“Let us begin in our study of Hebrews with the first two verses of chapter one.” King turned to Staci. “Would you like to read them?”

Staci nodded, pulling her Bible toward her.

“But only read the first verse and the first part of the second verse. We’re going to talk about Jesus. Just who is Jesus?” King held up a forefinger. “That's the question with which we begin our study of Hebrews. The original readers of this letter apparently thought he might be an angel of some kind. Some in our time have honored Jesus as the greatest teacher who ever lived. Some have seen him as a great prophet. However, the author of Hebrews presents him as much more than that, and we will see that as we continue. He reveals Jesus to us as the Father's own Son.” He nodded encouragingly at Staci to read.

Staci read Hebrews 1:1 - 2a. “‘God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son…’” She looked up at King to see if that was where he wanted her to stop.

He nodded. “Now who is this verse referring to?”

“God,” Erin replied.

Shiva paused as he considered what King was asking. “I think it’s more than that, Erin. This is referring to the Son of God because it is God the Father who is mentioned as speaking to the people…‘us’…about His Son. And I can’t help it, Crazy Man. I know I say it a lot, but that is heavy.”

Fronk pointed at him. “You are only stating the obvious, my friend.”

“Getting back to the subject,” Fuller began, “I believe that the writer of Hebrews acknowledges how God revealed himself through the prophets in the Old Testament. They were authoritative spokesmen.”

“Yes,” King agreed, “but now, he says, God has revealed himself most clearly, directly -- and personally -- ‘by his Son.’ If you hadn't already heard ‘Son of God’ ten thousand times, you might gasp when you heard his word. Son! The author uses this term a dozen times in this book -- usually as ‘Son’ without any modifier, but four times as ‘Son of God’. The references are in 4:14, 6:6, 7:3, and 10:29. We will be getting into those verses, but you can look into them now if you like. However, what does he mean by this? What does it say about the relation of Jesus to God Almighty?”

“The relationship of son to a father was commonly used figuratively in many cultures, including Judaism, to denote a special honor or to recognize a special achievement, but it did not denote a divine figure,” Barrington responded. “It is clear that the writer is stating that Christ's Sonship is much more than an analogy of relationship and honor. It seems to be used almost literally of physical offspring rather than figuratively. The Son in this passage is used in the sense of Jesus the Son corresponding exactly to the Father and serving as His personal spokesman.”

“That is very good, my brother,” King said with a nod.

Barrington nodded. “Thank you, David.”

“Now…several questions do come up when we begin this study and I will ask them all. If you can answer them, then just simply jump right in. There will be several questions throughout the study that I will ask, and the first one is this…In what way do you think the author of Hebrews is using the word ‘Son’? As a metaphor? As a biological relationship? How would a Son's words have more weight than a prophet's?”

There was a pause as the questions were being considered by the group.

“Who would like to go first?” King asked.

Erin raised a hand. “I can only answer in short terms. I don’t believe it is a metaphor. This is a biological relationship between Father and Son. There is nothing metaphorical about it.”

Staci nodded. “I agree.”

King regarded Lenox. “You look thoughtful, brother.”

Lenox took a deep breath. “Well, it is a thought provoking question, David.’

Barrington chuckled. “What thoughts has it provoked from you?”

“Well, how can the words from a son be more profound than from a prophet? When it is coming from Jesus, it is more profound and carries a lot of weight. Jesus is everything. He is a prophet - the Prophet - as well as the Son of God. Many prophets came and went, but in the Old Testament, those prophets were prophesying about the Coming of Christ.”

Staci pursed her lips. “You mean about the rapture?”

Lenox shook his head. “No. I mean about His First Coming. When the Old Testament prophets foretold about His virgin birth and death on the cross. Well, Jesus did come and He prophesied Himself about fulfilling the rest of the prophecies in the Bible. That He is going to fulfill them all. Coming from Jesus, it is not only prophecy but a promise yet to come. We all know and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only One who can deliver on a promise.”

“Amen,” agreed the study group.

