A study I did, based upon the book "The Shack". Because it challenged me.

The Shack - a bible study
Based on the book "The Shack," by William Paul Young.

A very quick overview of the book - After the tragic loss of a child, Mack struggles for answers and finds redemption in God’s love.

There are things in the book that will challenge your understanding of who God is, how you deal with anger, judgment that you pass upon others, and how much God loves you. In an effort to walk you through some of those challenges, I will attempt to give you theological reasons to believe. My hope is that you find yourself more in love with the Creator of the universe, God, Papa if you will, than when you started.

How many paths are there to God?

One of the biggest deceptions being told right now is that there are many paths to God. I am convinced that God can find you and draw you in no matter what path you may be standing on, but it was not the “path,” necessarily that brought you to Him. John 6:44 RV Says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day.” Noah’s saga can help to bring that home. When the floods came there was only one way of escape and redemption, through the single door on the ark. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father but through me.” This is neither a paradox or irrational; it is just the way it is. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, in the night, what Jesus challenged him with may have seemed irrational. “You must be born again”; for it could be taken two ways. Nicodemus took it as being re-birthed through a mother, and that was not going to happen, although being re-birthed is exactly what happened to us, and it happened on the cross; believe it or not. Funny thing about saying something like “believe it or not”, acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior requires us to believe, perhaps not all at once, but as you learn of Him then you must make a decision, choosing to believe so that you receive all that he did for you, or living an unfulfilled, and selfish life.

Why would you choose to only accept an adoption on your own terms. I suppose many do that and keep their rebellion tucked neatly inside, saying “I will go along with you, but don't expect me to cooperate or do what you want.” As a child, in a sense, you become a child within that family. If there are others, you join the ranks of the existing children. As a family member, and child, you have to understand that sometimes even the children in the family have to learn to take out the trash.

Nicodemus was a man who was educated in the Torah, the law of God, and therefore Jesus spoke to him in terms he should have understood. Do you realize that the writers of the New Testament found God's grace and freedom in those same books of the law, with a little revelation of God's love thrown in.

In contrast to Nicodemus we have the Samaritan woman, a Gentile. Look at John chapter 4 and observe the conversation she has with Jesus. Jesus draws her in and tells her plainly that he is God, unlike Nicodemus there was no veiled allusions.

A piece of history about the Samaritans. They rejected the prophets but accepted the books of the law written by Moses. Moses had said that the Messiah would come, and he would be a prophet like Moses. When Jesus told her about her life and then says that he was that prophet, she knew immediately that she was in the presence of the one. Her reaction alone tells you that.

God presents His case to us and we seem to have the ability to choose to follow Him or act out of our own selfish desires. Adam chose to be selfish and the results were devastating. Thankfully, Jesus chose to be a man and chose to be obedient to the Father’s will.



How does God speak to us?

Mack finds the note from Papa, in his mail box, inviting him to come to the shack.

I would like to call this a paradox, but I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around God choosing to speak to me in a manner such as this; Mack had a hard time with it too. Maybe this is one of reasons I can relate so well to this book, Mack is so much like me, in many ways.

A paradox is something that is seemingly absurd, yet true in fact, such as, Christ on the cross of Calvary. Everything about that scenario is absurd to the human mind. His own disciples thought that through Him they would topple the governing bodies and here he voluntarily sacrificed Himself to a brutal death.

In the opening paragraph of chapter 5 William Young states, "There are times when you choose to believe something that would normally be considered absolutely irrational. It doesn't mean that it is actually irrational, but it surely is not rational."

So how does God speak to us?

This may take a moment to get through this, but bear with me. The word teaches us that everything is to be verified by two or three witnesses, so allow me to try.

The primary method is through the Word of God. God's word is God’s voice to us.

(1.) Through the Word of God, Jesus voice to us.

Hebrews 1:1-2 (GW) In the past God spoke to our ancestors at many different times and in many different ways through the prophets. (2) In these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God made his Son responsible for everything. His Son is the one through whom God made the universe.

Here I have opened by saying that God speaks to us through His word and yet in Hebrews it says that God speaks to us through his Son. If that is a problem then how do we resolve it?

Jesus during his temptation in the wilderness responded (and you can find this in both Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4) to Satan by taking a scripture that we would consider out of context, and quoting it to Satan. The passage was from Deuteronomy 8:3, where God had been explaining why he had tested Israel in the wilderness. Now we have the Son speaking the Father's words.


And he humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Jehovah does man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

The passage I have shown above is a translation that reads differently from what we have become comfortable with. The KJV reads: “that man does not live by bread only, but by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live.

Contrary to our opinions of how we should treat scripture, this worked for Jesus quite well. There was no great and sudden theological debate about whether he could use the passage in such a manner, nor was there any chastisement from the Father about it's lack of effectiveness because he pulled only a portion of it.

