“As Hebrews began, the writer pointed to who Christ is,” King replied, as he began the second part of their study in the book of Hebrews, “Son, heir of all things, co-creator, radiance of the Father's glory, exact representation of His being, sustainer of the universe, and source of salvation from sins, and finally reigning with the Father at His right hand. Then the writer quoted a number of passages from the Psalms to illustrate His superiority to angels.”

“Oh, this study is so thrilling,” Staci couldn’t help but comment how she was feeling. “I can just feel His presence. Can’t you?”

King raised his hands toward heaven, giving praise to the only One who was worthy to be praised. The others in the study group did the same.

“God is just so good to us,” Fuller replied. “I am honored and privileged to be able to enjoy these wonderful studies with all of you. What passage of scripture have we come to, David?”

“Hebrews 2:5 - 18,” King answered. “In this passage, the writer continues his point that Jesus is superior to angels, but instead of focusing on that, I want to explore in this chapter what Hebrews tells us about Christ Himself. There are various ways of approaching this passage. I am struck by the fact that in the scope of just a few verses, we see laid out before us a vision of Christ as several things. In this passage, we will see Him as the Son of Man.”

“We’ll see Him crowned with glory and honor,” Barrington pointed out.

“Ah! Very good. You’ve read ahead of our study. Would anyone else like to venture out a guess as to anything else Jesus is seen as from this passage?” He looked around at the faces in the group.

“He tasted death for everyone,” Erin said.

King nodded. “Yes, He did. Anyone else?”

Fuller smiled. “Jesus is the author of salvation. And I’d like to point out that there is no other.”

“Amen, my brother.”

Shiva held up a hand. “Jesus comes to perfection by suffering.”

King nodded again. “Excellent. Yes. You are all right on with our study, I am delighted. And I would like to say that Jesus is also of the same human family as those He saves. Now, come on, Michael. William! Staci. Are there any more?”

Lenox didn’t hesitate. “I know of one. I have to say that I like this one a lot. I believe in this passage that we’ll also see Jesus destroying the power of Satan.”

“That is a good one,” Barrington agreed with a nod. “I mean, they’re all good. What can I say? Staci, you’re right. This study is hot!”

Staci smiled. “Well, try this one then. Jesus frees us from the fear of death.”

Fronk let out a loud holler. “Amen, sister! Jesus has also been tempted like we are.”

King held up a forefinger. “Yes, but let us not forget that Jesus is a merciful and faithful High Priest, making atonement. Let’s examine each one of these briefly. Who of you would like to read to us the first part of this passage…Hebrews 2:5 - 8?”

Everyone but Fuller rose their hands.

King let out a chuckle. “Darren…why don’t you want to read?”

Fuller shrugged. “I do…I was just letting the others have their fill.”

“In that case, please read to us.”

“Alright…” Fuller pulled his Bible toward him and read Hebrews 2:5 - 8. “‘For it was not unto angels that He put in subjection the world to come, of which we speak. But one at a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in putting all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now as yet we see not all things put under him.’” He looked up. “I believe this is the passage, which shows us Jesus as the Son of Man.”

King nodded. “Yes. In verses 6 through 8, the author of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 8:4-6, which says, ‘what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou dost visit him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet…’” Then, he said, “While the Old Testament passage uses ‘son of man’ in synonymous parallelism with ‘man’ in Psalm 8:4, the author considers the passage in terms of Jesus as the representative Man, something like Paul's Second Adam, who tastes death for every man. We’ll see that a moment in our studies. First, let us quickly view Paul’s Second Adam who tastes death.”

Fronk looked at him. “Huh?”

“What is wrong?”

“Well, correct me if I’m wrong, sunshine, but you just told us we would see more about the one who tastes death as we move on in our studies, and then you go right into it. You trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat?”

King shook his head. “I don’t know what that means. But to clarify, I meant to say that in our study of Hebrews, we will see Jesus as tasting death. I want to point out here about Paul’s Second Adam. Yes, the Second Adam tastes death. Why don’t you show us this by reading to us I Corinthians 15:45 - 49?”

“Okay. I will.” Fronk read the passage King asked him to. “‘And so it is written: The first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening Spirit. However that which is spiritual was not first, but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second Man is the Lord from Heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.’”

