Hebrews: God's Final Word In His Son (Chapter 1)

Jesus is the exact representation of the Father and is greater than any angel since He is the Son of God.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast, where we unpack the meaning of books, passages and themes from Scripture. Join us each week as Dr David Klingler walks us through God's Word and teaches the Bible. Each episode has a study guide available in the show notes. This is Teach Me the Bible podcast.

Speaker 2: 0:31

Hey everybody, welcome to Teach Me the Bible podcast. I'm Alex Wolf, I'm here with Dr David Klingler and we are in the book of Hebrews today. So last week we introduced, we kind of tried to orient us all to this book as we kind of got ready to dive in. But today we get to dive in, we get to jump into chapter one, and so that's what we're going to pick up today.

Speaker 3: 0:53

If you want to take it away, yeah, so we're dealing with some Hebrews, thus the name the name of Hebrews, some Jewish folks who have believed in Christ, but they're under persecution and so they're considering going back to law-keeping and what would be the ramifications of that?

Speaker 3: 1:16

That's really just the book in a nutshell. And so the author and we don't know who the author is and we dare not speculate, but we can say that both through his language well, I could speculate, actually, both through his language and kind of some of the things that are said at the end of the book, take notice of our brother Timothy has been released, so this is in the Paul realm. In fact, this is probably why it's included or tagged onto the end of the Pauline letters. And so you say, well, is it Paul or not? We don't know, but it's close enough. Stick it in there with him, maybe that's at least how. So I think about why the book of Hebrews is where it is. It's after the letters we know were written by Paul. And then we come to this one like ah, some held that it was by Paul.

Speaker 2: 2:08

Yeah, there's quite a bit of debate even today whether it's Paul or not?

Speaker 3: 2:11

Yeah, and the language probably lines up best from what I've seen with Luke and some of what Luke writes. But the basic argument is this If in the Old Testament this is how the author kind of frames his argument If in the Old Testament, when Israel rejected the word of the Lord and they tried to go back try to go back to Egypt they tried to go back to whatever, if they fell back, then the Lord judged them. He usually wiped them off the planet, he killed them. And so, if that's true in the Old Testament, if they rejected the words of angels in, god judged them, or they rejected the words of Moses and God judged them. And Christ is the greater than fulfillment, he's greater than angels, he's greater than Moses, he's greater than the priesthood, he brings a better covenant. And if all of those things in the Old Testament happen and God judged them, do you really think it will go better for you by rejecting the one that the whole Old Testament was looking forward to? Right, and so if you kind of get that, then you'll track through this whole section, and so all the way up to chapter eight. This is what he's doing. And so now the main point of what I've been saying is this Well, if he says that in chapter eight, that's probably the main point of what he's been saying, and so then he's going to exhort him on to continue as these faithful witnesses have done. And so we pick it up in chapter one and the author begins to lay out his argument.

Speaker 3: 3:57

God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers, in the prophets, and many portions and in many ways In the last days, in these last days, he has spoken to us in son, or maybe through his son or in his son, through whom also he made the world, and he talking about Christ. He is the radiance of his glory. Christ is the radiance of the father's glory and the exact representation of his nature. He's the exact character of the father and he upholds all. The all are all things. They're putting things in there. He upholds all by the word of his power. When he made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now, one of the things he's gonna do is he's gonna start quoting all kinds of Psalms, isaiah Psalms, and there he's already quoted Psalm 110. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become much better than the angels. Now, this is chapter one. Okay, his point in chapter one is Christ is better than the angels, the angels, the messengers, those who delivered the word in the Old Testament.

Speaker 3: 5:17

God, after he spoke to the fathers long ago in the prophets, in many portions, in many ways, he sent messengers. He sent angels and he spoke to Israel. And none of these messengers did God ever say this is my son. Right, this is his point. Having become much better than the angels, he has inherited a more excellent name than them. For which of the angels did he ever say you are my son today, I have begotten you.

Speaker 3: 5:47

Psalm two. He never said that. Of his angels, he never said of his angels, I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me. That's second Samuel, chapter seven, verse 14. Or when he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says let all the angels of God worship him. And so of no angel did he ever tell the other angels to worship this one? Right, that's Psalm 97.

Speaker 3: 6:13

And of the angels he says who makes his angels wins and his ministers a flame of fire, psalm 104,. But of the son he says so he's contrasting the angels with the son, she said. But of the son he says your throne, oh God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the septer of his kingdom, psalm 45, verses six and seven. He continues you have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore, god, your God, has appointed, has anointed you with oil of gladness above your companions. So he's identified you, isaiah 61.

