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We have been studying the letter to the Hebrews since October, a first-century letter written by a pastor to Christians who were struggling. For those leaving Cambridge today, I want to leave you with a verse to take away, learn, and digest — Hebrews 13:8:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
This is the kind of verse that used to appear on Bible verse calendars — a favourite for good reason. But verses in the Bible are always written in a context, and when we look at the passage in front of us, we see afresh why this verse is so important.
The great theme of Hebrews is perseverance — the writer wants his hearers to keep running the race for Jesus and not give up. That's the backdrop as we come to chapter 13 verse 7:
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
The writer is reminding them of the people who first brought them the Christian good news — that Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, is the Saviour God sent from heaven, the eternal Son of God, come to rescue us from the consequences of our sins and build a new people who walk in close fellowship with God. He says: remember those who taught you this. They were authentic — imitate their faith.
But why does he say this here? The answer comes in verse 9: there's a threat. Don't be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. Someone had come along under a religious badge with different teaching, enticing them away from the truth they had first heard. That's the concern on the pastor's heart.
Someone may have argued,