King smiled. “The Second Adam. ‘Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed onto all men, for all have sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the similitude of Adam's transgression, he being the figure of Him that was to come. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one Man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one who sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is for many offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offense of one, judgment to condemnation came upon all men, even so by the righteousness of One, the free gift unto justification of life came upon all men. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous. 1’”

“And that is without a doubt…” Shiva grinned. “…heavy.”

The group agreed heartily.

“Jesus had largely referred to himself as the Son of Man,” King said, “ultimately pointing to Himself as the fulfillment of the heavenly Son of Man of Daniel 7:13-14, ‘I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’”

“Gotta love prophecy,” Lenox replied. “‘Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said; nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 2’”

“That influenced the author's perspective,” King pointed out. “The author of Hebrews looks beyond fallen man to the Perfect Man. To Jesus as the ultimate Son of Man, in terms of Psalm 8, Jesus was made for a little while lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor, and the Victor over all, with everything subjected under His feet as a military conquering hero.” He smiled. “Now, I approached some of you to help me with these areas. Three of you have looked into these three points in our study. I would like you now to tell me what you have discovered.”

Fuller smiled. “I took the first one, David, about being a little while lower than the angels. Using the Septuagint translation, the author of Hebrews notes that Jesus was ‘a little’ or ‘for a little while’ lower than the angels. This refers to His incarnation as a man. You’ve mentioned earlier that you’re not pursuing his argument about angels so much as looking at how Christ is revealed to us.”

“Thank you, my brother. And should this not be so? We do not worship angels, but we do worship the Son of Man. Next?”

Erin raised her hand. “I’ve got Jesus as crowned with glory and honor.”

He nodded encouragingly for her to continue.

“Jesus is seen as ‘crowned with glory and honor,’” she began. “I’d like to think of the crown here as a wreath made of ornamental foliage given for a distinguished service. Here it refers to Christ's exaltation to honor and glory at the Father's right hand. Paul wrote of this in Philippians 2:9, which says, ‘Therefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name…’”

King nodded. “Very good, Erin. In Hebrews, Jesus' role as the suffering Redeemer is in clear focus, but set in the context of His final glory on high. Marc…?”

Shiva took it from there. “The third role of the Son of Man seen in Psalm 8 is subjection of all things to Him, putting ‘...everything under his feet.’ This phrase ‘under his feet’ actually reflects the ancient practice of the victor placing his foot on the neck of the vanquished as a sign of his superiority, and you can find that in Joshua 10:24.” He looked at his notes and read the verse he had copied there. “‘And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war who went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near and put their feet upon the necks of them.’”

Lenox shook his head. “Wow. That is really good, Marc.”

“I thought so, too, when I looked this up.”

“You might even say,” Fronk added, “that it’s heavy.”

Shiva grinned at him, and then continued, “‘Subjected’ in the NIV, and ‘put in subjection’ in the King James Version in verse 5 and three times in verse 8 is hupotasso, which is ‘to cause to be in a submissive relationship, to subject, to subordinate.’ But then Hebrews notes an apparent discrepancy in verses 7 and 8 of chapter 2. ‘Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in putting all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now as yet we see not all things put under him.’” He paused.

“What discrepancy?” Staci asked.

“After His ascension is the point at which God has ‘put everything under His feet’ in subjection - ‘And God hath put all things under His feet, and hath given Him to be the head over all things to the church. 3’ - which will be culminated when Christ returns and destroys Satan forever in the lake of fire.”

Barrington nodded in agreement. “‘And the devil who had deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 4’”

Shiva smiled. “Right. Well, the decisive battle was fought and won at Calvary and the Empty Tomb. The rest is just a mop-up operation to secure the victory to every realm and place on this earth. The final battle has yet to play out when Christ returns.”

The study group agreed with heartfelt “Amens” and “Halleluiahs.”