The word “word” was not in the original text and was placed in the sentence out of logical assumption. It makes sense for it to be there and adds a logical flow to the passage, but that in itself does not make it necessary. The original language translates more closely to the ASV, which is the version that I used. The word “everything” in the Hebrew means: any, each, every, anything, totality, and everything. In other words God's word has no restrictions on it. You may speak out whatever is necessary for the moment.

I went through the Faith movement and still hold to some aspects, but I am sadly disappointed that we were, and still are, teaching people that God's word is a tool that you use to get your own selfish desires fulfilled. If you are praying God's word to satisfy your lusts and bolster your ego then you are acting out of your own will and God is not the least bit interested in that. (Acting upon his own will is what caused Adam to fall, taking all of us down with him.)

Read the book of Romans sometime, and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the truth that is in there. If you are looking for a pattern to follow, try Jesus. He did nothing outside of the will of the Father, had nothing here on this earth, and yet you will not find a man more free, considered more prosperous, nor more educated.

John opened his gospel by stating:
John 1:1-3 GW In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was already with God in the beginning. (3) Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.

John went on to quote Jesus as saying:
John 15:3 now you are clean through the Word, which I have spoken to you.
John 17:17 sanctify them through your truth. Your Word is truth.

If all we had to work with was the statement “the Word was God” that would be easy enough. My mind would have no argument with God and His word being the same. Perhaps this should take us back to a simpler time when a man's word was worth something; it was the measure of trust and character he had. In other words, if I said it I meant it, and you could count on it being done. It is easy to understand that God is that way, if you read the bible, and in so doing, you get to know His character.

Now here comes the part that can cause some difficulty. John continues to say that “the Word was with God.” That in itself gives the Word a somewhat separate identity. To be with someone almost sounds like a couple that goes to the high school prom, but this is no prom. This has similarities to a marriage; the union between Jesus and His Father. We have such difficulty understanding the trinity but not a duality such as marriage. When couples marry they legally join together in name, in debt, and identity (Again, this will be a point of argument. Because of selfishness, people have demanded their own identity.); this is not much different with God and His Word. John finishes the sentence by saying the Word was God almost as if he was a minister presenting the newly married couple to the audience by using the one name.

“He was already with God in the beginning.” He is still referring to the Word.

“Everything came into existence through Him.” The Word

“Not one thing that exists was made without Him.” The Word

John 1:4 says that “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” We are still talking about the Word, but John is about to make it very clear who the Word is. John 1:6-8 talks about John the Baptist, Jesus cousin who was six months older. He came as a witness of the light, but he, John, was not the light. Here is the good part. John 1:10 says that “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world knew him not.” Jesus was the one that we understand was in the world. John knew this by revelation from the Holy Spirit. (Remember that John was filled with the Holy Spirit while inside his mother.)

The reality that Jesus was the Word is spread all over the bible. Jesus told the Samaritan woman exactly who He was.
John 4:25-26 MKJV the woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. When He has come, He will tell us all things. (26) Jesus said to her, I AM, the One speaking to you.

By saying I AM, He effectively told her that He was God, for the term He used, ‘eimi,’ carries the connotation of I exist: - am, and have been. Jesus made it very clear that He was God, He is the Word, and He is the Spirit of Truth that is come into the world.

I said all this in an effort to anchor down the fact that Jesus is God, the Word, the Truth, the Light, the Son, so much more, and our soon coming King.

The writer of Hebrews says that 'He' has spoken to us through His Son.

Hebrews 1:1-2 GW In the past God spoke to our ancestors at many different times and in many different ways through the prophets.  (2) In these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God made his Son responsible for everything. His Son is the one through whom God made the universe.

By demonstrating who Jesus is should make this passage easier to understand. The Son and the Word are the same, and yet God tells us that He has spoken to us through His Son. Jesus declared, “what you hear me say is not my word but the word of the Father who sent me.” (John 14:24 Moffatt NT). There should be no difficulty in this, Jesus stated that He only did the will of the Father, and only spoke what the Father would have Him speak.

Jesus told us that He and the Father are one. Perhaps a way to picture this is to remember Mr. Spock from Star Trek, when he would put his hands on someone's head and do a Vulcan mind meld. He would say your thoughts are my thoughts. The frail, human mind says there has to be a physical separation between Jesus and the Father, or else how could Jesus have been here on earth and in Heaven at the same time? God does not operate within the parameters of your confined thinking. Yes, I am sure that you are educated beyond compare, but God's word has told us that the mind cannot conceive of what God holds for us in the future. Truth is we cannot understand all that He is now, but we have an invitation, while on this earth, to search out the depths of the one who created us, for we have the mind of Christ. Perhaps that mind of Christ is His written word.

