3C's Bible Study

The path of faith begins with a calling. Our calling is what opens us to the privileges of access to God and sets us on a peculiar journey of faith (for pruning, training and equipping) making us the kind of people that can stand in our ordination. Anyone who can believe God for something is able to do so because they were called.

Faith transcends us to the generations after us, and as such, the spirit of the faith that pleases God is faithfulness. God inspires faithfulness in us by granting us a vision or revelation of his fidelity and ability, and we complete the cycle of faith by holding on to the character and power of God as the anchor for things promised.

From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and to Joseph, the passage before us traces this pathway that all who will walk by faith are called to follow. 

In view of the complete and perfect sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world, the first few verses in the study consider the problem of continuing wilfully in sin and the legal dilemma it creates.

The Gospel prescribes a lifestyle for everyone who believes - the life of faith. Faith is the not only the antidote to drifting as it rightfully is, but is also the conversion link between heavenly riches and earthly experience.

We consider then the weapons of faith, the goal and reward of faith, and the practices that sustain a living and fruitful life of faith.

From thinking redemptively, we go on to examine the quality of life that satisfies the current work of God in redemption. Christ was the ultimate embodiment of this life, and the manner in which he lived is instructive to us to whom the ministry of reconciliation has now been committed.

The fidelity of the love of God for us is never in question as far as He is concerned. The questions that remain are, to what extent do we understand and apprehend the love of GOD? And what will be our response to that love?

Responding to the love of God involves accepting His invitation to fellowship with Him not just daily but moment by moment and allowing Him produce the wonders of His life through us for His glory.

The verses before us answer the pressing question of why the sacrificial system of the Old Testament was required or instituted even though it is not efficacious in dealing with sin. Answering this question is crucial to understanding the necessity of the suffering and death of Jesus, and what His ministry in heaven accomplishes for us today.

The principle that unlocks the meaning of covenant and sacrifice, and why they are at the heart life in God's design is "redemption". If we see the world through the lens of redemption, then everything about sacrifice, covenant, and life itself makes sense. If we do not see the world through this lens, then very little will make sense.

Thinking redemptively is what strengthens a life of devotion to the Lord and enables us participate in His word on redemption on this side of eternity.

The worship that God seeks is not one that is based on human performance or religious activity, but on the activity of the Spirit in the innermost being of a man, where the presence of God dwells.

True worship goes beyond the veil (the soul), reaches deep into the conscience of a man and produces transformation. It touches reality, not by busy activity (duty) but by concentrated waiting on God (devotion).

It is only through waiting that we find reality, and the measure of true worship is the degree to which we get to “in Spirit and truth”. As such, the Lord rejects as “dead works”, any religious service that does not get here.

Every priesthood exists to service and amplify the articles of a covenant. Without covenant, there can be no priesthood. In this episode, we discuss the meaning of covenant and priesthood and why both should be at the heart of human life according to God's vision.

The chapter goes on to expound on the New Covenant, highlighting the necessity for it, its dissimilarities with the Old Covenant, the foundations of it and the promise that makes it better and superior to the Old. 

God invites all of us to begin to exercise and enjoy priesthood according to the provisions of the New Covenant to His glory and to our full satisfaction. "In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

This chapter returns to the topic of the Priesthood of Christ and the order on which it is based. This new Priesthood is kingly, eternal, that is, based on the power of an endless life and is also heavenly, making it a solid ground upon which the hope of every heart and every nation can rest.

Because this priesthood is superior to the one that preceded it and was established by an oath from God, its scope is eternal, and the salvation that Christ offers us is to the uttermost, that is to the very end. Knowing the infinite capacity that our High Priest has to save, the only question left is what our response will be. 

In Hebrews 6, the writer expands on what it takes to go on to maturity. He begins by examining the consequence remaining stuck spiritually and not pressing on in maturity, which is the possibility of turning away from God.

The writer then goes on to present hope as the antidote to lethargic faith, signalling that the longevity of our faith and its eventual effectiveness, will be determined by the quality of our hope - that is the character of the anchor of our hope. 

In Christ, we have an enduring and steadfast hope that if we lay hold on, will produce reward in this life and in the one to come. 

Having established rest as the essential principle on which all fruitful human living depends, the writer now goes on to examine the problem that is raised by our natural proclivity for weakness, anxiety, fear and all other miseries of sin.

The principle of rest itself, for sinful humanity, depends on the availability and qualification of a high priest or mediator who can transition us through every weakness in to the rest of God. That High Priest is Christ, and his incarnation, along with the weaknesses He contended with make fit to be our high priest.

Are you wondering if there is help for you in God or if your struggle can be turned around? Tune in and join us in examining the credentials of our great High Priest.

Hebrews chapter 4 surveys the meaning and layers of God's rest, highlighting its centrality in the gospel of God to creation. What is God's rest, why is it at the heart of the gospel and how do we enter into it? Join us as we uncover this great principle.