3 Things You Should Know About Hebrews

One approach to understanding the essentials of Hebrews is to examine its indispensable contributions to three key points of doctrine.

1. Hebrews is important for understanding covenant theology.

Dare I say, Hebrews is the most important New Testament letter for understanding the covenant theology of the Bible. One’s understanding of the biblical covenants, no matter what that understanding is, will be significantly informed by one’s interpretation of the book of Hebrews. It explores the purpose of the old covenant and its relationship to the new covenant. It is an interpretive lens through which to read the Old Testament.

Readers can mistakenly conclude that Hebrews disparages the old covenant. But nothing could be further from the truth. The glory of the new covenant shines brightest when the old covenant is seen in all its glory, notwithstanding its transience. This contrast is seen in the many “if/then” statements (see Heb. 2:1–4; 9:13–14; 12:25). Hebrews demonstrates that the new covenant does not abolish the old—it consummates it. This shapes how we read the entire Bible. Hebrews shows us that Scripture interprets Scripture. We are not to pit the old and new against each other but to see them in their proper relationship—shadow and substance, promise and fulfillment.

The author is zealous to point out the glorious privilege and gravity of living in the era of the new covenant (see Heb. 1:2–3). Since we are under a covenant administration that is more excellent (Heb. 8:6)—in fact, it is faultless (Heb. 8:7–8)—the stakes are higher. The warnings are sterner, the promises are sweeter, the expectations are higher. This is no fleeting covenant—it is eternal (Heb. 13:20). Hebrews demonstrates with great detail the claim of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” The one covenant of grace, with its various administrations, has blossomed with the coming of Christ. And this, for Hebrews, changes everything. When you read Hebrews, take notice of the glories of the new covenant.

2. Hebrews is important for understanding Christology.

The new covenant is so glorious because of its Mediator. If faith is the means of enjoying the benefits of God’s gracious covenant (as it always has been), then the object of that faith must be able (and willing) to bear the weight of our faith. Hebrews unequivocally establishes Christ’s supremacy as the substance of every old covenant shadow, as the supreme object of our faith and our worship.

Hebrews leaves no room for a domesticated Jesus. He is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact imprint of His nature (Heb. 1:3), the One who upholds the universe by the word of His power. He is the eternal Son, superior to angels, greater than Moses, and the final and Great High Priest who has offered Himself once for all as a sacrifice. He is supreme in relation to all things, from angels to those glorious offices that the Lord Himself established in the old covenant—the prophets, the priests, and the kings.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the substance of the new covenant, which, as we’ve seen, is a superior covenant to the old (Heb. 7:22). The Christian life, Hebrews insists, is not a vague spirituality; it is a concrete, covenantal allegiance to this glorious Christ that flows out of a mystical union with Him. He is, therefore, to be the object of our love, the anchor of our hope, and the focus of our faith. When you read Hebrews, behold the glory of Jesus Christ.

3. Hebrews is important for understanding ecclesiology.

This ecclesiological insight, though perhaps less obvious to modern readers than the Christological and covenantal emphases of Hebrews, proves no less vital. The author of Hebrews doesn’t merely glance back to the wilderness generation as a convenient historical reference; he identifies the church’s very existence and identity within that wilderness framework. This identity is not metaphorical; it is typological—that is, the church today is not merely like Israel in the wilderness; in a very real sense, the church is the new covenant continuation of that same pilgrim people.¹

The language of pilgrimage saturates Hebrews: “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14). The writer urges his readers—who are tempted to turn back to the comforts and certainties of the old covenant system—to persevere as exiles on the way to their true homeland. Nowhere is this ecclesiological portrait more vivid than in chapters 3 and 4. The church is warned not to harden its heart as in the rebellion (Heb. 3:7–8). That generation died in the wilderness because of unbelief. Hebrews pairs its stern warnings with equally potent encouragements. The promise of entering God’s rest remains (Heb. 4:1), and that rest is found in Christ, our Great High Priest who sympathizes with our weakness (Heb. 4:15). The church, then, is the covenant community marked by perseverance, worship, and a forward-looking hope. It is gathered around Christ in the wilderness, nourished by His Word, and pressing toward the heavenly Jerusalem.

But we must go deeper still. Hebrews also gives us one of the most majestic visions of heavenly worship in all of Scripture, and this, too, informs our ecclesiology. In chapter 12, the writer brings the contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion to its crescendo. He says that we have not come to the terrors of Sinai, but to Zion, “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” And who is there with us? “Innumerable angels in festal gathering,” “the assembly of the firstborn,” “God, the judge of all,” and “Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb. 12:22–24). This is not merely a future vision. It is a present reality. The church—every time she gathers in worship—is caught up into this heavenly assembly. The church militant joins the church triumphant for a covenant rehearsal that is grounded in the blood of the eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20). When you read Hebrews, notice the glory of the church.

Reading Hebrews with an eye to these three themes will not only help you understand the message of this one book but of the other sixty-five books as well.