The Offering
Background
The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible where we encounter the concept of Sin and redemption from sin. God is all-powerful and mighty however, He is without sin. Hence, when His people sin against Him, He is unable to wipe the slate clean unless there is a blood offering. Throughout the Old Testament there are instances an innocent blood offering becomes necessary. God gave Adam and Eve tunics from animal skins suggesting the possibility of animal slaughter (Genesis 3:21 English Standard Version). This act closely follows the commissioning of the first sin. Therefore, it is understandable that this was the first instance of slaughtering innocent animals to cover for sin. Leviticus provides rules to follow for such sacrifices that involve absolution of sins.
In later Old Testament books such as Isaiah and Zechariah, there is mention of the Son of God taking up the sins of the world. The laws of the universe are clear. Unless there is shedding of innocent blood, there is no scope for redemption. This made it absolutely necessary for someone who is sinless to die for humankind. In addition, this individual has to conquer death itself. The only person that fit the bill was God’s Son. This was God’s sacrifice to save all His people who choose to follow Him from the consequences of sin (BibleInfo.com, 2012).
Communion Offering
The Lord’s Supper is significant to every born-again Christian for it refers to remembering the ultimate sacrifice that God made. The remembrance of this practice is important for three reasons. The first is the freedom from sin that an individual receives as a gift from God for choosing to follow Him. There is nothing humankind can do to earn the gift of salvation. The second reason signifies the present relationship that the individual shares with God through the sacrifice on the cross. The remembering of the offering of Christ’s body and blood that came from heaven to save humankind from sin. This represents the individual’s recognition and acceptance with God. The third reason is for the individual to remember that the Son of God will return someday to judge humankind.
Judas Iscariot betrays the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. However, filled with remorse, Judas attempts to undo his actions unsuccessfully. In his attempt to address the issue with the council, he says that he betrayed innocent blood. This mention if significant since being a disciple of Jesus (Son of God), Judas understood the concept of why God had sent His Son. He also remembers the scriptures and Jesus’ teachings on why innocent blood is a requirement to redeem God’s people from sin.
The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance for the love that God has for His people, the sacrifice on the cross by the Son of God, the identity of born-again Christians with their God, and the eventual return of Jesus Christ. There is one more reason to remember this practice. It is for the gift of salvation and the complete absolution of sins. This is a remembrance for the blessing of eternal life which is impossible without salvation (Tkach, 2015).
Old Age Outlook - Ecclesiastes 12:1
The verse speaks of the life of humans when surrounded by pleasures of the world that excites them. In early stages of life, humans like to explore their surroundings and engage in actions with enthusiasm. During this time, it is a difficult age to turn away from the pleasures of the world and turn towards God. However, when an individual fulfills all his worldly desires and bored, if he chooses to follow God at this stage, his intentions might not be sincere. Remembering the Creator involves turning away from all worldly pleasures and when an individual does this before exploring those pleasures, it implies that he turned to God during the days of his youth. The old age referred in this verse pertains to a person who lived his life to the fullest by experiencing all the pleasures of the world to a point when everything seems boring. God cannot use such people (BibleStudyTools.com, 2015).
The Original
This passage refers to the First Church founded by the apostles. The passage dictates the duties and qualities that are essential for a Christian. The quality of patience has importance in this passage. There is a charge that no one can profess to be a Christian unless there are great levels of patience present. The passage refers to the love of Christ towards these churches. There is reference to indicate that this Church will face severe hardships in its journey. Christ will watch over this church and shine His light on them to keep them from fading away into the ways of the world. There is a warning for those who choose to disobey the ways of Christ also. The removal of the lampstand refers to the removal of the gospel from the church. This will invariably lead to the destruction of the church and will leave it with no protection from Angels. The remembrance for this passage is for the church to remember its qualities and act according to their duties charged by Christ (BibleHub.com, 2015).
Overseers
The overseers are those individuals who brought the gospel to the members of the first churches. The passage from Hebrews 13 refers to such leaders. The leaders referred in verse 7 are clearly not alive at the time. The verse charges its readers to imitate the leaders’ lives and remember all their teachings. The context is that these leaders are not alive. Verse 17 refers to obedience to leaders while remembering the duties to Christ. The obedience referred in this passage speaks about obeying the commands of Christ. The leaders were the ones who brought the commands of Christ to the churches. Hence, the members of the churches should commit themselves to obeying the leaders. Any action in adverse will invite the wrath of God and possibly a situation to face Christ as a Judge on Judgment Day. Verse 24 refers to the writer’s greeting that he brings from where he is staying presently. His location is Italy when writing this chapter since the verse states that the greetings come from those whose origin is from Italy (BibleHub.com, 2015).
References
BibleHub.com Staff (2015). Bible Commentaries. Retrieved from: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/
BibleStudyTools.com Staff (2014). Hebrews. Retrieved from: http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/hebrews/
BibleInfo.com Staff (2012). Why did Jesus have to die? Retrieved from: http://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/why-did-jesus-have-to-die
Tkach, J. (2015). The Three-Fold Meaning of the Lord's Supper. Retrieved from: https://www.gci.org/church/lordssup/3fold
