We Are Redeemed! (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 5)

It’s never too late to join in this weekly blog Bible Study! Come find rest with us in this moment as we explore the book of Hebrews together.

 

A Brief Note: this isn’t a comprehensive and intense verse-by-verse Bible Study. It’s not a lecture, filled with incomprehensible theology and perplexing words – and I don’t want it to be taken that way.

 

This Bible Study is not a commentary and it’s not a headache, either. Really. No, it’s more like a regular blog post of mine – filled with a few truths from a few verses, and nothing too hard to “get.”

 

It’s truth for the people, people. I don’t want anyone to feel alienated. And yet, it’s so amazing to learn and be reminded of these important truths here in this Book.

Now, we can go forward with the study.

 

Last week, our three points were:

 

*In order to fully enjoy God’s rest, we must fully accept His grace.

No works. Just belief.

 

*Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are – so let us not shrink back from God in fear when we are tempted.

 

*Because of Jesus, we can have a relationship with God – not one of shame and timidity, but one of boldness; for we are counted righteous before God.

 

And our weekly takeaway: “God’s grace secures us a beautiful relationship with God – all we have to do is trust Him.”

Previous Posts in This Bible Study

 

// Welcome to The Hebrews Bible Study!

 

// Who is Jesus to You? (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 2)

 

// How Simple Belief Rescues Our Souls (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 3)

 

// Why Grace Brings Us To True Rest (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 4)

Let’s Get Started!

 

As we always do, we’re going to read our chapter of Hebrews, first – and this week, we’re on chapter 5. Click here to read it.

Number One:

 

Jesus was appointed by God as our* High Priest; He is our representative before God – and He gets us, because He Himself was human. (Hebrews 5:1-2)

 

(*Note: I wanted to point out that I keep saying “our” in reference to Jesus’ High Priesthood. Remember that Hebrews is a Jewish book, and Jesus is not the High Priest of the Gentiles [us]. But the truth is, Jesus still is our mediator before God – He still was fully human – He still completely relates to us. And He still atoned for our sins. So no, Jesus is not the High Priest of the Gentiles and the non-Jewish church, but He still fulfills the perfect Savior role that we all needed.)

 

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll do it again – because frankly, it’s important.

 

Jesus is the go-between when it comes to us and God.

 

He deals so gently with us – because He Himself was human. And yet – His judgment is perfect, for He is fully God, and He is perfect; so while tempted, He was without sin.

 

That makes Him our perfect mediator.

 

We humans – so wayward we are, in need of a Shepherd, desperate for Someone to save us and right our paths.

 

And that’s who we have. In Jesus.

 

When the world’s temptations sway us from one thing to the next, and sin seems so enticing – we’ve got Jesus. He’s the One who’ll lead us in the right direction. The One who’ll embrace us and tell us He knows exactly how we feel, that life’s not always okay and that’s okay because He gives us the strength to go through it.

 

He’s the One that makes us blameless and gives us the right to become Children of God (1 John 3:1) – His siblings. Wow.

 

Number Two:

 

Jesus is the source of eternal salvation. No one else. (Hebrews 5:8-10)

 

There is nothing on this earth that will save us besides Jesus alone.

 

His sacrifice for us – the blood He shed for us – saved us wholly. We have been redeemed by Him and in Him alone are we rescued.

 

Nothing can take that from us. Salvation is eternal. It’s an eternal choice, and an eternal security for all who “obey Him” (as it says in verse 9). But what is this obedience?

 

John 6:28-29

“Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’”

 

As Christians, we so often associate material obedience to God with salvation, in the sense that we subconsciously believe that in order to be Christians, we must check off a list of things to do, goals to accomplish for God, rituals to perform and prayers to say that’ll make us “obedient” and therefore saved.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth!

 

Obedience to God’s will for our lives is awesome, guys, and it’s totally biblical. But it’s not what saves us. In believing in Jesus, we are completely justified before God – because of what He did, not us (except for believing in Him).

 

The works come after. The works come as an outpouring of our love for God and what He’s done for us, not as a means to salvation.

 

That’s such a reassuring thing that we all must remember – salvation is by faith in Jesus only, for He is the source of our eternal salvation.

 

There’s a lot more information in this chapter that’s quite deep, things I don’t have the space to talk about here on this blog post, yet truths that are worth digging into. I encourage you to read the book of Hebrews for yourself.

 

Taste the goodness of Jesus inside this awesome book. See how amazing He truly is and how incredible the work of salvation is for us.

 

And come back next week for more!

Recap:

 

*Jesus is our representative before God – and He gets us, because He Himself was human.

 

*Jesus is the source of eternal salvation. No one else.

 

In short? We are redeemed by Jesus – our mediator, our brother, our Savior.

 

Questions of the Week:

 

1. How have you seen the blessing of being able to have a relationship with God, because of Jesus, in your own life?

 

2. In what ways does the world say that we need to earn our salvation (falsely)?

 

3. Why do you think that the command to believe in Jesus is ignored, so often, in favor of commanding us to obey the Law (as in Old Testament)?

 

 

Thanks for reading, friends! Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this week and this study. I love hearing from you!