Hebrews 7:23-28

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23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. Hebrews 7:23-28

Today, we come to the end of our study of Hebrews 7. In context the writer of Hebrews has established the fact that the Old Testament priesthood was insufficient in that it was of the Law of Moses and it had priests who were sinful and would eventually die. 

The doctrine of salvation is the main theme of all of the Bible. Through the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, humanity lost its purpose. We rejected God, and, we were therefore subject to God's wrath, which was expressed in God giving us what we wanted, alienation from him. Oh, we didn't know that it was going to be alienation, but that is exactly what it means to be dead in our sins. God's intention, though, is to save all of humanity, to restore us to relationship with Him and place us in our proper place in His creation. 

In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood."

From the very beginning, the Levitical priesthood was temporary due to its insufficiencies. But, the stage was set for the coming of the Savior-Priest. The Lord Jesus Christ is the God who became the Savior-Priest on the behalf of His creation. Yes, He died, but He had to in order to conquer sin. Then, He rose from the dead, never to die again. He will never have to be replaced. His priesthood is eternally efficacious. 

Due to the fact that His is an eternal priesthood, the Lord Jesus Christ is able to save forever, or completely, those of us who draw near to God through Him. He is able to do this because He always lives to make intercession for us. 

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

The salvation the Lord Jesus came to provide the willing has an ongoing dimension to it. Through Christ we have been saved, but we are also being continually saved as we abandon this world's distorted understanding of life. This salvation is brought about by drawing near to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Quite simply, this is what changes us. People who draw near to God become like Him as He expresses Himself to us and through us. We resemble what we worship.

The word salvation has three parts: past, present, and future. There are three tenses to our salvation. The past tense has to do with our deliverance from the penalty of sin. The present tense has to do with our deliverance from the power of sin. And, the future tense has to do with our deliverance from the presence of sin. The past was procured at the cross, while the present is being accomplished at the throne as He intercedes for us. Then, the future will be realized by believers at the rapture and the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

The prayers of the Lord Jesus for us are not inconsequential. The Apostle Paul wrote of this in Romans 8:34 which reads, "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

God the Father answers the Lord Jesus' prayer by sending the Holy Spirit and prompting Him to move us toward God. According to Romans 8:15, the Holy Spirit causes us to feel our deep need for the Father and cry out, "Abba! Father!" 

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens."

The Lord Jesus is "exalted above the heavens" because he is "holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners." Unlike the Levitical priests, the Lord Jesus did not have to offer up any sacrifices for His own sins, because He didn't have any. His offer was not for His sins but solely for those who would believe that His death on the cross was what was needed to make us forgiven before God.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."

The Lord Jesus is sinless, thus He did not have to offer a sacrifice for His own sin. He, also, does not need to repeat His sacrifice over and over because His sacrifice was perfect. Once is all it took.

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever."

The Law of Moses granted a priesthood to men who were weak and couldn’t bring perfection. Their sacrifices were not adequate enough to procure forgiveness of sins for eternity. As a result, the Old Testament sacrifices could not bring man complete access to God. But God superseded that with the word of His oath when He declared the Lord Jesus as priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 

In the Old Testament, the priest wore a breastplate upon which were twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Whenever the priest went into the presence of God, he carried with him on his chest all the tribes of Israel. He also wore, draped over his shoulders, an ephod with the twelve stones on them representing all the names of the twelve tribes, also. The priest bore the children of Israel to God on his heart and on his shoulders. Even though the Old Testament priests had a heart for the people, they did not have the strength to shoulder our burden of sin. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is perfect enough to do what is needed. And, He sits at the right hand of the Father with a heart to shoulder the sins of all mankind, forever.

Hebrews 7:18-22

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18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’” 22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. ~ Hebrews 7:18-22

We return today to Hebrews 7 where God has been proving to us that the Lord Jesus had to come to earth not only to be the sacrifice for all of man's sin, but He also had to come to be the High Priest on the behalf of all who would ever believe that He is the Messiah.

In v.18-19 of today's passage we read, "18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."

In these verses the writer of Hebrews explains exactly why the Levitical priesthood was done away with and how, precisely, the Lord Jesus meets our need as the Savior. "The former regulation" is a reference to the Law of Moses which God gave Him on Mount Sinai in the desert. In that law the details for the priests were given. It was set aside because it was weak and useless. The law was weak because it appointed weak priests who died. Therefore, ultimately, it was useless to get the job that was needed done. Couple with that the complete inability of man to obey God perfectly, and we get at the same conclusion: the Law was weak and useless. This is why it is utterly senseless for us to think that we could ever earn the favor of God through our good behavior.

The need of sinful man is perfection but the Law of Moses made nothing perfect. The second part of v.19 describes what the Lord Jesus has done for us. He, as our great High Priest, ushered in "a better hope" through His death, burial, and resurrection. And, it is through this hope that we draw near to God. To "draw near" means our sin has been taken on and defeated by the Lord Jesus through His work on the cross and we have been given a personal relationship with God. 

In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: 'The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.'"

In the old covenant the priest never took an oath because the Law was given with a temporary purpose. It was always the ultimate goal of God to set man right again with Himself. Though the Law of Moses could only accentuate our sinfulness, the cross of the Lord Jesus made us acceptable into God's presence for eternity. Through the cross of the Lord Jesus, God met our need to be what He intended us to be. He met it by giving us the kind of High Priest we needed. In Christ the permanent program has become, therefore His ministry was confirmed with an oath made by God. This means God will never change His mind. 

The "it" in v.20 is the oath that God made to the Lord Jesus recorded in Psalm 110:4. No oath was ever involved in the ordination of the Levitical priesthood because it was a part of the Law of Moses. But, the Lord Jesus was given the oath that He is the forever priest. This means the oath is better than the Law and guarantees our salvation for eternity. Actually, the oath guaranteeing our salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 

This is why God says in v.22, "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant." The Law was unable to make anyone perfect enough to have a personal relationship with God. The Law points the finger of God's judgment at us because we can not be good enough to measure up to acceptability before Him. But, the Lord Jesus is the believer's guarantor. That word "guarantor" is the Greek word "enguos" which means "surety." The Lord Jesus Christ is the reason we have arrived in relationship to God. We lack nothing spiritually in Christ. Every believer in Christ is perfectly  thrilling to God because He poured out all of His wrath for our sin on His Son, even though God knows we will sin egregiously tomorrow.

