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All things work together….
Count it all joy……
For I know the plans…
The Lord is my shepherd…
Do not be conformed…
I can do all things…
Do not be anxious…
Seek first…
Cast all your anxiety…
Fear not, for I am with you…
Be strong and courageous…
Whoever dwells in the shelter…
Read this 3-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to to read Hebrews!
This overview video illustrates for us the literary design of the book of Hebrews using creative animations.
Book of Hebrews Summary: A Complete Animated Overview is copyright 2015 by BibleProject and is available for viewing at www.bibleproject.com.
Discover one of the main themes in the book of Hebrews.
This video originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition.
The author of Hebrews is unknown. He knew Timothy (Hebrews 13:23). He was not an eyewitness of Jesus (see Hebrews 2:1, 3). The letter was probably written before AD 70. Early manuscripts bear the title “To the Hebrews,” which reflects the ancient assumption that it was written to Jewish Christians as well as Gentile Christians who previously had been drawn to the Jewish religion. The author knew his readers and wanted to see them again (Hebrews 13:19).
From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote Hebrews for your good and to lead you into joy.
Hebrews has two primary purposes: to encourage Christians to endure, and to warn them not to abandon their faith in Christ. These warning passages appear throughout the book (Hebrews 2:1–4; 3:7–4:13; 5:11–6:12; 10:19–39; 12:1–29). The author encourages faithfulness, love, and sound doctrine. He does so by carefully teaching the Old Testament in light of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.
No New Testament book has had more background research than Hebrews, and none has spawned a greater diversity of opinion. There is, of course, broad agreement about several of the most important things. Virtually all agree that the grand theme of this epistle is the supremacy and finality of Christ.
A consensus also exists regarding the general identity of the recipients: they were a group of Jewish Christians who had never seen Jesus in person, yet had believed. Their conversion had brought them hardship and persecution with the result that some had slipped back into Judaism. And thus the purpose for writing was to encourage them to not fall away, but to press on (cf. 2:1ff.; 3:12ff.; 6:4ff.; 10:26ff.; and 12:15ff.).
There is also universal agreement, first expressed by Origen, that “Only God knows certainly” who wrote this letter. There is also agreement that the author, whoever he was, was a magnificent stylist with an immense vocabulary and a vast knowledge of the Greek Old Testament.
So there is general agreement as to the theme, the purpose, the spiritual status of the recipients, and the anonymity and ability of the author. But from here the mystery darkens, for no scholar has yet proven the exact destination or occasion of the letter—though many contemporary scholars tentatively propose that the letter was written to a small house-church of beleaguered Jewish Christians living in Rome in the mid-sixties before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.
—R. Kent Hughes
Source: Content taken from Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul by R. Kent Hughes ©2015. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Jesus Is Better by Sam Storms
Check out this phenomenal message series by Sam Storms. Sam Storms preaches through the whole book of Hebrews, several verses at a time. You will be edified by Sam’s passionate preaching about the greatness of Jesus Christ and invigorated to love, follow, and obey Jesus.
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As you read through Hebrews, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.
A place where sacrifices were made to worship God. An altar could be a pile of dirt or stones, or a raised platform of wood, marble, metal, or other materials. The bronze or brazen altar was used for burnt offerings in the tabernacle’s courtyard. It was a large box, eight feet square and four-and-a-half feet high, made of wood covered with bronze. A much larger altar replaced it when Solomon built the temple. The altar of incense (also called the golden altar) was smaller, covered with gold, and placed just in front of the veil to the Holy of Holies. Every day, both morning and evening, incense was burned here, symbolizing the prayers of the people.
Heavenly beings created by God before he created Adam and Eve. Angels act as God’s messengers to men and women. They also worship God.
To make up for a wrong act; to become friends again. In the Bible, atonement usually means to become friends with God after sin has separated us from Him. In the Old Testament, the Israelites brought sacrifices to atone for their sins. The New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ made atonement for our sins when He died on the cross. Because Jesus died to “make up” for our sins, we can have peace with God.
A spot or mark that makes something not perfect.
