4.1. Since Christ is a priest after the
order of Melchizedek
4.1.1. Description of Melchizedek’s
priesthood
Heb. 7:1
This
Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham
returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.
First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means
“king of peace.” 3 Without father
or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like
the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
4.1.2. Why Melchizedek’s priesthood was
greater than the Jewish Levitical priesthood
Heb.
7:4 Just
think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the
plunder! 5 Now the law requires
the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the
people—that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from
Abraham. 6 This man, however, did
not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed
him who had the promises. 7 And
without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is
collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be
living. 9 One might even say that
Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met
Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
4.1.3. Why the Levitical priesthood was
imperfect
4.1.3.1. because it was established after
Melchizedek’s priesthood
Heb.
7:11 If
perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on
the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for
another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of
Aaron? 12 For when there is a
change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said
belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at
the altar.
4.1.3.2. because it was limited by being
limited to ancestry
14 For it is
clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses
said nothing about priests. 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.
17 For it is declared:
“You
are a priest forever,
in
the order of Melchizedek.”
4.1.3.3. because it was part of the
weakness of the Law of Moses
Heb.
7:18 The
former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law
made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near
to God.
4.1.3.4. because God gave it lesser
promises than Melchizedek’s priesthood
Heb.
7:20 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 guarantee of a better covenant.
4.1.3.5. because each Levitical priest
ended in death
Heb.
7:23 Now
there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from
continuing in office; 24 but
because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save
completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to
intercede for them.
4.2. And since Christ’s priesthood is so
great
4.2.1. because He is purer than any earthly
priest
Heb.
7:26 Such
a high priest 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 who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,
who has been made perfect forever.
4.2.2. because His heavenly reign makes Him
more influential than any earthly priest
Heb. 8:1
The
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 man.
Heb.
8:3 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 men 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.” 6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to
theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and
it is founded on better promises.
4.2.3. because His priesthood is part of
the new, more powerful covenant
Heb.
8:7 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
time is coming, declares the Lord,
when
I will make a new covenant
with
the house of Israel
and
with the house of Judah.
Heb.
8:9 It
will not be like the covenant
I
made with their forefathers
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.
Heb.
8:10 This
is the covenant I will make with the house 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.
Heb.
8:11 No
longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or
a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because
they will all know me,
from
the least of them to the greatest.
Heb.
8:12 For
I will forgive their wickedness
and
will remember their sins no more.”
Heb.
8:13 By
calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is
obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
4.3. And since the Old Covenant’s
tabernacle/temple/sanctuary and its sacrifices were inadequate to the task of
dealing with human sin
4.3.1. because the earthly sanctuary was
only symbolic
Heb. 9:1
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, the table and the 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.
4.3.2. because sacrifices were insufficient
to deal adequately with human sin
Heb.
9:6 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
standing. 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. 10 They are only a matter of food and
drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the
time of the new order.
4.4. And since the New Covenant’s sanctuary
and sacrifices are perfect for the task of dealing with human sin
4.4.1. because its sanctuary is the God-made
reality, not the man-made copy
Heb.
9:11 When
Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went
through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is
to say, not a part of this creation.
4.4.2. because its sacrifice is perfect
4.4.2.1. by means of the perfection of the blood shed for sin
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, having obtained 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!
4.4.2.2.1. by means of the perfection of
the ransom that was paid
Heb.
9:15 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.
4.5. And since both Covenants demand that
sin must be punished
4.5.1. in the Old Covenant the bloody death
of animals was used to make some things pure
Heb.
9:16 In
the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made
it, 17 because a will is in force
only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is
living. 18 This is why even the
first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to
all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool
and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the
covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the
tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be
cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
4.5.2. in the New Covenant the bloody death
of Christ now makes heaven pure for us
Heb.
9:23 It
was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with
these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these. 24 For Christ did not
enter a man-made sanctuary 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 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the
creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the
ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment, 28 so Christ was
sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a
second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting
for him.
4.6. And since the Old Covenant was only a
shadow of the New Covenant
4.6.1. because no amount of animal blood is
sufficient to deal with human sin
Heb. 10:1
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 If it could, 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 because it is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
4.7. And since the reality of the New
Covenant has already come
Heb.
10:5 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.
Heb.
10:7 Then
I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I
have come to do your will, O God.’”
8 First he
said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not
desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be
made). 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.
4.8. And since Christ’s shed blood both has
made us holy and enables us to become holy
Heb.
10:11 Day
after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and
again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for
all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his
enemies to be made his footstool,
14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are
being made holy.
Heb.
10:15 The
Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
Heb.
10:16 “This
is the covenant I will make with them
after
that time, says the Lord.
I
will put my laws in their hearts,
and
I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then he
adds:
“Their
sins and lawless acts
I
will remember no more.”
18 And where
these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
4.9. And since all these benefits are
freely available to us by faith alone
Heb.
10:19 Therefore,
brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of
Jesus, 20 by a new and living way
opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of
God, 22 let us draw near to God
with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure
water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur
one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see
the Day approaching.
4.10. Therefore we must not neglect so
great a salvation
4.10.1. by deliberately keep on sinning
Heb.
10:26 If
we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the
truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that
will consume the enemies of God.
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the
testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who
has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the
blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of
grace? 30 For we know him who
said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his
people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God.
4.10.2. by caving in to the demands of the
world
Heb.
10:32 Remember
those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground
in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and
persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so
treated. 34 You sympathized with
those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,
because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
4.10.3. by not bothering to persevere
through difficulty
Heb.
10:35 So
do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when
you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while,
“He
who is coming will come and will not delay.
38 But
my righteous one will live by faith.
And
if he shrinks back,
I
will not be pleased with him.”
39 But we
are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe
and are saved.