“In discussing the suffering of Christ,” King began once they resumed the study, “we don't see Christ's victory yet fully manifested in our world, but we do see clearly His suffering for us…‘But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 5’ With eyes of faith we see Jesus' great sacrificial death on the cross followed by His current position at the right hand of God. Here, the writer of Hebrews pauses for a moment to reflect on Jesus' death. In the phrase ‘suffering of death’, he uses a word that is repeated again and again in this book, pathēma, ‘that which is suffered or endured.’ A related word, ‘suffer’ or paschō is found in verse 18. The root idea is to experience something or be treated of everything that befalls a person, whether good or ill, usually in an unfavorable sense. This word group appears eight times in Hebrews. I just quoted one from Hebrews 2:9.”

Staci raised her hand. “Here’s one in the 10th verse. It says, ‘…to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.’”

“The 18th verse,” began Fronk, “also mentions this word group, David, my lad. For it says, ‘For in that He Himself hath suffered…’”

Fuller cleared his throat. “5:8 says, ‘…though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.’”

“It appears we are on a roll,” King commented. “Has anyone else found a verse?”

“I have 9:26,” Shiva said. “I’m just going to read the whole verse. ‘…For then would He have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once, in the end of the world, hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.’”

“Hebrews 10:32,” Lenox replied. “‘But call to remembrance the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions…’ Afflictions… sufferings. They both carry the same meaning.”

Barrington looked up from his Bible. “Hebrews 13:3 says, ‘Remember those who are in bonds as though you were bound with them, and those who suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.’”

“Amen,” King said. “Erin, did you find the last one?”

Erin nodded. “Yes. In trying to keep up with you people, I managed to find Hebrews 13:12. ‘Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.’”

“Now the obvious message for us is that just as Jesus suffered to complete His mission, so we too may have to suffer temptation and persecution to finish our own race, when we shall receive the reward of eternal life. Christianity is no fair-weather game, my brothers and sisters, but a serious commitment to die for Christ, if need be.”

“Let's look at this verse again,” King said. “Hebrews 2:9. ‘But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.’" He paused. “The latter part of this verse explains two things about his final suffering that ended in death. Does anyone know what those two things are?”

Lenox nodded. “Obviously, the first one is…By His death he suffered death for everyone.”

“That’s because of the grace of God,” Staci replied.

“That is the second one,” King pointed out.

Staci looked surprised. “Really? Uhm, I was just saying something that’s true.”

“And you said it well, Staci,” Fuller assured her.

She smiled.

“It is because of the grace of God,” King said. “In the last part of verse 9, we clearly see what theologians call the substitutionary atonement, where Christ's death for sin is substituted for our own. This is clear from the word for in the phrase ‘for everyone.’ The preposition huper is a marker indicating that an activity or event is in some entity's interest. It is for or in behalf of the sake of someone.”

“Well,” Fuller began, “I think that this verse echoes the idea that Paul explored of the Second Adam, which we saw earlier in our studies. The First Adam, as representative of the human race brought us into sin. The Second Adam, as representative also of the human race, ‘tasted death for all.’”

“One of the main points of this chapter is that Jesus became fully human that He might save his brothers. That God allows Christ's death for sin to substitute for our own is clearly, as our sister Staci pointed out, by the grace of God, and not due to any merit of our own.”

King held up a forefinger. “Now comes the difficult concept of being made perfect through suffering.”

“But what does that mean, David?” Staci inquired. “I mean…well, wasn't Jesus morally perfect already?”

He smiled at her. “Would you read Hebrews 2:10? Then, we shall see together about answering your questions?”

“Okay.” Staci read Hebrews 2:10. “‘For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.’” She looked at him. “Okay…now speak up and answer my questions.”

“First,” he replied, “let’s take note of Jesus' mission. To bring many sons to glory.”

“Wow!” Shiva exclaimed.

Fronk narrowed his eyes. “What? You can’t tell us that that’s not heavy? ’Cause I gotta tell ya…it is, man.”

“Indeed it is,” King agreed. “‘Bringing’ is agō, which is to lead or guide morally or even spiritually, and to encourage. Jesus is the Leader we follow. And our destination is glory. The state of being in the next life is thus described as participation in the radiance or glory. As our Leader, Jesus is the author, the captain, the pioneer of our salvation. Archēgos can refer to either one who has a preeminent position, such as a leader, ruler or prince, or this can refer to one who begins or originates.”

“Jesus is the founder,” Barrington replied.

