All posts by Luella Campbell

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 12

Bible Study, ,

The next question in this presentation of Jesus as superior to Moses and the Old Covenant is about the terms of the covenant itself and what God required of His people in that covenant.

In what way is the new covenant superior to the old? Why was it necessary for God to introduce another covenant if the first one under Moses was sufficient to regulate the lives of His people? Why does God need to set up a covenant with His people?

What is a covenant?

Meta AI provides an excellent summary…

“In its most basic sense, a covenant is a formal agreement or promise between two or more parties. It’s a binding commitment that outlines the terms, conditions, and expectations of the relationship.

Biblical Context
In the biblical context, covenants play a central role in the relationship between God and His people. A covenant (Hebrew: ברית, brit) is a solemn agreement between God and humanity, where God promises to bless, protect, and guide His people in exchange for their loyalty, obedience, and worship.

Key Elements of a Covenant

  1. “Promises”: Covenants involve promises or commitments made by one or both parties.
  2. “Obligations”: Covenants outline the responsibilities and expectations of each party.
  3. “Consequences”: Covenants often specify the consequences of failing to uphold the agreement.
  4. “Ratification”: Covenants are typically ratified or confirmed through a formal ceremony or ritual.

Types of Covenants

  1. “Unilateral covenant”: A one-sided agreement where one party makes promises without requiring anything in return (e.g., God’s covenant with Abraham).
  2. “Bilateral covenant”: A two-sided agreement where both parties make promises and commitments (e.g., a marriage covenant).
  3. “Conditional covenant”: An agreement that depends on certain conditions being met (e.g., the Mosaic covenant).
  4. “Unconditional covenant”: An agreement that is not dependent on any conditions (e.g., God’s covenant with David)…

In summary, a covenant is a formal agreement that outlines the terms, conditions, and expectations of a relationship. It involves promises, obligations, consequences, and ratification, and can be applied in various contexts, from biblical to modern-day relationships.”

A covenant, then, legally binds God and people together in an agreement that sets BOUNDARIES, conditions, and obligations and offers promises and benefits.

There is one great difference between the Mosaic covenant and the new covenant in Christ. God cut the covenant with His people at Mt Sinai with conditions, which depended on the obedience of His people to keep it. The new covenant God promised in Jeremiah 31:31ff does not depend on people’s obedience but on Jesus because He IS the Covenant and believing people are IN Him by faith.

Now let’s follow our writer’s explanation.

Hebrews 8:3-5 NIV
[3] “Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. [4] If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. [5] They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

The Mosaic covenant had priests and sacrifices that functioned in an earthly sanctuary which was a copy of the heavenly, and depended on earthly priests to carry out their obligations faithfully.

We can already discern a weakness in this system. Its value and efficacy depended on fallible humans. The history of God’s people reveals the unfaithfulness of their priests and the failure of their worship system to satisfy God’s requirements. Their sinfulness had turned their sacrifices into an excuse for sinning.

Not only were the priests themselves unfaithful to God but they also encouraged the people to sin so that they could benefit from the sacrifices!

Hosea 4:1, 7-8 NIV
[1] “Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land…
[7] The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful. [8] They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.”

What a terrible indictment against God’s priests!

The New Covenant, by contrast, does not depend on fallible humans but on the perfect obedience of our representative, Jesus.

Hebrews 8:7-12 NIV
[7]” For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. [8] But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. [9] It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. [10] This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [11] No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. [12] For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

A new covenant? Better promises? Compare the old with the new. One supreme difference… to work, the promises of the Mosaic covenant depended in the people’s obedience.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NIV
[1] “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. [2] All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God…”

It didn’t happen!

The new Covenant’s promises depend entirely on God’s faithfulness…and Jesus, God’s Son, fulfilled and ratified all these promises.

2 Corinthians 1:18-22 NIV
[18] “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” [19] For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” [20] For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. [21] Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

Wow! What a difference!

Surely then, this new covenant with its better promises is as far superior to the old as the east is from the west.

Hebrews 8:6-7, 13 NIV
[6]”But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. [7] For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another…
[13] By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

Q. E. D!

“Quod erat demonstrandum,” often abbreviated as “Q.E.D.,” is a Latin phrase meaning “that which was to be demonstrated,” used to indicate the completion of a proof or argument.” ( Google)

Not only is the new covenant better than the old, based on better promises that Jesus Himself confirms, but it is so much better that there is no more need or use for the old.

