Add parallel Print Page Options

God Has Spoken Through His Son

In the past God spoke to our people through the prophets. He spoke to them many times and in many different ways. And now in these last days, God has spoken to us again through his Son. He made the whole world through his Son. And he has chosen his Son to have all things. The Son shows the glory of God. He is a perfect copy of God’s nature, and he holds everything together by his powerful command. The Son made people clean from their sins. Then he sat down at the right side[a] of God, the Great One in heaven. The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is much greater than any of their names.

God never said this to any of the angels:

“You are my Son.
    Today I have become your Father.” (A)

God also never said about an angel,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my son.” (B)

And then, when God presents his firstborn Son to the world,[b] he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[c]

This is what God said about the angels:

“He changes his angels into winds[d]
    and his servants into flaming fire.” (C)

But this is what he said about his Son:

“God, your kingdom will last forever and ever.
    You use your authority for justice.
You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
    So God, your God, has chosen you,
    giving you more honor and joy than anyone like you.” (D)

10 God also said,

“O Lord, in the beginning you made the earth,
    and your hands made the sky.
11 These things will disappear, but you will stay.
    They will all wear out like old clothes.
12 You will fold them up like a coat,
    and they will be changed like clothes.
But you never change,
    and your life will never end.” (E)

13 And God never said this to an angel:

“Sit at my right side
    until I put your enemies under your power.[e](F)

14 All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will receive salvation.

Our Salvation Is Greater Than the Law

So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. We must be careful so that we will not be pulled away from the true way. The teaching that God spoke through angels was shown to be true. And every time his people did something against that teaching, they were punished for what they did. They were punished when they did not obey that teaching. So surely we also will be punished if we don’t pay attention to the salvation we have that is so great. It was the Lord Jesus who first told people about it. And those who heard him proved to us that it is true. God also proved it by using miraculous signs, wonders, and all kinds of miracles. And he proved it by giving people various gifts through the Holy Spirit in just the way he wanted.

Christ Became Like People to Save Them

God did not choose angels to be the rulers over the new world that was coming. That future world is the world we have been talking about. It is written some place in the Scriptures,

“Why are people so important to you?
    Why do you even think about them?
Why do you care about the son of man[f]?
    Is he so important?
For a short time you made him lower than the angels.
    You crowned him with glory and honor.
You put everything under his control.[g](G)

If God put everything under his control, then there was nothing left that he did not rule. But we don’t yet see him ruling over everything. For a short time Jesus was made lower than the angels, but now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for everyone.

10 God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering.

11 Jesus, the one who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He says,

“God, I will tell my brothers and sisters about you.
    Before all your people I will sing your praises.” (H)

13 He also says,

“I will trust in God.” (I)

And he says,

“I am here, and with me are the children God has given me.” (J)

14 These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have. Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps. He helps the people who are from Abraham. 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

So, my brothers and sisters, those chosen by God to be his holy people, think about Jesus. He is the one we believe God sent to save us and to be our high priest. God made him our high priest, and he was faithful to God just as Moses was. He did everything God wanted him to do in God’s house. When someone builds a house, people will honor the builder more than the house. It is the same with Jesus. He should have more honor than Moses. Every house is built by someone, but God built everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s whole house. He told people what God would say in the future. But Christ is faithful in ruling God’s house as the Son. And we are God’s house, if we remain confident of the great hope we are glad to say we have.

We Must Continue to Follow God

So it is just as the Holy Spirit says:

“If you hear God’s voice today,
    don’t be stubborn as you were in the past,
when you turned against God.
    That was the day you tested God in the desert.
For 40 years in the desert, your people saw what I did.
    But they tested me and my patience.
10 So I was angry with them.
    I said, ‘Their thoughts are always wrong.
    They have never understood my ways.’
11 So I was angry and made a promise:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” (K)

12 So, brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has the evil thoughts that cause so much doubt that you stop following the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called “today.[h]” Help each other so that none of you will be fooled by sin and become too hard to change. 14 We have the honor of sharing in all that Christ has if we continue until the end to have the sure faith we had in the beginning. 15 That’s why the Spirit said,

“If you hear God’s voice today,
    don’t be stubborn as in the past
    when you turned against God.” (L)

16 Who were those who heard God’s voice and turned against him? It was all the people Moses led out of Egypt. 17 And who was God angry with for 40 years? He was angry with those who sinned. And their dead bodies were left in the desert. 18 And which people was God talking to when he promised that they would never enter his place of rest? He was talking to those who did not obey him. 19 So we see that they were not allowed to enter and have God’s rest, because they did not believe.