“Yes, He is. Now this word is found both here and in 12:2. Here it could be the one who went before us as author or pioneer to secure our salvation, or the captain who won a battle and subjected the enemy. This is precisely what our Lord has done. Maybe the writer of Hebrews intended both ideas to be suggested by this word. Now we ask, in what sense was Jesus made perfect through suffering? Does this mean He was imperfect.”

Staci shook her head. “No, I don't think so.”

“This must have something to do with Jesus as our example,” Erin began, “doesn’t it? I mean, when He was here in person on the earth, He walked a life we are to walk ourselves. So He was showing us how we should live. I think that’s what this is about here, too.”

“Let’s examine that,” King said. “‘Perfect’ is the Aorist infinitive teleioō, which is to overcome or supplant an imperfect state of things by one that is free from objection. It is to bring to an end. The word is used here and in 5:9; and 7:28, which we will look at later. The idea here is that the state of perfection and the culmination of God's purpose for Jesus is the heavenly, glorified, conquering Christ. But to achieve this end, He had to go through the suffering of humanity, and especially the suffering of a disgraceful execution on the cross. In 12:2, the author expresses a similar thought when he writes, ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’”

King put his fingertips together as he leaned forward. “Now the author of Hebrews stresses Jesus' close identification with us humans, buttressed by quotations from Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:17-18. Who would like to look those up and read them?”

Everyone raised their hands, even Fuller. But King noticed three who were faster at it than the others. Shiva, Lenox, and Staci.

King smiled. “Marc, you read to us Psalm 22:22, and, Michael, please take Isaiah 8:17 - 18. Staci, when they are finished, I ask you to please read the next passage of our study, which is Hebrews 2:11 - 14. What we are discussing here is about Jesus, who is not ashamed to call them brothers. Who is them? We will get to that.” He looked at Staci. “You were going to ask that question, weren’t you?”

Staci nodded. “Yep, I was.”

“Well, let’s get into these verses and do just that. Answer your question…which I asked for you.” He winked. He turned to Shiva. “Marc, have you found the verse I gave you?”

Shiva nodded. “Yes, I have, David. Psalm 22:22 says, ‘I will declare Thy name unto My brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.’” He looked up. “Well, that’s what I like to call heavy right there when this verse points out to us about His brethren. And how He obviously thinks very highly of them. I mean, that’s a very cool honor when it’s Jesus who is declaring His brethren. Isn’t it?”

“I believe it is…Michael?”

Lenox pulled his Bible close. “Taking a look at Isaiah 8:17 - 18, it says, ‘And I will wait upon the LORD, who hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwelleth in Mount Zion.’”

King nodded to Staci.

Staci read Hebrews 2:11 - 14. “‘For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren; in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee. And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children whom God hath given Me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death -- that is, the devil.’”

King smiled. “Now let’s look at the phrase, ‘partakers of,’ in verse 14, which uses two synonyms. The first is koinoō, which is to make a participant into something, and is from koinos, that is to say common. We see this idea throughout the Epistles in its noun form, koinōnia. That is participation, communion, and fellowship. And the second synonym is metechō, which is to have a part or share in something. Though it may be difficult for us to understand, it was necessary for Christ to become human and share in our flesh and blood state. What does this mean for us?”

“He became our Brother,” Barrington answered.

“And we became what?”

“His brethren,” Lenox answered.

King nodded. “For only as one of us could He destroy death, and our enemy the devil, on our behalf.”

“Amen, brother!” Shiva exclaimed.

Fuller nodded. “Adam started it, the Second Adam finished it. Theologically this idea is called the ‘federal headship.’”

“Yes,“ King agreed, “and the act of Jesus becoming a human being is called incarnation. Incidentally, verse 11 introduces the idea of ‘making holy.’ We won't discuss that here, but will explore it in much greater detail later where the author of Hebrews develops the concept more completely.” He turned to Fronk. “William, you have once again become silent. Would you please read to us Hebrews 2:14? We are now going to look more closely at the Devil’s power of death.”

Fronk read Hebrews 2:14. “‘Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death -- that is, the devil.’”

“Thank you, William,” King admonished. “Now…let's examine how Jesus handled the devil, who had exerted malignant power over the human race. But first we need to understand this verse that says that the devil holds the power of death. In just what sense is that true?”

