A Study Of The Apostle Paul

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AStudyOf TheApostlePauls LetterTo The
Hebrews
How can we neglect so greata salvation?
Hebrews 23
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Hebrews Christ Is Superior! Superior Person
(11413) Superior to Prophets
(11-3) Superior to Angels (14218) Superior
to Moses (31-19) Superior to Joshua
(41-13) Superior Priest (414728) Superior to
Aaron (414612) Superior to Melchizedek
(613710) Superior to Levi (711-28)
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Hebrews Christ Is Superior! Superior Pact to
Moses (811018) Superior Promises (81-13)
but Well only study verses 6-13
today. Superior Sanctuary (91-15) Superior
Sacrifice (916-28) Superior Results
(101-18) Superior Principle (Faith) to Moses
(10191325) Superior Things (1019-39) Superio
r Actions (111-40) Superior Relationship
(121-29) Superior Way of Life (131-25)
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As mentioned in our last study of 8 1-5, Paul
began at this point to talk about the superiority
of Christs cove-nant, which is dealt with, in
fact, all the way through 1018. In 81-5 Paul
set the stage by talking about Christs superior
ministry thru the new covenant now, in 86-13,
well see how he built upon that by showing how
Christs covenant is su-perior to that of Moses
because its founded upon better promises.
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But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry
inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was estab-lished upon better
promises.
Hebrews 86 ?
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But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry
inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was estab-lished upon better
promises.
We could say this is the pivotal verse of the
letter because it was written to prove that the
NT ratified by Jesus blood is superior to
takes the place of the OT ratified by animal
blood Paul has proven this to be true with pure
logic the OT Scriptures.
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But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry
inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was estab-lished upon better
promises.
This word is in con-trast to how Jesus couldnt
have been a priest on Earth(v. 4) i.e., since
Hes now in Heaven, He can be and is our
once-for-all-time High Priest.
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But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry
inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was estab-lished upon better
promises.
This phrase refersto Jesus priestly ministry in
Heaven as opposed to any priestly ministry of or
by men on Earth. By virtue of this more excellent
ministry, He is the Mediator of a better covenant.
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A mediator is someone who goes be-tween two
parties as an intercessor before Jesus, Moses
and Aaron (and his high priestly lineage) were
the go-betweens or mediators, but now there is
only One Mediatorthe Christ(1 Tim. 25). You
know
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We often hear in business how that by-passing the
middle man is a good thing, but this is not so,
nor is it pos-sible, when it comes to
Christianity and our salvation (John 146). As
Job once indicated, we must have just such a
person God is not a man as I am that I may
answer Him and that we should go to court
together. Nor is there any mediator between us,
who may lay his hand on us both (933).
Incidentally ? ? ?
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But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry
inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was estab-lished upon better
promises.
A covenant is an a-greement between two parties,
the es-sence of which is to establish (or
re-estab-lish) a relationship between them. And
this New Covenant is better than the old one
because ?
12
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry
inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was estab-lished upon better
promises.
It was established on better promises. The Law
had num-erous promises, some that were of a
physical nature and others that were of a
spiritual nature those of a spiritual nature
pointed to what would be ful-filled in the future
under the next Law.
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Some of the better promises of the new covenant
are referred to in the next few verses. In fact,
the first promise alluded to in verses 7-9 is the
implied promise of Gods grace that would
accompany the new covenant.
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For if that first covenant had been faultless,
then no place would have been sought for a second.
Hebrews 87 ?
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As has already been stated various times in our
studies (718-19, etc.), the faults of the first
covenant was found in that it couldnt bring
about mans reconciliation to his Creator it was
faultless, however, for the purpose for which it
was givento point man to Christ and His new
testament(Gal. 319 24).
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For if that first covenant had been faultless,
then no place would have been sought for a second.
Because of prophe-cies such as the one that
follows, the seeking of this verse refers to how
God was looking forward to the time when the new
covenant would be realized. So ?
? ?
17
Paul was essentially saying the same thing here
as in 711-12 If perfection were through the
Levitical priesthood (for under it the people
received the Law), what further need was there
that another priest should rise according to the
order of Melchizedek. For the priesthood being
changed, of necessity there is also a change of
the Law. In Galatians 321 Paul said, If there
had been a law that could have given life, truly
righteousness would have been by the Law.