The point of this demonstration is that those who want to return to the old system of worship are actually going back to something that no longer exists. The new covenant in Christ has wiped out, deleted in modern terms, the need for the old. So why go back to something that exists only in history? The idea is as foolish as wanting to go back from modern forms of transport to old-fashioned animal-drawn carts and chariots!

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 11

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 7:11, 14 NIV
[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?…
[14] For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.”

Slowly and carefully, our writer unpacks Jesus’ superiority in every way over Moses, and the Mosaic law with its limitations. Just as He is superior over angels and over Moses, so Jesus’ priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood. The order to which He belongs is not about tribal ancestry but about the power of an endless life.

Hebrews 7:15-16 NIV
[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.”

Jesus was sworn in to this office by an oath…God Himself authorising His appointment, setting aside the system of Levitical priests which was part of an interim covenant, and confirming the order of Melchizedek which He set up before Levi and his descendants were born.

Hebrews 7:20-22 NIV
[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.”

Now, let’s examine the benefits of this priesthood.

First, Jesus lives forever so that His priesthood is permanent. There is no longer the issue of continuity. Generation after generation can rely on the faithfulness of our High Priest because He is permanently present with the Father to stand in our place, to present His own blood as a sufficient sacrifice for our sin, and to provide mercy and grace for those who come to God through Him.

Hebrews 7:25 NIV
[25] “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Second, Jesus provides complete salvation. He is not only priest but also sacrifice. He is everything we need to satisfy the Father’s wrath against sin and to provide for us on our journey to the Father.

There is no flaw or weakness in Jesus. He is able to save us because He is alive, because He is perfect, and because the Father appointed Him as high priest with an oath.

So, our writer concludes…

Hebrews 7:26-28 NIV
[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.”

Truly, Jesus is a high priest upon whom we can rely with absolute confidemce because He ticks all the boxes. No other person can come near to Him in His person and work to save us from all the ravages of sin.

Hebrews 8:1-2 NIV
[1]”Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, [2] and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.”

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 11

Bible Study,

Hebrews 7:11, 14 NIV
[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?…
[14] For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.”

Slowly and carefully, our writer unpacks Jesus’ superiority in every way over Moses, and the Mosaic law with its limitations. Just as He is superior over angels and over Moses, so Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood. The order to which He belongs is not about tribal ancestry but about the power of an endless life.

Hebrews 7:15-16 NIV
[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.”

Jesus was sworn in to this office by an oath…God Himself authorising His appointment, setting aside the system of Levitical priests which was part of an interim covenant, and confirming the order of Melchizedek which He set up before Levi and his descendants were born.

Hebrews 7:20-22 NIV
[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.”

Now, let’s examine the benefits of this priesthood.

First, Jesus lives forever so that His priesthood is permanent. There is no longer the issue of continuity. Generation after generation can rely on the faithfulness of our High Priest because He is permanently present with the Father to stand in our place, to present His own blood as a sufficient sacrifice for our sin, and to provide mercy and grace for those who come to God through Him.

Hebrews 7:25 NIV
[25] “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Second, Jesus provides complete salvation. He is not only priest but also sacrifice. He is everything we need to satisfy the Father’s wrath against sin and to provide for us in our journey to the Father.

There is no flaw or weakness in Jesus. He is able to save us because He is alive, because He is perfect, and because the Father appointed Him as high priest with an oath.

So, our writer concludes…

Hebrews 7:26-28 NIV
[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.”

Truly, Jesus is a high priest upon whom we can rely with absolute confidemce because He ticks all the boxes. No other person can come near to Him in His person and work to save us from all the ravages of sin.

Hebrews 8:1-2 NIV
[1]”Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, [2] and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.”

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 10

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 6:13-20 NIV
[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. [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.”

Having reassured himself and his readers that they were on the right track by remaining faithful to Jesus, our writer returns to his theme, the superiority of Jesus over Judaism.

Let’s look at the superiority of Jesus’ high priesthood over the Levitical priesthood of the Old Covenant.

When God appointed Jesus to be the High Priest over God’s house, He did it under oath, implying His accountability, integrity, and legal commitment to carry out His promises. God’s Word is always sufficient to guarantee His commitment to do what He says but…an oath is even more serious a promise of His intention.
Since there is none greater than God Himself, said our writer, He took an oath in His own name, to bless and prosper Abraham and His descendants. Included in this oath was His promise to provide a High Priest in the order of Mechizedek, one who would exist eternally to represent His people to God and God to His people.

