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Audio / Video Verse-by-Verse Bible Studies in Hebrews

Hebrews 1 | Hebrews 2 | Hebrews 3 | Hebrews 4 | Hebrews 5 | Hebrews 6 | Hebrews 7 | Hebrews 8 | Hebrews 9 | Hebrews 10 | Hebrews 11

Quick Links to All Available Hebrews Studies:

Detailed Information About Each Study:

  • Hebrews 1:
    • Introduction to Hebrews – (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: What we don’t know about the book of Hebrews — The inspired nature of Hebrews — The New Testament Canon and how it came about — Analysis of the “Apostolic Origin” criteria for a NT canon candidate — The importance of the Council in Rome (382 AD) in determining the NT canon — Who wrote Hebrews? — Paul? Luke? Apollos? — To whom was Hebrews written?
    • Hebrews 1:1-2, pt. 1 – (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: General outline of the Epistle to the Hebrews — The literary beauty of the first four verses — The importance and majesty of Christ, as described in the first four verses — The most important words in verses 1 and 2: “God spoke” — The significance of the fact that God speaks to us — To whom God spoke — When God spoke — The arc of history reflected in the two eras in which God spoke.
    • Hebrews 1:1-2, pt. 2 – (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: How God spoke — The piecemeal revelation in the Old Testament: “… at many times and in various ways…” — The centrality of Christ in the New Testament revelation — With Christ, the end of God’s revelation — By whom God spoke — The authority of “a Son” — The glory and majesty of Christ, as depicted in verses 2 through 4 — The four key Christological passages of the New Testament — The agreement and consistency of these four passages.
    • Hebrews 1:2-3, pt. 1 – (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The single sentence in verses 2 and 3, expressing the greatness and glory of Christ — The chiastic structure of these verses — The seven aspects of Christ’s characted expressed in these verses: Christ as Prophet, Heir, Creator, Deity, Sustainer, Priest, King — Christ as Heir — Christ as Deity — The glory of Christ.
    • Hebrews 1:2-3, pt. 2 – (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Christ as Creator and Sustainer of the Universe — Knowing that Jesus is Creator of the Universe affects our view of His life on earth — Knowing Christ as Creator reveals the marvel of Christ as human — The created “through” Christ — The connotations of the word translated universe: has a time element — Christ as creator of the “eons” and “ages” — Christ as sustainer of all things.
    • Hebrews 1:3-4 – (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Christ as priest, in the words, “… he provided purification for sins” — The great blessing of being purified from our sins — The superiority of Christ’s atoning sacrifice over the sacrifices offered by Levitical priests — The exaltation of Christ tied to Christ’s sacrifice — The meaning of being “at God’s right hand”: Christ given authority over all things — Preview of the rest of the chapter.
    • Hebrews 1:5-14, pt. 1 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Christ’s superiority over angels, demonstrated in seven Old Testament citations — God the Father’s declaration of Jesus as His Son — Jesus as the only true Son of God — The Greek denotes that Jesus, as Son, was made of the same “stuff” as God — Jesus appointed by the Father as His Son — The roles of the three persons of the Trinity — The significance of the word “Today” in verse 5 — What “Today” references — Psalm 2 as a Messianic psalm — The three persons of the Trinity speaking in Psalm 2.
    • Hebrews 1:5-14, pt. 2 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The application to the Messiah of some New Testament citations of the Old Testament are difficult — The reference to the Messiah in the cited verse from 2 Samuel 7 is not immediately obvious — The multiple levels of reference in 2 Samuel 7: Solomon; the royal line (in general); the Messiah — The citation of difficult Old Testament prophecies teach us about the great depth of the prophetic writings — The superiority of Christ’s mission over that of the angels — The angels as “ministering spirits.”
  • Hebrews 2:
    • Hebrews 2:1-4 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Making application from Theological concepts — Word picture given by the phrase “drift away” — The danger of even solid Christians “drifting away” — The danger and foolishness of “ignoring such a great salvation” — How the Gospel message was communicated — The role of the three persons of the Trinity in transmitting the Gospel message — The clues about the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews found in this passage.
    • Hebrews 2:5-9 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The multiple fulfillments of passages/prophecies in the Old Testament — Analysis of Psalm 8, as it applies to David — Problems with latest NIV translation of Psalm 8: not accurate to the text, in a way that hides interpretive possibilities — The grace of our magnificent God caring for insignificant humans — The word translated “man” is “Adam” in Hebrew, thus tying to the “name” theme in Psalm 8:1 — The contrast of “Adam’s” name with God’s name — The limits of David’s dominion — The role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring David to write a Messianic psalm — Jesus as “the Son of man” — The supreme dominion of Christ — Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 8.
