Monthly Archives: March 2025

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 15

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 10:8-10 NLT
[8]”First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). [9] Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. [10] For God’s will was for us TO BE MADE HOLY by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

Do you get it? The readers had missed the point. The old covenant was not an end in itself. It’s purpose was to move them on…to Jesus, God’s perfect sacrifice to atone for sin. Jesus’ obedience to death, in turn, must also move us on… to the holiness God requires and Jesus achieved for us. We need holiness to make us acceptable to Him so that we may approach Him with boldness and confidence.

Hebrews 10:11-14 NLT
[11]”Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. [12] But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. THEN HE SAT DOWN in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [13] There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. [14] For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”

He sat down? Unlike the earthly high priests who never sat down after they had sprinkled animal blood on the mercy seat, Jesus’ work was finished.

Again, Q. E. D.!

Every issue God had with us… sin, wrath, separation, pollution, broken covenant, consequences, physical death, eternal damnation…all dealt with in Jesus’ great life of submission and obedience.

Hebrews 5:8-9 NLT
[8]”Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Now, the most significant conclusion to everything Jesus accomplished to satisfy the Father and to give us, sin-polluted mortals, access to the Father….

Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT
[19] “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. [20] By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. [21] And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, [22] let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

What God, in Christ, did for us gives us every reason to approach the Father with boldness, confidence, and trust. The way to the Father is open. We have access to God’s throne, to His mercy and grace, through our High Priest who made a once-for-all sacrifice to atone for and remove the barrier of sin. Our guilt has been removed. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a difference between the Old and the new! Of what value would a return to Judaism be when such a move would forever disqualify them from receiving and enjoying eternal salvation?

And so, the writer urges his readers and us to persevere. Whatever the consequences of our refusal to budge from our commitment to Jesus as Lord, we have God’s guarantee that God will keep His promises. Our lives together as members of the body of Christ provides help, support, and encouragement to continue. Our love and good works are the glue that holds us together and steady in the face of opposition and persecution.

Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT
[23] “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. [24] Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. [25] And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

We can be sure that, despite the odds against us, we will be the winners in the end. It will be no contest because we have God Himself for us, Jesus our representative to speak for us, and the Holy Spirit in us to accompany and support us to final and eternal victory.

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 14

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In conclusion, what did Jesus accomplish that the Mosaic covenant could not do?

Hebrews 9:24-28 NIV
[24] “For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence…”

Earthly high priests could only minister in an earthly sanctuary. Jesus entered heaven itself to appear before the Father on our behalf.

[25] “Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.”

Earthly high priests’ work was never done. They could only offer animal sacrifices daily to cover sin. Jesus’ sacrifice atoned for sin once-for-all, never to be repeated.

[26]”Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Earthly high priests could not offer sacrifices that took away sin. Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice that removes sin forever.

[27] “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, [28] so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Earthly high priests’ work can never change our destiny. People still die and must still face judgment. Jesus died once and changed our destiny from judgment to completed salvation when He returns.

Conclusion…the old covenant is useless to deal with the core issue that stands between us and God, sin. It can only show us how impossible it is for us to satisfy God’s holy standards and point us to something better.

Hebrews 10:1-4 NIV
[1] “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. [2] Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. [3] But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. [4] It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Jesus did not come into the world to endorse or continue the system of temple worship. That would have been a futile exercise, knowing full well that animal sacrifices and religious rituals achieve nothing to take away sin and reconcile us to God.

Hebrews 10:5-7 NIV
[5]”Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; [6] with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. [7] Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”

To accomplish God’s will, Jesus offered His own body in obedience to the Father as a sacrifice for sin.

Hebrews 10:8-10 NIV
[8] “First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. [9] Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. [10] And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

This sacrifice, His own body and blood, was so effective to deal with sin that it did away with the need to offer animal sacrifices. What was God’s will for Jesus?

God’s will for Jesus was to crush Him through crucifixion but…it was also His will, through Jesus’ death, to raise Him to great glory.

Isaiah 53:10-12 NLT
[10]”But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. [11] When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. [12] I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

For Jesus, death was not the end but the doorway into all God’s purposes for Him and for all mankind.

God’s will for Jesus to die is not an end in itself. It’s going somewhere!

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 13

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 9:1-8 NIV
[1] “Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. [2] A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. [3] Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, [4] which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. [5] Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. [6] When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. [7] But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. [8] The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.”

Next, our writer reminds his Jewish readers of the origin and function of their religious system. This setup points to two important facts…

First, that God was using human activities to illustrate spiritual truths. Our writer has already reminded his readers that Moses was instructed to construct the tabernacle with its paraphernalia and functions exactly as God had shown him in the mountain.

Hebrews 8:5 NIV
[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.”

Since humans have never been to heaven nor can we imagine heavenly realities, God gave them, in earthly picture form, a pattern of the heavenly to follow.

Second, the people were bound to this system until the types and shadows, which pointed to the spiritual reality had been fulfilled. Let me illustrate…

A soldier leaves home to participate in warfare far from his home country. He takes with him a photograph of the one he loves. In the heat and danger of warfare, he keeps the picture close to his heart, reminding himself of one waiting for him back home. The day comes when he returns to his family and is reunited with his beloved. Will he need the photograph to remind him of her existence? No! He no longer needs the picture since he and she are together in person.

So, since Jesus has come and has done everything the picture was intended to show His people; the types and shadows have become redundant. It would be foolish of them to continue to gaze at the picture of Jesus in the tabernacle worship when He was with them in person, having fulfilled all the obligations of true worship.

Hebrews 9:9 NIV
[9] “This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.”

One thing is clear. The tabernacle system of worship with all its paraphernalia and rigmarole was incomplete. There was no conclusion to its activities. Day after day, the priests did the same thing, offered sacrifices, burnt incense, tended the lamp in the sanctuary, and…and… Costly and repetitive! Did anyone ever ask, “When will this ever end?”

And, worst of all, everything they did in obedience to God’s instructions, made no difference to their guilty consciences. Sin in their lives remained a stark reality. They still disobeyed God in their personal lives and relationships. So, what was the point of it all?

Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV
[11] “But, when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. [12] He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. [13] The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. [14] How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Thank God for the” but”! Jesus made all the difference in this hopeless situation.

He offered sacrifice to the Father, not on earth but in heaven, opening heaven to us by His own blood.

He offered Himself as a perfect lamb, not an animal that had no power to deal with sin.

His sacrifice atones for the sin of our souls, not just failure to obey the ceremonies of the law.

His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness and changes our hearts from rebel to son.

Hebrews 9:15 NIV
[15] “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Jesus, then, is the mediator of this new covenant. He fulfilled all the requirements of God’s holy law. He redeemed us from sin by His blood. He opened heaven for us to access the Father and to receive all the blessings and benefits of our promised inheritance, eternal life. He ratified this new covenant, once for all, by His own blood.

Our need for a mediator between us and God, a high priest to be our advocate to represent us to the Father, and a sacrifice to atone for our sin are all rolled into one and fulfilled in Jesus.

Hebrews 9:24-28 NIV
[24] “For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. [25] Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. [26] Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, [28] so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

To crown everything Jesus has achieved for us in His own person, He is coming again to complete His great work of salvation. ” It is finished!” So He announced from the cross with His last breath, and so it is!

To be continued…

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…