Bible teacher Essay

There are many opinions about the book of Hebrews and a variety of responses. In order to recognize these, three people were interviewed to understand their impressions and how they generally understood the message of the book. A Bible teacher, a non-believer, and a friend who professes to be a believer were interviewed and these were the results. Mr. Edward Shim is a Bible teacher and informs us that Hebrews is about â€Å"the calling of Jesus as man’s Savior†. That He is â€Å"the complete author and provider of our salvation from sin. † According to Mr. Shim, â€Å"it explains the Son of God as the fulfillment of the symbolic tabernacle ceremonial system given to the ancient Israelites. The shedding of blood for the atonement of sin on a daily basis is replaced by the once and for all shedding of Jesus’ blood so that all those who believe through faith may be saved. We enter His rest by accepting Jesus’ death as salvation for our sins. Hebrews continues to support Jesus’ death as the valid and legitimate answer to sins’ demand of death. It concludes by calling all who accept his salvation to walk uprightly in spiritual maturity and growth. † He believes that no man, not even the pope, preacher, parent, or anyone can mediate between a person and God but Jesus Christ alone and that Christ’s death has â€Å"cleansed away the enmity between God and man. † Mr. Brian Starlin, a non-believer, says that he is not really familiar with the Book of Hebrews. All he says is that â€Å"there were men through whom God communicated. † Some of which were Moses and Noah, while Jesus was one of the more recent mediators. He adds further that â€Å"Christ’s sacrifice inspired a lot of people; helped push Christianity across the globe and still helps push it; and has led a lot of people toward a more moral and balanced life. † To Mr. Starlin, Hebrews is â€Å"an inspiring story about an important individual from the past, and it has influenced a lot of family members and friends,† so he respects what Christ’s influence has accomplished. Ms. Mishell Pang, on the other hand, is a friend who professes to be a believer. She says that the general message of the book is â€Å"of how Jesus is the ultimate high priest and no one can come to God except through Him. † She goes on to say that â€Å"Christ’s death cleansed every one of their sins,† and that accepting Jesus as savior and mediator to God is accepting God’s grace and forgiveness. The Book of Hebrews was written primarily for Christians who are undergoing persecution and discouragement. Its writer strives to strengthen the faith of believers in Christ by carefully explaining the superiority and finality of God’s revelation and redemption in Jesus Christ. He shows that God’s redemptive provisions under the old covenant have been fulfilled and made obsolete by Jesus’ coming, and the establishment of the new covenant though his atoning death. The writer hence, challenges readers to hold on to their confession of Christ until the end; to go on into spiritual maturity; and not to turn back to condemnation by abandoning faith in Jesus Christ. Both Mr. Shim and Ms.Pang basically understood the general message of the book which is about redemption in Christ Jesus; Mr. Starlin, on the other hand, honestly mentioned that he was not familiar with the Book of Hebrews. Nevertheless, it was noted that none directly mentioned an understanding of Christ as both genuine God and genuine man, but only about Christ’s sacrifice and what it has accomplished. Both Mr. Shim and Ms. Pang openly professed how much impact Christ’s sacrifice has touched them and how much they appreciate this sacrifice. They both claim that no one can come to God but through Christ alone. This assignment has helped me see and understand that though access to the Bible is now unlimited, there are still many who are not aware of its contents and message. It is sad to note that to some, its contents are mere stories and that Christ to them was just a man like the rest of God’s prophets and messengers and that they still have no knowledge about What Christ can do for them. This assignment has helped me realize how most of us are still spiritually hungry and how many among us are dying spiritually without proper knowledge of the Word.