“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT)
Author of Hebrews
Purpose of this Review
Unlike most books, the Bible is rarely read or taught from cover to cover. Most Christians and Bible study teachers have an unusual tendency to “jump around,” from one book to another, or from one topic to another. This is generally acceptable by most; however, the practice does appear to have two potential downfalls, first being story continuity and secondly, one does not always receive the “whole counsel of God” (see Acts 20:19-27; Ephesians 3:9-10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The most effective way to see the whole story of Jesus and God’s plan for salvation is to read the Bible from cover to cover.
However, since the Torah began at the beginning and pointed to the future Messiah in description and models, one could review the book of Hebrews and see how nearly everything connects together later after Jesus’ arrival. Part of the majesty of the Bible is seeing how God’s plan for humanity’s salvation prevails over all of mankind’s attempts to thwart or reject. This is great news, especially after reading the close of Deuteronomy which could be considered somewhat depressing with the prediction and foreknowledge of the people of Israel’s inevitable rejection of God. The great news of the Bible and of course, the book of Hebrews, is that God’s plan for salvation has indeed made eternal life with God possible. Plus, it is also good news for the Jews as He is not done with them either, remember, He has an unconditional covenant with them. If He changed His mind on that promise, what would keep Him from changing His mind regarding a Christian’s salvation? Thanks be to God that He cannot lie[1] and will not change His mind!
The author of Hebrews bridges the teachings of the Torah to the gospel message, in order to help readers see and understand that these are not two separate and unrelated stories but are in fact one complete message.
The extent of this review of the book of Hebrews could be considered as being somewhere between a survey (typically a cursory review of a book or section of the Bible) and an exhaustive exposition. With the understanding that the purpose of this study is to amplify or explain various elements of the Torah, it will then primarily focus on those aspects. In that light, one could easily summarize the book of Hebrews by saying Jesus is superior to Moses and the law, better than all the prophets, better than the angels, better than Melchizedek, Aaron or Joshua and certainly more superior than any sacrifice or offering. Two words are often repeated in this book, ‘superior’ and ‘perfect’, ideal words to describe Jesus.
Author Unknown
Unlike most of the other epistles, the author is not identified or known. There are many who believe it was written by the apostle Paul (due to several similarities to his other epistles) and many who believe it was someone else (due to several dissimilarities). The debate will probably continue until Jesus returns! However, most agree that if it was not written by Paul, someone close to him must have written it. This study will not include the pros and cons of Paul being the author, just a quick note that due to his less-than-stellar relationship with many of his fellow Jews, the primary audience of the book, we can understand why he would not desire to identify himself as the author (he was considered an enemy of Judaism being a believer and evangelist of Jesus).
Outline
One thing that is similar to most of the epistles found in the New Testament is that it spends time presenting the basic instruction or ‘doctrine’ and then provides a more practical application of that instruction (similar to a college lecture followed by time in the lab). The book can therefore be divided into three major parts: Doctrine, Practical Application, and a Closing.
I. Part One - Doctrine (1:1-10:18)
A. The superiority of Jesus Christ Over All of God's servants (1:1-8:5)
1. The superiority of God's Son over the Old Testament prophets (1:1-3)
2. The superiority of God's Son over the angels (1:4-14)
3. The gospel message is vital, do not neglect or ignore (2:1-4)
4. Jesus is the Founder of Man’s Salvation (2:5-18)
5. The superiority of God's Son over Moses (3:1-6)
6. One should not delay in accepting Jesus' rest (3:7-4:13)
7. The superiority of God's Son over Aaron and all the Levitical Priests as Jesus is now the High Priest (4:14-5:10)
8. Beware of apathy and apostasy, always continue to grow in Jesus (5:11-6:20)
9. The superiority of God's Son over Melchizedek (7:1-8:5)
B. The Superiority of God's New Covenant over the Old Mosaic Covenant (8:6-10:18)
1. The promises of the new covenant are better than the old (8:6-13)
2. The location of the holy place is better, no longer reliant on an earthly place (9:1-12)
3. The blood used for atonement is superior, being the blood of Jesus (9:13-28)
4. The sacrifice of Jesus is superior (10:1-18)
II. Part Two - Practical Application (10:19-13:19)
A. Confidence and assurance as Christians (10:19-25)
B. Beware of apostasy, do not reject Jesus (10:26-39)
C. The importance and the need for faith (11:1-40)
D. Encouragement to endure (12:1-11)
E. Look towards Jesus, as His Kingdom is unshakable (12:12-29)
F. Christian response and behavior (13:1-19)
1. Regarding others (13:1-3)
2. Regarding oneself (13:4-9)
3. Regarding God (13:10-19)
III. Part Three - Closing (13:20-25)
A. Benediction (13:20-21)
B. Greetings (13:22-25)
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[1] See Law and Gospel under A Brief Introduction to God’s Law.