Hebrews

Overview – March 2019 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Hebrews

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” —Hebrews 9:14 NKJV

Hebrews, meaning “passengers,” mentions no writer – although it was probably Paul. This epistle begins with God and shows the New Testament revelation to be consistent with and yet in great contrast to that of the Old Testament. Indeed, prophecies, types and typical persons are seen to have their marvelous fulfillment in God now speaking from heaven in the person of His Son, the Creator and Upholder of all things. His eternal Godhead and true Manhood are clearly and carefully declared. He supersedes every Old Testament partial revelation of the mind of God.

The Lord’s great work of redemption is seen in its eternal value before God. He entered into heaven itself, establishing a heavenly and eternal inheritance for every redeemed person, a contrast to the earthly hope of Israel. He is the Great High Priest, who passed through the heavens, by whom we approach and worship God, and who sustains and sympathizes with us in all our present needs.

Thus, the believer is seen as on earth but possessing a heavenly hope. He is in a real sense a passenger through an adverse world. All religion of earthly character (even Judaism, previously established by God) is seen as a “camp” hostile to the glory of this heavenly revelation. The believer is then called on to go forth to the Lord Jesus “outside the camp” (13:13).

Hebrews is a book that is precious for its clear lines of demarcation, or distinct boundaries, regarding the Christian’s faith, walk and worship.

By Leslie M. Grant

This column is taken from the book: “The Bible, Its 66 Books In Brief.”
It is available for purchase from Believers Bookshelf USA and Believers Bookshelf Canada.