Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever

Hebrews 13 From the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Let love of the brethren continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. ⁴ Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. ⁵ Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” ⁶ so that we confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

⁷ Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹ Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. ¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. ¹² Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. ¹⁴ For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

¹⁵ Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. ¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. ¹⁹ And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

²⁰ Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, ²¹ equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. ²³Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. ²⁴ Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.

Have you ever seen, read and tried to understand one of those news stories that has classified information redacted? At times there are more words and sentences eliminated than what remains. Perhaps that is the version of the Bible some people read and follow. For many it would seem that rather than today’s text saying:  Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have.       It would read: Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. xxxxxxx is to be held in honor among all, and the xxxxxxxx xxx is to be xxxxxxxxx; for xxxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxx God will xxxxx. Make sure that your xxxxxxxxx is xxxx from the love of money, being xxxxxxx with what you have.     Many people today pick and choose the portions of scripture that suit their own agenda and simply ignore, as if they did not exist, those which deal with sin, holiness, righteousness or judgment.

The text says:  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings…  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. In John 10:30 Jesus says:  "I and the Father are one."  In Malachi 3:6 God says:  I, the Lord, do not change.   In Numbers 23:19 God says: God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?    That God will make good on His word holds equally true concerning His promise of blessings and regarding His judgment of sin. He has not changed His mind. He has said it and He will do it.  The varied and strange teachings of today that embrace sin, saying the word of God is no longer relevant in today’s culture or saying that because of grace, sin no longer matters because it was forgiven by the cross, are inconsistent with the truth of an unchanging God and Christ. Neither God the Father, nor Jesus have changed their minds about sin. The text says:  it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace…       Indeed we are forgiven of sin by grace, but also by grace our hearts are to be redeemed, renewed and strengthened, that we would also resist sin. The cross of Christ did not change God’s mind about sin. It changed the way God sees us in regard to our sin. He sees us as redeemed in Christ. Again the cross did not change God’s mind about sin, but for those who are redeemed it should change our minds about sin. Because of the cross, because we have been redeemed, we should come into alignment with the unchanging God’s mind about sin. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says:  who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.  Sin caused Jesus the agony of the cross. I don’t think that the mind of Christ either embraces or tolerates that which He suffered and died for.

Today’s text also has this exhortation for the church:   Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.     When my children were young and would have a disagreement or fight and one would come to me, after already having tried to settle it themselves, seeking discipline against the other, I would often respond saying: didn’t you already discipline them. I cannot discipline them again, because you took it into your own hands. They cannot be accountable both to you and to me.     James 3:1 says:  Let not many of you become teachers(leaders), my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.  Leaders will give an account before God for their leadership. But if those who are to follow disobey and make the leader accountable to them, then they have placed themselves in a position where they will be the one accountable to God. Obedience and submission to leaders is to be done with joy not grief. Because doing it in grief, with complaining and grumbling is unprofitable. Rebellion, disobedience; causing divisions and factions are sins and not in alignment with the unchangeable character of God and Christ. Christ’s desire is that we would be one, both with each other and also with Him and the Father. You cannot be one with someone or something you oppose. Again, that is also why if we make an agreement with sin, we cannot be in agreement with God.

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation… Grace be with you all.   Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit for Your everlasting love and for Your unchanging character. May I walk in the grace of the cross, redeemed from sin, renewed in mind and restored to alignment with Your unchanging sinless character. Amen.