The author has discussed his readers’ immaturity (5:11-14) and offered a prescription for growing out of it (6:1-3). In the verses that follow, he paints a sobering picture of what happens when that medicine isn’t taken....
In Hebrews 5:1-10, the author briefly introduced Melchizedek (5:6, 10). He still has “much to say” (v 11) about Melchizedek and Jesus’ high priesthood which he’ll get to in chapters 7-10. But first he shifts gears to address his readers’ immaturity (5:11-6:3), to warn them against falling away (6:4-8), and to call them to endure in their faith (6:9-20)....
In the Old Testament, there were two primary qualifications for a high priest. First, he needed to be from among the people he represented (v 1). As one of them, he could represent them. And by sharing the nature and weaknesses of his people (and by having his own sins to atone for) the high priest could deal gently with the people’s sins (vv 2-3). In other words, while taking sin seriously, he could show patience, not indignation, toward sinners....
In Hebrews 4:12-13, the author said that we are completely laid bare before our Father in heaven and known for exactly who we are ...
Psalm 95 is the basis for Hebrews 4:1-11, and this gives the thrust for what the author asserts in Hebrews 4:12-13. As pointed out in 4:7, the focus is on “Today”. If you hear the Word of the Lord, do not be indifferent to it and fail to enter God’s rest. Using the Israelites’ disobedience as an example, the author says, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (4:11) This warning and encouragement to persevere has been a recurring theme in Hebrews....
Because of their “disobedience” (4:11) and “unbelief” (3:19), the first generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt were forbidden from entering the land of Canaan - God’s “rest” (3:11). But the next generation, led by Joshua, did enter it. ...
In Hebrews 3:1-6, the author compared Moses and Jesus. Now he compares the people each of them led. He shows that Christians living in these “last days” (1:2) are in a similar spot that the Israelites were in the wilderness - free from slavery but not yet home....
In Hebrews 2:17, Jesus was referred to as a “faithful high priest”. Now the author reflects on Jesus’ faithfulness by comparing him to an Old Testament model of faithfulness: Moses....
Regarding angels, the author has so far argued that the Son is superior to angels (1:5-14) and thus deserving of our full attention and obedience (2:1-4). In 2:5-9 he focused on the Son becoming human to restore humanity’s rule over the earth. Now he meditates on why the Son had to be truly human....
When God created people, he created them in his image to rule over the whole earth (Genesis 1:26-28). In Psalm 8, David reflects on humanity in its pre-fallen state. Looking at the stars in the sky, he marvels that the God who created such a vast universe should pay attention and give such great honor to humans. ...
Many in the church at Corinth were exaggerating the importance of certain spiritual gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and knowledge, and the church was fracturing because of this. Those with these gifts deemed themselves more important than those who didn’t, and those who didn’t were tempted to feel useless and unimportant in the church. In chapter 12, Paul reminded the...
Keep ReadingThe Corinthians found no shortage of things to be divided over. There was Team Paul vs. Team Apollos (1:12), weak Christians vs. strong Christian (chs. 8-10), and wealthy Corinthians vs. poor Corinthians (11:17-34). In chapters 12-14 we’re introduced to yet another point of division: spiritual gifts. Instead of appreciating the many ways God gifted his people, many in th...
Keep ReadingSo far, Paul has written to the Corinthians about divisions (1:10-4:21), sexual immorality (chs. 5-7), and Christian freedom (chs. 8-10). In this next section of his letter (chs. 11-14), he turns to address how the Corinthians should conduct themselves in the context of public worship, beginning with their conduct regarding head coverings and the Lord’s Supper....
Keep ReadingPaul has used the controversial issue of eating in pagan temples to teach on Christian freedom and love. In chapter 8, he argued that Christ-like love forbids us to do anything, however lawful, if it will harm other believers. We ought to be more concerned with building each other up than asserting our “rights”. In chapter 9, he pointed to himself as an example of this...
Keep ReadingPaul began this section of his letter (8:1-11:1) by addressing foods sacrificed to idols and emphasized the priority of sacrificing one’s rights for the good of the “weaker” brother who could not eat those foods with a clear conscience. Love for others, he said, should take precedent over our “rights”. Paul now turns to show how he has modeled this in his own lif...
Keep ReadingIn chapters 5-7, Paul addressed issues relating to sexuality. In addition to being sexually promiscuous, Corinth was also steeped in idol-worship, and Paul now turns in this section to address how to live faithfully in such a culture (8:1-11:1). Specifically, he addresses the matter of eating food that’s been sacrificed to idols. In doing so, he addresses the more founda...
Keep ReadingFirst-century Corinth was well-known for its sexual immorality, so it was no surprise that Paul had to address reports of it within the church (1 Cor. 5-6). Others in the church, however, perhaps as an over-reaction to Corinth’s blatant immorality, promoted an ascetic lifestyle which looked down on sex, even within marriage. Paul now turns to address this group in the ch...
Keep ReadingIn 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Paul rebuked the church for its failure to deal seriously with the sin of the of sexually immoral man in their midst. He concluded by saying that churches are responsible to pass judgment among themselves. In 6:1-11, Paul expands on this topic and rebukes them for “outsourcing” judgment to unbelieving courts. ...
Keep ReadingPaul has been emphatic that the gospel stands opposed to worldly thinking or “wisdom” (1:18-25). The cross, which demands a humble confession of our own helplessness, is at odds with and offensive to the Greek understanding of wisdom and power. As evidence of this, Paul pointed out that the church was predominantly made up of Corinth’s poor and unlearned (1:26-31), a...
Keep ReadingThough Paul has already addressed sexual immorality in chapter 5, his main emphasis there was not so much on the sin itself but how the church should respond to the man sleeping with his stepmother. In this section, Paul addresses sexual immorality more broadly, urging the church to flee from it and to glorify God with their bodies....
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