And we still have the promise that God gave those people. That promise is that we can enter his place of rest. So we should be very careful that none of you fails to get that promise. Yes, the good news about it was told to us just as it was to them. But the message they heard did not help them. They heard it but did not accept it with faith. Only we who believe it are able to enter God’s place of rest. As God said,

“I was angry and made a promise:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” (M)

But God’s work was finished from the time he made the world. Yes, somewhere in the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week. He said, “So on the seventh day God rested from all his work.”[i] But in the Scripture above God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”

So the opportunity is still there for some to enter and enjoy God’s rest. But those who first heard the good news about it did not enter, because they did not obey. So God planned another special day. It is called “today.” He spoke about that day through David a long time later using the words we quoted before:

“If you hear God’s voice today,
    don’t be stubborn.” (N)

We know that Joshua did not lead the people into the place of rest that God promised. We know this because God spoke later about another day for rest. This shows that the seventh-day rest[j] for God’s people is still to come. 10 God rested after he finished his work. So everyone who enters God’s place of rest will also have rest from their own work just as God did. 11 So let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s place of rest. We must try hard so that none of us will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey God.

12 God’s word[k] is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. 13 Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. He can clearly see all things. Everything is open before him. And to him we must explain the way we have lived.

Jesus Christ Is Our High Priest

14 We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.

Every Jewish high priest is chosen from among men. That priest is given the work of helping people with the things they must do for God. He must offer to God gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest has his own weaknesses. So he is able to be gentle with those who do wrong out of ignorance. He offers sacrifices for their sins, but he must also offer sacrifices for his own sins.

To be a high priest is an honor. But no one chooses himself for this work. That person must be chosen by God just as Aaron was. It is the same with Christ. He did not choose himself to have the honor of becoming a high priest. But God chose him. God said to him,

“You are my Son.
    Today I have become your Father.” (O)

And in another part of the Scriptures God says,

“You are a priest forever—
    the kind of priest Melchizedek was.” (P)

While Jesus lived on earth he prayed to God, asking for help from the one who could save him from death. He prayed to God with loud cries and tears. And his prayers were answered because of his great respect for God. Jesus was the Son of God, but he still suffered, and through his sufferings he learned to obey whatever God says. This made him the perfect high priest, who provides the way for everyone who obeys him to be saved forever. 10 God made him high priest, just like Melchizedek.

Warning Against Falling Away

11 We have many things to tell you about this. But it is hard to explain because you have stopped trying to understand. 12 You have had enough time that by now you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God’s teaching. You still need the teaching that is like milk. You are not ready for solid food. 13 Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and is not able to understand much about living right. 14 But solid food is for people who have grown up. From their experience they have learned to see the difference between good and evil.

So we should be finished with the beginning lessons about Christ. We should not have to keep going back to where we started. We began our new life by turning away from the evil we did in the past and by believing in God. That’s when we were taught about baptisms,[l] laying hands on people,[m] the resurrection of those who have died, and the final judgment. Now we need to go forward to more mature teaching. And that’s what we will do if God allows.

4-6 After people have left the way of Christ, can you make them change their lives again? I am talking about people who once learned the truth, received God’s gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit. They were blessed to hear God’s good message and see the great power of his new world. But then they left it all behind, and it is not possible to make them change again. That’s because those who leave Christ are nailing him to the cross again, shaming him before everyone.

Some people are like land that gets plenty of rain and produces a good crop for those who farm it. That kind of land has God’s blessing. But other people are like land that grows only thorns and weeds. It is worthless and in danger of being cursed by God. It will be destroyed by fire.

