1. Hebrews 1:3. What does “express image” mean?

NASB and others have it, “exact representation”. A stamp, a perfect likeness. If you have seen Jesus, He Himself said, you have seen the Father. The Greek word is character, the translation of which is obvious to us. God has stamped His own character on the Son, to the extent that that character is God Almighty, of the same substance as the One who does the stamping.

These are poor ways to describe a mysterious truth. Jesus did not manifest this God-ness very often, but when He did (transfiguration, resurrection etc.) it was clear that He and the Father are one.

2. Hebrews 2:9. Is Jesus lower than the angels?

That is not the reading of the text. For a little while, He was made lower than the angels. Or if you like, He was made a little lower than the angels. The meaning is the same. Becoming man placed Him in an inferior position to the angelic beings and the Father Himself. Hence, “My Father is greater than I.”

Buit this was for a little while. Eventually God raised Christ, humanly speaking, to the pinnacle of the creation (not that He was created!). Angels and all who dwell in Heaven bow to Him now. And in terms of His God-ness, that too was restored to manifestation level, back to the time when it was said of Him, “and the Word was God.”

3. Hebrews 2:10 (5:9). Was not Jesus “perfect” all along?

Becoming a child, Jesus had to grow in every way as a man grows. He was a perfect child, then a perfect youth, then a perfect man. Every step of the way He listened to the Father’s Voice and obeyed. He subjected Himself to the perfecting process so that we could see what it looks like ideally, and model our own life after His. He reminds us that regardless of what seems to be perfection today, tomorrow is another thing, with lessons to be learned, progress to be made.

4. Hebrews 2:14. How was it that the devil was “destroyed?”

The translators have veered away from this word “destroyed” in more modern translations. Nevertheless, it is possible to ascribe such a fate to our enemy as we look ahead in the book of Revelation and view him being cast into the lake of fire.

What is more important to us now is that Jesus has destroyed the power that Satan had to bring people to death and destruction. The victory at Calvary was complete. One day death itself will be cast into Satan’s eternity. His plans, his program of sin and death, his very person, one day all destroyed, but the death wound was opened at the cross.

5. Hebrews 3:5-6. The difference between Moses and Jesus?

Of course, the differences are vast and numerous, but for the purpose of the writer’s discussion here, we point out:

• Moses was a servant in the “house” of God. Jesus was the Son, the heir, over the house.
• Moses was worthy of a certain amount of glory. Jesus was above Moses in the receiving of glory, as the builder of a house is greater than the house itself.

6. Hebrews 3:14. Is our salvation conditional?

Whether one leans toward “free will” (Arminian) or “election” (Calvinistic) he must honestly face the fact that there will be difficult passages, if not books, to deal with. This verse is certainly a dilemma for the Calvins among us.

Here we are told that we are partakers of Christ if (how a Calvinist hates that word) we hold fast our assurance unto the end.

Pretty tall order. The next verse reminds believers not to harden their hearts, or they will not enter in to His rest.

So my salvation depends on me after all, and not Jesus holding my hand? Not so fast.

Look at verse 14 again. See it as a description, not as a command. How do we know who are the ones who will be partakers of Christ? They are the ones who hold fast their assurance. And how do they do that? The same way as they were saved. By the daily grace of God.

But in a big church there are those who have an unbelieving heart, a murmuring spirit as those who died in the wilderness. These are not the elect, but those who are posing as such.

Study it some more. Bottom line: Be sure that hardened heart is not your own!

7. Hebrews 4:2. Were all Israelites saved and godly people?

Obviously not. Israel is not just a name, it is a calling, an election. So too it is with us. There are unsaved people mixed within us, and the writer warns them over and over in this book. Then he softens the blow in 6:9, saying, “Beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you.” Two groups of people will read this letter. The unsaved will be warned, the saved will be assured.

8. Hebrews 4:3-11. Is this passage about the Jewish Sabbath? Canaan? Then what is the rest promised by God?

No, not about keeping the Sabbath every week. Nor is it about Canaan and the rest that would come to Israel when they settled in their own land.

“There [still] remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.”

And what is that rest? Verses 2-3: Hearing and believing the Gospel. The Israelites heard so many truths but perished due to unbelief. It is “we who have believed” who enter the promised rest.

And verses 10-11: The one who enters His rest is the one who has rested from his own works. That is ceasing to try to please God, and be saved by God by working to earn His favor. Even God Himself “rested” from His works on that seventh day. We must stop “working” too, stop depending on ourselves, and start trusting in what Jesus did. Those who do not come to God this way will fall eventually, and never enter the true rest.

9. Hebrews 4:12. How does one divide the soul from the spirit?

Man is a three-part being. Attempts to define precisely these three parts have been many. The body is clear enough. But what is the difference between soul and spirit? When the Bible says we were dead in trespasses and sins, does it imply that the spirit man was not functioning at that time? Would that make the “soul” correspond to simply human life?

If so, God is saying here that His Word, whether in Book or Person form, knows the intricate differences and dividing lines between human life and His life within us. We get them confused quite often. We may be over-awed by a religious song, only to find later that that which appealed to us most was the way it was sung, and the musical instruments that accompanied it. That is, the song was soulish and not spiritual. Nevertheless, there was a spiritual component to it and we took it as a package.

God is able to divide those two immaterial parts of our being, even when we are not.

God is able to look at thoughts and intentions as well as actions. Our actions may seem to be of the spirit while our motivation springs from the soul.

All of this seems to tie in with the present discussion, going back to verse one, of the people of God being very careful that they are approaching God’s rest properly. Are we living by faith or have we adopted a different standard? God knows the heart and will judge based on that knowledge, as he did unbelieving Israel in the wilderness.

10. Hebrews 5:8. Jesus “learned” to obey?

As in the discussion regarding perfection above, yes, Jesus submitted Himself to the learning process. And a major part of that process has to do with suffering. Even up to the Garden of Eden He was learning that though we wish something, and though we know God is able to give it, sometimes our prayers are answered with a “no.” He learned that the glory of the Father is more important than temporary satisfaction and avoidance of grief. And He passes those lessons on to us, who have a difficult time learning them…

11. Hebrews 5:14. Is not discernment a gift of the Spirit?