Good morning. Continuing
with the theme of judgment: anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer
punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of
God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was
sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? This reminds us of earlier
when he said they partook of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and
the powers of the ages to come, and then fallen away, that it was impossible to
renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son
of God, and put Him to open shame. Whether or not they lose their salvation,
there will be severe punishment. God knows just what to do - it is a terrifying
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. When people do this, they
become some of the severest critics of Christianity. They don't want to believe
in it, because they know how horrible it will be for them. The people he was
writing to endured a great conflict of sufferings, and had been made a public
spectacle through reproaches and tribulations and shared with those who were so
treated. If that happened to us, would we still keep the faith? It is hard to
stay firm in the faith when all the things happen because we believe. Father
thank You that the reader keeps the faith no matter what. He/she is a shining
example to those around him/her. Meet all of his/her needs and answer all of his/her
prayer requests.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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