Hebrews
Lesson #1: Introduction & Outline:
The book of Hebrews teaches the preeminence of Jesus Christ regarding His person
and His work on the cross. Jesus Christ is superior and more important than any Old
Testament prophet, priest or king. In fact, He is superior and more important than all
of the Old Testament saints put together.
John 1:17 tells us that "......the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth
came through Jesus Christ." Grace and truth are contrasted here with the law. When
placed in contrast with the law, grace and to truth are seen to be superior and have a
much greater glory. To say that "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" is to
say "that believing you might have life through his name," "grace reigns or is
sovereign.....even unto eternal life through Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:21). The
fact "that believing" is conditional for receiving life again shows that life is of grace,
for faith and grace are inseparable. "It is of faith so that it might be by
grace" (Romans 4:16). The Bible teaches that life is "through his name." His name
refers to that which is always of grace. In fact, it is the merit and work of Jesus Christ
that is the basis of grace. The merit and work of each one of us is the basis of the law.
The law is hard, cruel, non-compassionate, inflexible, intolerant, and will curse all
who attempt to follow it. That is why the law is not a part of the Christian life.
In II Corinthians 3:7, the law given by Moses is called "the ministration of
death." In Romans 11:6 works are said to replace grace under the as each man strands
by his own merit instead of the merit of Jesus Christ. From these and other Biblical
sources, it is very clear that the law and grace are incompatible. Where there is law,
there is no grace, and where there is true grace, there is no law. Romans 11:6
says "And if by grace, then it is no longer works; if it were, grace would no
longer be grace."
Consider too, that the law was given through Moses, a mere human instrument, a
member of the sinful human race. Not so with grace and truth. These came through
Jesus Christ who was both the Son of Man and the Son of God. Jesus Christ and
Moses are contrasted with each other in other passages. Hebrews 3:3 tells us, "Jesus
has been found worthy of greater glory (honor) than Moses, just as the builder of
a house has greater glory (honor) than the house itself." Then in Hebrews 3:5-6 it
says, "Moses was faithful AS A SERVANT IN ALL GOD'S HOUSE..........BUT
CHRIST IS FAITHFUL AS A SON OVER GOD'S HOUSE......"
The preeminence of Jesus Christ over Moses and all the prophets is indicative of the
preeminence of grace over law. The preeminence of grace over law can then be said to
be as: the Creator over the creature, as the divine over the sinful, as the spiritual over
the flesh, as the infinite over the finite, and as that which endures over that which
passes away.
Therefore, when Jesus Christ came at His first advent, He fulfilled the law, and after
so doing, the law was set aside. The law has nothing to do with the Christian life
under grace. Romans 6:14 tells us, ".....you are NOT UNDER LAW, but UNDER
GRACE." Galatians 3:10, "All who rely on observing the law are under a
curse......." Galatians 3:11-12, "The righteous will live by faith, the law is not
based on faith." Galatians 5:18, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you ARE NOT
UNDER LAW." Throughout the writings of the apostle Paul, over and over again he
tells his readers, that the Mosaic law is not a part of the Christian life, and, if you
desire to follow the Mosaic Law, then you are not following Christ. It is very
important to understand this principle if you want your life to be all it can be for Jesus
Christ.
Hebrews is one of those books that is almost impossible to interpret properly unless
you have an understanding of Jewish history. Many of the things the writer talks about
are impossible to duplicate today. For example, we could not commit most of the sins
the writer of Hebrews condemns, because there is no Jewish Temple where we could
offer sacrifices today. Many of the sins he mentions deal with the offerings and
sacrifices of the Jewish Temple. So we must look first at the historical background of
this great book.
One of the important concepts to understand in studying the book of Hebrews is the
concept of ICE teaching. ICE teaching is the only way anyone can ever hope to
understand any part of the Bible. ICE is an achronym for ISAGOGICS,
CATEGORIES AND EXEGESIS. ISAGOGICS refers to historical background,
CATEGORIES refers to other parts of the Bible that teach the same thing and
EXEGESIS refers to a word by word study of each verse. When these three things are
accomplished, it is very easy to understand what the Bible is teaching in any given
passage.
Summary Introduction:
(1) - Any serious attempt to understand the book of Hebrews must be based on careful
exegesis of the text from the original language, plus the study of the historical
background, plus a comparison of the categories with other Scriptures. With the
language, historical background, and categorical information, there must be an
analysis of this information to arrive at the correct interpretation of a passage.
(2) - The book of Hebrews could be titled "The Preeminence of Jesus Christ."
Preeminence means "having a paramount rank, dignity or importance; that which is
superior, or has a superexcellency." Jesus Christ is superior to and preeminent over
everyone and everything.
