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“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” ( Hebrews 7:26-27 )

When choosing Jesus as our High Priest, God chose the very best. He did not withhold anything from us but sent Jesus who could perfectly fulfill the requirements of both the sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of sins and for the role of High Priest, who made offering and intercession for us. This is an amazing truth, mankind chose individuals based on ancestry who were subject to sin and death, and God chose Jesus, who was sinless and perfect ( Hebrews 7:28 ).

One of the greatest goals of this letter to the Hebrews is to show the superiority of Christ’s eternal High Priesthood as being different and far superior to the Levitical office. In fact, the writer does everything to connect Jesus with the priesthood of Melchizedek. The reason is because the Levitical line was flawed by the sin and death of the priests. It was perpetuated by death, never having permanence or perfection ( Hebrews 7:16 ). This is why there was a need for another priest “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?” ( Hebrews 7:11 ).

Jesus on the other hand is perfect, sinless, pure, holy, blameless and set apart from sinners ( Hebrews 7:26 ). These qualifications alone show His superiority over the Levitical priests. Not only that but they are also the elements of a perfect sacrifice. Unlike the earthly priests, Jesus did not have to first sacrifice for his own sins before making intercession ( Hebrews 7:27 ). This is because He was perfect and sinless, which already qualified him to make intercession on our behalf. He was both the perfect sacrifice and the perfect intercessor.

This is why God chose Jesus to reconcile the world to Himself, because He was the only one qualified for the job. In fact, Jesus’ redemptive work was so perfect that it only required one sacrifice to forever wipe away and forgive the sins of the entire world ( Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 9:14, Hebrews  9:15, Hebrews  9:26, Hebrews  9:28, Hebrews  10:10, Hebrews  10:12, Hebrews  10:17, Hebrews  10:18, I John 2:2 ). The truth is that God loved us so very much that He sent Jesus to do what mankind could not in restoring the relationship between God and man ( Isaiah 59:15-18, John 3:16, Romans 5:1-2, I Timothy 2:5, I John 2:1 ). Through Jesus we are brought into a right standing with God, restored, forgiven and accepted solely on His account. This is why Jesus’ priesthood is far superior to the Levitical priesthood in every way imaginable. This high priest is perfectly adapted to meet our needs which is why God chose the very best right from the start!

“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.” ( Hebrews 7:23-25 )

One of the most amazing truths in the entire Bible is that Jesus is able to save completely, perfectly and to the uttermost because of His resurrection from the dead. In fact our entire belief system hinges on this truth. Without the resurrection we would die in our sin, shame and guilt. Paul said in Romans 4, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” ( Romans 4:25 ), meaning that His resurrection is the positive proof that we have been restored to a state as if we had never sinned in the first place. The payment for sin was satisfied once for all when Jesus was delivered over to death to make atonement. Since it was satisfied and all debts forgiven, death no longer had claim on Jesus and had to release him from the grave.

This has incredible implications for us, because through Jesus, the grave has no claim on us either. Jesus has been appointed by God as our High Priest on oath that He would remain as such eternally. Before this time, death had been a problem in the Levitical priesthood because it continually interrupted this office. The position of High Priest was a lifetime position ( Numbers 35:25 ). So it was like starting over every time a new High Priest was appointed following the death of the previous High Priest. However, since death has no claim on Jesus ( Romans 6:9 ), His priesthood cannot be interrupted, therefore He is able to complete the work assigned to Him as High Priest.

The High Priest’s job was to make atonement for the people once a year. He was mankind’s representative before God in all things. The problem was that he first had to sacrifice for his own sins, disqualifying him from approaching God to make atonement in the first place. Jesus on the other hand was sinless so His sacrifice for sin, when offering himself as payment, was more than enough to permanently wipe out the debt that sin created. In fact the writer of Hebrews has stated over and over that our sins are paid for, forgiven and forgotten ( Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:14, Hebrews 9:26, Hebrews 9:28, Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 10:14, Hebrews 10:18, Hebrews 10:22 ). Which means that Jesus’ atonement as High Priest worked the first and only time it was given. And if it worked, then by no means does it need to be made again ( Hebrews 10:10-14 ). In fact, Jesus now sits at the right hand of God the Father because His work is finished and complete ( Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 10:12 ).