    • Hebrews 2:10-18, pt. 1 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The importance of this passage in explaining Christ’s incarnation — The Theological density of verse 10 — All in verse 10: the goal of God’s plan of salvation; the logic of it; its purpose in glorifying God; aspects of Christ’s role; the process by which Christ brought about our salvation — Our inheritance through Christ — The mystery of glory — The three reasons (given in verses 17 and 18) that Christ suffered for us — The various connotations of the word translated “pioneer” — The meaning of the verb translated as “made perfect”.
    • Hebrews 2:10-18, pt. 2 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The reality of Christ’s incarnation — Jesus’ suffering integral to the fulfillment of His mission — Christ acknowledgement of us as “brothers and sisters” — Prophecies about Christ’s close relationship with His people — The importance of Christ’s humanity, with respect to His atoning death — The freedom from fear of death available to believers — Three reasons Christ had to live as a man: To be a “merciful and faithful” high priest; To make atonement for our sins; To help those who are being tempted.
  • Hebrews 3:
    • Hebrews 3:1-6 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Our response to the information about Christ’s incarnation given in chapter 2: “Fix your thoughts on Jesus” — We as “holy brothers and sisters” — The “heavenly calling” we share in — Christ as “apostle” and “high priest” — The importance of confessing/professing Christ — Jesus’ superiority to Moses — Jesus as the builder of the “house” of the New Covenant — “Holding firmly” to our faith, in the face of persecution: a major theme going forward in the book of Hebrews
    • Hebrews 3:7-8 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The “anti-example” of the children of Israel in the wilderness — The themes continued/introduced in this example: Jesus’ superiority over Moses; enteriing God’s rest; the significance of the word “Today”; their history as a warning — The significance of the introducing words: “…as the Holy Spirit says” — The Holy Spirit as the common author to all books in the Bible — The current applicability of this passage, as signalled by the use of the present tense: “The Holy Spirit says” — The importance of immediate response to the voice of God, as signalled by the word “Today” — How does God speak to us? — How can we confirm that it is God speaking to us?
    • Hebrews 3:8-11 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Why the citation of Psalm 95 in Hebrews is different than the Psalm 95 text in our English Bibles — What the children of Israel witnessed that God did on their behalf — The overrating of the ability of witnessing miracles to create faith — The symptoms of the hardening of one’s heart — The significance of the number 40 in the Bible — The necessity of testings and trials in the proving of faith — The danger of the last straw — The ways that the children of Israel rebelled against God — The seroiousness of the moment in time when salvation is forever lost.
    • Hebrews 3:12-13 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The literary structure of Hebrews 3:6-14 — The anger of God against the Israel’s rebellion — Instructions to us, related to the example of the Israelites in the wilderness — The relationship between “unbelief” and “disobedience” — How Israel’s unbelief led to their disobedience — What true belief in God entails — The necessity of a perseverant faith — A cost of unbelief: inability to enter God’s rest — God as a “living” God — Mutual encouragement by believers as a resource to remain obedient — The deceitfulness of sin.
    • Hebrews 3:14-19 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The parallelism of verse 14 with verse 6 — The united nature of Christians, as expressed in both verse 6 and 14 — The importance to “hold firmly” to our faith, to the very end — A fickle faith is not true faith — The necessity of the testing of our faith, in order to prove its genuineness — The differences between the original Greek words in verses 6 and 14, which can both be translated as “confidence” — The three questions and answers, in verses 15 through 18 — The relationship between disobedience and unbelief — The cyclical nature of disobedience and unbelief — Ways to avoid this cycle.
  • Hebrews 4:
    • Hebrews 4:1-3 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The promise of rest to the Israelites, and the same promise to Christians — The importance of combining the hearing of the promise with faith — The textual issues with the last phrase in verse 2 — The two possible translations of that verse — The parallel nature of verse 1 and verse 2 — The “good news” tied to the “promise of rest” — The two aspects of rest: eternal rest; and present rest — Promises in the NT of eternal rest — Christ’s promise of the present aspect of entering rest in Him — Present rest as a result of our faith in Christ’s work of atonement.
