Latest / Reformed Thinking / Better Than All Before: The Final Word in the Epistle to the Hebrews | Thomas R. Schreiner

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Better Than All Before: The Final Word in the Epistle to the Hebrews | Thomas R. Schreiner · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. We have a deep dive for you
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today based on some material a listener sent over.
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It's focused on the New Testaments understanding of
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Christ's kingship and his priesthood.
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We'll be looking mostly at the writings of Paul and the Epistle
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to the Hebrews. Yes, and this material gets
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right to the heart of what we call the eschatological tension,
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You know, the already but not yet reality of our salvation.
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So our goal today is really to unpack how Jesus Christ is the
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fulfillment of those Old Testament promises, and maybe
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more to the point, why his finished work is the only solid
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ground for the believers conscience in this age.
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Right. So we're looking at a pretty
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clear argument that the new age has well, it's decisively
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arrived in Christ, but at the same time, we're still living in
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a world that's waiting for its final consummation.
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It provides both a theological framework and some really vital
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exhortations for those who belong to Christ.
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OK, let's unpack this. I think we should start with
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Paul and the just the massive scope of the kingdoms arrival.
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So with Paul we see Jesus immediately designated as the
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new David, the promised Christ. He's Lord of all.
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He's enthroned on high. And this isn't just a title, it
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signifies A cosmic victory, right?
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It overturns the whole order of things.
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Right. And the designation Christ
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itself is the key here. The material points out that
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it's not a generic title. It points back specifically to
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the Davidic promise you find all through the Old Testament
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Scriptures. So it grounds his authority in
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God's historical plan. Yes, Paul presents Jesus as the
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figure who steps onto the stage of history and just reorients
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everything around himself. What's compelling here is just
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the sheer scope of that victory. Paul seems to view the cross and
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the resurrection as the moment where Jesus triumphed over his
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enemies and atoned for sins. It's the fulfillment of that
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promise way back in Genesis 3.14, the victory over the
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serpent. And it's an achieved victory.
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It's not something we're still waiting for.
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It happened in history and it applies to us right now.
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So the resurrection isn't just a miracle, it's a signifier of his
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active present rule over everything.
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And for those who belong to Jesus, they are what immediate
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beneficiaries of this. Yes, of this accomplished
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salvation. Paul uses a whole range of words
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to describe this. You know, redemption,
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justification, reconciliation, adoption.
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And they aren't just separate terms, are they?
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They're facets of his current kingship.
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That's the case Paul fits conceptually, theologically,
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with all the other New Testament writers, even if he doesn't use
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the word Kingdom constantly. When Paul talks about
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justification in Romans, for example, he's describing how the
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reign of God, the Kingdom, arrives in the life of an
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individual. God declares the believer
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righteous. Right, based on Christ's
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obedient work. And this is a legal decree that
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happens now. The Kingdom really has come, and
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Paul describes his whole reality using that framework.
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We mentioned the already, but not yet.
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Let's let's zero in on that phrase because it's so central.
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Can you give us the specifics of what is already completed and
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what is not yet in Paul's thinking?
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How does he balance these two realities?
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The salvation, the great act of redemption, is accomplished.
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That's the already Christ has redeemed his people from the
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market of sin and death. The decisive turning point in
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the whole story of the Bible has already taken place.
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And that accomplishment secure salvation for those who believe
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yes. They're already reconciled to
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God. They're justified before him,
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adopted into his family. The new age has broken in.
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But the final curtain hasn't fallen.
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Precisely. That's the eschatological
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reservation. God isn't finished destroying
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every enemy. Death for example.
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It's been defeated in principle through the resurrection, but
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it's not yet abolished in our physical reality.
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We still feel it's sting. Paul talks about this in First
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Corinthians 15, doesn't he? That the last enemy to be
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destroyed is death. He does, and that will happen at
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the resurrection of the dead. So it means we live between the
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victory that was secured at the cross and the victory that will
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be consummated when Christ returns.
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And what about demonic beings? In a similar way, they've been
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stripped of their authority. They're standing before God.
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They can't condemn us anymore, but their final demise is still
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to come. So there's still a spiritual
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battle even though the war is 1. That's a good way to put it.
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The new David has arrived. He's brought the new exodus, the
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new covenant, the new creation. But we await the full
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realization of all those things. So where does this leave God's
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people in the present age, Practically speaking, if they're
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already saved, what does their life look like?
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This is where the theology moves into ethics.
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Because they are already justified and redeemed.
