Hebrews Chapter 8

The main purpose of this chapter is to illustrate to the Hebrews the role and purpose of Jesus Christ. Chapter seven pointed the flaws inherent to the Old Covenant that paved the road to Christ. What's important to note is the role of Christ in the big picture. Due to the unique situation in which our Fall from Eden put us in relation to God, it was necessary for Christ to take upon himself human form to dwell among us and then die for our sins upon the Cross. Because of our sin we are incapable of approaching God and thus Christ, in his role as the High Priest of the New Covenant, mediates for us with God. As Matthew Henry put it, "Christ is the substance and end of law of righteousness." The New Covenant as imbued in Christ is of infinite more value than the Old Covenant in part because of the one sacrifice that was paid for all. However, the additional benefit of the New Covenant can be seen in its scope. Unlike the Old Covenant, which was limited to the nation of Israel, the New Covenant in Christ is open to all who truly believe and repent of their sins. This is the "better promises" spoken of in verse 7. It is with great love and peace that we should rest in this new promise, secure in our High Priest who is always vigilant.

Hebrews Chapter 7

This chapter is so awesome in so many ways. We start off this chapter reading more about Melchizedek and what makes him special. Here we are confronted with the difference between the Order of Melchizedek, to which Jesus belongs, and the Order of Aaron which represents the traditional priesthood of the Israelites. I've already spoken previously (Hebrews Chapter 5) about the symbolism behind Melchizedek and his name so check it out if you haven't already.

What is perhaps the most interesting section of this chapter is the section from verses 11-16 and 26-28. These verses elaborate on the necessity of Christ's life. Under the original law, the law governed by the Order of Aaron and the Levites, Israel was faced with an impossible task: the keeping of the law. Besides Jesus, no person has every lived a life that perfectly adhered to the original covenant and the Ten Commandments.

Because of this, the Order of Aaron was a flawed priesthood, incapable of raising the Israelites out of sin. This means that a new priesthood had to be created.

God knew this all along so He prepared His Son and sent Him to us. And in doing so, created the next generation of priesthood, one that is not ordained due to his heritage, but is instead invested due to the nature of the "power of an indestructible life". That phrase at the end of verse 15 gave me chills when I read it because of the image it created of Jesus as an indestructible force, a force who triumphs over Death and opens the gates of heaven for His followers. What makes this image more powerful is that this was proven by the Crucifixion and Resurrection three days later.

One final thought. With this new priesthood came a new covenant, one that offered its Priest as surety. Since Christ has the power of an indestructible life, then this covenant, which is sealed by his life, is a covenant that will endure to the ends of time. This offers us, individuals born into sin, a reassurance that there stands one ready to fulfill His side of the covenant forever and ever and ever.....

Hebrews Chapter 6

In the first section of this chapter we are reminded of the necessity of growth in our Christian life. Once we have accepted Christ, we are born anew. We start learning again, first learning to crawl, then to walk, then to run. Just like it took time and effort to move through each of these stages, so too is it with our Christian walk. When we are new Christians, we are often still in awe of what has transpired in our lives and what Christ has done for us. This is an appropriate response and one that hopefully remains with us throughout our lives. However, there comes a time and place when it becomes necessary to grow up, to become a man so that we may lay the foundation of salvation in other's lives. As Christians we are called to bear fruit and we are judged by the fruit we produce. Verses 7 and 8 in particular speak to this.

The second section of this chapter is really awesome and heart-warming. Here we see again the faithfulness of God, the certainty of His promises. If God says He will do something, He will. There is no ifs, ands, or buts. You can take His word to the bank and cash it. And this is awesome because it means that we should never doubt the love of Our Father. He has said he loves and will continue to love us, so it must be true. Understandably, God is not always the happiest of father's, particularly when He sees how we sin, but He will always be there to welcome us back, just like in the return of the prodigal son. This enduring love encourages me for I am not worthy of such love yet it has been given to me. It makes me want to strive to live up to the image of me that God wants to see.