From the very beginning of this book we are challenged by the bold stand taken by the
writer. In Hebrews 1:1-4 we are told that Jesus Christ is superior to the prophets of the
Old Testament and He is superior to all angels, because He is the Son of God through
whom God has spoken in this new dispensation. Philippians 2:5-11, "Let this
thinking be in you that is in Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to
death, even the death of the cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest
place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven (all angels and humans), and on earth (all angels
and humans), and every tongue acknowledge Jesus Christ is Lord, (is deity, is
God) to the glory of God the Father."
John 1:1-18, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were
made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and
that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness
has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was
John (John the Baptist or John the Baptizer) He came as a witness to testify
concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not
the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to
every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made by him, the world did not
recognize him. He came to that which was his own (Israel), but his own did not
receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right and the authority to become children of God - children born not of
natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh (incarnation) and lived for a while among us. We have
seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full
of grace and truth.
John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, 'This was he of whom I said,
He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' From the
fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law
was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one
has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made
him known."
Colossians 1:15-20, "He is the (visible) image of the invisible God, the firstborn
over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; (this refers to the various ranks of angels. Christ created the angels and
gave them their authority and power. The Scripture is very clear that Jesus is not an
angel, but the Creator of angels. He is above the angels, who in fact worship Him and
are under His authority. Jesus' relationship to the unseen world, like His relationship
to the visible universe, proves that He is God). all things were created by him and
for him. He is before all things (preexistence), and in him all things hold
together (are sustained). And he is the head of the body, the Church; he is the
beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might
have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (in
the humanity of Jesus Christ), and through him to reconcile (bring back) to himself
all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through
his blood shed on the cross (His substitutionaryspiritual death on the cross)."
(3) - You cannot understand the book of Hebrews unless you understand the book of
Leviticus, because the book of Hebrews is based upon the principles of the Levitical
priesthood. By the time we finish the book of Hebrews, you should have a pretty good
grasp of the book of Leviticus as well.
(4) - The author of the book of Hebrews is the Holy Spirit. He is the author of all the
books of the Bible. Who the human writer of the book of Hebrews was has been
debated throughout the centuries. We do know that he had a Greek background, and
was an expert in the use of the Greek language. He also had an excellent Jewish
background, and was an expert in Jewish history and traditions.
(5) - There are at least five different views as to who wrote the book of Hebrews.
(A) - The first view is that Luke wrote Hebrews. This view was held by many in the
first century. It was also held by John Calvin. The reason for this is because the Greek
of the book of Hebrews is very polished. In some cases it is almost pure classical
Greek. It is very interesting that the epistle that has the most information by way of
the Jewish background should also be the purist type of Greek. However, there's too
much Jewish history in this epistle for it to be written by a Gentile, and Luke was a
Gentile.
(B) -The second view is that Clement of Rome wrote Hebrews. Eusebius (Church
historian: 260-340 AD) and Erasmus (Dutch scholar: 1466-1536 AD) held this view.
At one point Origen (Greek scholar and teacher in the early church: 185-254 AD) said
that "The book of Hebrews had Paul's thoughts, but that Clement of Rome wrote it."
Again there is too much Jewish background for Clement of Rome.
(C) - The third view is that Barnabas was the human writer of Hebrews. Barnabas was
a Levite with a good Jewish background. He was also the mediator between Paul and
the Jewish Christians. And even today there are some scholars who believe that
Barnabas is the writer of the book of Hebrews.
(D) - The fourth view is that Apollos wrote Hebrews. This view was held by Martin
Luther (1483-1546 AD). As a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt and well - versed in the
Old Testament, Apollos is an obvious possibility. However, no ancient tradition or
testimony exists in that direction.
(E) - The fifth view is that Paul wrote Hebrews. But it's not like Paul to omit his
name. Plus, the style of Hebrews is smooth and literary, two characteristics not
applied to Paul's writings. Paul wrote in an iliptical and rough style. Paul would also
quote the Old Testament from the Hebrew text. The writer of Hebrews quoted from
the Old Testament Greek (the Septuagint), not the Hebrew. There are many Pauline
ideas in the book of Hebrews, and there are many Bible scholars who hold the
position that Paul is the writer of Hebrews.
In conclusion, any one of these five men could have written the book of Hebrews. But
when I read the statements by E.W. Bullinger in his book "Number in Scripture," he
brings forth a very good argument for Pauline authorship. Using the principle of
Biblical numerology, Dr Bullinger states, "The New Testament contains 27 separate
books (3 x 3 x 3 =27)". Three is the number of divine perfection). "Of these 27 books
21 are epistles (3 x 7 = 21)." Three being the number of divine perfection, and seven
being the number of spiritual perfection and completion. "If we take the agents
employed (in the writing) we have 8 in the New Testament. Of the 21 Epistles of the
New Testament 14 (2 x 7) are by Paul (if Hebrews is included), and seven by other
writers. In this we have an argument for the Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the
Hebrews; an argument which is confirmed by numbers of verbal occurrences.........." )I
would encourage anyone who may be interested to purchase Dr Bullinger's book
"Number in Scripture" and read pages 26-41). Dr Bullinger continues, "This law,
affecting the occurrence of important words, may be used in evidence as to
authorship. For example, if we take certain words in Paul's Epistles alone, we do not
find the law operating unless we include the Epistle to the Hebrews. If we add the
occurrences in Hebrews to those in the other Pauline Epistles, the harmony is at once
restored."
