This is one of four inspired epistles that were written to establish Jewish converts in the truth of Christianity. These epistles (Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter)—sometimes called “The Hebrew Christian Epistles”—deal specifically with things that concern believers who come from a background of Judaism.
The epistle to the Hebrews deals with the struggle involved in a Jewish believer’s leaving Judaism for Christianity. Having been raised in the long and rich heritage of Judaism, which had been given to them by God through Moses, it is understandable why they would have a difficulty in letting go of it. Their consciences had been formed to embrace the Judaistic way of approach to God; and to give it up made them feel as though they were violating their consciences. What they needed to understand was that the very same God who had established Judaism long ago was now calling them out of it because He had something better for them with His Son in Christianity. The writer of the epistle calls this “the new and living way” of approaching God (Heb. 10:20). Nonetheless, if the things that are presented in this epistle are understood properly, and acted on in faith, they would deliver the Jewish believer from that system and establish him firmly in the Christian way.
Why Leave Judaism?
To a Jew whose mind is ensconced in Judaism, the whole idea of leaving that God-ordained religion is unthinkable. He asks, “Why would anyone want to leave that which God has established as being the right and proper way for men to approach Him in worship? It would be disobedience!” The answer is twofold:
Firstly, because those Judaic sacrifices, forms, and rites had served their purpose as being a “pattern” of the “good things to come,” which have now been fulfilled in the coming of Christ (chaps. 8:5; 9:11; 10:1). The benefits that flow from His finished work on the cross are not only for Christians, but also for Israel and the Gentile nations who will be blessed in His coming millennial kingdom (See Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 27, p. 385.) Hence, there is now no need for the “shadow” of these things in Judaism when we have “the image itself” (chap. 10:1).
Secondly, God has called a new heavenly company of believers into existence (the Church) that is separate and distinct from Israel, and which has no need for the outward forms and rituals in its approach to God. Before the foundation of the world was laid—and therefore, before God called Israel into a covenant relationship with Himself—He purposed to call this heavenly company of believers out of the world and to give them a heavenly destiny with Christ. God did not reveal this in Old Testament times, but waited for redemption to be accomplished in Christ’s death on the cross. After that, God sent the Spirit to disclose this secret in what the New Testament calls “the Mystery” (Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 1:8-10; 3:3-11; 5:32; 6:19; Col. 1:5, 25-27; 2:2-3).
The calling and formation of the Church would be a completely new concept to Jews, because it is something that is outside the scope of revelation given to them in the Old Testament. The formation of the Church at this present time does not in any way upset God’s promises to bless Israel according to what their prophets taught. God will keep His Word to them and will bless them on earth in Christ’s millennial kingdom. In contrast to this, the Church’s sphere of blessing, in Christ, is heavenly. Hence, in the coming kingdom, there will be two spheres of glory and blessing for redeemed men—“in heaven” and “on earth” (Eph. 1:10).
Jews and Gentiles who believe the gospel of God’s grace today are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are thereby made part of this new heavenly company. Since their calling and destiny is to dwell eternally with Christ in the heavens (1 Cor. 15:48-49; 2 Cor. 5:1; Eph. 1:3; 2:6; 6:12; Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:1-2; Heb. 3:1; 8:1-2; 9:11; 10:19-22; 11:16; 12:22; 13:14; 1 Peter 1:4), they have been given “a new and living way” to approach God in worship within “the holiest”—the immediate presence of God (Heb. 10:19-22). This is a spiritual thing (John 4:23-24) as opposed to Israel’s worship which was predominantly an outward order of forms and rituals. This is because Israel’s worship was designed for an earthly company of people with an earthly calling and destiny; whereas Christian worship is a heavenly thing designed for a heavenly company of people. In many ways, these are contrasting orders. Since Christians stand in the presence of God with this incredible liberty to “draw near,” within the veil of the true sanctuary in heaven (Heb. 8:1-2; 10:19-22), they do not need a system of forms and rituals and a caste of priests to approach God in worship. This being the case, believers on the Lord Jesus who come from the background of Judaism are exhorted, in this epistle, to leave that earthly order for “the new and living way” in Christianity, because, as to their position before God, they are no longer Jews, but Christians. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11)
In a coming day, when the kingdom of Christ is established, the outward order of worship in Judaism will be used again on earth, by redeemed Israel, to commemorate the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross—which they will gladly accept (Ezek. 43-46). But today, for the heavenly company (the Church), that earthly system of approach to God is simply not necessary—in fact, it is a hindrance to Christians (Heb. 5:11-14). Hence, Jews who receive Christ as their Saviour (and are thereby made a part of the Church) are exhorted in this epistle to go “without the camp” of Judaism unto Christ who is presently outside of that system (Heb. 13:13).
