I’m sure that you have noticed that as we continue through the book of Hebrews, I haven’t mentioned the name of the author, instead, I’ve just said “the author.” This is because his name is never mentioned in the text. Obviously, whoever it was knew an awful lot of Old Testament details, so many scholars believe that it must have been Paul. Others have suggested Barnabas, while still others have suggested different possibilities.
Some suggest that it couldn’t have been Paul, since Paul’s other letters have a greeting that includes his name, and this has no greeting of any kind. The complete lack of any greeting at the beginning has led some to theorize that Hebrews isn’t a letter at all, but a sermon that has been transcribed, and there is some merit to this thought since it follows an outline that is more like that of a sermon than any other of the epistles in the New Testament.
As for me, if I were a betting man, I would probably bet that Paul wrote it, but I am not a betting man! He is my guess, but since there is no evidence that directly supports the guess, I will simply continue to refer to him as “the author.”
I hope that you will consider this as an interpretational principle when you read the Bible. If the text doesn’t actually say something, we should use caution about asserting it as a fact. Yes, of course there are things we can infer, and many times this inference is so clear as to make it a necessary inference. Yet more often, these inferences are only possible, and not necessary. Very often these possible inferences, taken as fact without adequate evidence become the basis of unnecessary arguments, and even division within the church! Thus I would conclude that since some things aren’t completely certain, we should leave others to draw their own conclusions in those areas without debate, for while many things are left open to interpretation and opinion, one thing is very clear in Scripture: Dissention, endless arguments and divisions within the church are frowned upon!
Life Project Blog 
Dissension Don, is arguing about man’s own understanding, not standing up for God’s Truth…He inspired all Scripture (see blow) He is the Author of them not man and by The empowering of The Holy Spirit with God’s wisdom as Jesus leads us, we understand them including error in Translations (1Corinthians2:9-16) God tells us we will know and understand all His Truth not just bits and pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, because it forms a whole Picture.
2 Timothy 3:16 -17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
What does God tell us about believing in something even though it is different from others, this causes division, instead we bring our differences to Him, when Christians argue , or agree to disagree it ends in Separation and Paul warned against this, sadly not many listened as we can see with all the different Denominations and Cults today. God tells us we are to agree on all His Truth and so have the same mind and purpose.
There are many Scriptures that confirm this Truth Don, I will just share some of them with you….
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1: 10 -11Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Philippians 3:14-16 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, where to we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
2Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in Peace; and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you.
1 Peter 3:7-9 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Philippians 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
Philippians 2:4-6 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians 2:1-3 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Galatians 24 -26 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Christian Love from us both – Anne
Hi Anne!
“Dissension Don, is arguing about man’s own understanding, not standing up for God’s Truth…He inspired all Scripture (see blow) He is the Author of them not man and by The empowering of The Holy Spirit with God’s wisdom as Jesus leads us, we understand them including error in Translations (1Corinthians2:9-16) God tells us we will know and understand all His Truth not just bits and pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, because it forms a whole Picture.”
I must tell you that I agree with your statement almost entirely, and to help me get the other part that I’m unsure of, I have two simple questions for you. I hope you don’t mind, but here they are:
1. It seems that we have a slight disagreement in my earlier post about Hebrews 6. Which of us has man’s fleshy understanding, and which of us has understands it with God’s empowering and wisdom?
2. Are you sure?
Thanks Anne, grace to you!
Don
I don’t mind at all Don, I have a lot of respect for Christians who want to resolve differences God’s way, not the worlds, which is either to claim they know more because they have degrees etc or abuse, reject, ignore or walk away. I also don’t reject those who disagree with what we believe as Christians, such as The Godhead or Trinity as they are called today or believe that we have to keep the Sabbath or not eat Pork, if they want to without abuse resolve our differences I am willing to do so.
I believe in standing up for God’s Truth and correcting error if needed as He tells us to do with the confirmation of Scripture and some have and are now being Martyred for doing this and it is True that now we are in the end times, many more will be too, maybe even us.
