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Listen "Should We Correct One Another? (Hebrews 12:3-16)"
Episode Synopsis
https://youtu.be/iOS6kby7rP4?si=Hz00yhGJMvgSEy2Q
Introduction: Importance of Doctrine
We've come to a section in the Book of Hebrews where the writer is primarily focusing on application. In the New Testament letters, the writer will typically start with significant doctrine. Up front, there's doctrine and theology. Then, after they've given us a doctrine of theology, they will move into a moment of application, saying, Here's what I want you to do with this doctrine in theology.
That's what the writer of Hebrews is now doing. For the first 11 chapters, he provided us with a substantial amount of doctrine and theology. He told us a lot about who Jesus is, where Jesus came from, what he came to earth to do, and what he accomplished. He talks about Jesus being the image of the perfect God. That Jesus is better than angels, that Jesus establishes a New Covenant, and that Jesus mediates a better covenant with a better sacrifice than those of the Old Covenant. That Jesus is continually our great High Priest interceding for us.
He's given us a lot of doctrine. He's explained to us what faith is and why it matters. Now he moves into chapters 12 and 13, and he begins to tell us, What do you do with this doctrine of theology that I've now given you? The Book of Hebrews is a transcribed sermon, and I think it serves as a model for how we ought to preach in our present age. We live in a culture in the United States where it is very normal for sermons to be primarily practical or application-oriented.
You go to church and you hear, Here are three steps to do this. It's often absent of theology and doctrine. When you look through the New Testament letters, they spend a lot of time teaching doctrine and theology. We see the book of Galatians has six chapters. The first five are doctrine and theology, and one chapter is application. We see here in Hebrews, 11 chapters chock-full of doctrine and theology, and two chapters of practical application. The most balanced letter is Ephesians. Three chapters of doctrine, three chapters of application.
But most of the New Testament authors spend more time teaching doctrine and theology than they do practical application, which I think is a model for how we ought to teach in our services. Tragically, across the Western world, in modern evangelicalism, we spend very little time teaching doctrine and theology. We wonder why our churches are kind of a mess. People ask, Why do you spend so much energy teaching doctrine, because that's what the New Testament author said. We want to be like them.
So this is valuable in our conversations as believers; we should spend lots of time talking about doctrine and theology. As parents, we should be spending lots of time teaching our kids doctrine and theology. Now, certainly, we should not stop there. Those of us who are in the Reformed world sometimes we can stop with doctrine and theology, and then we forget to do the application part. So both are important.
The writer of Hebrews has now moved into chapters 12 and 13, where he is spending significant time giving us very practical exhortations. In the first few verses of chapter 12, he gives us some exhortations. The one that I spent the most time talking about last week was he tells us to get rid of sin and to get rid of any hindrances that may distract us from Jesus, even if those things are not sinful. Get rid of sin. Sin is bad. It distracts, it causes harm, it dishonors Jesus. Get rid of sin.
But in addition to that, there are lists of things in your life that are not necessarily sinful at all, but you should get rid of them because they potentially are a distraction between you and Jesus. The immature Christian asks this question, Is it sinful? It's not that I can do it. The mature Christian or the maturing Christian asks a different question, a better question, not Is it sinful? But rather, will this thing help me run after Jesus better? If the answer is no,
Introduction: Importance of Doctrine
We've come to a section in the Book of Hebrews where the writer is primarily focusing on application. In the New Testament letters, the writer will typically start with significant doctrine. Up front, there's doctrine and theology. Then, after they've given us a doctrine of theology, they will move into a moment of application, saying, Here's what I want you to do with this doctrine in theology.
That's what the writer of Hebrews is now doing. For the first 11 chapters, he provided us with a substantial amount of doctrine and theology. He told us a lot about who Jesus is, where Jesus came from, what he came to earth to do, and what he accomplished. He talks about Jesus being the image of the perfect God. That Jesus is better than angels, that Jesus establishes a New Covenant, and that Jesus mediates a better covenant with a better sacrifice than those of the Old Covenant. That Jesus is continually our great High Priest interceding for us.
He's given us a lot of doctrine. He's explained to us what faith is and why it matters. Now he moves into chapters 12 and 13, and he begins to tell us, What do you do with this doctrine of theology that I've now given you? The Book of Hebrews is a transcribed sermon, and I think it serves as a model for how we ought to preach in our present age. We live in a culture in the United States where it is very normal for sermons to be primarily practical or application-oriented.
You go to church and you hear, Here are three steps to do this. It's often absent of theology and doctrine. When you look through the New Testament letters, they spend a lot of time teaching doctrine and theology. We see the book of Galatians has six chapters. The first five are doctrine and theology, and one chapter is application. We see here in Hebrews, 11 chapters chock-full of doctrine and theology, and two chapters of practical application. The most balanced letter is Ephesians. Three chapters of doctrine, three chapters of application.
But most of the New Testament authors spend more time teaching doctrine and theology than they do practical application, which I think is a model for how we ought to teach in our services. Tragically, across the Western world, in modern evangelicalism, we spend very little time teaching doctrine and theology. We wonder why our churches are kind of a mess. People ask, Why do you spend so much energy teaching doctrine, because that's what the New Testament author said. We want to be like them.
So this is valuable in our conversations as believers; we should spend lots of time talking about doctrine and theology. As parents, we should be spending lots of time teaching our kids doctrine and theology. Now, certainly, we should not stop there. Those of us who are in the Reformed world sometimes we can stop with doctrine and theology, and then we forget to do the application part. So both are important.
The writer of Hebrews has now moved into chapters 12 and 13, where he is spending significant time giving us very practical exhortations. In the first few verses of chapter 12, he gives us some exhortations. The one that I spent the most time talking about last week was he tells us to get rid of sin and to get rid of any hindrances that may distract us from Jesus, even if those things are not sinful. Get rid of sin. Sin is bad. It distracts, it causes harm, it dishonors Jesus. Get rid of sin.
But in addition to that, there are lists of things in your life that are not necessarily sinful at all, but you should get rid of them because they potentially are a distraction between you and Jesus. The immature Christian asks this question, Is it sinful? It's not that I can do it. The mature Christian or the maturing Christian asks a different question, a better question, not Is it sinful? But rather, will this thing help me run after Jesus better? If the answer is no,
In God we trust