Key word: Christ’s superiority
Aside from Romans there is no more theologically heavy, and I would add, rich book than Hebrews. We do not know who wrote it, although there have been many theories. His immediate audience was Jewish Christians in the mid A.D. 60s, and thus were second generation believers. As a result, some had lost the passion for the church and New Testament living and were drifting away – some apparently into Judaism – from which their parents had emerged. Rather than drifting back into an inferior religion, the author encouraged them to press on to maturity – to grow up. But their foundational problem was they had lost the vision of the superiority of Christ. They had not, a least for the most part, abandoned Christ, or ceased to believe in Him. But they had removed Him as central to their lives, and replaced Him with inferior things. So, what they desperately needed was to once again understand the superiority of Christ and embrace it with all their hearts. Thus, the book outlines itself around five ways that Christ is superior to all things:
1. Christ is superior to all former revelation (1:1-3). The Lord reveals Himself and His truth through revelation – general, such as creation and nature, and specific – words spoken through and to prophets and fathers. These revelations were inspired, valuable and essential. But as important as they were, a superior revelation has come – and that is what has been spoken through the Son. The Son inherits all things, created all things, sustains all things, died to provide purification for our sins, and now rules over all things. In addition, He reveals the very nature of God because He is God and perfectly represents Him. Christ is far superior in every way than any spokesman from the past. He is the ultimate communication from God, the Logos as John describes Him (John 1:1).
Key verse: Hebrews 4:16 – Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
