Hebrews: A List of Questions

After last week's sharing, many questions were raised. Today, we will address them one by one:

Q1: What is our relationship with Jesus Christ?

This is an interesting question, and I enjoy answering it. What exactly is our relationship with Jesus Christ? There are several layers to our relationship with Jesus Christ:

First Layer: As described in Hebrews, our Jesus Christ accomplished salvation for us. What is His relationship to us? Jesus is the firstborn, the eldest son. We are the other sons, so our relationship with Him is that of siblings, brothers.

Second Layer: As described in other books, Jesus Christ and the church are in a relationship of husband and wife. Many brothers and sisters say they are the bride of Jesus Christ. I find this rather cheesy and particularly dislike saying it. Why? Because the Bible does not say that you, as an individual, are the bride of Jesus Christ.

Especially the sisters, who tend to be overly sentimental, exclaiming, Oh! I am the bride of Jesus Christ, twirling in front of the mirror as if about to marry Jesus. It's not like that. In the Bible, the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. We and the church are a complete, unified whole. The unified church is the bride of Jesus Christ. Speaking of the husband-wife relationship, it is Jesus Christ and the church, including us.

Third Layer: Another relationship exists where Jesus Christ is the head, and we are the body. The body is the church of Jesus Christ. If you read about building the body of Jesus Christ in the Bible, this body is the church. So, Jesus Christ has a relationship with the church, and the church has a relationship with us. This cannot be separated.

We cannot isolate ourselves; avoid those evil habits of solitary cultivation. I see many Christians who like personal cultivation, but brothers and sisters should know that without unity, there can be no holiness. Why? Because you have deep relationships with people, and problems arise.

Many brothers and sisters are good at discerning good and evil. I am good to you, but you are not good to me, it's all these trivial matters. Some brothers and sisters always say, I am not good enough, I am unworthy, I am terrible. We freely receive God's grace; no one is worthy, including me. If you say you are unworthy, I also feel unworthy. We cannot think like that. So, we all need to change.

The church is the army of Jesus Christ, and also the house of God, the temple of God, and the bride of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. So, if we delve deeply into this relationship, it is impossible to fully discuss it. If I explain one aspect, you may have even more questions.

Q2: What is the difference between demons and angels?

There is no difference between demons and angels. The only difference is that demons collect rubbish, and angels collect treasures, fulfilling God's tasks. The fallen angels, led by Satan, became a large group of demons in the world. The difference is between fallen angels and non-fallen angels. Whether angels have disobeyed God's commands or not, they are all within God's creation.

Before studying Hebrews, I told everyone not to be interested in angels. Many brothers and sisters say, I saw an angel, I saw a demon. In fact, whether you see them or not is not important. What is important is that you live out the image of Jesus Christ, because you need to know that you are more precious than angels.

Q3: How can one live out the image of God?

The entire book of Hebrews is about how you can live out the image of Jesus Christ. If you ask me, my answer is to strive earnestly.

Q4: What is salvation?

Salvation is restoring the glorious image in which God initially created us.

Q5: What is Mingding Destiny?

Mingding Destiny is why you are alive. If you live for your work, your work is your Mingding Destiny. If you live to build God's glorious church, building the church is your Mingding Destiny. If your Mingding Destiny is to take care of your family and children, then you live for that.

What is Mingding Destiny in the Bible? It is what Abraham obtained, to be a blessing to all nations and peoples. This is the image of God. Why be a blessing to all nations and peoples? Because living has no real meaning, so find something meaningful to do. If living has no great meaning and you can't find anything meaningful, then tears will flow.

This afternoon, I received a call from a brother, who was crying as he spoke. I asked him why he was crying. He said, Studying for a master's degree is meaningless, but I can't not study. I can't compare to others, and I feel it's meaningless...

In short, it's a mess. What is that? It is Mingding Destiny. If that thing is your Mingding Destiny, then you live for it. Why do you live? That is your Mingding Destiny. Today, we live for God; this is our Mingding Destiny. To live for God, we must diligently keep and follow God's word, and we must be a blessing to all nations and peoples on earth.

Q6: How to establish the identity of a son of God?

This identity is not established, but given to us by God. If we are willing to accept it, we can receive it.

Q7: Faith: Pious or Rigorous?

I am not quite sure I understand this question. In my view, faith is a choice, trusting in the word of God. You ask me, is this the word of God? It is a bit difficult for me to answer directly, because I believe it is. Then you ask: if you believe this is the word of God, there are other scriptures, such as the Quran, the I Ching, and many others. Which scripture is truly the word of God? You will find out if you give it a try.

If you believe that the Bible is the word of God, you will see the power of God. Therefore, Paul said:

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power (1 Corinthians 2:4).

