When speaking of the new and better covenant, the author of Hebrews stated “if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second” (Hebrews 8.7). But what was the fault of the first covenant? Granted, the promises of the first covenant were not as great as the promises... Continue Reading →

Good theology is more than learning some truths about God, rather good theology always has practical application. In other words, good theology teaches “since this is true about God, this is what we should do in response.” The author of Hebrews had been reminding his audience of some important theological truths: the failure of the... Continue Reading →

Thus far, the author has stated several times that the Levitical system was insufficient to deal with man’s real problem: sin. Neither the Levitical priesthood or the Law could make man perfect (Hebrews 7.11,19) and while the blood of bulls and goats could “sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh” (Hebrews 9.13), they could not... Continue Reading →

Having established that the new covenant was superior than the first, being based on better promises (Hebrews 8.6-13) and that the priestly service in the tabernacle of the first covenant was vastly inferior to Jesus’ ministry in the true tabernacle (Hebrews 9.1-14), the author returns to Jesus’ role as “mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews... Continue Reading →

In chapter 8 we focused on the better priesthood of Jesus and the associated better covenant, but there was one other matter introduced which shows the superiority of Jesus’ priesthood: He is “a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man” (Hebrews 8.2). The author returns to the... Continue Reading →

The superiority of Jesus’ priesthood was already evidenced by the fact that while the Levitical priesthood was comprised of mortals who could not continue as priests because of death, Jesus maintains His priesthood forever because He lives forever (Hebrews 7.23-25). Furthermore, the Levitical priests were required to offer sacrifices for their own sins, but Jesus... Continue Reading →

Having established Melchizedek’s superiority to Abraham and thus his superiority to Abraham’s descendants (including Levi and Aaron), the Hebrews author then turned to why an oath was made that the Messiah would be “priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (cf. Psalm 110.4): the Levitical priesthood made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7.11)!  Hebrews 7.18-22, Changing Of... Continue Reading →

Jesus’ role as high priest has been a chief part of the author’s argument of the superiority of Jesus. In explaining why Jesus had to live as a man, the author stated that such was necessary so that “He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation... Continue Reading →

Recall from our last lesson the author’s very real concern that his audience could repeat Israel’s mistake and fall away from the Lord. The first warning of this occurred in Hebrews 2.1 where the author exhorted his brethren to “pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away”. However, these... Continue Reading →

Recall that in chapter 1, the author provided evidence for Jesus’ superiority over the angels: “having become as much better than the angles, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1.4). Having established this fact, the author this warning: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we... Continue Reading →