Hebrews Study

Chapter 3

Jesus Christ: Apostle and High Priest of Our Faith
By Jinu Ninan

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters who share in a heavenly calling, let us fix our attention on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of the faith we profess.

In this chapter, the author presents Christ as the Son who always dwells in God’s presence, and as the Apostle and faithful High Priest of our faith. Since Christ was appointed by God as both High Priest and Apostle, the author encourages us to pay careful attention to Him as we hold firmly to our faith. This continues the teaching from the previous chapter.

The author exhorts believers who may be tempted to turn back toward Judaism or the Law of Moses to remember their heavenly calling and to focus on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest, and move forward in faith.

The word "Apostle" means “one who is sent.” In the Gospels, Jesus often refers to Himself as the “Sent One,” emphasizing that the Father sent Him. He also tells His disciples that just as the Father sent Him, so He sends them into the world.

Those sent by the Son live because of the Son, and this life through faith in Christ is the essence of the Christian life. Christ is the source and the perfecter of our faith. Therefore, to complete the race set before us, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and continually rely on Him.

Just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house, so Jesus was faithful, but as a Son over God’s house.

Here the author explains the similarity and difference between Moses, the mediator of the old covenant, and Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Both were appointed by God and were faithful, but the key difference is in their role: Moses as a servant, Jesus as a Son over God’s house.

Every house needs a builder, and God is the builder of all things. Everything God created was ultimately for His Son, and through the Son, all things exist.

Moses was faithful as a servant, witnessing to what would be revealed in the future.

But Christ, as the Son, came as the ruler of God’s house. The main difference between Moses and Jesus is that Moses served faithfully as a servant, while Christ served faithfully as the Son in authority over the house. This highlights the primary difference between the old covenant and the new: a transition from servitude under the law to sonship and freedom through Christ.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as your ancestors did in the wilderness.”

The author warns that failing to hold firmly to faith and hope in Christ can lead to spiritual backsliding. In the previous chapter, he warned about falling away, and here he continues that warning. The first stage of backsliding is neglecting to take God’s Word seriously; the next stage is a hardened heart that resists God’s message.

Your ancestors tested God in the wilderness and for forty years saw His works but did not obey.

Even though Israel witnessed God’s miracles—water from the rock, manna from heaven, and protection in the desert—they did not enter God’s rest because their hearts were unbelieving. Seeing God’s works is not enough; we must know His ways and trust Him.

Therefore, be careful that no unbelieving, hard-hearted person lives among you, turning away from the living God.

The ultimate stage of backsliding is apostasy: rejecting God entirely. The author emphasizes vigilance to prevent this, especially among born-again believers, warning that even those who have experienced spiritual life can fall if their hearts become hardened in unbelief.

Many may wonder: If someone has truly believed in Jesus and has eternal life, can backsliding cause them to lose salvation? The answer is  Eternal life is obtained by faith in Christ as Lord, not by sinless perfection. But, Salvation can be lost only through persistent unbelief that rejects God.

Sin and unbelief can lead to rejecting God because sin hardens the heart. Gradually, this can progress to full-blown apostasy, which the Word of God warns against clearly.

Once enlightened, having tasted the heavenly gift, and experienced the Holy Spirit, a person who willfully persists in sin and unbelief can no longer be restored to repentance.

How, then, can we avoid hardening our hearts and unbelief? The answer: encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” and spur each other on in love and good deeds. Regular fellowship and mutual exhortation keep hearts soft and faith strong.

If our faith holds firm to the end, we share in Christ.

God sustains us and keeps us from falling, but the responsibility to hold fast to faith lies with us. If we abandon this, we risk backsliding. The Christian life requires both God’s work in us and our faithful response.

Hearing God’s Word is not enough; we must respond in faith, not resist or harden our hearts. Even those delivered from bondage, like the Israelites from Egypt, could still fail to enter God’s rest due to unbelief.

Even though God delivered them from Egypt, many did not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief.

Faith is the key to entering God’s rest. Backsliding begins with neglecting the Word, progresses through a hardened heart, and can lead to full apostasy if persistent unbelief continues.

God was not pleased with many of those who came out of Egypt; they fell in the wilderness.

Even those who witnessed miracles can fail spiritually if they do not trust God. The author repeatedly warns that faith must remain firm from beginning to end.

Faith without action is impossible; God is pleased only when we act in trust and obedience.

Therefore, do not allow an unbelieving, evil heart that turns from God to exist among you. Be vigilant, hold fast to faith, encourage one another, and continue running the race set before you.

Sin tempts and deceives the heart, gradually hardening it toward unbelief. Left unchecked, this leads to rejecting God entirely.

But God’s Spirit continues to convict and restore those who repent. True believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and God grieves when they sin.

If one persists in willful sin and unbelief, however, they develop an evil, unbelieving heart and ultimately reject God, making restoration impossible.

Therefore, encourage one another daily, remain alert, and hold firmly to Christ. Faith must be steadfast from beginning to end, ensuring participation in Christ and entry into His rest.

Christians may experience a wilderness-like life even after salvation, just as the Israelites did after leaving Egypt. The desert life is not the ultimate Christian life; the goal is victory over sin and entry into the spiritual rest and inheritance God has promised.

Even after deliverance and seeing God’s works, unbelief prevents entry into God’s rest. Faith and obedience are essential for completing the race and fully experiencing God’s plan.