A Study Of The Apostle Paul’s Letter To The Hebrews

Don’t fall away! Don’t Depart! Don’t neglect your salvation! Don’t cast away your confidence! Don’t harden your heart! Don’t drift away! AStudyOf TheApostlePaul’s LetterTo The Hebrews How can we neglect so greata salvation? ~ Hebrews 2:3

Hebrews: Christ Is Superior! Superior Person (1:1—4:13) Superior to Prophets (1:1-3) Superior to Angels (1:4—2:18) Superior to Moses (3:1-19) Superior to Joshua (4:1-13) Superior Priest (4:14—7:28) Superior to Aaron (4:14—6:12) Superior to Melchizedek (6:13—7:10) Superior to Levi (7:11-28)

Hebrews: Christ Is Superior! Superior Pact to Moses’ (8:1—10:18) Superior Promises (8:1-13) but… We’ll only study verses 6-13 today. Superior Sanctuary (9:1-15) Superior Sacrifice (9:16-28) Superior Results (10:1-18) Superior Principle (Faith) to Moses’ (10:19—13:25) Superior Things (10:19-39) Superior Actions (11:1-40) Superior Relationship (12:1-29) Superior Way of Life (13:1-25)

As mentioned in our last study of 8: 1-5, Paul began at this point to talk about the superiority of Christ’s cove-nant, which is dealt with, in fact, all the way through 10:18. In 8:1-5 Paul set the stage by talking about Christ’s superior ministry thru the new covenant; now, in 8:6-13, we’ll see how he built upon that by showing how Christ’s covenant is su-perior to that of Moses because it’s founded upon better promises.

Hebrews 8:6 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 waswrittentoprove 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. 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 couldn’t have been a priest on Earth(v. 4); i.e., since He’s nowin Heaven, He can be and is our once-for-all-time High Priest. 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. Byvirtueof thismore excellent ministry, He istheMediator ofabettercovenant. 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 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-betweensor mediators,but now there isonlyOneMediator—theChrist(1 Tim. 2:5).You know…

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 14:6). 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(9:33).Incidentally…  

A covenant is an a-greement between two parties, the es-sence of which is to establish(orre-estab-lish) a relationship between them. And this New Covenant is better than the old one because…  But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry inasmuch as He is also Mediator of abetter 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. But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry inasmuch as He is also Mediator of abetter covenant, which was estab-lished upon better promises.

Some of the better promises of the new covenant are referred to in the next few verses. In fact, the first promise alluded to inverses 7-9is the implied promise of God’s grace that would accompany the new covenant.

Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

As has already been stated various times in our studies(7:18-19,etc.),the faults of the first covenant was found in that it couldn’t bring about man’s reconciliation to his Creator; it was faultless, however, for the purpose for which it was given—to point man to Christ and His new testament(Gal. 3:19 & 24).

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…    For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

Paul was essentially saying the same thing here as in7:11-12: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 3:21 Paul said, If there had been a law that could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the Law.

Hebrews 8:8 Because finding fault with them, Hesays[inJeremiah 31:31-34], “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…

Paul again cornered his audience, be-cause they either had to reject God’s 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 110:4.

How to interpret this pronoun isn’t easy; thankfully it isn’t essential to understanding the passage, nor does it do injustice to it either way we inter-pret it. Because finding fault with them, Hesays[inJeremiah 31:31-34], “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…

Them could have re-ference to the num-erous laws of the first testament; or it could refer to the people—all of God’s people who were de-scendants of Jacob, that is. Because finding fault with them, Hesays[inJeremiah 31:31-34], “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…

I understand that this verse could read, Because He found fault with it, God said to them—the 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 Godfound fault with the people,He pro-mised a new covenant. If this is the cor-rectinterpretation,thennot only was theLawfaultyin that it couldn’t provide total forgiveness, but the people were also faulty due to their defective char-acter (cf. Gal. 3:10).

Paul chose a specific Greek term for this verb; this isn’t the word referring to just creating some-thing, but also to finalizing it, which emphasizes the per-fection of theNewTestament. Because finding fault with them, Hesays[inJeremiah 31:31-34], “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 8:9 “…not according to the covenant that I made with theirfathersinthe 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. “…not according to the covenant that I made with theirfathersinthe 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 isn’t referring to a 24-hour day, but to a general period of time—a 40-year periodin fact,from the time Moses first went to Pharaoh to free the Israelites until they entered Canaan. “…not according to the covenant that I made with theirfathersinthe 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 they’d be true to God’s covenant via Moses, they weren’t! “…not according to the covenant that I made with theirfathersinthe 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….    “…not according to the covenant that I made with theirfathersinthe 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….

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 wouldn’t have occurred. Or… This word could have a broader refer-ence to God’s 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. 1:24, 26, & 28). So…   

One of the better promises that can be derived fromverses7-9is 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.

Hebrews 8:10 “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….

Thisis areference to physical Israel—the Jews, but an ex-tended reference to spiritual Israel—the church. Why? Be-cause it’d 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. “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 Godwouldsave man bygrace,manwould thereby have the ultimate motivation from within to obey God out of gratitude for being saved, not to be saved. Still… “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 110:4 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. “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… “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 8:11 “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 meansfellow-citizen; so this statement obviously has refer-ence only to breth-ren in God’s family; i.e., because people become part of the new covenant family of God by choice as adults, then they don’t have to say, Know the Lord. See, again…    “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….

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 11:6 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 church—spiritual Israel?

This phrase probab-ly means from the babesinChrist tothe mature in Christ. Now in verse 12 we find the promise of forgiven and forgot-ten sins:    “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 8:12 “ForI will be mer-ciful to their un- righteousness, and their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

This word indicates that the blessings of the new covenant would be based on one’s decision to en- terintoit,something an infant can’t do. “ForI will be mer-ciful to their un- righteousness, and their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

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 (10:1-3), He forgets them forever under the new covenant. Incidentally…   “ForI will be mer-ciful to their un- righteousness, and their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

It’scrucialtonote that this clause does not mean that God literally forgets, but that, as a contrast to the Mosaic age, He doesn’t bring those sins up again. By doing this …  “ForI will be mer-ciful to their un- righteousness, and their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

God exemplifies for us what it means to forgive and forget: It means totreat an offender as if he never sinned in the first place. Why is this possible for God? Because of the cross—there He treated His Son, in-stead of us, as if He had sinned against Him! So…    “ForI will be mer-ciful to their un- righteousness, and their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

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:

Hebrews 8:13 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 8:13in 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.

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 wasn’t the point—the 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…

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.

1. The new covenant is of such quality that, unlike the old covenant, it can’t andwon’tgrowoldandvanish 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.

A Study Of The Apostle Paul’s Letter To The Hebrews