March 2, 2008

Hebrews Introduction

1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son...

So begins a letter showing the culmination of God’s progress of revelation. A revelation climaxing in the superiority of His final word, the Word of God who became flesh, Jesus Christ.

A few words about my methodology before we start this introduction: I am a simple Bible teacher. I approach the scripture generally from a grammatical, historical and contextual view. I teach verse by verse through a book. I teach in an expository manner, that means I expose what is there to the best of my ability. I also digress into side roads to deal with thoughts suggested by the text.

So with that in mind, let’s look at this intro to this interesting (I hope) letter showing the crowning Glories of Our savior, Jesus Christ.

The Author is unknown. (many suggestions as to who and why they believe) Early Church Father Origen: “We do not know.” That fits the purpose of this book....it is not to exalt an author but to exalt Christ.

It is written to a group of diaspora Jews somewhere outside of Israel . There is no reference to Gentiles in this book.

There are three faith groups addressed in this book and knowing that can help us decipher some of the more troubling and difficult passages.

• Hebrew Believers . True believers in Jesus but not fully confident. A whole congregation of Romans 14 weaker brothers. They were in danger of ritualizing the faith.

The Holy Spirit directed this letter to build faith in the new and better covenant of Grace. The theme is “Christ is Better.” They don’t need the old covenant, priesthood, daily sacrifices, old ceremonies because they have a new and better way. The Spirit says here: “ hold on to this > covenant >priesthood and do not go back into the old ways of Judaism.

• Hebrew non believers who were intellectually convinced but had not placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation. Even today there are people who know about Jesus, are pretty sure he is who he claims to be, but have not made a commitment of faith to him. Intellectually convinced but not spiritually committed. (2:1-3a) Like the Jews of John 12 who loved man’s approval more than God. “Mothered by the church but not fathered by God one man said.

They were convinced, even at the point of acknowledging but hadn’t committed their lives to Christ alone. They were guilty of neglecting to do what they knew was right

In 6:4-6 he addresses them { For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame . }

Here is a warning to not stop at mentally agreeing with some truths. If you know it, are convinced, then accept Jesus, ask him to be your Lord. If you refuse to follow the only way of salvation, there is no other path.

If you are convinced that Jesus is the son of God, God with us, but refuse to repent, receive him and commit to him, then there is no hope because the way is narrow. Rejecting Christ is the greatest sin (10:26 SAYS THERE IS NO OTHER SACRIFICE)

They heard, were convicted but rejected that and so there is no hope for them. Terrible and permanent consequences (10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace ? ) and 12: 15-17 { Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. } That is the tragedy of being too late with only your self to blame.

There is much discussion about these sections and we will deal with them more fully later.

III. The third group is unconvinced non believers. The writer tries to convince them that Jesus is who he claims to be.

9:11 { But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building }. and 9: 14-15 { How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance . } and 27-28{ And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation . } He explains the new priesthood to non believers to try to convince them of the truth.

So these three groups are a key to interpreting this book. 9:27 is not to believers because Jesus took our judgment. In our study we will relate each text to one of these groups. If not we can confuse issues.

The primary group in view is the real believers with a periodic warning to the 2 non believing groups. To address the need of the whole he presents Jesus as Messiah, author of a new and better covenant greater than the Old Testament. The old was not bad or wrong. It was God given but it wasn’t complete, a preliminary. The new is complete.

Thematic outline:

The over all theme is the preeminence of Jesus Christ, the superiority of Christ over ant Old Testament person or ritual, any sacrifice or form.

We will follow a basic pattern which starts with the overall superiority of Christ to all others.

BACKGROUND INFO:

No Jew could see God and live. (Ex 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live . ) He only could be approached by the High priest one time a year (Yom Kippur) and he got in and out fast because they were in terror of their lives.

So no personal nearness to God. God gave the old covenant that allowed them to have a relationship with him if they obeyed. If they broke the law it was sin and so access was always interrupted. The Old sacrifices, the levitical sacrifices were outward acts showing inner repentance and they were incessant. They were pointing out the fact that man needed a better way, a perfect priest and sacrifice. That new sacrifice (10:10-12) once for all. Now here it is, everything they had ever looked for and it is in Jesus.

The first three verses sum up the whole book. The we see Christ > angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron and his priesthood, the Old covenant, the sacrifices and rituals. We see the superiority of Christ’s faithfulness and testimony above all others.

Difficulties for Jewish Christians:

Not easy to accept the idea of a new Covenant. Not easy to make a clean break with the old. It was real and right.

The gentiles didn’t have that. It was OK for them if they heard “One God, One way One truth. The Jews would say, “One God? We have one.” “One divinely established religion? We have one.” “Real truth? We have it.”

So even after they received Christ they still clung to the rituals and forms of their childhood. Can you understand that? Part of Hebrews is to say to them “press on, go all the way to Christ. (easier after 70 AD)

Also Jewish Christians were severely persecuted. The High priest Ananias had them banished form all the holy places and holy assemblies. Their Temple was off limits, even their synagogues and their Jewish society was off limits because of their faith. Even though in God’s eyes they were the true Jews (Rom. 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ) Yet by their own countrymen they were counted as lower, worse sinners than Gentiles.

Some of them said, “This is hard. We have accepted Christ but all of this trouble and struggle makes us wonder and doubt.”

The writer encourages these to hold on to their confidence in Jesus Christ the new mediator of a better covenant and their new and faithful high priest. They were deprived of their earthly high priest, but they have the heavenly one.

They were deprived of their old patterns and sacrifices, but they have the better and final sacrifice once for all.

Better everything! Better Hope, Better Covenant or testament,Better sacrifice, Better substance, Better country, Better promise, Better resurrection, Better everything. Jesus Christ is held up here as the Supreme Best and we are shown as being in him in a new and better dimension, the heavenlies.

We will see the heavenly Christ, heavenly calling, heavenly country (new Jerusalem) heavenly gift and of our names being written forever in the heavenlies because we are IN HIM.

Everything is new and better and they and we do not need the old. 8:1 also sums up the book in one sentence: Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.

Ours is the high priest if High priests, the one and only mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And he is superior o all because he is seated, his work is done for all time, and for us.

In the nexts weeks, months, OK maybe years, we will look at the shining sweet and awful supremacy of Jesus Christ and learn to let him love us that we might reflect his love to a dark world.

AMEN