Table Of Contents

Publication Details

PREFACE

1: INTRODUCTION
Author and Audience
The voice of the prophet

2: THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Kingdom theology
Fitting Hebrews into kingdom theology
The chiastic structure
The linear presentation or rhetoric

3: JESUS—DIVINITY AND HUMANITY (1:1-2:18)
God has spoken through his Son (1:1-4)
God has spoken through his exalted, eternal Son (1:5-15)
Therefore, pay attention! (2:1-4)
The Son of God became man, and suffered (2:5-18)

4: THE FAITHLESS GENERATION (3:1-4:12)
Fix your thoughts on Jesus, Son over God’s house (3:1-6)
Avoid the company of the faithless generation (3:7-19)
Do not emulate those who lost the blessing of salvation (4:1-11)
You are accountable before the word of God (4:12-13)

5: JESUS—GREAT HIGH PRIEST (4:14-6:12)
Embrace this high priest (4:14-16)
Jesus is uniquely qualified as high priest (5:1-10)

6: Beware of Apostasy—Make your hope sure (5:11-6:8)
The basics (6:1-2)
The apostate (6:4-8)
Who are these people?
What do they do?
What is their status?
The Rigorist Interpretation
The Theoretical Interpretation
Eaton’s Interpretation
The rare triple historical context
An encouraging word (6:9-12)

7: A BETTER PRIESTHOOD (6:13-7:28)
The anchor of hope (6:13-20)
Christ’s Pioneering Work
Introducing Melchizedek (7:1-3)
Melchizedek is greater than Abraham and his descendents (7:4-10)
The superior Priesthood of Melchizedek totally replaces the old priesthood (7:11-19)
The New Covenant and its guarantee (7:20-22)
A permanent priesthood (7:23-25)
A perfect priesthood (7:26-28)

8: A BETTER COVENANT (8:1-13)
The central point (8:1-2)
Heaven, not earth (8:3-5)
New, not old (8:6-13)

9: A BETTER TABERNACLE (9:1-28)
The Israelite tabernacle system (9:1-7)
The symbolic (typological) meaning of the tabernacle system (9:8-10)
The breakthrough of Jesus Christ (9:11-14)
The breakthrough leads to a new relationship (9:15)
The New Covenant is actually a New Testament or will (9:16-22)
Jesus, the High priest as testator and executor of his will (9:23-28)

10: A BETTER SACRIFICE (10:1-18)
The old dispensation (10:1-4, 11)
The Saviour comes (10:5-10)
The Savior’s work (10:12-18)
The work of Christ applied by the Holy Spirit (10.15-18)
The benefits of the cross and the Christian’s response (10:19-25)
The brief summary (10:19-21)
Three consequences of the cross (10:22-24)

11: THE FAITHFUL GENERATION (10:19-12:24)
Avail yourself of this great high priest (10:19-25)
You are more accountable because of this high priest (10:26-31)
Pursue the blessing promised to the faithful (10:32-39)
Join the company of the heroes of faith (11:1-40)
Keep your eyes on Jesus, seated at God’s right hand (12:1-3)
Endure discipline/suffering, as God’s true sons and daughters (12:4-13)
You are firstborn sons of God, already living in the future city of God (12:18-24)
Final greetings and exhortations (13:1-24)

12: AUTHORSHIP
Pauline authorship?
Recognition
Placing Hebrews in its New Testament context

13: HEBREWS AND MIDRASH
The characteristics of midrash
Hebrews as midrash

14: HEBREWS AND RHETORIC
Stephen
The Literary Genre
Hebrews as rhetoric

15: HEBREWS AND THE PROPHETIC

16: CONCLUSION
Defining Hebrews
Applying Hebrews today

Appendix: Sin and Sacrifice

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hebrews must be the most encouraging book in the New Testament. We know this because the whole book is signed off as a “word of encouragement” (13:22). This is a special kind of encouragement linked to New Testament prophecy.

The contents of Hebrews underlines its value. It constitutes the clearest and most worked out theology of the atonement, or the saving work of Christ, in scripture. It also provides the most explicit dual statement of the divinity and humanity of Christ. If you believe in Jesus and understand Hebrews, you should become profoundly assured of your salvation.

To understand Hebrews, one needs to fully grasp its architecture. The message is embedded in a remarkably intricate and balanced structure, which is used to articulate a powerful argument, or rhetoric. To hear the message, you must understand the rhetoric. This book will guide you in a careful reading of the whole text, so that you will see the structure for yourself.

It will take you through a devotional, focused and structured reading of Hebrews designed to fill you with encouragement and warning: to be the recipient of a prophetic word.