I remember being taught many years ago that the word
“therefore” is an important transitional word, and we must be certain what it
is there for. Everything mentioned in chapter one, as well as what we have
learned through teaching and preaching from others, plus practical experience
in our relationship with Jesus and His word, sets the tone for what the writer
of Hebrews talks about next.
“Paying close attention to what we have heard” means
not just taking everything at face value alone, or we can miss the deeper message.
The key is to be always drawn to desire the word of God; there are always
deeper messages and truths to be mined, like a miner who is panning for Gold;
there is always more treasure to be found if one remains diligent and keeps searching.
It is easy to become discouraged or complacent, thinking that we have
understood what each passage has to offer, and to drift away from allowing the
word of God to continue its process of forming us into men and women of faith
who rely upon its formative nature to change us.
A question that is occasionally asked of me is, ' How do you
know the word of God is true?’ In chapter one, the writer explains that the
message spoken to us by angels has so much significance and power to be
delivered by divine beings and not just by man alone. It was proven through
signs and wonders by men and women who were filled with the Holy Spirit,
claiming that the message of Christ is true. There was no violation of the Old Testament
law demonstrated in the life of Jesus Christ; in fact, He fulfilled the law in every
way. Again, it is the understanding that Jesus gave the law to show that humankind
could not fulfill the requirements of the Old Testament law; only a divine
being could, and Jesus is that divine being. It is His story of how He
fulfilled that law in its completeness that makes it firm.
For if we had actually lived under the Old Testament law,
any violation would have nullified our attempt at being righteous and makes us
guilty of the entire law in our lives, for to fail in one part of the law is to
fail the entire law. We would have become dismal failures, and we would have
received the just penalty of the judgment of the law, which is death. With
Jesus becoming our propitiation or scapegoat, He becomes our penalty or sacrifice.
He bore the full weight of the world's sins. Even though He fulfilled the law,
He still bore its full penalties for each of us. We stand in His righteousness,
not our own, and are wiped clean of all sin and unrighteousness because of the sacrifice
of Jesus.
‘How can we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ It
is a rhetorical question; we can’t escape. Jesus’s death and resurrection
ratified the means of restoring us to the right relationship with our heavenly
Father. We cannot escape or cause it to be of no effect, no matter what we say
or do. His sacrifice still stands firm and unchanging. The question should be,
‘What are we escaping to if we choose to ignore or neglect His salvation?’ We
are escaping the freedom of Christ to follow our own devices, unable to be
restored to the right relationship with our creator.
We are all children of God, whether we recognize it or not.
How we spend our lives on this earth is up to us, but our eternity is
determined by our willingness to acknowledge Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for
us. The only requirement for salvation is our beliieving loyalty in Jesus; it
is not about being or doing better. If that were the case, we would already be better,
but we struggle because of sin. Believing loyalty in Jesus addresses the sin
problem; through our relationship with Him, we become better people by
association. If salvation depended on our own efforts to become better, then
Jesus’s sacrifice would be in vain, and our salvation would be meaningless.
There are many examples of believing loyalty in the Old
Testament. For example, when the Israelites were loyal to God and trusted Him
to protect and provide for them, they prospered. When they turned away from God
and were disloyal to Him, God allowed them to be overrun by their enemies and
taken into captivity, and in many cases to be killed. God’s blessings were always
conditional. It has not changed in the New Testament, believing loyalty in
Jesus Christ is still a requirement to be saved. “Whoever, then, acknowledges
me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever
denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven”.
Matthew 10:32-33 NET
The letter to the Hebrews is written by an anonymous author, leaving us to ponder the identity of this insightful disciple. This letter effectively fortifies Christian beliefs by illustrating the unparalleled priesthood of Christ. Unlike the Jewish high priests, who were appointed temporarily and whose sacrifices had to be repeated continually, Christ, as God’s own Son, offered a singular, perfect sacrifice that redeemed all of humankind once and for all. This pivotal distinction highlights the superiority of Christianity over Judaism.
The author cautions Christians against the dangers
of apostasy, warning them of the “fearful prospect of judgment” (Hebrews 10:27)
that awaits “those who have spurned the Son of God” (Hebrews 10:29). This
serves not only as a reminder but also as a call to action, urging believers to
remain steadfast in their faith, inspired by the heroic examples of others whom
they admire and respect.
The letters to the Galatians and the Hebrews clearly share
important similarities. Both letters address Christian communities facing a
significant crisis of faith, as strong Jewish influences are actively trying to
draw believers back into the constraints of the Torah law, away from the true
freedom that comes through Christ.
When the letter to the Hebrews was written, there were very
few documented historical documents detailing the life of Jesus; according to
many scholars, this letter was written during the latter half of the first
century. With the lack of historic documented resource material, early Christians had to rely heavily on oral
tradition and recollections from those who had seen Jesus and spent time with
Him so that they could relay the essential elements of the faith. This reliance
on oral tradition underscores the importance of passing down written accounts
of knowledge through the generations.
Stephen Barnett
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