The Red Thread of Redemption

In one point in his writings, B. B. Warfield reflects on the ‘Son of God’ theme in the Epistle to the Hebrews. This excerpt is taken from his book, The Lord of Glory: A Study of the Designations of Our Lord in the New Testament With Especial Reference to His Deity (American Tract Society, 1907), pages 282-284:

He writes this about Christ in Hebrews:

  • He is ‘the Mediator of the New Covenant’ (8:6, 9:15, 12:24):
  • He is the Ground of eternal Salvation (5:9):
  • He is ‘the Author of Salvation’ (2:10, cf. Acts 3:15, 5:31):
  • He is ‘the Author and Perfecter of our Faith’ (12:2):
  • He is our Forerunner into that which is within the veil (6:20):
  • He is ‘the Apostle and High Priest of our Confession’ (3:1):
  • He is ‘the Great Shepherd of the Sheep’ (13:20): and, above all (for this is a favorite conception of this Epistle),
  • He is our ‘Priest’ (5:6, 7:3, 11, [15], 17, 21; [8:4]; 10:21) or more specifically our ‘High Priest’ ([2:17]; 3:1, 4:14, 15, 5:10, 6:20, 7:26, 8:1, 9:11). …

He expands:

  • As ‘Mediator of the New Covenant’ He gives His life for the redemption of His people, establishing new relations between them and God by means of His blood.
  • As the ‘Originator of Salvation,’ He tasted death for every man, receiving in Himself the penalties due to them, not to Him.
  • As ‘Author and Perfecter of our faith’ He endured the cross, despising the shame that He might be not merely our example, but our Saviour.
  • As ‘the Great Shepherd’ He laid down His life for His sheep.
  • As ‘the Apostle and High Priest’ He is the One appointed by God to make sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the people–for every High Priest must needs have somewhat to offer, and this ‘our High Priest’ has through His own blood obtained eternal redemption for us.

He concludes:

We see that [in Hebrews] the red thread of redemption in blood is woven into all the allusions to the saving work of the ‘Son of God.’