Patricia A

Q1. Using Hebrews 1:1-3 as your source, how would you put in your own words what faith is and does? Faith is a glorious gift from God whereby one can be sure of God's promises of eternal life with Himfor those who accept His promises.

Q4. (Hebrews 10:35-36) Why is perseverance in faith hard sometimes? Persecution and ridicule of Christians can cause faith to waver unless one can stand firmly with eyes on the goal. Why is perseverance so important? Perseverance is so important because temptations, frustrations and trials will come in our lives and unless we are determined to persevere and keep our eyes on the goal. How is Christian fellowship important in perseverance? (3:12-14) Christian brothers and sisters can support each other in times of trials and difficulties and help each other to remain strong. What can we do to encourage other Christians in this sometimes difficult journey? We can love them, pray for them and with them, encourage them with words and deeds and remind them of the goal.

Q3. (Hebrews 10:26-31). What kind of sin is expressed by the phrase, "deliberately keep on sinning" (10:26)? Turning deliberately away from faith in Christ--not weakness of the flesh. Is this talking about sins related to the weakness of our flesh or apostasy? This is referring to apostasy. What elements in 10:29 contribute to your understanding that this is indeed flagrant apostasy, not garden-variety sin? Trampled the Son of God under foot. Treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him. Insulted the Spirit of grace.

Q2.

[color=#0000FF]Q1. (Hebrews 10:19-21) How did the veil of the Tabernacle function in Old Testament worship? The curtain is the heavy veil of the tabernacle that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant, representing God's throne or dwelling place, was located What is the significance of the veil being ripped in two at Jesus' crucifixion? When Jesus died, this heavy curtain in the Temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). This was an obvious sign to Christians that Christ's death had removed the separation between God and man. Why is our access to God called a "new and living way"? It is a "new and living way," new because it didn't exist for humans before Jesus opened up the way through his sacrifice for our sins, and living because he is not a mere martyr but a resurrected and living Savior, who "always lives to make intercession" for us. In what sense is it new? It is new in the sense that human did not have access to God before Jesus died on the cross for our sin.[/color]

[/size][/font]Q4. (Hebrews 10:4) Why can't the blood of bulls and goats actually take away sin? Only the sacrifice of the greater for the lesser is actually adequate to atone for our sins. Therefore, Christ being the greater could atone for our sins while the blood of animals which are lesser than man could not do so. What happened then to the sins the Old Testament saints thought were atoned for under the Old Covenant? God did not lie when he said, "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." (Leviticus 17:11) God accepted their sacrifices and offered atonement for their sins -- the shadow -- realizing that the Messiah would come and he would bear in himself -- in reality -- the sins of the whole world -- past, present, and future!

Q3. (Hebrews 9:28) How did the purpose of Christ's First Coming differ from his Second Coming? 27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Which did the Jews expect? Second coming Bring salvation Traditional Jewish understanding of Messiah How does the mission of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 fit here? He took on, assumed our sin in order to carry it away. [/font]

Q2. (Hebrews 9:15). Read also 1 Timothy 2:5. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, In what sense does Jesus serve as a mediator? In Hebrews 4:14-16, (1) Jesus is touched by and can perfectly feel everything we feel in every weakness we have. (2) He has personally experienced every form of temptation we must face. (3) However, he did not sin, so our high priest knows how to win against sin. He knows how to help because he did not fall into evil. (4) Because he stands by God as our perfect high priest, God wants us to approach his throne boldly in the times of our greatest need. (5) For the person who is a Christian, God's throne is the throne of grace, not the throne of judgment. (6) When we need it the most, God wants us to come boldly to that throne in the full confidence we will receive grace and mercy. In what sense is Jesus a ransom from sin? HOSEA 13:14--"I will RANSOM them (all mankind) from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction!" 1 TIMOTHY 2:3-6--"Our saviour will have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time."

Q1. (Hebrews 9:14) In what way does Christ's sacrifice of himself cleanse the conscience in a way that the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant could not? The Old Covenant was about ceremonial cleansing of the outward person before God. The New Covenant is about cleansing the heart, the inner person, the conscience, so that we can leave behind the our sins.

