These small group Bible studies of Hebrews contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Hebrews 2 Inductive Bible Study Guide With Discussion Questions
Hebrews 2 Bible Study Video
Hebrews 2 Podcast
Outline
I. The salvation we have in Christ (1-4)
II. Christ subjected Himself, but will be exalted (5-9)
III. Christ came to bring us into His family (10-18)
I. Verses 1-4
Discussion Questions
• Verse 1: For what reason? What is the connection between this passage and chapter 1?
• What are the things that “we have heard” that the writer is referring to?
• What word was spoken by the angels? What role did they have in bringing God’s message to His people?
• What “spiritual law” is referred to in verse 2 (sin comes with a consequence)?
• What is the main message for us (application point) from verse 3?
• Who was it that confirmed the gospel message to them?
• In what other ways was it confirmed?
Cross References
1 Timothy 1:19 – Holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.
Galatians 1:8 – But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
Deuteronomy 33:1-2, Psalm 68:17 – These verses show us angels were involved in the passing of the law to the Jews at Mt. Sinai.
1 Timothy 2:5-7, 1 Corinthians 15:5-7, 2 Timothy 2:2 – In these verses we learn the principles of multiplication and reproduction in discipleship.
1 Corinthians 14:22, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Acts 2:22 – These signs confirmed the gospel to the world.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. For this reason – We need to realize that Christ is pre-eminent over everything else. Because of this, the salvation He offers is of utmost importance that requires all of our attention. In the last lesson we discussed the fact that God has given us divine revelation about Himself. This is information about His character and plan that we could not possibly deduce or comprehend on our own. Because the Supreme Creator has given us a message, we should pay attention to it and study it closely as well as obey it. Here we see the same idea. Because Christ is supreme, everything He has done for and teaches us is of maximum importance. When God speaks, we should pay attention.
2. Drift away from it – Notice the word “drift.” Why use this word? Drift has the meaning of a slow change in direction. Such a small change in direction is likely not even intentional. Boats will slowly drift off course if the captain is not paying careful attention to maintain his heading. A married couple may slowly drift apart in their relationship. A student may slowly drift off to sleep in class. None of these things are intentional. They happen subtly without warning. Many times, they are hard to notice unless one is observing very closely. Churches also can drift away from sound doctrine while individual believers drift away from God in their relationship with Him.
Do solid believers who are following God one day just wake up and decide to leave church and never come back? No! It is incremental. First, it is a decision to sleep a bit later and have a quiet time at night which doesn’t end up happening (I am tired and will read the Bible tomorrow.) Then it is a sin that is not quickly confessed. Next, the person perhaps lets some resentment build up in their heart about something that God allowed to happen in their life. Later, it is a decision to skip church one time for a concert. This happens more and more often until the individual is not going anymore, not reading the Bible anymore, and not even praying anymore.
Does a believer in a strong and loving marriage one day wake up and suddenly decide he or she wants a divorce? No! First, it is an unresolved conflict. Then, it is a wandering eye. Next, he or she allows his or her mind to dwell on unhealthy fantasies. Later, it is a lapse in judgment (half intentional) by which he or she allows himself or herself into a tempting situation with a co-worker of the opposite gender. What the individual planned to only be a one-time thing is then repeated until his or her entire marriage is wrecked.
Sin creeps in on us gradually. It is one of Satan’s most effective methods. He wins one little battle at a time until he has won the war.
Application: How can we prevent this gradual drift away from God and His truth?
3. I believe this “word” in verse 2 is referring to Scripture. This is the greater/less than argument. If the lesser is true (the words from angels are true and do not change and can’t be altered) then certainly Jesus’ words are true (verse 3) and the consequences of rejecting His words are serious. Angels were instrumental in bringing the Scripture to God’s people. Many times, they came with messages for prophets or individuals like Abraham, Daniel, Mary and Joseph and the wise men. It is likely that God used angels as His messengers in some visions and dreams as well. Their words to God’s people are unalterable. Those who disobey (or doubt like in the case of Zechariah) would receive the appropriate punishment.
4. Verse 2 implies the spiritual law that “sin must be punished.” If this were not true, Christ would not have to die for us. But because sin must be punished, either we face the punishment or Jesus faces it for us.
5. Verse 3 – If even disobeying the angels comes with a very costly punishment, how much more costly if we reject the great salvation that Christ has made possible for us?
6. This great salvation was offered by Christ. For that reason alone, we should not ignore it, take it for granted, reject it, or drift away from it. After Christ preached it to us, his apostles and disciples passed it on to the next generation who then kept passing it on.
7. God used a variety of signs and wonders and miracles to verify this gospel. When the early church was just growing this was a new belief. Many greeted it with doubt. How could people know if this was true or if it was just a passing fad? God confirmed the truth of what the disciples were preaching by using them to perform miracles. People weren’t sure if the words they spoke were true, but when they saw the miracles, the elect knew this was only possible by the power of God and thus believed.
II. Verses 5-9
Discussion Questions
• Who was this world subjected to (verses 5 and 9)?
• What attitude did Christ show in becoming lower than the angels? When did this happen?
• What “reward” would He get after He humbled himself? What principle does this teach?
• Why did Christ have to take the form of a man and lower Himself to save us (verse 6 asks a rhetorical question on this topic)?
• How does that make you feel? How should we respond to Christ’s sacrifice for us?
• What is not under Christ’s rule/dominion (nothing)? What impact does that have on us knowing that everything is controlled by Christ?
• What does it mean that He would “taste death for everyone”?
Cross References
Psalm 8:4-6 – What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet. (Hebrews 2:6-8 is quoted from there.)
Ephesians 1:22 – And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.