“God sent His Son to fulfill prophecy,” Lenox continued. “And Jesus came to do the work of His Father. So, Erin, you’re right about that. This is not a metaphor by any means, but a deep, intimate relationship between a Father and His Son. The beauty of all of this is that we as adopted sons and daughters of God can have a deep, and intimate relationship with Him as well.”

“And I think that’s cool,” Shiva commented.

“That, my brother, is simply awesome.”

Fronk gave a nod. “Not to mention heavy.”

“These next verses,” King began, “will take us into another part of our study about the Divine Son. Jesus is not only the Father’s Own Son, but He is also the Divine Son. I’d like to point out to you six characteristics of the Son right out of these verses. In fact, I’m sure you could pick them out yourself, but before you do that, let’s read them.” He turned to Erin. “Would you pick up right where Staci left off and also read us the third verse?”

Erin nodded and read Hebrews 1:2a - 3. “‘…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, upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…’” She looked up from her Bible. “Well, there’s the first characteristic right there at the beginning of this passage. Jesus is an Heir.”

“Yes,” King replied, smiling and nodding. “An Heir. This Son is not just the messiah or a prophet, he is appointed God's heir…klēronomos, one who receives something as a possession, or beneficiary, or as an heir.” He paused. “What is the second characteristic?”

Staci raised her hand. “As part of the trinity.”

King looked at her. “How so?”

“Well, it says, ‘by whom also He made the worlds,’ which indicates to me that He had a part in Creation.”

“That is exactly right, Staci. Jesus is Co-Creator and agent of creation. Nicely done.”

She smiled. “Thank you, David.”

“I know His third characteristic,” Fronk exclaimed as he raised his hand up high. “Come on, now. Pick me!”

“Try to behave,” Fuller warned.

“What is the third characteristic of the Divine Son, my brother?” King asked.

Fronk smiled. “He’s bright.”

“What?” Fuller asked.

“He’s bright.” He looked around at the others. “Come on, man. I’m not being funny here. The Divine Son is bright. ‘Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.’ That’s what the Bible says. The Divine Son is bright.”

King shook his head, chuckling. “You are a joy, my brother. In a sense, you are right.”

“See? I told ya!”

“Jesus is the radiance of divine glory. He is the Divine Son in all of His radiant glory. The Hebrew word for brightness is amalgams. It can mean ‘radiance’ or ‘reflection.’ God's glory is sacrosanct.”

Staci frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means that it is sacred. Revered. In other words, Staci, no man is to take it. Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, ‘I am the LORD; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. 1’”

Barrington held up a forefinger. “But God can give it and God's glory is upon His Son.”

Fuller nodded. “‘And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. 2’”

“And this brings us to the fourth characteristic of the Divine Son,” King replied. “Anyone?”

“He represents His Father,” Lenox responded. “He is a representative of His Father.”

“Yes. The Divine Son is indeed the exact representation of God’s being. ‘…The express image of His Person…’”

“That is really an awesome statement.”

King nodded. “I agree. It is charaktēr. Which sounds exactly like character. The phrase spells out that Jesus is the exact representation of, that is, God's essential nature. Now…He upholds all things. What does He uphold all things with?”

“His word,” Shiva responded.

“So what, then, is the fifth characteristic?”

“He is,” Fuller began, “the sustainer and preserver of the universe. The Divine Son sustains the entire universe.”

King smiled. “This is wonderful, isn’t it?”

A chorus of “Amen’s” and “Halleluiah’s” spread out through the group.

“What is Jesus noted as doing at the end of the passage in our study?”

“He sits down at the right hand of God!” Fronk exclaimed, slapping the table and causing Erin to jump.

King chuckled. “Yes. So the sixth and final characteristic of the Divine Son is…” He trailed off.

“He is the Co-Ruler,” Barrington answered.

“Finally,” King began, “‘after he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.’ At God's right hand is the place of honor and co-regency. Perhaps a great human personage might be called by one of these titles, but by using all six, the author makes it clear that the Son spoken of is the divine Son of God. With him there is no comparison.” He paused. “That brings us to another question… What about the author's description of the Son makes you think that the Son described is Himself divine? What role does the Son have in doing the Father's will according to these verses?”

