Keeping the eye on Jesus!

On By In Biblestudy, Spiritual Life, Serving God

A Guide for the Believer1

Introduction: a unique letter with a vital message

The letter to the Hebrews occupies a unique and vital position within the New Testament. Although the letter is anonymous, Peter's clear reference to a letter of Paul to the Jews (2 Peter 3:15-16) seems sufficient evidence that Paul was its author. Despite academic debate, the canonicity of this scripture has never been questioned, and rightly so, for it unlocks a central feature of Christianity: the torn veil and opened heaven.

The richness of the gospel can be summarized in two divine "movements. On the one hand, God in Christ come to man; this is eminently the theme of John's Gospel. On the other hand, man in Christ is brought to God. It is this second, monumental aspect that the letter to the Hebrews unfolds. The letter is not a theoretical treatise, but an in-depth guide that teaches us how man, through the finished work of Christ, can enter the heavenly realms to worship God.

Christ, the perfect revelation and High Priest

A fundamental message of the letter is the absolute superiority of Christ over all previous revelations and systems, which were only shadow images of the coming reality. The letter presents Christ as the ultimate and final revelation of God, far superior to any predecessor.

  • Above the prophets: While God spoke piecemeal through the prophets in the past, Christ is the complete and final revelation, the Son Himself who is the radiance of God's glory.
  • Above the angels: He is the Son of God and Firstborn, far exalted above the angels, by whom the law was not given.
  • Above Moses and Joshua: As the Origin of a far greater redemption, He surpasses the leaders of the old covenant, Moses and Joshua, who could only lead the people to an earthly land.
  • Above the Levitical priesthood: He is the enduring Priest in a heavenly sanctuary. Unlike the endlessly repeated priesthood of mortal men, with one perfect sacrifice He ended all other sacrifices forever and cleansed the conscience of the believer.

Christ is the full reality, the reality that the old system was only a shadow of. He is the true Priest who definitively opened the way to God.

Our rich inheritance: what we have in Christ

The letter to the Hebrews emphasizes the concrete blessings and securities that believers possess by the repeated phrase "we have." This is not a vague hope, but a firm possession in Christ, a spiritual inheritance of inestimable value.

  1. A great High Priest who can have compassion (Hebrews 4:14): We have a High Priest who, because He Himself was tempted, can have compassion for our weaknesses. This encourages us to hold our confession and approach the throne of grace with boldness for help at the right time.
  2. A strong consolation and a firm hope (Hebrews 6:18): God's unchanging promise of future glory gives us strong consolation in a present that is sometimes hard to bear. This hope is an anchor for our souls.
  3. A sure and steady anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:19): This anchor enters the sanctuary behind the veil. It guarantees our assurance that we will reach our heavenly destination, just as surely as the Lord Jesus, our Forerunner, reached the goal.
  4. A High Priest at God's right hand (Hebrews 8:1): The service of the Lord Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary ensures that our worship and offerings of praise are pleasing to God. His priesthood lends value to our worship.
  5. The boldness to enter the sanctuary (Hebrews 10:19): Because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus, we have the freedom to approach God in worship without fear. We are led in that worship by our great Priest.
  6. An altar to eat from (Hebrews 13:10): Unlike Jewish worship, where priests had no part in certain sacrifices, we have an altar from which we may eat. We feed spiritually on Christ Himself, whose flesh is the true food and whose blood is true drink.

Our answer: living by faith and in confidential intercourse

Possessing such a rich inheritance requires an appropriate response. That response is a life by faith. Hebrews 11:1 defines this faith as "a firm ground of things hoped for, and a proof of things not seen." Faith, then, focuses not on what we can see, but on the invisible reality of God and the certain future He has promised.

The "basic faith package" of the Old Testament believers, who are held up as examples, included a number of core beliefs: the recognition of God as Creator, the awareness of the need for a bloody, innocent sacrifice for sin, obedience to God's Word, and the understanding of being a stranger on earth on the way to a heavenly city.

The key to their steadfast life of faith was what can be called "God's hidden intercourse." This was an intimate, confidential relationship with God in which He revealed Himself and His plans. David and the psalmists testify to this (Psalm 63), and Scripture states, "...but with the upright He deals confidentially" (Proverbs 3:32) and "the Lord LORD does nothing unless He has revealed His mystery to His servants, the prophets" (Amos 3:7). This is beautifully illustrated by the story of Pedro, an illiterate fisherman who learned deep biblical truths after his conversion, not through reading, but through his personal, daily dealings with God.

These Old Testament believers, however, lived "on credit. They trusted in a future payment for sin, a promise that God Himself would provide. Although they knew this confidential fellowship in spirit, the way to the sanctuary had not yet been publicly opened. Now, through the one, perfect sacrifice of Christ, that price has been paid in full. The way to the sanctuary is for any believer opened and we have boldness to enter through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-21).

A dire warning: the danger of apostasy

Amidst the richness of the letter to the Hebrews are some of the most serious warnings in the New Testament. These "difficult portions" are essential to understanding the deep seriousness of our calling.

Hebrews 6:4-6: "For it is impossible to convert again those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and who have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come, and who then become apostates, because they crucify for themselves the Son of God again and put him to open shame."

Hebrews 10:26-31: "For if we sin willingly and knowingly, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no victim for sins, but only a terrible expectation of judgment and scorching fire ... Terrible it is to fall into the hands of the living God."

At the heart of these awe-inspiring warnings is the sin that God despises most: apostasy, which in Scripture is inextricably linked to idolatry. It is apostasy that Christ considers insufficient. There are two major dangers the letter identifies:

  1. Adding elements from the Jewish religion. By returning to shadows - rituals, laws and customs - one shortchanges the perfection of Christ's work. One is effectively declaring that His one sacrifice was insufficient.
  2. Adding pagan or mystical practices. The search for special "experiences of God" through contemplative methods or other practices is considered an abomination by the letter. This is likewise a functional denial of Christ's fullness.

The message is profound and crystal clear: Christ is enough. To regard Him as insufficient by seeking additions is to "disgrace Him," "crucify Him again," and "trample on the Son of God." It is the greatest sin warned against.

The conclusion: keep an eye on Jesus

The message of the letter to the Hebrews culminates in a powerful call: leave the old system of shadow images ("go outside the army place") and hold fast to the superior and abiding reality we have in our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a call to perseverance, faith and worship, with our eyes fixed on the Guide and Finisher of our faith.

"Let us also (...) run with perseverance the race that lies before us, keeping our eye on Jesus, the Guide and Finisher of faith. For the joy that was promised Him, He endured the cross and despised disgrace and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. For take sharp notice of Him Who endured such opposition from sinners against Himself, lest you weaken and succumb in your souls." (Hebrews 12:1-3)

"Let us therefore go out to Him outside the camp and bear His reproach. For we have no lasting city here, but we seek the one to come. Through Him then, let us always offer a sacrifice of praise to God, namely, the fruit of lips that confess His Name." (Hebrews 13:13-15)

Let us embrace the immeasurable riches we possess in Christ and remain steadfast on the path He has opened for us.

Related articles
The digital monthly magazine 'Straight' with 2 articles on the letter to the Hebrews; see here.
The faith of the ancients - Hebrews 11. https://goddienen.nu/het-geloof-van-de-ouden/
Difficult portions of the letter of Hebrews. https://goddienen.nu/lastige-gedeelten-in-de-hebreeenbrief/

Footnotes

  1. An amalgamation of two articles in the latest issue of "Straight" (see here) and two articles previously featured on our site. ↩︎

Related blogs