Our faith is not built on wise and persuasive words, but on the power of the Holy Spirit. The faith described in Hebrews is a faith that can be experienced, so that our faith does not rest on human wisdom, but on the power of God.

Some time ago, a preacher showed me his phone, scrolling to a post: Pastor So-and-so has stage III colon cancer. Whether you are a Christian or a pastor, this is a high-risk profession. Because we have a very strict prosecutor, picking on our faults every day. If we believe in Jesus in a distorted way, not according to the word of God, but according to our own ideas, that is very troublesome.

Therefore, if we preach the gospel incorrectly, we will be cursed; if we believe the gospel incorrectly, we will also be cursed. Many people say, how do I know that what you are saying is correct? Then read the Bible more and look for answers in the Bible to see if what I am saying is true. If what I say does not align with the Bible, you can discard it; if what I say aligns with the Bible, then believe it well and listen carefully.

I am a very diligent person, and I work hard to understand the Bible. I do not want to fall into a curse. I often call upon God to reveal to me and let me understand the meaning of the Bible. If I do not understand the word of God, it would be troublesome to fall into a curse. Thank God, God has abundant grace. Read the word of God well, and we will do as God says. This is why we study Hebrews so seriously.

Studying this book is really hard, and there are always parts that are difficult to understand. Some people say, I cannot understand the word of God, how can I do it? It does not matter if you do not understand. God is a God who reveals, and the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. Why do others not have revelation? Because some people are self-righteous, and if they do not understand, they still think they do. That is a serious problem.

If I do not understand, I admit that I do not understand. When I pray, God tells me that this is the meaning. The Bible says: Seek and you will find. I seek God and God gives to me. If you do not seek, you deserve to have nothing. Faith is not pious, nor is it rigorous. Faith is a choice—read the word of God well. Having the word of God, then put it into practice. This is faith.

When you read the Bible, you must remove your own ideas and read with a humble and teachable heart. If you read with human reason, you will speculate: how can the dead be resurrected? You must know that what is impossible with man is possible with God. Therefore, faith is built on the word of God.

Q8: Is it right to be on equal footing with God or with Jesus?

We are one with Jesus Christ, which means our minds and thoughts are completely like Jesus. You do not have the ability to be crucified. You scream when you get a few acupuncture needles. If you were crucified, you would scream to high heaven! The mindset of being on equal footing with Jesus is not quite right, but imitating Jesus, striving earnestly, and reaching perfection is very good.

Q9: How do I understand that what is mine is Jesus's, and what is Jesus's is mine?

God says: If I did not spare my own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? We are united with Jesus, so there is no distinction of who owns what. I wonder what the person asking this question means. Maybe they feel they are short of money in their pocket, thinking that Jesus's money is their money. Some couples are like this; the wife tells the husband, my money is my money, and your money is also my money. Does this sound familiar?

Your money is your money, and my money is my money. This is also troublesome. Your money is my money, and my money is also my money. It sounds pretty good, but when it comes to spending money, your opinion does not count, only his opinion counts. That is also quite troublesome. In reality, what’s yours isn’t yours, and everything he has is all his.

Q10: How to differentiate between calling and Mingding Destiny?

God calls us into Mingding Destiny, which means that people in this world hear God's call and enter God's Mingding Destiny. God tells us how we should live. Mingding Destiny is, why do we live? A calling is like shouting, come, come and follow me! Some people follow, some people do not. We are called to enter the Mingding Destiny that God has given us; some are called to enter what they themselves consider their own Mingding Destiny, such as living for money or for work, and then becoming more and more entangled.

Some live for their children, and if their children fail, they are finished. They treat their sons as precious treasures, but the sons do not understand or listen, always complaining about their mothers nagging, piercing their mothers' hearts, because the son is her life, and if the son fails, she also fails. If your Mingding Destiny is God, I want to go to God, to be one with God, to live out God's glorious image, and then become a blessing to all nations on earth.

Q11: What does sanctification mean as mentioned in the Bible?

It means to be like God, striving to be more and more like Jesus. This journey is called sanctification. Has anyone been sanctified? We should strive earnestly, and must have an attitude of sanctification. When will we be sanctified? In fact, we can never be completely sanctified; we can only become more and more like Jesus. Love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and God will sanctify us.

Q12: How do I understand He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants (Hebrews 1:7)?

Controlling wind and fire is the responsibility of angels. We have seen great mountain fires, and the fire is very large, and it is difficult for people to extinguish because God is doing it, and people cannot resist it at all. Do not offend God. God uses flames as servants. If He gives you a fire, let us see if you are still acting tough, do not be stubborn with God.