A question which the followers of Christ often hear is “Why are you a Christian?” Some people make the argument that the only reason some follow Christ rather than practice another religion is that they happened to be born to a Christian family or they grew up in a society that is heavily influenced by Christian thought and tradition. In contrast, if they had been born in India, they would most probably be Hindu. If they had been born in Thailand they would most likely be Buddhist.
There is just enough truth in this claim to make it plausible. But are people followers of Christ merely because of an accident of birth? Today we’re going to begin a series of programs from the book in the Bible called Hebrews. The message of Hebrews is that what we believe really does make a difference. Those of us who believe in Christ do so, not because of circumstances, but because of choice. Christ is superior to all others. The New Covenant which Christ inaugurated is superior to all other systems. It is worth dying for. To prove the case, the book uses words like ‘superior’ or ‘better’ at least 13 times.
We call the book ‘Hebrews’ because it was written to a group of people who had become followers of Christ from a Jewish background. We don’t know where they lived. However, it’s likely that they were in the city of Rome.
The people to whom this letter was written were in crisis. They had suffered persecution. Chapter 10, verses 32 through 34 tells us that they had been publicly insulted. Their property had been confiscated. Not only had they, themselves, suffered persecution but they had witnessed the persecution of other believers and had stood up for them.
As bad as the persecution was, it had not been life-threatening. Chapter 12, verse 4 says that they had not yet had to shed their blood. But that verse also implies that the possibility of having to give their lives for Christ was very real. It’s possible that the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor, Nero was just beginning. The question these people were starting to ask is, “Is it worth it? Nobody bothered us for being Jews. Is Christ, and the New Covenant in Christ, worth dying for? Wouldn’t it be better to go back to the Jewish religion and escape all this trouble? What was so bad about the Mosaic Law after all?”
We don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews. There has been controversy and speculation about it from the beginning. The majority of early Christians thought that Paul was probably the author. However, the important thing is the message, not the writer. Whoever he was, he was steeped in the Old Testament Scriptures and was intimately acquainted with the Jewish Temple and Temple ritual.
Another thing we need to understand about the book of Hebrews is the writer’s view of the Old Testament Scriptures. To him they are not merely words, but the actual words of God. In addition, all of the Old Testament, not just the specific prophecies, but every bit of it points to Christ. Hebrews is filled with quotations from the Old Testament to substantiate the argument the writer makes. In fact, several portions of Hebrews are commentaries on passages in the Old Testament.
With that as a background, let’s read from the first 2 verses of chapter 1. “God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son,”
In these verses we learn something very important about God: He communicates. God has a message which He wants to get across to us. And, it is God, not man who took the initiative. At the time of creation, mankind enjoyed a close and intimate relationship with God. But, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they became afraid and hid from God. Ever since, God has been calling “Adam! Where are you?”
Through the centuries, God spoke in many different ways to many different people. Sometimes it was through angels, as when the angels came to Abraham. Sometimes it was through dreams like Joseph had. Sometimes it was in the form of visions such as Ezekiel and other prophets saw. At other times it was in an audible voice like Elijah heard. At still other times God tried to speak to His people through object lessons, illustrations, parables and symbols.
Yet all of these methods proved to be insufficient and inadequate to convey God’s message. One reason that they proved inadequate was that they were fragmentary. God could only convey His message a little bit at a time. Sin separates and it makes it very difficult for us to hear God’s words. As Jeremiah wrote, “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they take no pleasure in it.” (Jeremiah 6:10 NIV)
But even when we want to know and hear God’s message, we are often incapable of receiving and understanding it. As Job said when he thought about what God discloses about Himself through nature, “…these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” (Job 26:14 NIV)
Another reason that previous revelations were inadequate is that human language is simply not capable of expressing who God really is. Isaiah writes, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” (Isaiah 40:28 NIV)
And so, we need a higher, a superior revelation. One which is adequate to fully convey God’s message and one which we can comprehend. In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son.