Genesis tells us that God spoke and creation came into being. Gen 1:3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. John went on to quote Jesus, as He referred to the branches, a part of the vine, and how they are cleaned. John 15:3 now you are clean through the Word, which I have spoken to you. Jesus, praying to the Father, said the Father’s word, is truth. John 17:17 sanctify them through your truth. Your Word is truth.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman exactly who He was. John 4:25-26 MKJV the woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ. When He has come, He will tell us all things.  (26) Jesus said to her, I AM, the One speaking to you. By saying I AM, He effectively told her that He was God, for the term He used, ‘eimi,’ carries the connotation of   I exist: - am, and have been. Jesus made it very clear that He was God, He is the Word, and He is the Spirit of Truth that is come into the world.
The reality is that Jesus was the Word. He was in the beginning with God and He was God.

(2.) The Holy Spirit – Occasionally using the voice of men, directed by the Spirit.

We know that God is a triune God; His name in Hebrew even conveys plurality. One of those aspects, no so different than the relationship Jesus shares, is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when He went away the comforter would come. He spoke of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit showed himself on the day of Pentecost, and they spoke as the Spirit prompted them to speak. (Keep in mind that at this point there were about 120 people gathered together, including Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Acts 2:3-4 MKJV and tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory;

Act 4:20 for we cannot but speak the things, which we have seen and heard.

1Co 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Gal 3:16 and to Abraham and to his Seed the promises were spoken. It does not say, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, "And to your Seed," which is Christ.

(3.) Alternate methods - The paradoxes

“Something that is seemingly absurd, yet true”

God has demonstrated that He lives outside of the boxes our finite minds try to put Him in, and He has done this on many occasions. The mind cannot conceive the reality of who God is and how He operates. He operates outside of our dimensions and time.

Unto us God has revealed things through the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 RV but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. (10) But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes even, the deep things of God.


In Daniel 5:5 God speaks by having a hand write on the wall.
Daniel 5:5 RV In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.


Moses had God talk to him out of a thorn bush was burning.
Exodus 3:2-5 LITV And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of a thorn bush. And he looked, and behold, the thorn bush was burning with fire, and the thorn bush was not burned up! (3) And Moses said, I will turn aside now and see this great sight, why the thorn bush is not burned up. (4) And Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him from the midst of the thorn bush, and said, Moses! Moses! And he said, behold me. (5) And He said, do not come near here. Pull off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.


Balaam, a false prophet, who succumbed to the desire for money, had his donkey talk to him.
Numbers 22:28-30 LITV And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? (29) And Balaam said to the ass, because you have insulted me. If only there were a sword in my hand now I would kill you. (30) And the ass said to Balaam, Am I not your ass on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Was I ever known to do so to you? And he said, No.

Consider Balaam’s reaction. You might think he would have freaked and ran. Perhaps Balaam understood something our civilized minds do not.


God can speak through a variety of methods that are beyond your wildest imagination, but we are told that His primary method in these days of ours is through His word. If you recognize all that Jesus encompasses, then you can begin to see all the possible ways God can speak to you.

Papa - What do you look like?
"Guess who's coming to dinner" Chapter 5, pp.82-

What we do know based upon God's word.

(1.) God is a spirit.
John 4:24 MKJV God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

The word John used for spirit is the Greek word pneuma - a current of air; that is breath (blast) or a breeze, by analogy or figuratively a spirit. This should have a familiar ring to us, as this was the designation for the Holy Spirit's arrival and presence.

The question then, is God merely breath?

Of the names of God, one is Elohim. This name to the Hebrew tongue means plurality, or a God of multiple characteristics. One of those is the Holy Spirit which Jesus, another aspect of God, said would come. The name most distinctive of God as the God of Israel is Jehovah, a combination of the tetragrammaton (YHWH) with the vowels of 'Adhonay, transliterated as Yehowah, but read aloud by the Hebrews 'adhonay). In Hebrew, it is pronounced almost as if it were breath sounds.
Keep in mind that if the kingdom of God is within you

(2.) God answered Moses when he asked to see God.
“…no one can see me and stay alive,”

Exodus 33:18-20 LITV And he said, I pray, let me see your glory. (19) And He said, I will cause all My goodness to pass before your face. And I will call out the name of Jehovah before your face. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. (20) And He said, you are not able to see My face; for no man can see Me and live.

The Hebrew words God used to explain this carries the implication that your physical body does not have the ability to perceive what I look like, for no one in a physical body has the ability to stand in the presence of pure love. Your bodies cannot handle it

(3.) God is love - "Agapao" love

1 John 4:16 LITV And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one abiding in love abides in God and God in him.

Love is not something you can see with your eyes, unless you can see its effects on the one that feels that strongly about something. To be in love with plants, is to be passionate about them, having an excitement that longs to excite others.
Wuest says: "'AGAPAO' speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it. It springs from an opinion of the preciousness of an object. It is a love of esteem and support. The quality of this love is determined by the character of the one who loves, and that of the object loved. "
So then love is an action, based on an inner sense of value that moves us to act on behalf of that which we love.
(4.) Love is God’s character
1 John 4:16 LITV And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one abiding in love abides in God and God in him.
By learning about God you begin to recognize the love God has for us, and in so doing you begin to understand God. God does nothing outside of His character, which means He does nothing outside of love, no matter how it appears at the time.
(5.) God’s love is demonstrated by His actions
John 3:16 GNB For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

(6.) His love is something that you can comprehend
2Th 3:5 LITV And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
The Good News bible translated the verse this way; "May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God's love and the endurance that is given by Christ."

