“Long ago, at many times and in many ways” God spoke to his people (Heb. This 12-week study will help readers understand and appreciate how the book of Hebrews testifies to Christ’s supremacy through imagery, metaphor, and Old Testament analogy. If you don't understand this central truth, you'll miss the point of the Bible. The Bible is one great story-the story of Jesus. Jesus is the superior sacrifice (9:1–10:18). Jesus is superior to angelic beings (1:5–2:18). Throughout Hebrews, we see the superiority of Jesus Christ above all things. In Christ, we see the fulfillment of all the Old Testament hopes and promises, ushering in the long-awaited new covenant age. When one understands this, things become less complicated and much easier to understand. I would argue that the glory of God as revealed in Jesus Christ is the gravitational center of the book of Hebrews. In fact, the central motif of Hebrews is “Jesus Christ is better” (the words “better,” “more,” and “greater” appear a total of twenty-five times). With the Old Testament background in mind, the author argues that God’s glory and redemptive plan are finally and most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ. Hebrews contains thirty-five direct quotations from the Old Testament, along with many allusions and references. Hebrews helps us unfold the mystery of seeing Jesus Christ throughout the Old Testament.

Simply put, the book of Hebrews helps us unlock the glorious tapestry of God’s progressive revelation. Hebrews shows us that the Bible is not a collection of unrelated stories, but is rather one unified story-the story of redemption through Jesus Christ. This is why the book of Hebrews makes a unique contribution to the canon of Scripture. And when the majority of Americans think that “God helps those who help themselves” is a Bible verse, it only complicates things further.Īs a pastor, my fear is that, even if the people in our churches know some Bible stories, they’re often still missing the Bible’s story.

Accounts of people and events recorded from different authors, in different times, and in different cultures. You open its pages and find history, poetry, lament, and letters. It is a book containing sixty-six books, which are divided into two books (or testaments). This article is part of the Why Study the Book? series.

Seeing and savoring jesus christ