The consensus among Scripture scholars is that the Letter to the Hebrews was written to address doubts plaguing the faith of some members of a congregation of Jewish followers of Jesus.  The section of the letter that is an option for the second reading on the Solemnity of the Ascension uses the practice of Temple sacrifices to explain the surpassing value of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.   

The letter says that Jesus’ divine origin made him superior to the Temple priests who were legitimate religious functionaries but merely of human origin.  Consequently, his single sacrifice surpassed and replaced the repetitive Temple sacrifices.  The author of the letter assured his readers that faith in Jesus is a guarantee of salvation because his death was the final and perfect sacrifice for atonement for sins.  The author encouraged the doubters, “Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.” (Hb 10:23) 

The original readers of this letter would have been very familiar with the Temple in Jerusalem and the various rituals of worship practiced there.  Today, these experiences are foreign to most Christians.  The theological assertions made by the author of the Letter to Hebrews, however, remain at the heart of the Christian faith.  Placing one’s faith in Jesus as Redeemer is sufficient reason to hope for redemption because the one who promises redemption is of divine origin and, therefore, completely trustworthy. 

The doubts about faith that plagued the first recipients of the Letter to the Hebrews are no longer problematic for the baptized, but doubts about faith persist.  While the nature of doubts among the baptized has changed over the centuries, the answer to those doubts remains unchanged.  To find answers to one’s doubts still requires that one recognize the weakness of one’s faith. 

The members of the congregation to whom the Letter to the Hebrews was addressed strayed from faith in Jesus, and they justified their weakness of faith by appealing to religious practices that they considered to be valid.  This type of self-deception abounds today, and it still masks the presence of weakness in faith. 

Today, the kinds of doubts that weaken the faith of the baptized tend to manifest themselves in the form of obsessive piety or obsessive self-concern.  These are usually rather easy to identify because their proponents feel the need to legitimize their practices by coercing others to join them. 

Examples of obsessive, but unbelieving, piety can be found by a visit to Catholic media sites or to most Catholic churches.  The internet, broadcast media, and church buildings serve as convenient locations to disseminate promises of salvation that depend, not on faith in Jesus as redeemer, but on faith in one’s personal efforts and actions.  Practitioners of these pious schemes try to legitimize them with references to Saints and authoritative witnesses, but these remain expressions of a weak faith.   

The “confession” mentioned by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews is the daily practice of understanding and following Jesus’ teachings.  Salvation is guaranteed to those who imitate Jesus; there is, however, no guarantee of salvation as a result of other practices.  Furthermore, as nothing in addition to learning and practicing Jesus’ teachings is necessary for salvation, there is no legitimacy to alternative practices. 

The Letter to the Hebrews encouraged it first readers to reject the belief that salvation is the result of repetitious pious practices; the Letter also rejects the belief that salvation amounts to successful self-improvement.  When the author used the term “confession,” he was referring to an explicit, ecclesial faith in the forgiveness of sins rather than faith in the bestowal of moral perfection.   

The popular obsession with becoming the best version of oneself is both a rejection of God’s offer of salvation and a rejection of one’s humanity.  Atonement for sins is possible solely because of God’s loving kindness, and it is forever necessary because of human nature’s unavoidable limitations.  Making oneself into a better person requires that one first make oneself into one’s god; this is not condoned in the teachings of Jesus. 

Obsessive piety, religion based on fear or worry, consumerism masquerading as religion, and all similar practices are merely instances of a fundamental truth about human nature.  Human nature has a nearly limitless capacity for self-deception.  Left to our own wisdom, we tend to deceive ourselves about our weakness and failings and then, we deceive ourselves about the remedy for weaknesses and failings.   

The necessity of seeking redemption from a source other than oneself ought to be self-evident, but it is not.  Hence, human nature stands in need of redemption not only from the consequences of repetitive moral failings but from the cause of all moral failings, which is a lack of faith in God and God’s Word. 

The truth proclaimed in the Gospel message is that human nature is profoundly imperfect and will remain so, but God is perfect goodness and capable of granting a share of that goodness to those who lack sufficient goodness.  Participation in God’s gift of lasting goodness results from “confessing,” that is, living according to God’s will.  This hope is both trustworthy and singular because it is given by the one who alone is worthy of trust.