Ron Writes
The writer of Hebrews was blunt, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (Heb. 12:4). Did I hear a hint of sarcasm? Hebrews appears to be written to those leaving Christianity and returning to Judaism. He has outlined why that doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense intellectually, doctrinally, or practically. Some early Christians endured tremendous persecution, but not the recipients of Hebrews.
Jesus on the other hand endured much hostility by sinners against Himself (Heb. 12:3). It was a shameful, humiliating ordeal to be crucified. The blood flowed so much so that the Bible often refers to as being “poured out.” He was slapped, spit on, mocked, scourged, nailed, but like myself, the first readers of Hebrews never experienced any of these things. It says that Jesus considered it all joy because He knew what the outcome would be.
Early Christians were persecuted. The apostles had to deal with the embarrassment of being arrested. They were roughly treated, arrested, warned, threatened, flogged, and warned again. The blood began to flow. James was put to death with a sword. Stephen was stoned to death. None of this was enough reason to get them to call it quits. Christianity just kept on going. Tertullian would write “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” (Apologeticus). Why would Christians put it all on the line? Because it wasn’t a new philosophy, but a Divine Revelation.
This brings us to today. In similar fashion as the recipients of Hebrews, some are leaving Christianity. Some refer to their “deconversion.” Another called it “dechurching.” Christianity is not seen as politically, or even morally correct by the multitudes. It doesn’t conform to shifting norms. What form is persecution taking? One called it “the raised eyebrow.” No jail yet. No blood yet. There’s just the mocking, belittling, the ridicule, all the things predicted in Scripture. What would it take for you to fall away? None of us have resisted yet to the point of shedding blood. For some all it takes is the raised eyebrow.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
