Dr. Jack L. Arnold Equipping Pastors International Hebrews
Hebrews 8:1-13
One of the basic purposes for the Book of Hebrews is to show how Jesus Christ is superior to the whole Mosaic system, including the Old Testament priesthood, law, sacrifices, tabernacle, and so forth. These Hebrew professing Christians were not so sure Christ was superior to the Mosaic system and some were thinking about leaving Christianity and going back into Judaism. Therefore, the author of the Book of Hebrews sets out to show that Christ is ÒbetterÓ than the Levitical priesthood and its sacrifices, and Christ is superior to the Mosaic Law from which the Levitical priesthood derived its authority.
In chapter seven, it has been proven that Christ as an
eternal person has an eternal priesthood and that Christ is constantly and
forever praying for His people. ÒHence
also He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since
He always lives to make intercession for themÓ (Heb. 7:25).
He is pleading His blood before the Father when we sin and He is praying
that our faith as GodÕs children will not fail and we shall persevere unto the
end. But now the author must prove
to these doubting Hebrew-Christians that Christ has a better place of worship
and a better authority for His priesthood than the Old Testament priests. The authorÕs line of argument will be
that ChristÕs ministry takes place in a heavenly sanctuary and His heavenly
priesthood has its authority from the New Covenant, not the old. Mosaic
Covenant.
A BETTER POSITION -
Hebrews 8:1
ÒNow the main point in what has been said is this: we have
such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of
the Majesty in the heavensÓ -- ChristÕs priesthood is in heaven and not in any earthly tabernacle,
for Christ, through His resurrection and ascension, sits on the right hand of
the Father on His throne. Christ
has a better position than any earthly priests of the Old Testament.
Christ is a high priest who sits on a heavenly
throne. Notice that Christ sits on
His throne. The Old Testament, Levitical priests always stood and never sat down because
their work for sin was never finished, but Christ sat down, proving He had once
and for all and forever solved the sin problem through His death.
Christ is on His throne. He is the King-Priest, and the Exalted One who is high and
lifted up, and He alone is deserving of our worship.
Queen Victoria of England was attending a church service and
the choir was singing The Messiah.
It was a very moving performance and when they came to the place where
they sang: ÒKing of kings and Lord of lords! And He shall reign forever and
ever!Ó the Queen stood to her feet, removed the crown of England from her head
and bowed in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is only one King of kings who reigns forever in
heaven.
A BETTER SANCTUARY -
Hebrews 8:2
Ò... a minister
in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.Ó -- Christ does not minister in an earthly
tabernacle but He ministers in a heavenly tabernacle, which has the backing of
God and not man.
A BETTER SACRIFICE -
Hebrews 8:3-5
ÒFor every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and
sacrifices; hence it is necessary that this high priest also have something to
offer. Now if He were on earth, He
would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer gifts according
to the Law ...Ó -- On earth, Christ could never have
offered animal sacrifices because the Mosaic Law said a person had to be a
priest in the order of Levi to offer up sacrifices. But Christ was from the
order of Melchizedek and He offered Himself as His own sacrifice, and this
sacrifice is being pleaded before the Father in heaven.
Ò... who serve a copy and shadow of the
heavenly things, just as Moses is warned by God when he was about to erect the
tabernacle for, ÔSee,Õ He says, Ôthat you make all things according to the
pattern which was shown you on the mountain.ÕÓ -- The whole Levitical
priesthood was but a copy or shadow which anticipated the reality, Christ, who
was to come. The Old Testament
priesthood, as a type, pointed forward to Messiah and now that He has come
there is no need for the Mosaic Law or the Levitical
priesthood. Exodus 25:40 is quoted to show how Moses was given
specific instructions on the erection of the tabernacle. Why? It was a type of ChristÕs heavenly
sanctuary. This proves that the Levitical building and its service were not the final
reality but an earthly replica of a higher and better reality.
