Monthly Archives: March 2025

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…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 8

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 5:11-14 NIV
[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.”

How well this writer knew his readers! He must have been familiar enough with them as a group to rebuke them without offending them.

Hebrews 6:1-3 NLT
[1] “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. [2] You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [3] And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”

Another reprimand! Another warning!

It seems that his readers were either retreating into Judaism to escape persecution or stuck on the basics of their understanding of the gospel. Our writer finds it necessary to interject another warning, this time about about spiritual immaturity, urging them to move beyond the basics of repentance, faith, ordinances, judgment etc.

“You are still baby Christians, sucking a bottle instead of eating gourmet steak!” What an endictment! It’s fine to be a toddler as long as it is a passing phase of growing up, not a permanent state.

What distinguishes a mature person from an immature person? A toddler, a young child, has not yet learned to do what is right regardless of feelings. A liitle one acts according to his inborn selfish nature. It takes years of patient training for a person to follow his conscience rather than his appetites. Some, if not many, never learn!

Likewise, in the Christian life, a mature believer is one who is learning to do what is right regardless of the way he feels. Since we are already righteous because of our faith in Jesus, our role in this life is to live righteously in our day-to-day living. If we are not maturing in righteousness, we deny the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in us to work out our salvation in our daily lives.

It’s no use pussyfooting around elementary, as in basic, doctrines without putting them into practice in our lives.

According to our writer, people who are stuck on the basics are in danger of turning away from the very truths that led them to faith in Jesus. Intellectual faith, i.e., faith that is all mind and no heart, can end up in skepticism, agnosticism and eventual atheism.

Going back on the reality of our salvation experience slams the door on God’s grace, cancels the work of Jesus on the cross, and calls in question the truthfulness of Jesus Himself.

Therefore, such warnings are needful and urgent. Perhaps his readers had never considered the consequences of such a backward step. Did it ever occur to them that a choice like that would cut them off forever from an eternal destiny in the presence of God?

This brings me to a sobering thought. Those congregations that practice altar calls for any and every occasion…are they perhaps encouraging God’s people to live yo-yo lives of irresponsible living and “rededication to Jesus” by constantly calling them to “rededicate” their lives to Jesus? This practice fleecing the face of what God has done…raised them from spiritual death and made them new creatures in Christ.

There may be limited place for such occasions but should never be a substitute for faithful obedience to Jesus. The truly mature Christian will plod on, day after day, living out his faith and faithfulness in the way he responds to tests and temptations. The Holy Spirit in him, his teacher and guide, will keep him on track as he listens and submits to Jesus as Lord. Ours is not another religion but a living relationship with Jesus as Lord.

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 7

Bible Study, ,

Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
[14] “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. [15] This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. [16] So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Following his warning to his readers not to allow unbelief to disqualify them from entering God’s rest, our writer introduces the next role of Jesus as the fulfilment of Old Testament pictures.

In the Old Covenant, the high priest had a pivotal role to play in the system of worship and in the government of Israel. He was not only God’s representative and voice to the people, but he was also their support. As a human, he stood in the the shoes of all the people, feeling what they felt and experiencing what they experienced. Just so, Jesus, because He was also human, was able to participate with His people in the hardships of human life. This High Priest, as the sinless Son of God, was also able to represent them to the Father in heaven, not just as a human but as a perfect Son and Saviour. He knows what it’s like to be human. He understood their temptations but, unlike them, He never fell for the allurements of sin. He could support and succour them in their weakness if they continued to believe in Him.

How imperative, then, that his readers cling tenaciously to Jesus despite the pull of the old nature and the fear of the powers ranged against them that threatened their lives because of their loyalty to Jesus.

Our writer presents Jesus as superior to the high priests of the Old Covenant. In what way is He superior?

Hebrews 5:1-3 NLT
[1] “Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. [2] And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. [3] That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.”

Following his explanation for yet another reason to remain faithful to Jesus, our writer continues his defense of Jesus as superior to the high priests of the religious system of Israel. Did Jesus qualify to be greater than their high priests? How did He qualify?

It was the very humanity of Israel’s high priests that contributed to their religious system’s weakness. They were both mortal and sinful like the ones they served. Death had two powerful effects on their worship. First, there was no continuity. Each high priest served for a while and then died. Second, their high priests were sinful, the very reason for their deaths. They had to offer sacrifices for their own sin since they were all as fallible as the ones they represented.

In what way, then, was Jesus superior to Israel’s high priests? How could He do more for the people than Aaron and his descendants could do?

God chose Aaron and his line to carry this responsibility through the generations. Just as Aaron didn’t take it upon himself the be the first high priest, so also, Jesus was God’s choice to replace the Levitical priesthood.

Hebrews 5:4-6 NLT
[4] “And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. [5] That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” [6] And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalms 110, a psalm that predicts Messiah’s role as both victorious king and high priest, declares…

Psalms 110:4 NLT
[4] “The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus’ priesthood is superiour to the Levital priesthood first, because, like Mechizedek, a mysterious king-priest figure in Genesis of whom there is no record of his birth, death, or lineage, Jesus lives forever to continue His ministry, uninterrupted by death…

Hebrews 5:7-10 NLT
[7] While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. [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. [10] And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

…and, second, unlike the animal sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrificial lamb able to atone for the sin of His people.

How, then, could his readers think of returning to a system of worship that could not guarantee a permanent solution to the sin that separated them from a Holy God? Jesus alone in His person and in His role as priest and sacrifice, has the perfect answer.

To be continued…