18
Because finding fault with them, He says in
Jeremiah 3131-34, Behold, the days are
com-ing, says the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and the house
of Judah
Hebrews 88 ?
19
Paul again cornered his audience, be-cause they
either had to reject Gods prophecy of a new
covenant, or they had to reject the New Covenant
which they had already professed either way,
they had to admit that the Law was no more meant
to continue forever than was the priesthood that
Paul had already discussed based upon Psalm 1104.
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How to interpret this pronoun isnt easy
thankfully it isnt essential to understanding
the passage, nor does it do injustice to it
either way we inter-pret it.
Because finding fault with them, He says in
Jeremiah 3131-34, Behold, the days are
com-ing, says the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and the house
of Judah
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Them could have re-ference to the num-erous laws
of the first testament or it could refer to the
peopleall of Gods people who were de- scendants
of Jacob, that is.
Because finding fault with them, He says in
Jeremiah 3131-34, Behold, the days are
com-ing, says the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and the house
of Judah
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I understand that this verse could read, Because
He found fault with it, God said to themthe
people of the houses of Israel and Judah. Or As
most seem to believe and as implied in the NKJV,
it could mean that Because God found fault with
the people, He pro-mised a new covenant. If this
is the cor-rect interpretation, then not only was
the Law faulty in that it couldnt provide total
forgiveness, but the people were also faulty due
to their defective char-acter (cf. Gal. 310).
23
Paul chose a specific Greek term for this verb
this isnt the word referring to just creating
some-thing, but also to finalizing it, which
emphasizes the per-fection of the New Testament.
Because finding fault with them, He says in
Jeremiah 3131-34, Behold, the days are
com-ing, says the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and the house
of Judah
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not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of Egypt-land be-cause
they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord.
Hebrews 89 ?
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not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of Egypt-land be-cause
they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord.
The next few verses explain, at least in part,
how the new covenant is not like the old covenant.
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not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of Egypt-land be-cause
they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord.
This word is used here in a generic sense i.e.,
it isnt referring to a 24-hour day, but to a
general period of timea 40-year period in fact,
from the time Moses first went to Pharaoh to free
the Israelites until they entered Canaan.
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not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of Egypt-land be-cause
they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord.
This word is from a term which means to be true
to i.e., though the Israelites claimed that
theyd be true to Gods covenant via Moses, they
werent!
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not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day when I took them by the
hand to lead them out of Egypt-land be-cause
they did not continue in My covenant, and I
disregarded them, says the Lord.
This word is from a term which means to not watch
out for. I.e. ? ? ?
29
Because the Israelites were not loyal to God, He
allowed them to endure vari-ous tragedies in life
such as their many captivities, which otherwise
wouldnt have occurred. Or This word could have
a broader refer-ence to Gods rejection of
physical Israel for spiritual Israel. Either
way The meaning is that God gave them up for
their disregard of Him and His laws (cf. Rom.
124, 26, 28). So ? ? ?
30
One of the better promises that can be derived
from verses 7-9 is that God pro-phesied and
fulfilled the giving of a covenant of grace for
salvation. Now In verses 10-11 we find the
promise of being able to become children of God
by choice i.e., unlike the old covenant, the new
covenant would work from the inside out to effect
true change.
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For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord I will put My laws in their mind and write
them on their hearts and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
Hebrews 810 ?
32
For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord I will put My laws in their mind and write
them on their hearts and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
This is a reference to physical Israelthe Jews,
but an ex-tended reference to spiritual
Israelthe church. Why? Be-cause itd be
direct-ed to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles
as the book of Acts indicates in connec-tion with
the work of Peter and Paul.
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For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord I will put My laws in their mind and write
them on their hearts and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
The main idea here is that the new cov-enant
would be of a spiritual and eternal nature i.e.,
by vir-tue of the fact that God would save man by
grace, man would thereby have the ultimate
motivation from within to obey God out of
gratitude for being saved, not to be saved.
Still
34
For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord I will put My laws in their mind and write
them on their hearts and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
Right before Psalm 1104 that Paul re-ferred to
so often in Hebrews (the verse a- bout the coming
of the Messianic High Priest), David wrote to God
in verse 3, saying, Your people shall be
volunteers in the day of Your power.