(6) - The book of Hebrews was written around 67 AD, about three years before the
destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews by the Romans. This book was
the last warning to the Jews before their national destruction.
(7) - The purpose of the Epistle to the Hebrews is explained in eight principles:
(A) - To warn believers regarding negative attitudes toward the Word of God, and to
provide Biblical information to aid them in their spiritual growth.
(B) - To deliver believers in Jerusalem from the catastrophe of the national destruction
which was approaching.
(C) - To clarify the issues of the angelic conflict and the believer's relationship to this
great spiritual warfare.
(D) - To lead believers to spiritual maturity through the learning and application of
Bible doctrine in the filling of the Holy Spirit.
(E) - To reveal the glory of the person of Jesus Christ and to stimulate occupation with
Christ while on earth. In other words, to help the believer develop category one love,
love for God. Your capacity to love Jesus Christ can be measured by the amount of
Biblical knowledge you possess and apply.
(F) - To orient the believer to the grace principles regarding the universal priesthood
of the believer.
(G) - To distinguish between the function of the Jewish dispensation and the Church
Age. The reality of your priesthood and its function is never possible until you
understand dispensations and recognize the difference between the Church Age and
the Jewish Age.
(H) - To relate the priesthood of the believer to every facet of the Christian way of
life.
(8) - The book of Hebrews is a presentation of Christ, the Messiah, the author of a
better system, greater than the one God made in the Old Testament. The old system
was not bad or wrong; it was God-given and, therefore, good. But it was incomplete
and preliminary. It actually set the stage for the better system. I Timothy 1:8 tells us
that "We know that the law is good." Romans 7:12 says, "So the law is holy, and
the commandment holy, just and good."
The overall theme of the book of Hebrews is the superiority, or the preeminence of
Jesus Christ. He is better than anything that was before or anything to come. He is
better than any Old Testament person, He is better than any Old Testament institution,
He is better than any Old Testament ritual, He is better than any Old Testament
sacrifice and He is better than anyone and everything else.
The writer of Hebrews begins with a general superiority of Christ to everyone and
everything, then he continues throughout the book to give specifics.
The superiority of Christ to the prophets: Heb 1:1-3.
The superiority of Christ to angels: Heb 1:4-14; 2:1-9.
The superiority of Christ to Moses: Heb chapters 3 & 4.
The superiority of Christ to Melchizidek, the king priest of Jerusalem: Heb chapter 7.
The superiority of Christ to Aaron and the Levitical priesthood: Heb chapters 5 - 7.
The superiority of Christ to any high priest: Heb chapter 8.
The superiority of Christ to the Old Covenant: Heb chapters 9 & 10.
The superiority of Christ's sacrifice to the old sacrifices: Heb chapters 9 & 10.
The superiority of Christ's faithful people to all the faithless: Heb chapter 11.
The superiority of Christ's testimony to that of any other: Heb chapters 12 & 13.
This brief outline gives us the flow of the book of Hebrews, which, above all else,
teaches the total, complete and absolute superiority of Jesus Christ. When we come to
understand that Jesus Christ is truly superior to anything else, then we should come to
realize that Jesus Christ and the teachings of grace are far superior to anything in the
Old Testament. This is why the apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:16, "By observing
the law, NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED." Then in Galatians 3:10 he says, "All
who rely on observing the law are under a curse." The Mosaic Law is very inferior
to everything that is taught under grace in the epistles of the New Testament. In fact,
after Jesus Christ fulfilled the law (Matt 5:17), it was set aside and replaced by
something far greater, the system of grace. Law and grace cannot exist together. John
1:17 tells us that "The law was given through Moses, GRACE and TRUTH came
through Jesus Christ." Therefore, since Jesus Christ, and the epistles of the New
Testament are greater than anything and everything in the Old Mosaic Law, God
cancelled the law, He set aside the Law, He made the Law null and void and replaced
it with something far greater, the system of grace.
(9) - In the book of Hebrews, not only is Jesus Christ brought out as our Redeemer
and Savior, but He is also brought out as our High Priest and our King. There were
high priests and kings in the Old Testament, but no one was both. Except Melchizidek
who was the high priest to the Most High God and the king of Salem (Jerusalem, Gen
14:18). But Melchizidek lived before the Mosaic Law was given, and his status is very
unique.
