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As Paul speaks to a Hebrew audience, he begins to tell them about who Jesus is. To understand the book of Hebrews, we first need to understand the Old Testament and the history of the Jewish people.
Jesus came to earth as a human and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Despite his supremacy, he offered his own life as a sacrifice for ours. We all must choose whether to accept God's love and sacrifice, or to ignore it.
Paul explains Jesus' humanity, which was hard to grasp for the Greek-thinking culture he was writing to. Jesus' humanity is important because through his humanity he can atone for our sins, display his humility, and understand the struggles of humanity on a personal level.
While a hardened heart does not affect the Christian believer's salvation, it may cause them to miss out on God's gifts and joy. Hebrews 3 lists five ways to soften our hearts to God.
The author of Hebrews begins to demonstrate that the new convenant is superior to the old convenant and has made it obsolete. In these chapters, he outlines how Jesus is a new and better High Priest, one who is forever and intercedes for all who believe in Him.
Hebrews 6 seems to pose a question about the nature of salvation. While some passages hold multiple plausible interpretations, we should hold fast to the firm truths we see in God's word.
Hebrews 8-10 synthesizes the Old and New Testaments. Jesus' death on the cross was the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system. Through his sacrificial death, all can come into a relationship with God.
Hebrews 11 defines faith for us. Faith involves confidence, hope, and requires action steps to walk in line with God's will.
Hebrews 11 zooms in on various stories of faith from the bible. We see from Abraham's story that he believed God's promises and took steps of faith, even when God's promises and requests defied human logic.
God brings discipline into the lives of believers in order to grow our character and perseverance. This discipline is loving, not punishing, and can come in many forms.
At the end of Hebrews, the author, who was likely Paul, closes his letter by calling the Hebrew church to action by loving their community, their church, and their spouse.