Lenox smiled. “The answer is obvious. Again. Because Jesus is Divine. He is the Father's Son. He is Divine. He is the Heir. He is the Co-Creator. He is the radiance of Divine glory. He is the Co-Ruler. He is the sustainer of everything. He is the Son of God. The role that the Son has in the Father's Will is to do His Father’s work. Jesus said in the four Gospels whenever He was confronted by the scribes and Pharisees that He was there to do His Father's work. And He did it.”

“My brother, Marc,” King said as he turned to the ex-wrestler, “would you read to us the fourth verse?”

“I’d love to,” Shiva responded. So he read Hebrews 1:4. “‘…being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.’”

“The author senses that the recipients of this letter have sometimes tried to fit Jesus into the category of an angel, or angelos. The word is used of humans in the sense of a human messenger serving as an envoy, or one who is sent. But that is not the case, is it?”

“When people are looking for wiggle-room,” Fuller replied, “they tend to minimize the authority and person of Jesus Christ.”

King nodded in agreement. “That is exactly right. If they can make Him a great man among men, then they can choose whether or not to accept his opinion. This has been the effect of the so-called quest for the historical Jesus. If we can minimize Jesus into a great teacher who was unfortunately crucified, then we can believe, think, and do as we please. But if Jesus is, in fact, the Son of the Living God in a literal, physio-biological sense - as the virgin birth would suggest - then His word is final. Jesus is Lord.”

“Amen, brother,” Barrington agreed.

“Preach on!” Lenox exhorted.

King smiled and continued, “As we mentioned in the introduction, the author of Hebrews seems to be writing to a congregation of Christian Jews, perhaps in Rome, who have been flirting with the idea of returning to their former Judaism and giving up Christianity. The author declares in the most explicit and uncertain terms that Jesus is Lord because He is the unique Son of God. Therefore, Jesus as Son is superior - kreittōn - to any other category of persons or heavenly beings, and his name here, as Son, surpasses any other.” He paused. “Now, get ready. This next part of our study will require us to dig deeper into the Scriptures.”

“Now,” King began, “the author quotes a series of passages, which point to the Messiah as God's Son. He contrasts angels as servants who worship and serve God. We‘ll see this very shortly. These angels are ‘ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. 3’” He paused. “Angels have their place. However, the scriptures that speak of the Son are exalted indeed, most of them acknowledged by Jews of the time as Messianic.” He passed out cards to each of the group. “On these cards are passages of scripture. You will each have the opportunity to read them out loud and we will discover Messianic quotations right from the Old Testament. Michael, you have Hebrews 1:5 - 14, but do not read the entire passage all at once. Let us take this slowly and we will be blessed by what we learn here today.”

Lenox nodded as he looked at the card. Then, he pulled his Bible closer to him. “Okay…The first part of Hebrews 1:5 says, ‘For unto which of the angels said God at any time, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee?’ None of them, I’d say.”

King nodded. “Who has the Old Testament quote of that verse?”

Fuller looked at his card. “Looks like I do, David.” He flipped through the pages of his Bible until he found what he was looking for. “Psalm 2:7 says, ‘I will declare the decree: The LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.’”

King nodded again. “So we have God saying to our Lord, ‘You are my Son, today I have become your Father.’ He is not saying this to an angel.” He turned to Lenox. “Continue.”

“Okay,” Lenox replied. “The next part of verse 5 says, ‘And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?’”

Barrington raised his hand. “I have the OT quote right here, which is found in II Samuel 7:14. ‘I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men…’”

“Again,” King pointed out, “this is not something God would say to an angel. He says this to His own Son. ‘I will be his Father and he will be my Son,’ is speaking of David's descendents, and ultimately the Messiah.” He nodded encouragingly to Lenox.

“Verse 6,” Lenox said. “‘And again, when He bringeth in the First-Begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him.’”