Lenox shrugged as he considered the question. “Well, clearly Satan brought sin to the human race, the result of which is death.”

“Can you back that up?”

He paused. “Well, sure. The Bible teaches this truth to us.” He began to flip through the pages of his Bible as he glanced at his notes. “Here…I have Genesis 3:1 -7, which says, ‘Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and ate, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he ate. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves things to gird about.’”

“‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord… 6’” Fuller replied.

“What other truths do we discover?” King asked.

“About the devil?” Staci inquired.

King nodded.

“Satan is certainly behind the persecution and martyrdom of Christians,” Shiva pointed out. “Revelation 13:7 has him rising up against the saints. ‘And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.’”

“Yeah, but let’s not place our fear in the devil,” Barrington replied. “Listen to Luke12:4 - 5. ‘And I say unto you, My friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him that, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear Him!’”

“I enjoy the fact that you are all looking into your Bibles for the answers.” King sat up and smiled at the study group. “You are all to be commended. Now there are some other truths to be found.”

“He is a liar,” Staci replied. She looked at where she had her Bible open to. “Jesus called him a murderer, too. In John 8:44, He says, ‘Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.’” She looked up. “I really think it speaks volumes when the Lord Himself calls someone a liar and a murderer. If He says it, then you know it’s true. The devil is a liar and a murderer. Right from the very beginning, too.”

Fronk wagged a finger at her. “This is all true, Doc, but God has placed limits on Satan. He wasn't allowed to kill Job, for example, only afflict him. ‘And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; only spare his life. 7’ And not even a sparrow dies apart from the will of God. ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 8’”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Erin said. “Though God allows evil and death in this world, it by no means has free reign nor does it represent His perfect will.”

“That about sums it up, yes.”

“And I have a truth about the devil, too.” Erin looked at her notes. “Satan is a usurper, an interloper, and he takes what is not his. While as an angel he has power, and is in rebellion. But God has not granted him legal rights to control death. He has no right except that which is grasped as a result of his might. He victimizes the weak and defenseless, and is a thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10 says, ‘The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ That kind of sounds like a warning to choose Jesus over the alternative, which is eternal death. The same death Satan himself will face in the end.”

Fuller nodded. “Very insightful, Erin. However, sounds to me like there is a bottom line in there.”

“Which is…?” King inquired.

“The devil is the enemy.”

“This is all true,” King replied. “Satan may be an agent of death and exercises power in that regard, but he is not God's agent. Rather he is a rebel against God's rule. What we do know is that the myth of Satan being the king of hell is not true. He has no power of eternal punishment, in fact, he is the one who will be punished eternally, as our sister, Erin, has just pointed out to us. Jesus exhorts to His disciples to fear God far more than those who can kill only the body. I would like to close this part of the study repeating the verse Al has read to us. ‘And I say unto you, My friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him that, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear Him!’”

“While up to Jesus' time,” King continued with the study of Hebrews, “Satan exercised influence, but now his power is broken. We’ve already read the 14th verse, but I shall read it once more, along with verse 15 of the second chapter in Hebrews. ‘Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death -- that is, the devil -- and deliver those who all their lifetime were subject to bondage through fear of death.’” He looked up from his Bible. “This sentence spells out two purposes of Christ's death. Do we know what they are?”

Shiva nodded. “Yes. Obviously to destroy the devil is one of those purposes, David.”

“I believe the second purpose is to free from fear,” Fuller added.

King nodded. “Yes. Destroy is katargeō. It has the basic meaning to use up, exhaust, or to waste. Here it is used in a causative sense, that is to cause something to come to an end or to be no longer in existence. It is to abolish, wipe out, set aside, which is from kata - separation, or dissolution. And when we add that to argeō, it means to slack off and become idle. Ellingworth says that it carries the sense of making something ineffective, while falling short of annihilate. John says something quite similar in I John 3:8. Staci, would you read that verse.”

Staci nodded as she turned the pages of her Bible to 1 John. Then, she read 1 John 3:8. “‘He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.’”

“In the context of mentioning Satan and Jesus' ministry of casting out demons, Jesus tells the Parable of Spoiling the Strongman. Michael, would you like to take Luke 11:21 - 22?”

