In chapter four the author turns to an elaboration of a very Jewish concept, that of God's rest. He addresses the issue not in the manner of a theologian, with definitions and detailed analysis, but as a pastor warning his flock not to miss it. While his point is well made, and still highly relevant to all believers, we are so removed from his time, language and culture that we must do the work of the theologian so that we may enjoy the passionate teachings of the pastor. To this end we begin by learning the meaning of "rest".
The author of Hebrews begins by arguing for the superiority of Christ. His argument comes to complete fruition in showing the superiority of the Melchizedekian priesthood over the Levitical. From 4.14-8.13 the argument shows how the Levitical priesthood and old covenant are to be replaced by a new and improved priesthood and covenant. After painstakingly proving that Jesus Christ, our Savior, is also the expected king, the author desires to prove that He is also our High Priest. Jesus’ lineage proved He was an heir to David’s throne, the quoted enthronement psalms reveal His Messiahship, but how can the believer be justified if there is no high priest to intercede?
The Shema is one of the most ancient revelations of God about himself. It is the first prayer a Jewish child learns to pray, and the last every bellieving Jew hopes to have upon his lips. But what is the Shema? It is broken into three parts, and comments on how we are to live and addresses the issues of polytheism, monotheism and even the Trinity. These truths make it one of the central teachings of the Bible itself, even though it is rarely preached on in Christian churches. This is a shame, especially since it is a central conviction of Paul's theology.
Last week we highlighted one Olympic athlete who stood boldy for her faith, but there are many others. There are a number of athletes, and a few Hollywood actors and they have earned the respect of the Christian community for their boldness. With such public examples, why do so many Christians timidly go about their lives? For too many work or attend classes anonymously, hardly ever showing their true identity as followers of Jesus. It flies in the face of good Biblical teaching. "For God did not give us a spirit of fear," Paul writes, "but of power and love and self-control."
Chapter two ended with a reference to Jesus being our high priest, and chapter three picks up that thread in the very first verse. "Take note of Jesus," the author instructs, "the apostle and high priest whom we confess." Unfortunately, he drops the thread here and does not pick it up again until chapter four. We have to wait to learn of the significance of the high priest reference, but that doesn't mean we don't have something important to learn before then. Even as Jesus is superior to the prophets, angels, and the high priest of Israel, he is also superior to Moses.
As we mentioned yesterday, Hebrews is a mystery book in may respects. Though we can surmise it was written to a primarily Jewish audience, we have no indication as to who authored this most eloquent argument for Christianity from the Jewish tradition. Because we don't know where the audience resided, or who was communicating to them, there is great difficulty in deriving what it is the author is trying to have his audience overcome.
Last week the world was informed of the death of of Reverend Billy Graham. Born in 1918 and not only witnessed a century of human advancement, but spent the bulk of that time in ministry to our God. He became a believer in 1934 at a tent revival meeting led by Reverend Ham in Charlotte, North Carolina and a couple years later began attending Bible college. He was ordained by the Southern Baptist church in 1939. In 1943 he became the pastor of a church, and his life as a minister of the Word of God began. It would last another 75 years.
Last week I heard from a few of our readers, and of their disappointment that we didn't have a Valentine's Day post. In point of fact, we've never addressed the holiday here at Think-Biblically.com and it's not an oversight. We've never talked about the holiday because it's not a Biblical one. I assure all our readers that it probably isn't because I happen to be single. We have done articles on how to have Godly relationships, however,which are easily searched for. While this post is titled "Love", I sense it isn't what our readers are hoping for either.
There are many ways to communicate. One may whisper a secret, write memoirs, and give lectures but the most formal communication is through an announcement. Whether it is a birth announcement, a wedding announcement, a presidential announcement or any other they all have a sense of formality, elegance and importance. The author of the homily we call Hebrews has an announcement of his own to make. Rather than printing it on parchment or assembling a press conference he chose to write a sermon. His medium might not have been what most would choose, but you cannot accuse him of hiding his intentions
The Book of Hebrews has long been both inspirational and mysterious. Inspirational in its message of the superiority of Jesus, the New Covenant and salvation; in the list of the great men and women in the Hall of Faith. It's mystery lay in some of its teachings and in its authorship. In the three most important considerations concerning the book, authorship is in there somewhere. No one really knows who wrote Hebrews, but the bulk of tradition holds to a Pauline authorship. Although there are differences in style, these can be explained by the shift in literary genre.
Over the past couple days we've been discussing the non-sign gifts of the Holy Spirit Paul discussed in 2 Timothy 1.7. So far we've looked at the first, power, and the second, love and today we complete the series by examining self-control. The idea of self-control is all about restraint and is based on the Greek word sophronismou which means moderation and soundness of mind. It is an appropriate time for this discussion, as we exercise self-control during this season of Lent. The Holy Spirit empowers us to successfully complete our promise to God but it begs the question, if the Holy Spirit helps us is it really self-control?
Last week the 23rd winter Olympic games began. Back in 1896, when the modern Olympic games were first observed, the goal for international competition was to break down cultural barriers and to bring people together. Such noble goals are often stated and are sincerely attempted, but it is infrequent to have success in doing so. It would appear success was reached this year, as North Korea joins in the games being held in South Korea, the two leaders getting together to talk. As inspirational as it may be, there are even greater things to learn from the Olympic games.