A BETTER COVENANT -
Hebrews 8:6-13
ÒBut now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as
much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been inacted upon better promises.Ó -- Jesus Christ receives His authority
for His priesthood, not from the Old Covenant (the Mosaic Law) but from the New
Covenant. Jesus Christ, through
His death, has become the guarantee of a better covenant. ÒSo much the more also Jesus has
become the guarantee of a better covenantÓ (Heb. 7:22). This covenant
is now in operation because His priesthood is now in operation. Jesus Christ is the one mediator of
this new covenant, (1 Tim. 2:5), and
Christ is better than Moses who was the human mediator of the Old Covenant of
Mosaic Law. The New Covenant has
all of the promises of salvation guaranteed by Jesus Christ, the mediator for
those He represented in His death.
How does the New Covenant have better promises? We know that the Old Testament saints
had the promise of eternal life but this promise was connected with the
Abrahamic Covenant and not with the Mosaic Covenant. The promises of the Mosaic Law pertained mainly to earthly
things as related to national blessings, but in the New Covenant the promise of
spiritual blessing becomes the principal idea. In the New Covenant the mind is directed to heaven; the
heart cheered with hopes of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.
The Mosaic Law could never give the forgiveness of sins or
eternal life. Many Jews, filled
with pride, thought that the Law could give life and forgiveness but they were
mistaken. Even the sacrifices of
the Old Testament only covered oneÕs sin until Christ, the mediator of the New
Covenant, would come and die for their sins.
ÒAnd for this reason He is the mediator
of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the
redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant,
those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritanceÓ (Heb.
9:15).
But now the Old Covenant has been done away with since
the New Covenant has come.
ÒFor if that first covenant had been faultless, there would
have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them ...Ó -- The Mosaic Covenant was holy, just and
good. The weakness of the Law was
not in the Law but in man. ÒFor
what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending
His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin. He condemned sin in the fleshÓ
(Rom. 8:3). The fault was that the
Law did not have the power to work on the inside of a person. The Law only condemned men but never
saved them or sanctified them. The
very fact that there was a second covenant given shows that the first covenant
was temporary and would be supplanted by the New Covenant. If the Mosaic Law (first covenant) had
accomplished all things necessary for our redemption, then Jeremiah would have
never mentioned another covenant.
Ò... He says, ÔBehold days are coming,
says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant with the House of Israel and
with the House of Judah ...Ó -- This is the beginning of a quote from
Jeremiah 31:31-34 where the New Covenant
is first mentioned as a prophecy yet to be filled. The purpose for quoting Jeremiah 31 is to show there is a New Covenant, which makes the Old
Covenant obsolete and ineffective.
It is clear that this New Covenant was to be made with
Israel and Judah. The New Covenant primarily deals with the forgiveness of sins
for sinners based on the blood atonement of ChristÕs sacrifice, so in the
context of Jeremiah 31 it deals with the
forgiveness of Israel. However, the Book of Hebrews, especially Hebrews 8, tells us that the New Covenant is not only
for believing Israel but for the Church. There may well be a future and total
fulfillment of the New Covenant to national Israel in or around the second
advent of Christ but right now the Church is partaking of the spiritual
blessings and power of the New Covenant.
The New Covenant was prophesied in Jeremiah 31 but it found its official enactment at the
death of Christ. The first mention
of the New Covenant in the New Testament was the night of the Passover Supper
before Christ was put to death the next day. Christ told His disciples that His shed blood was the
official enactment of the New Covenant, and Christians are to remember the New
Covenant by partaking of wine in the LordÕs Table.
ÒAnd in the same way He took the cup
after they had eaten, saying, ÔThis cup which is poured out for you is
the new covenant in My bloodÕÓ (Luke
22:20).
ÒFor this is My
blood of the covenant, which is to be shed on behalf of many for
forgiveness of sinsÓ
(Matt. 26:28).
The LordÕs disciples were all Jews and knew the Old
Testament well, and they would have immediately connected our LordÕs teaching
with Jeremiah 31. They were told that the New Covenant
was to provide the forgiveness of sins for ÒyouÓ (the disciples -- Luke 22:20) and for ÒmanyÓ (all who trust Christ --
Matt. 26:28). The blessings of the New Covenant are for all who believe in
Christ and His death for them, even the Old Testament saints (Heb. 9:15). The New Covenant is definitely applied to the Church and
without it we would have no forgiveness of sins.