The idea of leaving Judaism is not something exclusive to the writer of Hebrews. The Lord Jesus Himself taught that when He would be rejected by His own nation, He would lead “His own sheep” (true believers) out of the fold of Judaism and into the “flock” of Christianity wherein they would be linked together with “other sheep”—Gentile believers (John 10:1-16). This is something that He did not do during His life and ministry on earth, but only after all efforts of the Holy Spirit to call the nation to repentance (through the apostles) had failed (Acts 1-7). It was only after Christ’s formal rejection by the leaders of the nation, demonstrated by their stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), that He began His work of leading believers out of the Jewish fold.
The Cost of Leaving Judaism
Such a step, however, was (and still is) a costly thing for Jewish Christians. When a person left the faith of his forefathers for the Lord Jesus, he was considered an apostate (Acts 21:21 – “apostasy from Moses”). He would be “excommunicated” from the congregation (John 9:34 – marginal reading), and thereafter, persecuted by his fellow countrymen (Heb. 10:33-34). Oftentimes the person’s family would have a mock funeral for him and disinherit him! In some cases, leaving Judaism would lead to martyrdom (Acts 22:4).
Every conceivable effort would be made to convince the one who had stepped away from Judaism into Christianity to renounce Christ and to return to Judaism. Strong arguments would be used to persuade the person of his so-called “mistake.” The Jews would proudly point to the heritage that they had in Judaism. They had the writings of their prophets (the Scriptures), the ministry of angels, great leaders such as Moses and Joshua, an inheritance in the land of Canaan that flowed with milk and honey, the Aaronic priesthood, the sacred sanctuary where God Himself dwelt, the covenant of Law which morally was holy, just, and good, and the venerated service of God carried out through an elaborate array of rituals and sacrifices and offerings. The unbelieving Jews would ask the deserter, “Why would you want to leave such a rich heritage for a new religion that has nothing to show for it, but a table in an upper room with bread and wine on it?” To the Jew who held tightly to Judaism, it was senseless.
The unbelieving Jews would ask, “What does Christianity have in comparison to all this which we have in Judaism?” This epistle affords the Jewish believer with a definitive answer to this taunt. The divinely inspired writer proceeds to hold up one venerated thing after another that distinguished the Jews’ religion, and compares it to what we have in Christianity, and in every case, he shows that Christians have something far superior in Christ. He presents:
The superiority of the Son to the prophets (chap. 1:1-3).
The superiority of the Son to the angels (chaps. 1:4–2:18).
The superiority of the Son to Moses, the mediator (chap. 3:1-19).
The superiority of the Son to Joshua, the military commander (chap. 4:1-16).
The superiority of Christ’s priesthood to Aaron’s priesthood (chaps. 5-7).
The superiority of the New Covenant to the Old Covenant (chap. 8:1-13).
The superiority of Christ’s one sacrifice to the sacrifices on the Great Day of Atonement (chaps. 9–10:18).
The superiority of access into the presence of God through the blood of Christ (chaps. 8:1-6; 9:8; 10:19-22).
The great point made in the epistle is that Christ is superior to all the forms and rituals of Judaism. As the reader will notice, the characteristic word throughout the book is “better” (chap. 1:4; 6:9; 7:7, 19, 22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34; 11:16, 35, 40; 12:24).
