God inspired the book of Hebrews to answer the difficult questions church members were struggling with during the tumultuous first decades of the church.

The Book of Hebrews is a must-read for all members of God's church who seek the key for spiritual growth through a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.

Hebrews emphasizes that spiritual growth and glorification depends on an individual's relationship with Christ, the centerpiece of the Book of Hebrews.

The Jewish converts to the Way, although having had the benefit of Messianic prophecies, did not recognize the powerful significance of Psalm 8.

The book of Hebrews' audience consisted of converts from Judaism, suffering estrangement from family and community, excommunicated from the temple.

Hebrews 10:9 does not say that God's law or the Old Covenant has been done away, but that the system of animal sacrifices has been set aside for now.

Hebrews 1 delivers a knock-out punch to skeptics like many first-century Jews who claimed He falls short in qualifying as our High Priest and Savior.

Here are twelve claims that the Father, the Son, and Their way of life make upon humanity, giving mankind no excuse for its failure to respond to God.

Most of the attrition from the truth stems from losing interest. Drifting away is rarely intentional, but the result of choosing to live carnally.

God created angels as ministering spirits to take care of the heirs of salvation. The Bible is filled with examples of angels rescuing God's people from harm.

Hebrews 1:3-4 describes the dramatic transitional period in which God begot Christ, making Him the only human being who could qualify as our Messiah and Savior.

Jesus Christ was not just an extraordinary man, but also possessed the massive intellect needed to create, design and implementing all manner of life—He was God.

To counteract complacency, Hebrews warns against neglecting God's invitation of salvation, which He does not guarantee until sanctification has run its course.

The book of Hebrews systematically proves Christ's superiority to patriarchs, prophets, the Levitical Priesthood, and angels, establishing His credentials.

The Bible shows a clear pattern of how people leave the faith: looking back, drawing back, looking elsewhere, and then going backward and refusing to hear.

If we understand the function of the Old Covenant as explained in Leviticus, we will better understand the New Covenant and not reject the law of the Savior.

Early converts from Judaism claimed to accept the Law but had difficulty accepting the Lawgiver. Today, many claim to accept Christ, but will not accept His Law.

Although God never intended the Old Covenant to endure eternally, the spiritual law (shared by both the old and new covenants) lasts forever.

Hebrews was written to fulfill several needs of the first-century church. One of the most critical was to explain God's opening of eternal life to the Gentiles.

In Hebrews, we learn that Jesus is the only- begotten Son, creator and heir of all things, the express image of God's person, and has purged our sins.

When Hebrews was written, the newly converted Jew to the Way encountered persecution from the established religion and culture similar to what we experience.

Even as Hebrews prepared the first century church for persecution, so it is also relevant to today's church as it faces an increasing assault on God's law.

John identifies Christ as co-eternal with the Father, equal in character, but subordinate in authority. Christ's sonship was unique; He was the 'only Begotten Son.'

The frightful conditions during the 1st century are typical of the times ahead. To weather these circumstances, we need the encouragement of Hebrews.

Hebrews is addressed to a people living at the end of an era, who were drifting away, had lost their devotion, and were no longer motivated by zeal.

God's people must immerse themselves daily in the Scriptures. While sinning Israelites consider God to be absent, He is nevertheless present with His saints.

God personally communicated with Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and to us through His Son. With the Scriptures, God teaches His faithful today.

The book of Hebrews provides reasons to recapture flagging zeal, focusing on the reason for our hope and faith, establishing Christ's credentials.

Jesus Christ's priesthood is superior to the Aaronic priesthood because Christ tenure is eternal rather than temporal, guaranteeing both continuity and quality.

Without a meaningful relationship with Christ, God's people cannot possibly bear fruit. Our responsibility is to yield to God's creative work in our lives.

Hebrews emphasizes the infinite superiority of Christ's priesthood and one-time sacrifice as contrasted to the repetitive Aaronic sacrifices.

God designed the sermon of Hebrews to motivate God's people, who are going through the same turmoil as those living in 65 AD, facing persecution from society.

The socio-cultural milieu before the writing of Hebrews created difficulties for the Jewish converts to the Gospel, who were deemed to be traitors.

After the change from the Aaronic to the Melchizedek priesthood, it was also necessary to change the Covenant. The flaw was not the law, but the heart.

Jesus blazed a trail, giving a pattern for qualifying (through suffering and resisting sin) for our responsibility as priests, reconnecting man and God.