ÒAnd the Holy Spirit also bears witness
to us (the Church); for after saying, ÔThis is the covenant that I will
make with them after those days,Õ says the Lord: ÔI will put My laws upon their
heart, and upon their mind I will write them.Õ He then says, ÔAnd their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more.Õ Now where there
is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sinÓ (Heb.
10:15-18).
How could the New Covenant be for both Israel and the
Church? Remember, the disciples
were all Jews, Israelite members of the Old Covenant people of God. These disciples were
believing Jews and were soon to become part of the Church which
officially began on the Day of Pentecost.
The disciples clearly understood that the New Covenant was for
them. The great majority of the
Jewish nation had rejected the Messiah and they forfeited their citizenship in
the commonwealth of Israel, but the disciples and all the Jews who accepted
Messiah considered themselves to be the true Jewish, elect remnant, and all the
privileges and promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, and now the New Covenant,
belonged to them. As the believing
remnant in Israel, the disciples were the true spiritual Israel and Judah. As the true spiritual seed of Abraham,
they claimed the promises of the New Covenant for themselves, for they were
convinced that they were true Israel and Judah. All believers in the Church age, whether Jew or Gentile, are
the true spiritual seed of Abraham and heirs of the covenants as GodÕs
elect. Today the Church is
spiritual Israel, partaking of the salvation blessings of the New Covenant.
Just because the Church is spiritual Israel does not mean
that God is finished with national Israel. The Church as spiritual Israel does not preclude the fact
that there will yet be a future application of the New Covenant to national
Israel. In Romans chapter 11, it seems that Òall Israel shall be saved,Ó
and the context seems to indicate physical Israelites living at that time. The New Covenant will be applied to
literal Israel and Judah at the second advent of Christ.
The New Covenant is for the Church and this promise in
Hebrews 8 is to be applied to the
Church. It is also clearly taught
that Christians in the Church are ministers or servants of the New
Covenant. ÒWho also made us
adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit;
for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives lifeÓ (2 Cor. 3:6). Christians are to preach Christ and His
death for sin and sinners which is the basis of the New Covenant from which God
forgives sin.
ÒNot like the covenant which I made with their fathers on
the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they
did not continue in my covenant, and I did not care for them, says the Lord.Ó -- The New Covenant is not in any way
like the Old Covenant. The New
Covenant is not the reformation of the old, nor the rejuvenation of the old nor
the amplification of the old. The
New Covenant completely supplants or takes the place of the Old Covenant
(Mosaic Law). It is impossible to
mix the Law of the Old Covenant with the grace of the New Covenant.
In Christ, we have a new heavenly tabernacle, a better
sacrifice, a new priesthood, a new ministry, a new covenant, a new mediator and
better promises. It is at this
point that Seventh Day Adventists go astray. They fail to recognize the total change of all things
brought in by Christ. All of the
Mosaic Law has been fulfilled in Christ and has been supplanted by the New
Covenant.
ÒFor this is the covenant which I made with the House of
Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds,
and I will write them upon their hearts.Ó -- The New Covenant is the basis for regeneration. Through the new birth, God implants His
truth in the hearts and minds of all true believers. In Judaism the Mosaic Law was written on tablets of stone
and remained on the outside of the Jew, and he gave external obedience but was
powerless to save or sanctify. But
in the gospel, which is based on the New Covenant, the law of God is written by
the Holy Spirit upon the believerÕs heart (2
Cor. 3:2-6). The New Covenant makes GodÕs truth internal and
powerful. The external law, which
ministered death, is replaced by the internal gospel of grace, which brings
life.
God will also regenerate the nation of Israel around or at
the second advent of Christ.
