Friday, April 10, 2015

Friday, April 10 Leviticus 14 and Hebrews 11:1-19 - Elizabeth

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Leviticus 14 and Hebrews 11:1-19

In our OT reading today, disease is a consequence of the fall into sin, which isolates God's people outside the boundaries He established, but God provides the means to readmit those whose skin disease is healed. Thankfully, God now provides a means for the sinner, outside His boundaries, to return to Him: His own Son, Jesus Christ. When we repent, Christ removes our impurities, that we might daily be clothed in our Baptism. Infected individuals and homes must be removed from God's presence. In His mercy, God provides His priests with purification rites to cleanse individuals and homes. Ultimately, God sent His Son to enter the unclean home of sinners. Christ purifies and blesses our homes by His presence, as we pray, "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed." This clearly refutes the teaching of theologians of glory, who would have us believe our health, or lack thereof, depends upon our faith, our actions, etc.

According to the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, "If anyone wants a distinction between faith and hope, we say that the object of hope is properly a future event, but that faith is concerned with the future and present things. Faith receives the forgiveness of sins offered in the promise in the present". Luther said, "One of the noblest and most precious virtues of faith is to close one's eyes to this, ingenuously to desist from exploring the why and the wherefore, and cheerfully to leave everything to God. Faith does not insist on knowing the reason for God's actions, but it still regards God as the greatest goodness and mercy. Faith holds to that against and beyond all reason, sense, and experience, when everything appears to be wrath and injustice." Luther's Works American Edition

As we see in our Hebrews reading, faith trusts even without sight what God has set forth in His Word. True faith is active in love and is steadfast under persecution. By His resurrection, Christ conquered death and now provides His Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Leviticus 15-16; Hebrews 11:20-40

4 comments:

Nathan said...

This reminds me of how we read about having child like faith, which to me means believing in something even though we don't understand it. Jesus put great importance on children (Matthew 18:1-5), and I feel like I need to believe first what the bible says, and not feel like I first need to have it explained with proof.

Conrad said...

Hebrews 11:13b "And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth."

Christians are aliens and strangers on earth. Our real citizenship and homeland is in Heaven. One day God will replace that alienation feeling with the peace of being at home when He calls us home.

Tammy said...

Hebrews 11 is one of my favourite chapters. I find the faith of the OT saints remarkable - they had very little revelation from God, they didn't have the NT, they didn't have the holy spirit the same way we do now - and they believed and hoped in things they had not seen. Amazing faith!

Pamela said...

Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favourite verses: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.