November 16, 2022

Can We Entertain Angels Today?

Abraham welcomes the angels

The beginning of Hebrews 13 contains a series of brief admonitions about showing brotherly love (v. 1), being hospitable (v. 2), remembering brethren in prison (v. 3), holding marriage in honor (v. 4), being content (v. 5-6), and so on. One particular statement related to the instruction about hospitality has led to questions and speculations among brethren. Notice what the Hebrew writer said:

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

What does it mean to entertain angels? Who has done this? Can we do this today? If so, how do we show hospitality to angels?Continue Reading

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November 2, 2022

An Unknown but Knowable God

Paul preaching in Athens

When Paul was in Athens, Luke recorded that “his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols” (Acts 17:16). This prompted him to teach “in the synagogue” and “in the market place every day with those who happened to be present” (Acts 17:17). His message piqued the interest of the philosophers who brought him to the Areopagus so they could hear more about the “strange things” (Acts 17:20) he was teaching.

Though the people of the city were “very religious” (Acts 17:22), the God of heaven was “unknown” (Acts 17:23) to them. So Paul proceeded to teach them about the one true God.

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are His children.’ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man” (Acts 17:24-29).

We encounter many today who are like the Athenians. They simply do not know God. How can we begin to teach them? Consider what Paul explained on this occasion to these pagan philosophers.Continue Reading

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October 19, 2022

Marriage Is to Be Held in Honor among All

Bride and Groom

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

Marriage was instituted by God in the beginning as a blessing for mankind. Sadly, this God-ordained union between a man and a woman has been corrupted, abused, broken, and disregarded in every generation since then. We certainly see this in our society and will continue to see it as long as people ignore and reject God’s plan for marriage.

The Hebrew writer said that “marriage is to be held in honor.” To hold something in honor is to esteem it and recognize it as being valuable. The same Greek word is used to describe the “precious blood” of Christ (1 Peter 1:19) and the “precious…promises” that God has given us (2 Peter 1:4). Clearly, when we see this word being used by the New Testament writers, we are reading about something that should be treasured.

What does it mean to hold marriage “in honor”? Consider a few points:Continue Reading

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October 12, 2022

Shake the Dust Off Your Feet

Man with Bible Facing Away

Many religious people are familiar with the Great Commission in which Jesus told His apostles to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Earlier, during His earthly ministry, He gave His apostles a more “limited” commission – to “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6).

When Jesus gave this “limited” commission, He told His apostles, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 10:7). However, even though their message would be confirmed with miracles (Matthew 10:8), not everyone would accept it. So Jesus gave them instructions regarding what they should do when this happened:

“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14).

Jesus indicated the severity of the offense committed by those who refused to listen when He said that “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (Matthew 10:15). This shows us just how serious it is for someone to reject the message of the gospel.

The same thing was done as the Great Commission was carried out as well. In Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14), the Jews opposed Paul’s preaching out of jealousy when they saw that “the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:44-45). Their response led to Paul and Barnabas “[shaking] off the dust of their feet in protest against them” (Acts 13:51).Continue Reading

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September 28, 2022

“You Follow Me”

Jesus and Peter

In the last recorded conversation in the gospel of John, Jesus warned Peter about what was in store for him in the future. Jesus said, “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.’ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’” (John 21:18-19).

If we were in Peter’s position, it might have been a little shocking or scary to hear this from Jesus. We are not told exactly what Peter’s emotional state was at this time; however, we are told of his verbal response to Jesus. When he saw his fellow apostle John, he asked Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” (John 21:21).

When facing particularly trying situations, it is often tempting to look at others who do not seem to be facing the same degree of difficulty that we are and then complain that our situation is not fair. Perhaps this was Peter’s intent when he asked about John. Regardless of his motive, Jesus explained that he was not to be concerned about anyone else: “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:22).Continue Reading

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August 31, 2022

When Every Man Does What Is Right in His Own Eyes

Riot

The book of Judges covers the period between the conquest of Canaan under Joshua to the time just before the kings. It was a time of wickedness, oppression, and anarchy (cf. Judges 2:11-15; 21:25). Toward the end of the book, we read about a man named Micah whose story typifies the culture as a whole. Notice the text:

“Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. He said to his mother, ‘The eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.’ And his mother said, ‘Blessed be my son by the Lord.’ He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, ‘I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you.’

“So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.

“In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:1-6).

We do not know much about this man, but there are some important lessons from this account. His example serves as an illustration of what happens when “every man [does] what is right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). Since this same attitude is prevalent in our day and age, it will be beneficial to consider some lessons from the text.

So what happens when “every man [does] what is right in his own eyes”?Continue Reading

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August 17, 2022

The Blood of the Covenant

Crown of Thorns

The book of Hebrews was written to emphasize the fact that the new covenant under Christ is better than the old covenant. This is true regarding the priesthood (Hebrews 7:23-28), sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1-4), promises (Hebrews 11:39-40), and so on.

One of the comparisons made by the Hebrew writer had to do with the blood of the sacrifices. The reason why this comparison was important had to do with the fact that blood was inherently connected with the covenant itself. After describing Jesus as “the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15), the Hebrew writer said:

“For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the covenant which God commanded you’” (Hebrews 9:16-20).

“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:22-26).

If every covenant is inaugurated with blood (Hebrews 9:18), what was it about the blood of the new covenant that made it better than the old covenant? Notice what the Hebrew writer had to say about this:Continue Reading

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