“Angels are not to be worshipped. This is only for the Son of God. We know that Lucifer was an angel and he tried to usurp the very throne of God. Of course, he failed. Jesus reigns victoriously as He has shown us by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb. Who has the Old Testament quote?”

Staci raised her hand. “I do.”

“Go on, my sister.”

“Uhm…I’m reading from Deuteronomy 32:43, which says, ‘Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land and to His people.’”

King nodded to Lenox.

Lenox read Hebrews 1:7. “‘And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.’”

Erin glanced at King. “I have Psalm 104:4, which says, ‘who maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire…’”

“Thank you, Erin.” King smiled. “I mentioned this one briefly already, how the writer contrasts angels as servants who serve and worship God. Not the other way around.”

Lenox read Hebrews 1:8 - 9. “‘But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.’”

Shiva looked up from his Bible. “I have this one. I’ll be reading from Psalm 45:6 - 7.” He cleared his throat. “‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter of Thy Kingdom is a righteous scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness; therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.’”

“God’s throne will clearly last forever,” King pointed out. “God has set His Son above His companions by anointing Him with the oil of joy.”

“Okay…now we come to Hebrews 1:10 - 12.” Lenox read them. “‘And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thine hands. They shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.’” He shook his head in amazement. “That is an awesome passage of scripture.”

“Amen, it is,” Fuller agreed.

“Well, this here Old Testament passage that I have,” Fronk began, “pretty much says the same thing. It is from Psalm…Ooh, another psalm! Psalm 102:25 - 27.” He unnecessarily cleared his throat. Then, he said, “Do you want me to sing this verse out to you?”

“No!” Fuller exclaimed. “William, I’ve heard you sing.”

“But a psalm is a song.”

“Just…read it, please.”

Staci looked at Fuller, curious. “Is William a bad singer, Darren?”

Fuller nodded.

Fronk sighed. “Alas…but have it your way. I shall read then from Psalm 102:25 - 27.” He looked at the written words from his Bible. “‘Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.’” He looked at Lenox. “Kinda starts out like what you’ve just read, don’t it?”

Lenox nodded. “It does. But it’s supposed to because it brings the whole thing together.”

Fronk continued, “‘They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; and as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.’”

“The writer of Hebrews refers to Christ as the co-Creator,” King reminded them from their earlier discussion. “He will never change. He is always the same.” He turned to Lenox. “Alright, my brother. You read the last two verses from your passage and I will read the Old Testament reference.”

Lenox nodded and read Hebrews 1:13 - 14. “‘But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?’”

King followed with, “Psalm 110:1 says, ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.’” He looked up from his Bible. “Can you imagine that? God will make the enemies of His Son into a footstool. What can you possibly call that?”

“Heavy, man,” Shiva replied with a nod.

“I must agree.” He paused. “There is much that could be said about each of these quotations that the commentaries discuss in detail, but I want to spend our time carefully examining the author's exhortation in 2:1-4, since it speaks directly to us who have heard the message of the gospel, in the first century and today.”

“Allow me to read Hebrews 2:1,” King said to the study group, “as we continue with this theme of Jesus, the Father’s Own Son. ‘Therefore we ought to give even more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.’ Now listen to this same verse from the NIV. ‘We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.’ So what we are hitting upon here is an exhortation to be attentive.”

Fuller nodded thoughtfully. “We are fully responsible for what we hear and what we have heard. We cannot just drop it and move to something else as if the gospel's commands were merely human opinions.”

“Because if we do there is the danger that we will drift away. You have probably observed this in others. They've heard the gospel, but they don't take heed to it -- and so drift without moorings. They are like the seed in Jesus' Parable of the Sower that was sown on the hard ground of the path, the shallow ground of rocky soil, or the thorny soil where it was choked out. Let’s read these passages together. Someone look up Matthew 13:3 - 9 and also in the same chapter, verses 18 - 23.”

The group began to flip through the pages of their Bibles.

Lenox and Barrington found the verses first.

