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Posts in Hebrews

“Christ is Faithful” Hebrews 3:1-19 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Five)

The Superiority of Jesus

In the first two chapters of this epistle, the author of Hebrews has built a very impressive case for the superiority of Jesus Christ to all things. Jesus, who is the radiance of the glory of God, is the creator of all. Yet the same Jesus who is God’s eternal son, now shares our flesh and blood by virtue of his incarnation. After dying for our sins and being raised from the dead, Jesus has been given the highest possible honor–he alone sits at God’s right hand. In the opening chapters of Hebrews, the author has demonstrated that Jesus is superior to angels as well as Israel’s priesthood. As we now move into chapter 3, the author begins to make his case that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses, and more importantly, he is the mediator of a far better covenant (the new covenant) than the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai.

Writing to an unknown church in an unknown city, the unknown author of this epistle is addressing the difficult situation facing the congregation to which he is writing. Many in this church were Hellenistic Jews (Greek in culture, but Hebrew in theology) who had recently become Christians. In the face of opposition from their Jewish friends and family, and even perhaps from governing authorities, many in this church had given up on their faith in Jesus Christ and returned to Judaism. The epistle to the Hebrews is the author’s very pointed warning to those remaining in the church who were considering doing the same thing. He addresses head-on the gravity of the sin of apostasy, and will continue to do so throughout this letter.

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HebrewsKim RiddlebargerDecember 18, 2024Superiority of Jesus, Persevere Comments

“He Himself Has Suffered” Hebrews 2:10-18 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Four)

A Brief Review to Set the Context

The very fact that human priests are themselves sinners raises a number of important questions. How can sinful priests offer sacrifices that remove the guilt of our sin, unless they first offer sacrifices for themselves? And the sacrifices they offer–the blood of animals–only temporarily remove the guilt of our sins. Such sacrifices only delay the judgment of God and they must be continually repeated by the priests, not only for themselves, but also for those on whose behalf they are offered. It will take a perfect priest, offering a perfect sacrifice, if we are to saved from the guilt and power of sin. This perfect priest is Jesus Christ who has made himself lower than the angels, suffered on the cross and tasted death, was raised from the dead and then ascended on high, before taking his place at God’s right-hand. And yet, this perfect priest is merciful to us because he himself has suffered and was tempted, just as we suffer and are tempted.

As we continue working our way through the Book of Hebrews we come to the second half of the second chapter of this epistle, where the author continues to make his case for the superiority of Jesus Christ. As the author has shown us from the pages of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is superior to angels. Jesus is superior to Moses. And Jesus is superior to the priesthood of Israel. While in the previous verses, the author has focused upon our Lord’s superiority over the angels, in verses 10-18 of Hebrews 2, the author now addresses a topic he will develop in great detail throughout the balance of this epistle–the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is a much greater priest who offers a much better sacrifice for sin.

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HebrewsKim RiddlebargerDecember 4, 2024Christ our Priest, Christ the sanctifierComment

“Crowned With Glory” Hebrews 2:1-9 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Three)

Background

Although we do not know which church received the letter we now know as the Epistle to the Hebrews, we do know that a number of people in that church had renounced their profession of faith in Jesus Christ and returned to Judaism (the religion in which they had been raised). Apostasy among professing Christians was a real issue facing this church, and the subject raises a number of important questions which the author of Hebrews must address. Can a Christian lose their salvation? What is the status of those who make a profession of faith, are baptized, but then fall away? Having established in the opening chapter that Jesus Christ is the creator and sustainer of all things, the author now exhorts his readers to consider the greatness of that salvation which Jesus has earned for us through his death and resurrection, before Jesus ascended on high and took his place at God’s right hand. It is a serious thing to neglect so great a salvation!

As we continue our time in the Book of Hebrews, so far we have discussed the problems surrounding the authorship, destination, and date of the writing of this epistle, and we have covered the author’s principle argument in the opening chapter for the superiority of Jesus Christ to Moses, to Israel’s priesthood, and to the angels. Since it is likely that most of the members of the church receiving this letter were Hellenistic Jews (Greek in culture, Hebrew in theology) who had recently become Christians, as such, they fully accepted the LXX as the word of God. So, in order to respond to the questions raised by those who had made professions of faith in Jesus Christ and were baptized, but then renounced both, the author cites seven passages from the Old Testament (predominantly from the Psalms) which prove that Jesus is the son of God, and possesses a glory equal to that of the Father.

Angels – Fertile Soil for Speculation

An undue interest in angels (and even the worship of angels) was a problem in Hellenistic Judaism, and there are hints throughout the New Testament that this was an issue in some of the first Christian churches (Galatians 1, Hebrews 13, Colossians 2). While acknowledging that angels are God’s messengers, and that they have played a significant role in redemptive history, the author of Hebrews turns to the Old Testament to prove that angels are Christ’s servants, and therefore inferior to the eternal Son of God. From the pages of the Old Testament, the author demonstrates that Jesus is the creator of all things. And having created all things, Jesus holds them together, directing them to fulfill their appointed ends. Jesus is worshiped by the angels. Jesus gives these invisible creatures orders and directives, and Jesus alone sits at God’s right hand. The author has already made a very impressive case for the deity of Jesus Christ.

