Over the next few Sundays, I want us to step into the life of Abraham and his descendants. Perhaps the first thing to spring to my mind when thinking of the patriarch Abraham is his great faith.
Faith is defined by the Dictionary of Bible Themes as a constant outlook of trust towards God, whereby human beings abandon all reliance on their own efforts and put their full confidence in Him, his word and his promises. As Christians, we know that faith is foundational to our relationship with God and we can trace that theme throughout Scripture.
We'll start our examination of Abraham's life and faith by taking a look at Hebrews chapter 11, where faith is defined as follows: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Heb 11:1-2). Abraham was a stranger and a pilgrim in the land of Canaan, just as Christians today should be foreigners to the ways of the world. We'll dig into the scripture momentarily, but first let's back up a step and think a bit about the epistle to the Hebrews.
We've studied the Gospel of John in our Wednesday night Bible study, using a book written by the American, Reformed theologian, R. C. Sproul, and we're currently studying Acts with a study guide by the same Presbyterian pastor.
Interestingly, Sproul preached his final sermon on Hebrews 2:1–4 on Sunday, November 26, 2017. That's 59 Sunday School lessons ago, if you're counting each Sunday. His final sentence in that sermon was this: “So I pray with all my heart that God will awaken each one of us today to the sweetness, the loveliness, the glory of the gospel declared by Christ.” By Wednesday of that week, he developed a cold that continued to worsen. He entered the hospital on Saturday, December 2, 2017, and passed away on December 14th at the age of 78.
Sproul was acutely aware of his own sin and of God’s mercy and grace in forgiving him. This was the cause of his desire to be kind to others. Most Sundays on the short drive home from church, R. C. would ask his wife, Vesta, if he had been kind to people in the sermon. [Okie, do you ask Tammy for a critique each Sunday on the ride home?]
Hebrews
- authorship debate
- intended audience
- broad thematic strokes
- supremacy of Christ
- the superiority of grace over law
- necessity of faith in order to please God
- warning not to fall away
Hebrews - Who Wrote It?
The apostle Paul wrote about half of the New Testament. Specifically, some say he only wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of New Testament, while others say fourteen. So which is it—thirteen or fourteen? The difference of opinion is over one book: Hebrews. Who was its author?
The letter closes with the words "Grace be with you all" (Hebrews 13:25), which is the same closing found in each of Paul’s known letters (see Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; and Philemon 25). This is one reason that many laity and scholars have, historically, attributed Hebrews to Paul.
And indeed, church tradition teaches that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, and until the 1800s, the issue was closed. However, though a vast majority of Christians—both and scholars and the laity—still believe Paul wrote the book, there are some tempting reasons to think otherwise.
There is no salutation, the letter simply begins with the assertion that Jesus, the Son of God, has appeared, atoned for our sins, and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven (Hebrews 1:1-4). It's not like Paul to fail to begin a letter with a salutation. Some sort of personal salutation from Paul appears in all of his thirteen known letters. So it would seem that writing anonymously is not his usual method; therefore, the reasoning goes, Hebrews cannot be one of his letters.
Second, the overall composition and style is that of a person who is a very sophisticated writer. Even though he was certainly a sophisticated communicator, Paul stated that he purposely did not speak with a commanding vocabulary (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:1; 2 Corinthians 11:6):
1 Cor 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1 Cor 2:1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
2 Cor 11:6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
Some attribute Luke as its writer; others suggest Hebrews may have been written by Barnabas, Silas, Philip, or Aquila. There is some archaeological evidence that the biblical Priscilla was a person of major influence in the early Church. Some have suggested that she wrote Hebrews. Others think the style of writing more indicative of a polished orator such as Apollo.
In his The History of the Church, third century Greek historian Eusebius quotes the Egyptian historian Origen: If I were asked my personal opinion, I would say that the matter is the Apostle's but the phraseology and construction are those of someone who remembered the Apostle's teaching and wrote his own interpretation of what his master had said. So if any church regards this epistle as Paul's, it should be commended for so doing, for the primitive Church had every justification for handing it down as his. Who wrote the epistle is known to God alone: the accounts that have reached us suggest that it was either Clement, who became Bishop of Rome, or Luke, who wrote the gospel and the Acts.
Origen of Alexandria, also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, biblical exegesis and hermeneutics, and homiletics.
If you read that last bit quickly, it almost sounds like some sort of medical diagnosis: exegesis and hermeneutics, and homiletics. That sound to you like something that requires an E.R. visit and some stout antibiotics?
And that word ‘hermaneutics’? I first thought that sounded like when a veterinarian neuters an animal.
Definition of theology: a scholar who studies of the nature of God and religious truth.
Definition of exegesist: one who critically dissects and explains the meaning of scripture.
Definition of hermeneutics: the study of, or teaching of, the methodology of exegesis.
Definition of homilectics: that branch of theology which treats of homilies or sermons, and the best method of preparing and delivering them.