To praise or make holy. The word bless is used in different ways in the Bible: (1) When God blesses, He brings salvation and prosperity and shows mercy and kindness to people. (2) When people bless, they (a) bring salvation and prosperity to other persons or groups; (b) they praise and worship and thank God; (c) they give good things or show kindness to others.
A sacrifice, or gift, to God that was burned on an altar. The offering was a perfect animal, such as a goat, sheep, lamb or ram. Burnt offerings were always given for cleansing, or atonement, for sins.
An agreement. In the ancient Near East, sometimes covenants were made between two people or groups of people. Both sides decided what the agreement would be. However, in the Bible, the word usually refers to agreements between God and people, when God decides what will be done and the people agree to live by the covenant. The Old Covenant of law set standards of behavior in order to please God. The New Covenant of grace presents God’s forgiveness based on faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Someone who has the right to receive the property or position of another person when that person dies. In Bible times, the heir was usually a son. The Bible says that anyone who is a member of God’s family is His heir. God will never die, but because we are His children, God keeps on giving us great love, care and kindness.
The most important priest of all the priests, who served God in the tabernacle and later in the temple. In the Old Testament, the high priest offered the most important sacrifices to God for the people. In New Testament times, he was also a powerful political leader. He was the head of the Sanhedrin—the group of men who governed the Jewish people. He even had a small army. The high priest wore special clothing described in Exodus 28:1-39. Aaron was the first high priest. All other high priests were his descendants. The New Testament says that Jesus Christ is now our high priest, the one who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (see Hebrews 8–9).
(1) All the rules God gave to help people to know and love Him and to live happily with each other. The Ten Commandments are part of God’s law. (2) The first five books of the Bible. These five books are often called the Law. (3) The entire Old Testament. Sometimes the Old Testament is referred to as the Law. (4) Any rule that must be obeyed, whether it was decided by God or by people. (5) God’s rules in the Old Testament plus other rules added by Jewish religious leaders. (6) The conscience of an unbeliever who knows he or she has not followed his or her own moral code (see Romans 2:14-16).
A person who settles differences or arguments between two or more people. Jonathan was a mediator between David and Saul. Moses was a mediator between God and Israel. By paying the punishment for sin, Jesus became the Mediator who makes it possible for us to have peace with God.
A gift of money, time or other possessions given to God by a person who loves Him. In Old Testament times, people brought food and animals to the Tabernacle or Temple as offerings to God. The offerings were often burned on the altar. Animal offerings were always killed. Their blood symbolized sins being forgiven by death. Christians believe that offering sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins is no longer necessary because Jesus’ death was the once-for-all sacrifice through which our sins can be forgiven. See also Sacrifice.
To turn around and go in the opposite direction. In the Bible, repent means feeling sorrow for wrongdoing, stopping the wrong action and doing what God says is right. Repentance always involves making a change away from sin and toward God.
Thinking and doing what is correct (or right) and holy. God is righteous because He does only what is perfect and holy. A person who has accepted Jesus as Savior is looked at by God as being free from the guilt of sin, so God sees that person as being righteous. People who are members of God’s family show their love for Him by doing what is correct and holy, living in righteous ways.
The weekly day of rest and worship that God set apart for all people. In the Old Testament, it is the seventh day of the week (Saturday); and today for many Jews and some Christians Saturday is still observed as the Sabbath. For Jews, Sabbath starts at sundown on Friday and lasts until sunset on Saturday. Because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, most Christians set aside Sunday as the day of rest and worship (see Acts 20:7).
A gift or offering given to God. A sacrifice usually involved killing an animal to pay for sin. The New Testament tells us that Jesus died as the once-for-all sacrifice for sinners, and that no further sacrifices for sin are necessary.
(1) To be rescued (or delivered) from evil. (2) To be kept from danger or death. In the New Testament, salvation usually means to be rescued from the guilt and power of sin. By his death and resurrection, Jesus brings salvation to people who believe in him.
To be set apart for God’s use. A Christian’s sanctification is an ongoing process. When a person becomes a Christian, he or she is sanctified. The Holy Spirit continues helping him or her become more and more like Jesus, which is the process of sanctification.
