Online Christian Bible Study

Forgiveness is not something we can experience apart from Christ. God's gift to the world is His Son, and God calls us to come unto Him. He doesn't call us to come and get forgiveness. He simply says to receive His Son. When we do, we receive forgiveness because forgiveness is found "in Christ.

The Bible is very clear. The wages of sin is death and the gift of God is eternal life. It is a black and white issue with no in-between. Somewhere, however, the issue has been clouded through the concept of being in and out of fellowship.

Instead of the wages of sin being death, it is now being used as a means to say we are in and out of fellowship with God. Instead of the gift of God being eternal life, it is now being used as being in fellowship. This has watered down the gospel and has robbed literally thousands of Christians the ability to experience the abundant life Jesus promised.

Hebrews 4:9-11 explains that a special "Sabbath rest" remains for God's people, distinct from the physical Sabbath day, which involves ceasing from self-effort and relying on God's finished work (like creation rest) through faith in Jesus, urging believers to diligently enter this spiritual rest to avoid disobedience and find true peace, not through works, but by trusting Christ's completed redemption, a rest foreshadowed by Old Testament promises but fulfilled in a deeper, eternal sense.

In essence, Hebrews 4:9-11 teaches:

• The Sabbath as a Symbol:
  The Old Testament Sabbath pointed to a greater spiritual reality.
• The Ultimate Rest:
  This ultimate rest is found in trusting Jesus and His completed work, not in our own toils.
• A Present & Future Promise:
  It's a present spiritual reality (ceasing from works) and a future eternal rest (in glory).
• A Call to Faith:
  Believers must actively choose faith over failure, entering God's provision rather than their own efforts.

Hebrews 2:1 is a crucial warning to believers to give "more earnest heed" (pay close attention) to the Gospel message, because Jesus, who spoke it, is far superior to angels, and neglecting this message leads to drifting away from faith into spiritual danger, like a boat drifting from its anchor. It emphasizes that spiritual drifting is often gradual, stemming from inattention to God's word, and highlights the need to actively hold onto the truths of Christ to avoid falling away, especially under persecution.

In simple terms:
Because Jesus is God's ultimate revelation, the message He brought is supremely important; therefore, we must actively and carefully focus on it, lest we slowly and unconsciously drift away from the salvation it offers, much like a ship drifting out to sea.