“Absolutely,” Lenox responded. He found Luke 11:21 - 22 in his Bible and read it to the study group. “‘When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. But when one stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.’”

“Jesus is the Stronger One who has despoiled Satan and taken away his power. Paul writes, ‘and having despoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 9’ Satan is still an adversary and still resists, but his power is broken. His Conqueror is the One who holds the keys of death and Hades.”

Fronk nodded enthusiastically. “‘I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. 10’”

“He is also the one who forgives our sins,” Shiva replied, “cleanses our conscience so that we know we are forgiven, and gives us confidence to approach Him without fear of condemnation.”

“Amen, my brother!“ King exclaimed. “Now the second purpose in these verses is to free from the fear of death. Free or deliver is the verb apallassō, which is to set free from a controlling state or entity, or to release. The word is used in the New Testament in the context of becoming free from an evil spirit and also being released from diseases. The condition is termed slavery or bondage, douleia, which is slavery, or servility. The legal technical term used enochos means liable to, or subject to. The cause is fear of death. Now is the slaver to the fear of death? Or to the devil because of the fear of death?”

“The writer doesn't exactly say,” Fuller responded, “but later in the letter he carefully develops the ideas of forgiveness, cleansing the conscience, access to God, and our hope of the heavenly City of God. So long as the weight and guilt of a person's sins is present, death is a terror -- not just because it is the unknown, but because of fear of judgment for sin. As the Apostle Paul wrote concluding his great chapter on resurrection, ‘The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 11’”

King nodded in agreement. “Christ not only destroyed the devil's power, he also freed the conscience so that we have hope of a glorious life after death, not fear of judgment. Hallelujah!”

King put his hands together. “This chapter concludes with a paragraph on Jesus as a merciful and faithful high priest, which is the first explicit mention in all the New Testament of his high priestly role. Hebrews 2:16 - 18 says, ‘For verily He took not on Himself the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Therefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor those who are tempted.’” He looked at each of the Gatherers in the study group. “We're going to be considering Christ as High Priest in Hebrews 7, so we won't go into detail here. Jesus' high priestly ministry is a major theme of Hebrews. It is important to notice, however, that the writer again makes the point that Jesus was fully human, made like his brothers in every way. That likeness extended even to temptation.”

“That really is something to take into heavy consideration,“ Shiva replied, shaking his head in wonder. “Because He was tempted, and understands temptation, though He didn't sin!”

King nodded. “He is merciful. That is sympathetic and compassionate toward us. This idea of a sympathetic high priest is developed further in the fourth chapter of Hebrews, as we will see. His desire now is to help those who are being tempted. Help, or succor is boētheō, which is to render assistance to someone in need, or furnish aid. It is to help those in need. Now in this chapter the author displays Christ in a number of ways. He is fully human Son of Man, exalted Messiah, Author of salvation, Conqueror of death, Victor over the devil, Emancipator from the fear of death, and merciful High Priest. What an awesome Christ we serve!” He smiled. “Quickly now, let us read the key verses of this part of our study. Just read them out and I’ll close us in prayer. Albert, please read Hebrews 2:9. Erin, Hebrews 2:14 - 15, and…Michael, take Hebrews 2:18. These verses are key verses.”

Barrington read Hebrews 2:9. “‘But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.’”

King nodded to Erin.

Erin read Hebrews 2:14 - 15. “‘Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death -- that is, the devil -- and deliver those who all their lifetime were subject to bondage through fear of death.’”

“Amen…” King said. “Michael…?”

Lenox nodded and read Hebrews 2:18. “‘For in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor those who are tempted.’”

“Let’s pray,” King said. And then, he prayed as they bowed their heads to God. “Father, thank you for sending Jesus to us. It's so easy for us to take Him for granted, to misunderstand who He really is. Please open our eyes and open our hearts to Him afresh. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.”

1 - Romans 5:12 - 19
2 - Matthew 26:64
3 - Ephesians 1:22
4 - Revelation 20:10
5 - Hebrews 2:9
6 - Romans 6:23
7 - Job 2:6
8 - Matthew 10:29
9 - Colossians 2:15
10 - Revelation 1:18
11 - 1 Corinthians 15:56-57