Devotion - Wednesday, January 27

Our Bible study of Phillipians did get very far last night.  In fact, other than my reference to the hymn contained in Chapter 2, we hardly looked at Phillipians at all.

We were too engaged in a wide ranging conversation about the questions "I have had but never got to ask" (as one student put it.)

Many of those questions directed our attention to atonement, i.e. how is it that Jesus' death brings about our being made one with God?

It so happens that the proscribed lessons for these weeks include Hebrews, and today I was once more reading from the 9th chapter.  In the 9th Chapter of Hebrews, the blood sacrifice is lifted up as the way we are set right with God.  There is this long presentation of how blood is required for purification to occur.  Blood is necessary if an inheritance is to be passed on to those for whom it is intended.  Very helpful stuff, and a great aid to our attempts to understand the mysteries of faith.

But it is only one way to speak of such things.

Later today, I will post at the LCM-Clemson website a summary of other theories of atonement.  For now, I want to lift up these verses from Hebrews and in doing so I want to encourage you not to too quickly abandon your asking your own questions and speaking of your own experiences.  There is, among God's people, a variety of experiences and a number of differing replies to the questions you "never got to ask."