Chapter One
Is Anybody Listening?
(Hebrews 1:1â3)
A man from Leeds, England, visited his doctor to have his hearing checked. The doctor removed the manâs hearing aid, and the patientâs hearing immediately improved! He had been wearing the device in the wrong ear for over twenty years!
I once asked a pastor friend, âDo you have a deaf ministry in your church?â He replied, âThere are times when I think the whole church needs a deaf ministryâthey just donât seem to hear me.â
There is a difference between listening and really hearing. Jesus often cried, âHe who has ears to hear, let him hear!â This statement suggests that it takes more than physical ears to hear the voice of God. It also requires a receptive heart. âTo day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heartsâ (Heb. 3:7â8).
Many people have avoided the epistle to the Hebrews and, consequently, have robbed themselves of practical spiritual help. Some have avoided this book because they are afraid of it. The âwarningsâ in Hebrews have made them uneasy. Others have avoided this book because they think it is âtoo difficultâ for the average Bible student. To be sure, there are some profound truths in Hebrews, and no preacher or teacher would dare to claim that he knows them all! But the general message of the book is clear and there is no reason why you and I should not understand and profit from it.
Perhaps the best way to begin our study is to notice five characteristics of the epistle to the Hebrews.
1. It Is a Book of Evaluation
The word better is used thirteen times in this book as the writer shows the superiority of Jesus Christ and His salvation over the Hebrew system of religion. Christ is âbetter than the angelsâ (Heb. 1:4). He brought in âa better hopeâ (Heb. 7:19) because He is the mediator of âa better covenant, which was established upon better promisesâ (Heb. 8:6).
Another word that is repeated in this book is perfect; in the original Greek it is used fourteen times. It means âa perfect standing before God.â This perfection could never be accomplished by the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7:11) or by the law (Heb. 7:19), nor could the blood of animal sacrifices achieve it (Heb. 10:1). Jesus Christ gave Himself as one offering for sin, and by this He has âperfected for ever them that are sanctifiedâ (Heb. 10:14).
So the writer was contrasting the Old Testament system of law with the New Testament ministry of grace. He was making it clear that the Jewish religious system was temporary and that it could not bring in the eternal âbetter thingsâ that are found in Jesus Christ.
Eternal is a third word that is important to the message of Hebrews. Christ is the âauthor of eternal salvationâ (Heb. 5:9). Through His death, He âobtained eternal redemptionâ (Heb. 9:12), and He shares with believers âthe promise of eternal inheritanceâ (Heb. 9:15). His throne is forever (Heb. 1:8) and He is a priest forever (Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21). âJesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for everâ (Heb. 13:8).
When you combine these three important words, you discover that Jesus Christ and the Christian life He gives us are better because these blessings are eternal and they give us a perfect standing before God. The religious system under the Mosaic law was imperfect because it could not accomplish a once-for-all redemption that was eternal.
But why did the writer ask his readers to evaluate their faith and what Jesus Christ had to offer them? Because they were going through difficult times and were being tempted to go back to the Jewish religion. The temple was still standing when this book was written, and all the priestly ceremonies were still being carried on daily. How easy it would have been for these Jewish believers to escape persecution by going back into the old Mosaic system that they had known before.
These people were second-generation believers, having been won to Christ by those who had known Jesus Christ during His ministry on earth (Heb. 2:3). They were true believers (Heb. 3:1) and not mere professors. They had been persecuted because of their faith (Heb. 10:32â34; 12:4; 13:13â14), and yet they had faithfully ministered to the needs of others who had suffered (Heb. 6:10). But they were being seduced by teachers of false doctrine (Heb. 13:9), and they were in danger of forgetting the true Word that their first leaders, now dead, had taught them (Heb. 13:7).
The tragic thing about these believers is that they were at a standstill spiritually and in danger of going backward (Heb. 5:12ff.). Some of them had even forsaken the regular worship services (Heb. 10:25) and were not making spiritual progress (Heb. 6:1). In the Christian life, if you do not go forward, you go backward; there is no permanent standing still.
âHow can you go back into your former religion?â the writer asked them. âJust take time to evaluate what you have in Jesus Christ. He is better than anything you ever had under the law.â
The book of Hebrews exalts the person and the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When you realize all that you have in and through Him, you have no desire for anyone else or anything else!
2. It Is a Book of Exhortation
The writer called this epistle âthe word of exhortationâ (Heb. 13:22). The Greek word translated âexhortationâ simply means âencouragement.â It is translated âcomfortâ in Romans 15:4, and âconsolationâ in 2 Corinthians 1:5â7; 7:7. This word is related to the Greek word translated âComforterâ in John 14:16, referring to the Holy Spirit. The epistle to the Hebrews was not written to frighten people, but to encourage people. We are commanded to âencourage one another dailyâ (Heb. 3:13 NIV). It reminds us that we have âstrong encouragementâ in Jesus Christ (Heb. 6:18 NASB).
At this point we must answer the usual question: âBut what about those five terrible warnings found in Hebrews?â
To begin with, these five passages are not really âwarnings.â Three basic words are translated âwarnâ in the New Testament, and the only one used in Hebrews is translated âadmonishedâ in Hebrews 8:5 (where it refers to Moses) and âspakeâ in Hebrews 12:25. Only in Hebrews 11:7 is it translated âwarned,â where it refers to Noah âbeing warned of God.â I think that the best description of the five so-called warning passages is the one given in Hebrews 13:22ââexhortationâ (KJV), or âencouragementâ (AB). This does not minimize the seriousness of these five sections of the book, but it does help us grasp their purpose: to encourage us to trust God and heed His Word.
The epistle to the Hebrews opens with an important declaration: âGod ⌠has spoken to us in His Sonâ (Heb. 1:1â2 NASB). Near the close of the book, the writer states, âSee to it that you do not refuse Him who is speakingâ (Heb. 12:25 NASB). In other words, the theme of Hebrews seems to be âGod has spoken; we have His Word. What are we doing about it?â
With this truth in mind, we can now better understand the significance of those five âproblem passagesâ in Hebrews. Each of these passages encourages us to heed Godâs Word (âGod ⌠has spokenâ) by pointing out the sad spiritual consequences that result if we do not. Let me list these passages for you and explain their sequence in the book of Hebrews. I think you will see how they all hang together and present one message: Heed Godâs Word.
Drifting f...