Draw Near To God - Hebrews 10:15 and following

10:15-18
Two Aspects of The New Covenant

One of the aspects of the new covenant that make it superior to the old covenant is that God puts his laws on our hearts and writes the on our minds. This is a reference to Jeremiah 31:33. This is the second time he has quoted this passage, having quoted it in great length in chapter 8. He gives us the ability to live for him. Paul wrote “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves to sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” (Roman 6:17-18) We now want to live in a way that pleases him and reflects his holiness. We are not able to do this perfectly, but we strive to please God and bring glory to him.

I do not believe in the concept that you can become completely sin free in this life. People who believe they lose their salvation when they sin are inclined to believe they can become perfect and not sin. But, 1 John 1:8 says “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

But, God intends for us to make progress. We are to constantly move away from the life of sin to the life of Christ. The theological term for this is “sanctification”. We strive to be like Christ. Romans 8:29 says “for those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...”.

Romans 6:6-11 says it this way:

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. or one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

So, we constantly turn away from sin and place ourselves at the disposal of God, not our flesh. Flesh means our sinful nature and desires. We do this, not counting on our own strength, but in God’s purpose for us and his work in us. What is God’s purpose for us? Ephesians 1 tells us. He chose us in christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Ephesians 1:4) We are blameless because Christ paid for our sins. We are holy because we are set apart for him and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we live in a holy fashion.

God works in us through the Holy Spirit to make us holy. Paul wrote “and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ.”  (Philippians 1:6) God began a good work in each of us when he brought us to salvation. He will continue the work of making us more like Christ until the last day, the day Christ returns for us.

God’s plan for you life is not that you will say some magic words just right, receive a get out of hell free card, and resume your normal life. No, God intends a transformation that leads to greater and greater sanctification. In other words, you become more and more like Christ as you mature in the faith.

The second aspect of the new covenant is expressed in verse 17: he will remember our sins no more. Once for all, all of our sins are forgiven, past, present and future. No additional sacrifice is needed. We have true salvation. The old covenant could not offer accomplish this.  Now, we are blameless in his sight.

Notice again that the writer puts these words of Jeremiah in the mouth of the Holy Spirit. Yet again, he shows that Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

10:19-25
Draw Near

This is the beginning of a new section that goes to 12:29. Remember that the chapter  breaks are for reference only, they do not mean that a passage begins or ends with the beginning or ending of a chapter.

Here, the writer of Hebrews stops his theological explanation and he moves to exhortation. In effect, he said, I have told you these theological truths. On the basis of these truths, you should do the following things.

In 19-25, he says, in essence, since we have a great high priest and a mediator, let us draw near to God, hold fast to our confession and encourage each other.

As high priest, Jesus led us into the presence of God, the holy places. He did this by his blood, his death. He also sits at God’s right hand while he continues to serve as our high priest. So, we can approach God, or draw near to him in full assurance of faith. (22) We have confidence to approach him. (19)

In the Old Covenant, the high priest went into God’s presence on the behalf of Israel. But the men and women stayed outside. But in the New Covenant, Christ led the way and we followed into the presence of God. We have the right as God’s children, redeemed by his Son, to come into the presence of God and seek his help. This is such an awesome privilege. The Creator of the universe allows us to come into his presence and petition him directly. What a privilege! We do not have to go through a priest, or a saint or the savior’s mom to get to the Father. Jesus has paved the way for us and we may now go there because we are in him (Christ).

This verse harkens back to 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God welcomes our approach to him because Christ has opened the way.

Let’s think about how we got to this point of drawing near. Adam and Eve were near to God before they sinned. They lived in the garden God made for them. They lived in his presence and had access to God. When Adam sinned, God thrust him from his presence. Adam and his descendants were far off from God.

God redeemed Israel and brought them to himself. He gave them a land or garden. He dwelt among them in the Tabernacle and Temple. They lived in his presence. Israel, as a nation, was near to God. But they broke the covenant. God thrust them from his presence. They were not near, but far off.  

The Gentiles stayed far off all through that time. There were some who came into Israel, but the nations were far off. Christ came to fix that. In Isaiah 56, God speaks to “foreigners” and tells them they have a place in his house when they join themselves to him. In Isaiah 57:19, God said “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near”.

In Zechariah 6:15, the Lord spoke through Zechariah and said “and those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord”. When Christ came, the body of Christ became the temple of the Lord. Christ built it out of Jews and Gentiles both and continues to do so.  