Hebrews Chapter 5

Here we see several things of importance presented to us in correlation with the identity of Christ. First and foremost, verse 2 presents a very important, fundamental reason for Christ's incarnation as a human. Because Christ lived a human life, he is able to relate with us and since the only way we as sinners can come to God is through the escort of the High Priest, it's a good thing that he can relate to us. Now, Christ lived a human life, he experienced it's hardships and difficulties, its temptations. Yet he was able to live a life without sin which qualifies him to stand before the Almighty without fear and to act as His High Priest.

And this brings us to the second thing that is presented in this chapter: Melchizedek. For those of you unaware of who Melchizedek is, he is only mentioned three times in the Bible. The first time is in Genesis 14 where he is described as "a king of Salem and a priest of the Most High". He shows up out of nowhere to bless Abram for God and to accept his sacrifices and tithe for God. It was not common back then to be a king and a priest so he is something of an anomaly already. "Salem" is similar to the Hebrew word for peace, "Shalom" and comes from a similar root. The second time he is mentioned is in Psalm 110 where we receive a prophecy about one to come who will "be of the order of Melchizedek" which can be interpreted to mean "who will be both king and priest". And the third and final time is here in Hebrews where Jesus is affiliated with Melchizedek. The mystery of who is Melchizedek is one that many theologians have wrestled with at different times. Some have posited that he was a pre-incarnation of Christ. D.A. Carson gave a great talk on this issue at the Gospel Coalition Conference two years ago titled "Getting Excited About Melchizedek." Check it out if you have an hour to kill.

The important part of Christ's identity as a member and the High Priest of the priestly caste associated with Melchizedek is that it exemplifies how he is both a King and a Priest. His dual role in our lives is similar. As true believers we give control of our lives wholly and completely over to Him. This represents his role as King. Having lived a perfect life and having died for our sins, He then acts as an intercessor for us with God while simultaneously teaching us and leading us through the process of sanctification. This fulfills his role as a High Priest. It's important to take some time and reflect if Jesus is the the true King and High Priest in your life. Does He have power over me? Do I listen to Him and follow his directions?

Hebrews Chapter 4

There are several things that are really, really awesome about this chapter. First and foremost, we see a glimpse at God's "big picture". We see how He took the disobedience of the Israelites and said "Someday, you  will want to rest with me and I'll be waiting." And He waited patiently. For a long time. But He had a plan, a way to lay the ground work to welcome us back. He personally prepared a way so that I may have a relationship without the bloody sacrifices because there was one sacrifice paid for all eternity. And what's exciting for me to think about is that He made this master-plan for everyone, me included. And that's something really cool. As I sit here and write this on the Sabbath, I think about the Great Sabbath that is promised to us in this chapter.

To quote one of my favorite Christian bands of all time, "My God is not dead, He's surely alive."

And that's the second thing we see in this chapter in verse 12. The analogy used here of a two-edged sword is apt. It cuts both ways, severing us from Sin while simultaneously revealing to us God's desire and wisdom. What I like about this analogy is how deep it portrays the ability of the word of God to penetrate. Reading the word of God is not something easily forgotten. It seeps into our bones and affects us from the inside out. There is nothing, absolutely nothing we can do to hide from God. He knows all and sees all. We are forever and always in His sight. Think about that today as you start off your week.

Hebrews Chapter 3

Chapter three has a lot of good stuff in it, enough that I could write for a page or two. Instead of doing that and stealing all your thunder, I'm going to concentration on the part that stuck out to me the mos and that would be verses 7-11. In these simple verses God calls us to do a simple thing: have faith in Him. Here we are called to trust Him to provide for us, just as He provided for 40 years for the Israelites in the wilderness. Here we are called to trust not in ourselves but in the mystery. The root of all faith is believing in something that cannot be seen with your eyes. And while the task we are called to in this section is one that is simplistic in understanding, I struggle to implement it in my own life. There are times in my life where God puts me in a situation that requires me to rely on Him, yet that is the furthest thing from my mind. And this irks God, it provokes Him as we see in verses 9 and 10. Why then do I (and we as humans if we're being truly honest with ourselves) not put my faith in Him, the Creator of All Things? I think the answer to that is two-fold. First it's an issue of pride. I pride myself on being a problem-solver. I fix things. It's what I do. Thus, my first instinct is to fix any problems in my own life. The second issue is this: I am of the world when I am instead called to be in the world. I spend too much time entranced and consumed by the world I am a part of instead of existing in the world as a testament to the power and love of God. This is not an easy thing to admit nor an easy thing to fix, so I challenge you to help me seek God first above all else, just as I challenge you to reflect on your life to see if you obey the path of obedience and trust that God has called us to.

