Hebrews, Chapter 1

Everyone who reads the book of Hebrews in the Bible is immediately confronted with what the writer says about Jesus in his first words:
1. Jesus is the Son of God, through whom God has chosen to speak.
2. Jesus is the Brightness of God's glory, and the express image of God's Person.
3. Jesus upholds all things in the universe by His own mighty Word.
4. Jesus purged (cleansed, eliminated) our sins
5. Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father after He purged our sins.
6. Jesus is greater than all the angelic beings.
That the writer believed these statements to be true is irrefutable, and the author of Hebrews makes this as his opening argument about Jesus Christ.  He simply presents Jesus, and says, "this is who He is. Get over it."
When people say that those in the early church believed that Jesus was a "good man," or a prophet, or that he was a great Teacher, but nothing more, they simply have not reckoned with the facts of what the people in the early church believed.  THEY believed that Jesus was "all of the above."  What the writer of Hebrews writes is not assertions that were unknown or new, they were the common core of faith among the "people of the Way," the Christians. More importantly, this particular letter was written to Jewish believers, who in many cases had come from Jerusalem and its surrounding areas (the writer actually suggests this when he mentions the persecutions they endured in the early days of their faith).  These people were CLOSE to the origin of their faith.  The Temple had not yet been destroyed (about 70 AD), and they remembered the events. Jesus was probably crucified in 30 AD, so less than 40 years had passed from the actual events in Palestine. Think for a moment.  That's like asking a soldier who served in World War II if it really happened.  Some of those soldiers are still alive, after 60+ years.  We have eyewitness accounts from them.
The early Christians had the same thing.  Either they were eyewitnesses, or they knew someone who was.  It was far less time (35 or so years, as a guess) than the time between now (2014) and World War II (1941-1945).
People who deny that the early Christians believed these things about Jesus have an exceedingly great burden of proof, and they never meet it, because it cannot be met.
Furthermore, the early Christians believed these things about Jesus because they are true, because the Son of God demonstrated them in His life, death, and resurrection.
You should consider them as well, and believe in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ.
It's about everlasting life.  Why would you not want that?

Thinking about the book of Hebrews...

This "post" is going to be in multiple parts, because Hebrews is such a powerful book for those of us who are seeking the certainty of our faith. The main theme of Hebrews is expressed in the first words:

Hebrews 1:1-2:
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Hebrews is about the Son of God, Jesus, who is the greatest of all those whom God has sent to us.  He is greater than the prophets...Greater than the angels...greater than Moses...greater than the priests...greater than all the Old Testament sacrifices combined.

Missing out on Him is the greatest disaster that can happen to you, because He holds the keys of salvation, of life and death, of heaven and hell.

Losing Him in the middle of making a full decision, or shrinking back from Him, is a parallel disaster, because He alone is the path to God--more so than Moses, more so than the angels, more so than anyone else in all the universe.

As we take a brief look at Hebrews, you'll see that Jesus is very glory of God, who came down from Heaven to bring life to us--to YOU.