Hebrews Lesson #1

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
HEBREWS
LESSON #1
INTRODUCTION

• THE BOOK OF HEBREWS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS REGARDING CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE, AND THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST.

• WRITTEN BY:

  • THE AUTHOR IS UNKNOWN. THERE ARE SOME LIKELY POSSIBILITIES:
  • PAUL: WHY PAUL?
  • THE SPIRIT OF THE BOOK IS SIMILAR TO PAUL’S LETTERS
  • DOCTRINE IS IDENTICAL TO PAUL’S
  • THERE IS A SIMILARITY OF LANGUAGE TO PAUL’S OTHER BOOKS
  • A PERSONAL ASSOCIATION WITH TIMOTHY (13:23)
  • THE SALUTATION, “GRACE BE WITH YOU ALL” IS THE SAME. (13:25)
  • THE AUTHOR HAD BEEN IN PRISON (HEB 10:34)
  • THE AUTHOR WROTE FROM ITALY (HEB 13:24)
  • PERHAPS PETER IS IDENTIFYING PAUL AS THIS AUTHOR IN 2PET 3:15-16
  • WHY NOT PAUL?
  • LITERARY STYLE IS DIFFERENT
  • PAUL WAS CALLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE JEWS AND GENTILES ARE ONE BODY IN CHRIST. THERE IS NO MENTION OF GENTILES IN THIS BOOK. REMEMBER PAUL HAD A MINISTRY TO GENTILES.
  • PAUL BEGINS HIS BOOKS WITH HIS NAME. THERE IS NO NAME GIVEN IN HEBREWS.
  • PAUL CLAIMED HE RECEIVED HIS KNOWLEDGE BY DIRECT REVELATION BUT IN HEB 2:3, THE AUTHOR SPEAKS OF IT AS BEING “CONFIRMED UNTO US BY THEM THAT HEARD HIM.”
  • PAUL ALWAYS CORRECTED THE SEPTUAGINT (GREEK VERSION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT) BUT THE BOOK OF HEBREWS NEVER DOES.
  • OTHER POSSIBLE AUTHORS:
  • IF IT WASN’T PAUL, IT WAS SOMEONE WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH PAUL AND HAD BEEN TAUGHT BY PAUL SUCH AS:
  • APOLLOS, AN ALEXANDRIAN JEW WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH PAUL (TIT 3:13). HE WAS A TEACHER AND PREACHER, WELL GROUNDED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
  • BARNABAS
  • LUKE
  • CLEMENT OF ROME
  • AQUILA
  • PRISCILLA
  • PHILIP THE DEACON
  • WRITTEN TO:
  • IT WAS WRITTEN TO HEBREW PEOPLE. IN OTHER WORDS, JEWS IN AN UNKNOWN CITY WITH A LARGE JEWISH COMMUNITY. SOME LIKELY POSSIBILITIES ARE:
  • JERUSALEM
  • ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
  • ROME, ITALY
  • CAESAREA
  • ANTIOCH IN SYRIA
  • EPHESUS IN ASIA MINOR (TURKEY)

  • CHURCH BACKGROUND:

  • THE BOOK MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THE PEOPLE TO WHOM THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN WERE GOING THROUGH SEVERE PERSECUTION FOR THEIR FAITH PROBABLY FROM NON-BELIEVING JEWS. FOR A JEW TO BECOME A BELIEVER, HE WAS BRANDED AN APOSTATE, A TRAITOR TO THE JEWISH NATION AND TO THE FAITH OF HIS FOREFATHERS. THEY WERE EXPELLED FROM THE SYNAGOGUE, LOST JOBS IN JEWISH CONTROLLED AREAS. THE JEWISH HIGH PRIEST COULD EVEN HAVE TROUBLESOME BELIEVERS IMPRISONED (10:33-34)
  • DATE:
  • IT IS INFERRED THAT THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM WAS STILL STANDING AT THE TIME THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN (SEE 8:4-5; 10:11). THEREFORE, THE DATE IS PROBABLY BETWEEN 60 AND 70 AD.
  • STYLE:
  • IT IS WRITTEN IN THE MOST ELOQUENT GREEK LANGUAGE OF ANY NEW TESTAMENT BOOK.
  • THE DIVISION OF THE BOOK:
  • THE FIRST HALF IS DOCTRINAL — 1:1-10:18
  • THE SECOND HALF IS PRACTICAL — 10:19-13:25
  • PURPOSE:
  • THE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE:
  • TO CORRECT THE SAD CONDITION OF THE FAITH OF THOSE TO WHOM THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN. THEY WERE IN A SPIRIT OF BACKSLIDING. (NOTICE THE FOLLOWING PHRASES IN THE BOOK):
  • SOME HAD GROWN “SLOTHFUL”, WERE “NOT GIVING EARNEST HEED”, WERE “NEGLECTING THE GREAT SALVATION.” THEY WERE NO LONGER “HOLDING FAST THEIR PROFESSION” OR “THEIR CONFIDENCE”. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WAS FEEBLE AND READY TO DIE. OTHERS HAD “GONE BACK”, WERE IN DANGER OF “COMING SHORT OF THE PROMISES,” AND, YIELDING TO “WILFUL SIN”, “DRAWING BACK TO PERDITION.” STILL OTHERS WERE IN DANGER OF “REFUSING HIM WHO SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN”, OF GIVING UP THEIR FAITH IN JESUS.
  • OUR PURPOSE FOR STUDY:
  • HEBREWS IS A BEAUTIFUL COMMENTARY EXPLAINING JESUS CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
  • GOD HAS PLACED HUNDREDS OF LITTLE PICTURES, PREFIGURES, AND TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT SO THAT WHEN JESUS CAME, MAN WOULD RECOGNIZE HIM, LOOK BACK IN TIME, AND SAY, “AH! SO THIS MUST BE THE MESSIAH!”
  • HEBREWS BRIDGES THE GAP OF CONFUSION BETWEEN THE OLD TESTAMENT WAY OF LAW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT WAY OF GRACE. (AGES 5 AND 6 BELOW).
  • WE MUST RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF GOD BY UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT DISPENSATIONS OF TIME.
  • WE HAVE ONE GOD, THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER.
  • WE HAVE DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY IN WHICH THIS ONE GOD HAS DEALT DIFFERENTLY WITH PEOPLE. AND YET NOT CHANGED HIS CHARACTER.
  • THE DISPENSATIONS OF TIME:
  • THE WORD “DISPENSATION” MEANS RULES OF THE HOUSE.
  • IN DIFFERENT PERIODS OF HISTORY GOD HAS CHANGED THE RULES OF THE HOUSE MUCH LIKE A PARENT CHANGES THE RULES OF HIS HOUSEHOLD AS HIS CHILDREN MATURE INTO RESPONSIBILITY.
  • THE 7 AGES OF DISPENSATION:
  • 1. THE AGE OF SIMPLICITY GEN 2:8-GEN 3:23
  • THIS IS THE AGE OF ADAM AND EVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER CREATION.
  • THIS IS AN AGE OF LAW IN WHICH MAN WAS TO OBEY GOD’S COMMAND NOT TO EAT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.
  • 2. THE AGE OF CONSCIENCE GEN 3:24-GEN 8:19
  • IN THIS AGE, MAN’S KNOWLEDGE OF RIGHT AND WRONG WAS ACCORDING TO HIS CONSCIENCE.
  • THIS IS AN AGE OF GRACE IN THAT MAN HAD ONLY TO OBEY HIS CONSCIENCE.
  • 3. THE AGE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT GEN 8:16-GEN 11:9
  • GOD TOLD NOAH TO ESTABLISH GOVERNMENT TO RULE SOCIETY.
  • THIS IS AN AGE OF LAW WHEN LAW WAS ESTABLISHED BY GOVERNMENT.
  • 4. THE AGE OF PROMISE GEN 12:1-EXO 14:31
  • GOD PROMISED ABRAHAM A SON AND A NEW LAND.
  • THIS WAS AN AGE OF GRACE IN WHICH MAN WAS TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD’S PROMISES.
  • 5. THE AGE OF LAW EXO 19:1-JOH 19:30
  • THIS WAS THE AGE WHEN GOD GAVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS TO MOSES ESTABLISHING THE MOSAIC LAW.
  • THIS WAS AN AGE OF LAW RULED BY THE 10 COMMANDMENTS AND THE ENTIRE MOSAIC LAW OF RELIGIOUS RITUAL, AND RELIGIOUS PROHIBITIONS, BOTH SOCIAL AND MORAL.
  • 6. THE AGE OF GRACE ACT 2:1-REV 3:22
  • THIS IS THE AGE IN WHICH WE NOW LIVE.
  • THIS IS AN AGE OF GRACE IN WHICH GOD ESTABLISHED THE “NEW COVENANT” IN THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.
  • WE WILL DISCOVER IN OUR STUDY OF HEBREWS THIS COVENANT, WHAT IT MEANS, AND WHAT IS MEANT BY AN AGE OF GRACE.
  • 7. THE AGE OF MESSIAH REV 20:4-5
  • THIS AGE COVERS JESUS’ EARTHLY RULE FOR 1,000 YEARS CALLED “THE MILLENNIUM”.
  • THIS IS AN AGE OF LAW WHEN JESUS WILL RULE WITH “A ROD OF IRON”.