The word direct is taken from two other Greek words and means to: to straighten fully, that is, (figuratively) direct: - guide, direct.

Side note: A popular radio apologist says that it is blasphemy to think that God looks like a man with perceptible features, and yet we know that God measured out the heavens with a span (Isa 40:12). The Hebrew word for span is zereth (zeh'-reth) meaning: the spread of the fingers, that is, a span. (We should also know that “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all” )

Why would God make a reference like this?
Is it because that is what He used, His hand. Or is God merely trying to make an analogy so that men could attempt to visualize who God is. If God made analogies that were not consistent with whom He was, that would make Him a liar, and nothing He has claimed could be trusted. It would also make the cross a futile effort, and Heaven could be considered a myth. Reality is that God is not a liar; He has never misrepresented Himself and science, as well as history has proven Him to be reality. God, acting out of love, has withheld judgments; there is nothing inconsistent about that, if He follows through with His word. Nineveh is an example of God’s withholding judgment, and yet Nineveh was finally destroyed, just as Jonah said.

Bottom line is that only Jesus who came from the Father knows precisely what the Father looks like. Jesus was and is the express image of God, in all ways. So that image we have of God being huge, mean and unapproachable should be rethought in light of Jesus. Jesus, himself said: “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

Authors note:
This was as far as I got, and there is so much more. Perhaps someday I will find the time to continue. I hope this helps you in some way, it did me. The book was a challenge to me, but I choose not to throw it aside. I choose to keep an open mind and lead with my spirit. Things that challenged me became things that I pursued in God's word to find out if that is true or not. One of the biggest challenges was how God presented herself to Mack. That is not that difficult considering that one of God's names carries the connotation of being the breasty one. If God is light, then the color that God appears is irrelevant. Any problem you have with a black woman is your prejudice, anger, and judgment getting the best of you. You do not have any business acting that way, scripture tells you that. Try to remember that God loved you before Jesus death on the cross forgave and cleansed you of your crap filled life, and God has not changed his mind about you. Consider your emotions a wake up call and ask God to forgive you, then learn to walk in a new freedom. Love you guys! OZ

Thoughts on foundations and faith (Hebrews 6:1)

Wherefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Christ, unto the perfection we may advance, not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works, and of faith on God, (Hebrews 6:1, YLT)

The writer has not broken the thought process, but the translators have by inserting chapter and verse indications. Hebrews does not back down a bit from the superiority of Jesus Christ and why he is so.
There are two stages to our growth in Christ: babes or as one translation puts it, inexperienced and those who can be called mature.
".. who because of the use are having the senses exercised, unto the discernment both of good and of evil."1 Hebrews 5:14.

When I began attending a particular men's bible study, a man in the group quickly tried to attach himself to me because I said something that he latched on to. (Others in the group had been talking to him about his personal behaviors, and he was just arguing with them, and trying to justify what he was doing.) To listen to him you might have thought he was a young, inexperienced christian, merely struggling with life, but that was not the case. He demonstrated that he spent no time in the pursuit of God and made no effort to change his perceptions of the world by practicing the will of God. He asked me, the last time we conversed, if I went to nudie bars, and why that should be a problem. To be honest with you, I believe I was dealing with a demon and not the man, none the less I answered his question as to why you will not find me going there, and I unleashed some righteous anger toward him. I have never seen him since.

The point is that moving toward maturity requires that you make some effort. If you are in Christ you are his, and any moves that you make toward playing with the world are strictly you fighting off your desires for self destruction. It is only your investment in the Word of God, which scripture tells us is ALIVE, that will move you away from the deceitfulness of this world, and toward maturity.

The writer of Hebrews says we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity.

Here is what I see as a problem, religion tends to fight that process.
Why?, two reasons: 1. Perhaps because if your mega church has this tremendous draw (and that alone is filled with problems) then you may have a constant turn over of the immature, and the preaching may not go beyond the basics. I think that is why there are new believer classes. 2. Because stagnant people permeate religion today, just as they did when the writer of Hebrews wrote this letter. The church he was writing to was filled with old school Jews who happened to be Christians also.

Fighting off the old traditions is a theme running through many of the letters written to the early churches. It is no different today.

Scripture makes the statement, "and you need not that any man teach you.."
That's all well and good but there is an inherent problem with that attitude.
(Do not get me wrong, it is a true statement, and God's Word, therefore alive.)
The problem is this:
1. We, in general, do not let the Holy Spirit of God teach us.
(1a.) How does Holy spirit speak to us in an effort to teach us?
- (a.) Through the Word of God, which is the recorded scriptures;
- (b.) By speaking through a teacher, operating under the anointing of the Holy Spirit;
- (c.) By other Christians speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, even if they do not realize it.

