This is the first in a study that I am beginning on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Before going straight into the study, I want to bring you into my understanding of the place and the context of this epistle. It has long been a controversial epistle in regards to authorship, audience, and intent.
It is no secret that the twelve apostles were all Jews, or better yet, men of Israel, Hebrews. In their ministry before the cross, they were sent to preach to the Jews. In Matthew 10:5 & 6, the Lord told them explicitly not to go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans, but to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The Lord Himself said explicitly in Matthew 15:24 that He was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In Romans 15:8, the apostle Paul reminds his readers that “Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers”, and any reader of the four Gospels would have to conclude that His ministry was indeed to Israel. He did not come to take away that which God had promised, but to confirm it. Continue reading “God Hath Spoken”