The portable tent where the Israelites worshiped God. They used it while they wandered in the desert after they left Egypt and for many years after they entered the Promised Land. Moses and the people built the Tabernacle by following God’s instructions (see Exodus 25-27). The Tabernacle was used until it was replaced by a permanent place of worship called the Temple.
Dictionary Source
This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read Hebrews. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?
The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of Hebrews.
This book has been called the fifth Gospel. The four Gospels describe Christ’s ministry on earth; this one describes His ministry in heaven at God’s right hand.
—Henrietta Mears
Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The big idea in the first verses of Hebrews is the big idea for the whole book of Hebrews. God has spoken by his Son, and this Son is superior to all persons, heavenly beings, institutions, rituals, and previous means of revelation and redemption.
Christ is superior to:
Angels (Hebrews 1–2)
Moses (Hebrews 3)
Joshua (Hebrews 3–4)
Aaron (Hebrews 5)
Abraham (Hebrews 6)
Melchizedek (Hebrews 7)
The old covenant (Hebrews 8)
The tabernacle (Hebrews 9)
The high priest (Hebrews 10)
The treasures of this world (Hebrews 11)
Mount Sinai (Hebrews 12)
The city we have here on earth (Hebrews 13)
—Kevin DeYoung
Source: Content adapted from Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.
Hebrews speaks to us with great pastoral sensitivity. It is, after all, a “word of exhortation” or encouragement. It is realistic about suffering, the fear of persecution, the danger of discouragement, the struggles we have against sin, the possibility of backsliding, the spiritual paralysis produced by the condemning voice of conscience, and the possibility that we may lack assurance. Its remedy for every spiritual disease is stated in a theology marked by great simplicity married to rich complexity:
Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our calling, the Founder and Perfecter of our Faith (3:1; 12:2). See everything in the light of who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He continues to do today. You cannot go wrong there.
—Sinclair Ferguson
Source: Time to (Re)Discover Hebrews by Sinclair Ferguson © Ligonier Ministries 2023. Used by permission of Ligonier Ministries. All rights reserved.
The healing method of the writer of Hebrews, as we shall see, is to lift the Son higher and higher and higher. He is sure that the eloquence of Christ’s person will help his readers meet the challenges ahead. For him, holding up Christ is the most practical thing on earth. Indeed, Jesus, understood and exalted, eloquently informs every area of life.
There are only two kinds of people who hear God’s Word: those who are not yet his children, and those who are. True, some are nearer than others on the road to Christ. But nevertheless there are only these two categories.
To those who are not yet true children of God, I give this challenge: Read one of the Gospels through, sincerely praying the essence of Bergman’s prayer over it as you go: “Speak to me! Please speak to me!” I also challenge them to carefully study the book of Hebrews, for in it they will find life-changing thoughts that are unique to the New Testament.
I challenge those who are God’s children with the thought that Hebrews is a practical book. They may be beleaguered, perhaps even wondering if they can continue on with life. Perhaps they are looking for a manual that will help them handle stress. Hebrews is the “manual” they are looking for, because the essential answer is in the supremacy and finality of Christ.
—R. Kent Hughes
Source: Content taken from Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul by R. Kent Hughes ©2015. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
In the broader church today, there are people who will tell you, “Look, I’ve got the latest and the best strategy to help you defeat sin in your life.” Or, “I’ve got the baptized method and inspired formula to help you succeed and achieve all that you have in your heart.” And so often, the strategy to help you resist sin is what I call a “just say no campaign.” As if somehow, it’s enough to empower your heart for you to just say no to what sin says to you and how Satan tempts you. And then you have to just grit your teeth and clench your fist and resolve in your heart and your will that you’ll never do that again—and it will last a week. Then you’ll fall again.
