God gives grace to the humble

So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them. We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. Hebrews 13:9-13 NLT

From the text, the writer of Hebrews is addressing a practice done by some who claim to be part of the church who are engaging in “strange, new ideas.” Apparently, this group finds it necessary to eat certain food that will provide them strength in their Christian living. So, the writer reminds them that, “Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them” (Hebrews 13:9). They have overlooked the fact that it is the grace of God that sustains Christian growth and not religious ritual. We do not prescribe ourselves with religious practice that is outside of God’s revealed Word. God expects from His children humility as they seek out His provision for their spiritual walk that will carry them to maturity. A passage from the Old Testament that pertains to God’s provision of His grace says, “The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34). This passage is quoted in the New Testament; “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). God’s grace is available to those who are lowly and humble. The death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paved the way for those who trusted Him to no longer rely on traditions of the past to obtain spiritual nourishment. It is the life of Christ that provides us grace necessary for spiritual growth and all that He asks of us is to submit to Him and His Word. “Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood” (Hebrews 13:12). What we have here is a powerful teaching, for Christ provided us all the resources we need to sustain us in our Christian living. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, let us take heed of His Word and “let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore” (Hebrews 13:13). He alone provides the food that we should constantly feed on for our God “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Blessings,