Major themes in the letter to the Hebrews
The Letter to the Hebrews occupies a special place among the writings of the New Testament due to its unparalleled treatment of the teachings concerning the typical meaning of the Mosaic Law, particularly the Tabernacle and the associated priestly service. A significant part of Paul's argument is built around the central message: Jesus Christ, as the high priest and Mediator of the New Covenant, enters the antitypical Most Holy Place in heaven through the blood of His sacrifice, atoning for sins and opening the way to serve in the antitypical Sanctuary for His chosen Church. The purpose of the apostle's discourse is therefore not only to provide advanced teaching to believers but also to emphasize the faith and obedience necessary for priests serving in the Sanctuary of the spiritual Tabernacle under the New Covenant:
- Hebrews 1 - God spoke through his Son, through whom he created the universe and whom he appointed heir of all things (1,2); Jesus is the reflection of glory and the exact representation of the Father's being, having made purification and sat down at the right hand of Majesty (3); the superiority of Christ over the angels (4-14): he inherited a name higher than the angels (4), born by God (5), the angels are winds and flames of fire (7), your throne, God, is forever and ever (8); God has anointed you, your God (9), sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (13), the spirits are appointed to serve those who will inherit salvation (14);
- Hebrews 2 - the Law of Moses revealed through angels (2); pay close attention to the revelation made in Christ (1-4); the future world subject to Christ (5-9); perfected through suffering (10); followers share in the same experiences (11-13); shared in blood and flesh to free those who fear death from captivity (14,15); embraces the offspring of Abraham (16); had to be made like his brothers to become a merciful and faithful high priest who can help those being tested (17,18);
- Hebrews 3 - The superiority of Christ over Moses (1-6); every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God (4); a warning against unbelief: those who left Egypt under Moses' leadership but doubted did not receive the fulfillment of the promise (7-19);
- Hebrews 4 - the Sabbath rest of God's people: for anyone who has entered His rest has rested from their works, just as God did from His (1-11); the Word of God like a double-edged sword dividing soul and spirit (12); everything is exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (13); Christ as high priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses, since He was tested in every way, yet without sin (14-16);
- Hebrews 5 - the significance of priesthood (1-3); no priest takes this honor upon himself, and similarly Jesus was glorified by God (4-6); during the days of his flesh, Jesus cried out to the One who could save him from death and was heard (7); he learned obedience through what he suffered (8); he became the source of salvation for all who obey him (9); Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek (10); solid food suitable for those who, through practice, have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish good from evil (11-14);
- Hebrews 6 - leaving the elementary teachings behind, let us move on to what is perfect (1); the foundation of truth (1-3); it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have been enlightened by the gift of the Spirit, yet have fallen away (4-8); God does not forget the love shown to His name (10); the need to show faith and zeal to the end as an example of those who are heirs of the promises (11-15); God's promise is certain, confirmed by an oath (16-18); hope is sure, like an anchor that reaches beyond the veil, where the high priest Jesus has entered on our behalf (19,20);
- Hebrews 7 - Christ as a priest in the order of Melchizedek (1-28): Melchizedek greater than Abraham - blessed him and received tithes (1-10); the Levitical priesthood did not bring perfection, with the change of priesthood comes a change of law (11,12); the previous law was set aside because of its weakness and ineffectiveness (18,19); Jesus as the Mediator of a better covenant (22); the high priest separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens (26); does not offer a daily sacrifice, because he offered one effective sacrifice (27); the word of the oath makes the perfect son a high priest (28);
- Hebrews 8 - Jesus as the High Priest in heaven in the Tabernacle built by God (1,2); sacrifices offered according to the law are a shadow of the spiritual reality (4,5); Jesus as the Mediator of a better covenant based on better promises (6); if the first covenant had been without fault, there would have been no need for a place for a second (7); meanwhile, the prophet Jeremiah announces a new covenant (8-12); since he speaks of a new one, he regards the first as obsolete (13);
- Hebrews 9 - description of the Tabernacle under the Law of Moses (1-5); priests enter the Holy Place, only the high priest enters the Most Holy Place and only once a year (6,7); as long as the first Tabernacle exists, the way into the Holy Place has not been opened (8); the Tabernacle is a symbolic representation of the present time (9); the Law consists of regulations concerning the body imposed until time of restoration (10); Christ entered the heavenly Tabernacle with His own blood to obtain eternal redemption (11,12); through the Spirit He offered Himself as a sacrifice, and therefore His blood cleanses the consciences of believers (13,14); where there is a will, the one who makes the will must die (15-18); purification according to the law occurs through blood (19-22); cleansing of the vessels of the heavenly Tabernacle requires more perfect sacrifices (23); Christ entered the heavenly Tabernacle to offer Himself once for all as a sacrifice to take away sins (24-26); He will appear a second time for the salvation of those who eagerly await Him (27,28);
