Summary of Hebrews 2:
We must pay more careful attention to God’s gift of Salvation and the Holy Spirit lest we drift away.
While Jesus was a little lower than angels for a time, mankind was crowned with glory and honor and everything was put under his feet, making everything subject to him. After Jesus’ death, this changed. Now, Jesus is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death for everyone through the grace of God.
Jesus was made perfect through suffering, which brought man salvation. Jesus and us (mankind) are now of the same family, called brothers.
Since Jesus was flesh and blood, his death destroyed the power of death (the Devil) and freed us from the fear of death. Jesus had to become our brother (like us in every way) to make atonement for our sins. Jesus suffered while tempted so he helps mankind who suffers when they are tempted.
BSF Study Questions Acts Lesson 13, Day 3: Hebrews 2
6) Part Personal Question. My answer: He died for all of us so that we may live forever. His death destroyed the devil by dying for our sins and atoning for them. Jesus is full of grace to die for us.
7) We must pay more careful attention to God’s word, God’s gift of Salvation, and the Holy Spirit lest we drift away.
8 ) Personal Question. My answer: I struggle with the temptation to sin every day. Knowing I’m forgiven makes my sins and mistakes a bit easier to bear.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Acts Lesson 13, Day 3: Hebrews 2
We spent 2 days on Hebrews 2 in 2012.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Acts Lesson 13, Day 3: Hebrews 2
Why Did Jesus Have to Become Human?
- By dying, Jesus freed us from the power of death and won for us eternal life free of our problems
- Jesus can understand our temptations since he himself was tempted
Jesus freed us from the slavery of sin and from the constant fear of death.
We must pay attention lest we drift (like a boat that is not anchored in God’s word). Most people slowly drift from God. Christ must be our anchor to prevent this.
Angels had a role in bringing us the Law to Moses is found in Deuteronomy 33:2, Acts 7:53, and in Galatians 3:19.
Hebrews was written not primarily as evangelism, but as an encouragement and warning to discouraged Christians. It was written to those who neglected an abiding walk with Jesus.
God does confirm His word with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We know Jesus is human because God put the world subject to man, not angels (Psalm 8:4-6).
In Hebrews 1, the writer of Hebrews brilliantly demonstrated from the Scriptures the deity of Jesus and His superiority over all angels. Now he demonstrates the humanity of Jesus from the Scriptures and applies the implications of Jesus’ humanity.
- It is Biblically wrong to think of Jesus as merely God or merely man. It is wrong to think of Him as half God and half man (or any other percentage split). It is wrong to think of Him as “man on the outside” and “God on the inside.” The Bible teaches Jesus is fully God and fully man, that a human nature was added to His divine nature, and both natures existed in one Person, Jesus Christ.
- The first false teaching about Jesus in the days of the early church did not deny that He was God, but it denied that He was really human and said He only seemed to be human. The heresy was called Docetism, coming from the ancient Greek word “to seem,” and was taught by Cerinthus, who opposed the apostle John in the city of Ephesus and whose teaching is probably the focus of 1 John 4:2 and 1 John 5:6.
God put all things (not some things) under subjection to human beings. This shows that Jesus must be human, because God gave this dominion to humans and Jesus exercises this authority.
Jesus is the Answer
The answers to life’s most perplexing questions are not found in asking “Why?” The greatest answer is a Who – Jesus Christ.
“Faith is the eye of the soul. It is the act of looking unto Jesus.” (Spurgeon)
God gave man dominion over the earth, but man forfeited his power (not his right or authority) to take that dominion through sin, and the principle of death took away the power to rule. But Jesus came and through His humility and suffering He defeated the power of death and made possible the fulfillment of God’s promise that humans will have dominion over the earth – fulfilled both through Jesus’ own dominion, and the rule of believers with Him (Revelation 20:4).
By Jesus suffering for us, we see that real love, real giving, involves sacrifice.
Many translations say captain of their salvation, instead of author. A captain connotates authority, leadership, commands, encourages, rewards, and sacrifices. It’s a much stronger and a more accurate translation here.
Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers. Psalm 22:22, Isaiah 8:17, and Isaiah 8:18.
Jesus took away Satan’s “right” to rule by allowing Satan to “unlawfully” take Jesus’ life on the cross, and Satan’s “unlawful” action against Jesus forfeited his right to rule over man. In this thinking, the end result is that the devil has no right over those who come to God through Jesus’ work on the cross.
Seed of Abraham is used here in the sense of those who are Abraham’s children inwardly, not ethnically (Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 3:7).
Jesus is Our High Priest
- The High Priest wore a breastplate with stones engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel on both his chest and his shoulders. The High Priest was therefore in constant sympathy with the people of God, carrying them on his heart and on his shoulders.
Because Jesus added humanity to His deity and experienced human suffering, He is able to help us in temptation. He knows what we are going through.
- We see Jesus’ example of being tempted.
- We have his assistance when we are tempted, providing strength and a way of escape.
- With these we can find victory in the midst of temptation and come out better from being tempted.
- Jesus did not lose anything from being tempted – He only gained in glory and sympathy and ability to help His people. In the same way, we do not have to lose anything when we are tempted.