Romans 5:6-8 – You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Philippians 2:2-11 – In this passage we see that Jesus humbles Himself and is therefore exalted.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Verse 5 – Here is another point which reinforces the author’s theme from the last chapter, namely that Christ is superior to the angels. The world was put under Christ’s control. He is ruler over all things.
2. Verses 6-8 – Christ for a little while became a man. His position during that time was lower than the angels. Right now, the angels’ position is higher than people. They are in heaven, are more powerful, and are holy. For a short period of time, Christ became a man. This was a major sacrifice on His part. He lowered Himself FAR below what was rightfully His. He left paradise in heaven to come to this sin-cursed earth. He didn’t choose the top palaces to live in, but was instead born in a manger. He didn’t come to become king of this earth (the first time), but came as a servant to give His life as a ransom for many. He is the ultimate example of humility.
If Christ humbled Himself so radically, surely we should also humble ourselves. In the everyday grind of life, there are endless opportunities for us to humble ourselves and be servants. We can humble ourselves to empty the trash, to clean the restroom, to get up to check on the crying baby in the middle of the night, to not have to have the last word in every discussion/argument, to forgive others’ mistakes even if they keep repeating them, to do the tasks that no one else wants to do, and to serve in the background without thought of reward.
Application: Share one specific way in which you can humble yourself and serve those around you in the coming week.
3. God has established the principle of exalting those who humble themselves (1 Peter 5:6). Jesus is the ultimate example of that. He humbled Himself more than any person has ever humbled Himself in all of history and subsequently will be exalted higher than any person will ever be exalted in all of history. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In Philippians 2:12 it says He will be given the name above every other name. This passage is yet another reminder that Christ is supreme and pre-eminent and can remind us that if we humble ourselves, God sees and will reward us at the proper time.
4. Why did Jesus do this? Verse 9. He did it to die for us so that we would not have to. Will we make sacrifices for other people? Will we humble ourselves to serve them even when it is difficult or when we don’t feel like it? Will we do this for people who don’t like us and don’t deserve it?
III. Verses 10-18
Discussion Questions
• What theological truth can we get see in verse 10 regarding the purpose God created this world for (It was created for Him. He created it to bring glory to Himself.)
• How could Christ be perfected through sufferings if He was already perfect (verse 10)?
• What does “brethren” mean? How can we be brethren of Christ?
• What do we learn about Jesus’ incarnation from this passage? What characteristics did He take on as a human?
• How did He render Satan powerless? What does that mean for us?
• What is the meaning of verse 16?
• Why did He become a man?
• What does propitiation mean?
• How is it beneficial for us that Christ was tempted like we are? What lessons can we learn from Him about how to respond to temptation?
Cross References
Psalm 22:22 – I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. (Hebrews 2:12 is quoted from here.)
1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 1 Corinthians 15:54 – In these verses we see that Jesus conquered death.
Verses on sanctification:
2 Timothy 2:21 – Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 – May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Verses on the incarnation:
John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Verse 10 – Everything was made by Him and for Him. This gives a simple answer as to why He created the world. He created it for Himself because it gives Him pleasure and glory. Yet He desires to bring joy and salvation to others so that we can experience the full joy of knowing and serving God. This shows the harmonious doctrine of why we exist. We exist to glorify God. And as we glorify God, we have the most joy possible, hence the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him fully.
2. To perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings – Since Christ’s divine nature was perfect already, it cannot be referring to this. A noted preacher, John MacArthur, says, “His human nature was perfected through obedience, including suffering in order that He might be an understanding High Priest, an example for believers, and establish perfect righteousness.”
3. Verses 11-13 – We are brothers of Christ. We have the same Father. In the Old Testament it says that the Messiah would preach to His brethren. Jesus Himself said that those who obeyed God would be called his brothers and mother (Matthew 12:50, Luke 8:21). This reinforces the truth that everyone who comes to Christ is adopted into God’s family. This is why we call other believers brothers and sisters. How does God adopting us impact us? What does it mean to you that Christ is our brother? Is there anything we need to do because of this truth? Is there any application we can make?
4. Verses 14-15 – Here we see the doctrine of the incarnation. Jesus became a man. He took on the nature of a human. Why would He do this? He did it so that He could die once for all bringing all men to Himself. Death is the scariest thing awaiting every man. Death always has the last word. Satan’s seeming victory at the Fall ensured that all people would die. Satan thought his greatest victory would be killing Jesus, killing the Son of God. Yet his glee was turned to bitter defeat when Jesus arose from the dead and defeated death once and for all.
Because of that, believers do not need to fear death. It is not the end. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:54, “death is swallowed up in victory.” How does knowing that death is not the end, but that Christ defeated death, affect us here and now before we die?
5. Verses 16-17 – These verses show Christ’s identification with humanity. He became one of us to represent us and to help us. He did not identify in this way with angels.
6. He became like his “brethren.” He became a man. This allowed Him to become our High Priest, our mediator. As a man He could represent us before God. The first man, Adam, brought sin to the whole human race. In a similar way, one man, Christ, would bring salvation to the world (see Romans 5). He could only substitute Himself for us if He was one of us.
7. At the same time, becoming a man also brought with it the temptations that all people face. As God, He certainly knew about these temptations already. But by becoming a man, He could experience them firsthand. As we saw earlier in the chapter, this “perfected” His human side. He could identify with what we were going through. He could give us the perfect example of how to respond to it in action, not just with words. He can empathize with us in a deeper way and intercede for us more personally. So whenever you are tempted, you can look to the example of Christ to see how He responded.
Application: What do you need to apply what you learned today? What changes do you need to make in your life? What do you need to obey?
Comment: What are your thoughts on this Hebrews 2 Bible study? We would love to hear your insights below in the comment section.
Hebrews Bible Study E-book – If this study is helpful, you can get our complete Hebrews Bible study as a downloadable E-book or a paperback version from Amazon.
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