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The believer is called to live as if the not yet has arrived.
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Paul uses that metaphor of putting off the old self and
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putting on the new self, which is created in the likeness of
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God. Their life is a demonstration of
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the Kingdom that's broken in. So if they're justified by
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faith, how does that justification connect to
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Christ's kingship over their conduct?
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Justification is inseparable from kingship.
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It establishes who their King is by declaring them righteous.
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Christ asserts His rule over them.
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He breaks the reign of sin and death in their hearts.
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Like in Romans 5. Yes, Paul argues there that
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while sin reigned and death, grace now reigns through
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righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our
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Lord, the new life lived by the Spirit.
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What we call sanctification is just a practical outworking of
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having exchanged 1 ruler sin for another Christ.
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So the king rules not just the cosmos, but the hearts of his
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people. Securing not only their
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redemption, but also their new pattern of life.
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That reframes the struggle against sin, doesn't it?
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It's not a battle to earn salvation, but a struggle you
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wage from a position of cosmic victory.
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Absolutely. And Paul views the church as the
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place where Jesus as Lord, rules over or restored Israel, the new
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Israel. The church is the Lord's
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assembly. Right.
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They are the children of Abraham, the true circumcision,
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the Israel of God. The Church is body and temple in
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the world, radiating God's presence and the love within
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that body. The new life lived by the Spirit
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demonstrates this reality to the world and even to the angels.
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But the Church also exists in that not yet state.
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I mean, they're not fully glorified yet.
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They suffer, they face persecution, they wait.
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Correct. And that tension applies to the
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future of the whole world as well.
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Paul talks about God's promise of salvation to ethnic Israel
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and their eventual inclusion in the church.
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But his focus also expands to the cosmic scope of the
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promises. He promises a new world is
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coming. A transformed creation.
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Yes, free from the futility and devastation that marks our
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present creation. Romans 8 talks all about this.
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The present suffering of the believer is set against the
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immense glory that will be revealed.
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So the promise to Abraham, it expands far beyond just a piece
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of territory in the Middle East. It sounds like it covers the
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entire restored cosmos. It does.
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Paul interprets Abraham's promise as inheriting the world.
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All believers, along with Abraham, will inherit the world
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itself. And what about those who don't
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believe? They'll be excluded from God's
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presence forever. For Paul, God's presence with
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his people is the greatest joy of all.
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The hope isn't just freedom from pain, but the presence of the
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King. He's pretty vivid about that
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destiny, isn't he? Very this joyful presence with
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Christ and God, marveling at God's beauty and glory, that
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will be the occupation of the Saints in the world to come.
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We see this in 2nd Thessalonians 1 where Christ comes to be
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glorified in His Saints. It gives the believer a very
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clear picture of their ultimate destiny.
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It does a world ruled by a righteous king, where they reign
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with him and see his unveiled glory.
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That's a fantastic foundation. So if Paul establishes the
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sweeping scope of Christ's reign, we really need to look at
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Hebrews, which dives deep into the mechanism of that reign.
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Specifically, what kind of priest is this king?
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OK, transitioning now to the Epistle to the Hebrews, we see
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the same theological arteries are evident.
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The Kingdom has come in Jesus, but it's not consummated.
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Right, and the author of Hebrews uses both a linear worldview and
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a vertical one to make his case. OK, explain that distinction,
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linear versus vertical. The linear perspective is just
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history moving forward, the Old Testament shadows giving way to
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Christ, the substance. It's about fulfillment.
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The vertical aspect, though, is about how heaven has, you could
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say, come to earth. Access to the very presence of
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God is now secured through Jesus's sacrifice.
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He entered the heavenly sanctuary itself.
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And that framework immediately establishes Jesus's unique
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identity. It does.
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Jesus is God's priest, King, and son.
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The material here sets him up as succeeding where Adam failed.
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Adam was supposed to be a priest, king, extending God's.
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Rule, yes, and representing God's image.
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But Jesus accomplishes this vocation perfectly.
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The whole goal of redemption is to restore humanity to that
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original purpose. The introduction to Hebrews
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frames this dramatically. It sets the tone for the whole
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book. The prophet spoke to the
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ancestors in various ways, but those words, even though they
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were true and authoritative, are labeled old.
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But now God has spoken in these last days by His Son, providing
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the final and definitive word. And that sets up this
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fundamental contrast between the era of the law and the New
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covenant inaugurated by the Sun. The whole structure of the
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letter rests on that the former age of shadows is eclipsed by
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the new age of reality. And the main message of the
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letter? It's not just an abstract
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discussion. The author calls it a sermon.