 Although he came principally to the Jews, he reminded them that the Father wanted to gather the nations to worship him. He spoke of lost sheep, lost coins and a lost son. He healed a Gentile woman, he raised the daughter of a Gentile man, he preached to Samaritans, and he told a parable of a great wedding feast where those who were near refused to come, so he went and invited those who were far off. (Matthew 22)

Peter picked up the theme in his first sermon, recorded in Acts 2. He said “for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:39)

Paul wrote “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ”. (Ephesians 2:13)

So, we see the use of the word “near” is not casual or accidental, but conveys great historical and theological meaning.

And we should draw near with a full assurance of faith. We should not doubt God. We believe God wants to work all things to our good. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Now,  I will say that our “good” may not be our wealth or success, although he often grants those. It is likely our sanctification. He seeks always to make us like Christ, which is for our good. He may use trials or temptations or deprivations as well as success and abundance to sanctify us.

Let me give you a personal example. I had a little success in the mid-1980s. I made some money, accomplished some things and acquired some assets. I prayed then that I would do anything for God and that I depended on him. But, underneath that was a little pride that I did this on my own and I was not given anything. And, God took all of that away from me. He took my business, my fancy car, my pride, my self sufficiency and my assets. He left me with my family and my faith. And in that painful process, I learned that all I have comes from him, that he directs my paths, and that I could trust him to take care of me. I learned to be humble.

It was stressful. It was painful. It was scary. But it was good for me. I love God more. I trust Him more. He worked betrayal and dishonesty of others to my good, just like he said in Romans 8.

I learned also to draw near to Him. I cried out to him when I was scared. I begged him for money. I pleaded with him to take care of my wife and children. And he answered all those prayers and kept his word. And in the process, he increased my sanctification. The only thing I did in that process was to trust him and to draw near to him in full assurance. I told him I would not fall, I would not give up my faith. He took care of me.

So, this new relationship between God and believers, made possible by Christ, is characterized by prayer. This is another reason we should not neglect it.

There is also a greater sphere of “drawing near”. It may not mean just prayer, but worship in general. The believer, and the whole body of believers, draws near to God in worship.

In all things, we should hold fast the confession of our hope. Our hope is our belief in our future deliverance into God’s presence for eternity. And “hope” in Hebrews does not mean a wish, but a certainty of belief and expectation.  In fact, Hebrews 1:1 defines it for us. It says “Now faith s the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

We do not waiver in proclaiming and believing that Jesus is the Son of God who lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay for our sins, was buried and raised on the third day. He ascended to heaven and sits at God’s right hand. He will come and take us to be with him. No matter what happens to us, that is our confession.

I know you are assailed on all sides by non-believers and doubters. They question the authenticity of the Bible, the deity of Christ, the exclusiveness of Christ’s salvation and the sovereignty of God. Do not waiver. Hold fast. (23) We do not do this because we are strong. We do it because God is faithful. It is not about the strength we have, but the faithfulness he has. He will do what he promised.

Once, I had to jump off the roof of our house and let my father catch me. I was afraid of heights and falling. I had no confidence in my ability to jump to him. But I jumped because I trusted him to catch me.  I jumped and he caught me and it was alright.

Not only do we draw near to God in faith, we encourage each other. (24) He says consider how to stir up each other for love and good works. That is what I am doing when I push you to love and serve. We all need a little push sometimes. So, do not gossip and criticize. Instead, encourage. We the conversation turns bad, do not join in. Instead, say “let’s find a way to love this person. Let’s extend grace to them. Let’s do something good for somebody.” This love and good works set us apart from the rest of the world. It defines us as the body of Christ.

We have rejoiced together in happy moments, cried together in disappointments and losses. We have sat together in funerals and weddings. We have consoled each other, counseled each other, encouraged each other, instructed, rebuked, hugged, patted, and most of all, prayed with and for each other. That is what the writer is writing about. May we do it more and more. We can say we love each other, but good works are the tangible expressions of such love.

Divine Intervention

We can expect the direct intervention of God in our work to accomplish more than we ought to be able to.

Once For All - Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10 - Christ's Sacrifice Once For All

Animal Sacrifices Cannot Make Us Perfect

10:1-4

Here the writer returns to his earlier theme, comparing the perfect sacrifice of Christ to the imperfect sacrifices of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant sacrifices could not make the worshipper perfect. That is shown in that they had to be offered year after year. In fact, those sacrifices reminded worshippers of sins because the could not obtain salvation for them. Again he says the law is a shadow of salvation in Christ. The law and the sacrifices were not meant by God to be permanent, but to point the way to the sacrifice of Christ. 