2. The second aspect of the problem is that those whose take this attitude - no one can teach me - separate themselves from the support of other Christians. It is not just baby Christians but the mature, those that through practice have learned to discern between good and evil, that they are separating themselves from. The mature Christians are the ones that will challenge you when you are in error.

If you operate in arrogance, then what makes you think that you will not refuse the voice of the spirit when He speaks to you.

As I sat in the jury box, the attorneys began asking questions of the potential jurors, trying to weed out those that would be detrimental to their case. One lady, because of her response, got the judges attention, and he began to question her. She could not wait for him to finish the question, regardless of directions given. He admonished her twice within a matter of minutes.
How many times have we answered God's questions before he finished the sentence; ignored the instructions, and spoke over the voice of the Spirit, as it talked quietly with you, because you in your great wisdom knew better. How long did it take for you to find out how wrong you were? Perhaps you believe that you were right and God was wrong. What an extraordinarily wrong attitude that is.

Even though Proverbs tells us that wisdom cries out in the streets that does not mean that He stands there screaming above the din so he can be heard. God may be more like the wise classroom instructor who says, I will never speak any louder than this; what I am saying is vital to your success, and if you wish to learn then you need to listen. Separate yourselves from the distractions, and move closer to my voice.
Moses may have been on a quest to hear God's voice. Whether that is true or not God used an amazing situation to gain Moses attention. What Moses learned was that God was not in the loud, tumultuous noises. I think that this is the more accurate description of God's voice, calm, quiet, not competing for our attention, for who He is demands our attention.

"... not laying this foundation again:"
Buildings are typically built to stand the test of time. The architect who designs the building wants people to be able to count on his design meeting or exceeding the building codes; a building that withstands the earthquakes we endure, and in many states buildings that withstand some fairly intense tornado abuse.
All of these buildings derive their initial strength from a good foundation. That foundation required some thought, a wise contractor to oversee, and skilled laborers to build it. As problems are encountered (there is not a building out there that did not have to deal with a problem of some sort) the problems are corrected and dealt with. This can be no different with our spiritual state. Chapter 6 of Hebrews gives an overview of foundational concepts, and yes it refers to them as milk.

If we must progress beyond the foundational things, and you can see that your strength starts in the foundation, then what are the things that we progress onto? I do not think I can say this enough, who we are (kings and priests on this earth) is wrapped up in what happened from the cross to the throne. Jesus voluntarily became a man, suffered the cross as man, became the sacrifice upon the altar, and was appointed by God, once again, to be God's glorious Son, worthy of honor because of what he did.
In Him we have our identity. Pursue Him with everything that is in you.

Whether you call it foundational, milk or basic instructions is irrelevant. They are the things we build upon. We must either progress or leave these teachings so that we can move on.

What are we moving on from?
1. repentance from dead works. (The NIV translates this as: acts that lead to death.)

works - is the Greek word ergon, meaning to toil. The word toil carries several connotations such as: to labor or work out, but it can also mean to labor with pain and fatigue; labor the oppresses the body or mind. You should by now be able to pick up on some spiritual associations here.

repentance - The Greek word is metanoia, meaning by implication a reversal. It is easy to see why this could be considered the turning away from the things that lead to death.

dead - Is the Greek word nekros. It is a basis of our English word for death. You may be familiar with the term necrophilia, an odd obsession with dead people. Its primary meaning has to do with a corpse, and that would imply something with no life in it.

Webster's dictionary defines death as:
1. That state of a being, animal or vegetable, but more particularly of an animal, in which there is a total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions, when the organs have not only ceased to act, but have lost the susceptibility of renewed action. Thus the cessation of respiration and circulation in an animal may not be death, for during hibernation some animals become entirely torpid, and some animals and vegetables may be subjected to a fixed state by frost, but being capable of revived activity, they are not dead.
9. In theology, perpetual separation from God, and eternal torments; called the second death. Rev 2.
10. Separation or alienation of the soul from God;

So then, a repentance from dead works could easily be restated as a turning away from things that have the potential (and some are very strong) of causing the Christian to die physically, possibly to die spiritually, and at minimum cause you to fall into a fixed state where you are of no use to anyone, especially God.

This concept of dying spiritually is difficult for me, only because I do not see God letting go of those who are his. Paul even told us of turning one man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit might be saved. Is it possible that a human could so turn from God that God would let go, allowing him an eternal punishment by separation from God. I do not think so, but then where does the argument for choice come into play. Perhaps it is more a numbing of the spirit through repetitive actions, each one causing you to put more distance between God and yourself. Although God has never left you, it is so typical to think so, when it is you that are a million miles away.