With the Lord Jesus as our "guarantor" we do not have to obey God. That's right, we do not have to obey God. But, do you know what? Once we truly get to know His heart for us, we will want to obey Him because He is so good. And, by the way, obeying God does not improve our straight A status on His life chart for us. We can not add to what the Lord Jesus has earned on our behalf. And, now that we know Him through His Son, the key is learning to live out of our perfect status in Christ.

Hebrews 7:11-17

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11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 7:11-17

In Hebrews 7:1-10, the writer of Hebrews established the greatness of the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did this by observing Melchizedek, whose priesthood, as depicted in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110, prefigured that of Christ's.

In v.11-14 of today's passage, we learn of the imperfection of the inferior human priesthood. It was imperfect because the high priest himself was sinful. Then in v.15-17, we learn of the perfection of the superior and eternal priesthood of Christ. In these verses, the writer of Hebrews tells us what the Lord Jesus does for us as the "high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?"

The Lord Jesus didn't nullify the Old Testament priesthood, He fulfilled it. The issue of Judaism was the sinfulness of man, and, the fact that the blood of bulls and goats could not completely wash away man's sin. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest who fulfilled all of God's requirements as the Perfect High Priest. No mere man can go to God unless he be taken there by the Perfect One who stands between man and God. This is the argument of this entire section of Hebrews.

The word translated "perfection" implies fulfillment of purpose. God's purpose for humanity is to be in personal relationship with Him. This purpose could not be fully fulfilled by the Levitical priests of the Old Testament. The priests in Israel were from the tribe of Levi, and the high priests descended from Aaron, who was also a Levite. Although the Levitical priesthood was ordained by God in the law given by Moses, it was lacking due to sin. Therefore, there was a "need" for a different kind of priest from a different kind of order, one like the order of Melchizedek. God saw our need, and He met it by sending His Son who came as our eternal King-Priest.

In v.12-14 of today's passage we read, "12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests."

God never intended the old covenant with Israel to go on forever. He knew from eternity past that it would have to be replaced by a different priesthood. But, the Lord Jesus did not have the expected priestly lineage. No one from Judah had ever served as a priest, which means that if one does, and God ordains it, it must be an extraordinary case. And, the Lord Jesus Christ is an extraordinary case. Due to His divine nature, there is no one like Him. He changed the categories so that He could come and fulfill the need of mankind caused by the Fall. He came as the High Priest who would bear the sin of His own creation.

The verb in v.14 translated "descended" is better translated "arisen." The Lord Jesus rose up to meet our need. He saw our  desperate state and came to our aid. As our Eternal High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ rose up to meet our need. And, like Melchizedek's, the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ transcends the sin of mankind. 

In v.15-17 of today's passage we read, "15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'"

The Lord Jesus is qualified to save us to the uttermost because of the power of His "indestructible life." An indestructible life is better than a fleshly command, in that it is eternal and not bound by the human. The powerful, indestructible priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ was anticipated and attested by the Old Testament scriptures. When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, the very power that raised Him from the dead made it possible for us to come into a personal and eternal relationship with God.  

And now, the Lord Jesus has set us on a new track, a track that is different than the tracks of this world. The world says we gain our lives by getting more, while the Lord Jesus says, "No, those tracks lead to death. You get your life back by giving it away and when you give it away you get it back." This is a life worth living, a life that is not tainted by the self and by this fallen world.

Hebrews 7:4-10

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4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. ~ Hebrews 7:4-10

In Hebrews 7 the writer of Hebrews compares the priesthood of Melchizedek with that of the Levitical priesthood, and, he makes the point that Melchizedek's priesthood is superior. He then goes on to point out that the eternal priesthood of Melchizedek is likened to the priesthood of Christ. The writer of Hebrews spends so much time on this subject because in Acts 6:7 we read, "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." 

It is obvious that in this book of Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews addressed questions that had been brought up by these priests who had come to faith in the Lord Jesus. His point was Christ's priesthood is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood, and since this is the case, our lives should be ordered by the Lord Jesus Himself.

In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham."

Here, the writer of Hebrews reiterates the fact that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek after Abraham had defeated the kings in the land of Canaan. Also, underscored in this text is the idea that the Levitical priests derived their authority by being in the lineage of Levi. Due to this, the Levitical priests could never acknowledge any greater help than the help that human priests offered. The help that was made available to the people through the Levitical priests was incomplete, limited and temporary because the priests were limited by their humanity at helping the people.  

Interestingly, Abraham acknowledged the supremacy of Melchizedek by paying tithes to him. Paying tithes was and is an act of worship, and only God is to be worshipped. That which we worship the most is that which defines us the most. Melchizedek provided a reminder to the people that someone greater than the Old Testament priest was soon coming. And, He would be the Messiah who had no beginning nor an end.

In v.6-7 of today's passage we read, "6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater."

As we mentioned before, everything we know about Melchizedek we discover in Genesis 14:18-20. And, what is clear is Melchizedek is greater than Levi and Abraham. He was greater than Levi because his priesthood was greater than the temporal and limited Old Testament priesthood. He was greater than Abraham because Abraham worshipped Him by giving to Him his tithes. Our worship of God does not make us perfect, but It reveals the perfection, in a certain way, of the One being worshipped. Worship is not an event, it is a lifestyle, it is a personal relationship with God. It is not the bi-product of our souls, although our souls may enter into worship. Biblical worship is the bi-product of our spirit, having been made alive to God and informed by the truth. The Lord Jesus told the woman at the well, "we worship in spirit and in truth."

In v.8-10 of today's passage we read, "8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor."

The priesthood of Melchizedek provided Abraham a picture of the coming Messiah, an eternal and royal priesthood, that would deliver eternal righteousness and peace. In Psalm 85:10 we read, "Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." Melchizedek was a type of Christ delivering righteousness first, then peace. There is no peace with God unless He shares His righteousness with us. And, of course, this is what happened at the cross of the Lord Jesus.

