The Book Of Hebrews – Part 1

Chapter 1 – The writer declares Jesus greater than the angels (vs. 4). I n fact, He created them (vs.2). The Father declares Jesus the Son of God God himself affirming his deity (vs. 8-12). Verses are a direct quotation from Psalm 45:6,7.

The writer is clearly making the distinction between Jesus and the angels Vs. 13 is another O.T. reference to the Messiah (See Psalm 110:1).

Chapter 2 – The writer urges us to take heed to the things we’ve heard (the gospel) so that we do not drift away from them. If the O.T. children of Israel were punished for disobeying their gospel, how much more will we suffer if we disobey a greater gospel? (vs. 1-3)

Jesus was made (humanly) a little lower than the angels so that he could die for his people (Matthew 1:21) – (vs.9).

Jesus had to become flesh and blood like us – the seed of Abraham in order to die and destroy him who has the power of the death, the devil (vs. 14).

When He did this we were made free forever. Jesus incarnation displays his love in that he fully identified with us in humanity and weaknesses.

Chapter 3 – Jesus, greater than Moses

There is a comparison going on, the children of Israel who did not heed God’s word in Moses’ day died in unbelief in the wilderness. They did not enter into God’s rest; the promised land of Caanan. The writer quotes Psalm 95:7-11 twice in the chapter (vs. 7-10, 15).

The only one’s that will enter God’s rest are those that will remain faithful. True believer’s will do this. Vs. 12-14 are an admonition to believe the gospel so that sin does not get a hold of you to the degree that you’re blind to the truth.

Chapter 4 – Writer begins again stressing the importance of heeding the gospel so that we can enter into “THE REST OF GOD” (Vs. 4). Writer reiterates those in the O.T. did not enter the land of promise due to disobedience/unbelief (Vs. 3,7).

Verse 8 deals with only an earthly rest through Joshua – the promised land of Caanan, but it’s not the final rest that comes in accepting the gospel and having eternal rest.

God’s word is a double edged sword. It’s cuts into the inner man, to his thoughts and his heart. Our lives are never concealed from God’s holy word (vs. 13-14).

Jesus feels all that we do and are. He’s a loving, caring savior who always identifies with our weaknesses because he was tempted in everyway – not with every temptation without sin or even the capacity to sin (vs. 15).

Let us go to the Lord to find help when we need it (vs. 16).

Divorce and Remarriage

“For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence”, says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously.” – Malachi 2:16.

              

It’s been said that the divorce rate among evangelicals is as high as the secular world. According to recent studies, this statement is false. Married couples that attend church regularly and practice their faith seriously, divorce rate is at 38 percent. Those who are nominal in their faith, and do not attend a worship service regularly and/or do not spend time in personal prayer or with their spouse, read their bibles consistently divorce rate is at a whopping 60 percent!

Since it’s so easy to divorce and remarry in our country, even some so called Christians do it on a regular basis.

But what does the bible have to say about these matters?

In Matthew 5:31-32 Jesus said, “Furthermore it has been said whosoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery (Italics added).

This truth is ignored by all in secular society, and the writer of this article would daresay by most in the evangelical community. Often times we read what the word says, and if it doesn’t fit within our theological construct, we ignore, or better yet disobey that particular command. When one is seeking a divorce, they’ll for anything to be discontented with about their spouse so that they can use those situations to break their covenant of marriage. So we have plenty in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ who are currently in adulterous, marital relationships.

Why is this the case?

Simply because if a man or woman divorces their spouse other than for fornication and marries another,  that person has committed adultery because your former spouse is still alive and you’re bound by that person in marriage as long as they live (Romans 7:2). In the eyes of the law your marriage is no longer legally binding, but in the eyes of the Lord it still is; So, what should one do?  Well obviously if the love between the two has grown cold, reconciliation is most likely impossible otherwise a divorce would not have occurred in the first place. The writer believes that for the sake of peace between two disgruntled people, divorce is a permitted, but not a God honoring choice since He hates divorce (I Corinthians 7:15).

It’s apparent that God meant for marriages to last unto death separated us. The two become one flesh (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5). He made that clear when he said in Matthew 19:6, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Italics added).

In the final analysis, God permits divorce in regards to infidelity; and even in that, divorce should be the last resort if all other options have been exhausted, and no reconciliation can be made. The writer realizes that that is not the route that most will take if they have been betrayed in their marriage. They’ll want a divorce and they have the biblical right to make that choice.