Thoughts on Meat and milk (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Hebrews 6: 4-6


It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Hebrews 6: 4-6, NIV)


Impossible is a very rare word in God's vocabulary for there is nothing that is impossible with God.
Where then does the impossibility come from? Let's look at scripture and see if it interprets itself.


"for those who have once been enlightened,"
Enlightened is the Greek word photizo, which means to shed light upon, or to be illuminated.
The obvious point here is that the people in this reference were instructed and furnished with a clear view of Gods life. Hopefully that life was a part of them.


It seems that you cannot have a discussion about this without Judas Iscariot coming up. The assumption is that a man that had that close of a contact with Jesus would have surely belonged to God. In a sense we all do and we will all answer to him some day. Judas was not the only one to put Jesus on that cross, we did too. Judas was not the only man to betray Jesus, we do that also when we refuse his voice and deny him access to our lives.
Jesus said, "Did not I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil." We are all tools, the sad part is you think you are in control. Scripture tells us "that the heart of the king is guided by the hand of the Lord, and he guides him like a river, wherever the Lord wants him to go."(Proverbs 21:1) God chose Judas for a purpose; it is not yours to question why. You can try to understand but you will be limited at best because you are a human.
Consider this in light of Judas Iscariot. Jesus goes into the synagogue. There a man, a Jew, amongst the religious, we presume he is learned or learning just as the others, and he is known among them. In other words he blends in and seems to be accepted. Almost immediately this one man screams out "Let us alone(1); what have we to do with you,(2) you Jesus of Nazareth?(3) are you come to destroy us?(4) I know you who you are, the Holy one of God.(5)"


1. "Let us alone,". Assuming that Jesus was known to some degree, and that he was, in the religious mind, contrary to their system. It would not have been surprising to hear several espouse their agreement.
(Remember the leprous man that ask Jesus to cleanse him. That was over and above merely healing the man. He had asked Jesus to circumvent the religious system. Jesus seemed to hesitate at that one only because he knew the wrath that would come upon him prematurely, and Jesus knew it was not his time yet. If you choose not to believe this then why did Jesus instruct the man to tell no one? (Which by the way, the man did not pay attention to.) Why wouldn't God have wanted the world to know that he could not only heal, but restore a man to his community - that seems odd to say for it implies an obsession with stature. God is not interested in your position within the community as much as he is with the impact upon your mental well being. For the priest to reintroduce a banished man back into the community would mean the community had accept him once again. No more ostracization, and the freedom to be communicative and accepted. The restoration of fellowship.)


2. "What have we to do with you". Mary had stood her ground. If she had said Joseph was the father of the child there would have been the usual grumblings about improprieties, but they would have subsided. Instead Mary stands her ground saying that the baby was God's. That was impossible in their minds and she was deemed a prostitute. That made her a marked woman and Jesus a marked man. The term applied was mumser (as far as they knew he was a bastard child). He would not have been allowed in the synagogue nor allowed to be trained by any respected teachers from there. He would have never been called a Rabbi by those of that community. This is speculation only because scripture does not speak specifically to it, but it is based upon known customs of the day, so I am probably not that far off. If they had any knowledge of Jesus as a youth this would have one of the weapons they used against him.
3. "You Jesus of Nazareth". As I said, this would have been the tie in with the questionable heritage. You think that is not true? Jesus, in his 30's, challenges the pharisees by saying you are of your father the devil. They responded with "we know who our father is". This was a direct shot implying that he was a bastard child. There is no doubt that many thought nothing of this comment and grumbled in agreement.
4. "are you come to destroy us?" The word the demon(s) used was apollumi, which meant to destroy fully; even the demons know that there is an end to all things, and then their reign of terror will be over.
The Jewish mind would not have said this, for they knew they were the chosen people. Even though God had punished them throughout the years, God had always promised to leave them a remnant and yet this man used the term for utter destruction.
This comment brought all eyes back on speaker, for how could he think that this one man could possibly bring a stronghold of religion down, beside that Jesus had been around them long enough for them to know that he was not running around with swords trying to bring anarchy.
The un-spiritual ear would not have heard the demonic nature of the comment. Jesus knew exactly what he was dealing with, not a religious man with a big mouth, but multiple demons. Those demons had reacted immediately to his presence. The Jewish mind is very in tune with the concept of Angels, but that certainly does not mean that they are perceptive of demonic activity; they merely acknowledge their existence.


5. "I know you who you are, the Holy One of God." This was the comment that Jesus had to do something about. None of those men would have made that statement. This was the truth, and truth was something that they would not have admitted. When Nicodemus came to Jesus he said "we know that you are come from God", but yet we know of only two who choose to believe in Him. These men did not believe, but we know that the demons did, and that was who was addressing Jesus now.
James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that, and shudder." Jesus was keenly aware of the timing of the cross. Daniel had prophesied a precise day and no demon was going to force his hand. Much to the surprise of the religious people in that room Jesus cast the demon(s) out of the man. (They rarely go quietly) Surprisingly those who witnessed this changed little about the way they thought of Jesus; if anything their level of fear probably rose, and some clearly felt that Jesus operated out of the devil's power, because they accused him of it later.


