Hebrews by Dennis McCallum (2015)

The God of the Bible is unique in His desire to communicate and to have a personal relationship with humanity. The most profound way in which He has done this is by choosing to come personally to Earth in the person of Jesus Christ. The person of Christ ushered in a way of relating to God that is far superior to following rules and laws: that is grace.

God's goal is to bring as many people as possible into His family. All people are members of the sinful human race and need a perfect sacrifice for their sins in order to be part of God's family. To pay for the sins of humanity Jesus had to be like a man in every respect. He sacrificed his perfect human life to cover the sins of humanity.

The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers struggling with disbelief and persecution. The author compared their struggles with the challenges the Israelites faced when Moses led them. The Israelites also struggled with disbelief concerning God's power and provision. They ended up saying ?no? when God called them to enter the promised land. When we undergo persecution we may also be tempted to say no to what God is calling us to do.

The author addresses legalism and assimilation to avoid persecution. His audience were those who most likely grew up in Jewish culture were practicing Jewish traditions. They thought this would have no bearing on their spiritual lives but the result was they were becoming insensitive to the Holy Spirit and misrepresenting Christ.

The author of Hebrews argues that Jesus is a legitimate high priest even though he is not from the tribe of Levi. However an obscure character named Melchizedek is of an even higher order than the Levitical priesthood. Jesus is from the order of Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews proves that Jesus is not only King Messiah but also our permanent high priest who has replaced all others. When the Levitical priesthood was nullified, so was the rest of the law. This enables believers to draw near to God.

A covenant is a working agreement between two parties. The author of Hebrews attempts to persuade his audience to set aside the Old Covenant and to follow the New Covenant instead. These covenants are too different to follow both at the same time. For example, the Old Covenant is based on law and the New Covenant is based on grace. The covenants are contrasted throughout and a table at the end summarizes the differences.

The author of Hebrews explains how the Old Testament sacrificial system was always there to be used as a point of instruction. It was never sufficient to take away human sins. The sacrificial system instead was to paint a picture of the coming work of Christ. Only through the sacrifice of Christ are we able to be seen as perfect before God.

The author of Hebrews reminds his audience that the Old Testament forms and rituals are no longer needed because of Christ's work on the cross. One piece of formalism that the church tries to hold onto is the concept of a ?sacred space? such as a sanctuary. A discussion follows on other ways the church historically and presently tries to maintain Old Testament forms. When the church tries to maintain these forms, it is promoting that Christ's work on the cross was not sufficient.

After thoroughly explaining how the cross was more than sufficient, the author now moves on in his argument to results of the cross. These results benefit humanity immensely. People can now: 1) come to God in prayer with confidence, 2) have assurance of the future, 3) think of others before themselves, 4) fellowship with one another, and 5) give and receive encouragement. At the end of chapter 10, the author of Hebrews makes claims that at first glance seem contradictory to his previous arguments regarding grace. The end of the teaching addresses this problem passage.

Chapter 11 begins by describing faith as having confidence in what is yet to come. The Bible's definition of faith differs from today's culture, where faith is more like a feeling or wishful thinking. The passage continues to describe what believers have faith in, one of those being how God created the world by his command. The Biblical perspective of the universe's origin is then contrasted to modern beliefs of the world's starting point. Lastly, we look at why God has faith in a high priority and that faith is the only requirement needed to connect and start a relationship with God.

Chapter 11 began by describing what faith is: confidence in what is yet to come. Now the author dives into examples of men and women of the Old Testament who acted in obedience in this type of faith. He begins his list of faithful people with Abel, Enoch and Noah. All of them obeyed God in faith even though they did not have any firm assurance and proof of what God asked of them. In the end, their faithful obedience was rewarded with righteousness and a relationship with God.

Hebrews explores the life of Abraham, recognizing the patriarch's example of faith. Abraham responds to God's promise and command by leaving the life where he found God to traverse in the wilderness. Abraham exemplifies a growing belief in the direct promises of the Lord, despite not seeing them fulfilled quickly. Teaching includes a testimonial from Jeff Gordon, recounting his own experience of pursuing a life of faith and how that affected his hopes and dreams.

The story of Joseph, a beloved son of Jacob who is betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, is a story of forgiveness and redemption. Through over a decade of further betrayal, suffering, and despair God continually works and brings him into a position of power as the right hand man of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. Joseph's brothers come to Egypt during a famine to buy grain and find the brother they had betrayed. Joseph forgives his brothers and is finally reunited with his father. Over and over in Joseph's life, God proves his amazing power to bring about good in spite of evil.\r\n

The author of Hebrews continues through the Hall of Faith, describing the life of Moses. As a Hebrew child raised by Egyptian royalty, Moses decides to reject the material wealth and power available to him and chooses to bear the burden and oppression of the nation of Israel. After he makes a tragic error he wanders for 40 years in the land of Midian. Eventually God send Moses back to Egypt to reclaim the Israelite nation and lead them not only to their freedom but to a restored faith in their God. God also prepares us for the role he wants us to play, and chooses to use us in spite of our insecurities and weaknesses.

Moving on from the Patriarchs, the author of Hebrews lists many more examples of faith. Joshua in Jericho, Rahab and the spies, Gideon, and many more. All these people were messy and sinful and many of them experienced persecution, suffering, and pain, but they chose to persevere in faith and were used by God in spite of their weakness. God's plan is not over, we are also a part of this plan! He can work through anyone and in all things. \r\n

In light of the ?cloud of witnesses? mentioned in Hebrews 11, Christians should persevere in the race set before them. This involves throwing off things that could hinder us, and focusing on Jesus Christ and growing with him. The original audience were experiencing suffering and hardships that were holding them back. The author of Hebrews reminds them of God's discipline and His ability to work through all things to bring about growth, and ultimately good, in their lives and in ours!

The author of Hebrews uses the story of Jacob and Esau to show the importance of choice in the life of a follower of Christ. Esau chose what was temporary, immediate, and easy rather than what was truly important. We often make this same exchange, choosing things of temporary value over eternal value. We will be faced with many decisions that will impact the course of our lives, with serious and sometimes with irrevocable impact. God wants us to seek His voice and trust His timing.

The author of Hebrews highlights the importance of exercising sacrificial love as a follower of Christ.. First the love for other believers in community is highlighted. The author then expresses the need for the church to love the non-believer as a group. Finally he encourages the church to endure as persecution continues to increase.

The author of Hebrews instructs the church to maintain the honor of marriage. Contextually, this serves as another expression of faith for the Christian believer. This instruction serves as a counter-cultural perspective leading to thriving marriages as a witness to the watching world.

The book of Hebrews continues to instruct the church on the life of faith. The author warns believers to flee from loving money. Exhortation is given to instead place faith in God as a defense from greed and the fear of man.

The author of Hebrews continues his discourse of a life led under the grace of God. Hebrews calls his audience to observe, honor, and imitate spiritual leaders. This teaching includes a New Testament view on what biblical leadership is and how to do it.

The author of Hebrews continues his instruction for a life under God's grace. Hebrews reminds readers of the permanence of the person of Jesus Christ. The author connects this with the need for believers to reject strange teaching and cling to the grace of God. This teaching expounds on false teaching versus biblical truth.

The author of Hebrews concludes the book with instructions on biblical worship. Hebrews explains this as a lifestyle of praise, service, and God's community. This teaching explores other interpretations of worship and compares them to our author's intent.