  • THEME:

  • JESUS CHRIST, OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST
  • 3 MYSTERIES REVEALED
  • THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY HAS BEEN OPENED TO US
  • JESUS’ WAY OF SELF-SACRIFICE AND OBEDIENCE IS THE BETTER WAY TO GOD
  • JESUS, AS OUR HIGH PRIEST, ENABLES US TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

  • SOME SUBJECTS TO CONSIDER:

  • THE PERSON OF CHRIST, HIS HUMANITY AND HIS DEITY
  • THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT PRIESTHOOD
  • THE WORK OF CHRIST AND THE SACRIFICES OF LEVITICUS
  • THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. TABERNACLE
  • THE OLD AND THE NEW COVENANTS
  • FAITH
  • TESTING AND DISCIPLINE, THEIR PURPOSES AND REWARDS
  • SPIRITUAL MATURITY
  • THE PLAN OF THE BOOK:
  • THROUGHOUT HISTORY THERE ARE 2 REVELATIONS OF GOD TO MAN:
  • THROUGH MEN AND TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
  • THROUGH JESUS CHRIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
  • THERE ARE 5 WARNINGS:
  • DON’T NEGLECT SO GREAT A SALVATION (2:1-4)
  • DON’T COME SHORT OF THE PROMISED REST (3:7-4:13)
  • AGAINST THE DANGER OF SLOTH, STANDING STILL, AND FALLING AWAY (5:11-6:21)
  • AGAINST SINNING WILFULLY, AND DRAWING BACK TO PERDITION (10:26-39)
  • AGAINST FALLING SHORT OF THE GRACE OF GOD AND REFUSING HIM WHO SPEAKS (12:15-29)

  • IMPORTANT VOCABULARY:

  • “PERFECTION” (teleio) = (OCCURS 15 TIMES IN SOME FORM) IT NEVER MEANS SINLESSNESS BUT ALWAYS MEANS CHRISTIAN MATURITY.
  • “ETERNAL” = SHOWING THAT CHRISTIANITY IS AN ABIDING AND PERMANENT RELIGION IN CONTRAST WITH THE TEMPORARY CHARACTER OF THE OLD COVENANT.
  • “HEAVEN” OR “HEAVENS” = TRUE CHRISTIAN TEACHING IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HEAVENLY SPHERE AND NOT JUST THE EARTHLY, LIKE JUDAISM.
  • “BETTER” = (OCCURS 13 TIMES) CHRIST IS SPOKEN OF AS “BETTER” THAN ANGELS, THAN MOSES, THAN JOSHUA, THAN AARON. WE ALSO READ OF A “BETTER” COVENANT, A “BETTER” SACRIFICE, AND A “BETTER” RESURRECTION.
  • “PARTAKERS” = MEANING ASSOCIATION, COMPANIONSHIP, OR PARTICIPATION. IT SHOWS THAT CHRISTIANS ARE ONE WITH CHRIST. WHAT WAS PROMISED IN JUDAISM BECAME REAL IN CHRIST.
  • HEBREWS EXPRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF APPROPRIATION OF WHAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR US IN CHRIST. CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A RELIGION OF ANTICIPATION BUT OF PARTICIPATION. WE WILL CONSIDER KEY IDEAS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A COOPERATION BETWEEN THE HAND OF MAN AND THE HAND OF GOD.
  • HEBREWS EXPRESSES THE FEAR THAT SOME OF GOD’S GREAT PROVISIONS COULD BE LOST. (2:1)
  • SOURCE MATERIAL FOR THIS STUDY:
  • THE HOLIEST OF ALL–AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS

  BY ANDREW MURRAY 1894, 1993

  • HEBREWS–LIFE CHANGE SERIES

  –NAVPRESS

  • HEBREWS

  BY IRVING JENSEN

  • HEBREWS

  BY WILLARD C. PEIRCE

  • THE STUDY OF TYPES

  BY ADA R. HABERSHON

  • THROUGH THE BIBLE COMMENTARY SERIES: HEBREWS

  BY J. VERNON MC GEE

  • LEARNING THROUGH LEVITICUS

  BY J. VERNON MC GEE

  • THE TABERNACLE OF GOD IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI

  BY PAUL F. KIENE

  • IN SEARCH OF TEMPLE TREASURES

  BY RANDALL PRICE

  • MISC. NOTES
  • OUTLINE:
  • I. JESUS CHRIST, BETTER THAN THE OLD TESTAMENT DISPENSATION

  (HEB 1-10) = DOCTRINE

  • A. CHRIST SUPERIOR TO PROPHETS (1:1-3)
  • B. CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO ANGELS (2:4-2:18)
  • C. CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO MOSES (3:1-4:2)
  • D. CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO JOSHUA (4:3-13)
  • E. CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD (4:14-7:28)
  • F. CHRIST AS OUR HIGH PRIEST MINISTERS IN A SUPERIOR SANCTUARY BY A BETTER COVENANT BUILT ON BETTER PROMISES (8:1-10:39)
  • 1. THE WORK OF CHRIST AS HIGH PRIEST (8:1-10:18)
  • 2. THE NEW AND BETTER COVENANT (8:1-9:10)
  • 3. THE NEW SACRIFICE, WILL, AND SANCTUARY (9:11-10:18)
  • II. JESUS CHRIST BRINGS BETTER BENEFITS AND DUTIES (11-13) = PRACTICAL
  • A. FAITH (11:1-40)
  • B. HOPE (12:1-29)
  • C. LOVE (13:1-25)
  • HOMEWORK FOR HEBREWS 1

  THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

  • PREPARATION FOR HEB 1
  • READ HEBREWS 1:1-14
  • READ THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES AND LIST SOME OF THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT GOD SPOKE TO MEN IN DAYS PAST.
  • GEN 28:10-1
  • EXO 3:1-6 (ESPECIALLY VERSE 2)
  • EXO 20:1-21
  • EXO 31:18
  • 2PE 1:21
  • WHAT DO YOU SEE IN HEB 1:1-2 THAT INDICATES A BASIC UNITY BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
  • HOW HAS GOD SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON? (READ JOH 1:14
    • JOH 12:44-46, JOH 14:9-11)
    • THERE ARE FIVE PROOFS IN HEB 1:3 THAT CHRIST IS FULLY GOD. LIST THEM.
  • MEMORY VERSE: HEB 1:8