Hebrews 10 and 11

Hebrews 10

Paul continues his teaching that Christ, by virtue of the atonement, is the great high priest of the church and only his singular sacrifice can be bring the forgiveness of sins. Repetitive sacrifice in the temple is of no affect. Two important verses are 16 and 17. The Lord will put his law in our hearts and minds and when sins are repented of, he says he will remember them no more. And knowing that are sins are remitted, it gives every person the confidence to enter the Holy of holies, or his presence.

Hebrews 11

This is the greatest chapter on faith in the Bible. Verse one defines what faith is, the assurance that enables us to move forward and actively work towards something we hope to obtain even though there may not be any evidence of our accomplishing it. Paul then gives examples throughout the scriptures of great prophets and women who obtained miraculous and/or marvelous accomplishments because of their faith. Notice how Isaac is called the only begotten son. The only other person referred to that way in the scriptures is Christ. At the end of the chapter, Paul does not name specific people but talks of what others accomplished or suffered. Each of these things can be related to a specific person in the Bible. For example, with sawn asunder, Paul is most likely referring to the way in which Isaiah was killed by King Mannaseh of Judah.

Two verses particularly impress me. In speaking of Moses, Paul mentions how when Moses became of age, he chose to be with his people rather than stay in the house of the Pharaoh where he would have had position and wealth. Paul says he did this because he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt. Obviously, Moses knew of and chose to follow Christ. And to most, this doesn’t make sense because nothing in the Old Testament mentions he has this knowledge unless you understand that Jehovah is Christ.

The other verse that I think important is verse 6. “Without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” We cannot find God if we do not seek him. And the amazing thing is, if any person will do three things, and they are not hard, they will gain an assurance, gain the faith, that he exists and knows them personally. One is to live righteously, just do what is right. Two is to read some scripture every day. And three is to consistently pray every day. If you do this, like Alma promises, this seed of effort will eventually grow into a strong tree of belief, faith and knowledge.