How can two people hear the same sermon and one is drawn closer to God while the other leaves unaffected by the message? The first listener had faith in God, but the second one did not.

The chapter begins with the word, therefore. This means that these thoughts are a conclusion (or necessary inference) based on what was discussed in the previous chapter (remember that the chapter and verse divisions are man-made). Chapter 3 had emphasized the importance of listening to Christ, not Moses. It also warned of serious consequences for those who reject the word of the Lord through unbelief. The writer does not want these Hebrew Christians to “come short” (verse 1) of heaven, but to “hold fast our confession” (verse 14).

In verses 4-11, he emphasizes that the Promised Land of the Old Testament (and the rest it offered) was not the ultimate rest promised to those who remain faithful to God. Joshua did not provide them with that final rest, although they did conquer the nations of the Promised Land and take possession of it (see Joshua 21:43-45). The final place of rest (Revelation 14:13) is heaven and this ought to be the top priority of every disciple of Christ, to live in such a way that we can live with Him forever.

(By the way, Joshua is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek name, Jesus. Both mean “Savior” – see Matthew 1:21.)

Looking into God’s word can tell us whether we are pleasing to Him or not (verses 12-13).

In verse 14, the author shifts to another comparison between the old and the new. Jesus is our High Priest today and He will be described as superior to the Levitical priests. The Hebrews who were in danger of returning to the Old Law needed to be convinced that everything about Jesus is better.

--Roger Hillis

There was no one more important to the Hebrew people than Moses (unless maybe it was David). Moses was the great Old Testament Lawgiver, the leader of the children of Israel during the wilderness years. He stood in the presence of God while receiving the Law and his face continued to shine brightly for several days (2 Corinthians 3:7-13; Exodus 34:29-35). The Messiah was to be a Lawgiver (James 4:12), “like me,” according to Moses himself (Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Acts 3:22-23).

Now the author of Hebrews reminds them that Jesus is to be “counted worthy of more glory than Moses” (verse 3). Both were faithful to God. Moses was faithful to the Lord in his house as a servant, while Christ was faithful over His own house as the Son of God. Jesus was God’s only begotten Son (remember Hebrews 1:5?).

So once again (and not for the last time either), the Hebrews are told to keep their faith strong in Christ and not to revert to the Old Law. He says to “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm to the end” (verse 6) and to be “steadfast to the end” (verse 14).

They are reminded of Israel’s historical failure to remain faithful to God, referring especially to the time in “the wilderness” (verse 8).  During that forty year journey, their fathers rebelled often against God and His chosen leader, Moses. Those who hardened their hearts and forsook the Lord died and their “corpses fell in the wilderness” (verse 17). Those who persevered were allowed to enter the Promised Land.

What does that mean to us today? We must not go astray in our hearts and turn from serving God. Do not rebel against His will for your life. The consequences will be eternal.

--Roger Hillis

This chapter emphasizes the importance of Christ’s message, due to His superiority over the Old Testament prophets and the angels, as discussed in Chapter One.

We must pay close and careful attention to the things that Christ has taught, either personally (the red letter parts) or through His inspired apostles and prophets. Salvation is available through the gospel of Christ which was accompanied by miraculous signs and miracles as proof of its validity. Those who obey will be saved, while those who disobey will be punished.

In verse 5, the author continues to show Christ’s superiority over the angels.

Men were created lower than the angels (Psalms 8:4-6). But the inhabited world was made subject, not to angels, but to human beings. God cares for us and, though we are lower than angels in power, we have been given an important position in God’s plan, that of dominion over His earthly creation.

Then He shifts his discussion to Jesus, who was also made lower than the angels, when He became a man and then was subjected to physical death. But He too had an important position in God’s plan as the Savior of the world and therefore, is crowned with honor and glory. He became the captain of human salvation, something angels could not have accomplished.

For that reason, we are brethren (fellow members of the family of God) with Christ.

Jesus took upon Himself bodily form, humanity, in order that He might destroy (to ruin utterly) the one who had power over death (see also 1 John 3:8). Previously Satan had power over the realm of death; now Jesus does.

This is why we can have hope in Christ. He controls death and will continue to help and aid us in our feeble attempts to serve God acceptably. Do not give up.

--Roger Hillis

This first chapter has two major sections.

Verses 1-3 point out the superiority of Jesus over the Old Testament prophets. Though God revealed His will “in time past” at various times and through many different ways, the primary source of His revelation was prophets. These were inspired spokesmen of God. Sometimes they revealed the future, but that was not the focus of their work. Ultimately, they were men (and a few women) who, by the process called inspiration (a God breathed message), told the people to whom they were sent, what the Lord wanted them to do.

Verses 4-14 remind us that Jesus is superior to (“so much better than” – verse 4) the angels. The angels were heavenly spokesmen for the Lord. The word, angel, simply means “messenger.” They were “ministering spirits” sent to help the people of God on their way to salvation.

But Jesus is far better than all the prophets and all the angels put together. He is the One through whom God has revealed His final will for mankind, in the dispensation called “the last days” or the Christian Age. Jesus taught that His words will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). His gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all people (Romans 1:16). We are warned not to add to His word or to take anything away from it (Revelation 22:18-19).

Christ is the One whom God called “My Son” (Hebrews 1:5). Not once did He say that to any angel.

He is the One who is worthy of worship, not the angels (verse 6).

Jesus is the king on His eternal throne and righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom (verses 8-9). To be like Him we must be holy and pure.

