Introduction

The Author Makes His Case 

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

Hebrews 10:10

            Early into my marriage, I discovered that my husband did not enjoy long stories. I, on the other hand, have a penchant for long tales. Whether I am reading them or telling them, I enjoy a story with lots of detail, description, and suspense. I want an intense chase and an exciting climax. That’s the fun of story-telling, or so I thought. My husband wants the point, the gist, the essence. He wants the conclusion, what’s important, up front and fast. Given that some of my readers may also feel this way, I’ll start with the end.

            God MADE us to be holy.

            There it is, plain and simple. I bet it’s not really a surprise. If you know anything about God, then it’s not hard to believe that He wants His followers to be holy, in essence to be like Him. Knowing it, however, doesn’t make doing it any easier. If you’re like me, you need a little more. You need, as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.” The book of Hebrews helps fill in the blanks. So, if you want the details, keep reading.

            The author of Hebrews is unknown. Many people a lot smarter than me have theorized on this. Some say Paul wrote it. There are passages that definitely sound like Paul. Some say it may have been Priscilla or Aquila, Apollos, or any one of a number of other individuals who benefited from his teaching. The truth is, no one knows. So, I don’t see a lot of reason to spend time guessing.

            In addition to an unknown author, the book of Hebrews also has an unknown audience—kind of. We may not know their names and addresses, but there are a few things that are evident from the book itself. It is written to a group of Jews who have converted from Judaism to Christianity. Some scholars think the book was a letter or a sermon written to men who had previously been Jewish priests. For the purpose of our study, it’s enough to know that the original audience was composed of mostly Jewish Christians. I say “mostly” because it’s always unlikely that every single person in a group is a true believer. As you will see, the author seems to have some concerns about the salvation of some members of his audience who were considering a return to their Jewish faith.

            Because his audience was mainly Jewish and some of them seemed to be contemplating a return to Judaism, much of this book is laid out as an argument in defense of Christianity. If you’ve ever read a John Grisham novel or watched an episode of Law and Order, you probably know a little bit about how a case is presented in court. The book of Hebrews is kind of like that. The author presents his readers with evidence of Christ’s superiority to all other things and all other systems of religion. Having been raised under what we call the Law (Old Testament covenant), the author spends a great deal of time trying to explain how Christ fulfilled all the requirements of the old and has ushered in the new. The author also points out the importance of obedience and growth in the walk of the Christian and warns readers of the danger of rejecting Christ and turning away from his plan of salvation. He gives biblical examples of people whose lives were filled with faith and sprinkles practical suggestions among his theological arguments reminding Christ followers of the type of fruit our everyday lives should produce.

            This was important to the Jewish believers who were starting to feel the heat. They were hated and persecuted not only be the Romans but also by their Jewish friends and family. As such, their minds were beginning to wander back to the “good, old days” when they followed the laws of the Torah and the customs and traditions of their people.

            God’s word assures us that those who are truly committed will not turn from the faith and, therefore, salvation cannot be lost. However, by choosing to worship anything or anyone over Christ, people—even those who claim to be Christians—are actually demonstrating an insincere faith.  If any of his readers chose to return to their Jewish system of religion, they would be choosing a system of religion over the Savior.  Recognizing the grave danger and that souls might be at stake, the author spends much of this book defining who Jesus was before He came to earth as an infant, who He was while on earth, and who He is and will forever be.

            The term “Christian” means “little Christs” and was first given to the followers of Jesus in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Many scholars believe that it was used derisively. In other words, the first people were actually using the word to make fun of Christ followers. Just like when the Europeans called Americans “Yankees,” Christ followers felt honored by the name and have carried it ever since. The question remains, though, are we fulfilling the obligation that comes with the title?

            When each of our boys headed into the workforce for the first time, we reminded them that what they did as a Brown boys reflected upon the character of us as their parents and any of their siblings who had gone before. If they chose to be lazy, disrespectful, or rude, if they chose to neglect their responsibilities or to act immorally, they would not be the only ones to suffer. Their actions would be linked to the Brown family name.

            In the same way, when we call ourselves Christians, we are representing Christ. Are we intentionally representing Him well? Can we be like Him if we really don’t know who He is? Can we represent Him if we don’t understand His goals, His motivations, and His desires?  Our goal in studying the book of Hebrews is to learn who Jesus is so that we can discover who we are MADE to be.

            In writing to this audience, the author makes four assumptions. He assumes that the readers will agree with the following:

1. There is a God.

2. God communicates with His people.

3. God has a son.

4. God’s Son is Jesus.

            As we begin our study, I think it’s important for you to agree with these statements as well. If you don’t believe in God, you won’t care what He has to say about who you are. If you don’t believe that God speaks to His people, you won’t believe that His word is relevant to you. If you don’t believe that Jesus is God’s son, why would you want to imitate Him? If you struggle to agree with any of those statements, don’t stop reading! The book of Hebrews and this study may help you come to those realizations. However, I encourage you to begin by praying specifically that God helps you discern the truth. Also, feel free to contact me to work through any questions you may have.

            So, are you ready? This is some deep stuff girls! I promise it’s going to challenge you, but here’s the thing. The bigger the challenge, the better the blessing! I’m praying for you, and I know you can do it. It’s exciting and a little intimidating, but I believe that God has prepared a great journey for us. His word is an adventure. It’s time to dig in!