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It's a homily written to urge the readers not to commit
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apostasy by going back to the old inferior covenant.
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So the warnings are tied directly to the theological
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argument about Christ's superiority.
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That's right. If they turn back to the law or
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the temple rituals for forgiveness, they're choosing to
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live in the past. They're rejecting the definitive
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word. The superiority claims are the
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foundation for the exhortations. The author immediately argues
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for Jesus's superiority over the angels.
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For a modern listener, why start there?
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Why are angels so important in this context?
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Because angels were understood to be the mediators of the law,
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the material notes that Acts and Galatians both mention this,
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that the law was received at the hand of angels.
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OK, that makes sense. So by establishing Jesus's
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preeminence over them, he demonstrates decisively that the
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era of the law is over. There's no valid reason to
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return to it for forgiveness. If the mediator of the new word
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is greater, than the new word must be superior.
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And this is where the eristology gets striking.
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It moves beyond just comparing roles into the very nature of
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Jesus. You have these two dimensions,
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his divinity and his humanity. Let's start with the divinity.
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How is the sun shown to be superior to angels?
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Who are these powerful spiritual beings?
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He is superior because he is the sun and angels are creatures.
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They're ministering spirits sent out to serve.
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The author uses a whole collection of Old Testament
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scriptures to make this case, asserting that God never called
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an Angel his Son in the unique way he does Jesus.
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And he's the agent of creation. Yes, the agent through whom God
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created the world. And remarkably, the author cites
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Psalm One O 2, which was originally about Yahweh creating
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the world and applies it directly to Jesus.
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He calls Jesus the unchanging Creator.
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That's a massive claim of divine identity, and the material says
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he also radiates God's very nature.
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Yes, as the eternal Son, he radiates God's glory and
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represents His exact nature. Angels worship Him and Jesus is
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identified as God through Psalm 45, where the Father addresses
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the Son as your throne. O God is forever and ever.
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So he's both the promised Messiah and fully divine.
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Yes, reigning over creation. But this high Christology, it's
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not just for intellectual contemplation, it's the basis
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for soteriology. Precisely.
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The author doesn't do Christology for its own sake.
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It is the only possible foundation for our salvation.
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And the climax comes in verse 3 of chapter 1.
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After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right
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hand of the Majesty on High. That sums up the core theology
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of the whole letter. Atonement is complete.
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The sacrificial work is finished.
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And that idea of sitting down is critical, right?
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It contrasts his finished work with the unending labor of the
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Levitical priests. It is absolutely vital.
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Psalm 110. Jesus, seated at the right hand,
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plays a formative role here. It signals his reign as Son and
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Lord. It means the work required for
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forgiveness is over. Are just ministers.
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Right, and the author's point is that it's just incomprehensible
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that the readers would go back to the law for cleansing after
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experiencing forgiveness through the Son who reigns from heaven.
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Then chapter 2 shifts to address the restoration of human rule
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which brings in the humanity of Jesus.
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It shows why he had to become a lower than the angels for a
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time. A necessary shift.
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It was God's original design for humanity, for Adam and Eve to
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rule the world, a privilege never given to angels.
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And the author observes that human beings are currently
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failing to do that. We see suffering and disorder,
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not humanity reigning. But Jesus changes that.
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Even though the world isn't as it should be.
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The rule over the world by human beings has begun in Jesus
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Christ. He's crowned his king, but the
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path to that kingship was astonishing.
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He was exalted through suffering, absorbing the penalty
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that humans deserve. He tasted death for everyone.
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Becoming perfectly obedient and his sacrifice as priest king
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restores that Adamic vocation for humanity.
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It sets us back on track to rule.
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Because we can only rule when we're cleansed from sin.
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That's it. He suffered not for angels but
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for human beings, restoring the rule that Adam and Eve lost.
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OK, so after the angels, Jesus is shown to be superior to the
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greatest figures of the old covenant, Moses and Joshua.
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A clear break with the former era.
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Moses was the esteemed servant and law mediator, but Jesus is
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greater. Moses was faithful in God's
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house as a servant, but Jesus is the builder of the house and the
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Son, not a servant. He's the architect and owner,
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and he secured an atonement that Moses never could.
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And what about Joshua, the one who led Israel into the Promised
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Land? What's the significance of that
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comparison? Joshua did not give Israel a
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lasting and permanent rest. The rest his generation
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experienced in the land was temporary, conditional.
