The Book of Hebrews can teach us much about Jesus Christ, our High Priest. What are five “take aways” from my studying this book which I call “life lessons?”
The Book of Hebrews
This book is very special to me because it was written to the Jewish Christians in the church who were undergoing very severe persecution that the vast majority of believers have never had to experience. This was a time when the persecution of Rome and the Jewish religious leaders was ramping up as never before. Many had lost their lives, had lost their possessions, and their families had abandoned them due to their allegiance to Christ. Bible scholars are not in agreement about who exactly who wrote this book. Many feel that it was the Apostle Paul, Luke the evangelist, Apollos or even Barnabas…maybe even by all of these men or a combination of others. The point is that ultimately, all Scripture is God-breathed and so God, in the end, is the True Author of all Scripture (2 Tim 3:16).
Life Lesson Number One
Hebrews 1:2-3 “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
When Thomas asked to see the Father Jesus told him that “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) since Jesus is the “radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” He and the Father are One and when we see Jesus someday we will be seeing God for He is God in all His glory, splendor and wonder. This same God-Man, Jesus, came do die for us who truly deserved the wrath of God but after His purification of us (2 Cor 5:21) He was seated “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” next to the Father. The fact that He sat down means that His redemptive work for our sake was completed because in the Old Testament sacrificial system, there were no chairs in the temple because the high priest’s work was never finished but today the High Priest of God has finished the work at Calvary by declaring that “it is finished” (John 19:30) which means that we cannot do any works to save ourselves since He had done all that was necessary.
Life Lesson Number Two
Hebrews 11:1-3 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
The world considers the Christian’s faith a hope-so but in reality it is a know-so. Our faith is only as strong as the Object of our Faith and when it is God, it is stronger than anything. Our faith is a conviction. A conviction is what happens to criminals due to the overwhelming empirical, verifiable evidence that is put forth in a court of law. The evidence is strong enough to convict a criminal of his or her crime. That is what faith is. It “is the assurance of things hoped for” not the wishful thinking of something that may or may not come to pass. Our faith enables us to “understand that the universe was created by the word of God,” and Jesus is the Word (John 1) and by Him “what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” We could say that what all matter consists of at the subatomic level is not visible to the naked eye but this could also mean that what is now created was made out of nothing by God by instant fiat. That is He created everything there is out of nothing but only had to speak the Word and it was so (Gen 1).
Life Lesson Number Three
Hebrews 10:11-4 “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
A priest’s work was never finished because sin was continually being offered daily and the sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again because they only covered the sins and never really took them away. The blood of bulls and goats didn’t take sins away but only covered them and only for a time but Jesus’ own blood didn’t cover our sins…His blood took them away, permanently. It wasn’t necessary to repeat because “Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins” once and for all time. This “single” offering has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” and for those who will repent and trust in Christ today or in the future. That’s why the priests never sat down because the sacrifices had to be repeated over and over but when Jesus gave His own life voluntarily, His work was complete and why He could sit down at the right hand of the Father, something that the priests never could do.
The Book of Hebrews can teach us much about Jesus Christ, our High Priest.
Life Lesson Number Four
Hebrews 6:17-19 “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.”
When people begin to fear that they have lost their salvation or doubt that they will be saved, I can point them to various Scriptures (John 6:37, 39; John10:28-29; 2 Cor 5:21; I John 1:9; Romans 8) but these verses are particularly powerful. God speaks to us today and says convincingly “to the heirs of the promise unchangeable…he guaranteed it with an oath” and since for God “it is impossible for [Him] to lie, we have fled for a refuge [that we] might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope that is set before us.” This assurance that God never breaks a promise that He makes ensures us that “this is a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” so that we might never waver in our faith about God’s exceedingly precious promises.
Life Lesson Number Five
Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
If you have ever tried to comfort someone who has experienced a great loss or is going through suffering, it is always better if you have gone through it yourself because you can sympathize and say “I understand.” This is why Jesus understands everything that we’ve gone through, are going through, or will go through because Jesus has “sympathized with our weaknesses” and has certainly “been tempted as we” have been, are enduring now or will in the future. This highest of the high priests, Jesus, has enabled us to have access to the Holy of Holies…the very “throne of grace [so] that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in [our] time of need.” That is comforting to know that we can go directly to God through the Mediator, Jesus Christ and receive the mercy that we need when we need it.
Conclusion
It is so hard to pin down only five life lessons from the Book of Hebrews. Anyone that is not saved must read this book because they too can have access to God the Father but only through Jesus Christ (John 6:44; Acts 4:12) and have the peace of God (Rom 5:1) by having the wrath of God removed since it has been placed on Him already (2 Cor 5:21) so that we might have eternal life (John 3:16-17). If you refuse this once-and-for-all sacrifice, you will forever be condemned (John 3:18) and you will have to face the wrath of God on judgment day (Rev 20:11-15). Think about that because your eternal future hinges on that decision and could be decided this very day if you were to die or Christ were to return before you make that decision (2 Cor 6:2).
More reading in Hebrews: Hebrews 11: Bible Study On Faith
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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