Hebrews
The writer of Hebrews pauses to chastise some of the readers because they are stunted in their spiritual understanding. He basically tells them to grow up already. It is a tough message but extremely relevant.
Back in Gen 14 Abram met a mysterious king & priest, gave him a 10th of his war spoils & received his blessing. Who was that man & what is his significance in Hebrews 7?
Hebrews teaches an eternal priesthood that fulfills the imperfect and limited priesthood of ancient Israel – with one final High Priest over a kingdom of priests.
Moses brought the people out of slavery, but it was Joshua who led them from wilderness restlessness into their rest. Hebrews makes the connection that the Law can show us the way, but it is Jesus (Yeshua/Joshua) who leads us into the ultimate rest for our souls.
Moses is a towering figure in biblical history. But if he was great in all of God’s house, as the Bible says, Jesus is as much greater as the builder of a house is to the house itself.
Everyone wants assurance. Christians sometimes obsess about their spiritual assurance. Hebrews 3 says that you have come to share in Christ (past) if you hold fast to the end (future). Perseverance is the key to your assurance.
“Nothing can we call our own but death,” wrote Shakespeare. No mortal escapes the grave, it seems. But there was One who did, and in Him mankind sees the glorious hope of escape from the dread of death. We are no longer slaves of the reaper, and we need not fear the grave.
What is the nature of humanity? A little lower than the angels but higher than other animals. Is this a high view or a low view of man?
Culture is always moving. Its currents cause our minds to drift with it. With our attention deficits, we easily take our eye off the ball. We float away from truth, toward confusion & error.
The Letter to the Hebrews dispenses with the formality of introductory greetings. It gets right to its theological message, which centers on the nature of Christ.
Who wrote this letter? Who was the intended audience? What is the main argument?