Paul also told us the law acted as a keeper or guardian until the coming of Christ. In Galatians 3:19, he wrote “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring (Christ) should come to whom the promise had been made...”. Then, in verse 24, he wrote “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” 

God Rejected Old Covenant Sacrifices

10:5-14

Of course, God never intended the sacrifices to be empty ritual. They were not to take the place of love, devotion and worship. The important thing was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”. (Deuteronomy 6:5) When Israel failed to love God completely, the Lord rejected their meaningless sacrifices. In our study of the book of Jeremiah, we heard the Lord say “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.” (Jeremiah 6:20)

The writer of Hebrews goes to the Old Testament to make this point. He quoted Psalm 40:6-8. Psalm 40 is attributed to David. But Hebrews attributes these words to Christ! Hebrews 10:5 says “Consequently when Christ came into the world, he said...”. So David spoke personally to his time, inspired by the Holy Spirit. But, he also spoke prophetically, speaking the words of Christ at his coming.

So, what did he say? 

First, he said God did not desire sacrifices and offerings. (5) God did, however, decree the sacrifices. But he desired them only with love and devotion, not as ritual or superstition. In Hosea 6:6, God said “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” 

That word is relevant for us today as well. God does not want you to come to church for the ritual or to make yourself feel you are doing your duty by checking off the box of church attendance. You can sing the songs, sit through the sermon bow your head during the prayers and not worship. We have all probably done this at one time. I think you could stop at the end of the hymn singing and ask some people what songs they sang and they could not tell you. That ritual does not please God. Worship in spirit and truth pleases God. (John 4:23-24)

Back to the Psalm. David prophesied that one would come who would perfectly do the will of the Father. That person was Christ. So, in effect, he said “I have come to do your will O God”. (7)  

Christ came in human form and did the will of God perfectly. He kept the law. But he did not do it just as ritual. He loved God with all his heart. Jesus said “...I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” (John 14:31He did not sin. He did all he was supposed to do and he did nothing he was not supposed to do. He told his disciples “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) He did not disregard the law, but obeyed it in the spirit in which it was intended. He said “...I do as the father has commanded me...” (John 14:31) He also said “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (John 17:4) Some would call this the “active obedience” of Christ. He obeyed all the requirements of the law. For example, he was circumcised, he observed the Passover obeyed the commandments. (In contrast, his “passive obedience” is his assuming our guilt for sin and paying the price for it by dying on the cross for us.)

Part of the will of God for Christ was his death for our sins. Peter preached that “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified...” (Acts 2:23). Jesus was obedient to this part of God’s will. Philippians 2:8 says “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”.  And, Hebrews explains to us that, according to God’s will, Jesus did away with the first covenant sacrifice to establish the second covenant through the sacrifice of Christ. (9) And it is God’s will that we are sanctified through Christ’s sacrifice “once for all”. (10)

So, not only did Christ die once for all, we are sanctified once for all. We do not lose our salvation because he has achieved it with his perfect sacrifice. His sacrifice is better than the old covenant sacrifices and his covenant is better than the old covenant exactly because it does save completely.

In verse 14 he says it this way “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified”. We are not sinless now, but Christ has won perfection for us. His perfect sacrifice obtained for us perfect forgiveness for all time.

We will get better and better at resisting sin as Christ sanctifies us through the work of the Holy Spirit during this life. But we will receive a perfect sinless nature for all time when he returns and changes us. 

The sign of Jesus’ completion of his work of sacrifice is that he sat down at the right hand of the Father. (12) His sitting down is a signal that he is finished with his work. And indeed, just before he died, he said “it is finished”. (John 19:30) The Greek word for “finished” is “teleo”, which carries the idea of completing or fulfilling. Having fulfilled his work, he will stay in heaven until all of his enemies are defeated. (10:14) 

One Perfect Sacrifice & What Happens When You Die Heb.9:24-28

The Sacrifice of Christ

9:23-25

This passage continues the comparison of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. It focuses on the sacrifice of Christ, which is better than the Old Testament Sacrifice.

Behind the comparison is the allusion to the inauguration of the Old Covenant, where Moses purified all of the items used in worship. He did this by sprinkling blood on them. Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant in the same way. The heavenly things in the presence of God had to be purified as had the copies of them in the tabernacle. The sin of mankind ruined its relationship with God. Purification must occur to bring mankind into God’s presence. But a greater sacrifice was needed than that of animals. So, Christ’s blood is the sacrifice that purifies the heavenly items of worship.