When the righteousness of Christ was made available to us, God's righteousness became ours. The love and faithfulness of God came together at the cross delivering His righteousness and peace to all who are willing of heart enough to receive this incredible gift. 

After we trusted Christ as our Savior, immediately, God saw us enveloped in the righteousness of Christ. Every priest wanted to make a man righteous that he might be at peace with God, but the Old Testament priests could not do that due to their human limitations. As a type of Christ, Melchizedek’s very name meant righteousness, and his city was called peace, emphasizing that His was a kingdom and His was a priesthood of righteousness and peace. Christ came to give us His righteousness that we might be at peace with God. The assurance which flows out of this grand plan that goes back for centuries has found safe haven in the soul of the humble and willing believer in Christ.

Hebrews 7:1-3

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1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. ~ Hebrews 7:1-3

Today, we transition into Hebrews 7 where the writer of Hebrews continues his explanation of how the Lord Jesus' priesthood is greater than those of the Old Testament. This chapter is the main chapter in the epistle to the Hebrews, because it tackles the one question that concerned the Jews most, and that was the question of the priesthood. 

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means 'king of righteousness'; then also, 'king of Salem' means 'king of peace.'"

An Old Testament type is a picture of the person and work of Christ. For example, in the Old Testament we read about a brazen serpent being lifted up, and all who looked upon it were healed from their snake bites. And then we are told in John 3 that the serpent was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In John 3:14-15 we read, "14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

Melchizedek, as you will remember, was an Old Testament type of Christ. He met Abraham in Genesis 14 and gave to him bread and wine which are the symbols used during the observance of the Lord's Supper. Abraham, in turn, gave tithes of everything he possessed to Melchizedek. The Old Testament tithe was always the mark of ownership. To pay a tenth is to indicate that God owns it all. In symbol, therefore, Abraham was saying to Melchizedek, "The One whom you depict has the right of ownership over everything in my life." 

One of the goals of the writer of this letter to the Hebrews was to prove that there’s a greater priest than any Hebrew Old Testament priest, one who doesn’t need to make atonement for His own sins. And the problem with the Jewish priesthood was that it was so inadequate. They had to do it over and over again. There was never any final satisfaction. Every time someone sinned, he had to make another sacrifice. The priest's work was never complete. 

So, the Holy Spirit, in the book of Hebrews, shows that what we need is a new and better priesthood, a new and better sacrifice, and points out that both of those are realized in the Lord Jesus Christ who Himself was a better sacrifice and a better priest. Melchizedek, the King-Priest of Salem, is foundational for understanding how Jesus occupies the dual offices of king and priest.

Four times in today's passage, we are told Melchizedek was king. Four times in two verses, it tells us this man was a king and a priest. This was totally foreign to the Levitical priests in Israel. There was never that combination. Israel’s priests were never king and priest. That was unknown in Israel. No priest was royal. But, this is the point! The Lord Jesus Christ is both priest and king so that He not only takes men to God, but He rules men for God. Here we have justification and sanctification.

In Zechariah 6:13 we read, "It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two."

So many years before the Lord Jesus came to earth, Zechariah clearly prophesied Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ would come as a priest who would sit on His throne, a royal priesthood.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever."

There is no mention made of Melchizedek's ancestry in the Old Testament. That is strange given how often genealogies show up in the Old Testament. The absence of a genealogy for Melchizedek causes us to consider just who this one was. And, since the Lord Jesus often in the Old Testament reveals Himself ever so slightly, it makes sense that Melchizedek was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the very heart of Judaism was the priesthood. Man had to have a go between he and God. And, as pictured in the Old Testament priest, Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus is man's eternal high priest. 

Since, the Lord Jesus is eternal and He is our high priest, we are never out of His presence. And, as a result, having believed in Him as our Savior, we are never shut off from His resources. We are never separated from His wisdom, His peace, or His truth. This is what it means for the Lord Jesus to be in the order of Melchizedek. His priesthood is complete and satisfying.

All we know about Melchizedek comes out of three verses in Genesis 14. But the whole place that Melchizedek occupies in sacred history is one of the most remarkable proofs of inspiration and the unity of the Scripture as written by the divine Spirit. The whole concept of Melchizedek is an amazing insight into the fact that God wrote the Bible.

For example, in the book of Genesis, we have these three little verses about Melchizedek. A thousand years later, we find a Psalm with just a single verse about Melchizedek. And in that, God Himself swears to His Son that he will be a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. That’s Psalm 110:4.

Another thousand years passes by, and another verse becomes the seed of this wonderful exposition about Melchizedek. And you know you can see nothing less than the divine order of the mind of the Spirit, guiding Melchizedek and guiding Abraham with a view through all of these thousands of years to coming up to a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Melchizedek and Abraham had no idea what was going to happen 2,000 years at least after them. The psalmist had no idea, and yet God knew exactly what He was doing with the person of Melchizedek. All of this screams the very same God that wrote the book of Hebrews also wrote the book of Genesis.

Hebrews 6:16-20

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16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. ~ Hebrews 6:16-20

We come back today to our study of Hebrews 6 where the writer of Hebrews has established the argument that Christianity is a personal relationship with God accessed through the Lord Jesus Christ. This was necessary due to the fact that the recipients of this letter were being tempted to go back to their previous habits of religion. Christianity is not a religion since religion is man's attempt to reach up to God in an attempt to appease Him in some way. Christianity is God reaching down to helpless and hopeless man through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, offering forgiveness of sin and a personal relationship with Him to whosoever would believe. 

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument."

Humans use oaths to substantiate our statements because our promises are not reliable enough to trust. This is part of the reason we need a Savior. The writer of Hebrews saw it necessary to write these words in light of the fact that he had just used Abraham as an illustration of God's truthfulness and faithfulness. He established that God can be trusted, especially since He promised by Himself, and God can not lie because He Himself is the very essence of the truth.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged."