    • Hebrews 4:3-10 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The aspects of God’s rest that we can experience in this life — The limitations to the rest that we can experience in this life — The Sabbath rest for the Christian — The chiastic structure in verses 2 through 6, and how it helps us to interpret the passage — Our rest in Christ on earth, a type and shadow of our eternal rest.
    • Hebrews 4:9-13 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The Sabbath rest for the Christian — Our Sabbath rest in Christ — The Sabbath rest for us as a “state of existence”, not just a “day” — Our rest, not a rest of inactivity, but of fulfillment and completion — The word of God, as “alive” and “active” — The penetrating nature of the word of God — Explication of the phrases about dividing “soul and spirit”, “joints and marrow” — The differing roles of our “soul” and “spirit” — Our all-seeing God.
    • Hebrews 4:14-16 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: These verses are the Gospel, as presented to the target audience: Christian Jews — This presentation of the Gospel instructive for us in tying the Old Testament to the New Testament — The significance that Jesus “ascended into heaven” — Jesus as Son of God — Jesus’ empathy for the troubles that we face — In verse 16, what “the throne of grace signifies” — A clue to the meaning in the phrase “to help us in our time of need” — The blessing that we can approach with “confidence” — The promised “mercy” and “grace” that we receive — The theme going forward in the book of Hebrews about approaching God.
  • Hebrews 5:
    • Hebrews 5:1-10 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The requirements of being a high priest, according to Hebrews 5:1-2 — The importance of the humanity of the high priest — The importance that the high priest be able to “deal gently” with the people — The importance that the high priest be appointed by God — How Jesus was called by God to be high priest — The example of Jesus’ empathy, in Hebrews 5:7-9.
    • Hebrews 5:11-6:3 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Start of the author’s digression about growth in the knowledge of Christ — Everyone’s tendency to become “dull of hearing” — The importance of consistent efforts for all to grow in their knowledge of Christ — Manna as a metaphor for the need to daily feast on the word of God — God’s progressive revelation to humanity — God’s progressive revelation to each of us — The author’s list of the “elementary teachings about Christ” — Repentance and faith — Baptism and the laying on of hands — Resurrection and the final judgment.
  • Hebrews 6:
    • Hebrews 6:4-6 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: The difficulty of this passage — Breakdown of the passage: descriptions of a group of people (called “Group A”, in this study); warning to those in Group A; the reason for the warning — The five spiritual experiences of those in Group A, and what they mean — What it means for Group A, to have “fallen away” — Were those in Group A “saved”? — The permanence of salvation, as taught in the Bible — How the wording in the passage seems to take pains to indicate that those in Group A were not saved — What the phrase “brought back to repentance” implies.
    • Hebrews 6:6-12 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Review of Hebrews 6:4-6 — Other views of that passage, and refutations of them — The reason for the seriousness of the warning in these verses, as given at the end of verse 6 — Why the author says “Christ is crucified over again” — The analogy to verses 4 to 6, given in verses 7 and 8 — How these verses depict the seriousness of the “falling away” in verse 6 — The reassurance the author gives to his readers in verses 9 to 12 — The importance that true faith be demonstrated by service to the Lord — Other scriptures that confirm this.
    • Hebrews 6:12-20 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Two main points about God’s promises — Example of one who through faith and patience waited for the fulfillment of God’s promises: Abraham — God’s promise and oath to Abraham in Genesis 22 — God’s original promises to Abraham in Genesis 12 — God’s reiteraton of his promises to Abraham in Genesis 15 — Abraham’s strong faith, as described in Romans 4 — Abraham’s thought-process regarding the sacrifice of Isaac, as described in Hebrews 11 — God’s oath to us: Christ as priest forever — How we have “fled” toward hope — Hope as an anchor — Christ as our forerunner, entering the holy of holies.
  • Hebrews 7:
    • Hebrews 7:1-10 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Introduction to the person of Melchizedek — The sparse information about Melchizedek in the Bible — The author’s purpose in speaking about Melchizedek — The facts about Melchizedek established in Genesis 14 — The prophecy about the Messiah in Psalm 110, related to Melchizedek — The definition of “typology” and “types” in the Bible — The various ways that Melchizedek is a type of Christ.
    • Hebrews 7:11-28 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Review of how Melchizedek prefigured Christ — The inadequacy/insufficiency of the Levitical priesthood — The perfection of Christ’s priesthood — Christ, as priest, chosen directly by God — The power of Christ’s “indestructible life” — Christ’s permanent priesthood — The absence of promises about the afterlife in the Old Testament — The “better hope” through Christ’s priesthood — The perfect reconciliation with God that we have through Christ.
