8
exhortation to have strong encouragement to hold fast (kratev
w
) this hope (v. 18b) suggests that
believers ought to imitate the act of Jesus in entering inside of the curtain. Thus the author's
exhortation to follow the steadfastness of Abraham is equivalent to having persistent faith in
Christ. In the author's mind imitating those who inherit the promises (6:12) is equivalent to
imitating Christ. In this sense, in Hebrews Jesus is to be considered the model of faith for which
believers ought to emulate.
Jesus as the Object of Faith
An examination of some of the key passages in Hebrews has demonstrated that indeed Jesus
is portrayed as the ultimate example of faith for believers to model after. However, I find that
viewing Jesus merely as the example of faith is an incomplete understanding of the concept of
faith in Hebrews. The aspect of Jesus being the object of faith must be must be considered to have
a more complete picture of faith in Hebrews. Although the author of Hebrews does not use the
expression "faith in Christ" or "believing in Jesus," many conceptual ideas indicate that the
author of Hebrews regards Jesus as the object of faith.
The phrase "confidence and pride of hope"(3:6)
To begin with, Jesus being the object of faith can also be demonstrated from the statement "if
we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope" in 3:6b. In what sense is this
phrase related to Jesus as the object of faith for believers? In the immediate context the
expression looks back to "consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession in 3:1b."
In other words, the conditional clause in 3:6b is a further amplification of "considering the
messenger and the high priest of our confession" (3:1b). While the former emphasizes believers'
attitude toward Jesus, the latter speaks of the behavior or virtue of believers who confess Jesus as
the object of faith.