The book of Hebrews stands as a decisive confrontation with every attempt to anchor Christian hope in earthly things. It exposes the futility of seeking assurance in shadows, ordinances, or national promises, and instead fixes our eyes on the finished work of Christ, our High Priest, who alone secures the heavenly inheritance. Hebrews is not a devotional aside; it is a doctrinal line in the sand. If you miss its message, you forfeit not only your enjoyment of Christ, but the very ground of your sonship and inheritance.
The Covenant That Secures All
Hebrews grounds everything in a covenant not made with you, but between God the Father and the Son—the Seed of Abraham and David. This is not a contract based on your performance, but an unbreakable agreement within the Godhead itself (Hebrews 6). By this covenant, Christ inherits every promise ever made to Abraham and David. He becomes the Shepherd of the Sheep, and as the One who possesses all, He brings many sons to glory.
This is not mere theology for the mind. Because Christ has inherited, you—joined to Him—are made a co-heir. The church is not waiting for an earthly kingdom, nor is it seeking restoration in a land or throne. We are partakers of a heavenly calling, sharers in a finished inheritance, seated with Christ in the heavens. To suggest otherwise is to rob the church of its birthright and to drag the saints back to the shadows.
The High Priesthood of Christ: The End of Accusation
Hebrews relentlessly exalts the high priesthood of Christ. He did not remain distant; He became a man, executed judgment, and paid the price for sin. The Law, which was given to expose and condemn sin, found its terminus in Him. By bearing sin and receiving its judgment, Christ brought the reign of condemnation to a close.
- He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances. Every legal ground for accusation was nailed to His cross and removed forever.
- He disarmed Satan. The accuser has been rendered powerless; he has nothing left to say.
- He delivers us from the spirit of bondage and fear. The finished work means the conscience can finally rest.
If you reduce this to mere doctrine—if you only assent intellectually—you remain outside the experience of deliverance. You may know the facts, but you will not taste the freedom. Hebrews refuses to let you settle for less.
Experiential Freedom: Christ as the Spirit of Sonship
It is not enough to agree with these truths on paper. The tragedy is that many, content with intellectual assent, never enter into the enjoyment of their deliverance. They remain under the shadow of fear, never tasting the liberty of sons.
To answer this, Christ gives Himself to us as the Spirit—the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Sonship. This is not a vague comfort; it is the very means by which we live in the reality of our acceptance. The indwelling Spirit brings us into the holiest, not as slaves trembling before a judge, but as sons welcomed by the Father. This is the only antidote to the spirit of bondage and fear.
If you miss this—if you substitute earthly hopes or external religion for the indwelling Christ—you lose the very heart of the gospel. You forfeit your access, your assurance, and your inheritance.
Christ Is Our Reward—Not Earthly Promises
Hebrews makes no provision for a church that looks to earthly restoration, national Israel, or future deliverance from earthly enemies. That is not the subject of this book. The focus is singular: Christ Himself is our reward. He is the One who has passed through the heavens, who sits at the right hand of God, and who brings us with Him into glory.
To divert the church’s attention to earthly things is to miss the heavenly calling entirely. Hebrews offers no encouragement for those who would wait for a Davidic throne or peace in the land. Instead, it admonishes us to come forward, boldly, to the holiest—by the access secured through our High Priest.
What Is Lost If We Accept the Error?
If you accept the error of grounding your hope in earthly things, or of reducing Christ’s priesthood to mere doctrine, you lose everything that matters. You lose your assurance before God, your freedom from accusation, your participation in the heavenly inheritance, and your experience of sonship. You exchange the finished work for unfinished business, the heavenly calling for earthly shadows, and the liberty of sons for the bondage of slaves.
Hebrews is not written to future Israelites in tribulation, nor to those seeking earthly reward. It is written to the church—the partakers of the heavenly calling, the brethren of the Lord, those being shepherded into glory by their Brother, Christ. If you will not come forward on this ground, you have no other.
Let us not shrink back. Let us hold fast to our confession, draw near in full assurance, and refuse every doctrine that would rob us of our inheritance in Christ. The way is open. The High Priest has entered. The only question is: will you come forward?