The only way to experience long-term sustained victory over the pleasure that sin offers you is by being satisfied with the superior pleasure that’s found only in a relationship with Jesus Christ…
It is only as your heart drinks deeply and daily at the well of spiritual pleasures that are found in him and him alone that you will ever find the strength, the peace, the purpose, the power to face whatever comes your way. And that is what the author of Hebrews is telling us in his own unique way—Jesus is better. Come to him. Listen to him. Rest in him. Trust in him. Enjoy him. Hope in him. He’s better.
Folks, there is a war—it’s not between Russia and the U.S. or between Israel and Iran, or between democrats and republicans. The only war that ultimately matters is between Jesus Christ on the one side and the world, the flesh, and the devil on the other, and they are battling over the allegiance of your heart…They are battling over your love, your allegiance, your hope, your trust, your future.
—Sam Storms
Source: Sam Storms, quoted from his message, “Jesus Is Better!” from his series Hebrews: Jesus Is Better on Hebrews 1:1-4, preached at Bridgeway Church in 2014.
We recognize that God has spoken in various ways. Now he has spoken finally in his Son Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2). The implication, which the book of Hebrews works out at considerable length, is that we no longer live in the age in which God reveals his will to us in these diverse ways. Now he has perfectly revealed his will to us in Jesus, and we will find his guidance enshrined in the pages of our only witness to Christ—the Holy Scriptures.
—Sinclair Ferguson
Source: Ferguson, Sinclair. Discovering God’s Will. Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth, 1982. Quote retrieved from Grace Quotes at gracequotes.org.
Jesus is the consummate revelation of God’s character, his will, and his purposes for us, as men and women. You want to hear the voice of God? You want to know something about the character of your heavenly Father? Look at his Son. He is the express, exact imprint of God’s nature. And when he speaks and what he has done and everything that he has accomplished, that’s the consummate revelation of God’s will for mankind.
—Sam Storms
Source: Storms, Sam. Interview with Nancy Guthrie. Help Me Teach the Bible. Podcast audio. September 17, 2015. This podcast originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition.
We also must not look for special experiences or extra revelation from God beyond what he has given (the Old and New Testaments). Instead, we need to go deeper into who Jesus is and what he means for humanity. We need to know the New Testament that explains God’s revelation in Jesus and its implications for the church and the world. We need to belong to a community of believers who encourage one another to hold fast to God’s definitive word through Christ and help each other grow in faith and holiness as we await our future inheritance (see Hebrews 10:24–25). Ultimately, we need to believe what God says through Jesus.
—Kevin Halloran
Source: Halloran, Kevin. “What does ‘God has Spoken by His Son’ Mean in Hebrews 1:2?” Anchored in Christ (February 17, 2022).
I honestly believe that if you don’t understand chapter Hebrews 3:14, you will not understand, you will struggle with, you will not be able to grasp the multiple warnings that we find in this book. Because there’s a principle articulated in chapter 3:14. He says, “for we have come (past tense) to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (ESV).
His point is: The way you know if someone has come to share in Christ, the way you know somebody has truly trusted Christ for salvation is if they persevere—is if they endure all the way to the end. He doesn’t say that you will come to share in Christ if you persevere unto the end, but rather your perseverance–your endurance–is the evidence that you have come to know him genuinely in the past.
So when you keep that verse in mind… the fundamental principle is this: perseverance in faith is the proof of the authenticity of it. Without that principle in mind, you’re going to struggle with the warning passages in Hebrews.
—Sam Storms
Source: Storms, Sam. Interview with Nancy Guthrie. Help Me Teach the Bible. Podcast audio. September 17, 2015. This podcast originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition.
When we talk about “entering into his rest” the first thing that we realize is that this is salvific language. It means entering into the rest that we have when the burden of sins is removed by accepting by faith Christ’s substitutionary death upon the cross. So applied to God’s rest it means no more self-effort as far as salvation is concerned. It means the end of trying to please God by our feeble fleshly works. It’s receiving by grace through faith God’s favor and forgiveness.
—Britt Merrick
Source: Britt Merrick, quoted from his message, “Entering God’s Rest” from the series Hebrews on Hebrews 4:1-11, preached at Reality Carpinteria on June 1, 2008. Used by permission of Britt Merrick.
Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of Hebrews.