Who is Jesus?

It took the church a couple of centuries to work through how to articulate the nature of Christ, and therefore the nature of the Godhead.

It began with the Christian Testament, the writer of Hebrews, the Apostle Paul, and the Apostle John all taking great care in describing and explaining the supremacy of the Lord Messiah Jesus.

(Posts in numerical order are at the end of this page)

From the blog

Hebrews: Strengthened by Grace

Jesus’ death and resurrection marked the beginning of the new covenant of grace, pointing towards the heavenly Mount Zion. Living by faith in Jesus meant rejecting the old life, and it also meant being rejected by the people who still lived the ways of the old life.

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Hebrews: Celestial City

Time did not permit the writer of Hebrews to tell of his final examples of faith, but for you and me today—even concerning those as famous as the names listed in Hebrews’ Hall of Faith—taking time to remember is fruitful.

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Hebrews: Faith of Samuel

Time did not permit the writer of Hebrews to tell of his final examples of faith, but for you and me today—even concerning those as famous as the names listed in Hebrews’ Hall of Faith—taking time to remember is fruitful.

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Hebrews: Faith of David

After the rough-and-tumble days of the Judges, came the time of kings. Notice the writer did not turn to Saul, Israel’s first king, or to Solomon, last potentate, wealthiest and most powerful of the United Kingdom of Israel. The writer turned to David, who would become—and remains to this day—the most beloved of kings found…

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Hebrews: Faith of Rahab

The writer of Hebrews had begun with the pioneers of faith, the patriarchs. Then, the writer had moved on to the one—Moses—who pioneered the nation. Now came those two who represented pioneering in the Promised Land. First was Joshua the Hebrew, and now came Rahab the Canaanite

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Hebrews: Hall of Faith, the Patriarchs

The writer of Hebrews turned to the faith of the ancients in a passage often called the “Hall of Faith,” or “Faith’s Hall of Heroes.” These were of the believing remnant spoken of throughout the Hebrew scriptures, who persevered in faith against great odds, and chose to believe in God’s promises, though they would not…

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Hebrews: Definition of Faith

Have you ever felt a small curl of melancholy, or maybe a tendril of fear, or a root of bitterness, or a little flame of anger, asking

“Why me?”

What does it mean to persevere, to be patient in affliction, to have joy and contentment in every circumstance?

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Hebrews: The Courage of Polycarp

The end of the chapter features a brief reprise of Chapter Six’s warnings, and reassurance that those who have read thus far in this epistle have not fallen away but are persevering in faith. This encouragement is necessary, for the readers would need courage to face fierce persecution.

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Hebrews: Five-Fold Response of Faith

After delivering the astonishing declaration that the veil torn at the moment of Jesus’ death was nothing less than Christ’s body torn asunder, throwing open the gates of heaven to every person, the author offered five ways every Christian responds to the magnificent good news of the Gospel.

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Hebrews: Sealed by the Blood

This sprinkling of blood refers to a different action than having had propitiation made, or being cleansed by. Sprinkling was symbolic of cutting a solemn and sacred covenant, just as the first covenant had been cut between God and humanity, through the people of Israel.

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Hebrews: The Fulcrum

Scholars often divide the Epistle to the Hebrews into two parts. The first, chapters 1-10, teach on the supremacy of Messiah (chapters 1-8) and the new covenant cut in Messiah’s blood (chapters 8-10). The second part, chapters 10-13, is exhortation on how we are to respond to the truths found in the first part.

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Hebrews: A Better Hope

It had taken two chapters to establish the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ, as fully God the Son, above every earthly and heavenly principality.

Now, the writer was establishing Jesus’ work as also superior, pre-eminent, far above any human priest’s work, even of Aaron himself.

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Hebrews: Three Great Needs

The flow of Hebrews, then, so far, is to begin with Jesus and our right response, then to examine our need. Having pointed to Jesus as both fully God and also fully human, as uniquely able to pull off a God-sized rescue of all creation and also meet you and me right where we are,…

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Hebrews: How Not To Miss Out!

