Discovering Hebrews

Background Information

The writer is unknown.

Though many people have been suggested as authors for this book, we simply cannot know who wrote it. Recurring suggestions include Apollos, Barnabas, Luke, Priscilla, Silas, and Paul. Even the early church fathers and witnesses wrestled with this question, with some accepting Paul as the writer while others were in disagreement.

In favor of Paul as writer, arguments include:

• The letter lacks Paul’s opening greeting and name found in all thirteen of his NT letters.
• The writing style and vocabulary is substantially different than Paul’s other writings.
• The writer relied on others for his information, while Paul had received his calling and apostleship directly from Christ. (2:3; 1 Cor 11:23; Gal 1:1, 11-12)
• The writer quotes exclusively from the Septuagint (LXX), whereas Paul quotes from both the LXX and Hebrew OT.
• The writer acknowledges the release of Timothy from prison, in imprisonment which likely occurred after 2 Timothy, so after Paul had died. (13:23; 2 Tim 4:9, 21)

In favor of Paul as not the writer, arguments include:

• It features some similar topics and themes to Paul’s letters.
• It quotes from Hab 2:4, just as Paul did elsewhere. (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11)
• The writer had a close partnership with Timothy. (13:23)
• It features a closing benediction of grace, customary in all of Paul’s letters (but also used by Peter, as well, and other Christian writers of that time).

The most popular suggestion is Paul, but more careful scholars do not usually agree with this tendency, largely because the Greek vocabulary and style of the book is strikingly different than all of Paul’s other books. Whatever the case, if Paul did not write this letter, then it was probably (likely) written by someone closely associated and familiar with Paul’s teaching and writings.

It is possibly written to believers in Palestine from Rome (or visa versa).

Though we don’t know exactly when this letter was written, it was likely written sometime before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by the Romans in AD 70. We say this because the sacrificial system was still in operation at the time of its writing (8:4, 13; 9:4, 5, 9; 10:1, 8, 11; 13:10, 11).

He regarded his readers as believers (3:1, 12-14; 6:9). And though believers, they were spiritually immature (5:11–14) and wavering in their faith (10:32-38). These believers had some kind of familiarity or relationship with the writer (13:19, 23) and may have been from Rome. In 13:24, Paul says, “They of Italy salute you.” This means either that the writer was in Italy, possibly Rome, and that the Italian believers wanted to send greetings or that Italian believers somewhere else with the writer wanted to say hello to their fellow believers in Rome. From the strong Jewish flavor of this letter, it may also be assumed that the audience consisted largely of professing Christians who had converted from Judaism.

The theme of this letter is “A Better Covenant.”

The purpose for this emphasis was simple in theory but difficult in practice. As believers who had departed from orthodox Judaism and the careful observance of the Mosaic Law, these people were being faced with difficult suffering as a result of their new faith. Not only did they face persecution from Nero’s antagonistic policies, but they also faced pressure from their former Jewish family and community who resented their newfound faith and departure from Judaism. As a result, these professing believers were facing a difficult choice – revert back to traditional Judaism or persevere in following Christ.

To resolve this dilemma, the writer of this book emphatically and methodically teaches that Christ is better. He is better than the prophets, angels, Moses and Joshua, and Aaron and the Levitical priesthood – all of which Judaism deeply revered. The reasoning, then, is that since Christ is superior to all of these things, then why would anyone revert back to something inferior. Christ was a better sacrifice and a better priest, and he provided a better inheritance in eternity for those who followed him (1:4; 6:9; 7:19; 9:23; 10:34).

The key word throughout this book is better (1:4; 6:9; 7:7, 19, 22; 8:6 [twice]; 9:23; 10:34; 11:16, 35, 40). As Robert Gromacki observes, “In Christ the believer has a better hope, covenant, promises, substance, country, and resurrection.”

