Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession Hebrews 3:1

Is there anything in the Bible you wish were not there?I may be hypersensitive to manipulation– a by-product of growing up in my religious subculture• a typical statement would be,“If you love the Lord, then raise your hands”◦ the peer pressure was intense◦ what would the others think if I didn’t raise my hands?• so whenever I hear an “if,”◦ I assume someone is trying to coerce or manipulate me“If you’re a good Christian boy, empty the trash”“If you’re a real Christian, donate money to our missionaries”◦ my immediate reaction is to resist– there is an “if” in this passage