The ancients created idols fashioned of wood and stone. Modern society has set aside that type of idol in favor of new idols—idols of fancy gadgets, material wealth, a comfortable lifestyle, and even our children. Human beings have seen and experienced the limitless bounty of idolatry, where we place some created object or person in the place of the one true God.
What idols do you hold dear in your life? The letter to the Hebrews makes clear that only one Person deserves to hold the primary place in our lives. While we are busy idolizing our move up the corporate ladder or placing all our hopes in our kids, Jesus offers us a better position, a better priest, a better covenant, a better hope, and a better sacrifice.
Only when we give Jesus His rightful place in our lives will everything else in life fall into its rightful place. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Hebrews , which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses.
Who wrote the book? The prologue presents Christ as God's full and final revelation, far surpassing the revelation given in the OT. The prophecies and promises of the OT are fulfilled in the "new covenant" or "new testament" , of which Christ is the mediator. From the OT itself, Christ is shown to be superior to the ancient prophets, to angels, to Moses the mediator of the former covenant and to Aaron and the priestly succession descended from him.
Hebrews could be called "the book of better things" since the two Greek words for "better" and "superior" occur 15 times in the letter. A striking feature of this presentation of the gospel is the unique manner in which the author employs expositions of eight specific passages of the OT Scriptures:. Practical applications of this theme are given throughout the book. The readers are told that there can be no turning back to or continuation in the old Jewish system, which has been superseded by the unique priesthood of Christ.
God's people must now look only to him, whose atoning death, resurrection and ascension have opened the way into the true, heavenly sanctuary of God's presence. To "ignore such a great salvation" or to give up the pursuit of holiness ,14 is to face the anger of the "living God" Five times the author weaves into his presentation of the gospel stern warnings see note on and reminds his readers of the divine judgment that came on the rebellious generation of Israelites in the desert.
Hebrews is commonly referred to as a letter, though it does not have the typical form of a letter. It ends like a letter but begins more like an essay or sermon The author does not identify himself or those addressed, which letter writers normally did.
And he offers no manner of greeting, such as is usually found at the beginning of ancient letters. Rather, he begins with a magnificent statement about Jesus Christ. He calls his work a "word of exhortation" , the conventional designation given a sermon in a synagogue service see Ac , where "message of encouragement" translates the same Greek words as "word of exhortation". Like a sermon, Hebrews is full of encouragement, exhortations and stern warnings.
It is likely that the author used sermonic materials and sent them out in a modified letter form. All rights reserved. Learn More. Share Download. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God's love and mercy and is worthy of our trust and devotion.
Dive Deeper and Explore More. Reading Plan. Podcast Series. A thorough study through the book of Hebrews. Listen to the Podcast triangle-right.
Popular Books. Academic Books. Free Seminary-Level Classes. These are all of the chapters of the book of Hebrews. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of Hebrews in the Bible New International Version. Although long thought to be Paul, the author of Hebrews is in fact unidentified. Throughout the years, biblical scholars and historians have suggested many potential authors, including Barnabas, Apollos, Priscilla, Clement, and Timothy.
Whether by close connection with Paul or knowledge of both Jewish tradition and the Greek language, many of these suggestions are at least possible, though some are more likely than others. Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish believers who were apparently reverting to the old covenant—their laws and traditions.
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