(10) - The book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus Christ came as the Mediator of a better
system. Under the Old Testament system sacrifices were made constantly, hour after
hour, day after day, month after month and year after year. They never stopped.
Besides this, the priests themselves were sinners. They had to make sacrifices for their
own sins before they could make sacrifices for the sins of the people. Also, the entire
system never removed any sin. It only covered it up, or set it aside temporarily.
What man needed was a perfect Priest and a perfect Sacrifice. A sacrifice that was not
just a shadow or illustration. A sacrifice that did not deal with just one sin at a time,
but a sacrifice that would take way sin once and for all. Not only the sin, but also the
guilt and the judgment that were connected to the sin. That, says the writer of
Hebrews, is exactly what Jesus Christ was (the perfect Sacrifice), and what He did
(removed sin) and its judgment from the human race permanently.
Jesus Christ came as a Mediator of a better system because it is one that does not have
to be repeated every hour, or even every month, or even every year.
Jesus Christ came as the Mediator of a better system because His sacrifice, once and
for all removes every sin and the penalty of every sin.
Jesus Christ came as the Mediator of a better system because He is a priest who does
not need to make any sacrifice for Himself. He is perfect in every way. The perfect
Priest and the perfect Sacrifice. Hebrews 10:10, "By this we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL." Hebrews
10:12, "But He, having offered ONE sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the
right hand of God."
This was something that no priest could ever do. There were no seats, no chairs,
nothing to sit on in the Tabernacle or in the Temple. The priest had to keep making
sacrifices; his work was never finished. But after Jesus made His sacrifice, He "sat
down." It was finished. It was done. It was completed. Therefore, Jesus Christ is a
better priest, making a better sacrifice. There is a central message of the book of
Hebrews. To the believing Jew the Spirit says, "Continue to have confidence in this
Priest and His sacrifice."
(11) - The idea of new system (grace) was not easy for the Jews to accept. After they
accepted the new system of grace, it was very difficult for them to make a clean break
with the old Mosaic Law. The Gentiles did not have that problem, since they had
never been a part of the old Mosaic system. They had long before lost any real
knowledge of the true God, and in consequence they were worshiping idols. Some of
these idols were primitive and some of them very sophisticated, but all of them were
idols just the same.
But the Jews had always had a divine religion. For centuries they had known a
divinely appointed place of worship and a divinely revealed way of worshiping. God
Himself had established their religion. Therefore, even after a Jew received the Lord
Jesus Christ, he had a very difficult time. He had a traditional desire to retain some of
the forms and ceremonies that had been a part of his life since earliest childhood. Part
of the purpose of the book of Hebrews, therefore, was to confront the born-again Jew
with the fact that he could and should let go of all his Judaistic trappings. But since
the Temple was still standing and priests still ministering in it, this was especially
difficult to do. Letting go became easier after the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
(12) - Jews who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior received intense persecution
from fellow Jews. The high priest Ananias was especially hard and cruel. He had all
Christian Jews automatically banished from the holy places. All their lives they had
access to these sacred places. Now they were not allowed to be a part of the Godordained services. They were not considered clean. They could not go to the
synagogue, much less the Temple. They could not offer any sacrifices, they could not
communicate with the priests, they could have nothing to do with their own people.
They were cut off from their own society. For clinging to Jesus as the Messiah, they
were banished from almost every sacred thing they had ever known. Though in God's
eyes they were the only true Jews (Rom 2:28-29), they were considered by fellow
Jews to be worse than Gentiles.
Throughout the book of Hebrews these Jewish Christians were told to keep their
confidence in Christ, the Mediator of a BETTER SYSTEM and the new GREAT
HIGH PRIEST. They were reminded that they were losing nothing for which they
were not getting something infinitely better. They had been deprived of an earthly
temple, but they were going to get a heavenly one. They had been deprived of an
earthly priesthood, but they now had a heavenly Priest. They had been deprived of the
old system of sacrifices, but now they had one final, total and complete sacrifice to
rely on.
(13) - In the book of Hebrews we are going to see a lot of contrasts. Everything
presented will be viewed as being BETTER.
A better hope: Heb 7:9.
A better testament: Heb 7:22.
A better promise: Heb 8:6.
A better sacrifice: Heb 9:23.
A better substance: Heb 10:34.
A better country: Heb 11:16.
A better resurrection: Heb 11:35.
A better everything!
Jesus Christ is presented as being the supreme best. And we are presented as being in
Him and as dwelling in a completely new dimension, the heavenlies. And this term is
used over and over again.
The heavenly Christ:
The heavenly calling: Heb 3:11.
The heavenly gift: Heb 6:4.
The heavenly country: Heb 11:16.
The heavenly Jerusalem: Heb 12:22.
Everything is new. Everything is better. We don't need the old worn-out system of the
Mosaic Law.
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