This book features five difficult sections we call commonly call the “warning passages” (2:1-4, 3:7-4:13, 5:11-6:12, 10:19-39 and 12:14-29). Some believe these passages teach that a born-again Christian may relinquish his salvation, which they may call this “losing” your salvation. Others prefer to call it “walking away from God,” or something similar. Do these passages teach this? John 10:27-29, Romans 8:28-39, 2 Timothy 1:8-12 and 1 Peter 1:3-5 (to name a few among many others) indicate that the salvation Christ provides is a permanent condition. Knowing this, then what do these passages teach us?

The late Dr. Rod Decker says this about these passages:

These warnings are addressed to genuine believers who are not threatened with loss of salvation. Yet they are genuine warnings. Just because we are saved by grace does not mean that we can live as we please. God has established standards of holy living. To deny Christ is a serious matter. The writer of Hebrews is addressing that exact situation. His argument is simple. Trust God; go forward in your Christian maturity; don’t deny Christ, because to do so will result in God’s chastening. If we put our Savior to shame in the public forum, we can anticipate only judgment. In the words of Paul, “if we deny him, he will also deny us.” Those words, from 2 Timothy 2:12, were written during Paul’s last imprisonment just before he was beheaded by Nero, and that at almost the same time as these warnings were written to a group of Jewish Christians in Rome. None of these passages threaten Christians with the loss of salvation, but they do exhort and warn us of the seriousness of what we profess—and of the consequences of not obeying him.

So then, these passages give a serious warning to believers who put Christ to shame in a public way by sinning flagrantly and willfully or by withdrawing from public obedience to Christ, noting that such would receive divine discipline and withholding of divine blessing as a result. The letter as a whole is written to encourage believers to move forward in their Christian lives, despite opposition.

Despite the strong force and tone of these warnings, the writer gives instructions to his audience by using what’s called a “hortatory subjunctive.” This method replaces direct commands with “let us…,” which is a gentler way of instructing that includes the writer in the command, as well. He does this thirteen times (4:1, 11, 14, 16; 6:1; 10:22, 23, 24; 12:1 [2x], 28; 13:13, 15).

Outline of the Book

One thing that makes this letter unique is that it is not really a letter at all. It seems best, instead, to identify this book as either a sermon or collection of sermons. At one point, the writer calls it “a word of exhortation” (Heb 13:22), which is the same thing expositions of the OT Scripture were called in a synagogue gathering (Acts 13:15). As William Lane says:

Hebrews is a sermon prepared to be read aloud to a group of auditors who will receive its message not primarily through reading and leisured reflection but orally. Reading the document aloud entails oral performance, providing oral clues to those who listen to the public reading of the sermon.… Hebrews was crafted to communicate its points as much aurally as logically. In point of fact, aural considerations, in the event of communication, often prove to be the decisive ones.

So, this book was written to be presented as a sermon – or rather, as a sermon manuscript. As a sermon, if features careful explanations of Old Testament concepts and Scripture quotations, careful theological explanations, strong warnings, as well as clear and direct applications.

I.          Christ is better than the prophets (1:1-3).

II.         Christ is better than the angels (1:4-2).

•           1st warning passage (2:1-4)

III.        Christ is better than Moses and Joshua (3-4:13).

A.        More glory than Moses (3:1-6)

•           2nd warning passage (3:7-4:7)

B.        More rest than Joshua (4:8-13)

IV.        Christ is better than Aaron and the Levitical priesthood (4:14-10:18).

A.        A superior position (4:14-16)
B.        A superior order (5:1-7:28)

•           3rd warning passage (5:11-6:20)

C.        A superior covenant (8)
D.        A superior sanctuary (9:1-11)
E.        A superior sacrifice (9:12-10:18)

V.         Application to believers (10:19-13:25)

A.        Be open about your Christian testimony (10:19-25)

•           4th warning passage (10:26-31)

B.        Be patient in your exercise of faith (10:32-39)
C.        Illustrations from history (11-12:2)
D.        Be aware of divine chastisement (12:3-13)

•           5th warning passage (12:14-29)

E.        Closing exhortations (13:1-25)

1.         Social obligations (13:1-6)
2.        Church obligations (13:7-17)
3.        Personal obligations (13:18-25)