MacArthur Bible Studies: Hebrews

Top Highlights

“The primary teaching symbolized by the tabernacle service was that believers under the covenant of law did not have direct access to the presence of God (9:8) but were shut out of the Most Holy Place. The Book of Hebrews may briefly be summarized in this way: Believers in Jesus Christ, God’s perfect sacrifice for sin, have the perfect high priest through whose ministry everything is new and better than under the covenant of law.” (Page 4)

“One thing is clear from the contents of the epistle: The community of Hebrews was facing the possibility of intensified persecution (10:32–39; 12:4). As they confronted this possibility, the Hebrews were tempted to cast aside any identification with Christ. They may have considered demoting Christ from God’s Son to a mere angel.” (Page 2)

“The writer of this epistle emphasized the superiority of Christianity over Judaism and the superiority of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice over the repeated and imperfect Levitical sacrifices observed in the temple.” (Page 3)

“The heart of the Book of Hebrews focuses on the high priesthood of Jesus” (Page 36)

“The author of Hebrews is unknown. Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Luke, Philip, Priscilla, Aquila, and Clement of Rome have been suggested by different scholars, but the epistle’s vocabulary, style, and various literary characteristics do not clearly support any particular claim. It is significant that the writer includes himself among those people who had received confirmation of Christ’s message from others (2:3). That would seem to rule out someone like Paul who claimed that he had received such confirmation directly from God and not from men (Gal. 1:12).” (Page 1)