Hebrews 9 -- The Superiority Of The New Covenant Sanctuary

There is much here comparing the types or shadows in the Old Testament to the originals in heaven.

About the old covenant sanctuary, my commentary said: 1) it was earthly; 2) it was a “type” of something greater; 3) it was inaccessible to the people; 4) it was temporary; and 5) its ministry was external, not internal.  “All of the ceremonies associated with the tabernacle had to do with ceremonial purity, not moral purity.”

Instead, the superior heavenly sanctuary had these superiorities:  1) It is heavenly; 2) its ministry is effective to deal with sin; 3) its ministry represents fulfillment; and 4) its ministry is final and complete.

“The sacrifices offered and the blood applied to the mercy seat [in the old covenant sanctuary] could never change the heart or the conscience of a worshipper … Their blood could only cover sin until the time when Christ’s blood would take away sin,” my commentary explained.

Father, thank You for changing shadow to substance for us, and for giving us a Great High Priest who offered the sacrifice of the blood of His perfect sinless life for us.  Thank You for accepting that sacrifice to open the way for us into the heavenly sanctuary, making us acceptable in Your sight!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Hebrews 8 -- The Superiority Of The New Covenant

My commentary showed how this chapter presents three evidences for the superiority of the new covenant between God and people through Christ’s death and resurrection.  “It is ministered by a superior High Priest … in a better place … founded on better promises.”

The promise of God’s grace is the keystone.  “It is one thing to say, “We will!” and quite another thing to do it.  But the new covenant does not depend on man’s faithfulness to God, but on God’s faithful promise to man …The law could not change any human heart.  Only God’s grace can do that … Grace says, ‘The work is done – believe and live.’”

“The law … could never provide the power needed for obedience.  Sinful people need a new heart and a new disposition within … When a sinner trusts Christ, he receives a divine nature within.  This divine nature creates a desire to love and obey God.”

It also promises forgiveness for all.  “There is no forgiveness under the law because the law was not given for that purpose … By the law is knowledge of sin … It is only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that forgiveness is possible to all who will call on Him.”

Father, thank You for the divine nature You placed within me when I accepted Your Son’s sacrifice for me on the cross and His taking on of my sins.  I could never desire to love and obey You without it, and I could never have forgiveness.  What an incredible gift!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Hebrews 7 -- Our Superior High Priest

The writer of Hebrews proved to the Jewish Christians why Christ’s High Priesthood was doctrinally and historically superior to the Old Testament priesthood through the line of Aaron.  Then he added another argument – “No matter how devoted and obedient the Aaronic  priests were, they could not always meet the needs of all the people.  ‘For such an high priest became us’ means ‘He was suited to us; He meets our needs completely.’  The emphasis is on His sinlessness,” my commentary said.

Jesus never had to offer sacrifices for His own cleansing, the way the Aaronic priests did.  “We are prone to sin daily, even hourly, and we need to be able to turn to Him for spiritual help.  As our High Priest, Jesus Christ gives us the grace and mercy that we need not to sin.  But if we do sin, He is our Advocate at God’s throne.  If we confess our sins to Him, He forgives us and restores us,” my commentary adds.

Father, that entire Old Testament priesthood seems so antiquated to us now, but Christ’s priesthood is exactly what we need.  Thank You for making provision for our sin through Your Son!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Hebrews 6 -- Help In Understanding The Difficult

The writer tells the Hebrew Christians back then, and us, “You have laid the foundation.  You know your ABCs.  Now move forward!  Let God carry you along to maturity,” my commentary said.  Remember this as you read what follows, because what followed in this chapter has caused much misunderstanding, and I too felt it.  Many think it might be saying it’s possible to lose our salvation.  After exploring several lines of reasoning, though, my commentary lands on two that fit the text well – the first is that the writer “was describing a hypothetical case to prove his point that a true believer cannot lose his salvation.”

It also discussed another possible interpretation, based on the fact that “crucify” and “put” in 6:6 are present participles in the Greek.  “He said that they could not be brought to repentance while they were treating Jesus Christ in a shameful way.  Once they stop disgracing Jesus Christ in this way, they can be brought to repentance and renew their fellowship with God.”

Spiritual progress in the Christian’s life results in fruitfulness – “Christian character and conduct produced by the Spirit as we mature in Christ,” according to my commentary.  But this also demands diligent effort on our part.  We can’t be lazy believers, it says.

It ended the chapter by discussing God’s promise of assurance of salvation in many different verses of the Bible, backed up by God’s oath – “Two immutable things.”  And our anchor is Jesus Christ our hope.  “We’re anchored upward – to heaven – not downward.  We are anchored, not to stand still, but to move ahead.  Our anchor is sure – it cannot break – and steadfast – it cannot slip…  If we start to drift from the Word, then we will also start to doubt the Word.  Before long we will get dull toward the Word and become lazy believers.  The best way to keep from drifting is – to lay hold of the anchor.”

