Hebrews 4:14-16 – Drawing near to God through Christ

 These three verses should make us want to persevere in prayers, especially in times of trials and discouragement. The Hebrew children whom the author was writing to, were tempted to abandon their faith and return to Judaism because of persecution. And he had earlier called on them to consider Jesus their Great High Priest. So here, he once again drew their attention to Jesus and showed them why they should do so. In verse 13, he told them that they could not hide from God, Who could see everything. This suggests that instead of running away from God, they should draw near to Him through Jesus; the High Priest Who had given them access to God’s throne of grace.

Here, the author gave two commands to believers. The first command is for believers to hold fast the confession of faith (verse 14). The Second is for believers to draw near with confidence (verse 16). Both these commands were made on the basis that Jesus is the Great High Priest. He is the unique Son of God, Who had passed through the heavens. Furthermore, Jesus our High Priest became a perfect man, hence He can sympathize with our weaknesses. Therefore, believers should draw near to the throne of grace in time of needs. Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God and His humanity are both essential elements of His unique High Priesthood. Understanding these facts will also help us to persevere in prayers in time of needs.   

How unique is Jesus, our High Priest? He passed through the heavens and entered into the very presence of God. Bear in mind that all Old Testament high priests could only enter into the Holy of Holies once a year. But Jesus transcended into the heaven and right into the very presence of God, for all time and eternity. Then, in verse 15, Jesus is being portrayed as a sympathetic High Priest. Jesus is God who came in human flesh and He went through the whole array of the experiences of man. And as a human being, He was tempted in every aspect, but He did not succumb to any of them. Thus, He knows exactly how human beings feel in all situations, and therefore, can help them in their situations. Hence, in verse 16, the author called on believers to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, to find mercy and grace in all times of needs. We can certainly draw near to God through Christ with confidence, so let’s do it

How long has it been since you talked with the Lord

And told Him your heart’s hid in secrets?

How long since you prayed?

How long since you stayed on your knees till the light shone through?

How long has it been since you knelt by your bed

And prayed to the Lord up in heaven?

How long since you knew that He’d answered you

And would keep you the long night through?

Hebrews 4:11-13 – God’s Word is powerful and working

Verse 11 issues a call to stay focused and diligently seek to enter the promised rest. Believers must not emulate the bad examples of the disobedient Israelites, who had their blessings forfeited through unbelief. Having sounded the warning, verses 12-13 then gave very clear indications of the power of the Word of God. The writer had been urging his readers to be practicing Christians and not just be people who merely professed the faith. He had exhorted them to be diligent in seeking to obey God. In verse 12, he began with the conjunction “for” to link the things he was going to say, to his earlier discussion. Earlier, he had called on them not to emulate the disobedient Israelites who defaulted on their entry into the rest of God. Their failure, he surmised, was due to their disobedience to the Word of God. He wanted them to know the power of the Word of God with the hope that they would be obedient to it.

Here, we are shown how God’s Word has the ability to do a powerful work in the hearts of the people who will hear, and allow it to expose their weaknesses; and then obey its prescription. He asserted that God sees and knows everything and has the ability to read our very thoughts. Hence, it would be foolhardy to disobey His life giving and sustaining Word. To ignore it would be at the perils of entering into the certainty of judgment. So in two verses, the writer called on his readers to be diligent to maintain a right heart for God. The reason he said, was because God’s powerful Word could expose sin, and nothing could be hidden from Him.

Several things indicate how the Word of God is powerful. Firstly, the Word of God is living. It is current and will never go out of date. It will speak to all issues of life for all times. Secondly, God’s Word is active. The word “active” is translated from the same word as “energy.” It simply means that the Word of God is effectual and will definitely accomplish the plan and will of God. Thirdly, it is sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word of God is able to cut deep into the core of our being. It deals with the issues of the soul and spirit.  Fourthly, it is piercing. It reaches the human conscience that remains open to God’s dealing. And finally, the Word of God is the authoritative judge of man’s thoughts and the intentions of man’s heart. The “thoughts” here is referring to negative emotions such as anger and envy that a person conceals from others. The “heart” is referring to a person’s inner most being. The implication is that the Word of God is able to judge our inner most thoughts and feelings.

God’s Word would expose sin; but never for the purpose of embarrassing, but to restore that person. A person can never deal with the sins that he or she is unaware of. That’s where the Word of God comes in, to cut through the peripherals and the fog; and get to the heart of the matter. The Word would deal with the core of a person’s life, the thoughts and the feelings; and reveal things that are offensive to God. Thus enabling a person to repent and be restored to God.

In verse 13, the writer moved from discussing about God’s Word to God Himself. Here, we see that God is omniscient. It is impossible to hide from God for He sees everything. The term “open” literally means “naked.” Our innermost being is ever naked and lay bare before God. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of God. The phrase, “… with whom we have to do” simply means we are accountable to God. The purpose of the writer was to have the readers align their hearts with God through faith. He wanted to show that finally they would have to give an account of their lives to God.  

There is a need to be serious with the Lord and His Word. No one can merely slide along in the faith and slip unnoticed into God’s promised rest. Why? His Word will find us out. The exhortation is for us to prayerfully and thoughtfully interact with The Word and the Lord Jesus. We will experience His gentle and yet healing touch when we come to the Written and the Living Word. Without a doubt, we will definitely experience a deep and abiding touch.         

Hebrews 4:1-10 – Our assured rest

What a tragedy it would be for a person to come to the end of his life journey only to discover that he has not been saved all along. This is what the author wanted to prevent as he embarked on his discussion of Hebrews 4:1-10. He was more concerned that the readers had a genuine faith in Christ. Therefore, he warned them against having a false security just because they thought they knew Christ by mere association with Christianity. In essence, to be truly saved, one must not merely profess to be a Christian, but be a believer in practice. The word “rest” used in these verses is not merely referring to an inner sense of peace and serenity, but the experience of salvation. Taking the different occasions the word “rest” was used in the Old Testament, the writer demonstrated that he was referring to the ultimate experience in a person’s salvation. He was pointing out that God had attached condition to this promise of rest. God requires that we be obedient and believe; and failure to meet these conditions would mean forfeiture of the promise. Hence, the readers were exhorted to make the effort to meet the conditions.  Similarly, those who had also heard the good news were challenged to exercise faith in what they’d heard, and not to be like the wandering children of Israel. They should not render the Gospel preached to them of no effect because of their unbelief.

In the later part of verse 3 as well as verses 4 and 5, the writer wanted to prove that the rest God talked about in Psalm 95:11 is not the Sabbath rest. Here, the author gives a concept the Jews had concerning the Sabbath. This holy day finds its foundation in the creative activity of God. God created the world and mankind in six days and on the seventh day He rested and hallowed the Sabbath. It was a day set apart for God’s creatures to enter into a refreshing communion with the Creator. However, the writer wanted to show that keeping the Sabbath is not entering into the rest that he was talking about. This is seen clearly in verse 4. God had established the Sabbath rest long before the unbelieving Israelites were denied entrance into the rest. Hence, this is not the rest that the author was talking about. Verse 5, quoting Psalm 95:11, showed that the disobedient Israelites were forbidden to enter into God’s rest. Although they had kept the Sabbath yet they were said to have failed to enter the rest. The language clearly indicates that keeping the Sabbath is not the kind of rest that the author was talking about.

Verses 6-7 tell us Canaan is only a type of the rest that salvation would provide. Some Israelites, like Joshua and Caleb who had faith, were granted access into the Canaan rest. However, a majority of them did not enter in because of disobedience. That’s the reason David spoke of another opportunity to enter in. David said in Psalm 95, “Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts …” The writer argued in verse 8 that if the experience of entering into Canaan led by Joshua is the salvation rest, David would not have spoken of another opportunity. Thus, in verses 9-10, the writer concluded that a future rest for God’s people had been offered. This rest would be very much like the Sabbath where the believers of God would completely cease from work and strife, just as God ceased from His work at Creation.  

In all that was said, we are challenged to face the truth of the Gospel squarely. We need to have faith in the message to enter into the rest God had promised. The call is for us not to be derailed by the things we see or feel, but to believe and focus on Christ and the rest He has promised.    

Hebrew 3:15-19 – Finishing strong

It’s important to start well and steadfastly maintain our relationship with God. But it is infinitely more important to finish well. To ensure that we end triumphantly and not make the same mistake as the children of Israel, we are given a summarized lesson from their wilderness wandering. Their failures are our object lessons.

The author first returned to Psalm 95 to illustrate to those teetering on the decision to return to Judaism, on how not to resist the voice of God. He was trying to show them that their situation paralleled that of the children of Israel. In three sets of two rhetorical questions each, he set to show that all who fell started out with faith, but did not finish the race. In each set of the questions, the second question would answer the first. Those children of Israel started well but due to unbelief and disobedience they all did not enter the rest God intended for them in the Promised Land. 

The issue with the wandering Israelites was that at one point they stopped believing that God was with them. They also stopped believing that God was leading them. Worst still they even stopped believing in the promise that God had made to them. It was to such people that God was angry. In essence they had stopped trusting altogether.

Herein lies another lesson. While God may address the whole family of believers, many a times He is more concerned about each one of us as an individual. And He addresses us personally. When we choose to dismiss what He is saying, we will find ourselves meandering down the journey, oblivious and unconcerned about His presence or His promise. We must remember that each one of us is called to be a light to this world and salt of this earth. If we are not lighting the way or seasoning lives, we have lost our value as light and salt. We will jeopardize not only our own lives but the lives of those whom we have ministered to and touched. Remember not to end up lost and detached from the Lord! Just keep on trusting, keep on believing, and keep on focusing aright as we advance in the Lord!   

Hebrew 3:12-15 – Hang in there!

It’s important to start well but it is equally important to hang in there, especially when the going gets tough. To do so would require that we persevere no matter what. In these verses, the author shows us how we should do it. It must be said that while salvation is obtained by grace, maintaining the sanctified life is a believer’s lifelong responsibility. In these verses, the author set out to show his readers how to stay in the journey of faith steadfastly. He told them the necessity to take care not to drift into the perils of unbelief.

Verse 12 is a call to avoid the sin of unbelief that would lead one away from God. This and the next three verses tell us that unbelief begins from the heart. Here, the author referred to it as an unbelieving heart. Not only does unbelief flow from the heart, it is also the root of all sins. That’s why it has to be dealt with severely. Verse 13 also shows us that unbelief will lead to sin that will eventually harden one’s heart. It is a constant threat to God’s people. That’s why verse 13 exhorts us to encourage one another each day. The word “today” implies that unbelief is a constant and daily threat to the believers.

Furthermore, unbelief is deceptive and is closely associated with disobedience (verse 18). In verse 12, the author tells us that to hang in there we also need to exercise great caution. The exhortation to take care is a warning. It is like saying be on guard, be careful. Verse 13 exhorts every believer to be an encourager. As believers, we are encouraged to exercise this gift of encouragement daily because unbelief is a daily threat. Encouragement is also needed because sin is deceitful. When a person is being deceived, he certainly would need someone to alert him to it.

In verse 14, the author urged that we believers must hold fast and stay through to what we have obtained in Christ. Why? For we have shared His nature hence we must keep holding on to it. Quoting Psalm 95:7 the author rounded up in verse 15 reminding us to stay obedient and not to resist the voice of God.

Each time God speaks to us, we are plunged into a crisis of belief. We are free-will moral being. While obedient is what God desires and requires, we have the choice whether to obey or disobey. Each time we obey we find ourselves drawn closer to God.  And when we choose not to, we will find ourselves hardening towards Him and drawn farther away from Him. So, let us ensure that we are pliable before the Lord. We need to search our heart constantly and ensure that it is yielded to God.     

Hebrews 3:7-11 - Don’t harden your heart

These five verses are quoted from Psalm 95. The intention of the writer was again to discourage them from backsliding into Judaism, their former religion. Taken from Psalm 95:7b-11, these verses narrated a part of the history of the children of Israel. In that account, we know that the Jews were redeemed from their bondage by Moses. They were led out of Egypt and were heading toward the Promised Land, but while traveling through the wilderness they constantly tested the patience of God. Their unbelief was demonstrated each time they came across some difficulties. Instead of trusting God’s ability to see them through; they would murmur, grumble and complain. They would talk about returning to the land of bondage. With almost all of them, God was not pleased and they all died in the wilderness. Using the story, the author warned them against hardening their heart, thus missing out on the blessings of God’s promised rest. Here, the author identified four areas to guard against developing hardness of one’s heart.

Firstly, he called on the readers not to ignore the voice of God. For us today, the voice of God can be heard throughout His Word. When God speaks one must not resist through willful disobedience. By not submitting to His voice, one can provoke the Lord. The word “today” in verse 7 tells us that God’s voice is still speaking to us through His Word today. It would do us well not to resist when God speaks.

Secondly, in verse 8, the author was suggesting that to prevent a hardened heart, there is a need to maintain a heart that is in a right relationship with God. A hardened heart is indicative of a relationship that has gone amiss. Furthermore, verse 10 tells us that a harden heart has a straying tendency. Since our heart – the will, emotion and mind, is the wellspring of life, we need to guard it with all diligence.

Verse 10 suggests the third thing that people need to do to prevent a hardened heart. The people here were described as ignorant of God’s way. To prevent a hardened heart, the writer knew that one must learn to discern God’s ways and submit to them. For forty years those Israelites saw the miracles of God yet they did not submit to His ways. They continued to test His patience. When confronted by difficulties in life, they chose to grumble and wish they were back in the land of bondage, instead of believing God to see them through. There is a need to recognize what God is saying through tough times and then submit to it. Fourthly, when we refuse to submit to God, we miss out in entering His rest. This is clearly the idea of verse 11. When a believer trusts and obeys the Lord and acknowledges His ways, rest is assured.

We cannot neglect the Word of God and then expect God to speak to us. Remember to do our devotion regularly, study the Word systematically and apply the Word diligently. Let’s meditate, memorize and assimilate and apply what we have discovered. And then let’s serve Him with an attitude of gratitude. Tell yourself constantly: where He leads me I will follow. I’ll go with Him all the way.

Hebrews 3:1-6 – Christ is greater than Moses

In verse 1, the author began by identifying himself with the readers by calling them holy brethren and partakers of a heavenly calling. The word “holy” would refer to them as a people set apart. They were also partakers of a heavenly calling, meaning that despite their differences in traits, backgrounds or personalities, they shared something in common. That was their calling. This calling originated from heaven. Secondly, the readers were identified with Jesus. Two more terms were used to describe Jesus. He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. The word “Apostle” would suggest that Christ had been sent by the Father for the purpose of bringing redemption. And as High Priest, He was their representative before God. Furthermore, He had offered Himself as our sin offering, the perfect and ultimate Sacrifice. Hence, the writer called on those going through tough times to consider Him or to keep their minds and thoughts on Jesus, their Apostle and High Priest of their confession. Thirdly, the people were identified by their common confession. A confession is essentially a statement of belief that had been agreed upon. Their relationships as holy brethren were bound by the confession, and their tenets of faith about Christ Jesus.

The writer urged them to consider Jesus because He was the Apostle of their confession. Secondly, He was the High Priest of their confession. And thirdly, He was greater than Moses. In comparing Christ with Moses, the author did not denigrate the latter for he knew that the Jews greatly revered Him. So he began by showing that both Moses and Jesus were faithful. And then from there he proved why Christ is greater than Moses.

In verses 3-4, the writer said that Jesus was worthy of greater glory than Moses just as the builder of the house is greater than the house. While Moses was a great leader he was just a member of the house, whereas Jesus as God is the Builder of the house. In verses 5-6, the writer showed another aspect why Jesus was greater than Moses. Jesus was faithful to God as a Son, whereas Moses was faithful only as a servant.  The contrast is this, great as Moses was; he was only a servant, whereas Jesus the Son of God was Heir of all things. Moses’ task was to testify of those things which would be spoken later. He could only point to Jesus.  The writer was calling on them not to look back to Moses but to consider Jesus for He was greater than Moses. Fourthly, the author was also calling on them to consider what Jesus had made them to be. In verse 1, He had made them holy brethren. Also in verse 1, He had made them partakers of the heavenly calling. And in verse 6, He had made us God’s house. The word “house” is referring to God’s people. The church is not a building, but a people that belongs to God. He rounded up with a very uncomfortable word by saying believers can only be His house, if they hold on to the hope firmly and confidently to the very end. 

Our faith is to be boldly lived out for we have a better foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ, the solid Rock. Hence our hope is definite and sure. We obtain this hope because of His great love and generous grace, so we must cheerfully celebrate our hope and live to magnify our Lord.      

Hebrews 2:17-18 – Jesus our merciful and faithful High Priest

He became human for a specific purpose. Christ had to become human in order to fulfill His mission. The writer only went on to delineate the purpose in the later part of this verse. His emphasis was that Christ was obligated to become a man in order to fulfill that purpose. And He became like a man in all things. In other words, Christ had bodily needs, emotion and limitation like ours, minus the sin nature.