There is also an unspoken allusion to the Old Covenant Day of Atonement. On that day, the Jewish high priest entered the most holy place and offered a sacrifice for the whole nation, to atone for their sin. He sprinkled blood on the mercy seat where the presence of God dwelt. All of the nation was gathered there at the tabernacle or temple when it occurred. (Leviticus 16)

Hebrews 9:24 tells us then that when Christ died, he did not enter the earthly temple (holy places made with hands) with this sacrifice as the earthly high priest did. Instead, he entered into heaven and appeared in the presence of the Father for us. This is a repeat of verse 11.  

To inaugurate the New Covenant, Jesus shed his blood. He purified the items in the heavenly temple. He removed all sin and corruption that separated believers from God.

The old temple and the old sacrifices were no longer effective or useful. Jesus appeared in the real temple. The real temple is heaven where the Father lives. After Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice to pay the penalty of our sins, he appeared before the presence of God in heaven as our high priest to offer himself for us. He is both our New Covenant high priest and our sacrifice. 

Only Once

9:26

The earthly high priest entered the tabernacle or temple every year the temple was standing and offered a sacrifice for the atonement of sins of the Day of Atonement. But Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. Therefore, he offered himself only once. (25) He appeared “once for all” at the end of the ages to put away sin. 

The end of the ages meant the end of the Old Covenant time and the beginning of the new age, the church age or kingdom of Christ. 

The Fate of Men and Women

9:27

Death and judgment are the fate of men and women. It says “it is appointed”. You could say “God appoints man to die once and after that comes the judgment”. God set the rules. He imposed death as a penalty of sin. 

Every man and woman will die a physical death one time. There is no reincarnation. The “second death” referred to in Revelation means, not physical death, but separation from God for eternity in hell. Revelation 20:14 says “This is the second death, the lake of fire.” 

After death, the next event of note is the judgment. This is described in Revelation 20:11-15. There is no second chance to believe after death.  2 Corinthians 5:10 says “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”   

So, what happens when you die. The body goes into the ground until the resurrection. The spirit goes to heaven. Ecclesiates 12:7 says “The dust returns to the earth as it was and the spirit returns to God who gave it”. The allusion there is to the creation of Adam. God made his body from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him, giving him a spirit. (Genesis 2:7) When Adam sinned, God said he would work until he returned to the ground, for out if it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5 that you are either home in the body or home with the Lord. This rules out the concept of “soul sleep”. That is the idea that you go to sleep or cease to exist until the resurrection, then you wake up and live again. Revelation 6:9 and 20:4 both refer to souls alive in heaven.

What about unbelievers?  They cannot go to heaven because they rejected Christ’s sacrifice for them. Jesus told some Pharisees: I am going away and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. (John 8:21) They go to a place of torment. It is sometimes called Hades. At the final judgment, Revelation says “Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them...” (20:14). The parable of rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) says the rich man is in torment in Hades. He refers to a flame. So, it appears to be what we call Hell. But it is evidently not the same as the lake of fire which is their final and horrible destination. 

Jesus Will Come Again

9:28

Jesus came once to die for sins. But, he will return. This time he will not come to die for sins. He will come this second time to save believers. This is the consummation of our salvation. We are saved when we believe. At the moment we place our faith in Christ, he forgives our sins and gives us eternal life. But, when he returns, we see this eternal life realized in full.

1 Corinthians 15:23 and following describes the second coming. There will be a trumpet sound. (v. 52) The dead are raised imperishable, meaning their decayed bodies are changed into immortal bodies. Those who belong to Christ are raised at his coming. We receive “the image of the man of heaven”. (48) We are given immortal, glorified bodies like the body of Christ.  Philippians 3:21 says Jesus “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body”. He often said of believers “I will raise him up on the last day”. (John 6:44)

Notice that Hebrews 9:28 refers to us as those “who are eagerly waiting for him”. 2 Timothy 4: 8 refers to believers as those “who have longed for his appearing”. Believers should anticipate the return of Jesus eagerly. If you say I want to Jesus to come but not yet, you do not have a full appreciation for what is to come and a full realization of how bad this earth is. Romans 8:23 says “we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies”. 

BLOOD IS REQUIRED - Hebrews 9 part 3

Today we continue our study of Hebrews 9.

