3C's Bible Study

Is it possible for a Christian to be in unbelief? If so, what does unbelief in one's life look like? What are the consequences to continuing in such a state?

Hebrews chapter 3 challenges our view of what it means to believe, moving believing from creed to deed - from only confessing, to responding to what we hear. Jesus describes believing as a work (John 6:28-29) and thus invites us to lay hold of the word of God until it lays hold of us.

The antidote to drifting and unbelief is a humble disposition towards the word of God and our staying within the community of the people of God. If we let the word of God melt our hearts, challenge, comfort and correct us, then the Holy Spirit can produce the rest of God in us and the patient endurance that is necessary for true Christian belief.

We summarise the first two chapters of the letter, covering the nature of God's speaking to us, His final message to us personified in Christ, the necessity for the Son of God as the chief messenger and the reasons that Christ had to take on our physical human nature in His incarnation.

To address our tendency to drift away from the foundations of faith, Hebrews 2 offers us the mystery of the incarnation of Christ in human form. 

Christ took on human nature, and not any other in salvation, so He could taste death (the justice of God) for everyone, redeem us back to our glorious calling in God, defeat the stronghold of death, and restore us in times of weakness and failure.

The sufficiency of Christ is the epicentre of this letter, and in this chapter, the writer showcases Him as our merciful and faithful High Priest.

God speaks prophetically both to creation and to us His children. Why does He speak this way and what are the implications?

The answers to that lead us on to why a message meant for humanity could not be adequately delivered by prophets or angels. What is this message and what impact does its content have on our standing with God and our longing for Him?

Let's find out together in this first chapter of Hebrews.

The writer of Hebrews writes to first-century Jewish Christians on the back of the gradual drift away from Christ that was instigated by the intense persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. The letter argues that nothing we return to is greater than God's final word to us, which is summed up in His Son. 

Jesus is greater than the angels and the prophets, and he is the pioneer of a greater priesthood that assures us of eternal salvation. If Jesus is God’s best offer for mankind, the writer argues that there are eternal consequences of drifting away from Him. 

The letter concludes by presenting the antidote to drifting - a steadfast faith that is anchored on the person and work of Christ both in history, and now in heaven. Faith is the way to justification before God and the way to access into the riches of His life. The way of faith is to continually look away and unto Jesus, allowing the truth of His being to shape our believing and living.

In this final part of the doctrine of Christ, we contemplate the deep waters of eternal judgement, covering the meaning and basis of judgement and the character of God's eternal judgement. We also address the common questions and objections raised against this principle and offer Biblical answer to universalism and annihilation.

The resurrection of Jesus is the lynchpin of Christian belief because it changed everything for Christ, for us and for the world. How are the dead raised? What hope do we look forward to in resurrection? Can we taste of its riches now? Let's find out in this episode.

There are two sides to each of the pillars of the doctrine of Christ - the origin or spiritual reality behind the principle and the outworking or physical expression of it. The reality is what is behind the outworking. The laying on of hands is the pillar that most depicts this dichotomy, because without the knowledge of the reality behind it, this practice would be nothing more than a culturally acceptable friendly gesture.

The two main outcomes that are behind this doctrine are impartation and identification. In the first, we supply of the measure of the Spirit that we have received to another and in the second we confer spiritual authority upon another.

Having previously laid the doctrinal foundations for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we now focus on the organics of the gift of the Holy Spirit. We examine the promise of the Father, the two dimensions of this promise - the indwelling and outpouring of the Spirit, receiving the promise and life in the Spirit.

This short clip addresses the question that often arises and goes this way - does the requirement of baptism in water mean that a new believer who has not been baptised can't or won't be considered a proper believer or that their salvation is incomplete?