"PRESS ON TO MATURITY"

 Christians of a Jewish background faced a big challenge. At one time, the Jews had been Jehovah's chosen people Jerusalem was the earthly seat of God's Kingdom, and the temple was the center of pure worship. All faithful Jews followed the Mosaic Law as explained by their religious leaders. Those teachings governed their diet, their view of circumcision, and even their association with Gentiles.  However, Jehovah no longer accepted the Jewish sacrifices after Jesus' death. That presented a challenge for Jewish Christians who were used to following the Law. (Hebrews 10:1, 4, 10) Even mature Christians, such as the apostle Peter, struggled to adapt to some of these changes. (Acts 10:9-14: Galatians 2:11-14) Because of their new beliefs, those Christians became a target of the Jewish religious leaders.

The Hebrew Christians were challenged by opposers on two fronts. For one thing, there were the Jewish religious leaders who were treating them like apostates. In addition, some professed Christians were insisting that followers of Christ continue practicing various aspects of the Mosaic Law, perhaps to avoid persecution. (Galatians 6:12) What would help faithful Christians to stick to the truth?

In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul encouraged his fellow believers to dig deeper into God's Word. (Read Hebrews 65:14-6:1.) Using the Hebrew Scriptures, Paul reasoned with his brothers on superiority of the Christian way of worship over Judaism. Paul knew that increased knowledge and a deeper understanding of the truth would equip those Christians to identify and reject false reasonings so that they would not be led astray.

Next time:  "PRESS ON TO MATURITY" - Conclusion 

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