He became our merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God. We need to know where the writer to the Hebrews was coming from. He was stressing the necessity of a high priest. Just as in the Old Testament where a high priest was needed once a year to offer the sacrifice on the people’s behalf, Christ became our High Priest as required by God. He did not just offer a sacrifice, He actually offered Himself as the sacrifice. However, unlike the Old Testament’s high priest, Christ is a merciful and faithful High Priest. The adjective “merciful” tells us His motive for going to the Cross. Because of His compassion for lost sinners, Christ is merciful. Not only is He merciful, but that He is also faithful. Christ’s faithfulness was seen in every area. That faithfulness culminates in his perfect obedience in going to the Cross.    

He offered Himself on the Cross for man to appease God’s wrath. The word “propitiation” used in this verse is translated differently in other versions. In some version the word is translated “atonement” and in others, “expiation”. While these other words refer to the cancellation of sin, “propitiation” means to turn away the wrath of God so that He would be appeased. We need to know that God’s wrath should not be seen as a sudden outburst of anger. God’s wrath must be understood in the like of His holy nature. This holy nature made Him detest and oppose everything that is evil. “Propitiation” is a better word also because it better represents what Christ came to do. There are four elements to the word “propitiation” that must be understood: firstly, there is an offence that needs to be removed; secondly, there is God Who is offended and He needs to be appeased; thirdly, there is the offender, the sinner that needs to be pardoned; and finally, there is the sacrifice that is needed to effect the transaction.

In verse 18, Christ the merciful and faithful High Priest had given Himself not only as man’s propitiation, but will also come to the believer’s assistance in time of temptation. He is able to do it effectively because He shared man’s nature. Here, the author also gave the reason why Christ is able to provide aids to man in time of temptation. He Himself went through temptation in His earthly life. He had felt the harsh reality of temptation, yet He suffered and endured it. Hence, He is able to comprehend with compassion someone anyone who is facing a temptation. That’s why He is able to help a person through it.

We have tremendous privilege with Jesus as our High Priest! There is not a thing we face today or any day that Christ cannot comprehend or sympathize. He has everything within Him to help and rescue us. In Him our way into God’s new world is sure!

Hebrews 2:14-16 – Christ came to deliver us from the fear of death

There are two things to bear in mind. Firstly, the recipients of this letter were facing tremendous persecution and the writer wanted to encourage them to press on. Secondly, there were some of them who were at the brink of returning to embrace their former faith in Judaism. Hence, the aim of the author was to demonstrate the total sufficiency of Christ. He hoped to encourage them to go on in their faith by seeing Christ in all His humanity, and how He took God’s judgment on their behalf.

In verse 14, the writer showed that Christ became man in order to deliver them from their predicament. What predicament? It is the power and the fear of death. The drift of this verse implies that Christ’s victory over death was secured by His resurrection. Had Christ remained in the grave, He could not have rendered the devil powerless and delivered believers from the power and fear of death. 

Is the devil in control of death? This verse seems to indicate that the devil has the power of death. But is he? The answer is obviously no. The Bible clearly shows that death came as a result of man’s sin and disobedience. Death is God’s judgment on man’s rebellion toward Him. It is God that has a control over death. But the devil uses death that resulted from man’s fall to constantly remind man that death would be their ultimate end. And hence, subject them to lifelong bondage to the fear of death (verse 15). But when Christ died and rose from the dead again, the power of death had been broken. Believers need to fear death’s threat no more. Thus, in that sense, believers are delivered from the power and fear of death.

Verse 16 appears out of place if we do not see it in context. Bear in mind that some of the people reading this epistle were so absorbed with angels. The author sought to remind them that Christ did not come to rescue angels, but the descendants of Abraham. It was them that He came for. The point of the writer is this: Jesus did not come as an angel, but as a man. This is so because His mission is to provide salvation to men.  

So Paul boldly declared in 1 Corinthians 15:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 2:11-13 – Christ became a human like us

Verses 11-13 set out to affirm the humanity of Jesus Christ. To set the premise right, we must know that Jesus is not only truly God, but that He is also truly man. Christ became a man to establish the way that would bring us to God.

The connective “for” in verse 11 redirects us to verse 10 where Jesus Christ, the Author of our salvation, was made to go through suffering. As God, Christ could not die, so He became man so that He could go through suffering and die for sinful mankind. However, we need to note, though He was divine even when He became man, He chose to laid aside His divine attributes such as His omnipresence, and relied completely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide Him.

To be the Sanctifier, Christ has to be without sin. As God, He has no sin, hence, He could sanctify us. Note also in verse 11 (NASB) that the word “Father” is in italic. It means that this word is inserted by the translators. Without the insertion, the verse should read, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are from one …” This is to be preferred than the insertion. Why? Because it is more natural to accept that the author wanted to convey the fact that both Jesus Christ and believers share a common nature, our humanity. He has to take on human nature in order to offer Himself as our substitute. However, the difference between Him and us believers, is His holy and sinless character. This gives Him the right to be our sanctifier. Because of our sin nature we need to be sanctified, hence, we are the object of His sanctification.

Since we share a common nature, our humanity, Christ is not ashamed to call believers His brethren. The author continued by quoting three Old Testament passages in support of Christ’s oneness with humanity.

Verse 12, a quote from Psalm 22:22, shows that Christ proclaimed God’s name to us, His brothers. God’s name would be His character and attributes. The author seemed to be referring to God’s grace and mercy demonstrated on the Cross. The two words brethren and congregation are referring to the same group of people. This tells us that the brethren of Jesus are those members of the congregation, the people of the church, bought by His Blood.