I’m very sure that not only myself but anyone who asks for both God’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit will receive them because God tells us this is True (see below) I will also leave a link for you Don about His wisdom, it will save detail here. Jesus tells us we don’t have because we don’t ask or we do so with wrong motives or without Faith that He keeps his promises.
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?
James 1:4-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Wisdom – http://freedomborn.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/the-gaining-of-wisdom/
So than why do you believe I’m in error Don and that you are right , can you confirm what you believe with Scripture as I did?
Even with focusing on sin, which rejecting Jesus to earthly death is and so is the unforgivable sin, if we say someone can loose their Salvation after being Born again, we are saying they can sin but the Scriptures say the opposite we cannot sin when we are Born again because we have God’s seed or Nature and also the mind of Christ who does not choose to sin.
1 John 3:9 No one who is Born of God will continue to Sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on Sinning, because he has been Born of God.
What I have found and I was the same before I asked for and received The Holy Spirit and God’s wisdom, is that Christians don’t understand what being Born again means or putting the flesh to death and what it means when God tells us He knows who are His by His foreknowledge even before we are Born.
Thanks Don, many Blessings – Anne
Good Morning Anne, I hope all is well today!
Well you’ve provided much to consider, and you’ve given me a question to answer, so I thought that courtesy and respect require that I deal with it first of all. Your question is: “So than why do you believe I’m in error Don and that you are right , can you confirm what you believe with Scripture as I did?”
A:
First off, I wasn’t under the impression that I have taken issue with you; I went back and re-read my comments so far and confirmed that fact: I have not said that you are in error. I’ve also reviewed all of your comments, and it seems that you have indicated that I am in error. As for the second part of you question, can I confirm what I believe with Scripture… I already have! Please recall that our discussion began with my post of Hebrews 6:1-12: There’s the Scripture. I present my brief remarks in context, meaning within the context of the New Covenant, within the context of the overall theme of the book of Hebrews, within the context of the larger section that the text falls (Heb. 5:11-6:12) as well as the texts that immediately follow. My review of our discussion so far tells me that I am the only one who has taken any notice of context thus far. So, forgive me, but in my view, since you are challenging me and I am not challenging you, it seems like the ball is in your court, and the text is Hebrews 6.
I hope that before we proceed with the discussion, that you might consider answering or at least considering the two simple questions that I posed yesterday. They were:
1. Which of us has man’s fleshy understanding, and which of us has God’s wisdom and understanding relative to Hebrews 6?
2. Are you sure?
You might be curious how I would answer those questions, so here goes:
1. Unless one of us is prepared to claim that we are under divine inspiration, and therefore infallible, we both have human understand and are taking positions based upon that understanding. In your comment that I replied to yesterday and posed these simple questions, you defined this as “dissension”. I agree with your characterization and therefore I do not insist that people see everything the same way I do in non-essential matters which this clearly is. That is why I haven’t accused you of any error; we just see Hebrews 6 slightly differently.
2. Am I sure of my answer to number one? Yes I am!
Anne, you are my dear sister in Christ. God loves you and so do I! The way I see it, one day you and I will meet in heaven, and we will be standing shoulder to shoulder praising God, and we’ll probably share a smile at how worked up people used to get back on earth, disputing the fine points of theology, when all along we were all on the same side…
Well, that’s how I see it anyway…
Don
P.S I just remembered Don something that is often doubted, can we know the things of God (see below) I don’t think we will ever be able to know how God created Mankind or even a flower but we can have assurance He did and we can also know His good will for us, we are no longer in darkness when we have the Holy Spirit, like the Old Testament Saints were, they only had the promise but it is fulfilled in us.
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that Love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with Spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually discerned. But he that is Spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the Mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? but we have the Mind of Christ.
1 John 2:26-28 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is Truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.
Matthew 10:26-28 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops (KJV) (perhaps our Computers ?)
John 16:13 -15. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Blessings – Anne.
