Hebrews 6:1, 9:16?

Question

What are the "dead works" Paul is saying that we should repent of?

Edit: OKOKOK I apologise, I am so used to quoting Paul that I forgot that he may not be the author of Hebrews.
And yes I was looking right at the verse and typed 16 instead of 14.

Edit: Lakely, so you do not accept the whole Bible if it conflicts with your beliefs? What basis, then, do you have for those beliefs?

Answer 1

Hello, Lone Ranger:

The reason people don't believe Paul wrote Hebrews is paragraph structure, but it bears the thoroughness of Paul.

According to the forth-century historian, Eusebius, who quoted Origen (I think), Paul wrote Hebrews in their language, for them. Luke then translated it into Greek. The Aramaic translation is the most accurate because it remained in the common language of Palestine without perversion from Rome or Greece.

Concerning dead works. We can only please God if He is working out His good pleasure within. Lacking the Holy Spirit in your life, then you are being lead by an unholy-spirit. See Romans 6:16

How do you know which spirit is leading? By your fruits--He who says he knows Him and keeps not His commandments is... You know the rest!

Shalom, peace in Jesus, Ben Yeshua

PS: thanks for connecting.

Answer 2

IF you read through the book of Hebrews, the author (who was not Paul) is dealing with the issue of whether Christians have to follow the Jewish rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices. It is those rituals that the author refers to as "dead works", because they have no power to produce righteousness within people. They were there for a time as "shadows" and "pictures" of the salvation through Christ that was to come. Now that the "real" is here, we no longer need those old, dead works.

(And is Heb 9:14, not 16, you probably mean - typo...)

Answer 3

Well, first off, we can be pretty certain from linguistic and textual evidence that St. Paul did NOT write the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Dead: 3498. nekros (nek-ros')

from an apparently primary nekus (a corpse); dead (literally or figuratively; also as noun)

Works: 2041. ergon (er'-gon)

from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act , deed, doing, labour, work.

Works that do not lead to salvation, i.e. non-Sacramental works of the flesh or keeping the Law.

Answer 4

Paul, if he is the author, is referring to the "dead works" of trying to be justified in God's sight by keeping the law.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Answer 5

Paul, in trying to keep the converts from bringing in the unnecessary things into Christianity, is telling them to leave behind the dead works of the Jewish system.
Things like circumcision, keeping the sabbath, and tithing.

Answer 6

Myself it is unimportant what man pinned the letter first off, it was written by God, and now to answer your question. The dead works there I believe the author is referring to is the works that man does for his own gain and says its for the gain of the Kingdom of God, because let's face their are those who have self-centered, and their own motive for doing God's work and I think that is waht he is referring to, the works that was done for mans glory in God's name, and claimed it to be God when it was man...

Answer 7

"Dead works" refers to the works not flowing out of love for God. These were Jewish rituals and ceremonies that were connected to the sacrificial system. They formed a part of the process of "repentance" for sins. But true repentance for sin comes from appreciation of the heinous nature of sin in that it affects even those who have nothing to do with sin - "For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Note that Paul constantly tried to break Jewish legalism but that does not include the Ten Commandment laws. One does not keep them in order to be saved but doing so gives evidence of one's conformity to the will of God.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."(John 14:15)

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." (Rom. 3:31)

Answer 8

Things that are detrimental to the body of Christ (believers)

We don't really know if Paul wrote the book of Hebrews....some say it could have been Barnabus....others Paul.......

I say...."God wrote it" to be safe. After all.......all Scripture comes from Him anyway.

Answer 9

dead works are all the extra junk added as a "wall around Torah".

dead works are trying to justify yourself, in other words, pride

Answer 10

Following the law as a way to be saved.