However, in the Old Covenant system of worship, God had already given Israel an order of high priests, the order of Levi. God appointed the tribe of Levi to serve Him in the sanctuary, the temple and, later, the temple. The problem was that death interrupted the ministry of these priests. Every high priest served for a while and then and died. The people needed a high priest who would represent them uninterrupted, forever.

So, long before Israel became a nation through Abraham, God had already set up His divine order for His High Priest, Melchizedek, the forerunner of the one who would provide eternal continuity by rising from the dead…

Why Mechizedek? Who was this Melchizedek and what was his significance to God’s promise to His people?

Melchizedek appears in Genesis, after Abram’s victory over an alliance of kings who took Lot captive. Abram met him on his return for his conquest, worshiped and offered him a tenth of the spoils of victory.

Genesis 14:18-20 NIV
[18] Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, [19] and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. [20] And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

The writer’s argument regarding Melchizedek’s greatness is an argument from silence. Since there is no record in Scripture of this man’s lineage, God presents him as the immortal king-priest of Salem to whom Levi, still unborn in Abraham, paid tithes. Great as Abraham was, Mechizedek was greater since the lesser gives tithes to the greater.

Therefore, Mechizedek appears in Scripture without lineage and with no record of his death. Levi, in Abraham, paid tithes to him therefore, it was fitting that Jesus should be appointed as High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, signifying that His is an eternal priesthood. Speaking of Melchizedek,

Hebrews 7:3 NIV
[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.”

Not only so, but God also made the appointment of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek with an oath.

Psalms 110:4 NIV
[4] The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus’ appointment to His high priesthood in the order of Melchizedek also has eternal consequences.

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 9

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 6:9-12 NIV
[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.”

Although our writer’s warnings are urgent and necessary, one thing about his readers reassured him that they had not yet regressed into unbelief…their love for God’s people. Amazing, isn’t it that loving God’s people in practical ways should be the evidence of faith in Jesus!

Unselfish, sacrificial love for one another as the test of our faith in Christ, shouldn’t surprise us. Every New Testament writer highlights our obedience to Jesus’ command, “Love one another as I have loved you,” as the hallmark of true faith.

John 14:21 NIV
[21] “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

John tells us, in his first letter, what Jesus’ two commandments are that encapsulate all the laws of the Old Testament.

1 John 3:19-24 NIV
[19] “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: [20] If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. [21] Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God [22] and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. [23] And this is his command: to BELIEVE in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to LOVE one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

Since his readers passed the acid test of love for their fellow believers, our writer urged them to continue and not give up because, like the saints of old, they would inherit God’s promises through faith and patience.

God’s promises? Where is this life with its trials and challenges going, anyway? What has God promised us that is so alluring that it’s worth risking life and limb, worth pursuing no matter the cost?

Our lives are all directed towards one great prize, the prize towards which Paul strained despite the obstacles he had to face.

Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
[12] “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul defined this prize in his testimony to Timothy…

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV
[7] “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

What is this “crown of righteousness” that Paul anticipated at the end of his journey? Could it be the same as the adornment on the Bride’s robe as she prepares herself for her wedding day?

Revelation 19:7-8 NIV
[7] Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. [8] Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people).

Righteous acts? Good works? The good works that God prepared for us to do from before the foundation of the world ?

Ephesians 2:10 NIV
[10] “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

It’s all slowly coming together. Let’s summarise.

God saved us from sin through the death of Jesus, not only forgiving and cleansing us but also giving us His own nature to love Him by loving others. He imputed to us Jesus’ righteousness so that we are acceptable to Him. Clothed, covered in the righteousness of Christ by faith, He calls us to live out that righteousness by the way we treat one another in the family of God.

Our love for one another is the evidence that we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. The prize towards which we strain is likeness to Jesus, confirming in us the righteousness Jesus gave us by the righteousness we carry out in our human lives. The crown…becoming like Him in His death and resurrection. Perfect submission and perfect obedience to the Father…the signs of a true son.

It all hinges on our response to His righteousness in us.

1 John 3:10, 16-18 NIV
[10] “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister…
[16] This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. [17] If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? [18] Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

“Good works”, then, are the oil in the lamps of the bridesmaids in Jesus’ parable, that gave them access to the wedding feast. The good works of serving our brothers and sisters are the other side of the coin of Christ’s righteousness that will win the crown of likeness to Jesus.

Romans 8:29 NIV
[29] “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Since the Jewish believers, to whom our writer wrote, showed their love for Jesus by their love for one another, he was convinced that they were on the right track.

To be continued…