We must lay aside every weight, accept God's chastening, receive encouragement from those who have gone before, and get back into the spiritual race.

Hebrews 11 provides examples to bolster faith. The faith described is not blind, but is carefully developed from systematic analysis of available evidence.

God has communicated tirelessly with humanity through men and angels. The first chapters of Hebrews displays Christ's superiority over even the angels.

Parts of God's law are not presently required, yet not 'done away." Paul took a vow that required animal sacrifice. Ezekiel 34-48 shows the sacrificial law observed.

Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus qualified as High Priest, teaching us about living by faith in the New Covenant, which mandates that we keep His commandments.

The modern church stands in danger of allowing salvation to slip away. Hebrews gives warnings to help us turn our lives around so we do not fall short.

Everything about the Priesthood of Christ is superior to the Levitical system, which only served as a type of the access to God that Jesus would fulfill.

Even though we must cooperate in cultivating spiritual fruit, God alone creates character and takes responsibility for creating spiritual offspring.

Hebrews 1:3 and Psalm 2 explain how Jesus becomes something He previously was not. Because of Christ's qualifications, Christianity has a claim on all mankind.

With godly hope, we need to envision the successful accomplishment of God's purpose for us, realizing that God has bound that promise with an oath.

Like the Ephesians, the weary veterans in Hebrews were becoming apathetic through outside pressures, losing their former zeal and devotion to Christ.

We dare not allow a root of bitterness to spring up in us as a result of trials - those burdens intended by God to strengthen us and perfect us.

In terms of spiritual insight, Hebrews is a pivotal book, whose function is to bridge the purposes and themes of the Old and New Testaments.

Christians must seek God Himself and truly listen to what He says in His Word. Only then will they have the heart of wisdom to deal with today's challenges.

We often spend so much time engaged in our present-day trials that we fail to understand and learn from the experiences of Christians of the past.

The book of Hebrews clarifies that the persecution on the early church did not come directly from God, but He did stir the pot that caused the persecution.

Jesus experienced the same temptations and suffering we do, qualifying Him for the role of High Priest, the bridge-builder between man and God.

We must emulate Christ, who learned through suffering, preparing Himself for His role as High Priest. Giving in alienates us from the fellowship with God.

The ancient Israelites resisted the gospel, refusing to mix it with actual obedience. What they heard never became a part of their lives; Egypt never left them.

If church members are to grow in grace and knowledge and be zealous in producing fruit to God's glory, they need to have their priorities in the right place.

If we patiently endure, trusting in God's faithfulness to bring us to completion, there will be a time when we will attain the rest we desperately yearn for.

Like Jesus and other heroes of faith, we need to look beyond the present to the long term effects of the trials and tests we go though, seeing their value.

Abraham, the father of the faithful, did not have a blind faith; it was based upon observation of God's proven track record of faithfulness.

If we stick together, allowing ourselves the benefit of exhortation, consolation, and encouragement, we will less likely commit willful sin.

The book of Hebrews teaches that our relationship to Christ as our Savior, High Priest, and King is the key to salvation. He shows us the way to the Father.

Because of the confusion in the church of God, many have withdrawn from fellowship, implying they need fellowship only with the Head and not the Body.

Among the greatest challenges we face is not to let a bad snapshot—or even a whole progression of them—convince us that the journey is not worth continuing.

All the signs point to Christ's imminent return, yet the Bible warns us not to let down. Hebrews 10 exhorts us to strive to please God and finish our course.

The book of Hebrews resonates for the church of God at this time due to the strong parallels between our circumstances and those of the first century church.

Hebrews 1-2 establish Christ's superiority over angels, but notably do not mention the Angel of the Lord. Instead, the author handles the Angel differently.

Despite being perhaps the oldest text in the canon, Job contains many detailed, even scientific, insights into the creative and sustaining power of Christ.

God is not only powerful, but He is the source of all power. We can tap into God's power to avoid slipping into apostasy.

Paul never taught any Jew to forsake the Law of Moses, but he did warn against Pharisaical additions for the expressed purpose of attaining justification.

We are bombarded by technology, competing for our attention, causing us to drift from our spiritual quest. God expects us to continue to mature spiritually.

Like with the heroes of faith, our testing will be commensurate with the job God has prepared for us. We must make our relationship with God our top priority.

We are warned in Hebrews not to harden our hearts, not to let the precious truth of God drift away, realizing that we have been called with a high calling.