Verse 13, quoting from Isaiah 8:17, the author wanted his readers to see that Jesus in His humanity, demonstrated to them how one ought to rely on the Father and to trust Him completely. Without a doubt, we know that Jesus’ earthly life was marked by His dependence and total trust in the Father. His dependence demonstrated that we also ought to rely and trust our heavenly Father, especially in the midst of trials.

The second half of verse 13, quoting from Isaiah 8:18, demonstrates that as Jesus is the Son of God, we believers are the children of God. As our brother, Jesus thanked God for giving us, the spiritual children of God, to Him. Hence, we are all spiritual brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Christ is not only our Lord and savior, He is also our brother. He has set the pace for us leaving us an example to walk in His steps. Hence 1 John 2:6 tells us that, “Whoever says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” So let’s just do it! 

Hebrews 2:10 - The accomplishment of Christ’s suffering & death

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

Verse 10 continues to talk about the accomplishment of Christ’s suffering and death which the author had discussed in verse 9. In this one verse, we can sense several things that the suffering and death of Christ had accomplished for us, believers. Christ’s suffering and death, firstly was part of God’s eternal plan. The statement “… for whom are all things, and through whom are all things …” gives us the idea that God governs all things. Here we also get the idea that the suffering of Christ is a part of His eternal plan. Hence, we safely conclude that the suffering of Christ was not a happenstance; it was part of God’s foreordained purpose to bring many sons to glory.

Secondly, it suggests to us that Christ’s suffering and death was necessary to demonstrate God’s perfect character. God is righteous and perfect. To accept man in his sinful nature would be a compromise of His perfect nature. Hence, the necessity of Christ’s suffering and death for man, so that the righteous demands of God could be met in His suffering and death.

Thirdly, Christ’s suffering and death confirmed His perfect humanity. As God, Christ could not die, so he took on human form in order to suffer and die for mankind. In what He went through, He clearly showed that He was truly a man. Fourthly, Christ’s death made Him the Author of our salvation. And fifthly, Christ’s death brought many sons to glory.

What a marvelous plan! What a marvelous Savior! Hear what Bernard of Claivaux said:

Jesus the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,

And in Thy presence rest.

O hope of every contrite heart,

O joy of all the meek,

To those who fall, how kind Thou art!

How good to those who seek!

Thee, Jesus, may our voices bless,

Thee may we love alone,

And ever in our lives express

The image of Thine own.

Hebrews 2:5-9 – Our destiny in Christ Jesus

Here in these verses, the author discussed about Christ’s ministry as a man. He was probably answering some objections in the mind of some people. How could Christ be more superior to angels since He had become a man, who had been made lower than angels? Since angels never die, but Christ died on the Cross, so how could He be more superior to angels? In verses 5-9, the author set out to answer those objections by talking about man’s destiny in Jesus Christ. Here he appealed to what Psalm 8 said.

Man was the crown of God’s creation. It had always been and still is God’s intention and purpose that man and not angels should have dominion of the earth and to take the highest place over all of His creation. But man’s fall brought sin and death and thwarted God’s intention and plan. Man had lost his position and the intended glory of God because of his fall. Sin had weakened him and made him a failure. Hence he was far from being the respected ruler of God’s creation, the destiny God had made him to attain.

But wait! Look at what verse 9 says. “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

We see Jesus came as a man. In that, He was made lower than the angels for a little while and He endured our humiliation and death. And on account of all of His suffering and sacrifice, God had exalted Him and given a place to Him as the ruler of the Kingdom of God.  In Philippians we are told that Christ is given a name above every other name. And that at the name of Jesus every knee in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth must bow. And every tongue must confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father.  

Christ’s coronation followed His humiliation. And now as our Savior and Lord, He has now brought about the Father’s intention for man. He had opened the avenue for all of us believers to return and experience the glory and honor that God, the Creator had all along wanted for us to experience.

What a privilege to know Christ! J.B. Philips translation of Romans 5:17 said, “For if one man’s offence meant that men should be slaves to death all their lives, it is a far greater thing that through another man, Jesus Christ, men by their acceptance of his more than sufficient grace and righteousness, should live all their lives like kings!” Therefore, let us allow Christ who dwells in us to reign through us and keep us triumphant over every circumstance of our lives!   

Hebrews 2:1-4 – Be obedient and respond to God’s final revelation

In these four verses, the author took a break from discussing about Christ’s superiority to bring an exhortation to his hearers. Having given reasons for the supremacy of Christ Jesus over that of angels, he was concerned for them to respond positively to that revelation. So here, he earnestly exhorted them first to pay attention to what was revealed. Together with that exhortation, he also sounded out a warning for those who would not take heed.

In verse 1 is the exhortation to avoid the sin of omission. Why? Taking heed to the message could prevent them from destruction. It would stop them wandering away from the superior revelation concerning their salvation. Verses 2 and 3 contain the warning. Here, he made reference to the rabbinic teaching that angels had attended the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Deuteronomy 33:2 reveals that the Lord came from the midst of ten thousand of His holy ones. This same theme was quoted in two New Testament passages. In Galatians 3:19, Paul said that the Law was “ordained through angels,” and Stephen in Acts 7:53 addressing the Jews pointed out to them that they did not keep the Law “ordained by angels.”

The author’s point is this: even when the message was given through angels, God had already demanded obedience. And those who transgressed and were disobedient to the Law had been dealt with severely. Hence, how could one hope to escape if he or she neglects a more important message concerning his salvation sent through the Son.

In talking about escaping, the author was calling on them to avoid the consequence of disregarding the message. The author here implied that if the message given through angels had proven important, the message given through the Son would be infinitely more so. Basically, he was contrasting the message given by angels and the superior revelation concerning salvation. And he cited several reasons to show why the latter revelation is more superior:

·         It was first spoken through the Lord.

