling to obey God.

There is a simple reason for why we are unwilling to obey and that is arrogance. Simply put, we don’t like being told what to do. Just as a child becomes annoyed, irritated and angry when a parent or an older person stops them from doing something they so much wish to do. The child thinks they know best, but the parent knows better. As we grow up and look at kids today, we realise that that correction that we once could not understand ourselves as children is actually there to help them, to protect them and to prosper them. It is not there to bind them or limit them. Our relationship with God is the same. We need to grow up and stop viewing God’s rules as children and start viewing them as adults. Oh, how we would appreciate them then. A man who abides by the rules sleeps soundly at night.

The Lord has destroyed the old ways and we should cease from those practices, from legalism and from religion, but we should certainly not cease to obey God. If you are a Christian you may believe that you do obey God, but I am certain that there are things in your life that you do despite what the Bible says. The Bibles instructions are there to help you not to bind or limit you. How I regret doing my own thing. How much better off I would be if I had just obeyed my Father. How saddening this realization can be…

But we know that we have a redeeming God; who saves and transforms; who builds and heals and prospers. Seek Him.

We should not be viewing the Bible as a rulebook. For it is not a rulebook, it is a book about God. We need not worry about pleasing God through obeying His rules and disappointing Him for breaking them, for our walk with God is a natural progression and it is through His strength that we are able to withstand. God tells you to have confidence towards Him! (John 3:21 “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.”) How great that is.

But at the same time, whilst understanding that the rules are not there to earn our favour with God, do not think that your faith in Christ gives you a special status to overlook His rules, as if somehow that the rules no longer apply to you because you have Jesus. On the contrary! They do not. If you think they do then you do not understand the gospel. But at the same time, whilst we must obey God’s commands, those commands are not and never were intended to be there as a way to earn God’s favour. Rather they are there to protect us. That’s the mistake that most make. People don’t realise that the rules are there to protect us, not to bind us and certainly not to save us! Only Christ does that. The rules are there because God loves you. He knows what’s best as your Father.

Obey His word! Don’t live a double life. Flee temptation. Flee the world. You won’t regret it. The earlier you do this the better. How I envy the youth who have this opportunity and how frustrated and saddened I am at the majority who throw it away and do their own thing.

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

-BACChristian