Since this work is finished and death has no claim on Jesus, he resides as High Priest forever. And if He lives forever with this office, He is also able to save for all time and eternity those who come to Him by faith. In fact, God promised Jesus on oath that this would always be the case which is why he promised Him that He would provide a High Priest, not after the Levitical line perpetuated by death, but after Melchizedek who had no record of death ( Hebrews 7:3 ).

This is incredible news and very important to know because it assures our hearts before God. In fact these things have been written to give us insight and confidence in approaching God by faith ( John 20:31, I John 5:13 ). Knowing that we have been saved, forgiven and restored to a state where we are justified and righteous before God should give us boldness in approaching Him without the consciousness of sin and resulting guilt ( Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 10:22 ). Then knowing that Jesus lives forever to assure this relationship, making petitions and intercession on our behalf, should usher us into a state of heart peace and empower us to live a life like no other. These truths have been written for our benefit; so that we may understand all that we have access to through Christ Jesus.

We've established that you cannot lose your salvation, nor can anyone take it away from you, but Hebrews teaches that it is impossible to be brought back again to repentance once you've fallen away. If it is possible to fall away after being born again, it is important to look at this and understand what the writer is saying. Remember for every Biblical truth there is an equal and opposite truth that appears to contradict. Like our example of the tightrope, these truths pull in an equal and opposite direction to bring balance. In all cases it is not an either or scenario, but both. So understanding both sides of the apparent contradiction will expand your revelation of God's amazing grace and heighten your appreciation of the choice offered to you in Jesus.

Salvation is a choice and every person is offered this choice as a gift of God's grace. The choice is whether or not you accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and place your faith in Him. God does not make you chose Him although He desires it. He did everything possible to offer this to us but when it comes to the bottom line, we have a choice whether or not to accept this gift. John says, "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 ). The only thing required is receiving this free gift.

So, if the only way into the kingdom of God is by choice, then it also makes sense that the only way out of the kingdom is by choice. Remember you cannot lose your salvation, no one can take it from you, God will never leave you or forsake you, but at any point you decide you no longer want to belong in this kingdom, you can renounce it and God honors that decision. God chose us and in return he wants us to chose him This is the highest form of relationship one can have, one of mutual choice.

In Paul’s beautiful expose to the Romans he said, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” ( Romans 8:38-39 ). Nothing external can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus but notice a person’s free will is not on that list.

This is why the writer of Hebrews advises us to get past the elementary truths of God and to gain knowledge and spiritual insight. Because the more you know about God and his loving nature toward you the less likely you will become complacent in this life concerning the things of God. The less complacent, the less hard of heart and more responsive toward the Holy Spirit and His leading in your life. In other words, the more you have an intimate working knowledge of God, the less likely you will be to fall away because of the snares of this world.

Peter also had something to say about this. "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." ( II Peter 2:20-21 ).

This concept is mentioned in scripture to show us God’s full nature of grace not to give us an out. His desire from the beginning has always been to have relationship with us, which is why He sent Jesus to restore all things. It is our choice and always remains such. However, there are conditions on falling away or in essence becoming reprobate and renouncing salvation. It is not something one can do easily. Certain guidelines must first be met, in other words, one must be a mature Christian and fully aware of the decision and it’s result.

Join me tomorrow for Part 4 of 4, The Conditions of Becoming Reprobate.

"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace" ( Hebrews 6:4-6 )

Growing up Baptist, I held tightly to the doctrine 'once saved, always saved'. So you can imagine the ground shaking experience that occurred one summer at camp when my counselor co-worker challenged this idea. He was attending Bible college at the time learning all sorts of things. As he shared this knowledge, confusion about what I had always believed set in. I realize now what he was trying to say, but at that time, I wasn't able to reconcile this truth in full understanding. Even reading a verse such as this, can challenge our core belief system unless we understand several things. However, to comprehend the fullness of God's grace, having insight into a passage of scripture such as this is extremely important.