“I’ll go first,” Lenox told them. Then, he read from Matthew 13:3 - 9. “‘And He spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside; and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’”

Barrington pulled his Bible closer. “I have verses 18 - 23, which says, ‘Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower: When any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he that received seed by the wayside. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the Word and at once with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he loses faith. He also that received the seed among the thorns is he that heareth the Word; and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it; who also beareth fruit and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’”

“What does James 1:22 say?” King asked.

Everyone began to flip through their Bibles. “‘But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves,’” Staci read out loud.

King nodded. “So here is the exhortation. Just hearing the word, without being doers of it is a dangerous, deceptive position to be in. Now…In what ways are we not immune to drifting away from the gospel? According to the author, how can we successfully resist the tendency to drift? How did Jesus describe this phenomenon of drift in the Parable of the Sower?”

Lenox paused. “Well, we're not immune to drifting away from the gospel simply because we are a fallen race. We are of the race of man whose first father and mother sinned first, causing all of us to be separated from God.”

“That is a generalized answer, Michael,” Barrington said, “for it encompasses all of mankind.”

Lenox nodded. “Right. But then - getting away from a general answer - each one of us has certain vices that distract us. It could be a lack of time. It could be overwork. It could be that you just keep yourself busy with family things, or a new car, or a new boat, or a hobby...and so on. We just get distracted and if we aren't too careful, we start to drift because we are not spending time in His Word like we should be.”

King sat back. “So to resist this drifting away, we must pay close attention to His Words, His commands. Heed them. In the Parable, they heard the Word but didn't take it to heart. They didn't follow it. I find that drifting away from God does not come all at once, but it is a gradual thing. Missing a church service here and there, not studying the Word, skipping on chances to fellowship with other believers. It becomes easier and easier to skip the things that keep us anchored in God.” He held up a forefinger. “That is when the drifting starts. Without our anchor, we will continue to slip away from where we need to be and where we intended to be. Our faith needs nourishment daily, and one way to avoid drifting is to feed your faith and make your faith shine in the world.”

“Having exhorted his readers about paying attention and the danger of drifting,” King said, “he now warns them of the seriousness of ignoring God's word. The Law given to Moses was understood by the readers of Hebrews to have been given through angels. ‘For what then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels through the hand of a mediator. 4’ ‘…Ye who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. 5’” He turned to Fuller. “My brother, would you read for us Hebrews 2:2 and the first part of verse 3?”

“Certainly.” Fuller turned to his Bible. “‘For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…’”

“This is the first of the five warning passages in Hebrews. We will, of course, come to the other warnings as we continue our studies, but here we come to the first warning. The writer's logic is this, drawing on chapter 1, where he argued that the Son is far superior to angels. If the Law given through angels was binding, with severe punishments for disobedience, how much more the salvation brought about by the Messiah who is God's exalted Son. So what is the danger we are being warned from?”

“Ignoring salvation is the danger,” Lenox responded.

King nodded. “Yes. Ignoring or neglecting this salvation is indeed a very serious warning.”

“A casual attitude toward the gospel isn't faith,” Fuller commented.

“No, it certainly is not,“ King replied. “It leads inevitably to drifting away with the current generated by the culture around us. Very dangerous. The gospel offers great salvation from the just punishment from breaking the Law. But the opposite - neglecting this salvation - cuts off any hope of escape from the terrors of punishment.”

King sat forward. “We come to the conclusion of this part of our study, Jesus, the Father’s Own Son. In Hebrews 2, the last part of verse 3 and all of verse 4, we read, ‘…which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by those who heard Him, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will?’ The author of Hebrews concludes this section with the attestation or confirmation of this gospel of salvation that his readers had experienced.” He paused. “The readers of Hebrews had heard eyewitnesses speak about what it had been like in the beginning with Jesus. They had also heard about and seen God's stamp of approval on the message of salvation by signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

“These miracles and works of power are recognized to be given by the Holy Spirit,” Fuller commented. “I Corinthians 12 is an example of these gifts.”