ÒAnd I will be their God, and they shall be my people.Ó -- The New Covenant is the basis for a new
relationship. Believing Israel
in the Old Testament did know God and they were GodÕs
people. But the New Covenant has
brought a new intimacy not known in the Old Testament. Jehovah of the Old Testament is now
referred to by believers in the Church as ÒFather,Ó and true believers are no
longer called Òchildren of IsraelÓ but Òsons of God,Ó Òheirs of God,Ó Òco-heirs
with Christ,Ó ÒfriendsÓ and Òchildren.Ó
The New Covenant is the answer for manÕs search for
identification and hunger to belong to someone. The New Covenant gives man the answer to the aching question
of the human heart: Who am I and what can I identify with? God says that through Christ and His
death, all people who trust Christ will belong to God and be identified with
Him forever.
One day physical Israel as a nation shall also
again have a restored relationship to Christ at the second advent.
ÒAnd they shall not teach every one his fellow citizen, and
every one his brother saying, ÔKnow the Lord,Õ for all shall know Me, from the
least to the greatest of them.Ó -- The New Covenant is the basis for a new priesthood of
believers. In the Old
Testament only the priests could approach God in the tabernacle, but in the New
Covenant now all true Christians are believer-priests and can approach God and
know Him on an intimate basis.
ÒBut you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people, for GodÕs own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of
God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercyÓ (1 Pet.
2:9-10)
Through their Great High Priest, each believer-priest has
immediate access to God.
Have you ever thought about this? One thing a true Christian can never say to another true
Christian is, ÒKnow the Lord.Ó All
Christians everywhere know the Lord for that is part of the New Covenant.
There is also a day coming when all Israel shall also know
the Lord when that last generation of Jews before the second
advent are converted to Christ.
ÒFor I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will
remember their sins no more.Ó -- The New Covenant is the basis for all forgiveness of
sins, and all who have appropriated the death of Christ for sins shall be
saved. The main purpose of the New
Covenant is to forgive sins. ÒIn
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His graceÓ (Eph. 1:7). The true Church
is founded upon the New Covenant and the redemption that is found in Christ
Jesus.
When God saves a person in Christ on the basis of the New
Covenant, He not only forgives his sins but forgets the sins done. God does not remember the sins of the
sinner who comes to Christ for forgiveness. So marvelous, so wonderful, so glorious and so mysterious is
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for sin and sinners that God forgets about
our sins. God will never remind
you of any wrong thing you ever did before you were saved because He alone has
the power to blot this sin out of His memory. If God has forgotten your sins, you too must forget them and
push on for Christ.
There is a day coming when the nation of Israel shall have
its sins forgiven when God converts them at the Second Advent of Christ.
The New Covenant is grounded on the blood of Christ and we
can sing as did the hymn writer:
ÒThere
is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn
from ImmanuelÕs veins;
And
sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose
all their guilty stains.Ó
ÒWhen He said, ÔA new covenant,Õ He has made the first
obsolete. But whatever is becoming
obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.Ó -- The New Covenant made the first
covenant (Mosaic Law) obsolete.
God declared the Mosaic Law and the Levitical
priesthood defunct and inoperative in A.D. 33
at the moment of ChristÕs death.
However, the temple in Jerusalem still stood for 37 years more, but the temple was finally destroyed in A.D. 70. This was the final blow to the Levitical
system.
The Old Covenant and its priesthood was
earthly, temporal and temporary, but the new covenant and its priesthood is
heavenly, eternal and permanent.
ChristÕs priesthood is based on a better covenant with better promises.
CONCLUSION
Do you recognize yourself as a sinner in great need of the
forgiveness of sins? Do you
realize that if your sins are not forgiven and you die in this state that you
shall face a wrathful God and be thrown into an eternal hell?
You can have the forgiveness of sins. God has sent a Savior into this world
to save every person who trusts Christ for salvation. You can be saved.
You can know God and have GodÕs law written on your heart! How can this be yours? Believe that Christ died for your
sins. Accept Him as your Savior. Christ will quench your spiritual
thirst and give you a new life.
Trust Christ and you can say as Horatius
Bonar:
ÒI
heard the voice of Jesus say,
ÔBehold,
I freely give
The
living water; thirsty one,
Stoop
down and drink, and live.Õ
I
came to Jesus, and I drank
Of
that life-giving stream;
My
thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And
now I live in Him.Ó