Hutson Smelley - Better with Jesus: A Mission 119 Guide to Hebrews

The psalmist declares, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105) The Bible is unlike all other books, not only in its grandeur and scope, but because its words are God's Words. The Bible presents to us God's special revelation of Himself, His biased view of history past and future, the reality of who we are, and a picture of all that we can be. Woven within its pages and spilling over is God's redemptive plan for humanity, with Jesus Christ as centerpiece. We do not study the Bible merely to accumulate head knowledge, but with the earnest expectation of knowing God more and drawing near to Him. Each page has something for us, sometimes encouraging us, sometimes reproving us, always revealing God, and every jot and tittle a precious morsel for our souls. Against the backdrop of a world encased in darkness, it is the light of truth that pierces through all the deceptions and puts reality in clear focus.

Every generation faces challenges, and the present generation is challenged about truth and whether any absolute truths are knowable. Like all the ones before it, this generation needs to hear God's Word taught boldly, with clarity, without apology, in grace and love. And this generation needs to be reminded by those who teach that the Bible was written for everyone. God has spoken with clarity so that all believers who come to the Bible yielded to what God has for them can know its truths as they grow and mature. The aim here is to strike the proper balance between too little detail to elucidate the message and superfluous detail that obscures, so that this volume is accessible and profitable to laypersons and teachers alike who seek to understand the author's original intended meaning and the continuing relevance of that message today. With this in mind, the Mission 119 Series is designed to provide guidance for the exposition of books of the Bible with depth and a commitment to a plain sense interpretation tethered first and foremost to the context and flow of argument of the book under consideration before comparison is made to other books and the perceived systematic theology of the Bible. Of a certainty, the Bible has one author and contains neither error nor contradiction, but each of the 66 books and letters in the Bible must be allowed first to speak for itself as the teacher helps learners see the message of the book in context and its application principles.

A common sentiment today is that people need only "relevant" teaching from the Bible, which suggests portions of the Bible are irrelevant, and too often means they want three steps to raising teens in place of the perfections of God, five steps to a better marriage in place of how a believer matures and walks in the Spirit, how to find blessing and wealth in place of God's demand for holy living, and so forth. May I say that every word God ever spoke was relevant and remains so today. Those who would step forward as teachers of the Word of God only do people a disservice by trying to conform God's Holy Word to the world's bankrupt self-help counterfeits when what is most needful today is the plain teaching of the whole Bible as it is. Believers engaged in the Word and yielding to the Holy Spirit will find the most practical of wisdom and grace enablement for all areas of their lives as they draw near to God in the transformative experience of knowing Him more and more. May I also suggest that while some people will flee teaching that has depth and conviction, far more people in churches today are thirsty for more depth in the teaching. They want to see that the Bible is not clichs and recycled sugar sticks but truly a light from God unto their paths. In this vein, it is my prayer that this volume of the Mission 119 Series will be a useful guide for teachers of the Bible and a special blessing for students of the Word who aspire to know God more.

Hebrews is a doctrinally rich book laced with Old Testament quotations and allusions written to a first century Jewish Christian audience. Unfortunately, the book is not often expositionally preached, and yet it is as needful today as when it was written in the first century. As with the original audience of Hebrews, Christians today are being constantly challenged to conform to the world and compromise Bible teaching in order to get along, to be "politically correct," to avoid ridicule (like being accused of hating), and even to avoid physical persecution. The first century recipients of Hebrews faced persecution from non-believing Jews (see Hebrews 10:26-36, 12:3-4, 13:10-14; also note indications of persecutions and trials back in Judea from verses like Acts 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-26; 1 Corinthians 16:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:14). It is apparent from the substantial material devoted to showing that the new order in Jesus Christ is superior to the Law of Moses, as well as passages like Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-31, that in the face of their trials, they were tempted to turn from Jesus back to the Jewish religious system that rejected him. Accordingly, the fundamental message that Jesus is better than everything the old religious system had to offer, and that being a partaker with him in blessings and sufferings is better than compromise, is vital today.

In broad terms, the first ten chapters set forth detailed theological arguments that Jesus is better than the religion associated with the Mosaic Covenant, which was rendered obsolete when Jesus died on the cross as a once for all time sacrifice for sins, and for that reason, they would be insane for returning to the Mosaic Covenant and its animal sacrifices that cannot take away sins. Within these technical theological arguments are four "warning passages" about the severity of the consequences if they should give up on their faith in Jesus and return to Judaism. (Hebrews 2:1-4, 3:7-4:13, 6:4-8, and 10:26-31) A fifth warning passage appears within the exhortations of chapter 12. (Hebrews 12:25) These "warning passages" have led to extensive debate about exactly what consequences the recipients of Hebrews are being warned about. It has been rightly said that there are three sides to every issue. The two dominant positions are as follows: (1) continued disobedience leads to loss of salvation (justification); and (2) continued disobedience reflects that a professing believer was never saved (justified) to begin with. These warning passages are addressed in the notes and it will be shown that neither the context nor the language of the warning passages lend to these interpretations. Instead, the author is warning believers that if they turn from the Word of Christ back to the Jewish religious system of their day, they may suffer negative temporal (immediate) consequences and a loss of privileges and blessings in the future kingdom. In view of this, the primary exhortation is that they need to live obediently to Jesus and steadfastly endure in the face of life's trials.