He is eternal. “Your years will not fail” (verse 12). This is a reference to His deity.

That’s why the Bible calls Him Savior.

--Roger Hillis

Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ in the first century was often a dangerous thing. There was persecution from both Roman authorities and from Jewish leaders that made it difficult for some to remain faithful to the Lord.

It was especially challenging for those Jews who had converted to Christianity. After 1500 years of being “God’s chosen people,” they realized the important place the nation of Israel held in God’s eternal plan. He had separated the family of Abraham as the lineage through which the Messiah (the Greek word is Christ) would come into the world.

But now that the Savior had come in the flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the plan of God was advancing into its next and final stage. This is commonly known as the Christian Dispensation, or the Gospel Age, or as “the last days” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

This transition was troubling for many former Jews. They had accepted and obeyed the gospel of Christ and were now New Testament Christians. But persecution and other factors were causing some of them to wonder if they had made a mistake. Some, perhaps many, were returning to Judaism.

This letter was written, by an unnamed author, to convince these Christians that they had done the right thing in obeying the new covenant. He reminds them that the Old Law was being taken out of the way (Hebrews 8:13) and had been replaced by a better way, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We commonly call this the New Testament.

The theme of this letter is “don’t turn back.”

--Roger Hillis

Lord willing, if the earth is still standing in the month of September, we will be posting a series of studies from the New Testament book of Hebrews. There will be an introduction and then 13 summaries, one for each chapter, from this amazing book. The lessons are many; their value is eternal. We hope you will join us beginning September 1 for this study. Thanks so much for your interest in the word of God.

--Roger Hillis

This week's major news headline is the violence and hatred perpetrated by many in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend. It is disturbing to all truly spiritual people to see so much ill will demonstrated in such flagrant fashions. Here are a few thoughts from the word of God that will help us all to keep a clear vision of what has happened.

"The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell... It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." (from Jas. 3:6-12)

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."  (Prov. 6:16-19)

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (Gal. 23-29)

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also... You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:38-39, 43-45)

The first seven verses focus on Philemon himself. Although this is one of the shortest books in the New Testament, we do have quite a bit of information about the man for whom this book is named.

He was a family man from the city of Colosse. His wife’s name was Apphia. Their son was Archippus, whom many Bible students think was the preacher for the Colossian church.

Philemon was a wealthy man. The book tells us that the church met in his house and that would imply a house of considerable size, which would also indicate substantial wealth. Most homes of the first century were small and could not accommodate a congregation of any size at all. Philemon’s home was likely large and, therefore, expensive.

Paul describes Philemon as a beloved friend, fellow laborer and brother in Christ. Philemon was also a disciple of the Savior who shared his faith with the lost. Paul prayed for Philemon in his work, which we commonly refer to a personal evangelism. He wanted Philemon to be “active in sharing your faith” (NIV).

Paul was a good friend of Philemon and referred to his companion in the gospel as a man of “love and faith.” What an honor it would be for all of us to be so considered.

Verses 8-25 introduce us to Onesimus and tell us why this letter was written.

What are the chances?

A slave named Onesimus runs away from his master, Philemon, and finds himself in the city of Rome. While he is there, he meets the apostle Paul, a long-time friend of Philemon, who is under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30-31)?

Paul, even while in prison, preaches the gospel to anyone who will listen and Onesimus hears the truth and obeys it. Paul says, in Philemon 10, of Onesimus, “whom I have begotten while in my chains.”

The apostle is now sending Onesimus back to his master. Onesimus is probably the one who carried the epistle to the Colossians, along with Tychicus (Colossians 4:7-9).

Paul asks Philemon to receive his former slave back as a brother in Christ. He tells his friend that, if Onesimus owes him any money, to charge that to his own (Paul’s) account and he will repay the full amount. Perhaps this indicates that Onesimus stole something from Philemon before he ran away?

Was this all just a big coincidence? Or does it show us that there is no such thing when it comes to God? He controls all things and we would do well to realize what great changes in our world can be wrought by sincere, fervent trust in God.

--Roger Hillis

Paul begins to conclude this letter to Titus by reminding him to tell other Christians of their duty to God. Don’t we all need occasional reminders of things we already know? And he emphasizes the importance of repetition in the whole teaching process.

The emphasis is on God’s grace once again, in verses 1-7. He contrasts how God sees a sinner (verse 3) with what salvation look like. What we deserve and what God makes available to us are two very different things. It is only through the kindness, love and mercy of God that we can be “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (verse 7).

As usual, Paul needs to spend some time teach how to deal with false teachers, those who would divide the people of God with their unprofitable and useless doctrines. Titus, as a preacher, needed to be prepared to defeat such challenges to the faith.

After a few personal references, Paul closes his letter to his young preaching friend.

Outline

• Verses 1-7 – salvation through Christ
• Verses 8-15 – things to affirm constantly

--Roger Hillis

As a local church grows and develops, one of the important aspects of securing the future is the handing down of the faith from one generation to the next. It is like the passing of the baton in a relay race or like Elijah passing his “mantle” of prophecy on to Elisha. It is the responsibility of the older generation to pass “sound doctrine” on to the younger disciples.

The second section of chapter two emphasizes that God’s grace and salvation are available universally. God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4) and His grace as shown in the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ is extended to all people. But in order to be saved, everyone must obey the Lord, including putting away all ungodliness and seeking to live a pure and holy life.

Outline

• Verses 1-10 – the older teaching the younger
• Verses 11-15 – the grace of God

--Roger Hillis