The Superiority of Jesus
Jesus Is God Chapter 1:1-4
Superior To Angels Chapter 1:5-14
Jesus Provides the Only Salvation Chapter 2:1-4
Jesus Is Fully Human and His Purpose Chapter 2:5-18
Jesus Is Superior to Moses Chapter 3:1-6
Jesus Warning About Unbelief Chapter 3:7-19
God’s Promised Rest Is Coming Chapter 4:1-13
Jesus Is The High Priest Chapter 4:14-Chapter 5:10
Warning To Not Fall From the Faith Chapter 5:11-14
Encouragement to Grow Doctrine Chapter 6:1-12
God’s Promise Is Sure Chapter 6:13-20
The Great Priest Melchizedek Chapter 7:1-10
Jesus Is Greater Than Aaronic Priesthood Chapter 7:11-28
The Priestly Work of Jesus Chapter 8:1-6
Jesus Is the Priest of The New Covenant Chapter 8:7-13
The Earthly Tabernacle Chapter 9:1-10
Jesus Is Priest of Heavenly Tabernacle Chapter 9:11-28
Earthly Sacrifices Do Not Cleanse Sin Chapter 10:1-4
Messiah’s Sacrifice Cleanses From Sin Chapter 10:5-18
Messiah’s Blood Was the Acceptable Sacrifice Chapter 10:19-25
Our Faith Must Continue Chapter 10:26-39
Faith Defined and Examples Chapter 11
Let Us Persevere To The End Chapter 12:1-3
God’s Discipline Chapter 12:4-13
Warning To Not Falter Chapter 12:14-17
We Do Not Come To The Mountain of Fear Chapter 12:18-21
We Come To The Mountain of Joy Chapter 12:22-24
Do Not Reject God’s Warning Chapter 12:25-29
Various Rules and Requests Chapter 13:1-19
Blessing and Prayer Chapter 13:20-25
Notes
The Superiority of Jesus
In everything, in every way, over every person, every angel, every creature. Superior in essence, life, wisdom, love, holiness, work, etc.
Jesus Is God Chapter 1:1-4
B1 The Son of God is heir of everything, everything.
B2 The Son of God is creator of everything. He did not create Himself.
B3 The Son of God is the exact substance (essence) of the Father and the Spirit. Essence is the stuff that God is. God is spirit.
B4 Those who saw Jesus in the flesh, saw God in the flesh.
B5 The creeds state: Jesus is one person with two natures. He is God as God is, and He is man as man is. See the Chalcedonian Creed. A shortened history with a few comments is here. You are encouraged to read the Athanasian Creed, too.
Superior To Angels Chapter 1:5-14
Jesus Provides the Only Salvation Chapter 2:1-4
B1 Since He is so great, the salvation that He has given us must not be disregarded.
B2 Dangers of disregarding it are all the punishments and effects of sin.
Jesus Is Fully Human and His Purpose Chapter 2:5-18
B1 Jesus
C1 Is one person, not two.
C2 Is one person, not some type of hybrid.
C3 Is a divine nature and is a human nature.
C4 Is a permanent state. As Schaff writes (Source): The union of the divine and human nature in Christ is a permanent state resulting from the incarnation, and is a real, supernatural, personal, and inseparable union—in distinction from an essential absorption or confusion, or from a mere moral union; or from a mystical union such as holds between the believer and Christ. The two natures constitute but one personal life, and yet remain distinct.
C5 Is one self-consciousness: As Schaff again writes: The self-consciousness of Christ is never divided; his person consists in such a union of the human and the divine natures, that the divine nature is the seat of self-consciousness, and pervades and animates the human.
C6 Is doing one ministry. This ministry is not just the God nature or the human nature. It is one ministry (caring, attending, serving). It was His purpose. He was successful. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.
C6 Jesus’s human did not exist until the incarnation. His human nature is not an independent nature.
C7 Divine nature is His personality (character traits).
C8 Before incarnation was in the form (what we would see) of God, who in the incarnation took the form of a human man.
