Wednesday Bible Study: Hebrews 1

 

In the course of my morning Bible study, I read three passages: a Psalm, a chapter of Proverbs, and a New Testament chapter.  A couple weeks back, I found myself going through the Book of Hebrews.  And I said to myself, "I remember when I started as a Christian, this was the book that taught me the most."  But now, it just wasn't sinking through with just a 'casual read'.  Fighting my way through Nehemiah, though, I didn't pay it much mind.

Until this past weekend, when I engaged in 'debate' with someone who, while holding to a defensible doctrine (though not one I agree with), did it from a bully pulpit:  "You will hear what I have to say; but I won't listen to you, because I have heard it all before."  It finally came down to me quoting a verse to show why I believed as I did, and him using the same verse to (illogically) 'prove his point'.

The purpose in telling that story is why we are going to Hebrews now- because you have to read WHAT it says, not what you WANT it to say.  A "yeah, whatever" reading of any passage can lead to you taking a "Devil's opinion" of what it says, and I realized I couldn't just stop at my own half-witted reading of Hebrews- I needed to make it make sense to me again.  So here we are.

If you study Hebrews chapter one, you can see not only three points the author (Whoever it may have been, because we don't know other than the Holy Spirit) was making, but also the kind of people he was dealing with.  Of course the title, and the use of Scripture, tell us that they were in fact Hebrew converts- but to what?  They apparently were lacking three things- a knowledge of the Nature of Jesus, the connection between Himself and the Father, and where angels fit in.  How do angels come into it, you ask?  In those days, one of the main ways Satan was screwing things up was through a philosophy called Gnosticism.  They believed to an extent, that since God was spirit, only spirit was holy- flesh was evil.  It caused debate on how it was that God (as Jesus) could possibly have taken on flesh, how He could even create flesh- and a corollary, that as angels were spirit, they were holy and thus to be worshiped.  Our human author was beginning by setting them straight.

His first point I'll look at is the subtle one you might miss- READ YOUR BIBLE!  By quoting Scripture to prove the connection between Jesus and the Father, and the lower position of the angels,  he was showing them that whatever the truth, it was THERE in the Bible, and theirs to read and learn.  My debater's problem (among others) was that he formed an opinion, then manipulated his reading of certain passages to fit his narrative.  Now, the author saw these converts being deceived the same way.  By quoting Scripture to explain, he showed them not only WHAT, but THAT, they should have known better.

His second point was setting the record straight about just who and what Jesus is:

 Heb 1:1  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 

Heb 1:2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 

Heb 1:3  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 

Heb 1:4  having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 

Okay, so you see five parts here I have boldened.  First, that God had used Jesus on Earth to succeed the prophets (and angels) in the job of speaking to us.  Still waiting for a prophet?  Sorry, John was the last one- when Jesus was born as Man, the game changed.

Second, Even though Son, even though the first of the Heirs of heaven, Jesus was THERE FROM THE BEGINNING.  As John said in his gospel:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  He was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Third, there was NO DIFFERENCE between the Father and Jesus- save that Jesus also became Man.  How can this be?  I could give you MY theory, but let me answer through a passage in Revelation:

Rev 19:11  Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 

Rev 19:12  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 

See, the thought that, "in Heaven, all will be revealed" isn't quite right.  There are some things about the nature and being of God we won't EVER understand.  Nor should we.

Fourth, that Jesus had had a single task on Earth- to make "a purification for sins."  And this job was DONE.  The gnostics, much like the Catholics of today with their idea of Purgatory, believe that there is something yet for us to do to get shed of our sins.  This passage alone tells you, "No," and it is backed up in many, many places.

Fifth is the author's final point of this chapter- angels are a LONG way from being God. He uses an if-then manner to make his point, like this:

Heb 1:5  For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? 

Heb 1:6  And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." 

The first quote is from Psalm 2:7; the second, 2 Samuel 7:14; the third, Psalm 97:6-7.  "See, it's right there!"  The author ends the discussion (for today) with a simple definition:

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? 

With the word for 'ministering' and 'minister' translating to "Public servant".  To the minds of this people, that would tell them that an angel is the equivalent of a 'spiritual butler.'

Well, we (I hope) don't worship angels, so what do we get from this?  1.  Read your Bible, not as a curiosity, but with a heart for seeking God. 2. Jesus and the Father are one, in a way we might never fully understand.  And three- if something seems questionable, question it- even if it tears down "your narrative".