New Covenant
Notes
Transcript
18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness
19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,
21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ”
22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the Old Testament, God initiates covenants with His people. According to the Lexham Theological Wordbook, a biblical covenant is a legally binding agreement between God and His people. The analysis of these legally binding agreements was compared in a letter “To the Hebrews” and was intended to evaluate the priesthood and the validity of sacrifice and the law. MacArthur notes that, while the Hebrews are mentioned as the recipient, no specific recipient or recipients are listed and no Gentile rituals are mentioned either, leading us to maintain the thought this letter was to the believers, the Jews, but no one person in particular. The chosen text then points out the contrast between the Old Testament priesthood and following the law and the new priesthood of Jesus Christ and redemption through faith setting the tone for the New Covenant.
The original words for covenant in Hebrew is bĕrît which describes the relationship between God and people or God and nations. It is implied to be a legally binding, irrevocable contract, especially when weighed against the Greek word diathēkē used in the New Testament. Four times in the Old Testament, the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants outline God’s promises for the nation of Israel and for mankind. God promises Noah no longer would the earth be destroyed by floods, a relationship with Abraham points to the promise of a great nation established within his family, God outlines His promises of blessings to Moses for obedience, and then describes the lineage of Jesus through the line of David. All these covenants point to this, the New Testament covenant, which is fulfilled through the birth of Christ. Throughout the history of the nation of Israel, however, examples of their disobedience are documented and their attempts to circumvent the irrevocable contract led to divine correction. God, though, reaffirms His commitment of the covenants made with the nation of Israel and the fulfilling of the New Testament covenant giving us all the opportunity of salvation and forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus.
In the book of Hebrews, the unidentified author writes to Jewish believers’ words of encouragement through a letter of exhortation, and exposition. It is apparent through this letter that the author is well acquainted with the recipients as there are personal details given about social and theological concerns. The main theological concern was with the false teachings coming from “popular” people who were not spiritually mature teaching unusual and unscriptural things. In Hebrews 7:18-22 the author is specifically pointing to the establishment of Jesus as the culmination and fulfilment of the New Testament. Through this establishment, we must take a closer view of the overall consideration with the New Covenant; how this impacts New Testament believers, and how it interacts with Scripture as a whole. The former commandments/covenants have been done away with and a new covenant established with God’s people. This new covenant was established through a royal priesthood, God’s only begotten son, Jesus. Because of this royal priesthood, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, a substitute that paid the price for our sin debt and giving us a way to righteousness in the eyes of God.
Former vs/ New
Former vs/ New
18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness
19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
In this beginning contrast, the author has referenced in the preceding verse the lineage of Melchizedek, a High Priest mentioned in the Old Testament, but of which little is known. The former commandment references the law, and it describes the law as not being able to provide a sense of security. The law alone was weak and useless because it did not provide a way for salvation. The law could make nothing perfect; it could only point to the sin and the state of lostness in a person’s life. However, like the Old Testament believers it was faith and faith alone that made them righteous in the eyes of God. But there was a better hope in Jesus which fixed the hopelessness of the law. It removed the fact there was nothing anyone could do, nothing to be said, no amount to pay, no number of services to attend, all human efforts cannot do what Jesus did – make us righteous in the eyes of God. It is through the relationship we have with Jesus that allows us to draw closer to God. Now, Jesus is the great High Priest of which we can have a direct relationship with the Father.
There is a change in our relationship, from faith in what was to come to faith in what has come. In the Old Testament, keeping the law (by faith) led to God seeing them as acceptable. However, could a person keep the letter of the law completely? James 2:10 tells us
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
This is a reminder that no one is righteous enough that we can always keep all the law and this inability to keep all the law leads us to being unacceptable to God. Regardless of how good a life we live, how righteous we may try to be, we can never live up to God’s standards. Because there was no way we could completely keep the law, a sacrifice was needed for the atonement of sin. In the Old Testament, this was done through ritualistic sacrifices of animals. This still could not make mankind righteous and had to be repeated. It was only through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that a righteous sacrifice could be made, and animal sacrifices would no longer be needed.
The Old Testament laws and commandments which established order and parameters to live a life pleasing to God. There were also covenants for those God chose to bless. Noah – no more world destroyed by water. Moses – a nation would be created from his descendants and a land would be given to them. David – the Messiah would come from his lineage. Now, the author is defending the authority of Jesus as the Messiah. This text seems to be written to unbelievers who were a part of the believer’s community, urging them to fully understand who Jesus was and how He fit into God’s redemption story for the world.
