Lesson 1: What is Consecration?

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is unknown. Scholars have debated its authorship, suggesting Paul, Barnabas, Luke, and Apollos, among others. What we do know is that the author was thoroughly familiar with first-century Judaism and the Old Testament. The recipients of this letter were Jewish people who trusted Jesus as their Messiah. They had initially received the gospel with enthusiasm and courage, but they now faced bitter opposition. They were tempted to go back to Judaism. But the author of Hebrews warned them not to revert. He encouraged them instead to endure persecution and remain true to their faith in Christ.

The author described Jesus as the Great High Priest who offered Himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins and who now ministers in heaven on our behalf (Hebrews 7:27–8:2). The writer emphasized the superiority of Christ over every aspect of Old Testament Judaism. He maintained that Jesus Christ had completed the Old Testament system of worship, taking away the need for it. The main point of Hebrews is this: trust Jesus and stand your ground. This is a theme found throughout Scripture (Joshua 1:6; Psalm 27:14; I Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 6:10).

This passage teaches that People are God's Treasure. Since God created human beings in His image and for His glory, He desires our wholehearted devotion to Him. As He did Abraham, God calls us to trust Him. As a result, we should resolutely obey Him. In spite of impossible circumstances, Abraham trusted and obeyed the one true and living God (Hebrews 11:8). His obedience was the evidence of his faith. Abraham trusted God to lead him to a country not known to him, and he trusted God to give him a son “even though Abraham was past age” (v. 11). Abraham trusted God to bring “Isaac back from death” so that Isaac would have children and be the foundation of a nation (v. 19). As we see from Abraham’s life, God treasures individual persons and desires to bless those who follow Him.

This passage also teaches that God Is.

Abraham is an outstanding example of a person consecrated, or set apart, to God. He trusted and obeyed God with his whole heart. The Book of Hebrews mentions Abraham 10 times, and this passage gives four examples of his obedience. The key events of Abraham’s life hinged on him acting “by faith.”

Hebrews 11:8 God spoke to Abraham and established a covenant with him (Genesis 12:1–3; 13:14-18;15:1-26). As a result, Abraham obeyed God and left his homeland. He did this without knowing where he was going. Abraham only knew that God had called him and promised to give him his own land. He heard God’s call, believed God’s promise, and acted in obedience.

Hebrews 11:9–10 When Abraham arrived in “the land of promise,” he did not immediately receive the fulfillment of God’s promise. He lived in that land his entire life. Along with his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, Abraham lived as a foreigner and a nomad. He had to be ready to move whenever God spoke. He knew he would receive from God an eternal city, designed and constructed by God Himself (Hebrews 11:16, 12:22,13:14). Abraham understood that God’s promise included not only a piece of earthly real estate but also a spiritual city, eternal in the heavens.

Hebrews 11:11–12 God’s covenant with Abraham also included the promise of a male heir. Through this child, Abraham’s descendants would become as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore (Genesis 15:5). Both the stars and the sand are proverbial expressions referring to a multitude of people. The implication is that Abraham’s descendants would be too many to count. God’s blessing is beyond human calculation.

For God’s promise of an heir to be fulfilled, Abraham and Sarah, his ninety-year-old wife, would have to conceive a child. They both believed God would work a miracle (Romans 4:13–25). Through faith, Sarah and Abraham were physically rejuvenated by God so Sarah could give birth to Isaac (Genesis 18:14, 21:1–2). As these events illustrate, consecration begins with trusting God’s Word and choosing to obey Him even in seemingly impossible situations.

Hebrews 11:13–16 Abraham was not the only man in the Old Testament consecrated to God. The other Old Testament believers mentioned in this chapter—Abel, Enoch, and Noah (Hebrews 11:1–12)—trusted God until death even though God’s work of redemption had not been perfectly fulfilled during their lives. They realized God’s work goes beyond human history. They looked forward to being redeemed from sin, and they longed for the future God had prepared for them (John 14:2–3).

All these men wholeheartedly embraced God’s plan for them. Had Abraham and the others only been concerned with their time on earth, they would have gone back to the lives they lived prior to God’s call. However, because their hearts and minds were set on a heavenly reward, they did not return to earthly comforts but focused on what they could not physically see. Consequently, God was not ashamed of them. He honored their faith by preparing a city for them. The past tense in verse 16 does not indicate that God will one day prepare their city; it implies that He has already done so.

The lives of these faith heroes show that consecration means totally devoting oneself to God. To be set apart, we must trust Him and obey Him no matter the circumstances.

Hebrews 11:17–19 When Isaac was approximately 17 years old, Abraham faced the most difficult test of his consecration to God. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering to Him. This meant killing Isaac and burning his body on an altar. Two factors made this an extremely severe test. The first was that child sacrifice was an evil practice of the pagans among whom Abraham lived; it seemed as though God was commanding Abraham to practice paganism. The second factor was that Isaac was the child of God’s promise. All the promises to Abraham were wrapped up in Isaac, Abraham’s “one and only” son. It appeared that God was demanding Abraham’s most precious possession.

However, as Abraham thoughtfully considered God’s command, he saw a way that God could keep the promise even if Isaac died: God would raise Isaac from the dead, so he would still be the heir through whom God would keep His promise. Death is not a problem for God; it is no barrier or hindrance to Him.

Furthermore, by raising the dead, God would be doing something extraordinary, something pagan gods could not do. Because he trusted God, Abraham was prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Of course, as Genesis 22 reports, God stopped Abraham from slaying Isaac. Abraham believed God and acted on the basis of his faith in God. He obeyed completely, even though there was nothing tangible on which he could rely.

You must trust God enough to give Him your most precious possession, just as Abraham did. God is worthy to be trusted regardless of the circumstances you face. He makes promises and always keeps them. Consecration means choosing to dedicate yourself fully to God without reservation, trusting Him and obeying His Word completely.

The proper response to God’s Word is true faith, which results in obedience. Abraham’s obedience was the evidence of his faith, and in our lives, holy living will be the consistent outcome of our faith-based dedication. Romans 12:1–2 calls us to present our bodies to God as living sacrifices. The way we live shows what we really believe, and as Abraham did, we must leave ungodly patterns and places from our past behind. Are there any temptations you dealt with before knowing Christ that you struggle with and need to surrender to God? How do you intentionally dedicate your possessions, abilities, friends, activities, and thoughts to God as you strive to live a holy life? In what current situations do you need to leave behind your reservations and simply trust God? How can you communicate the importance of consecration to your learners? How does your life model consecrated obedience to them?