Now let's bring it home, suppose this is us, as it could well be. We could be playing either of these roles, the religious community or the demon possessed man. How often do we sit in bible study or a church service, surrounded by what we assume are people of a like mind. No doubt there are those who among us that appear to be like us and yet you do not know their hearts. We all sin daily; Paul was brave enough to say that he was the chiefest of sinners. Did that make him demon possessed? Not hardly; it made him aware of his need for a savior, and that on a daily basis.
So how far do we have to step away from God to be considered a person who was once enlightened? A few feet, or miles; perhaps it does not matter; perhaps the only person that has put any distance between God and you, is you.


"and have tasted of the heavenly gift,"
Merely having Jesus as part of your life could well be what the writer is talking about. No scripture is of private interpretation, but some things are relatively obvious.
How many different things could the heavenly gift encompass? How many of those aspects lead you to the throne of grace? There in you will find your answer.


The short answer to what the gift is, is eternal life, but in truth you sort of have that already.
Read your scriptures and you will find that your soul will never die. You will find that death in reality means separation from the one that loves you with an everlasting love. When you experience a moment of what that love feels like then you have tasted. How does one taste fine cuisine and choose to go back to eating a meal out of a box? That is what we do when we turn our backs on the heavenly gift.


A gift is free, often handed to you for you to unwrap. A good deal of the time the person giving you the gift is just as excited about your reaction as you might be to see what it is. Why would you choose to put that precious gift in the closet awaiting the right moment in time to open it? One of the things about this gift is that we know what some aspects of that gift are. Why do we know that? People have gone on before us and explored it. They have spent time experiencing the gift and have related to us how that gift impacts their life. What we do not know is how magnificent any of the rest of it will be. If you have tasted the gift that certainly does not mean you have sat down and eaten the meal. Scripture tells us that no eye has seen what God has in store for us. Beyond the wildest imagination, and anything Star Trek could ever dream up.


"who have shared in the Holy Spirit," (NIV)
Merely to taste only wets your appetite for more. These have been under the fountain, but they are not there now. Why not? We all have our excuses. The primary one would have to be our own desire to serve ourselves.


"who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,"
I was involved in an outpouring of the spirit that lasted about two years almost 16 years ago. People came from everywhere, stood under the fountain of God and tasted the goodness of the word of God, and experienced the powers of the kingdom. Where are they now? I could not get enough, my heart has always longed for more. I long for his face, his voice, and his touch upon my body.
Many of those who came were merely spectators, just like people who chase ambulances. They come to see the drama and how God affects people, but to be involved is not part of their intent. Watching others get blessed can make you feel good or make you jealous. The only way to have a lasting impact is to allow God to have his way and let him flow through you.


"if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."
You come to the Lord, and for a moment life is good, but you got married and their heart was not were yours was. Perhaps you got that great job or you found yourself stuck in a lousy one, and you either turned your back on God because money became a good substitute for God or you became disgruntled at God and life because of the sorry situation life put you in.
Jesus is not going back on the cross for you. He already did all that he needed to do, and for him to have to be re-crucified for you would mean that his actions upon that cross were not enough. It was enough. That is exactly what the letter to the Hebrews is all about. The writer is declaring that Jesus is superior in every way, and because of what he did (you are going to have to find that out) you can have a confidence that will not allow you to be shaken.
That pretty much puts the ball back in your court. Sure, we have to live in a place where we keep ourselves in constant communication with Him by turning to him and repenting of the sins we commit against him, but nothing you have done has ever changed His heart toward you.
So, can you be brought back to a place of repentance, the type necessary for the first timer? No. The concept that you can do that comes from your lack of understanding about God's love toward you, and what you did to receive him.
God sent his Son to die for a world filled with people that could do nothing to deserve his love, and yet he, out of love, gave himself regardless of your condition.
His death upon the cross secured your forgiveness and made you able to become his son through adoption. Did you choose to become his by accepting the fact that he did all this for you? Then you are his, always will be.


"to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame."
You might soil the family name with your antics, but you will never put God to shame.
You might make a fool out of yourself, but you will never make a fool out of
God. So this statement is purely conjecture. There is no way to validate such a claim. Moses used a line like this on God when God was about to destroy Israel for their rebellion and lack of faith. What Moses's statement seemed to accomplish was God withholding his judgment against many. God will not allow anyone to put him to shame. Satan tried that trick; read the end of the book and you will see what becomes of him and those who choose to follow him.
The objective is to live in state of forgiveness, covered by his precious blood. If you find yourself away from him, merely run to him.
An example for us is the story that we call the Prodigal son. When he returned to his senses and chose to come back home, where he had determined that he would take the job as a servant, the Father saw him coming from a long way off and ran to his son who had returned. There was no room for repentance, the fact that he had returned demonstrated the humbleness of the young man's heart. Come back to the Father's arms.