Verse 15 established that Jesus is not only our high priest, but the mediator of the New Covenant. Verses 16 through 22 discuss of the necessity of blood to establish a covenant and how Jesus fulfilled that requirement. It is an explanation of his statement that believers receive the promised eternal inheritance. It is because a death occurred to redeem them. It is sort of a parenthetical statement, one that does not flow with the argument, but explains the basis of the writer’s point.

Verse 16 discusses the validity of a covenant. Unfortunately, almost all of the major translations do not use the word “covenant”. Instead, they use the word “will”. The thought appears to be that the writer is making an analogy between will and covenant. Only the New American Standard Bible among the modern translations translates the word as “covenant”. The old Young’s Literal Translation also uses the word “covenant”.

The word in Greek is “διαθήκη”. We transliterate it (English) as “diathēkē”. Transliterate means to use the letters of one language to express the sounds of the word in another. Since I write in English, I transliterate the Greek word with English letters to pronounce it.

Translate, in comparison, means to find a word in one language to express the word of another language. We translate διαθήκη as either covenant or will.

There are two problems with translating the word “diatheke” as “will”. First, the word is translated “covenant” in ever other instance in which it is used in Hebrews. Second, the context is a discussion or a comparison of the new covenant verses the old covenant. There is no need for an analogy to a will, since the original audience would understand the concept of covenant and the history behind it.

I think a better reading might be something along the lines of this:

For where there is a covenant, it is necessary for the death of the one who ratifies it to be brought forward, for a covenant is made legally secure on the basis of the sacrificial victims, since it is never valid while the ratifier lives. That is why not even the former covenant was confirmed without blood.

As an example, as he usually does, the writer goes to the Old Testament for proof. The old covenant (former covenant) was inaugurated with blood. Verses 19-21 describe how Moses sprinkled the tabernacle and all the furnishings and even the book of the covenant with blood.

First, God declared the law to Moses. (19) In other words, God declared the terms of the covenant into which he would enter with the Israelites. This is described in Exodus 19. God told Moses the preamble of the covenant. He said he redeemed them. “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4) Second, he told them the benefits of keeping the covenant: “you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. (19:5-6) He would have a special relationship with Israel, they would represent him to other nations, and they would live holy lives that reflected the character and glory of God.

Third, the people agreed to the covenant: “all that the Lord has spoken we will do”. (19:8) Fourth, God gave Moses the terms of the covenant (the law). (Exodus 20 and following) Notice that they agreed to enter into the covenant in order to have a relationship with God. God then set the terms. Israel did not negotiate the terms.

Fifth, and finally, Moses conducted a covenant ceremony. This is recorded in Exodus 24. Moses built an altar and offered oxen on it. He took half the blood and put it in basins and half the blood he threw against the altar. he read the covenant to the people and the agreed to keep it. Then he took the blood in the basins and threw it on the people. When he did so, he said “behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with these words.” (Exodus 24:8)

So, we see the covenant was ratified by blood.  Blood comes from death. In Psalm 50:5 God said “gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice”.

Another reason Moses sprinkled everything with blood was to sanctify them. They were made by man and had to be purified, since mankind is corrupted by sin. Verse 22 says that almost everything is purified by the application of blood.

Hebrews 9:22 affirms for us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins”. “Shedding of blood” is a term for death. The blood Moses used to sprinkle the tabernacle came from killing an animal. And we know that the penalty for sin was death, as God told Adam. (Genesis 2:17)

This truth is demonstrated by the old testament sacrifices. In order to cover their sins, the Israelites offered animal sacrifices. And, the  sacrifices also served to point Israel to Christ, who would give himself as the perfect sacrifice. But that is the exact point the disciples missed! And they missed it three times according to Matthew. The first time, recorded in Matthew 16:21, Jesus told them he had to go and be tortured and killed, but then raised. Peter told him no that could not be. Jesus rebuked him for not thinking as God thinks, but as man thinks.

Jesus taught them this truth again at the Passover dinner, what we often call the “Last Supper”. Here is Matthew’s account.

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying, ‘drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-29)

The blood of the new covenant is the blood of Christ. His body, represented by bread, was broken into death for our sins. We have to receive the benefits of his death by receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. We eat and drink of this new covenant sacrifice.  Jesus said we had to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. (John 6:53) What he meant by that metaphor is that we must come to him for salvation, believe he died for our sins and put our faith in him for salvation to eternal life.