Eternal Things in the Epistle
It is interesting that all through the epistle the Spirit of God seeks to attach the reader’s heart to heavenly and eternal things, rather than to what is earthly and temporal. J. N. Darby said, “The reader will remark how anxiously, so to speak, the Epistle here attaches the epithet ‘eternal’ to everything. It was not a temporary or earthly ground of relationship with God, but an eternal one; so of redemption; so of inheritance. Corresponding to this, as to the work on earth, it is once for all. It is not unimportant to notice this as to the nature of the work. Hence the epithet is attached even to the Spirit” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, footnote, p. 335 – Loizeaux edition). These are:
“Eternal” salvation (chap. 5:9).
“Eternal” judgment (chap. 6:2).
“Eternal” redemption (chap. 9:12).
“Eternal” Spirit (chap. 9:14).
“Eternal” inheritance (chap. 9:15).
“Eternal” covenant (chap. 13:20).
In addition to this, the writer also uses other terms and expressions to indicate eternal things:
The Son’s throne is “forever and forever” (chap. 1:8).
He is a Priest “forever” (chap. 5:6; 7:21).
The Son is perfected “for evermore” (chap. 7:28)
The Son sits “forever” at God’s right hand (chap. 10:12).
Believers are perfected “forever” (chap. 10:14).
The Writer of the Epistle—Paul
The epistle is anonymous. The King James Version (KJV) states Paul the Apostle as being the writer, but the title wherein this is stated is not divinely inspired—though most Bible teachers agree that the KJV is correct. This has been deducted from a statement that the Apostle Peter made in his second epistle. He says that an epistle had been written by Paul to the Jews, which he classes among the “Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15-16). What other epistle could he be referring to other than this one? If it is not this epistle to the Hebrews, then Peter was referring to a divinely inspired epistle of Paul that has been lost! This would mean that God has not preserved all of the Scriptures for us—which is something that Christians unanimously do not accept.
There are also certain internal evidences within the epistle that point to Paul being the author. For instance, the extensive use of Jewish figures and the many quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures show that the writer is purposely trying to gain the ear of those to whom he is writing by favouring their tendencies, without compromising the truth. This is a principle on which Paul acted in his ministry. He said, “Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I that might gain the Jews” (1 Cor. 9:20). Also, the way in which Timothy is spoken of suggests that it is Paul (Heb. 13:23).
It may be asked that if he is the writer, why did he not introduce himself in his normal fashion, as in his other epistles? There are two or three reasons. First, Paul didn’t mention his apostleship here, in writing to his Hebrew brethren, because his apostleship was exclusively for his work among the Gentiles. He was “the apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13; 15:16; Gal. 2:8). He had no authority to address his fellow countrymen as an apostle. Peter’s apostleship, on the other hand, was for his work among the Jews (Gal. 2:7-8). This does not mean that Paul couldn’t address his Jewish brethren; it just means that if and when he did, he couldn’t do it with apostolic authority.
A second reason why he didn’t mention his apostleship was because the burden of the Spirit of God in the epistle is to present Christ as the great “Apostle” of our confession (Heb. 3:1). For Paul to bring in his apostleship might have been confusing and distract from that objective. Thus, he would have his readers to understand that the message in the epistle was coming from a greater Apostle than himself—the Lord (chaps. 1:2; 12:24-25). Paul, therefore, happily remains in the background in order to bring Christ to the forefront in a more pronounced way.
A third reason might be that if the epistle, which was written to believing Jews, fell into the hands of unbelieving Jews, and they knew that its author was Paul, they would never have read it. They would have dismissed the whole thing immediately because they saw him as a renegade from Judaism.
A Mixed Multitude—Five Warnings Against Apostasy
The epistle was written primarily to the remnant of the nation who had believed the gospel and had received Christ as their Saviour. However, it is evident from the warnings included in the epistle, that it appears some were there among this company who were merely professing believers and were not real at all. Such may have been attracted by the outward blessings connected with Christianity (the mighty signs and miracles, etc.) but sadly, they didn’t have real faith in Christ. It was, therefore, a mixed company.
