Hebrews 13:8, “On That Upon Which We Can Depend”

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” -Hebrews 13:8

"Christ on the Sea of Galilee," by Tintoretto. oil on canvas, c. 1575-1580

As I have mentioned before, and indeed will probably mention again, Hebrews remains one of my favorite Books in the Bible. Chapter 12 especially was instrumental at leading me to the Lord. This particular verse I didn’t stumble upon until later, after the initial encounter, but it certainly added to my realization that God was real and not some made up thing, though I honestly thought for a while if I was putting it all in my head myself and I struggled with this, but when resolution came it pushed all doubts out of my mind. This verse is beautiful in form, in simplicity, and in meaning. I will tell briefly about some of my testimony and why this verse is so important to me.

For a time, during a particularly dark period in my life, I cried out to God for deliverance. He answered me not in just resolving my troubles, but He also spoke to me. As much as I would like to hear from Him again in like manner, to this day He hasn’t spoke to me the way He did in those dark days. I don’t know why, though I am sure He still does, but not in the same “hearing” sense.

Let me explain a little what I mean by “hearing.” When the Lord speaks to you in words its usually not a booming voice that comes out of the sky. It is a booming voice in your heart, mind a spirit. In fact, looking back I am not so sure that it wasn’t audible, but it was powerful. At the risk of sounding like I am some esoteric mystic, its really hard to describe unless it has happened to you. At any rate, in one word spoken from God I felt that I would be delivered, and I truly was by His grace. What was spoken and in what context I will save for another time, but I will say it was directly linked with Hebrews chapter 12.

The second time the Lord spoke to me was a time when I finally understood what Christ has done. It humbles one to a Godly sorrow, and it was in the midst of this sorrow, and me asking why, stating that I wasn’t worth the torture He suffered and it should have been me  instead, something only a Christian can understand (it is commonplace within the faith), that He answered: “I would do it yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

"Christ on The Cross," detail from the center panel of the Isenheim Alterpeice, by Matthias Grunewald. oil on panel, c. 1512-1515

At this time I was far from being a biblical scholar, and still am, but the Word was absolutely foreign to me, which is my shame because I did go to a Christian school, but my conversion was long after. When I eventually did come across this verse sometime later, I almost fell out of my chair, for the Scripture and what God spoke to me (I made sure to write it down) are in essence, identical. As far as I knew then and know now, I had no previous knowledge of this verse, I was never the sort to engage in any sort of memorization except the best places to go party.

There are a couple other times God spoke to me, but the last time He did, it was a little less positive. He indicated that due to a situation I was willingly walking into that, if I continued, I would, “suffer.” Indeed I did, and backslid heavily. Yet, the Lord by His grace has called me to Him once more. Looking back, its seems so amazing that I am tempted to think perhaps I was nuts, or somehow arranging past circumstances, either consciously or subconsciously in a way to make it appear I was in touch with some hard to reach mystical realm. However, my volumes of journals testify to the reality of the occurrences, the words given to me, and there are even witnesses that can testify to it as well. In full disclosure to the reader, I am actually quite hesitant about sharing all of that and posting it to complete strangers. In fact, I feel a little sick to my stomach due to the influence of my old friend cowardice.

With that foreknowledge, let’s turn to the verse. In life everything can at times feel like it is out to get us. The trust we place on people and possessions is so powerful that when we are let down, when we find our bank accounts lacking, and when people we thought would be there aren’t, our hearts get hardened, so that the resulting pain may never be felt again. We feel in essence that a hardened heart will act like a giant Tylenol that will elevate the pain in our lives and spirit. It doesn’t, for out of that only comes self-destruction and despair.

Christ went through the most ghastly experience, by being tortured and mercilessly put to death on the cross, but even in His suffering He did not harden His heart against man, nor does He even regret what He went through! In fact, He would do it tomorrow if it were required, but as He said, “it is finished.”

Christ is a truth we can rely on when others fail us. This doesn’t mean that we will always get what we want or that we will be spared pain, rather realize that because of what Christ has done pain isn’t eternal for those who believe upon Him and we will someday receive a gift that is beyond description and beyond what we could even dream to want, salvation in eternity with our Lord and all those who we know in Jesus Christ.

The banks may fail, but we can always bank on Christ. His blood is still flowing over us, cleansing us of the tarnish of sin and iniquity, just as it was decreed at the beginning and as it will last forever. We won’t have absolute happiness until we get there friends and cross the finish line, but in our silly “little” suffering, we can take heart that the Lord is there to comfort and guide us. We have a God that cares for us, is interested in the little things we go through day after day, and is eager to hear from us. Such a Lord no other can boast, but we can boast in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, and who would do it all over again yesterday, today and tomorrow.

"Christ on The Cross," by Albrecht Altdorfer. c. 1520

Romans 1:19, “On The Feigned Sciences”

“Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” -Romans 1:19

NASA picture of a neutron star taken from Hubble in 2009. Dubbed as the "Hand of God."

Although there are hidden truths to God that we must have ears to hear and eyes to see, the truth is that God never intended to keep Himself a secret from man. In reality, the very fact He created us suggests purpose and if there is purpose, then it most logically follows that God would want to share that purpose with his creation. This being the case, it would thus reject any idea of the deistic “watchmaker” theory, where God simply created the universe, wound it up like a watch and stepped away. This watchmaker analogy is famous among Deists, Atheists, as well as Christians. It was pioneered by William Paley in his Teleological Argument, or the, “Argument From Design.” Paley wrote:

William Paley

“In crossing a hearth, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone and were asked how the stone came to be there, I might possibly answer that for anything I knew to the contrary it had lain there forever; nor would it, perhaps, be very easy to show the absurdity of this answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place. I should hardly think, of the answer which I had before given, that for anything I knew the watch might have always been there. Yet why should not this answer serve for the watch as well as for the stone? Why is it not as admissible in the second case as in the first?”