CALLING

Calling


Who enters into this covenant with God through Christ? Hebrews 9:15 tells us it is “those who are called”.

The idea is that believers are called into the kingdom and into a relationship with God. This is a controversial idea in some denominations in America at the moment, but it is the teaching of scripture.  Let’s look at some examples.

First, look at Romans 8:28-30. It is a description of the process of salvation. The context of the passage is suffering in this present age. Paul says that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. Those who love God and those who are called are the same. They refer to believers. Believers are called by God.

The following verses of Romans 8 tell us God foreknew us, he predestined us and he called us. Then he tells us that he justifies those he called. He called us into salvation.

Jesus, in John 10:27, said “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus taught all the same things the writer of Hebrews taught. Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, bringing his sheep into God’s fold, a metaphor for kingdom. He called them.

The heard and responded because God gave them to him. This is why the doctrine is often called “effectual calling”. The idea is, those who are called will respond to God’s call. And, finally, their place in the hand of Christ, his kingdom, is permanent and kept by him and his power.

CHRIST THE MEDIATOR - Hebrews 9:15

There are many truths stated in these verses. In fact, there are several truths stated in verse 15 alone. So let’s take a close look at verse 15.

Jesus mediates a new covenant
9:15

Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. He did not come to work with the old covenant other than to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) If you want a covenant with God, you must enter into the new covenant. And you must go to God through the one mediator, Jesus Christ, and no other. (John 14:6)

A mediator is one who brings two parties from separation to reconciliation. Jesus mediates the separation between God and man by making the effective sacrifice for our sins. That is what the writer says in 9:15 when he says “since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant”.

Why is Jesus the mediator of the new covenant? Because he revealed the new covenant to us and he served as a priest offering the sacrifice that brought it into force. His death is the death that occurred.

So, the writer uses two terms here. First, mediation, then redemption. Christ is qualified to mediate because he redeems. He removes the barrier between the parties. The barrier is sin. He removes the barrier through redemption, paying the price of our sins. Paul said “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...” (Romans 3:23-24)

Jesus mediates the new covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. In the case of a powerful, greater, party making a covenant with a lesser party, the greater party imposes duties on the lesser party and offers rewards for fulfilling those duties. In the Old Covenant, God imposed the duties of the law on Israel. If they kept the law, he blessed them with land, prosperity, children, protection and a relationship. If they violated the law, he cursed them, bringing sickness, drought and ultimately expulsion from their land.

So, what about the new covenant? Well, this passage does not tell us what the duty of the covenant is, but does tell us what the reward is. The reward is the promised eternal inheritance. (15)

What is that inheritance? It is a place in the kingdom of God forever. The current Evangelical approach to eternity over emphasizes heaven and neglects the new earth. You are not going to stay in heaven forever. When God makes all things new, this earth will pass away and we will be living forever in the presence of God in the new earth.

Jesus gave John a vision of this new earth. He recorded it for us in Revelation 21. He said “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and were no more.” He then describes it in great detail.

Peter also described it in 2 Peter 3. He said the present creation will be destroyed on the day of judgment. Then, read what he said in verse 13: “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”. He says this is the promise we believe, just as Hebrews does.

Jesus told his disciples this as well in John 14. He said his father’s house had many rooms and he was going to prepare a place for the disciples. He said he would come again and take us to be with him. I believe the “house” here is just a metaphor for the new earth. When Jesus returns, he will resurrect believers who have died, gather the living, judge the earth, and create the new earth in which we have a permanent inheritance. It is what Hebrews called our “promised eternal inheritance”.

God does not change. He does things basically the same way, though he does not reveal all of what is going on and what he does reveal, he often reveals in stages. In the old covenant, he gave Israel a land and each individual an inheritance in it. The land was allotted by tribes, clans and families and they stayed in that allotment permanently. That is why there were laws about inheritance, and release of mortgages, and protection of widows and even the kinsman redeemer such as Boaz in the book of Ruth.

That land was the kingdom of God on earth at the time. Now, Israel broke the covenant and was cast away from their inheritance. The old covenant provided for that as a curse or result of their breach of the covenant. (Leviticus 26)

But the new covenant is better, because the covenant is eternal. Once you come into God’s kingdom, your inheritance in it is eternal and you cannot lose it. You cannot lose it because you do not keep it. God keeps it. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us this. It says “Blessed  be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused s to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”.

Your inheritance is kept by the power of God for you. And it will be revealed in the last time (when Christ returns).