·         It was affirmed by apostolic witnesses.

·         It was attested by God through signs, wonders and miracles.

·         It was established by the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

The word obedience has the word “die” right smack in the center. The word die has the letter “I” in the center. Therefore if obedience is to take place in our lives, the “I” in the center must die. Let’s just do it.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Hebrews 1:8-14 - In character, permanence and honor, Christ is also more superior to angels

Continuing where we let off yesterday, we will see that from verses 8-13, the author will show us three others areas where Christ is more superior than angels. In verses 8-9, Christ is shown to be more superior to angels in character. The author began to focus on the Son’s reign. Here we see the reign of Christ Jesus marked by three characteristic: eternalness, righteousness and joyousness. Firstly, His reign is forever and ever. To substantiate it, Psalm 45:6 equates the Son with God and His throne, and so like God, His reign shall be everlasting. The scepter here refers to His reign. We get the idea that His reign shall be characterized by righteousness. Verse 9 is a quotation of Psalm 45:7. It shows that Christ the Son loves both righteousness and hates lawlessness. While He loves sinners, He did not embrace and condone their sinfulness. In fact He had to lay down His life in order that sinful men could be accepted by God. Verse 9 tells us that God had, therefore, vindicated His righteousness and had anointed Him with great joy above that of His companions.

Verses 10-12 tell us that Christ is more superior to angels in permanence. The attention is now shifted to Christ Jesus’ status as Creator. Words that were used to describe God were now being attributed to the Son. Here the author was quoting from Psalm 102:25-26. He emphasized on Christ’s eternal nature as compared to the transitory nature of the things that were created. The created world, beautiful and strong as it might seem now, would all perish one day, but the Son would remain and abide forever. In verse 11, creation is like an old garment that would be set aside when they become worn out. And in verse 12, he asserted that the Lord remains the same and changes not. His years will not come to an end.

In verse 13, Christ is shown to be more superior to angels in honor. Quoting Psalm 110:1, the author asked a rhetorical question to show that God made an astounding promise to His Son but He did not make the promise to angels. God had invited His Son, Jesus Christ to sit in a position of honor until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. In contrast, verse 14 shows us that angels were not given this promise, but were made to serve the redeemed.

This is the reason why Charles Wesley put it this way:

Jesus! The name high over all,

In hell or earth or sky;

Angels and mortals prostate fall,

And demons flee and fly

Jesus, the name to sinners dear,

The name to sinners given;

It scatters all their guilty fear,

It turns their hell to heaven.

Hebrews 1:4-7 – In name, Christ is more superior to angels

The concept the Jews had concerning angels is crucial to our understanding of what the author said about angels here. In the Old Covenant, the Jews honored angels as the highest beings next to God.  And to them angels were mediators between men and God. In their thinking, God’s presence was surrounded by angels, to be His instruments to bring His Word to mankind. Angels were there to execute God’s will in the universe and in men. The author quoted numerous Old Testament scriptures to prove that Jesus Christ is more superior to angels.

In verses 4-7, he wanted us to know that Christ is more superior to the angels in name. Jesus Christ has inherited a more excellent name than angels. The name of Christ stands for His very nature. It signifies His rank, status, and standing. The name of angel simply means “messenger” which defines their function. They were created to serve. In verse 5, we are called attention to Christ’s status as a Son in contrast to the created status of the angels. Quoting from Psalm 2:7; II Samuel 7:14, the author tells us that God openly declared that Jesus Christ is His begotten Son. His relationship with God is one of Father-Son relationship, one that the angels do not share. For angels were only collectively known as sons of God (e.g. Job 1:6; 38:7) but never addressed singularly as a son. Whereas the term “Son”, when addressed singularly has a Messianic connotation.

Quoting Psalm 97:7, the author tells us in verse 6 that the angels were instructed to worship the Son (Jesus Christ). Angels were not objects of worship but were commanded to worship the Son. The intention of the author was clearly to set forth the contrast between the Creator and the creatures. Christ alone is worthy of worship. If angels are not meant to be worshiped, what exactly is their function? Verse 7 gives us the answer. They are created to serve. They are servants and their core duty is to serve God, the Father and Son. Their secondary duty is to assist the redeemed. Using poetic description the author quoted Psalm 104:4 to depict the angels as serving the purposes of God.

Consider the words of this hymn and revere the great Name of Jesus Christ:

At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess Him King of glory now;
’Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.

Mighty and mysterious in the highest height,
God from everlasting, very light of light:
In the Father’s bosom with the spirit blest,
Love, in love eternal, rest, in perfect rest.

In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true;
Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour;
Let His will enfold you in its light and power.

Hebrews 1:1-3 - The Magnificent Christ

In these opening verses, the author did not set out to prove God’s existence; he simply asserted the fact that God exists. Not only has God always existed and is still existing, but that He has spoken and is still speaking. Our God is a speaking God. Unlike idols carved out of stones, wood, bronze, porcelain or any material and cannot speak, our God can and does express Himself.

