Faith in Action

Hello friends! 

This week we got to study the book of Hebrews. I had never studied it closely before so it was neat to read it so closely! Chapter 11 was my favorite. It is like the Faith Hall of Fame. There are a ton of Old Testament heroes listed and what they did to be counted as righteous. It was pretty much always their actions done in faith!

Below is my outline of the chapter.

Hebrews 11 – Chapter Theme – Action by Faith

·      Biblical definition of faith:

o   “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

·      Biblical examples of faith:

o   Creation (11:3)

§  We have faith that God made the world out of nothing

§  Without faith there is no explanation with solid evidence

·      Bad substitutes:

o   Big Bang Theory

o   No beginning to the world

o   Abel (11:4)

§  Abel’s offering to the Lord pleased Him because He gave the best he had in faith whereas Cain gave what was convenient.

§  “By faith he was commended as righteous”

§  His brother was so jealous he killed him.

o   Enoch (11:5)

§  Pleased God so much with his faith God took him to heaven and he never experienced death.

§  “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (11:6a)

o   Noah (11:7)

§  When God told Noah to build a huge ark he didn’t hesitate and built it exactly as he was commanded.

§  He was rewarded by being spared from the flood and he “became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith”.

o   Abraham and Sarah (11:8-19)

§  Abraham left his home and family and traveled to an unknown location by faith.

§  Sarah, who was way past childbearing age, was able to conceive because she believed God when He said she would.

§  By faith Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac to God because He knew God promised him descendants thru Isaac and if he did sacrifice him, God could raise him from the dead.

o   Isaac (11:20)

§  By faith, blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

o   Jacob (11:21)

§  By faith, Jacob blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and continued to worship God.

o   Joseph (11:22)

§  Joseph talked about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

o   Moses (11:23-28)

§  Moses’ parents hid him for three months because “they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict”.

§  Moses refused to be known as the Pharaoh’s daughter but instead chose to suffer with the Israelites.

§  He led the Israelites out of Egypt without fear of the king because he knew God was with him.

§  He kept the Passover.

o   Israelites (11:29-30)

§  By their faith, they were able to cross the Red Sea on dry land, but the Egyptians were drowned when they tried.

§  The wall of Jericho fell after marching around them seven times.

o   Rahab (11:31)

§  Because she welcomed the spies, she was not killed with the disobedient.

o   Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets (11:32-38)

§  By faith:

·      Conquered kingdoms

·      Administered justice

·      Gained what was promised

·      Shut the mouths of lions

·      Quenched the fury of flames

·      Escaped the edge of the sword

·      Weakness was turned to strength

·      Became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies

·      Women received back their dead, raised to life again

·      Others were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection

·      Faced jeers and flogging and even chains and imprisonment

·      Put to death by stoning, sawed in two, or killed by the sword

·      Persecuted and mistreated

The world was not worthy of them

Sometimes I feel like God asks a lot of my, but then I look at this chapter and I realize I am being silly. When was the last time God asked me to stand up to a king, hang out with some hungry lions, or be tortured and killed for my faith? I think Him asking me to be patient as I look for jobs is nothing compared to that!!

The Trinity

Hello Folks!

I know it has been a long time since I have posted but I hope you all have had a very, very Merry Christmas break!

This week in class we had a speaker come talk about the Trinity and let's just say my head is still rolling from it haha! There was so much information and it was pretty confusing! Below is my outline for it and I hope you enjoy it... but just a warning... if you come out of it feeling confused don't worry! I am still confused!

Introduction

• The Trinity is a doctrine that the majority of the Universal Church accepts. It states that Christianity believes in the one true God who is three persons but still one God.

The Trinity is important theologically because it is true.

a.     It is important to attempt to grasp the Trinity because God is triune.

                                               i.     A simple way to explain this done by Glenn Kreider is as follows:

1.     There is one God

a.     Deuteronomy 4:35 – “To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.”

b.     Isaiah 45:5a – “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God…”

2.     The Father is God (eternally)

a.     Ephesians 4:6 – “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all”

3.     The Son is God (eternally)

a.     John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

b.     John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

4.     The Spirit is God (eternally)

a.     Romans 8:9 – “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

5.     The Father is not the Son or the Spirit

a.     1^st Corinthians 8:6a – “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things and we exist for Him”

6.     The Son is not the Father or the Spirit

a.     1^st Corinthians 8:6b – “and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom all things, and we exist through Him.”

7.     The Spirit is not the Father or the Son

a.     John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

b.     There are hints of plurality across the Bible

                                               i.     Genesis 1:26a – “Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness;”

                                             ii.     Genesis 3:22 – “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of US, knowing good and evil…”

                                            iii.     Genesis 11:7 – “Come, let US go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

                                            iv.     Isaiah 6:8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?’ Then I said, “Here am I. Send me.”

                                             v.     John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”

c.     It is important to remember that between the three there is no rank, they are different but the same.

Figure 1: Taken from Glenn Kreider’s Trinitarianism Talk

The doctrine of the Trinity is important to me personally because what I believe about God and His roles in my life shapes my personal beliefs and actions.

a.     God the Father created me.

                                               i.     Because God created me and breathed life into my lungs, my life should be meant to uplift His name and His purpose.

1.     Genesis 2:7 – “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

                                              ii.     I know that because I am His creation that He has a plan for my life.

1.     Psalms 143:10 – “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

                                            iii.     God the Father makes everything perfectly in His plan so I know that I am perfectly made.

1.     Psalm 139:14 – “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.”

b.     God the Son died for my salvation.

                                               i.     I have been redeemed by God Himself.

1.     Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

                                              ii.     I can have a personal relationship with God because Jesus bridged the gap.

1.     Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2.     John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

                                            iii.     We should live like the example Jesus gave us.

1.     Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

c.      God the Spirit dwells within me.

                                               i.     The Spirit convicts me to live a life for God.

1.     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.”

                                              ii.     He brings power, love, and self-discipline to my life.

1.     2^nd Timothy 1:7 –“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

                                            iii.     My body is the Spirit’s temple – I need to treat it as such.

1.     1^st Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

 Conclusion

• The Trinity is infinitely simple yet infinitely complex all at the same time. I would never act like I could come close to explaining it fully or understanding it fully but that is okay. I love the fact that my God is so big I cannot wrap my mind around Him. If I could, then He would not be true to His character! I have faith that my God is one yet three in persons.