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It pointed to a greater rest. As Psalm 95 testifies.
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Right. The author argues that Psalm 95
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wouldn't promise a future rest if the rest under Joshua had
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been the ultimate one. The rest available under Jesus,
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who is a great of Joshua, is the final Sabbath rest for God's
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people. So the earthly rest was a type,
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A shadow pointing to a heavenly reality.
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Exactly. The rest that's envisioned is
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heavenly entry into the city of God.
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The only permanent enduring rest is the one secured by Christ's
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completed work. So it would be senseless for the
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readers to go backward in salvation history toward a
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temporary rest. Completely senseless, which is
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why the warning that follows in chapter 4 is so severe.
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This systematic proof of supremacy just perfectly sets
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the stage for the book score argument, the obsolescence of
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the whole Levitical system. Right?
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So the core temptation for the readers was to revert to the Old
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Covenant sacrifices for cleansing, for forgiveness.
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Maybe seeking the comfort of a visible altar?
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A physical system. And the author addresses this
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head on by proving the superiority of Jesus's milk is a
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Decayan priesthood. This argument, which spans from
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Chapter 7 through 10, establishes that the milk is a
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Decayan priesthood surpasses the ironic and Levitical systems
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uses this mysterious figure, Melchizedek, who appears so
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briefly in Genesis. He blesses Abraham and receives
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A tithe from him. And the author finds huge
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significance in that if Abraham, the father of the chosen people,
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paid a tithe to Melchizedek, then Melchizedek must be
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superior to Abraham. And since Levi, the ancestor of
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the whole priestly system, descended from Abraham, he
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implicitly paid a tithe to Melchizedek through his
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ancestor. That's the logical conclusion
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the author draws. So the Melchizedekian priesthood
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takes precedence, and then he moves to the key passage that
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introduces this new order. Psalm 110.4, A priest forever
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after the order of Melchizedek. That promise must have been
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startling to people focused only on the Levites.
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It's signaled God was going to replace the existing system.
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It was revolutionary. That promise indicates the
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eventual obsolescence of the Levitical priesthood.
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I mean, if the Levitical system had brought perfection, if it
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could have truly cleanse the conscience, the promise of a new
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priesthood would have been completely unnecessary.
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So the fact that God promised a new order means the old one
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failed to meet the ultimate goal.
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Which leads to a profound consequence.
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Since there is a change of priesthood, there must logically
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be a change of law, a change of covenant.
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The old era of the law is left behind.
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And Jesus from the tribe Judah, not Levi, is clearly a new kind
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of priest under new superior order.
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And what really sets Jesus's priesthood apart is its
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perpetuity. The Levitical system just
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couldn't offer that. His priesthood is maintained
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forever by virtue of his indestructible life.
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That's a direct reference to his resurrection.
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It is Levitical priests. Well, they die, they have to be
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replaced, they're constantly rotating, cast.
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But Jesus continues as a priest forever.
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And the consequence of that permanence is momentous.
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He's able to utterly save those who draw near to God through him
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because he lives forever and continually intercedes.
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His ministry never stops, so our access and assurance never
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terminate. Plus, Jesus is morally perfect,
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unlike the Levitical priests who had to atone for their own sins
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first. Yes, the difference is absolute.
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Jesus has no moral flaw, no need to offer a sacrifice for
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himself. His once for all sacrifice
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secured forgiveness of sins forever.
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He is the guarantor of a better covenant, demonstrated by God's
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own oath. OK, so chapter 8 then introduces
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the new covenant specifically. Yes, contrasting it with the old
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the My priest is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in
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Heaven. It echoes that finished work.
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And the author makes a key point about the function of the old
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system. It was never meant to be the
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ultimate reality. Correct.
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The Tabernacle and priests were earthly copies, shadows of
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heavenly realities. The Old Covenant prepared the
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way for the new, signaling its own impending cessation.
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It was obsolete, ready to vanish.
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And the Old Testament itself prophesied this change.
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Particularly Jeremiah 31 promising full and final
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forgiveness where God would write the law on their hearts
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and remember their sins no more. The inadequacy of the old system
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is shown so starkly in the Day of Atonement rituals.
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Access to God's presence was severely limited, only the high
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priest only once a year, and only with blood to avert wrath.
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And even then, the cleansing was incomplete.
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It dealt mainly with external bodily matters.
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They pointed toward the time of Reformation that has now arrived
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in Christ. And Jesus offered his blood, not
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in an earthly tent, but in the heavenly tent.