Every great truth in the Bible, appears to have a contradiction. This is why we get so many divisions among believers who cannot agree and argue these doctrines. However, there are always two sides to every truth and understanding both sides brings balance to each truth in the Bible. Each idea is usually not an either or but both. A good illustration I once heard a speaker use is that of a tightrope. If I was going to cross a gorge on a tightrope I would need anchor point securely fastened on each side of the gorge. I would want the tension and pull to be the exact same so I could walk the entire length of the rope without it losing structure. If they were not both pulling in the opposite direction with the same force. I would never securely make it across.

This is a great picture to understand why it is important to have equal and opposite truths that appear to contradict. Because it gives the pull needed to find balance between both ideas and both truths. Comprehending all facets will bring a deeper understanding of scripture and an intimate working knowledge of God and His infinite grace.

At first glance, this verse seems to be floating in this chapter out of nowhere. The writer is encouraging the reader to progress in their knowledge of truth. Then out of the blue He warns against falling away, noting it is impossible to be brought back again to repentance once this happens. This can be a little disconcerting because life carries us through ebbs and flows without the need to worry about losing one's salvation. So the question naturally becomes, once you are born again, can you lose your salvation?

Tomorrow we will look at this question and find the answer by looking at the promise of salvation. Please join me for part 2, The Basis of Eternal Redemption.

“And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” ( Hebrews 5:6 )

Not only did God appoint Christ and exalt Him with the honor of becoming our High Priest, he also appointed Him a rank in the order of Melchizedek. This is extremely significant as human standards would never have allowed Jesus this position. And yet, God is the one who appointed Him as eternal High Priest after this order. There was a reason God prophesied these very words through David, "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” ( Psalm 110:4 ). To understand this, we must look at who Melchizedek was and how Jesus is like him.

This account is found in Genesis 14. Abraham had just defeated the four kings and rescued Lot from their hand. As he is returning Melchizedek, the priest comes and blesses Abraham. "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything" ( Genesis 14:18-20 ). In this short account we see a priest of God bless Abraham and he responds by giving him one tenth of all of his possessions. What is interesting is that the Law, with its priestly regulations wasn't introduced for another 430 years during the time of Moses and yet from the beginning there existed a priest of God Most High.

Hebrews 7 gives much more detail about this. "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, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever" ( Hebrews 7:1-3 ). A lot of mystery surrounds this priest as he has no record of beginning, end or genealogy. Without these records, one could say he has always and will always exist. Known as both the king of righteousness and the king of peace, these names are descriptive of who he was.

Jesus shares the same attributes attributed to Melchizedek in Hebrews 7. First, he was appointed by God. The previous verses states,“No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” ( Hebrews 5:4-5 ). Secondly, we see through Jesus' recorded genealogy his eternal existence. Matthew gives an account of Joseph's line. Luke gives an account of Mary's line, but John gives his genealogy as eternal God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning" ( John 1:1-2 ). Lastly, the names given to Melchizedek were also given to Jesus. It was Isaiah who prophesied that Jesus would be called prince of peace ( Isaiah 9:6 ). And the author of Hebrews, quoting from the Psalm stated that righteousness would be the scepter of his kingdom ( Hebrews 1:8, Psalm 45:6-7 ).

This is important to us because our faith rests in Jesus and the finished work of the cross. Our faith rests in the fact that he is alive and seated in heaven interceding on our behalf. "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" ( Hebrews 7:24-25 ). This is why it is important to understand how Jesus is a priest after the order and with the rank of Melchizedek. "And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 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. For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” ( Hebrews 7:15-17 ). Jesus is able to save completely those to come to in Him in faith because he is alive and resides permanently as our High Priest of the Most High God.

“No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” ( Hebrews 5:4-5 )

Jesus did not exalt himself to the position of High Priest, even though He was the only one qualified who could have easily assumed the role. Instead God appointed Him this honor. Since the introduction of the High Priest, it was God who chose who would serve at the altar. He chose Aaron and gave instruction that every high priest would be his descendant ( Exodus 29:9 ). Aaron wasn't qualified when God chose him, having served as a slave in Egypt his entire life. Nevertheless, God chose and equipped him to intercede on Israel's behalf.