The writer of Hebrews affirms that the messianic hope which He promised to Abraham included the heirs of the promise who are all of those down through the centuries who have believed in the God of the Bible. God made an oath through His Son, in order to provide a foundation for our trust in Him. He supported His promise with an oath to make His unchanging nature of no question. God’s use of an oath supplied evidence we could not doubt. Not only was it impossible for God to lie, but His ever truthful Word was supported in this case by His oath. These are the two unchangeables in this passage which encourage those who hold firmly to the hope set before us.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

These first century Christians had drifted along aimlessly in the quagmire of the definitions this world offers. They needed to understand and grasp the promises the Father had offered them through His Son. Once they were defined by God's definition of things, it was then they could experience the surety of hope. They, like so many down through the ages, found the hope they needed which acts as an "anchor" for their souls. All who have ever believed have this firm anchor of hope because the Lord Jesus was faithful to the call of God on His life to be the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. 

The writer of Hebrews draws our attention to our "souls" which are made up of our minds, wills, and emotions. The soul is different than the spirit for it is the spirit that is "born again" once a sinner has placed his trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. Our spirit is the arena of our justification, whereas our souls provide the arena of our sanctification. We get quite confused when we mix these two. It wasn't that these first century Jewish Christians were not in personal relationship with God, their problem was they had a soul problem. Their theology needed honing. They needed to be defined by God in their souls. And, of course, this is one of the biggest take aways from our study of this book.

The image suggested in v.18 by the words "we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us" is that of a fortified refuge. By use of a swift change in the figure used, the writer of Hebrews then presented a picture of a harbor where "the soul" may securely drop "anchor." It was the Lord Jesus Christ who came as the "forerunner" who has introduced us to God in that intimate place behind the curtain in the Temple. In the Old Testament, only the high priest could go into that most intimate place in the Temple. As our High Priest the Lord Jesus has changed that. When He died on the cross that massive sixty foot high veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. Yet again, God gives us a picture of His involvement in our salvation. The soul of the believer in Christ is anchored inside that veil. Once trained by God's truth, we will be adrift no more, we will be anchored to God's definitions of all things.

After our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ performed the perfect sacrifice, He entered into the heavenly Holy of Holies and sat down. He sat down because His job was finished. The veil was ripped from top to bottom and the Lord Jesus provided for all humble enough to believe a permanent way into the very presence of God. And now, nothing can change our disposition before God, even though we willfully sin. You see, we no longer define ourselves. We are now being defined by Him. I can say this because the moment we believed in the Lord Jesus, our past, present and future sins were forgiven and absorbed in the Lord's body at the cross.

Hebrews 6:13-15

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13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. ~ Hebrews 6:13-15

For some time now, we have been studying the book of Hebrews, wherein, the writer of Hebrews has been urging his young Jewish audience to abandon religion and pursue a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And, in order to help them with this process, he directs their attention to Abraham, the greatest Jewish patriarch.

Now, especially to the Jew, Abraham is the ultimate illustration of trusting God. But, before Abraham came into a personal relationship with the Lord God, he, like you and me, was a pagan. He lived in a city known as Ur, with his father Terah who was a descendant of Shem, one of the sons of Noah. And Abraham’s father was a pagan who worshipped false gods. He lived in a place called Ur, which is between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers in the area called Mesopotamia.

According to Genesis 12, God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his hometown in southern Iraq and go to the land He would show him. When he got to the next place, he received another promise from God with directions. God reiterated this promise to Abraham several times in Genesis 12,13,15,17,18, and 22. Over and over God promised, and, over and over, Abraham believed. And, as long as Abraham believed, he was blessed and was made a great nation. In addition, the promise of God to Abraham ultimately produced the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Abraham trusted God against all odds, and, God was true to His promises. Abraham waited twenty-five years to realize his promised son, Isaac. But, that was only the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise. Isaac was a partial fulfillment. God tested Abraham’s faith on Mount Moriah by telling him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. How could God bless Abraham with descendants too numerous to count if the promised son were to die? Even in that context, Abraham considered that God would raise Isaac from the dead. And, it was from that possibility that Abraham received Isaac back as a type of the Messiah. 

In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'"

The Abrahamic covenant was an unconditional covenant. There were no conditions that Abraham had to meet for it to be fulfilled. God designed and promised that Abraham would be the father of a great nation through whom He would bless the whole world with the Messiah. And, God promised by Himself because there is nothing greater in the universe than God, so, when He made this promise to Abraham, He made it on the basis of Himself. It was the God of the Bible who invented truth. Whatever He says is truth as such. So, by the very nature of His person, God promised to Abraham and all who would believe in His Son that we would be saved. In the same way Abraham trusted God, we can trust God because He will never fail to fulfill this promise to them who believe.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."

Abraham believed the promise of God, not because he immediately saw it fulfilled. In fact, there was one occasion when he began to waver in his faith and he thought he had to help God out. His wife, Sarah, came up with a seemingly ingenious scheme to fulfill the promise of God, and the result was the birth of Ishmael who became a thorn in the side of Israel from that day onward.

In Romans 4:19-21 we read, "19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

All biblical faith rests on the character of God, including Abraham's faith. It is always in the veracity of God that our faith must rest. Without seeing any results for twenty-five years, Abraham hung on to the truthfulness of God. And, even though he struggled, Abraham, in the end, believed in the God of the Bible. Abraham understood the nature of faith is believing without necessarily seeing tangible results. The man who sees with his eyes, no longer needs to believe. The man who is struggling to see with his eyes has yet to be trained to look for God with his heart. Faith is not sight, nor sight faith. 

Einstein did not come to the knowledge of relativity by performing a series of experiments which ultimately convinced him that relativity was true. He gradually saw the concept of relativity, and, convinced in his own mind that this was the secret of the physical universe, he performed experiments that he might be able to demonstrate to others. This is the way of truth. This is also the way of faith. Believing is seeing with our hearts. This is, therefore, the secret of faith and godliness for it rests on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:7-12

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7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. 9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. ~ Hebrews 6:7-12

Today, we continue our study of Hebrews 6 which contains the third of five warnings that when heeded provides the reader the where with all to go deeper in his walk with the Lord. Those to whom the writer of Hebrews wrote were in great danger of going beyond being dull of hearing spiritually. By now, they should have matured and become teachers of others, but, they were on the verge of being even more spiritually immaturity. They were like children who can only understand spiritual truths on the lowest level. This is why the emphasis in this book is on spiritual maturity.

