JC Blog

“For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law”
( Hebrews 7:12 )

About a year ago, I sat through a series at church about the Ten Commandments. Each week the pastor would give his message on the next commandment instructing the congregation how to follow it and live it out in their lives. I spent the entire time wondering why a teaching series like this existed. I came to the conclusion that the Church as a whole is missing vital information concerning everything that took place at Calvary. This passage declares that when there is change in priesthood by necessity there also must be a change in law. And if there has been a change in the law, why are we still acting as if there hasn’t been?

Christians still want to live under the Old Testament Covenant which is why we have this hybrid of grace and works that permeates the Church. We teach salvation by grace but holiness by Law as in the example of the teaching series on the Ten Commandments. However Paul said in Colossians, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him” ( Colossians 2:6 ). How did you receive Christ? The only acceptable answer is by faith. So it makes sense that we continue in Him in the very same way. In fact, Paul said in Galatians, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” ( Galatians 3:10 ). His point is that Jesus became the curse so we could be redeemed from the law’s curse to live by faith ( Galatians 3:13-14 ).

This is why we must pay attention to Jesus and everything that took place at His death and resurrection.  “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Hebrews 3:1). Why? Because the covenant of grace that He ushered in is far superior in every way than the old system of the law. “But the ministry Jesus has received is superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises” ( Hebrews 8:6 ). If we, as New Testament believers, have better promises, then it only makes sense that we know what they are and operate out of them instead of the old system that is aging and ready to disappear ( Hebrews 8:13 ).

This comes as a shock to many people but the old system did not work. Look at this passage from scripture. It actually says this very thing – the old system was broken “For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 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. 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” ( Hebrews 8:7-9 ). The time for change came with Jesus.

The old system of Laws only dealt with the external ( Hebrews 9:10 ) which is why it could never work. Take an apple tree, for example; when the fruit is ready to be picked you might find evidence that it had a worm. However if it is early enough in the season when you pick the apple, there is a chance that the worm is still inside. This is because the apple actual grows around the worm and the worm ruins the apple from the inside out. The law was geared toward the flesh, but since the core was bad, it showed us that we were already defeated and in need of a savior. This is why God had to deal with the heart of man, not merely external behavior which manifests because of what is inside. This is why there was a need for a new Covenant and new system.

“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. 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. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear” ( Hebrews 8:10-13 ).

Jesus dealt with the core of mankind which is why we must be born again, so that our nature is no longer according to the flesh which is corrupt. Instead it is according to spirit fashioned after Jesus’ in true righteousness and holiness ( Ephesians 4:22-24 ). He put the law of God on the inside of us, writing them on our hearts and minds so that we can know all his ways, it becomes part of us; cleansing us from the inside out, not just a system of rules to live by. This is the change in law. It is not of the letter which condemns, it is of the spirit which gives life. “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” ( II Corinthians 3:6 ).

As believers, our covenant is glorious, which is why it seems inconceivable that anyone would choose to return to the old system of being under the law. “Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone [The Ten Commandments], came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? ( II Corinthians 3:7-8 ). The point here is that Jesus ushered in a new system with His priesthood, then gave us the Holy Spirit, which allows us to live in a completely different way. Not by a list of “dos and don’ts” but by His Spirit. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” ( Romans 8:6 ). Unlike the commandments which arouse the desire to sin ( Romans 7:11 ), living by the Spirit of God actually produces the righteous requirements the law describes ( Romans 8:4 ), which is why the new system under Jesus’ priesthood actually works!

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” ( II Corinthians 3:12-18 )

So instead of spending ten weeks doing a study on the Ten Commandments, which actually puts a veil over our hearts and dulls our minds to the things of God, we should spend time focused on Christ and the change that came with His priesthood. We do not need to be told what the law of God is, through Christ these things have been written on our hearts and exist in our minds and will be evident in our lives by walking and living by the Spirit of God ( Jeremiah 31:31-33, Hebrews 8:10-13, Hebrews 10:15-16 ). We should always look at the law through the filter of Christ which will always confirm what is spoken to us through the Holy Spirit. This is why by necessity there had to be a change in law when there was a change in priesthood. Through Christ a better hope is introduced by which we can draw near to God ( Hebrews 7:18 ).

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered” ( Hebrews 5:7-8 )

On this side of the cross we are used to hearing about Jesus' sacrifice for our sins so we forget this important truth, Jesus had a choice. The choice to redeem mankind, or let mankind pay the price for Adam’s choice in the garden. Adam chose death, suffering and sin over God. As result, he plunged the entire world into this pattern of life and we were subjected to the destructiveness of un-regenerated  man. Mankind needed someone to intercede which is why Jesus volunteered for the role as Savior of the world ( I Corinthians 15:22, II Corinthians 5:19, I Peter 1:20, I John 2:2 ).