The Jews who had taken the Christian stand were experiencing persecution from their unbelieving countrymen, and under this duress, they were getting weary and doubtful in the path. Some were tempted to give up and return to Judaism. For those who were merely professing believers, to draw back from Christianity would prove to be apostasy. Apostasy is the formal abandoning of the faith that a person has professed. This is something that only a merely professing believer could and would do. It is a very solemn thing, for once a person apostatizes from Christianity, there is no hope of him turning around in repentance. Scripture says that to recover such a one is “impossible” (Heb. 6:4-6). Since there were some among their number who were in danger of apostatizing, through the course of the epistle the writer gives five distinct warnings against drawing back from Christian ground and returning to Judaism (chaps. 2:1-4; 3:7–4:11; 5:11–6:20; 10:26-39; 12:16-27). In these warnings he explains, in no uncertain terms, the fatality of such a step and encourages them to go on in the Christian path with true faith, rather than to “draw back unto perdition” (chap. 10:39).
Some Christians think that these warnings teach that a believer can lose his salvation if he turns away from the Lord. They point to similar passages such as: Matthew 7:21-23; 12:43-45; 13:5-6, 20-21; 24:13; 25:26-30; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 22:31-32; John 15:2-6; Romans 11:22; 1 Cor. 9:27; 15:2; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29; 12:14; 2 Peter 2:1, 20-21 to support their argument. However, a closer look at these passages of Scripture shows that they are not speaking of real believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, but of merely professing believers who apostatize from the Christian faith. The problem that many have that leads to this mistaken conclusion, is that they don’t know the difference between backsliding and apostasy. Both of these things refer to a person’s departure from God, but one (apostasy) is infinitely worse than the other. A real believer may backslide, waver in his convictions, and walk at a distance from the Lord, but he will not abandon the faith and denounce Christ, which is apostasy.
It may be asked: “Why would these warnings concerning apostasy be stated in Scriptures that are written to believers, if they have no application to believers?” The answer is that the divinely inspired writers of the New Testament were, on many occasions, addressing a mixed multitude of real and merely professing believers, as is the case in this epistle. Thus, their remarks included warnings for any who were merely professing faith in Christ, who were moving among the real believers. Such remarks were intended to reach the consciences of these people and to awaken them as to their need of being saved. They are thereby warned that if they abandon the Christian faith, which they were professing to believe, they would be lost forever! Continuance, therefore, is the best and most certain guarantee of one’s reality (chap. 3:6).
The Two Kinds of “Ifs” in Scripture
Hebrews is a “wilderness” epistle. That is, the saints are seen on earth under testing, walking in the path of faith with Christ in heaven before them as their goal. The wilderness epistles (1 Corinthians, Philippians, Hebrews, 1 Peter, etc.) are marked by having “ifs” in the text.
In fact, there are two kinds of “ifs” in Scripture which are quite different: the “if” of condition and the “if” of argument. The “if” of condition assumes that there is a possibility of failure in the path, resulting from a person not being real or from faith in the righteous breaking down in some way. These are the kinds of “ifs” that are found in the wilderness epistles. The “if” of argument, on the other hand, has to do with the writer’s laying down certain facts in his presentation, and then building on those facts to make a certain point. When this is the case, the word “since” could be substituted for “if.” It has been often said that Ephesians has no “ifs” of condition. In that epistle, the saints are not viewed as being tested on earth, but rather, seated together in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:6). Colossians, on the other hand, has both: there is an “if” of condition in chapter 1:23 and there are “ifs” of argument in chapters 2:20 and 3:1. Hebrews also has both kinds of “ifs.”
The Epistle’s Application to Christendom
While the epistle was written to Jewish believers to help them get free from Judaism, we must not think that it has no application to Gentiles who have believed the gospel. The Christian profession, historically and at large today, has not understood the heavenly calling and character of the Church, and has imagined that it is some sort of adjunct to Israel. Christians generally, have misunderstood the instruction of Hebrews 9:8-9, 23-24, which teach that the Old Testament tabernacle system is a figure of the true sanctuary in which Christians now worship by the Spirit. Instead of seeing it as a figure, they have used the tabernacle as a pattern for their churches, and have borrowed many things in a literal sense from that Judaic order for their places of worship and their religious services. Thus, they have entirely missed the point that God does not want a mixture of these two different orders of worship (Heb. 13:10).