In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned."

The writer of Hebrews gives this agrarian illustration in order to help his readers to recognize the contrast between having a personal relationship with the Lord and not having a personal relationship with the Lord. In this illustration is contrasted two types of ground, one yields useful crops and the other produces useless weeds. Both soils received the same rain but only those who receive the Word of God experience His blessing. Those who remain unaffected by the Word of God continue in their lost state and retain the curse that sin brought in the Garden of Eden. 

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. "

It is obvious, again, the writer of Hebrews wrote to believers here. He does not believe his readers are apostates. It is obvious he thinks they are truly saved. His goal is that they go deeper in their walk with the Lord which always opens the believer in Christ up to better things that have to do with salvation.

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

The good fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in and through the yielded life of the believer in Christ is noticeable to all. And, although the presence of these good works are evidence that God is in our lives, the Bible is very clear that the assurance of our salvation is based solely on the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Our faith in the work of His cross is the root of our justification, whereas, His sanctification in and through our lives is the fruit of our salvation.

There is clearly a difference between the believer's justification and sanctification. And, in this verse, the writer of Hebrews pivots our attention to our sanctification. He reminds us that God forgets not the work we do in His name that benefits others. Of course, these "works" do not justify us in the eyes of God. But, these works are evidences that He has justified us and has sent His Spirit to live in our spirit. Our good works are evidence of our personal relationship with the Lord, and, God's heart is best seen through us when we are loving the needy. 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized."

The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has a sure hope due to His death, burial and resurrection. There is no hope without faith in His cross because hope is found only in Him and in Him alone. The only anchor for the human soul is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. God promises eternal life to everyone who believes in His Son, therefore, we as believers in Christ, expect the promise of eternal life to be fully realized, not only by us but also by others who will believe because of our faith in the Lord Jesus. This, in large part, is the point of our sanctification. Some say the point of our sanctification is to fit us for heaven, but I beg to differ. It is only through the Lord Jesus death, burial and resurrection are we fit for heaven.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

We experience great spiritual growth when our hearts are persuaded that the work of Christ is all sufficient for our acceptability before God. Our hope of salvation is only centered in Him and all He has accomplished for us on His cross. Our hope is made more obvious when we are trusting in and being defined by His promises found in His Word. Without fully realizing our hope in Christ, we do not make spiritual progress with God. Spiritual growth takes place when we devote ourselves to the revelation of God in His Word and exercise our faith in the truth of the Scriptures. This is sanctification, and its point is that our lives might be made billboards for others to see the outworking of God's culture in our lives. And, as a result, they will turn to God for His salvation, as we have.

Hebrews 6:4-6

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4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.  ~ Hebrews 6:4-6

We return today to our study of Hebrews which is structured around five warnings to the believer in Christ who is not growing in His faith in the God of the Bible. As we have seen for over five chapters now, Hebrews was written to those who were in danger of prolonged spiritual immaturity. And, as we come to Hebrews 6:4-6, we must interpret it through our understanding of the truth found in Hebrews 6:3 which reads, "And God permitting, we will do so."

In v.4-6 of today's text we read, "4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."

It is very clear that this book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew Christians who were struggling in their faith in the God of the Bible. There is no indication that the writer of Hebrews switches at any point in this epistle to address unbelievers. More importantly, the immediate context is obviously addressing Christians. In Hebrews 5:12 we learn the writer of this book was convinced his readers should be teachers but were not. And, according to Hebrews 6:1-3, we learn they should have matured in their faith in the Lord but they had not. 

According to v.6 of today's passage, the concern of the writer of Hebrews was these recipients of this letter might "fall away" which is interpreted by some as apostasy from Christian beliefs or a total denial of the Christian faith. In fact, in v.4-5 we are given several consequences of this potential falling away.

At the beginning of v.4 we read, "It is impossible." Everything written in this chapter is predicated on those three words of this verse, "It is impossible." So, it is clear, the writer of Hebrews is writing about a hypothetical situation. Those who try to use this passage to assert the believer could lose his salvation does not take this foundational truth into account. For, if they did, they would have recognized no one can do anything to earn God's acceptance.

In the rest of v.4 we read, "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit."

To be "enlightened" means, to have our eyes opened to our own desperate personal need for a Savior. To "have tasted the heavenly gift" means to have come into a personal relationship with Christ. And, to "share in the Holy Spirit" means to have been "born again."

In v.5 of today's text we read, "who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age."

Clearly, the writer of Hebrews has described the believer in Christ who has "tasted the goodness of the word of God." This means this person experienced some measure of growth in his faith in the Lord Jesus. And then, to write, "tasted the powers of the coming age" reveals this person was connected beyond this fallen world to the very power of God that changes us from the inside out.

In v.6 we read, "and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."

Having been "born again" makes it impossible for the believer in Christ to completely fall away from God and to crucify the Son of God all over again. The fact that we have been made alive to God means we will never see Him differently than we do now: as our Savior and Lord. This does not mean we will not struggle while our faith in the God of the Bible is being tested. This does mean that our faith in Him will perpetuate primarily due to the fact that He lives in our born again spirit.

Today's passage does not teach that we can lose our salvation. This passage was addressed to young Hebrew Christians who lacked spiritual maturity. They didn't fully understand the secret behind their spiritual success. Again, Hebrews 6:3 reveals that our ability to grow spiritually and to experience a certain measure of spiritual maturity is the product of Gods working in and through our yielded lives. The key is that we are yielding our lives to Him.

And, God wants all believers to faithfully progress forward in our vulnerability to and intimacy with Him. Though our eternal salvation is secure, there are severe consequences if we intentionally turn away from Him and do not go on to maturity. We will not only lose precious trust and intimacy that we have experienced, but we will face God's discipline intended to make us more useful in the future.

Hebrews 6:1-3

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1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. ~ Hebrews 6:1-3

Today, we transition into one of the most difficult passages in all of the Bible to interpret. The writer of Hebrews wrote to a group of young Jewish Christians who knew the truth, but they were babies in their faith in the God of the Bible. 

