Hebrews 6-13 (Faith)

Christianity is hard...that seems to be the resounding theme that scripture and life is telling me.

In Hebrews the greatest temptation was to go back to Judaism. It was a fallback religion for those who could not stand the heat in the kitchen. The writer condemns this (6:4-6). It is impossible to go back once you fall away.
My understanding comes from Houghton college, this verse was a warning against those that wanted to be saved by Judaism beliefs. The audience had tasted the salvation of Christ, but didn't want the death and agony that came with it so they went to Christianity's cousin, Judaism. The point stands that disowning Christ has consequences. It breaks God's heart when we leave for selfish reasons. This is not simple falling away, the term crucifying Christ all over again is considered apostasy. To crucify Christ again means to side with his enemies, declare him guilty in trial and sentence him to death. By siding with Judaism, the audience was sending Jesus the same message.

I've seen some authentic hatred for Christian believers, but nothing irritates me more than a pot shot at Jesus. In a way, I feel sorrow for those who pass him off as irrelevant. They may have Jesus preached to them on a daily basis, but their soul won't budge.

One of the greatest benefits of Christ's death and resurrection is that we can enter a relationship with God that only the Jewish high priest could officially enter once a year. We can get close enough for God to love us and we can return that love. This is the covenant that God had penned up since the beginning. The other rituals were shadows, mucked up by sin.

Therefore brothers since we have confidence to enter the most holy
Place by the blood of Jesus. By a new and living way opened up to US
through the curtain, that is, his body. let US draw near to God With a sincere
heart in full assurance that of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse
us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water.
10: 10-22

Therefore, give yourself over to Christ. Do not shrink back and be destroyed, but believe and be saved (10:39). This is a call to be persistent in your beliefs.

Faith is powerful considering the hope and promises in Jesus Christ. It seems to be the fuel that makes the relationship with God work. The writer speaks of bold moves in faith through the Old Testament. Faith pleases God like Abel did, faith helps you listen to God's command to leave your land, faith let's you build an Ark when there is no rain, faith helps see the invisible God. Faith gets you through the hard times. Christianity is not a religion meant for strong willed souls, crazy lunatics, hermit shut-ins or heroes that love danger, but it is a world built on faith. This faith can turn any man into someone who sees God and acts in relationship with him. We may not have the miracles of the Old Testament, but we certainly can have the faith.

What can we learn from this?

The term that comes to mind is "buck up!" Christianity is hard, persecution sucks and no one likes discipline, BUT a life away from God's redemptive plan through Christ is far more terrible. That would mean you are denying the truth. Instead, we as believers should come boldly to Christ asking for help, rely on our brothers for encouragement and ask for heaping bowls of faith to get us through the hard times.

13: 11The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. ¹²And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. ¹³Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.