Today, we must come to the same realization that it is only by faith, not by the law or what we can do, that we are saved. There is a change in the way we come closer to God since the law has been fulfilled.
Royal Priesthood
Royal Priesthood
20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,
21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ”
The promise of a new way to come close to God was given through the oath – the fulfillment through Jesus. No oath had not been extended to the priests, and they were as human as everyone else. Even the priests themselves could not live a perfect life, keeping all the laws with complete accuracy. They were looked at for their faith, and not the accuracy of their moral and spiritual completeness.
A change occurs with the new High Priest, Jesus. God made a vow, and oath, with Jesus which established His perfect character, His perfect life, His perfect moral and spiritual character, and one in which God could make an oath. His perfection then establishes Him as the perfect sacrifice that would last through and establishes a permanent priesthood for eternity. We now have faith in the resurrected Jesus, who willfully became the sacrifice that would make us righteous in the eyes of the Father.
It is this priesthood that sets things apart from the Old to the New Testaments. We no longer go to fallible man to make sacrifice for our sin, but can go directly to the sinless Son of God who will intercede on our behalf with the Father. It went from trusting in an imperfect priesthood and imperfect laws to belief in the risen Son of God.
Perfect Substitute
Perfect Substitute
22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
All the previous assertions now point to the authority of Jesus and His role as guarantor. A guarantor is one who promises “payment or performance of another person’s debt or obligation in the event of a default by the person primarily responsible for it”.[5] Jesus, as the perfect substitute, became the guarantor for us. He paid the price for our sin debt, relieving us of the obligation to pay back what we owe but could never repay. No human would ever willfully give their life for all of sinful mankind.
The New Testament covenant fulfilled the law. Jesus was the only one to fully keep the word and intent of the law and not sin. Jesus addressed confusion in His time, pointing everyone to the need of faith. In many cases where He healed, He points out it was their faith that restored their physical bodies. It is faith that restores our spiritual beings, and only belief in Jesus by faith as being the Son of God that makes us righteous in the eyes of the Father. He was the perfect substitute.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Hebrews was written to reaffirm the New Testament covenant and fulfilment of the Old Testament. Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus, Mark with establishing His authority, Luke outlines the birth story, and John establishes the incarnate Christ. All conclude with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; however, these verses in the seventh chapter of Hebrews then builds on Jeremiah 31:31
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
and outlines the fulfilment of the Old Testament covenant with the New Testament of Jesus. The writer then makes a call to faith, encouraging believers to endure to the end – until Christ returns, and then closes as a traditional letter with greetings and a benediction.
No sense of security could be found in not doing “something” to secure their salvation. However, like the Old Testament believers it was faith and faith alone that made them righteous in the eyes of God. Nothing they could do, nothing they could say, no amount to pay, no number of services to attend, all human efforts cannot do what Jesus did – make us righteous in the eyes of God.
The author references the law being set aside. Romans 8:3-4 tells us the flaw that was with the law.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
God created covenants in the Old Testament from the very beginning. He established a covenant with Adam and with Eve, that they would look over His creation and He would provide their every need. While sin entered the world and caused a breach of the original covenant, God still provided covenants – binding contracts – with His people up until the point He fulfilled His promises through the New Testament covenant of Jesus. The author of Hebrews writes a letter to solidify the authority of Jesus, establish His credibility, and provide the original recipient with clear illustrations of who Jesus is. In the chosen text, the author wants the original recipients and us today to recognize Jesus as the Son of God. His authority is given by the Father, and it is only through belief in Jesus as our Savior, by faith, that we can truly be saved. It is not through the law, through a priest or preacher, through our church, through anything we can do, or what we can pay that will ever satisfy the debt of sin. It is only belief, by faith, that provides salvation.
The author clearly outlines the fallibility of the law and the commandments but points out all is not lost. We have hope of a better covenant, through the guarantor Jesus Christ. Confusion can still arise today, as salvation by faith seems to be too simple. We may think there has to be more. However, as New Testament believers we must show others that, through Jesus, all other “things” are not required for salvation. These “things” may be signs or expressions of our faith but are not necessary for salvation, it is only faith in the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and His word on the cross that matters.
Today, do you have the hope of the new covenant? Have you, by faith, accepted Jesus as your personal Savior? If not, what is keeping your from asking Him to forgive you today?
