The author of Hebrews stresses how eternal salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and his power. By committing ourselves to him and acting with faith, we can come boldly to the mercy seat of God.
The Epistle to the Hebrews: A New Rendition
Read here the full epistle of Hebrews in a new rendition, with headings that help identify themes. This new rendition clarifies that “it does not seek to replace the authorized King James Version adopted by the Church as its official English text. Rather, it aims to enhance readers’ understanding conceptually and spiritually by rendering the Greek texts into modern English with LDS sensitivities in mind.”
Formats available are reading online (HTML), Amazon Kindle, Deseret Book, and PDF (best for printing).
“Hebrews, Epistle to the,” Richard D. Draper, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
The main point at the center of the epistle to the Hebrews is that eternal salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. “It systematically strives to persuade them ‘to hold fast to their faith.'” This piece by Richard D. Draper examines how each chapter in Hebrews individually support this doctrine.
“‘Now Since the Children Share Flesh and Blood, [Christ] also, in Just the Same Way, Shared Their Humanity’: The Low Christology of the Lord as Viewed in Hebrews 1–2,” Richard D. Draper, paper presented at BYU New Testament Commentary conference, “New Mormon Ideas about Mark and Hebrews,” 29 July 2016
Understanding who Jesus was and what he accomplished “directly links to how a person feels he or she should behave. There are high stakes and eternal consequences to one’s Christological views. Can our natures really approach his? … In sum, the author shows that because of God’s concern for Abrahams’s descendants, the Savior had to be made like them in every way. The reason was so that he could became the merciful and faithful High Priest willing atone for the sins of his people and thereby reconcile them to God. The point: because he endured trials and temptations, he is both willing and able to assist and forgive those who are tried and tempted.”
Chart 12-7: “Levitical and Melchizedek Priesthoods,” Charting the New Testament
Salvation cannot be obtained without faith and the ordinances of the priesthood. The two orders of the priesthood, Aaronic and Melchizedek, are introduced in Hebrews 7. “Chart 12-7 details the points of comparison between these two priesthoods as articulated in the epistle to the Hebrews.”
Chiasmus in Hebrews, Chart 15-21, from Charting the New Testament
“The argument of the Epistle to the Hebrews has a central pivot point, drawing attention to Jesus Christ as the new High Priest.”
Hebrews, Chart 14-10, from Charting the New Testament
A brief list of themes in Hebrews.
Videos of the New Testament Commentary Conference, “Hebrews: The Sacred Powers of Jesus, the Great High Priest,” October 12, 2019, at BYU
Philip Allred, Keynote address: “He is able to succor [Boetheo] them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18, 4:16).
Phil Allred identifies instructively with the pain and suffering of Jesus Christ, through which he learned obedience allowing him to run to the aid of “them that are tempted.” The ancient audience to whom Hebrews was written was, like ourselves, in need and in danger. Yet through the sacrifice of all things, the highest forms of education and of eternal life will develop within our souls, as they did within the Savior’s.
Del Clark, “How Shall We Escape?” Jesus as Savior to the Hebrews (Hebrews 2:3)
Del Clark recommends that anyone going through the ups and downs or the transitions of life should take Hebrews as their guide! Life is a risky proposition, but when you begin counting the mercies of God, you really don’t know where to stop. That is the renewing message of Hebrews.
