Analysis of Hebrews Theology

Theology: Analysis of Hebrews Analysis of Hebrews: Theology The Book of Hebrews is one of the most complicated and obscure books in the New Testament. It is believed that the book was addressed to Jewish converts in Palestine to warn them against apostasy. The central message is that Christians need to preserve in the face of adversity so that they do not perish. This text reviews what the book of Hebrews says about Christ as the High Priest, and the concept of apostasy.

Christ the Better Savior Chapter 7 of the Book of Hebrews teaches that Christ is the High Priest who sits at the right hand of God on the heavenly throne, and represents humanity before God.

There are multiple passages in the book of Hebrews that support Christ's work as a high priest: He made atonement for sin (Heb 2: 7); He represents humanity before God just as the Old Testament priests did (Heb 5: 1); He entered the most holy place (heaven) upon offering Himself as sacrifice, just as the O.T priests entered the Sanctuary on the Day of Atonement (Heb 9: 24); He intercedes continually for His people (Heb 7: 24-25); He helps those being tempted (Heb 2: 18); and He brings believers closer to God (Heb 10: 19-22).

As the preceding section demonstrates, Christ served as a high priest in every sense. However, His ministry was superior to that of the Old Testament priests (Jobes, 2011). Christ was a superior savior, a better savior compared to the priests in the Old Testament (Jobes, 2011). Here is why. First, Christ serves in the True tabernacle (heaven), set up by God Himself, and not by man as was the case with the Old Testament priests (Heb 8: 1-2).

This passage portrays the sanctuary in heaven as the true sanctuary; the Old Testament temple was just a shadow of the true sanctuary built by God Himself in the creation story (Jobes, 2011). The fact that Christ entered this true sanctuary makes his ministry superior to that of the priests in the Old Covenant. Secondly, Jesus' Covenant is founded on better promises than those of the Old Covenant (Heb 8: 6).

He brought salvation to humanity through the sacrifice of His own blood, with the promise of a heavenly kingdom, and not an earthly inheritance (Jobes, 2011). Thirdly, Christ is a better savior because He is pure and without sin. The Old Testament priests had to offer gifts and sacrifices for their own sins because they were human.

Jesus, on the other hand, was God and only took an earthly form to identify with human nature -- He was without blemish, the perfect sacrifice, fit for the holiest place next to father in heaven (Jobes, 2011). When He offered Himself as sacrifice, He did not do it for Himself, but for all humanity. Finally, Jesus was a better savior because He represented God's final solution. The Old Testament priests had to offer sacrifices day after day for their sins and those of their people.

This was an indication that God's final solution had not yet arrived. Jesus, however, offered Himself as sacrifice once and for all, and this did not have to be repeated because it was God's divine solution. All these instances depict Christ as a better savior than the Old Testament priests. Part Two: Apostasy in Hebrews The Book of Hebrews is focused on warning Christians against apostasy, which basically means falling back to one's old ways and beliefs (Tongue, 1960; Harrison, 1964).

The central teaching is that Christians need to persevere and hold on to their faith in the face of adversity so that they may not perish (Tongue, 1960). The author identifies three core forms of apostasy. The first form is total apostasy (Heb 6). This can be described as a heartfelt repudiation of the Christian faith and messianic beliefs once enjoyed by the believer (Tongue, 1960). This form of apostasy would occur if a Jewish Christian publicly repudiates Christ as an impostor and falls back to Judaism.

The author of Hebrews mentions that for this particular model of apostasy, it is impossible to turn the believer back to Christianity. The second model of apostasy is referred to as.