Father, thank You for these explanations.  Thank You for anchoring me heavenward.  Pull me along, helping me make spiritual progress.  Don’t let me start to drift and doubt and get dull toward Your Word.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Hebrews 5 -- More About Jesus' Superiority Over Moses and Warnings About Not Making Progress Spiritually

This short chapter took up pages in my commentary.  It explained how the writer continued to show the Jewish Christians that Jesus’ title, ordination, sympathy, and sacrifice was greater than those offered to them by Moses under the old covenant.

He then told them that as Christians we need to make progress, not simply hold where we are.  He listed several marks of spiritual immaturity:

--  Dullness toward the Word – “These believers started on their backward journey by drifting from the Word, and then doubting the Word.  As a result, they were now dull of hearing; that is, unable to listen to the Word, receive it, and act on it.”

--  Inability to share spiritual truth – “Instead of helping others to grow, these Hebrew Christians were in need of learning again the simple teachings of the Christian life.

--  A baby food diet – “The milk of the Word refers to what Jesus Christ did on earth – His birth, life, teaching, death, burial, and resurrection.  The meat of the Word refers to what He is now doing in heaven.  We begin the Christian life on the basis of His finished work on earth.  We grow in the Christian life on the basis of His unfinished work in Heaven.

--  Unskillful in using the Word – “An immature believer will listen to an preacher on the radio or television and not be able to identify whether or not he is true to the Scriptures.”

My commentary also quoted what a pastor said about most Christians being “betweeners”:  “They are between Egypt and Canaan – out of the place of danger, but not yet into the place of rest and rich inheritance.  They are between Good Friday and Easter Sunday – saved by the blood but not yet enjoying newness of resurrection life.”

Father, help me to keep growing spiritually.  Provide me with discernment and give me a hunger for the meat of growth in holiness so that I can continue to help others to find You and to discover Your will for their lives.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Hebrews 4 -- Why WE Have It So Much Better

The writer continued to explain to Jewish Christians why the new system was so much better than the old one.  They knew that common people could not approach the mercy seat on the ark in the Holy of Holies where God resided when they needed Him.  Only the High Priest could do that, and only on one day each year.

But with Jesus as our Great High Priest, “as believers in Jesus Christ, we can run to our High Priest at any time, in any circumstance, and find the help that we need … When He was ministering on earth in a human body, He experienced all that we experience, and even more.  After all, a sinless person would feel temptations and trials in a much greater way than you or I could ever feel them.  Christ was tempted, yet He did not sin, and He is able to help us when we are tempted.  If we fail to hold fast to our confession of Him, we are not proving that Jesus Christ has failed.  We are only telling the world that we failed to draw on His grace and mercy when it was freely available to us,” my commentary explained.

“God sees our hearts,” it continued, “but we do not always know what is there.  God uses the Word to enable us to see the sin and unbelief in our own hearts.  The Word exposes our hearts, and then, if we trust God, the Word enables our hearts to obey God and claim His promises … In the Word we see God, and we also see how God sees us.  We see ourselves as we really are.  This experience enables us to be honest with God, to trust His will, and to obey Him.”

Father, thank You for my Great High Priest!  Thank You that I can run to Him at any moment, and that because I trust Him I can receive the grace and mercy I need to survive my temptations without sinning.  And I can know that He’s experienced what I’m experiencing, in even a much greater way, and yet He did not sin.  Please use that to help me not to sin!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Hebrews 3 -- A New Lesson In Geography

The writer knew it was important to convince his Jewish brethren that Christ was greater than Moses – a pretty tall order.  “Moses was primarily the prophet of the law, while Jesus Christ is the Messenger of God’s grace… Moses was a servant in the house [the people of God] while Jesus Christ is a Son over the house  … the prophet Moses spoke about things to come, but Jesus Christ brought the fulfillment of these things …” my commentary noted.

The second of five exhortations appears here:  “He explained the danger of doubting and disbelieving the Word because of hardness of heart … When a person has an erring heart and a disbelieving heart, the result will also be a hard heart.  This is a heart that is insensitive to the Word and work of God.  So hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to Egypt!  Imagine wanting to exchange their freedom under God for slavery in Egypt! … Every believer is tempted to give up his confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s life of compromise and bondage.  This is especially true during times of persecution and suffering.”

Finally, my commentary noted the lessons in the geography of Israel’s experiences.  Egypt was an illustration of a sinner’s bondage in this world.  Canaan (the Promised Land) represents our spiritual inheritance in Christ.  “The wilderness wonderings represent the experiences of believers who will not claim their spiritual inheritance in Christ, who doubt God’s Word and live in restless unbelief.  To be sure, God is with them … but they do not enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing.  They are ‘out of Egypt’, but they are not yet ‘in Canaan’.”

Father, help me to step fully into Your promises and to not let any disbelief prevent me from fully taking in all that You have planned for me.  Help me to be like Joshua and Caleb in my belief.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford