This is my "over all" perspective on the context of the New Testament writing called Hebrews. It is formed through Hebrew's content and Hebrew's comprehensive thought line expressed throughout the writing. It is compatible with the enormous struggle many Jewish Christians faced when the church (1) was no longer primarily a Jewish initiative centered in Jerusalem and (2) contained more converted people from idolatrous pasts (gentile Christians) than Jewish Christians. Acts verifies both that transition and the struggle it created for Jewish Christians.

This is the writer's perspective on the "book" context of the writing called Hebrews. This context is formed from (1) the internal information suggested by the theme of Hebrews; (2) the religious struggle between those converted to Christ from Judaism and those converted to Christ from an idolatrous background; and (3) first century Christianity becoming more of a movement among non-Jewish people than among Jewish people. The writer perceives many incidents in Acts verify the significant struggle that occurred between many Christians converted from Judaism and many Christians converted from idolatry

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were ostracized by the non-Christian Jewish community. Rejection by the Jewish community left these Christians few alternatives. One alternative was being part of a Christian community composed primarily of people converted from idolatry. The structure and practices of that Christian community made these Jewish Christians uncomfortable. The heritage and practices of Jewish Christians strikingly differed from the heritage and practices of Christians converted from idolatry. Almost nothing in that Christian community was familiar to these Jewish Christians. Everyday life in a Jewish community had little in common with everyday life among Christians converted from idolatry. Some Jewish Christians experienced significant difficulties merely eating with non-Jewish Christians. Food was a huge issue! There were enormous challenges. For some Jewish Christians, the prospect of their children marrying Christians converted from idolatry was unthinkable. Yet, the Jewish community's rejection increased the likelihood of such marriages.

This is the writer's view of the original recipients of Hebrews. The crisis for these Jewish Christians that produced the occasion for this writing was their possible decision to return to the Jewish community. The fact that they were ostracized by the Jewish community weighed heavily on them. Becoming a complete part of the gentile Christian community made transitions necessary they considered unacceptable.

Thus the Jewish Christians addressed by Hebrews seriously considered leaving Jesus Christ and the Christian community in order to reenter the non-Christian Jewish community. That community honored and reverenced the same God Christians honored and reverenced. Reentry into the Jewish community would not abandon God. They simply would approach God through Judaism instead of approaching Him through Jesus. They considered this possibility so seriously that they restricted their contact with the Christian community. They had little or no contact with the converted former idol worshippers (10:25).

These Jewish Christians concluded they could minimize their problems by forsaking Jesus as the Christ and returning to the Jewish community. In their reasoning they concluded they could do this without forsaking God. The Jews worshipped the same God the Christians worshipped. The Jewish community just rejected Jesus as God's promised Messiah [Christ]. By rejecting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, they could return to their people, end the consequences of their rejection, and still be "true" to God.

The author of Hebrews told these Jewish Christians this option did not exist. The writer made two fundamental arguments. (1) Abandoning Jesus Christ was abandoning God. If they abandoned Jesus, they abandoned God Who sent Jesus. (2) Because of his spiritual superiority, Jesus Christ exceeded every spiritual benefit found in Judaism. In fact, the spiritual benefits God extended to Israel through Judaism could not be experienced apart from Jesus.

Make a brief survey of Hebrews. Note the ways that writer demonstrated Jesus' superiority. He wanted these original recipients to realize fully that God sent Jesus and gave Jesus his position. The point: rejecting Jesus is rejecting God and God's work.

A common perspective among many Christians today: if a Christian seriously considers abandoning Jesus Christ, just that serious consideration results in God abandoning that Christian. God does not and will not tolerate such thinking. In this perspective, even considering leaving Jesus automatically separates a Christian from God.

It is unlikely that such a letter would be written today to any group of Christians considering a deliberate act of apostasy. A large sector of today's church would conclude a group of Christians considering apostasy [regardless of reasons] were automatically rejected by God. Their position: "If you consider turning away from Christ, God does not want you!"

Read the text and note this. (1) At some point in the past, these Jewish Christians were exceptional Christians functioning on exceptional faith. In those "former days" when they were "enlightened," they endured physical suffering because they believed Jesus was the Messiah God promised Israel. Their suffering was produced by ridicule, by faithful support of those who were abused for faith in Jesus, by expressions of sympathy for those imprisoned because of faith in Jesus, and by confiscation of property. (2) In "former days" they endured suffering because they looked for a permanent, better possession. (3) They had not yet thrown away their confidence. The reward of that confidence remained. (4) They needed to endure knowing that doing God's will would result in receiving God's promise. (5) The writer had confidence that these Jewish Christians would have the faith that preserved their souls rather than losing that faith by abandoning Jesus.

Have the class use today's text to note how exceptional these Christians' faith was in the past. These were not "new believers." In the past they paid significant prices for faith in Jesus.

Note: though they were seriously considering abandoning Jesus, they were not severed from God (10:35). Enduring was still a choice (10:36). Receiving the reward [God's promise] was still possible (10:35,36). Preservation of the soul was still possible (10: 39). Too often Christians lose patience with a struggling Christian before God loses patience with him or her.

Note this fact: serious consideration of abandoning Jesus did not automatically severe them from God. The writer did not say, "How could you consider doing this?" The writer said, "You need to persevere [hang in there!]." The writer clearly declared they had not yet forfeited their reward.

The writer left no doubt that abandoning Jesus produced dire consequences. Willfully continuing in sin [apostasy, abandoning Jesus] after knowing Jesus' identity results in the destruction of God's sacrifice for sin (10:26). It is as if God made no sacrifice for that person. He or she stands alone before God in all his or her evil. All that remains is the terrifying expectation of God's judgment (10:27). God's judgment will not be an occasion of mercy, but an occasion of fury. Christians who willfully abandon Jesus will receive the just brunt of God's fury, His most severe punishment (10:29,30). Rather than being rescued by God's mercy, such people will fall into His vengeance.

The writer did not suggest that their possible course of action had no consequences. He clearly enumerated the consequences of abandoning Jesus. He made it quite clear that the consequences were unthinkable.

Obviously, the writer's emphasis on God's patience was not an encouragement to proceed with evil considerations. The consequences of the decision to abandon Jesus were certain, but God's patience was also certain.

One cannot note the writer's emphasis on the consequences of apostasy and conclude that he encouraged these Jewish Christians to do evil by emphasizing God's patience.

Matthew 13 has a series of kingdom parables. Kingdoms were an actual life reality in the first century world. God ruled a kingdom. Those who surrendered to and accepted His sovereignty visibly [to human eyes] were in God's kingdom. However, being truly ruled by God was not determined by human opinion, but by God. Sometimes human hearts deceive human eyes. However human hearts never deceive God.

There is a distinction between visibly belonging to God and totally belonging to God. People see the visible [the outward]. God sees the total [the outward and the inward].

Past Christians struggled to understand the relationship between preserving kingdom influence and godly refusals to pass judgment on kingdom citizens. We still do. A fact that commonly suffers in that discussion/debate is God's patience. Too often Christians conclude God placed them in charge of "quality control." Often "quality control" further degenerates into just plain control maintained by judging. Today God's kingdom is not known for patience.

Too often Christians create problems by assuming commitments "to keep the church pure." God's kingdom always has been composed of people called from evil's kingdom to God's kingdom. Everyone in God's kingdom is a saved sinner. He or she can be in God's kingdom because God's grace in Christ makes God's forgiveness possible. No one is in God's kingdom because he or she is sinlessly righteous before God. Christians' role is the role of rescuers, not the role of "quality control" managers.

Jesus compared God's kingdom to a dragnet that collected both good and bad. God placed the angels in charge of separation. Many Pharisees must have been shocked!

From the beginning, Jesus knew that Jews who accepted him as the Messiah would include both the "righteous" and "wicked." God's kingdom was compared to a fishing net that caught all types of fish. The angels, not people, conducted the separation at the end of time. Many Pharisees thought they were in charge of separating the wicked from the righteous.

That series contained the parable of the tares. In early stages of growth, tares (a weed) and wheat look alike. When the wheat began maturing, the destructive tares were visibly different. Yet, the master forbade his slaves to remove the tares. At that point removing tares would destroy some wheat. Later Jesus explained God's angels, at time's conclusion, would remove those who caused stumbling and promoted lawlessness. Note God's patience.

It was evident that tares were among the wheat prior to harvest. Even so, the tares remained at the master's instruction. He did not want the removal of the tares to destroy any of the wheat. We humans too often do not care how much wheat is destroyed if we can remove the weeds from the kingdom. That is not God's priority.

Link to Student Guide Lesson 13

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David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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