Anchored - Hebrews 6

6:1-3 - This next chapter is really difficult for me to understand so we’ll be using the NIV as well as the KJV this time because both are important here. It appears that Paul has decided that it’s time to move the discussion forward because, as the IM says, “The Saints addressed in Hebrews had already received the first principles, ordinances, and doctrines of the gospel (including faith, repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost). They were not to abandon those principles but were to continue growing toward spiritual maturity from that beginning point.” This where a lot of members are because we’ve been baptized and confirmed, so we need to keep that same foundation of belief, but also move forward by learning and growing spiritually. Along with the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel, Paul notes two more for a total of six, which are “the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” The article on this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com quotes Joseph Smith as teaching, “The doctrine of the Resurrection of the Dead & Eternal judgment are necessary to preach among the first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” I wonder why it’s so important to include those aspects as well. I mean, the resurrection sounds cool, but “Eternal Judgment” sounds a little ominous, it doesn’t sound like that is a teaching that brings optimism. Maybe the word “Eternal” isn’t supposed to mean “forever” but instead “God’s,” which again, God’s judgement sounds terrifying but only if you don’t know who God is and who you are to Him. Once you know that, it sounds amazing. 6:4-6 - Paul brings up those who “have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who had tasted the goodness of the word of God.” He says that for those people who have received that, if they “have fallen away” cannot be “brought back to repentance.” I don’t know why this was brought up here. It makes it sound like once you’ve accepted the gospel then “falling away” means you’re out forever with no way back. This is what I believed the Sons of Perdition were for a long time, meaning when I was inactive, I thought long and hard about whether or not it would do any good to come back to church because I had “fallen away” after I already believed that it was true. And it’s not just me, the number of people who go inactive after baptism is very high, does that mean that they are all too far gone to repent? And this concept flies in the face of the scriptural teaching of the prodigal son, and repentance in general. Now that I have spent some time in the scriptures and thinking about this concept, I believe that being a Son of Perdition is a choice and no mortal is capable to being informed enough to make that a permanent choice. The article quotes Joseph Smith as teaching, “that to sin against the Holy Ghost, a man ‘has got to say that the sun does not shine when he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it.’” I don’t think that there’s a capacity for anyone in this life to know enough to choose to reject the gospel permanently. It doesn’t make sense to me that Jesus would spend so much time emphasizing, “I tell no man to leave me, I only call them to come unto me,” but then also be like “oh yeah, except for those guys, they’re out.” There’s a chapter in the D&C where the Lord is teaching Joseph Smith about the plan of salvation and while explaining life after the judgment, he says something to the effect of, “the sons of perdition will go to outer darkness because that is the only amount of glory that they will accept.” It was at this point that I realized, Jesus will never ever tell anyone to go away, there will never be a point where the people want to repent and Jesus will say, “nope, you’ve gone too far.” That will never happen. The only way that someone will end up completely removed from God’s presence is if they refuse to do what it takes to get there. Interestingly, Paul notes that those “who have fallen away… they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” I’ve heard this phrase before and at first figured it just meant like that because they won’t repent, Jesus had to suffer more pain to atone for their sins. But another idea is presented in the article saying, “One of the interesting, and almost unbelievable, concepts is that these apostates become so malicious and wicked that they would ‘crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” IN other words, they would crucify Christ all over again if they had the chance. Hereby, they become ex post facto accomplices to the murder of Jesus Christ and receive judgment as if they had personally nailed Jesus to the cross. The Lord says these are those who ‘assent unto my death, after (they) have received my new and everlasting covenant.” The personal hatred of Jesus must be so extreme that even after experiencing the beauty and majesty of the plan of salvation, the Sons of Perdition STILL would kill him in the most horrific way. It has to be deeply personal for them at that point. It doesn’t make any sense to me, but it will be interesting to see how it all plays out in the next life. 6:7-10 - There might be an allegory here that Paul goes to, saying that the earth uses the rain “that cometh oft upon it,” to grow either “herbs” or “thorns and briers.” In relation to the previous discussion about the Sons of Perdition, maybe here Paul is saying that the gospel will be given to all and some will use it to create beauty and contribute positively to the world, and others will use it to destroy, irritate, and make the world worse off. But Paul doesn’t think that that is what’s going to happen to the Jewish Christian converts that he is addressing in his epistle. He assures them that “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” It’s easy to focus on the fact that God knows all the bad things that we do, but it’s important to remember that God also remembers all the good things that we do as well. 6:11-15 - Paul wants the people to continue doing the same good works that God will remember from the last verse, to “be not slothful,” but have “faith and patience (and) inherit the promises.” God doesn’t forget his promises to the people, and Paul remind the people that Abraham was made a promise that “I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” Abraham was promised children even though he and his wife were old and she was barren. And even though the promise seems far-fetched almost to the point of “yeah ok,” Abraham “patiently endured (and then) he obtained the promise.” How many times do we think that God’s promise is far-fetched? Too unrealistic to be granted. I’ve been thinking a lot about when Jesus fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and also when Elijah asked for food from the starving widow and her son and she fed him with the little bit she had left, then her food never ran out. I think about stuff like that, or the miracles in my own life and it makes absolutely no logical sense yet I believe that they still happened. When we do what we are commanded to do, then God is required to keep his promises to us, and how he does that is his business to do and our business to be awed by. 6:16-20 - I honestly don’t really understand the rest of this chapter but here are a few important points that I took from it. It seems to me that Paul is saying that God is willing to show us more and more “promises” as we grow spiritually. And honesty, I think it’s not just a “fine, I’m willing to show you,” but more like “oh I can’t wait to make and fulfill wonderful promises to you.” One of those promises that he wants to show and give us in abundance is hope, “which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” The word “anchor” is cross-referenced with Ether 12:4 which says, “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” I love the hope in promise of a “better world,” because honestly, this one is hard. I am listening to an interview right now with a woman who escaped North Korea and it’s absolutely insane the horror that the people there endure. And yeah, like life is hard for me sometimes sure, but I can’t imagine living that reality and thinking that this is all there is to existence. I truly hope that the immense and unfathomable suffering that people in this world endure is rewarded with untold treasure and glory and peace in the next life. An anchor of hope, what does that mean? I have experienced recently a shift in identity and focus. It’s been subtle, but I’ve always held my job as my #1 priority. I mean, logically I know that the gospel is #1 and that my family is next, etc. but I’ve always held a part of my identity and seen my future only in terms of my job and what work I will be doing. But recently I’ve felt myself shift a bit to where I myself and my purpose and my future as being about what God wants me to do. It’s been liberating and also comforting because I don’t have control over my job for the most part. I mean, as long as I show up and do what I’m supposed to do then I should be good. But I can’t control if someone decides they don’t want to have me work for them anymore, or if the economy takes a dump and everyone loses their job, etc. But with this shift is identity has taken a lot of the anxiety away that I used to feel about my job and my financial situation. I definitely feel “anchored” as far as no matter what happens, I’ll be taken care of one way or another and I fully trust that whatever happens will be God’s will and it’s a peace that I’ve never experienced before.