Don Carson | Hebrews: Jesus is Better

In this video, Don Carson reflects on a theme that runs through the book of Hebrews: “Jesus is better.”

[buildtolove]

I could spend all day listening to him.

[HearGodsWord]

Thank you for this. Jesus is better than everything. Jesus is greater value than anything. Jesus is perfect.

[nikolagenchev]

One of my favorite books! I just love it - Ode to glorify and describe the work of Jesus! Amazing book!

[JCATG]

Thank you for reminding us that the Lord Jesus Christ will always be better, Dr. Carson.

In a time where turmoil arises from the uncertainties that a pandemic brings, we all need to be rekindled that Jesus is better over all the worries and fear that might creep into our minds and hearts.

The Lord will reign over this temporal storm as He as has already conquered the power of sin and death on the cross.

Thank You, Jesus. To You be the glory alone.

[allensagalla]

Thanks for uploading. Truly, Jesus is better - Praise the Lord!

[tianjian]

Great stuff as always, Dr. Carson. Oh, and the audio is excellent!

[joshuatheo]

Is this gonna a series about all the books of Bible and about topics?
Like the Bible Project but without 2CVs and actually orthodox?

[christopherskipp]

Jesus is both better and best. Also see the book of Colossians; Hebrews and Colossians agree, of course. Looking for a lost item, I covet the prayers of you believers. Thank you.

[jesuschristbiblebiblestudy]

The Bible story is the story of God’s unfolding promises and biblical ethics are always the ethics of faith. Ask yourself: What do the actions of these characters reveal about their faith in God’s promises? What action does their faith lead to?

This will help you avoid moralism. For example, the main problem with Abraham and Sarah having a child by Hagar is that they do this because they do not trust God’s promise of a child and so take matters into their own hands (Genesis 16).

·   Remember that God is always the ‘hero’ of the story. The central question is always: What does this story reveal about God?
·  Think carefully about whom you identify with in the story. Do not assume you should identify with the hero (for example, “We should care for the hungry, just as Jesus fed the 5, 000”). This Bible story is not about us; it is about God. More often we should identify with the beneficiaries (“We should look to Jesus to provide eternal bread for us”).

Finally, we have to ask: What response did the author want from his hearers or readers? Try to summarize what response you think the original author wanted from his readers. This may be an action to do. But it may equally be confidence in truth, grief over sin, joy in Christ, compassion for others, praise to God, wonder at grace and so on.

The intended response may be an action, but it may also be an emotion or change of motivation. Even when we identify actions for people to do, ask what motivations the passage provides.

Amen.

[ninaballerina]

Greetings Don! I will get straight to the point. Why 'better' when there is no comparison at all? Why do churches like the Godless world around them adamantly stay blind to the fact that the Lord is the ONLY ONE to have come NOT BORN of the cursed seed of the Fallen Man and thus went on to prove how neither Sin nor Death and not even Satan for that matter have any power over Him? In fact, perfectly in keeping with the prophesied Sign 'virgin with Child', clearly, not even the woman had a role in His holy conception - her role being merely to offer her womb for His surrogacy.

Thus, the ONLY ONE to come conceived of the Word and the Spirit of God (eg. Lk 1:35-37) - the very Word of God incarnated in His holy & eternal Flesh! So that, He is the ONLY ONE in His Self-same holy & eternal Flesh to be Transfigured back and forth both in His Heavenly Glory and in His Earthly Glory. The ONLY ONE likewise to Resurrect and in due course Ascend back to Heaven in full public view, in the Self-same holy & eternal Flesh, with the infallible Promise that He'd Return in the like manner so that all will see Him and recognize Him! (Trust you don't need all the relevant references here.) What is more? The ONLY ONE to truly & fully Fulfill, Exemplify and Teach the surpassing Righteousness of God. All of these, not surprisingly no man has ever replicated to date and NONE ever shall!

So, where exactly is the comparison? Where does one even presume to start comparing? Just as God asks, eg. Isa 40:18, "To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare Him to?" And why do men insist on calling Him 'Son of Man' when clearly God had instructed He will be called the Son of God - eg. Lk 1:32, 35, Isa 9:6.. Especially since in His own words He has testified so - refer for eg. Jn 10:36 - and gone on to rebuke and refute all who did otherwise - for eg. refer Mk 12:35-37, Jn 8:56-58. Just as it is written, "...GRACE AND TRUTH CAME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST." - Jn 1:17.