And He had spoken many times and in many ways through His prophets. But one fact that is clear is that His ultimate message to mankind is His Son. He is God’s final revelation to mankind. God has many prophets but He made it crystal clear that He has only one begotten Son. The prophets came to fill a time temporarily, but the Son came to stay forever. Every prophet who spoke could only point to the future, but all that the Son needed to do was to point to Himself. In Jesus Christ, God’s final revelation had arrived. As God’s ultimate message, Christ is supreme. The author then pointed to nine facets that show why Christ is supreme and magnificent. They are:

Firstly, He is God’s own Son. Jesus Christ is unlike all the prophets who spoke before Him. Each of them was but a man. But Christ Jesus is God’s very own Son. Secondly, He is the Heir of all things. Christ is the Heir of all people, all planets and the universe. As Creator He is the rightful Heir to everything. As Redeemer, Christ earns the right to inherit all of us. Thirdly, He is the Creator of the world. Here the author introduced Christ as the One who made the world. The word “world” is taken from the word that is translated “ages”. In other words, all the ages were created by Christ. He is the Creator of all space, time and the galaxies. Fourthly, He is the radiator of God’s glory. Jesus Christ radiates the brilliant glory of God. He is not the reflector but the radiator. Fifthly, He is the sustainer of all things. Christ sustains all things by His power. All things are held in place by His Word. Sixthly, He is the exact representation of God. Jesus Christ bears the very same stamp of God’s nature. In Him is found all that God is. Every attribute of God is inherent in Christ. We can only know God through Christ Jesus because He shows us Who God is. We cannot know God apart from Jesus Christ. Seventhly, He is the Redeemer and Purifier. Christ atoned for our sin by His precious Blood. He not only offered up a sacrifice, He offered up His life as a sacrifice for our sin to redeem and purify us. Hence, He is our Redeemer and Purifier. Eighthly, He is the Ruler of all things. As a Priest, Christ paid for our sin. But unlike the Old Testament Levitical priests who never had the privilege to sit down after a sacrifice, Christ sat down after making the offering. His one sacrifice is complete. There is no need for another sacrifice. Finally, He is sitting at the right hand of God, a place of absolute glory, power, and highest honor.

Man of sorrow! What a name, for the Son of God who came.

Ruined sinners to reclaim, Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Introduction to the letter to the Hebrews

The Book of Hebrews is the most challenging book of the New Testament. Although it is considered a letter, it looks more like a sermon and a series of exhortations. In most of the New Testament letters, the authors would identify themselves at the onset of the letters, but this feature is not seen in this book. The only semblance to a New Testament letter is in the conclusion where the author sent his personal greetings and his invocation of grace. Hebrews is one of the most important books in the Bible because it seeks to unify the Old and New Testaments. Through the Book of Hebrews we see how the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant finds its fruition in the life and death of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The main theme of Hebrews is about the supremacy of Christ.

Down through history, different people had been proposed as the possible author of this letter. However, no one could pinpoint quite conclusively to one particular author. The wide selections of possible author of Hebrews include Peter, Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla, Timothy, Philip and even Silvanus. Some theologians attribute this book to Paul, but in reality no one knows exactly who wrote it. Origen, one of the early church fathers wisely said that God alone knows who wrote this epistle. Not knowing exactly who the author was should not be the reason to deny its canonicity. For the authors of some of the Old Testament books such as, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles were also unknown. Just as those books were accepted as canonical, so also should the canonicity of the Epistle to the Hebrews be without doubt. However, from Hebrews 6:9-10, we can tell that the author was known to the recipients.

When exactly was this letter written? Many believed that this letter was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Why? It is inconceivable for the author not to mention the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple to substantiate his argument if indeed they were destroyed. Furthermore, in Hebrews 9:6-13 and 13:10, the temple rituals were referred to in the present tense implying that the rituals were still being practiced during his time.

As the title of the letter suggests, it was written to a group of Jewish Christians. These Jews were converted during the time when their community was hostile towards Christianity. Despite the tremendous opposition to their new found faith they stood firm and suffered the persecution. But with the passing of time they became weary and found it hard to cope with the demand of the faith. And the constant antagonism to their new faith soon wore them down and many returned to their old practices of Judaism. But there were yet others who were tottering and contemplating whether to emulate those who had deflected. Hence, this letter was sent to them to address the crisis that they were facing. The author was essentially making an appeal to them to stay true to their new found belief.

We can learn from the experience of the Hebrew believers and avoid the pitfalls that also confront us today. This book will help us see the superiority of Christ and stay confident in our walk with Him.

2 Peter 3:17-18 – Maximize living

In these two verses, Peter concluded by summarizing what he had said, before rounding up with a doxology. Here, his thoughts were compressed so that we, his readers can be redirected to live our lives to the glory of God. We are to be on guard since we are now warned and are aware of the activities of false teachers and their erroneous teachings. We must not be misled by the errors of those unprincipled men, and be led to lose our steadfastness in Christ.

While shunning the negative was needful, the building of the positive was equally important. Thus Peter tells us believers to keep on growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can do this by relying on His power and promises that he shared in the opening chapter of 2 Peter. We believers should also add to this grace, knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We should build on the relationship and get to know Him more intimately. While actively removing all the hindrances, we should diligently foster conditions that would ensure growth. While living for Christ’s glory here on earth, believers must also focus on the day of eternity, the time when our lives will be lived perpetually on a new plane.

Consistency is an important element if we are to experience a triumphant life. Let us learn to depend on the Lord and the grace He will supply for every experience. Yes, there will be difficult experiences that will baffle us, but we can be sure that God is still reigning and He is in control. Recently, my son reminded me of what Steven Curtis Chapman said in his song:

This is not how it should be, this is not how it could be

But this is how it is, and our God is in control

This is not how it will be, when we finally will see

We’ll see with our own eyes, He was always in control

And we sing holy, holy, holy is our God

And we will finally really understand what it means

And we sing holy, holy, holy is our God

While we’re waiting for that day

This is not where we planned to be, when we started this journey

But this is where we are, and our God is in control

Though the first taste is bitter, there will be sweetness forever

When we finally taste and see, that our God is in control

And we sing holy, holy, holy is our God

And we will finally really understand what it means

And we sing holy, holy, holy is our God

While we’re waiting for that day

We’re waiting for that day, we’ll keep on waiting for that day

And we will rise, our God is in control!

