Hebrews Overview

October 2020. It’s crazy to think about how time flew by, it’s already been a year and half since I graduated and a year since I found out I got in PT school, and a year since I went to Lake Tahoe. Yup, I am in Lake Tahoe, and what a place to be. But as I was praying about it, I don’t want it to be a passive vacation, but a mini personal retreat, designating mornings just for me and God, for prayer, worship, reading his word and of course working out ( haha got to get that physical, spiritual, and emotional thing). But anyways, my goal for each day or every two days is just go through the New Testament books and just read as many as I can and draw from the scriptures in an overview, breadth rather than depth. Sometimes you can capture some of the overall themes and some verses stand out when you are reading it as a whole. So the first book I read was Hebrews.

There are 4 major themes and reminders that caught my eye:

1. The law, obedience, and sacrifice cannot clean a worshiper’s conscience

Hebrew 9:9-14

“6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

Redemption Through the Blood of Christ

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,[e] then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

I think there are a lot of things you can receive from this passage, but for me it was a reminder that it’s the heart that needs cleansing, it needs to be purified. But like these verses explain, the laws and obedience and sacrifice deals with the external and cannot “perfect” or make holy the conscience or the inner being of a person. And I noticed that without being made holy in Christ, our works are dead. They mean nothing before God until we are saved in order to serve the one, true, and living God.

2. Pursue Holiness without the weight of Earning Approval

In Hebrews 12, it talks about the discipline of the LORD like a parent to a child. I think this really challenged me to think about the times when I trailed off and God brought me back by allowing me to see the sin or the depth of my sin or even the pain and hurt that my sin causes. I think another way God disciplines me is through just this reminder of truth that just pulls at my conscience. But when you read V 10 of chapter 12, it tells us that God promises it is not out of spite or meaningless but for our good! That we may share in his holiness. And catch this , I never saw this before - ” Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the LORD.“ (14)

For holiness with which no one will see the Lord. Kind of confusing but I found that in simple form: Without holiness, no one will see the LORD. Why? Well if we never pursued God’s holiness, what will the world see? People that look just like them. And it reminded me that our pursuit for holiness is not by means of earning, but means of displaying! Holy living = biblical living. It does not stop short at knowing theology, but living out our theology SO THAT people will see God. The heart of pursuing holiness is to not only love God but love others. We honor God through our sacrifice ( Ch 13- the how to) and love others by showing the world the one thing that is necessary- Christ.

3. By Faith - Action fueled by faith

Chapter 11 literally goes through the entire history of Israel, displaying the faith of men AND women. But I think like anyone, you can see that “ by faith” is constantly repeated throughout the whole chapter before any action is explained. By faith...by faith... by faith.. by faith. In faith, all chose God to be better than the fears, anxieties, the impossible, the risk to trust, even the expense of their lives. God is better and his promises remained true. And it’s not they have faith for the sake of faith. But I think what fuels their faith is the promise give- the person making promises, asking them to do the impossible, is ultimately a call to trust in the God that calls them.

4. Lastly, our good for his purposes

It’s a small, yet pivotal challenge that contrasts the world. In the benediction Paul? Or whoever is the ends the letter with the benediction and saying “ My the God of peace.... equip you with everything good THAT you may do his will” . I think I am challenge to see the good things I receive like health, money, security is for the sake of my comfort, but it is actually for us to do God’s will- to love Him and to love others through the obedience of his commands. To have faith and to trust in him and ultimately rest in the blood that Christ has shed. Simple. Just kidding, not simple. Simply said, but not simply lived. And that’s okay, that is why our need for Christ never ends.