This new work takes the epistle's complex argument and re-presents it in terms of the salvation story it tells. Written at a level for college and seminary students, Schenk shows how this early Christian sermon utilized the events, settings, and characters of the salvation storyline to remind the Christian audience that Christ has provided a definitive sacrifice for sins and that reliance on any other means of atonement is apostasy. According to Schenk, the main point of Hebrews is that Christ has provided a perfect atonement for sin--one that makes reliance on levitical means of atonement obsolete. The biblical author maintains that the old covenant was never intended to take away sins, but was instituted as a shadowy example of what was to be accomplished truly through Christ. Schenck then argues that Christ's exaltation to the right hand of God was the offering of a spiritual sacrifice in a heavenly tabernacle. The reader is thus encouraged to hold fast to their confession of faith so that they will inherit salvation. Featuring informative sidebars and glossary aids, this book will be of great help to those who study or preach from the book of Hebrews.
