#hebrews-12

[andallshallbewell]

[walkswithmyfather]

‭‭2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NIV)‬‬. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

‭‭Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)‬‬. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

“The Question of Inerrancy” by In Touch Ministries:

“Do you believe that all of the Bible is true?”

“Have you ever wondered about the supposed inconsistencies critics point out in the Bible? Such things might leave you questioning how to tell what’s truly God’s Word and what isn’t. The answer is simple: God is the final authority. The Sovereign of the universe had no trouble keeping His Word pure. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial.”

Reading the Bible as a whole document reveals that each part is consistent with every other. God allowed for writers’ differences in viewpoint and background, which at times can give the appearance of discrepancy. But further study always reveals how the various parts fit together. Consider, for example, the gospels’ different angles on a story. Writing to Jewish people, Matthew emphasizes history and the fulfillment of messianic prophecy. John tells a love story about a Savior willing to die for the world. While both authors traveled in Jesus’ company, their perspectives differed. Yet in the fundamentals, they and the other two writers are consistent.

It is critical for believers to trust in the inerrancy of the Scriptures. A flawed book could only be the product of man’s hand, but the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. His Spirit did the talking, no matter whose hand wrote the message.”

[todaysjewishholiday]

12 Menachem Av 5784 (15-16 August 2024)

Throughout the Middle Ages, one of the recurring strategies of the Catholic Church to place pressure on Jews to convert were formal debates between champions of Christianity and Jewish communal leaders. These debates were not voluntary for their Jewish participants, and the goal was not a fair and effective discussion of differing views. Catholic leaders were convinced that theirs was the one true faith and that Judaism by contrast was fundamentally false and misguided, and since they were generally the debate judges, there was little chance of a fair hearing for the Jewish participants. The goal of the disputations was the humiliation of Jewish religious leaders, and they were often accompanied by burnings of the Talmud and other Jewish holy texts. And when, as often happened, Jews argued well enough to instead embarrass their overconfident Christian opponents, that too was dangerous. Christian leaders did not take embarrassment well.

The 12th of Av 5023 was the beginning of one such debate, known as the Disputation of Barcelona. Paulo Christiani, a Jewish convert to Christianity, insisted that he could prove the truth of Catholicism from the Talmud and Tanakh, much to the excitement of Christian leaders. They clamored for the king to force the Jews to debate Christiani so that he could demonstrate the superiority of the Catholic religion. Nachmanides, already in his 70s and well known throughout the Sephardi community, was given orders to appear at the royal court to act as the defender of Judaism. Knowing that the disputations were often made unequal by well founded Jewish fears of punishment for speaking negatively of Christianity and limits imposed in debate rules on Jewish participants, Nachmanides agreed to participate on the condition that the king clearly state in advance that both participants would have full freedom of speech and would not be punished for any of their statements during the debate. The king, seeing the fairness of this request, granted the condition.

Nachmanides and Christiani debated over the course of four days in front of the king and his court. While Christiani’s arguments might have been accepted by a Christian audience without familiarity with rabbinical writings, Nachmanides was easily able to demonstrate their logical inconsistencies.

At the end of the disputation, the king announced Christianity to be the winner, but awarded Nachmanides 300 gold coins for his arguments, calling it the best defense of a bad cause he had ever heard. Going even further, the king attended synagogue services on the Shabbat following the dispute and addressed his Jewish subjects directly.

The Dominican Order, of which Christiani was a member, crowed eagerly about their victory in the debate. Nachmanides, in response, published a transcript to allow the public to consider the matter for themselves. The Dominicans were outraged. They pressured the king to punish Nachmanides, insisting that while he had been permitted by royal decree to speak freely before the court, that freedom did not extend to publication. Nachmanides was exiled from his homeland. Success in defending Judaism was punished harshly. Nachmanides was never able to return home. Centuries later, the same antisemitic views that had motivated the forced disputation and his exile were being behind the expulsion of all Jews from the newly united realms of Aragon and Castile.

Today is also Erev Shabbat. Shabbat HaMalka will descend to comfort us. Her peace is a great consolation in a world full of strife and hardship.

[akonoadham]

[wiirocku]

Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV) - Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

[soaringeaglesingingjoy]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12:1 AMP

https://bible.com/bible/1588/heb.12.1.AMP

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us — Hebrews 12:1 | Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. Cross References: Romans 13:12; 1 Corinthians 9:24; 1 Corinthians 9:26; Galatians 2:2; Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 4:25; Philippians 1:30

Read full chapter

Who are “the cloud of witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12:1?

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Okay, I just found out that historically Mary was between fourteen and fiteen yo when the archangel Gabriel gave her the pregnancy news. My whole Jesus is somewhat real on Good Omens so how did THAT conversation went made me actually more curious now because it's not only Good Omens Gabriel gives bonkers news to a human but Good Omens Gabriel gives bonkers news to a teenager.

[jesus-is-lord-and-savior]

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

(Hebrews 12:2, ESV)

[jewishcissiekj]

yeah man whatever idek what gender is (new pronouns dropped)

[geminiagentgreen]

Hebrews 12:4-13:

God Disciplines His Children

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

[tears-that-heal]

This is the Incredible Power & Authority of God’s Word, the Holy Bible!!! Can you visualize this metaphor? Can you see any sharp object be able to cut between joints and marrow? Even a surgeon’s scalpel has its limits to accomplish such an act. Yet, God’s Holy Scripture does it in one, accurate and perfect swoop.

📖❤️🗡️

[walkswithmyfather]

Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) . “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

“The Living Word” By In Touch Ministries:

“Through the Bible, God speaks personally to His children.”

“The Bible is the most amazing book ever written. God used human beings to record His thoughts and words in writing so that others could know Him (2 Peter 1:20-21). The One who spoke the universe into existence still speaks just as powerfully through the pages of the Bible that you hold in your hands.

At the moment of salvation, believers receive the Holy Spirit, and lines of communication with the Lord are established. Then, whenever the Scriptures are read, children of God can hear His voice, and the Spirit enables them to understand and put into practice what they have heard.

The Bible isn’t just a good book that’s filled with comforting words; Scripture is effective and always achieves God’s purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11). Today’s passage describes it as “active and alive,” and 1 Thessalonians 2:13 tells us the Word of God is “at work in you who believe.” This book has the power to change our life if we will believe the Lord and do what He says.

God uses the Bible to transform us from the inside out. Before reading Scripture, ask Him to help you hear and understand what He’s saying. As you believe and obey, your spiritual hearing will become more acute, and your time in the Word will become an intimate conversation with the Lord.”

[todaysjewishholiday]

12 Elul 5784 (14-15 September 2024)

Shavua tov! Semana buena! Gutt voch! Shabbat ends with havdalah and we enter another six days of creative work. Make something worthwhile this week.

The twelfth of Elul is the birthday of the Catalonian rabbi Nachmanides, who has appeared previously on his yahrzeit and the anniversary of the beginning of his famous debate with a Christian convert. Truly he was one of the great sages of his time and his legacy lives on.

[wiirocku]

Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) - We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.