Q5. (Hebrews 9:11-12) What does "redemption" mean? Redemption means something for a price; we were ransomed for a price. What were we redeemed from? What was the price of our redemption? We were redeemed from our sin by the blood of Christ when he died on the cross. How long does our redemption last? Our redemption lasts forever.

Q4. (Hebrews 9:9) Why were external sacrificial regulations unable to cleanse or perfect the conscience? The really effective barrier to a man or woman's free access to God is an inward and not a material one; it exists in the conscience. External sacrifices do not perfect the conscience. How does a guilty conscience keep us from intimacy with God? The nagging guilt and consciousness of sin inhibits the sinner from approaching God's holy presence with freedom and boldness. What is necessary for us to be able to come "boldly" (4:16)? We need complete trust in God's mercy to come boldly to the throne.

Q3. (Hebrews 9:7)* Did the Old Covenant provide forgiveness for intentional, active, maintained rebellion against God? There were no sacrifices to atone for intentional rebellion against the Almighty King, the Suzerain. The Old Covenant had no way to handle sins committed intentionally, "defiantly" (NIV), "presumptuously" (KJV), or "with a high hand (RSV). *Does the New Covenant provide this forgiveness? Fortunately, Jesus died for all our sins, intentional and unintentional. * What is required for forgiveness to be granted? We receive that forgiveness through faith, by humbling ourselves in repentance and receiving pardon. We do not deserve pardon for what we have done, it is granted through the grace of God. The only "unpardonable sin," I believe, is one in which a person persists in unbelief and does not humble him or herself in faith and repentance so that he can receive forgiveness.

Q2. (Hebrews 8:7-13) Why did the Old Covenant fail? What are the primary promises of the New Covenant as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34? The old Covenant failed due to the weakness of our human nature. Notice the promises of this "greater covenant": 1. God's law will no longer be external, but will become internalized "in their hearts... on their hearts" by the Holy Spirit. 2. They will be together as God and his people. 3. They will all know the Lord personally. 4. They will be forgiven from their sins.

[Q1. (Hebrews 8:6) In what sense is Jesus the "mediator" of a new covenant? What did he do to mediate this? The people of Israel broke the Old Covenant bringing upon the people an awful curse. But because of God's love, he sent Jesus to serve as the "mediator" of a New Covenant. "Jesus died on the cross to mediate this.

Q4. (Hebrews 7:26-28) How is Jesus described in verse 26? "Holy" "Blameless" Pure, Set Apart, Exalted How does Jesus differ from human high priests? Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. What about Jesus' role as High Priest gives you special confidence?Our salvation was costly, but now it is eternal salvation, it is "once for all," and we are the ever-grateful recipients of God's largess in Christ Jesus. This is the very good news of the gospel!

]Q3. (Hebrews 7:24-25) Why is Jesus able to save people "completely" -- "to the uttermost" according to verse 25?[/b] Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." What is the essential function of a priest? In Old Testament it was to offer sacrifice for sin. Today the Priestly functions is be Mediator to God. Jesus intercedes on our behalf. Why is intercession the essence of being a priest? If you're in trouble, Jesus is interceding for you before the throne of God. Not as a supplicant, but as enthroned Priest-King at the right hand of the Father! Q3. (Hebrews 7:24-25) Why is Jesus able to save people "completely" -- "to the uttermost" according to verse 25? What is the essential function of a priest? Why is intercession the essence of being a priest? If you're in trouble, Jesus is interceding for you before the throne of God. Not as a supplicant, but as enthroned Priest-King at the right hand of the Father!

