10/3/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Hebrews chapter two reminds us that the greatness of our salvation is the motivation to give our attention to the teaching of Scripture. In some ways the passage may seem threatening. The message is binding and there are penalties for those who disobey. It would be easy to get the message that we’d better get with the program or God will come down and smite us.
We are all tuned in to the idea that our obedience to God’s Law will rescue us. And there is a sense in which we really do need to work, and work hard, at faithfulness to God. But our motiviation is quite different from the motivation our Lord gives. The author of Hebrews turns our attention to Psalm 8, where we see that God has visited humanity out of His loving care. He has worked salvation for humanity through a man, Jesus, to whom all is subject. It is Jesus’ perfect obedience to God’s Law which has been applied to all who trust him as the savior.
Does this mean that our obedience doesn’t matter? That isn’t quite the best way to discuss it. Our obedience matters, but simply because it reflects God’s goodness and the positive ways He has made the world to work. Our obedience is good for us and our neighbor. But it is Christ’s obedience which saves us. This is how he presents himself wih all the people God gave him.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Hebrews chapter two reminds us that the greatness of our salvation is the motivation to give our attention to the teaching of Scripture. In some ways the passage may seem threatening. The message is binding and there are penalties for those who disobey. It would be easy to get the message that we’d better get with the program or God will come down and smite us.
We are all tuned in to the idea that our obedience to God’s Law will rescue us. And there is a sense in which we really do need to work, and work hard, at faithfulness to God. But our motiviation is quite different from the motivation our Lord gives. The author of Hebrews turns our attention to Psalm 8, where we see that God has visited humanity out of His loving care. He has worked salvation for humanity through a man, Jesus, to whom all is subject. It is Jesus’ perfect obedience to God’s Law which has been applied to all who trust him as the savior.
Does this mean that our obedience doesn’t matter? That isn’t quite the best way to discuss it. Our obedience matters, but simply because it reflects God’s goodness and the positive ways He has made the world to work. Our obedience is good for us and our neighbor. But it is Christ’s obedience which saves us. This is how he presents himself wih all the people God gave him.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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