New Teaching from Dr. Burer
The Well, weekly audio teaching (with outline)
*New Series*
The Book of Hebrews
10 Hebrews 3:1–6: Jesus, a Worthy High Priest
Placement of this Section - In Hebrews 1:2 the author made a point that the present revelation of God is coming through a distinctly different kind of person that before, that of a son. Here the author again makes this point about Jesus in specific comparison with Moses, the key person God used to reveal his will to the people of Israel in the Old Testament. In the prior section of 2:5–18, the author made a point about Jesus’ connection to humanity even to the point of experiencing death on behalf of everyone. Here the author expands on that point by pointing to Jesus as the supreme example of faithfulness. Essentially the author is expanding his comment in 2:17 that Jesus is “a merciful and faithful high priest.”
9 Hebrews 2:5–18: Exaltation and Identification through Suffering
Placement of this Section - On the heels of the first warning passage, our author now turns to a related idea. In that passage, he made the argument that if every transgression under the Law was justly punished, no one who drifts away from teaching about Jesus will escape punishment since he brings a much greater salvation. He transitions to our present passage by focusing on various aspects of that great salvation: what God did in Christ in his earthly life, death, and resurrection, and what benefit it has brought to those who believe in him.
8 Placement of this Section - This is the first of the five warning passages within the book of Hebrews. It follows the section in 1:5–14 in which the author speaks about the superiority of angels, essentially basing itself on and growing out of that argument. After this section the author begins to describe in detail the many aspects of “such a great salvation”: Jesus’ incarnation, his exaltation, and his identification with his people. This first warning passage, then, seeks to get the readers’ attention by bringing them face to face with the magnitude and greatness of the faith which they have embraced.
7 Two Important Questions, Part 2
What is the “Age of Accountability,” and when can children express faith in Christ? - Let me preface my answers to these two related questions by stating that there is no open-and-shut case for any interpretation of this issue. There are godly believers on all sides who hold different viewpoints and are reading the same Bible. That means my responsibility as a teacher is to argue for what I believe to be the proper interpretation but also to recognize that I may be wrong and that all believers are free under God to hold to their viewpoint.
7 Two Important Questions, Part 1
What is the proper stance towards those who have turned from faith in Jesus Christ? - When we consider the warning passages in Hebrews, it raises the question of how we should interact with those who have turned from faith in Christ. Let’s imagine just such a person as an extreme test case, someone who at an earlier time professed faith in Christ and appeared to be authentic in that faith, but at the present time has no profession of faith in Christ at all and in fact utterly rejects Jesus. (I view this as quantitatively different from the person who has not renounced their faith but yet does not follow Jesus in obedience.) Depending upon our interpretation of the warning passages and related issues such as eternal security, we could understand this person’s present state in three ways:
6 The Warning Passages in Hebrews
Within the book of Hebrews are five passages which are collectively known as the "warning passages" within the book. They are 2:1-4; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:12; 10:19-39; and 12:14-29. (There is some debate as to the exact extent of some of the passages, but this is a general consensus.) They serve an important function within the book.: The author uses them as his primary means to motivate his readers to advance in their faith
5 Hebrews 1:5–14: Discussion Questions for Application Central Idea - The Son’s superiority to the angels is established through his nature and relationship to God the Father and their subservient role as God’s servants.
4 Hebrews 1:5-14: Jesus the Son, Superior to Angels
Immediately on the heels of the prologue, which previewed the topic which would be covered-namely, that God's full and final communication to his people occurs through his now-exalted Son-the author begins to flesh out the topic by describing the superior place of the Son to the angels. There is no indication that the audience was in danger of worshiping angels or exalting them inappropriately. Rather, he uses the superiorty of Jesus to the angels to set up his first warning and admonition to his readers, which will occur in 2:1-4.
3 Hebrews 1:1–4: The Prologue
Function of the Prologue
In ancient rhetoric the beginning of a work had to have an appropriate beginning. It needed to grab the reader’s or hearer’s attention, it needed to preview the topics which would be covered, and it needed to do these things in an artistic, pleasing fashion. The prologue does all of these. It is a single, powerful sentence which highlights major topics of the book. After reading through it we understand in summary fashion the theology the author is going to explain, and we have a basis for the exhortations he will give on how we are to live.
2 Introduction, Part 2
The book of the New Testament routinely known as Hebrews is a difficult nut to crack. It is in many ways an enigma, but it is also in many ways the clearest teaching in the whole NT about the value of Christ and his ministry on our behalf before God. By setting forth basic information that we do know about the book, we will begin our study by providing a foundation on which to build.
The book of the New Testament routinely known as Hebrews is a difficult nut to crack. It is in many ways an enigma, but it is also in many ways the clearest teaching in the whole NT about the value of Christ and his ministry on our behalf before God. By setting forth basic information that we do know about the book, we will begin our study by providing a foundation on which to build.
Find more great biblical teaching resources by Dr. Burer at www.bible.org.
Dr. Michael Burer is Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the assistant project director for the NET Bible and has contributed various studies to the bible.org site. His first book - A New Reader's Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, co-authored with Jeff Miller - was published Fall of 2008. 