Those that fit this category who are Christians are allowed to remarry in the Lord; that is you MUST marry a believer (I Corinthians 7:39).

                                                A believing and non believing spouse

There are instances were you have people get married and they’re both unbelievers. However, over time one becomes born again after hearing the truth of the gospel and the other remains unsaved. What do we do in these instances? Fortunately, the bible provides the answers.

In I Corinthians 7:12-16 it reads, “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, if she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let them depart; brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”

These are straight forward answers to these marriage dilemmas. I will try my best to provide sensible commentary on the aforementioned verses.

Summing up the matter, the onus is on the believing spouse to be a witness to their unsaved partner so that they may hopefully one day turn to the Lord in true repentance and faith and be saved as they are. There are of course no guarantees because the unbelieving spouse may refuse the invitations to repent and may become so exacerbated by their spouse’s radical transformation lifestyle, their love turns cold due to the darkness in them vs. the light in their spouse and decide they want to dissolve the union. You have what I call a spiritual indifference or you become unequally yoked by default. God grants the divorce in such cases for the sake of peace he’s called us to (vs. 15).

The unfortunate result for the unbelieving spouse is that the sanctification they unknowingly enjoyed because of the saving grace that rested on and in the believer has been removed, and now they are in complete and total spiritual darkness; whereas the scenario for the believer is much better, they’re no longer bound to the union. They’re free to marry again, but only in the Lord (vs. 39). You must not be unequally yoked (II Corinthians 6:14-17).

On the flip side, there are occasions where a non believer wishes to remain with their mate because they loved them before they believed, and may even love them more because they’re saved and are endeavoring to please God by pursuing holy living although they have no desire to pursue God themselves. The unbeliever realizes that they’re blessed because of their spouse who loves God and faithfully serves Him; the peace of God is resting on that house for the sake of the believing spouse. The word of God tells us to stay with your spouse. What greater evangelistic prospect can you have than your own spouse who loves you and is willing to listen to you? Your chances are greater to lead them to eternal life in Christ because of the saturation of the grace of God that’s resting on your life. Pray that God the Father will draw them to the Son (John 6:44).

Concluding, God only grants divorce in two cases, infidelity, and abandonment by an unbelieving spouse. Notice God does not sanction the believer to abandon the unbelieving spouse. Their assignment is to pray, love, and evangelize their spouse so that they come out of darkness and be transformed into God’s marvelous light (II Peter 2:9).

Divorce for any other reason is not God honoring as hard as that may be to accept. However, I believe if someone (usually women) are in a physical abusive marital relationship, they need to separate from their husband for safety sake until he seeks professional help. The abused should also seek counseling to try to get to the root of the problem. Scripture tells us, “In a multitude of counselors there is safety and victory (Proverbs 11:14; 24:6). Once there is a consistent pattern of reformed behavior; he’s contrite for what he’s done, and he’s promised never to do it again, return to him. Seek biblical counsel together. The husband should remain in some sort of spiritual biblical counseling group where he’s held accountable to Godly men who can monitor his progress and spiritual growth, like Pastors or Elders in the Church. If he values his wife and family, he’ll be willing to get help. If he is unwilling to seek help and remains abusive in other ways, such as drinking, smoking, cursing, gambling, outbursts of anger, fighting, laziness, etc, do not return to him; that type of person is most unstable and unsafe to be around.

In cases like these, you need to pray and seek the Lord on how to proceed. If you divorce and marry again, you’ve caused your new spouse to commit adultery because your former spouse is still alive. You are now an adulteress in the eyes of the Lord. It let’s us know how strongly God despises divorce. Can/will God give grace to you in these instances? The writer believe He does if one truly repents and seeks forgiveness for violating the word of God. God knows the weakness of our flesh and it’s insatiable lust to gratify itself even at the expense of obeying His word. God also knows those who are seeking true love and happiness in a marital relationship and sometimes that doesn’t occur in an initial marriage due to ungodliness with both husband and wife, lack of patience or endurance, and immaturity. Definitely seek pre-marital counseling if you’re marrying for the first time. If you’re divorced, seek counseling also. Try to determine why the relationship failed. Do not be so quick get involved in another relationship, least of all marriage. Pray to the Lord on how you should proceed with your life. I believe it’s wise to have a cooling off period before engaging in another committed relationship. Commit your relationship to the Lord first; let Him become your first love above all else, and then you’ll be spiritually, and emotionally fortified to be involved in a romantic relationship with a believer so that your union will over time blossom into a life long love affair (Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33).