  • Hebrews 8:
    • Hebrews 8:1-13 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Review of Melchizedek as a type of Christ — Christ’s exalted nature and position as High Priest — The tabernacle as a “copy and shadow of what is in heaven” — The necessity for a New Covenant to truly reconcile us to God — A history of covenants by God with His people — The prophecy of a New Covenant from the book of Jeremiah — The conditions of the New Covenant, as given in the New Testament writings — The “better promises” of the New Covenant, which are spiritual, personal and eternal — The fulfillment of the promises about the New Covenant given in the book of Jeremiah.
  • Hebrews 9:
    • Hebrews 9:1-12 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Review of the prophesied promises concerning the New Covenant — The tabernacle and implements of worship in the Old Covenant — How some of the implements of worship point to Jesus — The vast scope of God’s plan of salvation for humanity — The ministry of the Old Testament priests — Christ clearing the way for our entry into the presence of God — The process on the Day of Atonement for the forgiveness of Israel’s sin, under the Old Covenant — How Christ fulfills each step in the Day of Atonement process.
    • Hebrews 9:11-15 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Christ’s ministry as high priest, contrasted with the ministry of the Old Covenant priests — Christ’s entrance into the “true tabernacle” — The superiority of Christ’s sacrifice — The significance of “blood” in the Bible — Atonement only through the shedding of blood — Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice — The ability of Christ’s blood to “cleanse our consciences” — The eternal efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice — The external nature of the Old Testament law — The internal purity required by the Law of Christ — A New Covenant necessitated by Christ’s superior ministry.
    • Hebrews 9:16-28 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      Topics covered: Comparison of the New Covenant to a legal will — The significance of blood in both Covenants — Blood’s role in forgiveness — The substitutionary sacrifice that God allows for the forgiveness of sins — The true sanctuary in heaven — Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice — The similarity between the introduction of the Old and New Covenants to the people — The supersession of the Old Covenant by the New Covenant — Human destiny and future judgment — The promise of a bodily resurrection — The promise of a glorified body — Three views concerning the time between our death on earth and our future bodily resurrection.
    • Hebrews 9:27-28 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
    • Topics: Hebrews 9:27-28 and the ultimate destiny of humanity — The biblical timeline of end-time events — The return of Christ to bring salvation to those waiting — The promise of a bodily resurrection for all believers — Comparison of major theological views: Intermediate State, Purgatory, and Soul Sleep — The impact of Einstein’s theory of relativity on the understanding of time and the afterlife — Biblical passages that describe those who are dead as “asleep” — The significance of Christ’s resurrection as the “firstfruits” or model for our own — Reconciling Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross with the concept of a future resurrection — The necessity of a body for maintaining full human identity — Arguments against the “intermediate state” theory — The biblical depiction of a single, universal Judgment Day — The transformation of earthly bodies into glorified, imperishable bodies — The beauty of the entire church being raised from the dead together at once.
  • Hebrews 10:
    • Hebrews 10:1-7 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The Old Covenant law as a “shadow” of future spiritual realities — Limitations of repetitive animal sacrifices in cleansing the conscience — The impossibility of animal blood removing human sin — God’s educational purpose for the “imperfect” Old Testament sacrificial system — The role of the law in teaching the seriousness of sin — The wisdom of God’s progressive revelation through history — Philosophical arguments regarding the inferiority of animal substitutes — The necessity of Christ’s incarnation and moral human life for effective atonement — Messianic application of Psalm 40 to the work of Christ.
    • Hebrews 10:5-10 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The Messiah’s authority versus David’s position under the Law — Significance of the phrase “written about me in the scroll” — Translation debate regarding a “prepared body” versus “opened ears” — The role of the Septuagint as the primary source for Hebrews — The “Providential Guidance” view of Holy Spirit influence on translation — Ancient ear-piercing customs linked to Christ’s voluntary service — David’s “micro” view of contrition versus Christ’s “macro” view of the system of sacrifices — Old Testament themes of obedience being superior to rote sacrifice — Christ’s perfect obedience to the Father’s will — Setting aside the first covenant to establish the second — The “once for all” nature of Jesus’ bodily sacrifice — The Holy Spirit’s role in biblical transmission and canonization.