[b]Q2. (Hebrews 7:22) What is a guarantee or surety? In what sense is Jesus the guarantor of the New Covenant?[/b][/size] The oath of Christ

Q1. (Hebrews 6:18b-20) In what sense have we "fled to a place of refuge"? Our hope can be in God or in Jesus or in salvation, as Scripture may say. It can be in God's promises, His Word, eternal life, His steadfast love, His grace, the resurrection from the dead, and sharing the glory of God. Why are we to "take hold of" this hope actively? The writer of Hebrews tells us that, faith is "the assurance of things hoped for" (Hebrews 11:1). Hope, therefore, is the object upon which we direct our focus and energies. How does Christian hope differ from hoping that something is true? In what ways does an anchor illustrate the idea of hope? From their faith in God, believers draw the expectation of a world according to God

Q4. Which of Abraham's achievements inspires you the most? As you reflect on his life, what stands out for you? One of the achievements of Abraham which truly inspires me is his intimate relationship with God. Prayer and worship shows how important this relationship is in God's life. Abraham was vulnerable to sin just as we are but his faith remained strong and he always obeyed immediately

Q3 (24:12-14) What do you think of the servant's prayer and test of God? The servant's prayer seems to me to be asking for a confirmation from God. I don't really interpret this is a test of God. I know it is a delight to be struggling with a decision and then to receive a sign that I believe to be a confirmation from God. Did the servant find the right girl on the basis of his hasty prayer? If not, then how? The right girl was found on the basis of God's will as is everything that happens. We pray to align our will with God's will.

Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? I think Abraham's faith remained strong. He knew God had given him the money he had and it was used to purchase a burial place. God gives us material things to use for His glory and to follow His will. This tells us Abraham used his money to satisfy what he felt was important and this was a burial place for Sarah and for himself in the land of Cannan.

God's power and blessing was with Sarah and Abraham despite their situation and apparent lack of trust in Him. Abraham, the man who had no children, prayed for others and they had children (Genesis 20). Can you imagine what Abraham and Sarah must have been going through. Seeing others receiving the blessings they themselves longed for. Yet they faithfully kept serving God. This is what faith is. They believed that God was a rewarder of those that diligently served Him. Sarah eventually gave birth to Isaac.

Q4. (Hebrews 6:12) If we take seriously the writer's exhortation to exercise both faith and patience for the long haul, what effect does that have on our Christian life? We will strive to please God by living according to the Word and giving all glory to Him in everything. On our perspective? Our perspective will be one of basing everything we do in life on our goal of eternal life with God. This will bring joy. How can we resist the subtle temptation to think that our salvation depends upon our endurance rather than Christ's atonement and the grace of God? We can study the Word and remind ourselves that there would be no salavation if Christ had not died on the cross. No matter how much we endure, we cannot save ourselves.

[/color][/size]Q3. (Hebrews 6:4-6) What is apostasy? Apostasy is the total rejection of Christianity by a person having at one time professed the Christian faith. What point was Jesus making in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) The soul is the natural soil for the Word of God: one is adapted to the other. It is our duty to sow the good seed everywhere, even if some fails of a good result. The seed the Christian should sow is not his own fancies, but the pure Word of God. It is not the fault of the truth, but of our hard hearts, if we do not bring forth fruit. What is Jesus' point of the Parable of the Tares or Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)? Christ sows only good seed. His word makes men better. If they are wicked it is due to other influences. We must avoid spiritual slumber. It is while we sleep that the enemy does his work. The enemy is always sowing tares whenever opportunity offers. Sometimes by tempting men to evil; sometimes by introducing trouble into the church; sometimes by whispering slanders to destroy the good names of those who are doing a good work. In the field we will always find some tares here. If we would escape from evil doers we must needs get out of the world. We must leave the final separation to the Lord. He will gather the wheat into his garner; the tares and the chaff will be burned with an unquenchable fire. We must show that we are wheat instead of tares by bearing the right kind of fruit. "By their fruits ye shall know them."

[b]Q2. (Hebrews 6:4-5) What difference, if any, would you find between the description in verses 4-5 and a Spirit-filled Christian today?I don't feel there is any difference. I believe a spirit-filled Christian will continue to mature and grow closer to God. The falling away here mentioned is an open and avowed renouncing of Christ, from enmity of heart against him, his cause, and people, by men approving in their minds the deeds of his murderers. What is the writer's point in forming this description? Believers need to be careful not to wound and terrify the weak, or discourage the fallen and penitent.[/b]