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Securing eternal redemption and truly purifying the conscience.
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So the readers might have been tempted back to the old ways
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because those rituals were so concrete, so physical.
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That's the tension. But the material argues that the
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Old Testament sacrifices weren't rejected because they were
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primitive or messy. They were instituted by God
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himself, but they were typological.
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They pointed forward to the bloody sacrifice of Christ,
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showing that God's holiness requires satisfaction.
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But not by the blood of animals. Correct.
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They were shadows, while Christ's sacrifice is the
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substance, the true form, and the proof of their
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ineffectiveness is their constant repetition.
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If they had worked, they would have been needed a year after
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year. Their constant necessity just
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showed that the conscience was never fully cleansed.
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Yes, and the willing obedience of Christ is in sharp contrast
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to the involuntary sacrifice of animals.
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Christ consciously gave up his own body to do God's will.
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The core difference, then, is the finality of Christ's
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offering. It guarantees an assurance the
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old system never could. The contrast is presented so
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dramatically in Chapter 10. The Levitical priests stand
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daily offering the same sacrifices again and again.
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It signifies the work is never done.
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But Jesus having offered one sacrifice forever.
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He sits at God's right hand. The sitting signifies the work
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is finished, accepted, complete. And the fullness of what he
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accomplished is summed up in 10.14.
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By a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who
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are being sanctified. The basis for the believer
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standing before God is complete, and since forgiveness is
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secured, there is no need for any more sacrifices.
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The result for the reader is profound assurance and an access
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that read finds their whole relationship with God.
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Absolutely. The author wants the readers to
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have full confidence to enter God's presence because of
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Jesus's blood. They can draw near with the true
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heart and full assurance of faith, with hearts sprinkled
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clean from an evil conscience. Turning back to the old system
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offers neither forgiveness nor assurance.
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Only Christ, single superior sacrifice, does, and that
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assurance of acceptance is the very reason they must persevere.
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Which leads us right into the hortatory purpose of Hebrews.
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Even though believers have received a Kingdom and they've
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been perfected through Christ, they're repeatedly warned
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against apostasy. And the material stresses that
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all these warnings have to be read together.
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They're all driving home the same single point.
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Do not commit apostasy. 1st we have to figure out who the
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warnings are for that affects how we understand the threat.
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And they are dressed clearly to believers.
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He calls them brothers. And the author includes himself
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using we and us throughout these sections.
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It's a family appeal. And the readers are described in
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terms that really certify A genuine reception of salvation.
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These aren't warnings for non believers just hanging around
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the church. No, they were enlightened, which
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means conversion, receiving spiritual understanding.
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They tasted the heavenly gift, and the source suggests that
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taste here means a full experience, just like Christ
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tasted death. It's an authentic encounter.
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And the most important certification is their
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relationship to the Holy Spirit. That's the undeniable mark of
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belonging to Christ. Precisely.
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They have shared in the Holy Spirit, and the word for shared
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is used elsewhere for sharing a heavenly calling or sharing in
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Christ. There's no suggestion this is
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partial or inadequate. The gift of the Spirit is the
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certification that one is a true believer.
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So why warn genuine believers about apostasy if their
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salvation is based on the finished work of Christ?
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The warnings function as God's means of maintaining faith.
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They are designed to prevent the very thing they describe.
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They're not theoretical. They address a real temptation
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the readers were facing to turn back to an inferior system under
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persecution. OK, let's walk through the
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warning, starting with the first one in Chapter 2.
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What are they warned about here? The first warning is against
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drifting away, specifically drifting from the message of
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salvation announced by the Lord himself.
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The argument is simple. If the Old Covenant law brought
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judgement for disobedience, how much greater will the judgement
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be if they neglect the superior words spoken by the Son?
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So the threat is neglecting salvation, which leads to
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spiritual indifference and eventually destruction, Yes.
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And that emphasis on the word ties directly to the next big
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warning in chapters 3 and 4, which uses the example of Israel
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in the wilderness. The warning there is against
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hardening their hearts. Yes, and falling into unbelief
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which leads to disobedience. He uses the example of the
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wilderness generation who, despite seeing God's works,
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refused to believe and were excluded from the promised rest.
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The danger is falling away from the living God.
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And positively, they must hold on to their assurance until the
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end, striving to enter God's rest.
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The danger of unbelief is real and the consequences missing out
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on that final heavenly rest. Then we get to the third, maybe
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the most famous warning in chapter 6 about falling away.
