THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS AUTHOR DISTINCTIVES THEME BACKGROUND APPLICATION

AUTHOR The author and time of writing are unknown Some believe it was Paul Case for Pauline authorship rests largely on a reference to Timothy (13:23 “our brother Timothy has been released”) But unlike Pauline letters, here the author does not identify himself Credible cases have been made for the writer being Paul, Apollos, Barnabas, Luke, Peter, Jude, Stephen, Silas, and Clement of Rome, among others

AUTHOR (cont’d) Credible cases have been made for the writer being the following: Paul Apollos Barnabas Luke Peter Jude Stephen Silas and Clement of Rome, among others

DISTINCTIVES Vocabulary and style different than that of any other book of the New Testament In fact, a number of words which are not found elsewhere in the apostolic writings Lacks the basic ingredients that identified ancient letters No mention of author, no mention of addressees, no greeting, no thanksgiving section and no prayer for the readers in the opening lines But note: The closing verses of Hebrews 13 do reflect the traditional way in which a letter closes

DISTINCTIVES (cont’d) If not a letter, what was it? Writer describes his work in Hebrews 13:22 as a "word of exhortation" Most likely the original literary form of the book was a sermon or homily

THEME Stay true to Christ and do not return to Judaism Persevere in faith even when under tremendous pressure Coming to Christ means final access to God without any barrier

THEME (cont’d) The supremacy of God’s Son Christ is superior to the Angels Christ is superior to Moses Christ is superior to Aaron (the High Priest and priests) Christ is sufficient for our every need Indeed, Christ is BETTER The Hebrew word for “Better” used 13 times in the book

THEME (cont’d) Two other very significant words: Perfect Used 14 times Eternal Used 19 times Christ is Perfect and Eternal Christ provides Perfect and Eternal standing before God

BACKGROUND Jewish Christians suffering extreme persecution Exclusion from Jewish life Social and Economic Imprisonment Flogging Death

BACKGROUND (cont’d) Jewish Christians were wilting under the acute pressure of persecution But in this book they are exhorted Old Israel continued on through thick and thin hoping for the Messiah In the same way the readers of Hebrews must press on Persevering under pressure because Messiah has already come The final perfection of heaven must become their goal And they have many more resources for their journey than old Israel had

Seven Warnings from Hebrews A Warning Against Neglect (2:1-4) Don’t neglect your salvation and faith A Warning Against Unbelief (3:7-19) Don’t harden your heart A Warning Against Carelessness (4:1-13) Don’t drift away A Warning Against Immaturity (5:11-6:20) Don’t be childish

Seven Warnings from Hebrews (cont’d) A Warning Against Willful Sin (10:26-31) Don’t go on sinning A Warning Against Desertion (12:14-17) Don’t leave the body of believers A Warning Against Rejection (12:18-29) Don’t refuse God

APPLICATION We live in a free nation But there is still persecution The obstacles we face intimidate us We are overwhelmed by uncertainty We especially need to hear the basic message of Hebrews again

APPLICATION (cont’d) We need a word of exhortation, a word of encouragement Even a word of prodding that tells us to keep on the journey We need constant reminders of the superiority of Christ

APPLICATION (cont’d) Few of us are tempted to turn back to Old Testament style Judaism But we are tempted to combine Christ with a system of philosophy of the world We are tempted to believe lies That faith is easy when life is easy And faith is hard when life is hard

APPLICATION (cont’d) We need to be reminded that life is a journey toward the final goal an eternal and perfect relationship with God in Christ. We need to be reminded that no price is too expensive to pay no effort is too much to give in order to gain the final goal We need to look forward to hearing Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant”

NEXT WEEK Hebrews 1:1-4

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