God is big on giving choices and letting us choose for ourselves. He does not force His will on us. In the same way, He did not force His will for redeeming mankind on Jesus. He gave Him the choice. This is beyond comprehension because God and Jesus are one and the same. They exist in a triune being of perfect love and unity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinctly different entities yet one in the same. II peter 3 tells us that God is not willing that any should perish and desires everyone to come to repentance ( II Peter 3:9 ). This means that Jesus holds this desire as well. Hebrews 1 tells us that "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being..." ( Hebrews 1:3a ). Meaning He is the exact image and picture of God. Everything God is, Jesus is. Everything God desires, Jesus desires. God's will is Jesus' will.

The plan was Jesus from the start. As he submitted to God's will, He became the lamb slain from the foundation of the world ( I Peter 1:20 ). Jesus undertook this role before there was even a world to redeem. Then at the culmination of history He was made manifest in the flesh to complete this work once for all. It was a choice. No one took Jesus' life; He willing laid it down for us. John tells us, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” ( John 10:17-18 ).

The grace of God is more profound when you consider that Jesus could have backed out of this arrangement at any time. During His time on earth, Jesus could have said one word and God would have honored it. In the garden when Jesus was betrayed, Peter cut off the ear of the of the High Priest's servant. Jesus responded in this way, “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” ( Matthew 26:52-54 ). Jesus understood the choice and knew God would honor and respond to His decision at any point in time. Which is why he submitted to God and learned obedience through this type of suffering.

Jesus' suffering was more than the physical aspects of being crucified. His suffering far exceeded this because he had the entire weight of sin, sickness and death placed on him and then he was completely and totally separated from the presence of the Father. It took an act of obedience for a holy God to undergo this type of suffering. This is the point the writer of Hebrews is highlighting in this passage. The Amplified Bible puts it best, “In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father]. Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered” ( Hebrews 5:7-8 Amp ). The price Jesus paid was extremely high. He was removed from the very essences of God the Father and literally became sin, the very thing he abhorred, so that we could be righteous in God's sight ( II Corinthians 5:21 ).

When looking at the accounts of Jesus in the Garden to Gethsemane right before his betrayal we see how the anticipation of being separated from God affected Jesus. Yet during the entire time he readily submitted to God's will in spite of what He was facing. Mark's account is extremely insightful, "He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” ( Mark 14:33-36 ). Jesus knew that on request God would save him from this horrible death and from taking the weight of Adams choice on himself as mankind's representative. In the same way, He knew that God had chosen Jesus as the first and only way to redeem mankind. So Jesus actively submitted to God's will and plan so that it would be finished.

Jesus completed everything that He was instructed to do. He fulfilled every scripture written about the promised Messiah. John records, "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit" ( John 19:28:30 ). What an amazing picture of the love God has for us. Mark gives us more detail on what happened, "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last" ( Luke 23:44-46 ).

This act of obedience perfectly equipped Jesus for His role as our eternal high priest, he accomplished everything God desired and became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who puts their trust in Him ( Hebrews 5:9, Hebrew 7:25 ). Jesus has been exalted to His rightful place as Lord and will remain in this position eternally. "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" ( Philippians 2:8-11 ). This confession of Jesus' lordship brings glory to God because it was His desire from the beginning that we would be reconciled through Jesus. And Jesus honored God's request.

Jesus had a choice and He chose us. God still offers this choice today. The work of salvation has been accomplished and now it is freely given to us as a gift through faith in Jesus. It is His desire that we accept this gift, but God does not make us choose him. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God" ( John 1:12-13 ).

“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast” ( Hebrews 3:5-6 )

Moses was truly a faithful servant. He oversaw the administration of the Law and led the people of God through the desert for all those years. However Moses’ entire ministry was a testimony about Christ. Because everything the Law said, pointed to Jesus. The Law showed God’s righteousness, His standards and His holiness. But what it couldn’t do is make us right with God. Galatians tells us “For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law” ( Galatians 3:21b ).

In fact the Law did just the opposite; it accused us before God and showed our guilt because of sin. Paul went on to say, “But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law” ( Galatians 3:22-25 ).

Moses gave, in amazing detail, what the Christ would be when he gave the Israelites the Law. Every aspect of the written code showed God’s righteousness and holiness. To fulfill it, you had to be perfect and sinless. It was an impossible standard for mankind which is why the true purpose was to point us to Christ. This is why Moses’ entire ministry was revealed afterward when Jesus came. He spoke faithfully about what was coming and yet he never lived to see the promise fulfilled. Hebrews gives us amazing insight into this, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” ( Hebrews 11:39-40 ). All of the men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11, because of their faith, saw and looked forward to the time of Christ, but we are truly blessed because we live after the time when Jesus entered into humanity.