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This passage is debated a lot. How does the source material
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interpret it? It's presented as a looming
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danger, not a description of their current state.
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The author is warning them, not declaring they've already
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fallen, and the context is vital.
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He expresses confidence that they are capable of attaining
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salvation. He's worried that by committing
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apostasy of this deliberate, public, permanent rejection of
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Christ, they would publicly shame him.
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Crucifying God's Son again, as he puts it.
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If someone has genuinely tasted the heavenly gift and shared in
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the Holy Spirit, what makes their turning back irrevocable?
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The text says they cannot be restored again to repentance.
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The nature of the sin is a final rejection of the means of grace.
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If Christ's sacrifice is the final, definitive word and they
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reject it, there's no other source of cleansing they can
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turn to. The imagery in 6.8, the land
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being cursed and burned points to that end time judgment.
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It designates the person confirming that judgment will
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fall in the apostate. This brings us to the 4th and
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arguably the most terrifying warning in Chapter 10 against
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deliberate sin. This is the equivalent of
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sinning with a high hand in the Old Testament.
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It's a willful, permanent rejection of Christ's singular
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sacrifice. It's not about struggling with
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temptation or a momentary sin. No, it's about trampling Jesus
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under foot. Rejecting his blood is unclean
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and insulting the spirit of grace.
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It's a total reversal of allegiance.
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They must not shrink back out of fear, but endure and exercise
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faith. And the language used for the
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final consequence here is just uncompromising.
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For those who turn away, there no longer remains A sacrifice
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for sins, and to say there is no sacrifice is to say there is no
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forgiveness. Their only prospect is a fearful
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expectation of judgement and a fury of fire, typical New
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Testament language for the last judgement.
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So those who shrink back will experience destruction.
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A poinia, Yes, a word commonly used for final judgement.
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And the 5th and final warning is in chapter 12, urging them to
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heed God's voice. Right.
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He contrasts the frightening scene at Mount Sinai with the
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access we have in the New Covenant.
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And the warning is we must not refuse the word God is speaking
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to them. Now if those who refuse the
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voice on earth, Moses, didn't escape, how much less will we
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escape if we reject the one who speaks from heaven, Jesus?
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The judgment remains severe. It does.
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Those who are not holy will not see the Lord, and like Esau,
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they will lose their inheritance.
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Chapter 11, the famous faith chapter, fits in perfectly here.
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It illustrates the necessity of perseverance by example.
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It keeps the reader from thinking this is impossible.
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Not at all. The ancestors, Abraham, Moses,
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they endured because they look to a future reward they didn't
26:25
receive in their lifetime. They followed the supreme
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exemplar, Jesus, who endured the cross because of the future joy
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set before him. So perseverance in faith is
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assured of vindication and reward.
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And the historical examples show that faithful endurance is the
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characteristic of God's true people.
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It seems necessary to conclude, then, that the warnings
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themselves are the means by which the promises are secured
26:47
for those who listen to. Them.
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That is the essential balance the author strikes.
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The warnings are genuine, the threat is real.
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Yet they serve the believer by spurring them toward diligence
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and faith. The author is confident that his
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readers will respond well and inherit the promises.
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So this deep dive really reveals how the New Covenant is a
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reality. Because Jesus reigns as the
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priest King, He's secured complete forgiveness and
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assurance. And the Old Testament isn't
27:13
rejected. It's read Salvation
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historically, typologically pointing forward to Christ, who
27:19
is the substance of all those ancient hopes.
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The Kingdom has come, the land promises, the earthly rests, the
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temple structures. They are all fulfilled
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typologically in the heavenly rest, the Sabbath rest that
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awaits the people of God. And the greatest blessing, even
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more than temporary land, is secure fellowship with God
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through Jesus superior sacrifice.
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Believers are simultaneously members of the city of the
27:43
Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and yet exiles on
27:46
earth looking forward to that homeland.
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They now have full access to God's presence through the blood
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of Jesus. That's the already reality.
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And the warnings maintain the tension of the already, but not
27:57
yet. They compel us to hold fast to
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the Christ who has accomplished everything.
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Because His work is finished, we can draw near with a true heart
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and full assurance of faith, and those who respond with faithful
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obedience will receive the consummation of all the
28:10
promises. So what does all this mean for
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you? If Christ's single finished work
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is the superior reality securing full and final assurance, what
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temporary inferior structure, what old covenant shadow, or
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what worldly security might you be tempted to look back toward
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today, forgetting the superior reality that has arrived and
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reigns now from heaven?