Jesus Is Superior to Moses Chapter 3:1-6
Jesus Warning About Unbelief Chapter 3:7-19
B1 First principle taught: Do not harden our hearts by unbelief: Hebrews 3:7-8 NRSV Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness,
B2 Second principle taught: We are to encourage our brothers and sisters in the Christian life: Hebrews 3:13 NRSV But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
B3 Third principle taught: There is a relationship between obeying God and belief, and there is a relationship between disobeying God and unbelief. We cannot claim to be a believer and disobey His rules: Hebrews 3:18-19 NRSV And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
God’s Promised Rest Is Coming Chapter 4:1-13
Jesus Is The High Priest Chapter 4:14-Chapter 5:10
Warning To Not Fall From the Faith Chapter 5:11-14
Encouragement to Grow in Doctrine Chapter 6:1-12
B1 Do not deny Christ and abandon the faith (lose salvation): Hebrews 6:4-6 GNB For how can those who abandon their faith be brought back to repent again? They were once in God's light; they tasted heaven's gift and received their share of the Holy Spirit; 5 they knew from experience that God's word is good, and they had felt the powers of the coming age. 6 And then they abandoned their faith! It is impossible to bring them back to repent again, because they are again crucifying the Son of God and exposing him to public shame.
B2 Not all accept this interpretation.
B3 I have assurance, yet still believe it is possible, though incredibly rare, to deny faith. Think of Charles Templeton, Dan Barker, and Bart Ehrman.
B4 They had faith, enlightenment, heaven’s gift, partakers of the Holy Spirit, God’s goodness, and God’s power and blessing.
B5 They left the love of God to follow the love of the world: 2 Timothy 4:10 CSB because Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. [Emphasis is added]
B6 Mediator of the New Covenant: Hebrews 9:15 NRSV For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.
C1 The word loved is agape (ἀγαπάω agapáō).
C2 The word world is age (αἰών, aion)
God’s Promise Is Sure Chapter 6:13-20
The Great Priest Melchizedek Chapter 7:1-10
Jesus Is Greater Than Aaronic Priesthood Chapter 7:11-28
Chapter 8-9
B1 The Priestly Work of Jesus Chapter 8:1-6
B2 Jesus Is the Priest of The New Covenant Chapter 8:7-13
B3 The Earthly Tabernacle Chapter 9:1-10
B4 Jesus Is Priest of Heavenly Tabernacle Chapter 9:11-28
B5 As High Priest, He
C1 Sits at the right hand of the Father
C2 Ministers in the heavenly Temple in the Holy of Holies
C3 Is a priest because of a better covenant than the Mosaic Covenant.
C4 Offered His own blood, because the blood of animals is not sufficient: Hebrews 9:11-12 NRSV But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
C5 Purifies our conscious: Hebrews 9:14 NRSV how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
B6 As humans we need to know
C1 All must die, then the judgment: Hebrews 9:27 GNB Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.
C2 Jesus died only once for sins. There is only one sacrifice. It is finished. And, He will return to deliver us from this world: Hebrews 9:28 GNB In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.
Earthly Sacrifices Do Not Cleanse Sin Chapter 10:1-4
Messiah’s Sacrifice Cleanses From Sin Chapter 10:5-18
Messiah’s Blood Was the Acceptable Sacrifice Chapter 10:19-25
Our Faith Must Continue Chapter 10:26-39
Faith Defined and Examples Chapter 11
B1 Faith is believing God. This is seen by obedience as explained above.
B2 We have examples to encourage us.
Let Us Persevere To The End Chapter 12:1-3
God’s Discipline Chapter 12:4-13
Warning To Not Falter Chapter 12:14-17
We Do Not Come To The Mountain of Fear Chapter 12:18-21
We Come To The Mountain of Joy Chapter 12:22-24
Do Not Reject God’s Warning Chapter 12:25-29
Various Rules and Requests Chapter 13:1-19
Blessing and Prayer Chapter 13:20-25
Isaiah 25:9 WEB It shall be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us! This is Yahweh! We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”
Isaiah 61:10 WEB I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh! My soul will be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