    • Hebrews 10:10-21 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The once-for-all nature of Christ’s sacrifice — Contrast between the standing posture of Levitical priests and the seated posture of Christ — The finality and completion of Christ’s atoning work — Chiastic structure of Hebrews 10:10-14 — Jeremiah’s prophecy of the New Covenant and the supersession of the Old — Internalization of God’s law on the hearts and minds of believers — The Holy Spirit’s role in effectuating the New Covenant — God’s promise to remember sins and lawless acts no more — Practical implications of Christ’s high priesthood — Our confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus — The symbolic relationship between the Temple curtain and Christ’s body — The “new and living way” opened for believers.
    • Hebrews 10:22-25 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: Transition from theological teaching to practical instruction — The three “Let us” instructions as the core of the passage — Drawing near to God in a spiritual rather than physical context — The continuous nature of approaching God in the Greek verb tense — Drawing near through prayer — Obedience and follow-through as a method of drawing near — Worship and praise as the modern analogy to priestly rituals — Offering the body as a “living sacrifice” in daily service — The necessity of a sincere heart over rote ritual — Cultivating sincerity through prayer and the Holy Spirit — Holding unswervingly to hope based on God’s faithfulness — Meeting together to spur others on rather than for self-benefit — The alignment of faith, hope, and love as three cardinal virtues.
    • Hebrews 10:26-39 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The nature and dire consequences of deliberate, willful sin — Rebutting the interpretation that Christ’s sacrifice only covers past sins — Identifying the “raging fire” as a reference to God’s “zeal of fire” in Isaiah 26 — Correcting misconceptions that characterize God as inherently vengeful or vindictive — God’s punishment as a direct result of a person’s willful rejection of God’s grace — References in the passage to Emperor Claudius’s restrictions after the “Chrestus” riots — The expulsion of Priscilla and Aquila from Rome — Drawing motivation from past endurance through serious trials.
  • Hebrews 11:
    • Hebrews 11:1-3 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: Varying translations and linguistic connotations of Hebrews 11:1 — Objective versus subjective definitions of faith’s foundation — Linguistic analysis of faith as “evidence” versus “assurance” — The perspective of Early Church Fathers on the objective sense of faith — Foundational faith: Faith in God as Creator — The creation of the universe through the spoken word of God — The role of Christ as the Word in creation — The concept of creation ex nihilo — Temporal and spatial implications of the Greek word translated as universe (aionas) — God as Creator of universe and Director of history — General revelation and the universal inexcusability for denying the Creator.
    • Hebrews 11:4-5 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The role of faith behind Abel’s sacrifice compared to Cain’s offering — Cultivating mature faith and humility when reading difficult Scriptures — The significance of blood sacrifice and atonement in Abel’s righteousness — God’s sovereignty over the proper method of worship — Divine instruction given to Cain and Abel regarding acceptable offerings — How initial life circumstances affect a person’s spiritual accountability — Universal access to salvation and God’s desire for all to be saved — God’s grace-filled response and attempt to instruct Cain — The faith of Enoch as a model for a faithful walk with God — The historical context of Enoch’s life during an era of peaking ungodliness — Enoch’s bold prophetic ministry and preaching to a wicked generation — The unique bodily translation of Enoch and Elijah to heaven without experiencing death — Reasons for Enoch’s translation to heaven.
    • Hebrews 11:6-7 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The fundamental necessity of faith to please God — The honor and privilege that human actions can provide pleasure to the Creator — The two pillars of faith: that God exists and that He rewards — The linguistic connection between “He is” in Hebrews 11:6 and “I AM” in Exodus 3:14 — The progression of faith, from “He is” to “God rewards” — Noah’s faith as a demonstration of extreme obedience through building the ark — Noah’s role as a steadfast witness condemning a wicked world — Theological tension regarding scriptures depicting God showing emotion or changing His mind — Reconciling God’s unchangeable character with His behavioral reactions to events on earth — The mechanism of prayer as Biblical evidence that God responds to human actions — Diverse methods of expressing and living out Biblical faith based on personal gifts.
    • Hebrews 11:8 – (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only)
      • Topics: The nature and enduring strength of true faith — Timeline and synthesis of Abraham’s departure from Ur to Harran — Theological perspectives on Abraham’s delay in Harran — The supreme authority of God’s call over earthly family obligations — Abraham bringing Lot and the subsequent consequences of partial obedience — The sacrificial nature of Abraham’s call out of Chaldean culture — The universal application of Abraham’s calling to modern believers — Understanding “blind faith” versus evidence-based faith in God — God’s intentional testing and instruction through withholding details — The scope and spiritual significance of God’s initial promises to Abraham.