Contentment - thoughts based loosely upon 1Ti 6:6-12 GW

This was a piece I wrote some time ago.

Contentment

I believe that we all desire some form of contentment but the question is what is it and what is the cost.
In my opinion our lack of contentment stems from unmet desires, so the beginning question to ask is what is the basis for our discontent.

God made man and gave him dominion

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen 1:26 ESV
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Adam gave it all away.

And to Adam He said, because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat of it! The ground is cursed for your sake. In pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life. Gen 3:17 MKJV
(CEV) "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did.

If I could say that there was a basis for our discontentment it would be EGO. Mine is pretty well shot but I still struggle to re-establish the threads that I cling too. Ego seems to be the basis for every fall that I have; I wish to be in charge or my jealousy flares up, or my feelings get hurt.

Ego was behind Satan’s fall.
Isa 14:12-14 KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Satan uses discontentment as a weapon against us constantly. Consider that Paul pointed out that Satan no longer has any weapons to use for Jesus stripped him of his weapons.
Col 2:15 KJV And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

SPOILED, pp. Plundered; pillaged; corrupted; rendered useless.
Spoil,
1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to rob; with of; as, to spoil one of his goods or possessions.
2. To seize by violence; to take by force; as, to spoil ones goods.
Principality
1. Sovereignty; supreme power.
2. A prince; one invested with sovereignty. Titus 3.
3. The territory of a prince; or the country which gives title to a prince;
4. Superiority; predominance. [Little used.]
5. In Scripture, royal state or attire. Jer 13.

Power

1. In a philosophical sense, the faculty of doing or performing any thing; the faculty of moving or of producing a change in something; ability or strength. Power may exist without exertion. We have power to speak when we are silent.
2. Force.
3. Faculty of the mind, as manifested by a particular mode of operation; as the power of thinking, comparing and judging; the reasoning powers.
4. Ability, natural or moral. We say, a man has the power of doing good;
5. Influence; that which may move the mind; as the power of arguments or of persuasion.
6. Command; the right of governing, or actual government; dominion; rule, sway; authority.
7. A sovereign, whether emperor, king or governing prince or the legislature of a state;
8. One invested with authority; a ruler; a civil magistrate. Rom 13.
9. Divinity; a celestial or invisible being or agent supposed to have dominion over some part of creation; as celestial powers; the powers of darkness.
10. Legal authority; warrant; as a power of attorney; an agent invested with ample power. The envoy has full powers to negotiate a treaty.
11. Violence, force; compulsion. Ezek 4.
12. Satan is said to have the power of death, as he introduced sin, the cause of death, temporal and eternal, and torments men with the feat of death and future misery.
13. Power of attorney, authority given to a person to act for another.


Rom 6:16 LITV Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or obedience to righteousness?


If I struggle to feed my ego and envy to have what others have I will never be content. I feel I have a strong desire to know my Jesus but often feel I will never know that kind of depth, and yet this is not an envy but a drive of my heart like that of a lover. In human relationships to pursue another with that kind of intensity could easily suck the life out of that relationship, especially when one is so needy and the other is merely giving all the time. There is a sickness in this kind of thought process because it comes from a broken, human point of view.

God is love and made man for relationship. Solomon spoke of Adam's relationship with God prophetically in Proverbs (Pro:8:30)and never do we see God drained by the communion he had with man; He was and is clearly drained by our lack of faith in Him and our dismal attempts to show him love, but none of that changes God's heart toward us. You cannot make God love you anymore, nor can you make him love you any less.

I was beside him as a master craftsman. I made him happy day after day, I rejoiced in front of him all the time, Pro_8:30 GW



CONTENTMENT
1. A resting or satisfaction of mind without disquiet; acquiescence.
2. Gratification.

CONTENTED, pp. or a. Satisfied; quiet; easy in mind; not complaining, opposing or demanding more.

To ACQUIESCE is to be quiet; rest.
1. To rest satisfied, or apparently satisfied, or to rest without opposition and discontent; usually implying previous opposition, uneasiness, or dislike,

Paul wrote to Timothy, a young man who may have struggled to find a place of contentment himself.

1Ti 6:6-12 GW A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have. (7)We didn't bring anything into the world, and we can't take anything out of it. (8)As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied. (9)But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. (10)Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief. (11)But you, man of God, must avoid these things. Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (12)Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses.

Being content with what we have may be one of the hardest things we do. I love this version in that it says: “Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life”

Pro 8:35 (KJV) For whoso finds me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD.

“The entire universe in its totality is cooperating with God in his purpose to select and train His Church as His Eternal companions.” Paul Bilheimer, Destined For The Throne.

So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. 1Co 3:21 - 3:23 ESV

I wish I could make the concept of contentment clear. I believe it is a goal, a position to be in, and not a place we will find ourselves in very often, because I believe that God constantly has us in training as he tries to perfect us into the bride fit for his Son.