It is a better reading of the writer’s exhortation to see “God’s rest” as the process of sanctification in this life, a process that grants every believer peace from God that “passes understanding,” confidence in God, and a willingness to fully surrender to God’s will, guidance, empowerment, and word.

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Hebrews: God’s Rest

Here is where many people reading Hebrews can find themselves in a dilemma. If by “rest” the writer meant “eternal salvation,” then the example of the rebellious Israelites who could not enter the Promised Land becomes gravely problematical.

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Hebrews: Partners Of Christ

The writer of Hebrews spent the second chapter saying “Because we see the superiority and preeminence of Christ, let us believe right doctrine,” and warned his readers to guard against their faith drifting.

In chapter 3, the writer had a second “therefore” followed by five directives for our response to right doctrine. The first two…

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Hebrews: Resist the Pull of the Past

We all grow up with traditions and worldviews that go so deep you and I often do not even realize they are there. We also grow up with ways of processing and coping with what we experience that seem so true and right it goes without being said. These things can be so rooted within…

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Hebrews: Components of Belief

Every now and then I read a book that reorients the way I think about pretty much everything. “Love God with All Your Mind” by J.P. Moreland was just such a book. In it, Moreland explained the five basic components of a belief, and as I read I realized this was a core teaching every…

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About Me

My passion for the Bible began when I was eight or nine years old, somewhere in there, when on occasion my dad would take me to synagogue, where he sang. I remember watching the men in synagogue pray the words of scripture, murmuring and weeping, lovingly touching and kissing the Torah, and I wished I could read what they were reading.

Imagine, then, my wonder when I was given a Bible of my own!

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Let’s hang out

Introduction

Epistle to the Hebrews: An Introduction

Chapter 1

Hebrews: The Word is Revelation

Hebrews: Heresy and Dogma

Hebrews: Greater than the Angels

Hebrews: All About Angels

Hebrews: Superiority of the Son

Chapter 2

Hebrews: The Drift

Hebrews: Components of Belief

Hebrews: Perfect Human

Hebrews: Brothers and Sisters

Hebrews: Not for Angels

Chapter 3

Hebrews: Resist the Pull of the Past

Hebrews: Partners of Christ

Hebrews: Excursus Into Exodus, Part 1

Hebrews: Excursus Into Exodus, Part 2

Hebrews: God’s Rest

Chapter 4

Hebrews: How Not To Miss Out!

Hebrews: Living and Active

Hebrews: The Arduous Road to Maturity

Hebrews: Failure to Thrive

Chapter 5

Hebrews: Mathein and Pathein

Hebrews: Three Great Needs

Chapter 6

Hebrews: Scorched Earth

Hebrews: Anchor of the Soul

Chapter 7

Hebrews: A Better Priesthood

Hebrews: Korah’s Revolt

Hebrews: A Better Hope

Chapter 8

Hebrews: A Better Covenant

Chapter 9

Hebrews: A Better Sanctuary

Hebrews: Perfect, Permanent Propitiation

Chapter 10

Hebrews: ὑπέρ | huper

Hebrews: And He Sat Down!

Hebrews: The Fulcrum

Hebrews: Sealed by the Blood

Hebrews: The Veil Is Torn

Hebrews: Five-Fold Response of Faith

Hebrews: The Unforgivable Sin

Hebrews: The Courage of Polycarp

Chapter 11

Hebrews: Definition of Faith

Hebrews: Factors of Faith

Hebrews: Hall of Faith, the Patriarchs

Hebrews: Faith of Moses

Hebrews: Faith of Joshua

Hebrews: Faith of Rahab

Hebrews: Faith of the Judges

Hebrews: Faith of David

Hebrews: Faith of Samuel

Hebrews: Celestial City

Chapter 12

Hebrews: A Cloud of Witnesses

Hebrews: Worship In Spirit

Chapter 13

Hebrews: Law of Love

Hebrews: The Marks of Love

Hebrews: Strange Teachings

Hebrews: Strengthened by Grace

Hebrews: Benediction