Be truthful with yourself and the Lord. If you have truly repented of the sin of divorce and remarriage (exception clause-adultery), the writer believes you can have a fruitful second marriage even with the adultery stigma. The opposite of this is someone who’s callous regarding marriage and foolishly marries another because they’ve grown tired of their former spouse and divorces them for no legitimate reason at all (c.f. Matthew 19:3). That type of person is reckless and should be avoided until they get biblical counseling, changes their ways, and renews their mind (Romans 12:1-2). God knowing all things uses even sinful situations without condoning them to fulfill his divine plan in the lives of mankind in our relationships.

Does James 1:13-14 contradict Hebrews 4:15?

Perhaps you’ve wondered like I have about these two verses of scripture; if they contradict one another. Let’s look at both of them and see if we can determine what each one means.

James 1:13-14 says this: “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God can not be tempted by evil, neither does he tempt any man. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.”

The word tempted in the Greek is the word peirázō which means to test or prove. In this text it’s negative, because notice the temptation is from within the person. That’s why (vs. 14) says that a person is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. That’s also why James says that let no one say that when they’re tempted (to sin), they’re tempted of God. God never tempts anyone to sin; for that’s against God’s nature. God through Jesus Christ delivered us from the power of sin, so why would he tempt us to do that which he delivered us from (Romans 6)? He doesn’t. The temptation comes from the wickedness that dwells within our flesh.

So, how does this flow with Hebrews 4:15? Let’s read it.

“For we have not a High Priest which can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted (Greek word peirázō) like as we are, yet without sin.”

The difference with the temptations of Jesus is that the temptations always came from without. Why? Because Jesus was/is perfect in his humanity and does not have any internal evil inclinations like we do.  He was totally full and influenced by the Holy Spirit which empowered and energized him. (Luke 4:1). His flesh unlike ours is perfect and no sin dwells in it. Jesus was never drawn away of his own lust and enticed because he’s perfect, but he was able to be tempted in his humanness by Satan and the religious leaders. How? By three fiery darts: The lust of the flesh; make these stones bread. The lust of the eyes; the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. The pride of life; devil told Jesus bow down and worship me displaying his insatiable need to elevate and satisfy his wicked ego over the Lord  (Matthew 4:1-10; 22:18; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13) yet he had no capacity to sin-ever!

                                                          Reconciling the two verses

So, in the final analysis these two verses do not contradict one another. In James 1:13-14, the writer is expressing the fact that God does not tempt anyone to sin, neither can he be tempted by evil because he’s divine and evil is antithetical and separate from him. It can not dwell in his presence.  However in Hebrews 4:15, God the Son, Christ Jesus was tempted in his perfect humanness, not in his divinity (for both natures resided in him, a mystery), yet without sin. There wasn’t even a possibility that he could have sinned otherwise he couldn’t be a perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sins.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (II Corinthians 5:21).

“Who committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9; I Peter 2:22).

Explaining II Peter 3:9

This is one of those verses that if the reader  isn’t careful and fails to read it in it’s context, you can come up with an incorrect meaning.

So, let’s read it.

It reads, “The Lord is not slack as concerning His promise, as some count slackness,  but  is longsuffering toward us not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

The apostle Peter is writing and talking specifically to believers. The reason we know this is two key texts; II Peter 2:1, “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Only believers have true faith so Peter is talking to believers.

II Peter 3:1 says, “this is the second epistle or letter (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” Once again, the audience of Peter’s first epistle is the same as his second epistle-to believers.

The questions we need to answer are who are the “us”, the  “any” and the “all” in (vs.9)? On the surface, it appears the verse is making reference to any and all people without exception; in other words, most believe that God desires all men, that is every man on the planet to come to repentance. Well, if this is true,  then why are countless souls dying in their sins and going to hell? Is it that God was hoping, crossing his fingers that dead men lost in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) would somehow dig deep within themselves to find enough strength and virtue to come to life, accept the gospel and be saved?  Or could it be that God is talking about the “any” and the “all” in a limited sense?

           

      Let me explain.

The us, the any, and the all in (vs.9) is making reference to Christians only not to unbelievers. In the beginning of the chapter Peter discusses scoffers/false teachers in the last days mockingly will say, “where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (II Peter 3:3-4).