Science is the new god, and though I am a Christian I feel that despite my skepticism with some science, I at the same time will admit that science is an amazing thing and has culminated in wonderful discoveries which continually benefit mankind as it develops. It really amazes me that God gave us such a capacity and did not construct us as robots, programmed and brainless, but rather, in accordance with is wonderful design, we were created to have the mental means to explore Him and all the wonders of His creation.

NASA photograph of the nucleus of the "Whirlpool Galazy," or M51a.

The Lord Himself suggested the extent of mans abilities at the tower of Babel, when He said in Genesis 11:6, “Nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them.” Though somewhat situational the point is that God recognizes the extent of the capability of man’s mind, for it was He who designed us so. Yet, as with Babel, it doesn’t mean this isn’t a stumbling block to mankind. Quite the contrary.

"The Tower of Babel," by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. oil on panel, c. 1563

Science, although fantastic in some regards, has separated us from the Lord. Even Christians are led astray now in accepting a form of evolution taking place in the Genesis creation account. If you cannot trust God with the account of His creation, how do you know what you can trust in the Bible? The scriptures are God breathed and should be treated as such. It is not from science that we should juxtapose the scriptures, but rather upon the scriptures that we should juxtapose science.

Science, we are told to believe is foul proof, and there is no room for personal interpretation, but this isn’t the case at all. Even within the scientific method, there is room for error and personal presuppositions which alter the means of proof and thereby the results. For example, let us suppose you have the internal belief that the world is billions of years old. With this belief you approach all your scientific equipment and run a menagerie of tests to come to complete proof of the claim and the belief that resides in your heart. Now suppose some of these tests differ in their results, such as they frequently do with researchers both on the secular and Christian sides. Where does the truth lie? No doubt you are going to assume and put your faith, that’s right faith, in the test results of the particular test that most closely matched your own convictions. The truth is that solid irrefutable scientific results concerning such things just don’t appear. No, it is dependent on a person with his own ideas and beliefs prior to embarking on seeking “truth.”

The Scientific Method

Secondly, science and the Lord are not mutually exclusive. Let me write that again. Science and the Lord are not mutually exclusive. What I mean is this, that if something is explained by science, it does not follow that God did not have a hand in it. Indeed, if God created the natural world, what does follow, is that it would be subservient to his purpose.

We see time and time again, something in the Bible or in our lives trying to be explained scientifically, and I see some Christians stumble because of this very fact, but if something is explained in a scientific way, this only identifies the means in which God had a hand in the miraculous. Miracles are supposed to be void of any scientific explanation. I ask why? It makes perfect sense to me that God would have designed science and thereby can manipulate it to do His bidding, for He created it in the first place. I would encourage all my brothers and sisters in Christ not to be threatened by science, but remain in awe of it for it gives us a glimpse into the immense power and amazing nature of our Lord and Savior. Do not put your faith in the science of man, which is always in flux, but rather on your Lord, who is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Romans 1:13, “On The Plans of Man in Relation to God’s Will and in Which You’ll Read a Few Notes Concerning Responsibility, or, ‘When in Rome . . .'”

“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other gentiles.” -Romans 1:13

Paul in verse 13, tells of his strong desire to visit the church at Rome. Indeed, it could be reasonably said, that it was something very important to Paul, for despite it not coming to pass for some time, he never abandoned his plan, but rather held to the desire throughout his numerous travels.

Paul continues telling the reader that the reason he didn’t visit, was that he was prevented from doing so. At least in this verse Paul doesn’t elaborate, but due to the manifest relationship with Paul had with the Lord, it seems that the Lord, even by allowing hardship, postponed Paul’s visit to the Romans.

1,400 Year Old Fresco Found in Roman Catacomb Purportedly Showing The Apostle Paul

The plans of Man and the plans of the Lord scarcely match up. Even when we feel that we are dong something to further the Lord’s kingdom on earth and have nothing but the best of intentions, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it is God’s will. Paul did eventually make it to Rome, suggested by the use of the words, “until now.”

This seems to be a place where God’s will and Paul’s desire are in sync, at least to some degree. However, we must remember that in our relationship with the Lord, this may or may not be the case and though we may wait on Him, our desires may never come to fruition.

The fact is that God can easily prevent, or even force people, to do His will, like in the case of Jonah. This is a right God has because of His sovereignty  and like it or not, our existence denotes that we are already part of His will. So, this being the case, where does responsibility fit in, for some suggest that if God is indeed sovereign then it follows that responsibility is an illusion?

"Jonah Leaving The Whale," by Jan Brueghel The Elder. oil on panel, c. 1600

To state it simply without going into pages of philosophical ramblings, our time and place is predetermined in that the decisions we would make freely would be the necessary means to God’s final purpose. An omniscient awareness of choice and it’s outcome doesn’t necessarily contradict or negate the particular individuals responsibility in decision.

In our struggle of our will with God’s we have a freedom to choose what role we will Play in God’s ultimate purpose, and this freedom represents a clear choice and if there is choice, than it follows their must be responsibility in our actions and decisions.

"Adam and Eve," by Albrecht Durer. copper-plate engraving, c. 1504