2 Peter 3:11-16 – Godly living

In the light of the impending judgment, Peter’s concern was on how believers ought to live their lives. He called on them to aim at cultivating holy behavior and doing godly deeds. He wanted them to have a life set apart unto God and separated from sin. Furthermore, believers should look forward to Christ’s Second Coming and hasten it.

The word “hastening” in verse 12 had been taken by some to mean “earnestly desiring”. In other words, they see this as Peter asking believers to earnestly desire the return of the Lord. However, there are also some others who take this to mean that believers by praying and actively preaching and reaching the world could hasten the Lord’s return.

In the phrase, “the day of God”, Peter was probably referring to a time in the future when God’s ultimate rule will be firmly established. Hence, he said that on account of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements melt with intense heat. God promised that in place of the existing heavens and earth, new heavens and a new earth will be created. The latter will be where righteousness shall prevail. Peter said all these to motivate believers to live right.

In verse 14, the connective “Therefore” looks back to all that he had said. Peter was not looking back to the heavens and the new earth where righteousness dwells. He was making a reference to all that he had been talking about from verses 10-13. The intention of this admonition was clear. It was calculated at stirring believers to work diligently to be at peace with God. They should also strive to be spotless, meaning free from any form of defect, as well as being blameless i.e. giving no justifiable cause for reproach. 

In verse 15, Peter returned to re-emphasize on the Lord’s patience and salvation, which he had dealt with in verse 9. The two-fold purpose of God in His patience is implied. Christ’s delay is to give time so that all unbelievers may repent and be saved, and that all believers may go through the process of sanctification. Here, he also borrowed Paul’s teaching to add weight to what he had said. Paul also had taught on the importance of living right in the light of Christ’s Second Coming. Paul spoke and taught with the wisdom given Him by God in all of his letters. 

Here, Peter concurred that some of the things Paul had taught were also hard to understand and accept. Hence, the false teachers being uninitiated, unschooled and unstable in these truths, had twisted and distorted them. Peter said that they did not just distort these eschatological issues but all the rest of Scriptures too. All these they did to their own peril and destruction. These false teachers did not realize that in their attempts to destroy sound teachings, they were also destroying themselves.

No wonder Paul tells us to be circumspect in life, to live as wise and not as fools. We are urged to understand what the will of God is, and to redeem every opportunity because we live in evil days. Let us live to please God!

2 Peter 3:7-10 – The certainty of a final judgment

In verse 7, Peter revealed that God had already foretold that the heavens, earth and all ungodly men were earmarked for judgment in future. And God will use fire to judge them. This, he maintained was the foreseeable and predictable destiny of the heavens, the earth and the ungodly.

Peter pointed out that believers should not be like the false teachers, who ignored the fact of the impending judgment. God is consistent and whatever He has promised He would definitely do. He never forgets! Even if a thousand years had passed, what He had pledged to do He will ultimately do it.

However, he explained that the delay in the fulfillment of Christ’s promised return does not negate what God had earlier said He would do. It is just that God is displaying His patience. He is giving time and opportunity for everyone to repent and be saved. In His goodness, God has no desire for any to perish but that all should repent and come into His saving knowledge. In verse 10, Peter used the phrase “the day of the Lord” to refer to Christ’s Second Coming. And that day, he warned, will appear like a thief, meaning suddenly and unexpectedly.

The word “heavens” in these verses refers to “the first heaven”, the immediate atmosphere surrounding the earth and the "second heaven", where the stars and the planets hang. It is not referring to the dwelling place of God. The “elements” would be the material building blocks of the physical realm e.g. atoms, molecules, etc. All these, Peter said, will be destroyed with intense heat and will all be burned up.

As concern believers, we must seize every opportunity to present Christ. God’s patience and forbearance is still holding up and He is still saving mankind. The Holy Spirit is still at work and we must. This is what the Lord says, “Work while it is yet day. Night will soon come where no man can work.” Since we are still living in the day light of God’s revelation, we must not let any opportunity go to waste. 

Like Paul, “We must proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also we must (I) labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within us (me).”  (Colossians 1:28-29 – words in bold italics are mine insertion)

2 Peter 3:3-6 – Features of the last days

In referring to “the last days”, Peter was talking about the period between the First and Second Coming of Christ. Here he tells us what would take place during this period. Peter maintained that there would be the presence of false teachers going about busily propagating their harmful teachings and activities. They were referred to as mockers and their teachings as mocking. In other words they were scorners, who scoffed at the truth by showing disdain for them. Besides, their teaching also followed the dictates of their lust, meaning their lifestyle were indulgent and sinful.

The rhetorical question, “Where is the promise of His coming?” was a sarcasm that scoffed at the teaching concerning Christ’s Second Coming. In that, they were insinuating that Christ would never come again, causing them to live licentiously. To support their falsehood, the false teachers claimed that since the passing of the patriarchs, everything had been much the same. They insisted that since the dawn of creation nothing had really changed.

To dispel this false notion, Peter used the history of creation and the great flood in Noah’s day to refute their errors. He pointed out that they had deliberately chosen to disregard truth. Not as they had suggested, Peter insisted, things did not remain unchanged. For God, Who created the world out of the waters and sustained it with the same water, afterward used the great deluge to judge and destroy it. For when sin became prevalent, God dealt with it by sending a flood.

The point of Peter is this: the false teachers had deliberately ignored the explicit teachings of the Old Testament. God created a moral universe and would not let sin go unpunished. Because of sin, He had destroyed it with a flood in the past. For the same reason, God will again judge it in the future at Christ’s Second Coming. With that Peter warned them of the future judgment. 

We need to live discerningly and not gullibly. Events that we see happening seem to affirm that the Christ’s Second Coming is looming. Let’s brace up and be ready! Let’s look up as we anticipate that His return won’t be long!