Peter declares things have not continued since creation. The old world was judged by water (i.e. The Flood), and the current world is being reserved for judgment by fire (II Peter 3:6-7). Peter was disputing the nonsense of these mockers who was saying the Lord wasn’t returning. Peter declared that Jesus is coming, but the delay of the Lord’s return is for the sake of his elect not for the unsaved. Once all of the regenerate elect that He decreed for salvation before the foundation of the world have come to repentance, then the earth will be judged, destroyed, and Jesus will return. Does it make sense for the Lord to desire that every person on the planet come to repentance when he knows that isn’t what he decreed? No.

So we see now why the Lord is delaying his return, all of his chosen from the foundation of the world have not been saved yet, hence the longsuffering of the Lord (vs.15). The Lord is patiently waiting for all of them to come to the point that they receive the repentance provided for them. This is point of the letter.

                                                                    

                                                                     

                                                                  Conclusion

Peter had to reassure the hearts and minds of the saints since there were liars saying the Lord was not returning at all. No doubt some of them believed this evil report and were distressed. The believers in that day believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime. For him not to have returned yet caused doubt and anxiety. Peter told them that God’s delay in returning wasn’t for nothing. The Lord was/is exercising patience toward all of us (the elect of all time), that we all come to repentance and be saved. That is the revealed will of God that Peter was conveying to his readers so that they would fully understand the delay in the Lord’s return; as aptly as Peter put it, it’s God desired-decreed will that none of his children perish. Those words were the comfort of those contemporary saints and for us. Each day we live and the Lord delays his return is because there are more saints that have to be added into the kingdom of God.

Explaining Romans 11:19-22

Those verses read:  Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.  Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not high minded, but fear:  for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.  Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off (Romans 11:19-22).

On the surface these verses appear to speak of loss of salvation, but they do not. What is being explained here is that the apostle Paul is talking about is through the Hebrews unbelief, the way of salvation has been opened to the Gentiles (i.e. heathen, pagan, non-Jew, the nations). Those that believe have been grafted into the olive tree which is a symbol of God’s covenant blessings with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-21;17:1-27). 

Those that did not continue in belief were cut off from the olive tree (God’s covenant blessing).

In Acts 13:42-48 we read, And as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath.  Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.  And the next sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.  But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.  And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.  For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee for a light of the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the uttermost part of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).  And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

So here we read a proof text that salvation was never designed for only the Hebrews, but for Gentiles as well. That was always God’s plan; to save people from every tribe, tongue and nation. Gentiles have as much right to obtain eternal life as the Hebrew, but it only benefits those that believe.

The aforementioned was an aside, now back to the matter at hand. To carefully explain the verses in question, we need to understand the subject so I repeat, the verses are dealing with the temporary setting aside of the natural branches (i.e. Jews), and the grafting in of the wild olive branches (i.e. Gentiles).

Notice how Paul warns the Gentile believers in verse 20-21 to not be high minded, but fear, for if God did not spare not the natural branches, he may not spare you either.

Here Paul gives a stern warning to genuine and false believers. The true child of God will fear and heed the warning. They realize that they’ve been grafted into the olive tree due to pure grace on God’s part. This also gives them pause so that they can examine themselves (II Corinthians 13:5). This is the opportunity to make your calling and election sure (II Peter 2:10). The writer knows that although we’re saved, it’s very easy to retard back to old habits and become unproductive in the things of God so these warnings are good checkpoints to keep the believer vibrant and persevering in faith.

The false convert on the other hand will not heed the warnings of the Lord and will be exposed ultimately for the fraud he really is and will be cut off from the blessings of God.

                         Why would God permit a false convert to enjoy his covenant blessings

This gets to the crux of the matter. What’s important to understand that in the Old Testament all the children of Israel were saved nationally and covenantly  when they were purchased and delivered out of slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 32:6), but not all were justified by faith; only those that exhibited the faith of their father Abraham (Romans 4:10-12) were justified spiritually and were saved; that is part of the olive tree. So we see here that the branches that were broken off were unbelieving Israel. They enjoyed in the benefits of the covenant, but were not saved eternally because of unbelief. Their rejection of their Messiah opened the way to the Gentiles. Those Gentiles that believed in what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross were grafted in or brought into divine covenant blessings with believing Jews. They exercised the faith of their father 

Abraham who is the father of faith. These are the elect.