On First Principles by Origen of Alexandria, written around 220-230 AD, is one of the most important and contentious works of early Christianity. It provoked controversy when written, provoked further debate when translated into Latin by Rufinus in the fourth century, and was the subject, together with its author, of condemnation in the sixth century. As a result, the work no longer survives intact in the original Greek. We only have the complete work in the Latin translation of Rufinus, and of course in later English translations.
In other works by the historian Origen, Hebrews is attributed to Paul's authorship. In the 4th century, Jerome and Augustine of Hippo supported Paul's authorship: the Church largely agreed to include Hebrews as the fourteenth letter of Paul, and affirmed this authorship until the Reformation. Scholars argued that in the 13th chapter of Hebrews, Timothy is referred to as a companion. Timothy was Paul's missionary companion in the same way Jesus sent disciples out in pairs. The writer also states that he wrote the letter from "Italy", which also at the time fits Paul.[29] The difference in style is explained as simply an adjustment to a distinct audience, to the Jewish Christians who were being persecuted and pressured to go back to traditional Judaism.[30]
Regardless of the human hand that held the pen, the Holy Spirit of God is the divine author of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16).
Hebrews - What Are The Broad Strokes?
Theologically speaking, scholars generally regard the book of Hebrews to be second in importance only to Paul’s letter to the Romans in the New Testament.
The book of Hebrews plumbs the depths of Christianity by addressing many false beliefs, missteps, and hardships that believers faced. In this get-back-to-basics book, the author was writing with the purpose of clarifying that only Christ, not sacred traditions or new ideas, was to be the center of a life of faith.
The late Dr. Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute and writer of the best-selling book Kingdom of the Cults, quipped in his usual tongue-in-cheek manner that the Book of Hebrews was written by a Hebrew to other Hebrews telling the Hebrews to stop acting like Hebrews. In truth, many of the early Jewish believers were slipping back into the rites and rituals of Judaism in order to escape the mounting persecution. This letter, then, is an exhortation for those persecuted believers to continue in the grace of Jesus Christ.
The book of Hebrews was written primarily to Jews who had converted to Christianity, but were now perhaps a little unsure as to the person of Christ.
Jesus is portrayed throughout as the perfect revelation of God and superior to Angels, Moses, Melchizedek or the Priesthood; and indeed was the Perfect Sacrifice that instituted the New Covenant. (Chaps 5-10)
It’s natural to read this book in view of our daily life, but it’s better to read it in light of who it was written to: men and women who were wrestling with faith in a life and death way that we may never experience. Hebrews wasn’t written merely for the purpose of correction or encouragement but also to fortify their souls because they were in desperate need. It is mentioned several times throughout this book that the audience was a specific group of believers who were facing persecution for their faith. With this solemn purpose in mind, we can look to Hebrews when life feels complicated, we feel our faith wavering and we need our souls realigned to truth.
Among the many topics the book covers, one topic it speaks to most extensively is faith. The author wanted the readers to hold fast to their commitment to God no matter what came their way. Faith in Christ was the foundation for this level of commitment.
According to Hebrews 11, faith is believing that God exists, that he rewards those who seek him and that we can hope in him because his promises will always be true. After the author defines faith, they put flesh on it in ways that both the intended readers and Christians today can look to to understand how to live an authentic life of faith.
Now let's turn our attention to Hebrews, chapter 11: I'll be reading from the New International Version. The New International Version (NIV) is a translation made by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. It was conceived in 1965 when, after several years of study by committees from the Christian Reformed Church and the National Association of Evangelicals, a trans-denominational and international group of scholars met at Palos Heights, Illinois, and agreed on the need for a new translation in contemporary English. Their conclusion was endorsed by a large number of church leaders who met in Chicago in 1966. Responsibility for the version was delegated to a self-governing body of fifteen Biblical scholars, the Committee on Bible Translation, and in 1967, the New York Bible Society (now Biblica) generously undertook the financial sponsorship of the project.
The translation of each book was assigned to a team of scholars, and the work was thoroughly reviewed and revised at various stages by three separate committees. The Committee submitted the developing version to stylistic consultants who made invaluable suggestions. Samples of the translation were tested for clarity and ease of reading by various groups of people. In short, perhaps no other translation has been made by a more thorough process of review and revision.
The Committee held to certain goals for the NIV: that it be an Accurate, Beautiful, Clear, and Dignified translation suitable for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use. The translators were united in their commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God's Word in written form. They agreed that faithful communication of the meaning of the original writers demands frequent modifications in sentence structure (resulting in a "thought-for-thought" translation) and constant regard for the contextual meanings of words.
In 1973 the New Testament was published. The Committee carefully reviewed suggestions for revisions and adopted a number of them, which they incorporated into the first printing of the entire Bible in 1978. Additional changes were made in 1983. In 2020, Zondervan published another updated version with 100 new articles and over 1,000 new study notes.
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
links to peruse in preparing SS lesson for 10/9/2022:
https://knoji.com/article/facts-about-the-hebrews/