Speaker 3: 6:55

And again, lord, in the beginning you did lay the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands, psalm 102. They will perish, but you will remain forever. They all have become old, like a garment and as a mannel, you will roll them up as a garment. They will all be changed, but you are the same and your years will not come to an end. But to which of the angels did he ever say sit at my right hand. So in other words, all the way through here this is Psalm 110, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Are they not all ministering spirits sent to render service for the sake of those who will inherit it for salvation? For this reason, we must pay closer attention to what we've heard, lest we just so we're gonna walk right into chapter two. So we're gonna actually, you know, I have to tie chapter two in here to make this make any sense.

Speaker 1: 7:46

Right.

Speaker 3: 7:47

So let's kind of go down to chapter two, go into this a few verses and see kind of how chapter one is fitting. So he says. For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we've heard lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unchangeable, unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received its just recompense, they reject the words of the angels and they were judged for it. They translate how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

Speaker 3: 8:25

After it was first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed by those who heard, that's the apostles. He's talking about God bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will. So God spoke long ago to the prophets and the portions in many ways, to the fathers, and he communicated through angels and he never said of the angels any of these things and he judged them for rejecting the words of angels but of the Son. He says this and it was confirmed by signs and miracles, by the apostles who saw it, the disciples who saw it more sent out. Do you really think this will go better?

Speaker 3: 9:09

For you, if you reject the words of the Son? No, it won't. Now, the passage that he's gonna go back to again and again and again to make his point is Psalm 95, which is the Israel's rejection at Massa in the wilderness, when Israel rejected the Lord and they were laid low in the wilderness. Now, one of the things that I think we need to set out right from the beginning is that the debate in Hebrews we're gonna get to these warning passages, the warning passages in chapter two and six, and the question, the debate, is can you lose your salvation or not? And one of the things that I think is very important to point out is that whenever we're dealing with epistles and the epistles refer back to an Old Testament passage the Old Testament passage makes the point. It makes the point, the same point that the New Testament author is making. So, for example, in second to Peter, peter refers to the story of a lot and his point is therefore that God knows how to rescue the righteous and keep the wicked, the unrighteous, under judgment for the day of judgment. If you don't get that point, the point of deliverance and how God delivered righteous lot even though he wasn't, you know, we look at a lot from the outside you go. Well, you look too righteous to me. Well, he was righteous by faith. So the point is of that illustration of Sodom and Gomorrah is God knows how to deliver the righteous. In fact, back in Genesis, chapter 18, that was the whole negotiation between Abraham and the messengers was you wouldn't destroy the righteous with the wicked, would you? What if there are a hundred righteous down there in Sodom and Gomorrah? What if there are 50, you can negotiate it down to 10.

Speaker 3: 11:06

My point is that the illustration that the New Testament author uses, referring to the Old Testament, makes the point. Well, is the point they lost their salvation or is the point that they were laid low in the wilderness, that God disciplines those he loves? And so if what you're, how you're understanding these chapters, doesn't build to the punchline, so to speak, which is chapter 12, therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encompass in the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the initiator and completer, and what we'll talk about, that we'll pull that back together as we go. And then he turns to talking about discipline. Discipline as a son. It is for discipline that you endure, for God deals with you as sons.

Speaker 3: 12:07

For what son is there that a father doesn't discipline? If the father doesn't discipline the son, the son's unloved. And so the point is, it's an issue of discipline. If they rejected the words of the angels and they were disciplined for it, now what does that discipline look like? Are they laid low in the wilderness?

Speaker 2: 12:23

Well, they say, discipline can be very severe at times, oh yeah, absolutely, which I think a lot of people don't have a theological category for that severe of discipline in front of the Lord, but it's right here. Death, Death death.

Speaker 3: 12:35

This is why some of you are sick and some of you sleep.

Speaker 3: 12:38

Paul talking about to the Corinthians the discipline from their treating the Lord supper and lightly and so tearing down the body of Christ and rejecting Christ or trying to turn. There's no turning back, there's no going back. You're going to the promised land Now. You can kill you here or you can keep going, but you're not going back, and that's the point. And so I find it interesting that we talk about loss of salvation when really the issue is you don't want to come under the discipline of the Lord, do you? You know there's nothing to go back to. That's the point. And so they were laid low in the wilderness because there's nothing to go back to. Salvation is forward, and if it happened, I don't think it will happen to you.