When we do not know what it is all about, we will always make it about the lessers of the faith. We do this because we can control the lesser teachings of the faith. And, when we grow deeper in our walk with the Lord, we will lose more and more control. The mature believer in Christ is one who grows up spiritually because his walk with the Lord is firmly placed on the foundation of Christ's righteousness, and he is learning to become more and more vulnerable with God.

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment."

These young Jewish believers in Christ were hanging onto religion for their identity. The Old Covenant was never meant to be an end in and of itself. Its design was always to lead believers to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, at the time of the writing of Hebrews, these young Jewish Christians were stunted in their faith because the means by which God used to point them to Christ had created for them a religion which actually kept them from the Lord Jesus. So, the writer of Hebrews here reminds us that in order to move on toward spiritual maturity, we must move beyond six elementary teachings about Christ. 

Now, these elementary teachings that we must move beyond in order to mature spiritually are: repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

These six foundational things composed the doctrines of Judaism that are to be laid aside in favor of the better things that come in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament was incomplete. It was only partial revelation. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all things Old Testament.

The phrase "let us move" in v.1 means total detachment. It does not mean to build on something; it means to get rid of it and move away from it. This one Greek word brings the idea of an obvious separation, forsaking one thing for something else. These young Jewish believers were being admonished to turn away from the Old Covenant and fully embrace the goal of it all, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

The first hindrance to spiritual maturity is repentance from acts that lead to death, which means we turn away from our best attempts to earn God's favor because no good work that we produce will ever earn the favor of God. 

The second hindrance to spiritual maturity is faith in God. Throughout the book of Hebrews, faith in Christ is a major theme. The only way to enter into God's rest is by faith in Christ and His finished work of the cross. Most people when asked if they are going to heaven say, "I hope I've been good enough." This is the idea behind the first two hindrances to spiritual maturity.

The third hindrance to spiritual maturity is instruction about cleansing rites. These young Jewish Christians were still practicing Jewish ceremonial washings. The Mosaic Law stated that priests must wash their hands and feet prior to entering the tabernacle or approaching the altar. The Old Testament scribes had a habit of taking ceremonial law meant for priests and Levites and transferring that law into extra-Scriptural regulations for lay-people. Of course, this was given to be a road sign pointing them to the Lord Jesus.

The fourth hindrance to spiritual maturity is instruction about the laying on of hands. In the Old Testament, whenever a sacrifice was made, the one who brought the sacrifice had to put his hands on the sacrifice as a point of identification with that sacrifice. And what the writer is saying here is simply this, “You have all the way through all of your religious activity literally laid your hands on the Old Testament sacrifice. Forget it and lay hold of Christ by faith.” 

Many today when asked if they are going to heaven respond by saying, "I was baptized on such and such date" or "I joined the church when I walked down the isle on such and such date." Neither of these answers get us into heaven, but this is the response of the religious person.

The fifth and sixth hindrances to spiritual maturity is instruction about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

The writer of Hebrews was trying to help his readers see the connection between vibrancy in their faith and their active pursuit of the Lord Jesus Himself. And, like many today, they wanted to get all caught up in the studying of the end times. These six things that are emphasized here in today's text will keep us from going more deeply with the Lord Jesus if we are not careful. We find ourselves focusing on the means more so than on the One who it is all about.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "And God permitting, we will do so."

Whether we are addressing justification or sanctification, it’s all energized by the Holy Spirit. Everything revolves around the permission of God. Divine enablement is the issue in every case, and the writer acknowledges here in this verse.

In 2 Corinthians 3:5 we read, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.” Behind our spiritual success is always the Lord Jesus Himself.

Hebrews 5:11-14

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11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. ~ Hebrews 5:11-14

Today, we return to our study of Hebrews 5 wherein the writer of Hebrews has been making the point that the Lord Jesus is God's High Priest who sacrificed Himself for the eternal forgiveness of our sin. And, on the heels of doing this, the writer of Hebrews turns to his hearers and says in v.11 of today's passage, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand."

That which is behind all the exhortations the writer of Hebrews has given us: Pay close attention! Consider! Don't harden your heart! Fear! Be diligent! Hold fast! These are all doctor's prescriptions for the disease of dullness of hearing which contributes to our spiritual immaturity.

When we have closed our ears to understanding God's deeper truths, we close the door to deeper intimacy with Him and a greater degree of spiritual maturity. These people had  professed faith in the Lord Jesus, and, by this time they ought to have been more mature in the faith, but they retarded their sanctification and their spiritual maturity.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!"

Those to whom the writer of Hebrews wrote were "dull of hearing" which led to him describing them as spiritual babies. Though they had been Christians for some time they lacked the  ability to be grown ups spiritually speaking. As a result, they could not teach others the biblical truths they should have learned. In fact, they themselves could only understand the very simplest of doctrines. 

Deaf people can be the sharpest hearers and blind people can be the sharpest see-ers. Their problem was not physical, it had to do with their hearts. Dullness of hearing is the inability to nurture one's faith through a deeper understanding of the Word of God. Dull hearing is passive and does not allow one to be defined by the righteousness of Christ. You see, when we constantly think we must do certain things to be acceptable before God, we stunt our understanding of the very reason Christ came to die on the cross: to make us right in the eyes of God. And, when we build our foundation on self-righteousness, our house will have a difficult time standing. 

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness."

Here, the writer of Hebrews uses an everyday human illustration to get his point across. It is an illustration of an infant only feeding on milk and never maturing to solid food. The result is a lack of understanding about righteousness. Christ paid our debt by declaring us righteous before God through His cross. Having believe solely in His finished work on the cross, we are free from our debt of sin. The spiritually immature lack the ability to be defined by this foundational truth enabling them to move on to other truths found in the Word of God. 

Everything in the Christian life is built upon His righteousness imputed to each believer. We do not come to God with any earned or merited righteousness. We come with empty hands stained with sin and guilt. Christ alone is our righteousness. He alone has lived the perfect sinless righteous life. He exchanged His perfect righteousness for our sinfulness and imputes His perfect righteousness to us. He is our perfect righteousness, but it is alien righteousness to us. He provides us this standing before God and we can not earn it.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

The theme of the book of Hebrews is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism. These young Jewish Christians were tempted to return to their rituals in the Temple worship. They were being lured to reject their identity in Christ for their dependence upon their religion. The shadows and types of the old covenant were only meant to be pictures of the real object of their faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. To return to the old rituals would be to be defined by the lesser, and this produced spiritual malnutrition in their walk with the Lord.