Tomorrow we will look at Part 2: Christ is Faithful as a Son Over God’s House

“Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything” ( Hebrews 3:3-4 ) 

When the Law was given, it was given to the people by Moses. He acted as a mediator between God and man. He was God's steward overseeing the administration of the written code. Moses was truly a faithful servant over God's house leading the Israelites by example. But Jesus is worthy of greater honor than Moses because He is not a servant entrusted with overseeing the covenant, Jesus is the covenant. Everything that the Law and the prophets foretold was about Jesus. He is the spoken Word of God and He was always the plan for redemption.

Covenants Are God’s Way of Protecting Us

God has always made covenants with His people. If you look back through the scriptures you will see several accounts of these promises. The amazing thing is, these covenants were initiated by God and based solely on His word. In other words, mankind's behavior did not nullify the pledge God made to them. Take Abraham for example. God came to him and told him, that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and He would give him a great span of land as his inheritance. He asked nothing in return from Abraham. Then God ratified this covenant with a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a young pigeon ( Genesis 15 ). The only thing required on Abraham’s part was believing God. The scripture records, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." ( Genesis 15:6 ). Faith placed in the Lord and what He did was the only requirement.

The important thing to understand is that God is the one who initiates the covenant. He makes the promise, ratifies it and then stands behind it never changing His mind. The New Covenant, which Jesus ushered in is in the same fashion as the covenant made with Abraham. It is not based on anything we can do, it is based on what God did. Ratification of this promise was made by Jesus' blood. Now Jesus is the guarantor of this covenant, since He lives, this promise offered to us can never be broken or revoked and God will not change His mind about it. Even though the world gets increasingly worse, with more evil and sin, God will never renege on this covenant of grace offered to us through Jesus.

Because of this, Jesus is truly worthy of far greater honor than Moses. Paul said in II Corinthians, “Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!” ( II Corinthians 3:7-11 ). This is a comparison between the Law, written in stone and the administration of the Spirit written on our hearts through the covenant of grace. It is far superior and worthy of more honor than anything the Law did or could ever do.

John 1 tells us, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” ( John 1;16-18 ). The Law was meant to accuse us and show us our guilt before God ( Romans 5:20, II Corinthians 3:6, Galatians 3:24-25 ) but the grace and truth that Jesus offers us shows us the love and forgiving nature of God. This message is incredible and since the bearer of this amazing news lives, seated at the right hand of the Father, we know that this promise is eternal. So in every sense of the word, Jesus is worthy of incredible honor and glory and He is the guarantor of our covenant of grace, initiated and offered by God, rarified and secured by Jesus forever. The only requirement is believing and accepting it. Then we too like Abraham are credited with righteousness.

Tomorrow we look at Hebrews 3:5-6; Moses Testified about Christ

This is quite a statement! In the past few verses Paul has unequivocally proven that humans are without excuse before God. Both for Jews, who have the Law and for Gentiles who have the essence of the Law written on their hearts. Everyone has an ingrained knowledge of God and His standards, therefore we also have a knowledge of our condition apart from God.

At the end of time, when unbelievers stand before God for final judgment there will be no excuse available. Paul says that God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, or as the Amplified Bible says, "God by Jesus Christ will judge men in regard to the things which they conceal (their hidden thoughts)." ( Romans 2:16 ) Even if they manage to disregard and suppress this knowledge in the present world, all men's secrets will be laid bare before Him. That knowledge and those thoughts will be the proof to condemn.

Mankind is without excuse but not without hope...

Paul does not want to condemn us, that is not the purpose of this letter. He longed for everyone to come into fellowship with the Lord. He is statically building the case for grace one brick at a time. In the first three chapters of Romans, he is tearing down old weak foundation and excuses to rebuild upon the firm foundation, the institution of Christ. To do that, he must destroy all arguments that counter the message of grace.

Paul calls it his gospel. Not because he created it but because he was obligated to it. He was compelled to preach the good news unto the ends of the earth. Paul receive his revelation of the Gospel directly from God. He was so sure of the message of Grace that he told the Galatians "the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." ( Galatians 1:11-12 )

Paul wanted everyone to know of the good news of Christ Jesus. That news was not to tell men of their sinful condition and hopelessness before God, but that God had sent His Son to be our substitute for the punishment of sin. He bore our sin, our shame, our punishment and gave us His righteousness, His holiness and His forgiveness. Paul's gospel by direct revelation of Christ Jesus declares we are forgiven and in right standing with God the Father. This is completed in us through faith in Jesus Christ alone. It in no way is dependant on our own performance, adhering to the law or because we are basically good.

Today, if you have only experience the condemnation that religion casts, my you find grace. May you understand the Gospel as Paul preached it. The almost too good to be true news of Christ Jesus. May you rest assured that at the end of time, you will not stand in judgment before God but you will accepted exactly as you are, a holy and righteous son or daughter of the most high King.