However, being human, the High Priest was never able to make intercession effectively. Both because they were subjected to the weakness of the flesh and because death prevented them from continuing in office ( Hebrews 5:1-3, Hebrews 7:23 ). Because of this, the Levitical priesthood could only serve as a vague representation until the time of Christ. The sacrifices and intercession was only a covering for sin, it never dealt with the issue of sin. Isaiah tells us, “The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him” ( Isaiah 59:15-16 ). God saw that mankind was incapable of bringing reconciliation between God and mankind. This displeased him, so Isaiah records that God's own right arm, Jesus, worked salvation for mankind.

The amazing thing about this is Jesus is the person that God chose. He chose the very best right from the start. There was not a backup plan because the perfect plan was set into motion from the very beginning. I Peter records, "He [Jesus] was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake" ( I Peter 1:20 ). Jesus' redemption of mankind was so perfect and complete, God appointed Him the honor of eternal High Priest and exalted His name far above everything in existence ( Philippians 2:9-11, Hebrews 1:4 ). Aaron portrayed a picture of the true High Priest, helping us to understand this role, but Jesus is the embodiment of the image. The difference is that Jesus is currently making intercession for us, in heaven, in the presence of God. “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” ( Hebrews 7:23-25 ).

David prophesied about this in the Psalm, "You are my Son, today I have become your Father" ( Psalm 2:7, Hebrews 1:5, Hebrews 5:5) . Jesus was always the plan. He was the perfect atonement and He is the perfect High Priest. Romans tells us that "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable" ( Romans 11:29 ). Meaning, He does not change his mind. In fact, the position given to Jesus as High priest was given with an oath from God that it was an eternal position ( Hebrews 7:21-22, Hebrews 7:28). We can be confident in this placing our entire faith in the one who died for us, who was raised to life for us and who lives interceding at God's right hand for us. Amen!

My husband and I were walking back to our car after a recent event. We had parked two miles away on a hilltop because of the large number of people in attendance. As we returned to our vehicle we came by a small creek which meandered through the countryside. But because of recent heavy rainfall, the creek was now a fast torrent of high water. Many people were in the same boat as we were, our car was on the other side and it was necessary to cross over.

Some brave souls tried to jump the creek falling short and into the water. Some tried to climb down water carved earth to walk through the water and up the other side. Some refused to attempt anything waiting for someone to pick them up. And some, like us looked for the bridge that was built across the creek to safely get us to the other side.

The book of Hebrews is like this. It is the bridge that believers must understand in order to safely navigate life. This bridge is the connection piece between the Old Testament and the New. These covenants are completely different and yet many Christians try approaching God on the basis of Old Testament Law instead of New Testament faith. Unless you understand the role of Jesus and the better and more perfect covenant He offers, you will be like those people who tried to jump across the creek and wound up wet and frustrated.

To understand the Old in relation to the New we must look at it in light of who Jesus is and what Jesus did. This is because Christ changed everything! His short time on this earth changed the course of history forever. His entrance into humanity was the pinnacle of the ages. He came to show us God in a living and breathing way. A way we had not previously understood. God's true and entire nature was made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ.

The entire Old Testament spoke of and looked forward to the time of Christ. It has always been about Him. The sacrificial system was a symbol of Jesus. Every instruction and ritual was a type and shadow of Christ. And the Law is what Christ would fulfill in our stead. It is the story of Jesus. And now that He has come we can appreciate it in a new and wonderful way.

This is why understanding Hebrews will change your perspective in so many ways. It will solve some of the big questions about God that Christians ask. It will reconcile the differences in the covenants and give you a clear and true picture of God. Over the next year, I will be writing verse by verse through this book in hopes to gain a deeper revelation of Jesus. I hope to convey the awesomeness of our faithful high priest and show Jesus as our eternal king, Lord and savior.

Here's a small taste of some of the topics we will cover:

• Jesus' role in the Godhead
• Jesus' role in salvation
• Jesus' superiority to angels
• Jesus' superiority to Moses and the Law
• Jesus' role as our High Priest before God
• The differences between the Old and New Covenants
• The superiority of the New Covenant
• Dwelling in a constant state of Sabbath Rest
• The sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice
• Total forgiveness
• Approaching God with a clear conscience
• Entering into the Holy of Holies
• How faith pleases God
• The changelessness of Christ
• Much, Much More!

Please join me as I start this journey! It will be a wonderful, life changing adventure. God bless you as you seek Him and the truth of Jesus Christ!