Hebrews Chapter 2

Hebrews Chapter Two opens up with a warning, where we are called to heed the importance of the sacrifice that was paid for us and the binding agreement that we have with Our Father in Heaven. Verses 2 and 3 point out that any transgression, whether partial or full-fledged disobedience, does not go unnoticed. This reminds me of James 1:22, where we are called to not just listen to the message but to act. Here we are called to remember both the price that was paid for us and the calling we have received to glorify God with every action.

In the second section, we are presented with the reasoning behind why Jesus was made human. We are confronted with the fact that angels, devout entities who are sworn to serve Our Lord, have fallen (as in the case of Lucifer) at times and are separated from God. Thus they are unfit to be the source of our salvation. On top of that, verses 10 and 11 explain further the significance of why Jesus was human. We should be convicted by the example Jesus set. He, as a human, was capable of living a life without sin. He proved that it is possible. We then, as disciples and followers of Him you laid the way, should strive to follow His example.

How cool is the last part of verse 11 though? "Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters." He is not ashamed to be associated with us. What an awesome concept that reminds us of the enduring, all-consuming love that we can find in Jesus's embrace. What encouragement after a long day.

Hebrews Chapter 1

So this is the first in a series of posts on Hebrews. In order to get a good sense of what's being said in this letter, it's important to know the context of this letter. While today it's unknown who the author of this particular epistle is, it is known that the author was widely respected in the Early Church community. Paul was believed to be the author from the 4th century forward to the Reformation but scholarship has since strayed away from this position due to the stylistic and thematic differences between this letter and Paul's letters. Other possible authors that have been put forward are Apollos and Barnabas, citing their connection with Paul and the chance that they would be traveling with Timothy, who is mentioned in Chapter 13 as a traveling companion. Another popular option is Clement of Rome, a pope the 1st century AD. A less popular option that has been gaining momentum in the last century is Priscilla, mentioned in Acts 18. Here is a good link for more information:

Besides the authorship of this epistle, it's important to understand to whom the letter was written. Based upon the name and the content of the epistle, it is clear that the letter is intended for a Jewish audience that has accepted Christ. More specifically, it is believed that this letter is directed at those Jews living in Rome as part of an early Christian community. It is believed to have been written prior to the destruction of the temple during the Siege of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus Flavius Vespasianus in AD 70. The major purpose of this epistle is to exhort those Jewish Christians in the midst of persecution and to reaffirm to them that Jesus was the long expected Messiah to those who had begun to doubt. Furthermore, it elaborates on Jesus's dual role as a Son of God and a high priest.

In this first chapter we see the author laying the groundwork for the true nature of Jesus Christ as a Son of God. As the Son of God he is the reflection of the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Father. More importantly, we see his role as a mediator with the Father due to his position as the right hand of the Father. One point that is lost during a first reading is the repeated use of angels in this chapter. Jews at this time and the times leading up it had an obsession with angels. They were messengers of God as serves as a bridge between man and God in the Old Testament. Due to that, angels were sometimes upheld as being divine in their own right and were offered special worship at times by sects in the Jewish community. Here the author of Hebrews shows that Jesus, being born of human nature from a Divine Father, has power over angels and is the True Mediator in our lives. Lastly, we see the role of Jesus as a conqueror in the concluding verses of this chapter. The purpose of this last point is to reassert to the Jews who were beginning to waver in the face of persecution that our Lord and Savior was and is a conqueror who has and will continue to cast down His enemies, whether by humbling them or by utterly destroying them.