At the heart of the Jewish religious culture was the covenant, the temple and the priesthood. In Christianity it is the great High Priest under the new covenant who is the means to our relationship and fellowship with God on a daily basis. These immature believers did not understand that we reach spiritual maturity through the righteousness of Christ. They were tempted to go back to their self-righteousness or works-righteousness instead of trusting only in the imputed righteousness of Christ. No one is ever saved by self-righteousness. We are saved by grace and it is received as a free gift from God based upon the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins.

Spiritual maturity is the product of being trained by the truth of the Word of God. Spiritual maturity is honed by reason of use, and when we begin believing that Christ's finished work on the cross needs our good behavior to make us right in the eyes of God, we lack the building block toward a greater degree of spiritual maturity.

Hebrews 5:5-10

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5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” 6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. ~ Hebrews 5:5-10

We return to our study of Hebrews 5, wherein, having explained the requirements of the Old Testament high priest, the writer of Hebrews introduces us to the only One who is truly qualified to be High Priest before God on the behalf of sinful man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'"

The writer of Hebrews begins this verse with "In the same way," pointing us back to the previous verses where he established the three requirements for a high priest. Christ was selected by God from among the people. God, the Father, chose His Son to be the High Priest of all who would believe that His sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty of God's wrath for our sin in full. 

Then, in v.5, the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 2:7, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father." The writer of Hebrews consistently quotes the Old Testament because he wrote to Jews who were well acquainted with the Old Testament and he was maximizing their understanding. By quoting Psalm 2:7, the writer showed the Lord Jesus fulfilled the first requirement as High Priest. The Lord Jesus was called and was appointed by God to come to earth to die for the hopeless.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." The same God that said, "You are my Son," is the same God that said, "You are a priest." In fact, this verse is a quotation from Psalm 110:4, which reads, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'"

God, Himself, ordained the Lord Jesus to be the High Priest, thus, fulfilling the first requirement of a priest. Now, Melchizedek is spoken of in Psalm 110 which provides a prophesy of the coming Messiah. And, Melchizedek was an Old Testament type of Christ. We were first introduced to him in Genesis 14:18 long before Aaron was ever made high priest. The priesthood of Melchizedek superseded the priesthood of Aaron in many ways, as we will see. Thus, Christ is greater than Aaron. 

In Genesis 14:18 we read, "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High."

Melchizedek was the king of Salem, the original name of Jerusalem. And, he brought out bread and wine in connection with his high priestly duties. The bread and wine was a slight pull back of the curtain, a hint of what was to come. Like Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus has always been the king priest. Melchizedek was a type of Christ's eternal priesthood. There is no record of his birth or death. It is as if he always existed, and, He has always existed. And, when we study Hebrews 7 we will learn just that. 

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."

The Lord Jesus not only fit the first qualification of the high priest, this verse informs us He fulfilled the second, He is empathetic with mankind. The Lord Jesus offered up prayers and petitions. He also cried fervent cries, and tears. The Lord Jesus Christ could not have been a fully empathetic high priest if He had not have come to earth as a baby and grew up to be a man. He spent His days on earth feeling what we feel. 

The Garden of Gethsemane was one of the greatest moments of the suffering of the Lord Jesus, for there He began to bear the sins of the world. There, He felt the crush of sin when He went into the Garden to pray. There, He agonized over the looming cross. "He prayed to the one who could save him from death." 

The word translated "from" is the word "ek" in the Greek, which means "out from within." The Lord Jesus didn't pray, "God don't let me die," He prayed, "Father, once I get into this, get me out of it."  Here, the Lord Jesus was praying for His resurrection. He prayed to Him who is able to save Him out of death. He did not pray to escape death, for that was why He was born. He prayed to be saved out of death. He knows anguish like we do not. We have and never will approach this type of pain.

In v.8-10 of today's passage we read, "8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek."

The Lord Jesus obviously struggled to obey the Father as He moved closer to His cross. He had to go through with the sacrifice. And, even though He was God's Son, He learned by suffering. That is the only way we truly learn, when we learn by experience. We can say something hurts us, but until we have experienced the pain, we really can't be empathetic with someone who has been hurt. Empathy comes from experiencing what someone else has experienced. This is how the Lord Jesus learned obedience, He endured the unwanted suffering and pain.

By the way, when we read, "once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him," it does not mean He was made perfect. It means the salvation He came to provide us was made perfect. And, by His death, the perfect Lord Jesus fulfilled the third requirement to be our High Priest, He sacrificed for the people. The Lord Jesus Christ opened the way of eternal salvation for all humble enough to believe. All the priests of all time couldn't provide eternal salvation, they could provide temporary forgiveness, one sacrifice at a time. But, only Christ was able to seal the deal for eternity. And, the death He died, He died once and for all for those who have believed in Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. It was the death, burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that justified us before God. And, once we have been justified, and, "born again," God begins His sanctification work in us. And, when we obey Him, we are yielding to His sanctification. Our obedience will be there if we know Him as our Father. It will never be perfect this side of heaven, but it will be there because He lives in us.

Hebrews 5:1-4

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1 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. ~ Hebrews 5:1-4

The goal of the book of Hebrews is to present to its readers the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah. Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish believers to show them they had made the right choice in believing in the Lord Jesus as their Savior. In addition, the writer of Hebrews presents five warnings throughout this book to help his readers see that the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all things Old Testament.

So, in order to enable his readers to be convinced that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah, the writer of Hebrews spends quite a bit of time in this book showing that the high priest of the Old Testament provided a picture of the Lord Jesus as the Ultimate High Priest and Messiah. This, by the way, is what sets Christianity apart as better than Judaism. The Lord Jesus, as our High Priest, is so superior to the high priests of the Old Testament.

According to today's text, God required three qualifications for the high priest. He was selected by God from the people, sympathetic with the people, and sacrificing for people. 

In v.1 of today's text we read, "Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins."