Apostasy Is the Issue

As we move into Hebrews chapter two, the author issues his first admonition to this congregation in verses 1-4. Although angels played a role in Old Testament revelation, given the superiority of Jesus Christ, it is vital that Christians not neglect due consideration of all that Jesus has done for them to save them from the guilt and power of sin. Then, in verses 5-9, the author reminds believers of Jesus’s humiliation and exaltation, and how both were necessary for Jesus to secure our salvation.

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HebrewsKim RiddlebargerNovember 18, 2024So Great a SalvationComment

“Sit At My Right Hand” Hebrews 1:1-14 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part Two)

The Background Revisited

We may not know who wrote the Book of Hebrews, but the unknown author’s opening declaration is crystal clear. God has spoken through the prophets–the Old Testament. But in these last days (the present era) God has finally and definitively spoken in and through the person of his son, Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is creator and sustainer of all things, Jesus is superior to Moses. Since Jesus has completed his work of redemption, he is superior to Israel’s priesthood. Since Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, he possesses a greater name and a greater authority than any angel. [Given the fascination with angels typical of many first century Hellenistic Jews, the author of this epistle must deal with the role of angels in redemptive history, and in doing so, make his case that Jesus Christ is superior to all angelic beings.]

Previously, we addressed the difficult questions surrounding the authorship, destination, and date of this epistle–so I encourage you to read the prior exposition which can be found here. We do not know who wrote this epistle, nor do we know when it was written. We do not even know to which church this epistle was originally addressed. But based upon the contents of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we do know a great deal about the original recipients.

The author very likely knew the people to whom he was writing, and he was quite familiar with their current situation. The recipients were Greek-speaking Jews (Hellenistic Jews), who believed that the Old Testament was God’s self-revelation. They lived in a large city (most scholars think Rome or Alexandria), and probably were a small congregation meeting in someone’s home. Many in the church which received this letter were recent converts to Christianity from that type of Judaism found throughout the major cities of the first century Mediterranean world. Not as legalistic as the Judaism found in Palestine (closer to the temple in Jerusalem, and home to many Pharisees), the Judaism in which the recipients of this letter were raised and the synagogues in which they worship were probably as much Greek in ethos, as they were Jewish in theology. This form of Judaism focused upon speculative topics like angels, and made Moses (not Abraham), the center of Old Testament religion. This kind of Judaism would be as distant from traditional Judaism as mainline Protestant liberalism is from the Protestant Reformation.

To read the rest of this exposition, follow the link below

HebrewsKim RiddlebargerOctober 30, 2024Christ superior to angels Comments

“His Son” Hebrews 1:1-4 (An Exposition of the Book of Hebrews–Part One)

Introduction

We begin a new series on the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews is an epistle which exalts Jesus Christ, who is superior to Israel’s prophets, superior to the angels, superior to Moses, superior to Aaron and the priests of Israel, and because of whom, life in the new covenant is vastly superior to that under the old.

John Calvin contends that the purpose of this epistle is to explain the offices of Jesus Christ and demonstrate how Jesus has fulfilled all the ceremonies and obligations of the Jewish law. As we will see, this is an epistle which was written to Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, some of whom were abandoning their Christian faith and returning to Judaism. The epistle speaks powerfully to us today. There are people all around us who have professed to believe that Jesus is the Christ, but who eventually give up their profession of faith and embrace the pagan religious impulse of our age, “spirituality.” The Book of Hebrews warns of the danger of doing so.

There are also people in our churches who believe all the right things on an intellectual level, but who never do seem to put their profession of faith into action. What is in their heads never makes its way into their hearts. There are also those who for a time profess the doctrine of justification sola fide, but who later abandon that confession and convert to Romanism or Orthodoxy and trust in their own good works or religious ceremonies to deliver them on the day of judgment. The Epistle to the Hebrews is both a warning and an exhortation to all of us not to abandon our faith in Jesus Christ. Not only is Jesus vastly superior to anything or anyone else we might imagine, but to walk away from him is to risk facing his judgment.

Hebrews Explains How We Are to Understand the Old Testament

It is important to keep the big picture before us, so that we don’t bog down in the details as we proceed. Hebrews is not an easy book to study because it presupposes that its reader is quite familiar the Old Testament. Yet because Hebrews is so thoroughly grounded in the Old Testament, it is a vital book for us to know and study since this epistle explains to us how we are to understand the Old Testament. Hebrews is also direct and pointed in its language and its rather stern warnings need to be applied to the right people in the right ways. The bruised reeds and smoldering wicks among us need to encouraged by the fact that struggling with sin as well as doubting assurance of one’s salvation is not something which characterizes apostasy–a theme which is addressed in this letter. Apostates (those who fall away) give up on their profession in Christ–they don’t worry about not having assurance of their salvation nor do they fear the wrath of God. Therefore, we need to understand the nature of the warnings we find here and then heed them.

In addressing the superiority of Jesus, the author sets forth the uniqueness of our Lord as the Son of God, who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. But Christ’s deity is not discussed in the abstract, but in the context of his role as the mediator of a new and better covenant, a covenant which was foretold by all of Israel’s prophets (especially Jeremiah). Christ’s work as mediator between sinful people and the holy God is one in which he represents us before our heavenly Father, but also ties together the rich redemptive themes of priesthood, sacrifice, and covenant–all of which are prominent in this epistle.

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HebrewsKim RiddlebargerOctober 16, 2024Hebrews 1:1-4 Comments