The book of Roman is a masterfully written exposition on grace. This letter to the believers in Rome has changed the hearts of many as they read and understand the wonderful truths nestled inside. Paul wrote this letter to these Christians to explain his revelation of grace. This revelation was not made of man but Paul received it directly from the Lord Jesus himself. "I want you to know, brothers, that 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 ). What Paul taught was beyond previous comprehension and understanding. Becoming a student of this letter will change your heart and bring you into a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Because Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles he wrote to this church to settle a dispute between the Messianic Jews and the Gentiles. The church was a diverse group of people who had settled in Rome from other areas. There is no record of an a visit to this church by an apostle offering doctrinal teaching and guidance.  In fact many assume that these Christian had been in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given ( Acts 2 ). They spread and settled in Rome. The church was comprised of Gentiles who had converted from idol worship and devote Jews who believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Problems arose when the Jews urged the Gentiles to live as Jews and undergo the rite of circumcision. Because of Paul's mission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles he felt an obligation to write to this church and settle this dispute among them explaining in fullness the grace of God.

The book of Romans covers a multitude of topics including: grace, redemption, salvation by grace, being born again, the gospel, righteousness apart from the law, freedom from sin, eternal salvation, living by the Spirit and the love of God. Don't miss this incredible journey of faith.

Read a summary of each of the 16 chapters of Romans.

This is impressive! It would be easy to glaze over this verse and not give it a second thought. However, based on the previous verses, that in God's forbearance with the sinner, he left sins committed under the Old Testament unpunished, this verse gives us insight into how and why he did this.

God, operating under His own laws, did not wipe out mankind after sin corrupted His creation to start over from scratch. It would have gone against his character, his holiness and his righteousness. Because God is holy he cannot tolerate sin. His holiness required that he judge sin. The transgression and what it caused, created a barrier between us and God. So God's justice was demonstrated in the fact that he judged sin. But His mercy was demonstrated in the fact that he justified the sinner.

I heard a preacher use this example several years ago to illustrate this point and it has resonated with me ever since. Let's say you went before a judge of this land because you were guilty of an offense. The judge would have to pass down a sentence for that offense to fulfill their obligation to the law or standard of society. Upon finding you guilty, the judge could not dismiss the charge without punishment and still be acting on behalf of the judicial system.

However, after the he pronounced judgment, if the judge was to come down off the bench and offer the payment for the offense, he would be the justifier of the offender. He would be operating in accordance with the law, because he was just in passing down the sentence. But, he would also be operating in grace by taking the punishment or making restitution for the transgression.

So the judge is both fulfilling his obligation to the law in sentencing  the offender and also showing mercy to the offender in making the necessary restitution to society for him. The same is true with God. He is both just, because he did not dismiss sin, he pronounced judgment upon it. And He is the justifier because he came down from Heaven and made the necessary recompense for the sin, through the blood of Jesus shed upon the cross. So He is both just and the justifier wrapped up in one... which is extraordinary!

Today, if you have put your faith in Jesus and what he accomplished for you on the cross, you have been fully justified in accordance with God's law. We know that He is both just and the justifier and that He operates in accordance to His Law. So no matter what comes our way, we can rest assured in Him and in the operation of His word.

Did you know that you are invited to belong in Christ Jesus. He has called you out of the kingdom of darkness and translated you into the kingdom of His dear Son ( Colossians 1:13 ). There is something incredibly satisfying in belonging to Jesus Christ.

By belonging to Jesus, we get to partake of the abundant grace offer through our Savior for His glorious name's sake. This includes each and everyone of us who have called upon that precious name. Doing so by faith, we become dear children and precious friends of our Lord and Savior.

Our invitation and calling to belong to the Lord carries weight with him. Peter tells us in I Peter 2, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." ( I Peter 2:9-10 )

Unlike trying to fit in with the popular crowd in high school, or keeping up with the Jones as adults, our association with this chosen people of God is based solely on the Lord and His mercy. And Paul tells us in Romans 1:5, that we are among those who are called to belong to Him, We are called, invited and offered this grace freely and without reservation. Today, it is my hope that you trust in that name and find contentment, satisfaction and overwhelming joy in belonging to God.