Strange Teachings

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings..."

Hebrews 13:78-9a

Day 237

In case you are wondering where the first 236 days went, I have been reading through the Bible with a group of people, well, for 237 days. Part of that process has been to complete a daily journal about something in that reading. I’ve been promising myself for some time that I would blog part of that journal each day. Well, the day to keep that promise has come, and there’s no going back 236 days to catch up, so don’t expect to see them.

Explain

There is no deep context to this passage, or any other part of Hebrews 13. The author is wrapping up his letter with some quick concluding remarks and advice for his audience. This particular passage comes at the end of an exhortation to imitate those who led them to faith. He lays out a pattern of following those who follow Christ, and to be like them. Jesus doesn’t change, and our path in following Him shouldn’t either. From the earliest days of the church, strange doctrines and heresies have arisen. Paul talked about some (See Galatians coming up next). John wrote his gospel to counter another. The writer of Hebrews goes into glorious detail about who Jesus was and why He is the perfect high priest for His people. There was no shortage of “one-offs” and outright heresy by the time this letter was written. But there is a definitive gospel and it is to be followed, because Jesus does not change.

Apply

I am a casual consumer of social media. Honestly, I’m a sucker for cute puppy videos, and that is largely what fills my streams. But, especially on Tik Tok on the weekends, there is no shortage of people who want to share what the Bible “really means.” Or they want to discuss the “hidden books” of the Bible. Now, most of what these people preach is can be dismantled with about ten minutes of actual research. And some is so off the wall that it should be dismissed out of hand. (There are NO space aliens in the Bible). But it tickles people’s ears to hear this junk theology. Often it perverts the true gospel enough that it serves to either undermine people’s confidence in the true gospel, or it give them permission to engage in their favorite sin. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6 NASB1995) Anything that is not the actual from the biblical Jesus, is not to be believed or followed, no matter how good it sounds to us. If something was sin 2,000 years ago, it is sin today. If it was holy 2,000 years ago, it is holy today. Anything else is a strange teaching to be rejected.

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