I agree with you. When the Bible is silent, we should be silent. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 2:29 which says: Deuteronomy 29:29 (KJV)
(29) The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
I think this verse speaks volumes..I will leave it at that.
Come to think of it, so do I!
I was hoping that you would give this a go: the author of the Hebrews. I love the inquiries. I guess we will find out when Jesus puts in His appearance. vw
Yeah, I’m not fun… 🙂
🙂 at least you are silent when the Word is silent. good job…
🙂
Good evening Don, in Aussie land we are almost ready for bed but I thought I would catch up with you before I go, although I will get straight to the point as it is after 10.30 pm and I have had a long day.
I never said Don that what I shared was what I thought or had been taught in the flesh, I had very little wisdom as my life testified for many years but what I share with you and others is what God has confirmed in His inspired word, it is not man’s logic, reasoning or understanding, it is His Truth.
If you want me to say I do not have God’s wisdom ( see below) after asking for it, you are asking me to say God does not keep His word and that I’m unstable and also that you can’t have His wisdom either or anyone else, to understand better please read the Link I gave you about God’s wisdom, no need to comment unless wanted.
James 1:4-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
You said Don…if you, dear reader, prefer the doctrine of eternal security, that’s OK by me, but I wouldn’t suggest this text as being one that supports it. Yes, I know there are other passages; maybe they support it better than this one.
As I shared before Don and with Scriptural confirmation, when we are Born again we cannot loose our Salvation, Hebrews 6 is referring to those who reject Jesus which is the unforgivable sin and shows clearly they were not Born again in the first place, it is not saying you can loose your Salvation after you have been Born again, that would be impossible, we have God’s seed or Nature.
1 John 3:9 No one who is Born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been Born of God.
When people belong to a Church, it does not make them Brides of Christ, to be part of the real Body of Christ they need to be Born again of The Spirit, so if they fall away by committing Spiritual Adultery, it shows they never were because just by being in the Church, knowing about God’s goodness and having a Spiritual gift is not the same as being indwelt by The Holy Spirit as 1Corinthians13 shows us, evil is the absence of Love, when we are Born again we are perfected in Love and Love does not commit evil, God is Love.
1John 4:16-17 And we have known and believed the Love that God hath to us. God is Love; and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our Love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17-19 Herein is our Love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in Love; but perfect Love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in Love. We Love Him, because He first Loved us.
Please read also the Scriptures below Don and you will see that God leaves no doubt that this is His Truth and we have assurance by the confirmation of Jesus The Living Word, when our eyes are open and we are not in darkness and He teaches us all Truth by the empowering of The Holy Spirit.
1 John 3: 6-8 whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.
1 John 2:4-6 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the Love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1John 3 No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous.
Romans 6:18-20 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
1 John 5:18-20 We know that no one who is Born of God Sins; but He who was Born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Christian Love in Unity with Christ Jesus – Anne
Good Morning Anne!
I want to thank you for your kindness and grace in this discussion, I really appreciate your gentle heart.
You’ve provided a number of verses in your comments, and I don’t want you to think I haven’t considered them, for indeed I have. I recently blogged through 1,2 and 3 John, just as I am currently going through Hebrews, and since I am already “on record” I thought I would just drop in a link to one of them, in this case the one dealing with 1 John 3:19 which you have referenced more than once. The other posts can be found quickly scrolling if you are interested.
1 John link
I have no doubt whatever that you have very earnestly sought God’s wisdom and guidance in discerning the Scriptures, as I have for many years. Yet here we are with slightly differing understandings… what will we do? One possible conclusion is that God doesn’t answer everyone’s prayers, but I doubt that either one of us would care to sign on to that notion. As an alternative, isn’t it just possible that God reveals His truth to His children over time according to His will, and that we are at different points in our understanding? Maybe one of these fine days, God will show me that I should have listened to Anne all along! Of course, there is a problem here, for if that is possible, then it may also be possible that God reveals to Anne that she should have listened to Don all along… or that He reveals to both of us that we are both not quite right and someone else had it before we did!
What do you think of that?