The calling of mere men as prophets or servants of God in their various ministerial capacities, while also exposing their CERTAIN fallibility, are in fact Pointers (eg. Isa 8:18) to the only One, Holy, True & above all LIVING God who went on to unravel Himself before all men as the True & Only Shepherd, Husband, Father, Son, Head, King, Lord, Teacher, Master, Holy Spirit, High Priest, Author, Founder, Architect and Builder of His holy & eternal Kingdom/Temple/Household etc. to name a few and most importantly the ONLY True, Holy and LIVING Sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the world. Mere mortal men having usurped all holy Titles of God from the time of their fallen first father, is it any wonder therefore the fallen human race till date has no clue whatsoever of either the meanings or true Spiritual implications of these Titles or their Divine Nature & Eternal Power - eg. Rom 1:18-20 - whether within the churches or outside??!

Also, lest you forget, the book of Hebrews, even as it seeks to plead with the Jews on the basis of a comparative study of Jesus Christ with their otherwise immensely revered patriarchs, priests, prophets, kings and last but not the least, Moses himself and of course the angels even, it makes the blasphemous fallacy of actually equating the Lord with the mortal man Melchizedek. Refer for eg. Heb 7, particularly verses 2-4. And how? By blasphemously suggesting that Melchizedek had neither father nor mother, and neither beginning nor end and yet is an 'eternal' priest like the Lord who clearly has the Father and is the very Beginning and the End!

When will you people actually open your eyes and receive the Absolute, Infallible & Irrefutable Truth? Read Gen 14:18 and see for yourself exactly what it states. For only then you will begin to understand the Eternal Order of Priesthood Melchizedek represented by bringing forth the symbolic Offering of 'Bread and Wine' - the very symbolic Offering the Lord had Himself reinstated on the eve of His holy Sacrifice - eg. Matt 26:26-29 - and for just the Purpose. So, you see, it is the particular Order of Priesthood which is eternal and not Melchizedek - unless of course one remembers Melchizedek like the rest of God's people partakes of it through Christ Jesus (eg. Rev 1:4-6). Besides, you also forget the Lord is the One and Only True High Priest (Heb 4:14 & 9:11)for having offered Himself, the Perfect, Pleasing, Holy and above all LIVING Sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the world. Perhaps now you will begin to understand why therefore the slow-to-understanding Abraham, having clearly failed to understand it then, was thereafter taught by God on the regions of Moriah (Gen 22:13-14) that the Atonement for the sins of the world is NOT POSSIBLE by the UNHOLY & DEAD sacrifice of the son born of the cursed seed of the fallen man (refer also Mic 6:7b, Ps 49:7-9) but POSSIBLE only by the HOLY & LIVING Sacrifice of the Son whom God will Himself provide and who is since also called the 'Lamb of God'. While at it, also read Isa 66:3, Isa 1:11-13.


Indeed, perhaps you, like the brothers of Emmaus, will truly have your eyes opened at last thanks to the Lord's Table (Lk 24:30-31) God by His incomparable Mercy has made possible for us to silence our enemies for ever.

Ask yourself then, how can a mere king of Salem be equated with the King of kings? How can a priest who only symbolically ministers in the perfect and eternal Order of Priesthood be equated with the very High Priest who alone has in reality accomplished or fulfilled it and has therefore infallibly promised to lead us in it at His holy & eternal Kingdom (eg. Matt 26:29, Lk 12:37)?

P.s. Above all, learn the God-ordained method (and therefore absolutely fool-proof) established since of old to help all Truth-seekers to discern between the Infallible and Irrefutable Word of God and the worthless and futile words of men.

[gerryquinn]

Yes, the theme of the entire Book of Hebrews is that Jesus is better. Jesus is better than Moses. the Temple. The High Priest, The Old Covenant etc. But why was the book written? Clearly some Henbrew Christians may have been backsliding. Therefore, the author of Hebrews had to remind them that Jesus was better. If of course these Christians had actually believed that Jesus was himself God (YHWH) then the whole point of the book would be pointless. The very fact that rthe author has to argue his case shows that they did not believe that Jesus was God. It reminds us hat the first and original confesion of faith was : Jesus is the Messiah (Christ ) the Son of God..