Dear friends, I am not saying this because I think it is happening to you. We really expect that you will do better—that you will do the good things that will result in your salvation. 10 God is fair, and he will remember all the work you have done. He will remember that you showed your love to him by helping his people and that you continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to be willing and eager to show your love like that the rest of your life. Then you will be sure to get what you hope for. 12 We don’t want you to be lazy. We want you to be like those who, because of their faith and patience, will get what God has promised.

13 God made a promise to Abraham. And there is no one greater than God, so he made the promise with an oath in his own name—an oath that he would do what he promised. 14 He said, “I will surely bless you. I will give you many descendants.”[n] 15 Abraham waited patiently for this to happen, and later he received what God promised.

16 People always use the name of someone greater than themselves to make a promise with an oath. The oath proves that what they say is true, and there is no more arguing about it. 17 God wanted to prove that his promise was true. He wanted to prove this to those who would get what he promised. He wanted them to understand clearly that his purposes never change. So God said something would happen, and he proved what he said by adding an oath. 18 These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath.

So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours. 19 This hope is like an anchor for us. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe. It goes behind the curtain.[o] 20 Jesus has already entered there and opened the way for us. He has become the high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:3 right side The place of honor and authority (power).
  2. Hebrews 1:6 world This may mean the world into which Jesus was born (see Lk. 2:1-14), or it may have the same meaning as in Heb. 2:5—the world to come, to which the risen Christ is presented as king (see Php. 2:9-11).
  3. Hebrews 1:6 “Let … him” These words are found in Deut. 32:43 in the ancient Greek version and in a Hebrew scroll from Qumran.
  4. Hebrews 1:7 winds This can also mean “spirits.”
  5. Hebrews 1:13 until I put … power Literally, “until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
  6. Hebrews 2:6 son of man This can mean any human, but the name “Son of Man” (see “Son of Man” in the Word List) is often used to mean Jesus, who showed what God planned for all people to be.
  7. Hebrews 2:8 control Literally, “feet.”
  8. Hebrews 3:13 today This word is taken from verse 7. It means it is important to do this now, while there is still opportunity.
  9. Hebrews 4:4 Quote from Gen. 2:2.
  10. Hebrews 4:9 seventh-day rest Literally, “Sabbath rest,” meaning a sharing in the rest God began after he created the world.
  11. Hebrews 4:12 God’s word God’s teachings and commands.
  12. Hebrews 6:1 baptisms The word here may mean the baptism (brief ‘burial’ in water) of believers in Christ, or it may mean Jewish ceremonial washings.
  13. Hebrews 6:1 laying hands on people This act was a way of asking God to bless people in a special way—to heal them, to cause the Holy Spirit to come into them, or to give them power for a special work.
  14. Hebrews 6:14 Quote from Gen. 22:17.
  15. Hebrews 6:19 curtain The spiritual curtain in the heavenly temple, which was symbolized by the physical one that separated the inner sanctuary (and God’s presence) from the other room in the Holy Tent and in the Jerusalem Temple. See “curtain” in the Word List. Also in 10:20.

Bible Gateway Recommends

Holy Bible Easy to Read Version (ERV), Duotone, Green/Tan - case of 24
Holy Bible Easy to Read Version (ERV), Duotone, Green/Tan - case of 24
Retail: $455.76
Our Price: $323.76
Save: $132.00 (29%)
ERV Holy Bible--soft leather-look, teal, case of 24
ERV Holy Bible--soft leather-look, teal, case of 24
Retail: $445.76
Our Price: $334.99
Save: $110.77 (25%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ERV Duotone Bible, Black/Grey
ERV Duotone Bible, Black/Grey
Retail: $18.99
Our Price: $13.99
Save: $5.00 (26%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
Swahili New Testament Easy to Read Version (ERV) case of 40
Swahili New Testament Easy to Read Version (ERV) case of 40
Retail: $200.00
Our Price: $148.99
Save: $51.01 (26%)
ERV Children's Softcover Bible
ERV Children's Softcover Bible
Retail: $9.99
Our Price: $7.99
Save: $2.00 (20%)
4.0 of 5.0 stars
Swahili New Testament Easy to Read Version (ERV)
Swahili New Testament Easy to Read Version (ERV)
Retail: $5.00
Our Price: $4.19
Save: $0.81 (16%)