This is why I don’t insist, or even expect that everyone who reads my material will agree with it, not do I insist or try to persuade them to change their views, preferring God to lead them according to His timing.
If that proposition, or something similar, cannot be agreed upon, then we are headed for Selection and Predestination. Since you are right and I am wrong, because you have God’s wisdom and I obviously don’t, then you have been selected and predestined, and I have not, thus for you grace is irresistible, and for me it is impossible… yes, I too have studied Calvinism, I can still draw out the Systematic Theology diagrams…
So, again I ask: what shall we do?
Good afternoon Don , yes today is already better than yesterday, much of which I spent in Hospital after being very ill during the night, thankfully I’m much better now and I was last night although still very tired but I wanted to respond to you and prayed to do so before I went to bed.
I’m not a Calvinist and I’m not in agreement with what they Teach when it is not confirmed by God’s Truth and this is the same with all man made Denominations or house Churches, I do not trust in mans wisdom, reasoning and logic regardless of their degrees unless it is confirmed.
God’s Church is not in reference to man made Churches based on disunity, although God does use the foolishness of man’s preaching and we know His Redeemed Children will be called from all the Denominations and house Churches around the world and He will even rescue them from Cults. His Church is not confined to a building but is in our Heart, it is known as the Catholic Church in the Scriptures, meaning Universal but this is not referring to the Roman Catholic Church which came later.
It’s not important that you listen to me or I to you Don unless we agree with God’s Truth as reveled by His written word and confirmed by Jesus His living Word through the empowering of The Holy Spirit who shares all His Truth with us. We are as I confirmed with Scripture before, to be of one mind and not to agree to disagree or argue and so cause division. The Holy Spirit will not tell you something Don that contradicts with what He has told me but He may share something with you that you can share with me or I with you but it will always be confirmed in Scripture or by God’s Creation.
As I shared recently with another friend on the Blog Don, I see a lot of fear in the Church through wrong teaching and so they are in bondage, they at times appear to be Happy Clappy and having it all together but their actions show they are hurting and hurting others, not all of course but many and I was the same.
I cannot answer for you Don or anyone else but I know I have been called by God although not as a Ordained woman Minister, is not acceptable to God for a woman to be in Authority over Men who are to be in Leadership both in Marriage and in the Church but He has anointed me as an Evangelist under His Authority, after my having asked for The Holy Spirit and His wisdom and receiving them and believing I have. He has now confirmed through His Truth in the Scriptures most of which I never knew or was taught before, some have been mysteries, some are in the Poems I wrote and Power points I created, long before I realized them to be His Truth as confirmed in Scripture and so I long to share this because His Truth which is found only in Christ Jesus, who is The Truth, sets us all free but it’s not my understanding of Scripture that I share with you or others but what He tells us Himself in them.
Yes I’m still learning but I know what Jesus has taught me so far is His Truth as can be seen in Scripture or Creation, to think differently would be as I shared before saying I don’t have His wisdom. But like Paul said at one time I’m not perfected in Love yet but I aim to be as He did and also receive the Crown of Righteousness like Him and other Christians in God’s Church through the ages.
Christian Love from both of us – Anne.
Anne, I want to thank you for all of your comments in this string. Your conviction and passion are a testimony of your sincerity as a follower of our Lord, and your gentle heart is evident to all. At this point, I’m going to step back from the discussion table and leave you with the last word for now, and let our readers consider the conversation, reflecting upon it in view of God’s Word.
On a personal note, I am so sorry to hear that you haven’t been well; I can assure you that you are in my prayers for a full and complete recovery! I will also be praying that God will do a mighty work through your ministry. So, until we next meet in discussion, please accept my best wishes for all blessings in Christ!
Don
Thank you Don for your Loving , kind words and thank you for your Prayers, I’m off to bed soon but I have had a good day and no pain and I rejoice what Satan meant for evil God used for good, ask me about it another time, He is soooooo very good, can we ever doubt His Love for us, even when we don’t know He Loves us or how much He does.
Blessings – Anne