Thursday, December 30, 2004
From Hebrews
I've been reading through Hebrews lately. Probably the next couple of weeks will be my own on-line Bible study, though I don't claim to be an expert. Hebrews has great stuff linking the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant - which really is The Law and Grace. At least that's an over-simplification, good for people like me. It was written to Jewish Christians who were having some problems staying purely in the uncomplicated gospel of Christ. They wanted to cloud it or complicate it with the religion they had been used to. The writer of this book took a position of linking the revelation of Christ with the characters and roles in Old Testament and traditional Judaism. He is revealing that Christ is sufficient to cover everything that took many people and many systems to perform. The section I'm on right now deals with the priesthood, and Christ being our high priest.
Hebrews Chapter 7:18-28
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 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.’ ” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 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. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews Chapter 7:18-28
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 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.’ ” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 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. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
// posted by Annette @ 8:20 p.m. 