The following is a list of some of the things that have been borrowed from Judaism in the formation of denominational and non-denominational church groups:
The use of literal ornate temples and cathedrals for places of worship.
A special caste of ordained men who officiate on behalf of the congregation.
The use of musical instruments to aid worship.
The use of a choir.
The use of incense to create a religious atmosphere.
The use of robes on the “Ministers” and choir members.
The use of a literal (non-sacrificial) altar.
The practice of tithing.
The observance of holy days and religious festivals.
A registry of names of persons in the congregation.
It is true that many of these Judaic things have been altered somewhat by these church groups to fit a Christian context, but these places of worship still have the trappings of Judaism. In fact, sadly, this Jewish order has permeated the Church. Much of it has been around in Christianity for so long that it has become accepted by the masses as God’s ideal. Most people today think that it is good and right to have this Judeo-Christian mixture. Unfortunately, the mixing of these two orders of worship has destroyed the distinctness of each, and what has resulted from the mixture is something that is not real Judaism, nor is it real Christianity. Both have been spoiled (Luke 5:36-39).
What has happened, to a large extent, is that Christendom has joined “the camp” of earthly religion from which believers have been called out (Heb. 13:13). F. B. Hole said, “The importance of this epistle for the present hour cannot be exaggerated. Multitudes of believers today, though Gentiles, and hence in no way connected with Judaism, are entangled in perverted forms of Christianity, which consist very largely in forms and ceremonies and rituals, which in their turn, are largely an imitation of that Jewish ritual, once ordained of God to fill up the time until Christ came” (Hebrews, p. 1).
Since Christendom has become permeated with Judaistic principles and practice, this epistle has an important practical application to everyone in the Christian profession who names the name of the Lord. It calls believers to “go forth” unto Christ “without the camp” because He is not connected to that order of things at this time (Heb. 13:13). This means that we are to dissociate ourselves from Judaistic principles and practice wherever they are found, whether they are in formal Judaism or in quasi Judaeo-Christian places of worship. Sadly, this call is largely misunderstood and generally unheeded by Christians.
A Brief Overview of the Epistle
The epistle has two main parts: a doctrinal section, followed by a practical section. As in most epistles, the practical exhortations are based on the doctrinal truth that has been taught.
Doctrinal
(Chapters 1–10:18)
This section has two parts which correlate with the two ways in which Christ is presented in the epistle—as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (chap. 3:1). He is seen as an “Apostle” in chapters 1-2 and He is seen as our “High Priest” in chapters 3-10:18. An apostle is one who has been sent out from God for a particular purpose, and a priest is one who has gone into God’s presence to intercede for those in need.
As an “Apostle,” Christ has “come out from God” to reveal Him and to accomplish redemption (John 16:28a). As such, He is shown to be infinitely superior to the two great messengers that God used in Judaism—the prophets and angels.
As a “High Priest,” Christ has gone into the presence of God to engage in His present service as our Intercessor (John 16:28b; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14). He has gone there with a ministration that is both manward and Godward:
Manward—succouring (helping) those in need (chap. 2:18), sympathizing with those who have infirmities (chap. 4:14), granting grace and mercy (chap. 4:16), having compassion on the ignorant and those out of the way (chap. 5:2), and saving them in a time of need (chap. 7:25).
Godward—securing the new covenant (chap. 8), offering Himself without spot to God as a supreme sacrifice to put away sin (chap. 9-10), and presenting our praises to God (chaps. 10:21; 13:15).
Practical
(Chaps. 10:19–13:25)
This section contains practical exhortations based on the truth that has been presented in the doctrinal part of the epistle. There are seven main groups of exhortations centering around the words, “Let us.” (chaps. 10:22, 23, 24; 12:1, 28; 13:13, 15).