From Hebrews: The Great Salvation and Our Heavenly Calling
Orientation
Many believers seek assurance in earthly things or external religion, which Hebrews confronts as a futile attempt to anchor Christian hope in shadows.
- Hebrews decisively shifts focus from earthly promises to the finished work of Christ.
- It exposes the insufficiency of intellectual assent to doctrine for experiencing freedom.
- The book establishes safety by grounding everything in an unbreakable covenant within the Godhead.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: (Hebrews 6:17)
— Hebrews 6:17
Clarification
Hebrews is addressed exclusively to the Church, the partakers of the heavenly calling, and does not direct believers to await earthly promises for Israel.
- The Great Salvation and inheritance are heavenly, not focused on political peace or Davidic throne restoration on earth.
- Christ's high priesthood secures access to the Father, not deliverance from earthly enemies.
- The spirit of bondage and fear is removed by Christ's finished work, not by our performance or perseverance.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1)
— Hebrews 3:1
Structure
The logic of Hebrews flows from a covenant between the Father and the Son, making Christ the inheriting Seed who brings many sons to glory as co-heirs.
- God made a covenant with Christ, the Seed of Abraham and David, granting Him all promised blessings.
- Believers are made co-heirs with Christ, partaking in His heavenly inheritance.
- Christ as High Priest disarmed Satan, ended sin's reign, and now gives Himself as the Spirit so we can live in this reality.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:2-3)
— Hebrews 1:2-3
Weight-Bearing Prose
Hebrews presents the Great Salvation as anchored in a definitive covenant between God the Father and the Son (Hebrews 6). This is not a conditional covenant with us, but an immutable oath within the Godhead, making Christ the inheriting Seed of Abraham and David. All promised blessings are His by right. The theological move is from this covenant to our co-heirship: because Christ inherits, we who are joined to Him inherit with Him (Romans 8:17). This inheritance is heavenly, not earthly.
The high priesthood of Christ is the means of this salvation. His humanity was essential to disarm Satan by paying the price for sin and executing the judgment that ends sin’s power. He ‘blotted out the handwriting of ordinances’ (Colossians 2:14), removing every legal ground for accusation. This is the end of the law’s condemning reign. The effect is deliverance from the spirit of bondage and fear (Romans 8:15).
Yet, intellectual assent to this doctrine is insufficient for the experiential freedom it secures. Hebrews confronts this gap. The answer is that Christ gives Himself as the Spirit—the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Sonship. It is by this indwelling reality that believers live in the acceptance and access secured by His priesthood. The heavenly Holiest Place is opened, and we are called to approach boldly. Any teaching that redirects the Church’s focus to earthly promises for Israel (e.g., Davidic throne restoration) misses this heavenly calling entirely.
Integration
Your standing is secure because it rests on a covenant you did not make. The Father and the Son secured everything. Christ is your inheritance, and you are a co-heir with Him by grace. This is not a challenge to achieve but a reality to rest in.
The accusation is finished. The spirit of bondage and fear has no rightful place because the High Priest has dealt with sin completely. You can approach now, not based on your condition, but based on His finished work.
Christ Himself is your reward. He gives Himself to you as the Spirit, so the freedom and sonship are not distant concepts but your present portion. There is no pressure to advance or grasp for what is already yours in Him. This is your landing place: accepted, seated, and secure in the Son.