Hebrews
The Promise of Rest
In this passage we find the word “rest†mentioned nine times (vv. 1-11). God has provided a “rest†and that “rest†can still be known today. The reference to Jesus also involves Joshua of the Old Testament (v. 8). The two words, Joshua and Jesu …
Hearts Are Hardened Through Sin
In many places, the Bible warns us not to “harden our hearts.†This means to stubbornly set ourselves against God so that we are no longer able to turn to Him for forgiveness. This passage is one of those warnings (vv. 7-9). Some Bible scholars say this was writ …
Melchizedek The Priest
We now come to the mysterious king-priest Melchizedek (v. 1). We do not know a great deal about him. In Genesis 14 there are only three verses about him (Gen. 14:18-20). The writer of Hebrews uses this story from Genesis to show that Christ is even greater than Abraham, father …
Qualifications For The Priesthood
This chapter stresses both Christ’s divine appointment and His humility. One of the first things a Jew might have asked a Christian during the time of the early Church was, “How are your sins going to be pardoned when you have no one offering sacrifices and interceding …
Obtaining a Good Testimony Through Faith
The author of Hebrews wants to tell about many others who were great men and women of faith, but time will not permit it. So he just lists a number of people in Biblical history who did mighty deeds of faith. From this variety of personalities we can see how faith can operate i …
By Faith They Overcame
Someone has said there are four types of faith.There is faith that receives, as when we come empty handed to Christ for salvation.There is faith that reckons, that counts on God to undertake for us.There is faith that risks, that moves out in God’s power, daring to do the i …
Christ is Greater Than The Priesthood
The Word of God is very powerful. It is like a very sharp knife that cuts into our life and desires. It exposes us for what we really are (v. 12). Nothing in all creation can hide from Him. He sees everything that we do. He is the God to whom we must explain all that we have ev …
Christ Opens The Inner Sanctuary
Christ came as a priest of the New Covenant, called “the good things that have come†(v. 11). Under the Old Covenant, sins were covered by the blood of bulls and goats (vv. 12-13). If you are carrying a load of guilt because you are finding that you can’t be good enough …
The Greatness of The New Priest
The Law had limitations. It was not intended to save people, but to point out sin and to point people toward Christ. Being ethical, working diligently to help others, and giving to charitable causes are all commendable, but none of these things can save us or make us right with G …
The Rebuke of Immaturity
This is exactly the situation with these Hebrew Christians. They had been going through the same experience, again and again, all the years of their Christian life, but had never grown. In this passage, the writer makes it very clear that age will never, in itself, bring Spiritual …