Renungan 22 November 2021, Hebrew 13:9a

Hebrew 13:9a

Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.

FAITHFULNESS

If we go back to the Age of Enlightenment, we will be reminded that this is an age of questioning religious truths. At this time, the mind is at the center of everything. Humans should not be subject to any power outside of themselves, including God who is considered to be able to control one’s wild thoughts. This resulted in all matters relating to religion were always corrected which resulted in many people leaving God. The church no longer gives light but is dim and powerless. The Word of God is no longer the center of everything but human reason. The dominant feature of this era is anthropocentrism or the teaching which states that the center of the universe is human being , no longer Theocentrism.

The new teachings at that time made people feel that they were not dependent on God, they felt that everything happened under human control and all problems could be solved by logic. This teaching greatly affects people’s lives until they finally return to God because they have experienced many failures. That is what happened in this passage, many people left God because of the many struggles they were going through. The Jewish Christian identified as addresses for this letter are experiencing persecution and despair. Therefore, the writer tries to strengthen their faith not to return to the old belief by leaving their new faith in Jesus Christ.

The author wants to strengthen them to persist and maintain their confession to Christ until the end, and move on towards spiritual maturity. That is why this passage clearly emphasizes that you should not be misled by various strange doctrines, because as Christians they must remain faithful to their faith despite the many challenges they face as Christians. Therefore, don’t let your faith slacken due to things that are not your goal, but you must still focus and be able to ignore obstacles.

This author’s advice is not only for the Jewish Christians of that time but also for all of us. We are reminded to stick to our faith because many things can keep us away from God and not just a matter of life but position, education, career, wealth, intelligence, etc. Can lead us to selfishness and leave God. Let’s look at the reality at this point. The Corona epidemic has made many people angry and away from God because many people died suddenly, many people were fired because the company went bankrupt, and could not pay for their daily needs, some even chose to commit suicide instead of having to feel the impact of Corona. In addition to the corona issue, the era of the times has also made people leave God. Not a few people are increasingly forgetting God, maybe even us.

This era actually must make us closer to God, grateful and thank for the conveniences that we can feel, not to be further away. This era expects everyone to be innovative and transformed from old habits into new in order to survive but not to make it as a god. Because everything is in God’s control. Therefore everything that takes us away from God must be removed.

In verse 7 it says, we need to learn from the leaders who bring the gospel to us. Besides we must pay attention to the end of their lives, we must also imitate their faith. They are faithful to their ministry in good times and bad. Let’s look at the faithfulness of Jesus bearing the cross for our sins. He didn’t even turn around because of the pain he had to endure. Loyalty is a commitment that must be grown in order to focus on one goal. Don’t turn around and look back. This passage really motivates us even though we are currently facing various problems that make us feel sick, sad, etc. We have to face it, don’t back down. For God’s Word in Revelation 3:10 says if we are faithful to His Word and obey Him, He will also protect us from the day of trial that is coming upon the whole world. God exists and his work is real in our lives. Stay true to him. Amen

Bvr. Tiarma, M.Th.