The first qualification for the high priest was: He was selected by God from among the people. During Old Testament days, the high priest was the mediator between man and God. The prophets presented God to man, while the priests presented man to God. Priests were able, by God's ordained patterns, to perform certain duties that brought people into the presence of God. 

The word "appointed" in v.1 means ordained to an office. No priest has ever been chosen arbitrarily, nor were they selected on the basis of their own will, but by God. God didn't choose angels to be priests. He chose men who would act on the behalf of men. Angels do not have the nature of men. God's high priest had to be a man who was subject to the temptations of men. He had to be a man who had experiential acquaintance with suffering in order that he might minister in a merciful way. 

In v.2 of today's text we read, "He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness."

The second qualification of the high priest was he had to be sympathetic with the people. To be able "to deal gently" means to have compassion on another. A person who is non-compassionate could care less about anybody else's pain. This is why it was required of a priest to come from men, because he had to be able to bear gently with those who ignorantly go astray.  

Sympathy feels everything, while omniscience knows everything. As our ultimate High Priest, Christ did not need to learn any new information, He knew it all. He did need to learn human feelings through His incarnation so that He could be sympathetic beyond being omniscient. This is the genius of God.

In v.3 of today's text we read, "This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people."

The third characteristic of the high priest was he had to sacrifice for the people. In addition to offering a sacrifice for the people, the high priest had to offer the sacrifice for himself, as well, because he was sinful. But, when the Lord Jesus provided the sacrifice, He did so without His own sin. There was no need for Him to offer a sacrifice for Himself, since He was God and is sinless. That in itself makes Him a greater high priest than any other high priest who ever had lived before. 

In v.4 of today's text we read, "And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

Once again, the writer of Hebrews emphasizes to be the high priest, one had to be picked by God. This is instructive since the Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest. And, in sending the Lord Jesus to earth, the Father in heaven fulfilled the requirements of all of those high priests who came before Him. You see, God had to become a man, otherwise He would not have been able to feel what we feel and go through what we go through. If He had not come as a man, He would have had no basis, experientially, to operate as a high priest on our behalf. So, God did not keep Himself transcendent and separate from sinful man. He entered into the world of men, in order that He might be the just and sympathetic and merciful and faithful High Priest.

And so, the incarnation was an absolute necessity. It was an imperative if salvation was to be accomplished. Aren't you glad the Lord Jesus was willing? Especially since He knew way in advance what it would take to redeem you and me back to God.

Hebrews 4:14-16

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14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ~ Hebrews 4:14-16

We return to the letter of Hebrews, written to Jewish Christians, who were struggling in their faith in the God of the Bible due to pressures levied on them from their Jewish community. As they suffered for their faith in the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, some were on the verge of discontinuing their pursuit of God through Christ for the rituals of their religion. 

From the very beginning of this book, the writer of Hebrews had shown these young believers the superiority of the Lord Jesus to all things Old Testament. He is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant. In Christ we discover everything we need in every way. And, since the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, there are serious consequences for those who choose to reject His free gift of eternal life.

In v.14 of our passage for today we read, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."

Four words in this brief passage sum it all up: "God's throne of grace." God's throne speaks of His authority and power, while His grace directs us to His compassion and love. These two were brought together in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. The just requirements of perfection were met through the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and through His perfect life lived, and now that we believe in Him, God sees us through the lens of His Son.

As our High Priest, the Lord Jesus passed into heaven into the very presence of God on the behalf of all humble enough to believe in Him as Messiah. In the Old Testament, the high priest went into  the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God, and there, he applied to blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat which was on the Ark of the Covenant. This happened once a year on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest sacrificed an innocent animal for the sins of the people. After sacrificing the animal, the high priest went into the Holy of Holies and he would take the blood from the sacrifice and he would sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of Israel. Before he could do that, he had to do it for himself because he was a sinner. 

The Lord Jesus is a different high priest because He is sinless. He passed through the heavens and He went into God's very presence, carrying with Him the satisfactory sacrifice that He had made, and, in heaven, He applied His blood on the heavenly Mercy Seat when He arrived.

As our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ is like our defense attorney who represented our case before God, and He has and will never lose a case. As a result, we are exhorted to "hold firmly to the faith we profess," because God's requirements of perfection have been met on our behalf by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christianity is a personal relationship. And, it is through the Lord Jesus we have a personal relationship with God. And, even though the Lord Jesus never sinned, He knows the power of temptation. In fact, He is the only One who has ever fully resisted temptation, therefore He knows sin's lure and power to the fullest extent. As a result, He empathizes, He feels with our struggles because He knows and understands the power of temptation even more than we. And, even though we all stand before God in a state of complete poverty, completely guilty because of our sin, the Lord Jesus stands in the presence of God on our behalf as our perfect high priest. 

Having believed on the Lord Jesus, the throne of God is no longer to us a throne of judgment because Christ is interceding on our behalf having made atonement for our sins. His is not a throne of indifference because Christ is our empathetic High Priest who knows exactly what we feel, and even more. And His is a throne of grace because we have been made perfect in the eyes of God through Him. God, in His mercy, looks at our misery, and His grace is the means by which we can overcome our struggles. 

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

The reality of such a great high priest energizes the reality of our prayer life. As we learn from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as our high priest is the work of His self-sacrifice. The Lord Jesus laid down His life for anyone willing to be His friend. The Lord Jesus offered His own body, receiving the very punishment of God in our place. His sacrifice, made once and for all, covers all of our sin, past, present and future. His perfect blood cleanses us and declares us "not guilty" and "innocent" in the very presence of God.

When the Lord Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, indicating all who are humble enough to believe, have access to God. Sadly, after the events of that weekend when the Lord Jesus was crucified, the religious leaders had the curtain in the Temple sewed up. They illustrated the struggles of these young Christians to whom the writer of Hebrews wrote. They returned to their legalism, to their religion.

God wants us to be free enough to know Him and to make Him known to others. And, He is always prepared to receive the sin-stained heart that we bring to Him. He is forever equipped to meet any deeply-felt thorn in our existence with the words that He gave to the Apostle Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you." Therefore, we should be full of confidence in the presence of God and even in the presence of our greatest dangers.