Opinionated Meanderings of an Old Grump
Brian’s deep-dive Bible study notes and commentaries.
Notes accompanying the Friday Night Salt and Light Bible study I led in California on Friday nights (hence the name Friday Night Salt and Light) were originally posted at http://fnsandl.blogspot.com, and have now been migrated to this website.
The writer now returns to his discussion of Jesus’ role as our great High Priest, quoting once more Psalm 110:4 proclaiming that Jesus is a high Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, and offering a much more detailed explanation of Jesus’ relationship to Melchizedek – the King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God.
Having warned that those who fall away from faith in Christ cannot be restored to their faith since they crucify Christ all over again in their unbelief. The writer now continues with a word of encouragement that he hopes for much better for his readers.
The Hebrews writer puts aside for the time being his discussion of Jesus’ role as our Great High Priest, and His relationship with Melchizedek – the priest and king of Salem, and takes up a brief exhortation for all believers to beware of growing stagnant in our spiritual lives, pointing out the need for us to continually grow in Christ. We then tackle one of the most difficult passages in the entire Word of God as the writer warns that those who fall away from the faith cannot possibly be redeemed again.
Now having thoroughly examined the concept of Jesus as the Living Word of God, we take up the idea that is the central tenet of the letter to the Hebrews – Jesus’ role as our great and compassionate High Priest.
As we continue our study of Hebrews we now come to one of the best known passages in the Bible as we consider Jesus – The Living Word of God.
Our concluding study of the Hebrews writer’s exhortation for us not to follow in the disbelief of the Israelites who disobeyed God’s command to go up from Egypt and conquer the promised land of Canaan. In this study, we examine God’s promised rest.
In Hebrews 3:7-4:2, the author uses the Israelite’s failure to obey God in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt as a cautionary tale for us not to harden our hearts to the Gospel message lest we not be able in the end to enter into God’s rest.
Having detailed the path of suffering, death, and resurrection to which Christ followers have received a heavenly calling, the Hebrews writer continues with an exhortation to remain faithful to our calling just as God’s servant, Moses, and the LORD Jesus Himself were faithful to theirs.
Having come in the flesh of a man, Jesus went to the cross for the redemption of all mankind from judgment for our sins. Then, being raised from the dead, Jesus is restored to His former glory, and has led the way for us to turn from our sins, and overcome death just as He has through faith in Him.
Having made the case of Jesus’ divinity, and given a strong admonishment not to disregard the Gospel of salvation in Christ preached by the prophets, the angels, Jesus Himself, and His disciples. The author of Hebrews now discusses Jesus’ dominion over all Creation, His incarnation in the flesh of a man, and our inability to perceive in our flesh His universal dominion because of the rampant evil presently in the world.