In the present and future scripture says all Israel will be saved once the time of Gentiles is complete. The term all has to be qualified. It means God has sovereignly chosen a remnant of the Jews that will be saved. This remnant will believe unto salvation and Israel will then be grafted back into the olive tree; that is receive covenant blessings again. This tells the reader that God has not abandoned his children Israel whom he foreknew (Romans 11:1); they were simply set aside due to unbelief so that the Gentiles could enjoy the benefits of God’s saving grace and his covenant blessing (Acts 13:42-48).

Those non-Jews that receive covenant blessing that aren’t truly saved are nominal Christians. They’ve only accepted the gospel intellectually, but not savingly. They have what the writer of this article calls a “demon faith” (James 2:19), not a saving faith. They fall into the parable of the sower, particularly Matthew 13:20-21 which says that,  And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it;  yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. This individual is a demon seed planted by the devil amongst the good seed (Read Matthew 13:36-43). God allows them for a time to enjoy the benefits of the saved. The true and false convert are allowed to co-exist until the end of the age (i.e. the harvest). This person is what some call a “Judas branch” (John 15:6). This type of person will be cut off from the olive tree. Why? Because they never truly believed the gospel. They do not bear the fruit of true repentance (Matthew 3:8-10).  This type of person isn’t losing salvation, they never obtained it. Only true believers will remain in the olive tree, because God keeps them believing unto eternal life.

Will God deliver believers over to Satan?

That’s a very provocative question. The shocking answer to the question is yes! You may be saying, “now wait a minute! Why in the world would God do something like that? We belong to the Lord! God and Satan are eternal enemies right?”

That indeed is true. I know it’s a disturbing question, but one we need to explore. As always we must search the scriptures to see what God has to say regarding this controversial matter.

Let’s examine the beginnings of Job chapters one and two:

6 Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. 7 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. 9 Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. 12 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.

13 And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, 14 that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; 19 and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; 21 and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (Emphasis added).

Job 1:6-22 (ASV)

In Job chapter two we read:

Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah. 2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 3 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4 And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. 6 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.  Again, God delivered Job over to the power of Satan to afflict him.

7 So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes. 9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. 10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips (Emphasis added).

Job 2:1-10 (ASV)

In both of these accounts we read how after God and Satan had a discussion regarding Job, the Lord granted permission to the devil to afflict Job; first with the loss of his children and business in chapter one, then with disease on his own body in chapter two. So we’re back to the original question, why would God give Job over to Satan to torment him? Doesn’t God love Job? After all, He said that he’s a righteous man, and there is none like him in all the earth. He fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:8;2:3).

Job wasn’t given over to Satan because he was in sin, it was because he feared and served  God.  God permitted Satan to tempt Job say that he may curse God to his face when calamity fell on him. The devil always will tempt us to sin. God was on the other hand perfecting or proving Job’s faith which was solid for the word says, 20 Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; 21 and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly, and “In all this Job did not sin with this lips (Job 1:20-22;2:10).

A comparative passage regarding Job’s dilemma is in James 1:2-3, “Count it all joy when you fall into manifold temptations. Knowing that the proving of your faith works patience.” In the same chapter verse thirteen it says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man.”

What we learn from these accounts is that God allows the devil to tempt us, but notice that God gave him the rules of engagement. In the first account Satan couldn’t harm Job physically (Job 1:12). In the second account, Satan was allowed to afflict him with boils, but wasn’t allowed to kill him (Job 2:6).

Satan can only do what God allows him to do regarding his children. The trial is sifted through the heart of God almighty.

Job through unbearable pain and suffering consciously worshipped and glorified God which is a clear mark of genuine faith and true relationship. He did not charge  God with wrongdoing like most people would; even some so called Christians.

            

               What about sinning members in the church? Are they to be turned over to Satan?

There’s a serious problem going on in the church at Corinth. In chapter five of I Corinthians we read about a man fornicating with his father’s wife which was the sinning member’s step mother. Apparently this was an ongoing sin in the church and other members had not done nothing about it but rather applauded the sin which upset Paul. Paul said the incestuous act was not even named among the heathen yet it’s happening in the body of Christ (I Corinthians 5:1-2).

Paul had this to say regarding the matter, “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in the spirit, have judged already, as though I were present concerning him that has done this deed. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and with my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (I Corinthians 5:3-5).