- Hebrews 10 - the law has a shadow of future goods, through it the remembrance of sins is made (1-4); you did not desire sacrifices or offerings, but you prepared a body for me ... fulfilling the will of God is the essence of Christ's sacrifice (5-9); consecration and sanctification through the sacrifice of the body of Christ (10-14); the New Covenant consists in the forgiveness of sins (15-18); believers enter the Holy of Holies by a way through the veil, that is, the body of the Lord (19-23); do not neglect our gathering together (24,25); there is no sacrifice for sin in the case of a voluntary transgression committed with knowledge of the truth (26-31); perseverance is needed in trials (32-39);
- Hebrews 11 - definition of faith (1-3); without faith it is impossible to please God (6); cloud of witnesses (4-38): Abel (4), Enoch (5), Noah (7), Abraham (8-10,17-19), Sarah (11,12), Isaac (20), Jacob (21), Joseph (22), Moses (23-30), Rahab (31); experiences of other faithful from the Old Testament (32-38); in faith they died, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and welcomed them, acknowledging themselves as pilgrims on this earth, therefore God prepared a city for them (13-16); a better resurrection for the ancient righteous (35); they did not receive the promise, because God did not want them to reach perfection without us (39,40);
- Hebrews 12 - run steadfastly in the races set before us, taking Jesus as our example (1-3); you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood (4); God disciplines those He loves (5-10); discipline does not seem joyful, but it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (11); strive for peace with everyone and for sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord (14); the example of Esau, who sold his birthright, as a warning to believers (16,17); a reminder of the glory that accompanied the making of the covenant at Sinai (18-21); but you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God; to angels; to the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven; to the spirits of the righteous made perfect; to the Mediator of a new covenant; to the sprinkled blood (22-24); a warning against disobedience (25-29);
- Hebrews 13 - guidelines for a devoted life (1-9); the Lord's martyrdom outside the city as the fulfillment of the antitype (10-12); sharing with Jesus his insults, since we do not have a lasting city here, but we seek the one that is to come (13-14); let us offer to God continual sacrifices, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name (15); obedience to leaders (17); God brought from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus (20).
Hebrews 10
Heb. 10:23
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who promised)" (MKJV)
Commentary: a priest under the Covenant of the Law had duties of two kinds: on the one hand, the service of the Tabernacle in accordance with God's instructions; on the other hand, also teaching the people how to observe the law. This dual aspect of priestly service also applies to antitypical priests under the New Covenant. The Greek word 'homologia,' translated as 'confession,' encompasses these two elements, meaning 1) worship, the form of giving honor, and 2) confession, proclamation, giving testimony outwardly. The chosen ones, who through repentance have experienced begettal of the Spirit, have been called to priestly service. According to verse 19, they have 'freedom of access' to the antitypical Holy of Holies to perform service around the truth there: to feed on the Word of God (the showbread), in the light of the Holy Spirit (the candlestick), and to give testimony pleasing to God (the incense altar). The new creations who undertake this service have the hope of ministering in the heavenly Sanctuary in the glory of the Divine nature. However, this requires an 'unwavering' homologia, that is, performing our service with knowledge of the truth and boldness in presenting it externally.
Heb. 10:24,25
"...and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works, (25) not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (MKJV)
Commentary: in verse 25, the Apostle Paul urges the members of the Church to gather together. The noun episynagoge used here is in the singular, so there is no question of 'neglecting meetings,' as some translations suggest, but rather of not neglecting the communal gathering. Verse 19 informs us about where we are to gather—thanks to the sacrifice of the Lord secured by His own blood, we have freedom of access to the Holy Place, and that is where we are to gather (the invitation is repeated in verse 22: 'let us draw near').
Paul's reference to the Holy Place is related to the Tabernacle, which represented the ministry of the new creation under the New Covenant. As the chosen nation, all of Israel represented those begotten of the spirit — both the people, the Levites, and the priests. However, this division typically illustrated the different stages of development of the new creation—from 'infants in Christ' (the people) to the 'mature man' (the priesthood). The reward of glory in the Divine nature is given only to those among the new creations who reach the expected high level of growth in the knowledge and application of truth; those who reach Christlike maturity (and thus become born of the spirit antitypical priesthood). Therefore, the apostle writes that the whole Church — all begotten of the spirit — are to gather in the Sanctuary. In the Sanctuary under the Covenant of the Law, it was the priests who carried out the ministry — no one else had access there. In the antitype under the New Covenant, the service in the Holy Place is carried out by those new creatures who perform antitypical work related to service for the Word of God, represented by the lampstand, the showbread, and the altar of incense. Born of the Spirit, they today carry out their dedication to the truth represented by the state of the Holy Place, and at the resurrection, they will attain the positions of priests in glory. Therefore, the antitypical Holy Place is our goal—there we are to gather—because that is where our reward is.
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