Hebrews 7:16-19
“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 Melchizekek.’ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (For the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”
What is it that keeps a man from having access to God?
- Sin. The law was given in Moses’ day to show the people how to enter into fellowship with God. Let a man obey the law and he was a friend of God. But such perfect obedience was out of the question for any man. It was impossible to keep every point of the law, and so the Levitical priesthood was set in place. When a man was guilty of breaking the law, he now had a way to heal the breach, through sacrifice. But, the system of Levitical sacrifices proved ineffective to restore the lost fellowship between God and man. The blood of animals could never take away the sin of a man. So, then a new priesthood was necessary. It is God’s holiness, God’s righteousness which demands that a sinless life should be given for man. There is life in the blood, and that blood has to be poured out for me, for my sins. God is the One who requires it. God is the One who demands that the blood be presented, in order to satisfy His own righteousness, and it was Him who said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). The blood of Christ wholly satisfies God. Jesus on the cross made the perfect sacrifice. The blood of Jesus satisfies Him and we can draw near.
- Fear. So long as a man is terrified of God he can never be at home with Him. So long as we believe the lie that God does not really see us or love us because we haven’t done enough to please him or earn his favor, we will always live in fear. Jesus came to show men the infinite tender love of God whose name is Father. This removes the fear. When we know perfect love, we no longer know fear. We know now that God wants us to come home, not to punishment, but to the welcome of his open arms. Jesus took my punishment. Jesus knew punishment so I would not. I can stop waiting for the hammer to fall, or the rug to be pulled out from under me. I can stand on solid ground in God’s presence because I stand on the blood of Jesus which gives me access. This removes all fear of my sinful state before God because God no longer sees my sin, He sees the blood. This opens the door for relationship with Him.
A SUPERIOR PRIESTHOOD
The Jewish priest had to be a pure descendant of Aaron. He had to go through a strict outward ceremonial cleansing. The Jewish priesthood was dependent upon outward physical things. But Jesus did not come from the line of Aaron. His family line was not Levitical. He was not physically born into the tribe of Levi. He was born into the tribe of Judah. So, then, the argument the author of Hebrews makes is that the priesthood of Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood because it was not based on outward ceremonies or family lineage.
Hebrews 7:16 tells us, the new priesthood through Jesus was “not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an INDESTRUCTIBLE LIFE.” The former Levitical priesthood was set aside. It was weak and useless. The law could make no one perfect. The law can only show us where we don’t measure up. No matter how hard you try to be good enough, it’s still not enough. Under the law, you will feel a continual restlessness and angst within. But through Jesus, A BETTER HOPE IS FOUND! The Mosaic system was a temporary provision of God that foreshadowed the fullness that was to come in Jesus. It prepared the way for the fulfillment and perfection of all things in Christ.
Jesus can do what the old priesthood never could: Give us access to God. Now we can draw near to God because sin has been atoned for and fear is gone. On my best days, I stand before God IN CHRIST. On my worst days, I stand before God IN CHRIST.
Sin came into the world through Adam and all was lost. Through the disobedience of one man we were all constituted sinners. Throughout the human race, sin has reigned unto death from that day on. But now a ray of light is cast upon the scene. Through the obedience of Jesus, we may be made righteous. Our despair is in Adam; our hope is in Christ.
“The Lord God himself has put us in Christ, and in His dealing with Christ, God has dealt with the whole race. Our destiny is bound up with His. What He has gone through we have gone through, for to be IN CHRIST is to have been identified with Him in both His death and resurrection. He was crucified: then what about us? Must we ask God to crucify us? Never! When Christ was crucified we were crucified; and His crucifixion is past, therefore ours cannot be future. God does not require us to crucify ourselves. We were crucified when Christ was crucified, for God put us there in Him. That we have died in Christ and have new life in Him is not merely a doctrinal position, it is an eternal and indisputable fact. He died as our representative. In His death, He included you and me. The cross is the mighty act of God which translates us from Adam to Christ.” -Watchman Nee