Speaker 3: 13:26

So how about let's move forward here, let's continue on One other point, and then we'll probably pull this to a close, but just kind of, we need to set the framework right at the beginning so we kind of know where this letter is headed, because our theological categories tend to drive the discussion rather than what the author actually says. And so you know, for example, in the, the one of the warning passages we call it in chapter, chapter six, you know verses one through eight. Then in verse nine, he says but, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, things which accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way, for God is not so unjust as to forget the work and the love which you have shown towards his name in having ministered and still ministering to the saints. All right. So the thing about going back move ahead. You can be unfaithful. God's not unfaithful, right. Israel can be unfaithful, god's not unfaithful, that's good. And so he is going to drag you, kicking and stringing. He may kill you and resurrect you and drag you into the kingdom, but you're going and there's no going back, right. And so so I think this is an important distinction that we need to make in our understanding. Otherwise we're going to get into this debate about can you, can you lose your salvation One of the logical fallacies that I hear, or things that I think people maybe haven't thought through.

Speaker 3: 14:57

They say, well, if they perished in the wilderness, then they weren't saved, right? Here's you know. I say, okay, well, they were delivered through faith in the blood of the Passover lamb. That seems to be problematic to saying they weren't saved. But If everyone who perished in the wilderness wasn't saved and Moses perished in the wilderness, yeah, he wouldn't allow to go to the land Then does that mean Moses wasn't saved, right, or so? Was it a fact? Was it? Moses lost his salvation, therefore he couldn't enter into the land? Or did Moses act unfaithfully and was judged for it, was disciplined for it, therefore he couldn't enter just as all of the others? Right, and I think that's the point. And so we tend to, I think, neglect the category of the discipline of the Lord. We don't have a category for it. It's a fearful thing to fall into the discipline of the Lord. You don't wanna do that and he will discipline you. If you're a son, there's no going back.

Speaker 2: 16:07

I think for so many. You're speaking for myself in my previous thinking that death seems so final, right and the judgment, the discipline, too severe, but paired with resurrection from the dead. Like you said, he might have to kill you and raise you from the dead and take you in, but that's the point is, they're looking towards resurrection from the dead. So death is not the end. Therefore it's not final.

Speaker 3: 16:30

And we've turned this whole thing into saved, not saved. You're saved for a purpose. You're saved to live out your faith. Otherwise, if it's just an issue of saved and unsaved, well then, once you're saved, why don't? We just you know you just die and you go be with the Lord. It's all great, no no, no.

Speaker 3: 16:55

It is your save, for the purpose of living out your faith in front of others and they coming to believe, and we live out the mercy that we've been given through Christ. And if we don't wanna do that, if we wanna go back, if we wanna, you know, continue in self elevation, law keeping you know, rejecting the word of the Lord, he's not, you know, that's not the plan, that's you know. So, again, we've turned it into this salvation, not save, lose your salvation, can you? No, it's representations, right. It's enduring, it's walking in a manner worthy, it's following the lead of all those who came before that operated by faith, by faith, by faith, because none of them ever received what was promised. That's the point. And what was promised was resurrection, eternal life in the kingdom. They never got it. And so if they didn't get it, but they endured and you're not seeing it right now, right? You know, talking about the first century when this was written then what's your choice? Well, follow what they did, endure like they did, because the alternative of not enduring and trying to turn back, that will not go well for you, right?

Speaker 3: 18:11

And so next time we're gonna pick it up in chapter two and in the author I was just saying. Paul, the guy close to Paul, whoever this is, is gonna continue their argument of explaining in chapter two, and then he's gonna walk into Moses. You know, in chapter three he's gonna say, look, christ is greater than the angels, Christ is greater than Moses. He's gonna say Christ is greater than the priesthood, he brings a better covenant. And if all of those things were in the Old Testament as great as they were and Israel rejected them, they got judged. You think it'll go better for you? That's a bad plan, right.

Speaker 1: 18:45

I think it's true a little bit Very logical.

Speaker 3: 18:48

So all the way down through chapter eight, really, he's spelling out this plan and then we'll turn into he brings a better sacrifice, he brings a better sanctuary, he brings a better covenant. What are you doing? This makes no sense, right? So there is no going back, and if you try, you're gonna be disciplined. So how about let's just right? So if chapter one doesn't lead you to chapter 11, chapter 12, and then application, chapter 13, then you're not getting it, and so that's what we wanna do. So that's our course of action as we head forward in the book of Hebrews. Awesome.

Speaker 2: 19:29

Well, so your little one phrase memory what's chapter one doing Christ is better than the angels, and that's heading somewhere in this next chapter. So we're gonna get there next week.

Speaker 3: 19:38

Christ is better than angels, and if they rejected angels, it didn't go well for them. So hold on to that. That's right. Because we're gonna talk about it more, we'll pick that up. That's good.

Speaker 2: 19:46

All right, we'll see you all next week for chapter two.

Speaker 1: 19:48

Thanks for listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our desire is to use the power of God's word to change lives. For more information, download our app. Join us next week for another episode of Teach Me the Bible. Thanks, everyone.