men's bible study 8 July 2013

Continuing with NT book of Hebrews in which many fine-points, details, boundaries and definitions are worked out for an audience well acquainted with Jewish legacy, law and expectations.

Today we carry on from ch. 10.

1. How is the idea of Original Sin (fall from grace in Garden of Eden) regarded among Jews then and those several traditions now today? As a point of contrast, among Muslims one is born sinless.
2. When buffeted by life's temptations and travails one strives to keep the long view and that point on the distant shore in line. One way of describing this is "directionally guided."
3. "Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart... sometimes it makes me tremble, tremble, tremble" (negro spiritual): once the Holy of Holies has been torn open (the curtain shredded from top to bottom upon the death of the earthly Nazerene Jesus) and God no longer resides at a fixed (Temple) address then the fearsome and awe-filling presence is everywhere among all.
4. The laws once were given to Moshe, but these are shadows of the true meaning which next will be written directly on the hearts of God's people [reference to Old Testament idea; not something emerging brand new from the New Covenant]
5. "...Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done" fits in with the 'delayed gratification' idea that The World around us and God's creation we are stewards of really is a fleeting thing and one should rather 'store up your treasures in heaven'. And yet persecution and doing God's work in adverse conditions *is* its own reward now (not something to endure for some later, heavenly reward) to the extent that one's hardened heart is changed in the process of undertaking hard expressions of God's love of one's neighbors and of God.