Here Paul commanded with the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver the sinning member over to the devil for the destruction or ruin of his flesh; for it’s with his body he’s committing this heinous act of sin against God and his church, In verse thirteen it also says to excommunicate the wicked member out of the fellowship of believers before his wicked ways corrupt other members of the church. The sinning member is in the worst state possible; he’s now the devil’s pawn, and he’s cut off from the fellowship of believers. This is most serious and places that member in state of extreme weakness and vulnerability due to his sin which has isolated him. This is NOT how a Christian should live so repentance to God is definitely of the essence to get Satan off  his back.  Why does this discipline have to take place? Let’s view scripture.

15 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican (i.e. turn that wicked over to Satan).

Matt 18:15-17 (ASV)

Hebrew 12:5-11 has this to say, “5 and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with you as with sons, My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when thou art reproved of him; 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11 All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness.”

II Thessalonians 3:14-15 say this, “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that  man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish as a brother.”

The goal in this severe Godly discipline is to rebuke the sinning member publicly that others may fear (I Timothy 5:20), but ultimately the rebellious person repents, bears the fruit of righteousness and be restored back to fellowship. The rebuke has to be harsh so that sin can be resisted and holiness is the pursuit of the church. In the interim, saints of God should be praying that he acknowledges his sins and confesses them so that he can be healed (James 5:16).

His removal from the fellowship will definitely bring about shame and humiliation in the member’s life, and hopefully his exile will produce Godly sorrow because of his excommunication from the assembly. If he’s truly a child of God, he’ll genuinely repent of his sin, and be received back into the fellowship of believers where he belongs. Contrite members must be restored immediately (Galatians 6:1). We do not want them to have undeserved sorrow over the deserved Godly sorrow they have already exhibited  once they repent and renounce their sin (II Corinthians 2:6-8). 

So in this scenario, the turning one over to Satan is negative initially because of wickedness, but in the case of Job it was positive because of righteousness. As oddly as it may sound, the devil is also God’s servant, fulfilling God’s will although he’s the epitome of evil and is opposed to Him. Also keep in mind that just because God’s uses Satan, doesn’t mean the devil is absolved of his wickedness. God sovereignly can and does use all of his creatures (including Satan) to fulfill his plans whether the creature is good or evil. This is a clear expression of God’s omnipotence.

In the final analysis, God can use Satan to afflict us because of righteousness; that it may strengthen and mature our faith and relationship  in God. Or God will allow Satan to break us down due to our obstinacy of heart toward God so that we repent of our sins and restore our relationship with Him and have return to us the joy of our salvation.

Where does Satan reside?

                                              

A lot of people do not care about the question because many people do not believe in a actual personage named the devil. For many, he's just a symbol or personification describing evil. If you ask others  the question, they will tell you the devil or Satan lives in hell with his demons tormenting dead wicked sinners. But is this reasoning true? Some may be shocked to discover that is not true at all; the devil believe it or not resides in the heavenly places. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s see what the bible has to say about it.

In the book of Job chapters one and two it says this, “now there was a day when the sons of God (Angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. In Job 2:1 it says that Satan also presented himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come from?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” (Job 1:6; 2:1-2).

Here we read that God and Satan dialogued what appears to be in heaven. Why was Satan there? Two things:

1.He’s the accuser of the brethren. Satan constantly accuses God’s  people ( Revelation 12:10).

2. Satan is as a roaring lion walking to and fro in the earth seeking whom may devour (I Peter 5:8).

We find in the book of Job that the devil was on a seek and destroy mission; mainly to destroy Job – look at Job chapters one and two. Satan for now has access to God, shocking!

In Ephesians 2:2 the devil is called the prince of the power of the air, not the prince of  hell. He works in the children of disobedience. The bible makes references to evil spirits (demons) on the earth and in the heavens (Daniel 10:13,20; Jude 9; Ephesians 6:12)

Also, at the temptation of Jesus In Matthew chapter four the devil approaches our Lord right here on earth to tempt him, not in hell.

Satan’s final non-resting place will be the LAKE OF FIRE where the wicked dead, the unsaved go along with the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 20:10;15).

The idea of the devil residing in hell most likely comes from fictional literature namely Dante’s Inferno; a 14^th century poem where the writer describes Satan in the ninth and lowest circle of  hell trapped in ice because he committed the greatest sin – personal treachery against the Lord Jesus Christ.