Staci turned the pages of her Bible to that passage. “Can I read this?”

King nodded encouragingly. “Of course.”

“’Now concerning spiritual gifts,’” Staci began, “‘brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Therefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, except by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God who worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit thereby: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all of these that one and the selfsame Spirit worketh, apportioning to every man individually as He will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased Him. And if they were all one member, where would be the body? But now there are many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whenever one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church: first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracle workers, then those with gifts of healing, helpers, administrators, and those with diversity of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.’”

“Thank you, Staci.”

“You’re welcome, David.”

“That was quite a reading,” Shiva replied.

“Quite a lot to ponder,” Fuller commented. “‘And He gave some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…6’”

King leaned forward. “It is because of this particular verse in Hebrews chapter 2...verse 3 and 4, that we don't think the Apostle Paul could have written Hebrews. Instead of talking about the salvation confirmed to us by those who heard him, he would have asserted that Jesus had spoken to him and revealed the gospel to him. You've not only heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, the author is saying. It has also been confirmed to you as true both by eyewitnesses and by miracles from God. You can't neglect it or drift away from it back to your old ways. You must take heed. You must.” He paused for effect. “Which brings us to our fourth question. In what way has the truth of salvation been confirmed to you? Would signs and wonders help or hinder establishing the truth of Christ's ministry today? From which portion of the Bible have you formed your opinion of the value of signs and wonders today?”

“The truth of salvation has been confirmed to me,” Lenox began, “through His Word. By hearing the Word and by doing the Word. Because of Jesus, my life has changed. I‘m still a sinner, but I am a redeemed sinner. As for signs and wonders, I think every day is a sign and a wonder. God paints the sunsets and the sunrises like no one can. Because that is just the point. No one can, but God. Life is a miracle. It is a sign and a wonder unto itself because God created life. Didn‘t Jesus say that the rocks would cry out if no one else did? Who created the rocks? There are signs and wonders all around us every day of our lives, but in our limited wisdom, we do not perceive these things as signs and wonders. And lastly, I think we have all the signs and wonders right here in the Bible. It‘s all we really need to go forward.”

“We need the same urgency today that the writer of Hebrews had. You've probably wished that you could exhort a friend or relative whom you've seen drifting with this kind of exhortation. What we can do, however, is to take heed to our own walk and pray for those around us. There is a battle, there is a strong drift-current. We must pay more careful attention.” He nodded at Lenox. “Good answer, Michael, by the way.”

Lenox nodded.

“Now…I’d like to close this part of our study with the key verses. Who read Hebrews 1:2 and 3?”

Erin held up her hand. “I think that was me.”

“Please read it again, and let’s all take note that this is a key verse. There are two others as well.”

Erin read Hebrews 1:2 - 3. “‘…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, upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…’”

“I read Hebrews 2:1, but, William, you’ve been silent for a bit. Please read this key verse.”

Fuller shook his head. “William may be many things, but silent he is not.”

Shiva let out a chuckle. “I hear that.”

Fronk grinned at him, but behaving, he read Hebrews 2:1. “‘Therefore we ought to give even more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.’”

“The first key verse reminds us that Jesus is the Father’s own Son,” King pointed out, “and what William just read reminds us to pay careful attention or we will drift. Darren, you take the third key, which is Hebrews 2:3.”

Fuller nodded and read Hebrews 2:3. “‘How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by those who heard Him.’”

“Let’s pray…” King bowed his head and as the others did the same, he prayed, “Father, sometimes we've become complacent. We've sometimes taken things for granted rather than to take seriously Jesus' words and His salvation. Sometimes we've assumed that others know about Your salvation when in fact they do not. We ask You to come again with revival and power into our churches and communities. Stir us up. Confirm Your word ‘with signs following 7’ so that people might believe more surely. Grant it, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.”

1 - Isaiah 42:8
2 - John 1:14
3 - Hebrews 1:14
4 - Galatians 3:19
5 - Acts 7:53
6 - Ephesians 4:11
7 - Mark 16:17