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For this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord I will put My laws in their mind and write
them on their hearts and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
In this clause, the I should be emphasiz-ed
because the Isra-elites were constant- ly going
after idols the spiritual nature of the new
covenant would help keep them (and us) de-voted
to God and God only. Now in
36
None of them shall teach his neighbor and none
his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of them.
Hebrews 811 ?
37
None of them shall teach his neighbor and none
his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of them.
This word is from a term which literally means
fellow-citizen so this statement obviously has
refer-ence only to breth-ren in Gods family
i.e., because people become part of the new
covenant fami- ly of God by choice as adults,
then they dont have to say, Know the Lord. See,
again ? ? ?
38
Because ancient Jews became mem-bers of the old
covenant people of God by birth, they had to be
taught about the One who was their Lord, whereas
first century Jews became members of the new
covenant people of God willingly, by faith, based
on a know-ledge of the Lord as 116 says, He who
comes to God must believe. This is likely why
Jesus spoke of being born again. By the way, can
you see how this rules out infant membership in
the churchspiritual Israel?
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None of them shall teach his neighbor and none
his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of them.
This phrase probab-ly means from the babes in
Christ to the mature in Christ. Now in verse 12
we find the promise of forgiven and forgot-ten
sins ? ? ?
40
For I will be mer-ciful to their un-
righteousness, and their sins their lawless
deeds I will remember no more.
Hebrews 812 ?
41
This word indicates that the blessings of the new
covenant would be based on ones decision to en-
ter into it, something an infant cant do.
For I will be mer-ciful to their un-
righteousness, and their sins their lawless
deeds I will remember no more.
42
For God to say this was, to Jews, ex-tremely
significant, because whereas God remembered their
sins again each year on The Day of Atonement
under The Old Covenant (101-3), He forgets them
forever under the new covenant. Incidentally ?
?
For I will be mer-ciful to their un-
righteousness, and their sins their lawless
deeds I will remember no more.
43
Its crucial to note that this clause does not
mean that God literally forgets, but that, as a
contrast to the Mosaic age, He doesnt bring
those sins up again. By doing this ?
For I will be mer-ciful to their un-
righteousness, and their sins their lawless
deeds I will remember no more.
44
God exemplifies for us what it means to forgive
and forget It means to treat an offender as if
he never sinned in the first place. Why is this
possible for God? Because of the crossthere He
treated His Son, in-stead of us, as if He had
sinned against Him! So ? ? ?
For I will be mer-ciful to their un-
righteousness, and their sins their lawless
deeds I will remember no more.
45
The three promises seen in this pas-sage upon
which The New Covenant is founded are as
follows 1. The promise of grace due to the
fault of The Old Covenant and people (vv.
7-9). 2. The promise of becoming children of
God by choice (vv. 10-11). And 3. The promise of
sins forgiven and forgotten (v. 12).
Last Verse ?
46
In that He says, a new covenant, He has made
the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete
grow-ing old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 813 ?
47
Hebrews 813 in the KJV
In that He says, a new covenant, He has made
the first old. Now that which decays and waxes
old is ready to vanish away.
48
Instead of using the Greek term that means old
due to age, Paul chose the term that means old
due to wear i.e., how old the Mosaic covenant
was in years wasnt the pointthe point was that
it had served its purpose and so was to be
replaced.
In that He says, a new covenant, He has made
the first obsolete old, KJV. Now what is
be-coming obsolete old, KJV grow-ing old is
ready to vanish away.
To complement this
49
Instead of using the Greek term that means new in
time, Paul chose the word for new in quality.
There are two inter-esting points in this regard
? ? ?
In that He says, a new covenant, He has made
the first obsolete old, KJV. Now what is
be-coming obsolete old, KJV grow-ing old is
ready to vanish away.
50
1. The new covenant is of such quality that,
unlike the old covenant, it cant and wont
grow old and vanish away. 2. As this verse says,
just by the fact that God created a covenant
called it new, He necessarily implied, to
the dismay of the Jews, that the first one
became old i.e., God (not some man or
group of men) cancelled out the first
covenant.
51
This suggests that the old covenant (in the time
of Paul) was (like an old man) los-ing its
strength and wasting away, even to the point that
it would soon vanish away. Since old things
eventually disappear, the con-clusion is that the
OT would soon be goneAD 70.
In that He says, a new covenant, He has made
the first obsolete old, KJV. Now what is
be-coming obsolete old, KJV grow-ing old is
ready to vanish away.
See 2nd Cor. 37-13.