Imitators not Imitations

 

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2, NASB)

Before we jump into the two verses above, we must understand the first word we read in verse one, the word, therefore. Some Bible translations put this word after the word imitators. This verse’s word placement does not matter. The important part is that Paul wrote it, and we need to understand what Paul intended with this conditional word. Therefore implies that an action or statement will result in something happening. This tool is a literary technique used to help a person consider what the speaker states next when considering his previous statements.

To help us understand what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, let us grasp what he wrote before chapter five. Chapter four told the Ephesian believers and later believers, there must be unity in the body of believers, the body of Christ. Verse one said believers must walk in a manner worthy of their calling by Christ. What is this manner? The manner of Christ is one of humility, gentleness, and patience (4:2-3). This manner includes bearing with each other and being eager to keep the unity. Paul reminded the Ephesians they are one body and spirit made so by having the same Lord, faith, baptism, God, and Father (4:4-6). He reached the heart of the matter. Paul said God’s grace gives gifts to Christians through the Holy Spirit (4:7). These gifts equip saints for ministry, building up the body of Christ (4:13). This enables all believers to reach the pinnacle of the unity of the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ and to become a mature believer to the full measure of the stature of Christ (4:7-13). For the rest of chapter four, Paul said by growing toward maturity and unity among the body of Christ, each believer will speak truth and be kind, which shows itself in tenderheartedness and forgiveness toward others of the body (4:25 & 32).

Paul wrote, because of this unity and growing maturity of Christlikeness, believers can, therefore, be imitators of God (5:1). He wrote the word, therefore, to show the result of maturing and being united. Every believer should and will resemble their Father God. The tender image Paul gives is of a loved child’s relationship to his or her father. People can relate to this image of a loving father. For those who cannot for whatever reason, the love of a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, or church member can understand. For others, the relationship of the heavenly Father to him or her is very close because of His protection and provision before he or she became a Christian. Whoever was in your life and deeply touched your heart, consider that relationship like the relationship of the Father to His beloved child.

To extend this comparison, what does a child aspire to become as they mature? Often, he or she will want to imitate the person with whom their heart intensely connects. My mother was a nurse. As a child, my first aspiration was to become a nurse. Why? Because my mom was very loving, caring, and compassionate. This image portrays part of what Paul tried to explain with his analogy. A child desires to imitate their Father. The Father (or the analogized parent, grandparent, etc.) takes great pleasure and honor in the child looking up to Him. He desires for His child to become ever more like Him each day. The Father wants His children to mature into Christlikeness.

What does it mean to be imitators of God? Paul began explaining it in chapter four. He said He wants His children to reach full maturity in likeness to Christ so that they have unity among their brothers and sisters and are kind (tenderhearted and forgiving) and speak truth (the truth of God, not the world’s idea of truth). Paul continued this thought in chapter five. He said imitators of God walk in love (5:2). Paul did not mean phileo love, a brotherly love a person has for his or her close friendships. He wrote saying imitators of God will walk in agape love. Agape is the love shown to people by God. This love is sacrificial love, beyond mere feeling. Sacrificial love intentionally chooses (wills) to act. Agape love shows a preference for the other person over oneself, no matter what the cost. Most parents willingly would risk their lives to save their child’s life. They prefer the life of their child over their own. This love is about what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:2. God’s children are those who mature and become imitators of Him. This means they will live out this preferential love toward their other brothers and sisters in the faith. These believers prefer to help one another grow, survive, and receive forgiveness. They make the choice to ensure the unity of the body of Christ, regardless of the personal cost to themselves.

That sacrificial love made Jesus' offering of Himself in our place a fragrant aroma to God. What parent, when seeing his or her child do a kind and selfless act, does not beam with pride and love for his or her child? God beams with pride at His children when they become imitators of Him in this way, when they love as Jesus Christ loved them.

The Holy Spirit, by God’s grace, gives each believer gifts to equip himself or herself to mature in Christ and to aid in bringing unity as God designed for His body. This unity builds the faith of other believers, speaks truth in love, and is kind—tenderhearted and forgiving. This unity in the body causes each believer to be imitators of God. Each believer will desire to be so close to God that they reflect the presence and love of Christ, allowing others to see God. Those imitators of God are true. They are not an inferior imitation; one the world says is sufficient. The believers who radiate the presence and sacrifice of Christ are imitators of God, not imitations, like faux leather. These believers desire to be closer to God. They crave it. Believers want everyone to know about God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They care that the truth gets out and all experience life-changing and eternal forgiveness. These Christians are tenderhearted and dedicated to spreading the message of Jesus and His salvation. God's children, imitators of Him, aspire to be nearer to and resemble Abba, the one who never gave up on them and offered forgiveness. Their goal is to be like Jesus, regardless of sacrifices. That is agape love. Agape love is a love that prefers to benefit others instead of oneself.

“Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Will you live out what Jesus Christ put in you—the new person—by His Spirit when you believed in Him? Agape love requires action. It prefers other people over oneself. Consider what Jesus would do?

Be imitators of God, not imitations.

Your Acceptable Sacrifice

 

“Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Romans 12:1 BSB

 

Fellow believers, because of the mercy and grace God gave you from His love and because it cleansed you, offer your consecrated (set apart by and for God) bodies as living sacrifices—ones revived, cleansed, and given of your free will because of your love of God. 

 

Your offering of this sacrifice is holy (because God consecrated you when you believed in Jesus for salvation) and pleasing (because you willingly offer your living [not dead] and rejuvenated [by Christ] selves) to God. 

 

Your offering of your redeemed self to God out of love for Him is your spiritual service of worship. 

 

Remember God redeemed you. He consecrated you. Therefore, you can go into His presence. Your offer of yourself to Him is accepted because He cleansed you through Jesus’ redemption of you. God did the work so you could be with Him and so your service and offering would be acceptable to Him. 

 

God asks for nothing greater than your whole being because of your love and obedience of/to Him. That is relationship. That loving obedience is worship. It is spiritual and service to/for God. 

Your worship of God should occur as your response to His loving mercy and forgiveness of you.

 

Give your redeemed self lovingly and in obedience to God for His purposes. Love Him with your redeemed offering of yourself.

The Advent of Salvation

 

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God…” Hebrews 10:11-13 [ESV]

In Hebrews 10:11-12, the writer contrasted and compared the priests with Jesus. He said the priests stood daily to offer sacrifices. Jesus offered one sacrifice and then sat. He did not have to stand daily to offer again. The priests rise daily, but Jesus said, "It is finished." Compare this with when God finished creating the world, then rested on His throne.

People must rise daily to do things. These things are mundane compared to salvation, but we must do these tasks for survival or for a man-made reason. Some of us rise daily to compete to be better than other people. Others rise daily to do good works hoping to get to heaven, but never find assurance of that or rest. Each day we strive for something. Jesus strove for one thing, our salvation. His goal in life was His end game. The “end game” was to provide the only needed salvation for our sins so that any person who believes He is the Son of God, the Savior, will receive salvation and eternal life.

The questions this should make us ask ourselves is, “For what do we strive? What spurs us on and who drives us? Fame, fortune, and self or the Spirit of Christ within us pushing us to live out our faith so other people can know about Jesus.” Neither ways of living and doing earn us salvation. Nothing we can do will earn us salvation from our sins. Living life with the Spirit in us shows people we are Christians, we are saved. People can experience the real, living, and sacrificial Jesus because of our actions of letting the Spirit live in the world through us.

Jesus does not have to rise each day to offer sacrifices for the sins we did since the last sacrifice. His sacrifice was enough to cleanse each person who trusts in Him from all their sins and their consciousness of their sins. He's been sitting on the right side of the Father’s throne since He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. The priests stand, they rise, each day to offer sacrifices because they are given by mortal, sinful men and are from the blood of impure and imperfect sources. Jesus, the pure Son of God, died sinless for all sinners then rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. 

The priests rise each day. Jesus sits.

 It is finished.

The Purpose and Journey

 

“Then He [Jesus] took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.’” (Luke 18:31 [NASB])

“¹Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; ²and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. ¹⁵Therefore, be careful how you walk. ²¹Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Ephesians 5:1-2, 15, & 21 [NASB])

A young adult professed Jesus Christ as the Son of God. She believed in Him for salvation and confessed and repented of her sins. Later, the pastor baptized her. Before the ripples in the baptismal waters stilled, she read Ephesians 5:1-2. She wondered what it meant that she had to imitate Christ and love as He loved. The loving part would be easy, she thought, but would she have to die, experience slander and persecution, and have nothing to call her own? Fear gripped her mind and threatened to halt her daily walk with God. The next Sunday, she heard more through the sermon. The preacher spoke about the Beatitudes-blessed are the persecuted and reviled. After the turmoil rolling in her mind, she received peace. Why are the persecuted and reviled Christians blessed? They will see and be with God. They have a purpose and journey with God.

Luke wrote in Luke 18:28-34, the account of Jesus’ words to His disciples before he made His final journey to Jerusalem. Jesus told them what the prophets wrote, which soon would happen. Before He said this, though, Peter told Him he and the other disciples had left their homes and followed Him. Jesus replied to Peter’s statement by saying no one has left all behind for the sake of the kingdom who would not receive many times more now and in eternity. His statement in verses twenty-nine and thirty prepared the disciples for verses thirty-one through thirty-four. Jesus, too, left the safety of His home in heaven and would face betrayal by His earthly people, the Israelites. He left His Father’s home in heaven and the home of His birth father on earth for the sake of the kingdom of God. The key, the reason Jesus left His homes, is in verses twenty-nine and thirty-one. He did it for God’s purposes.

Consider now what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5. He taught the Christians of Ephesus (modern Turkey) to imitate God as those who looked to their Father for their example. In verse two, he added, they were to love as Christ loved. How did Christ love? He gave His life as a sacrifice for the sins of each person, as the sacrifice for people, and an offering to the Father to give righteousness to sinners. From Ephesians 5:3-21, Paul told these Christians how their lives were to be an offering and sacrifice because of love for God and people. He stated several things. The most important were from verse 18a and 21. Paul told them to “be filled with the Spirit” and “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” By doing these, Christians could be imitators of Christ.

If you consider Ephesians 5:1 and Luke 18:31, Jesus and Paul taught, in word and by example, each Christian is to imitate Christ. Jesus would not have explained what would occur to Him soon, nor would He have told them, in reply to Peter’s statement, that His followers would receive more when following God, if He did not expect His disciples would imitate Him and incur the same treatment of hate, persecution, ostracism, and death by other people’s hands. He, to the disciples, was first their Rabbi, their Teacher. When they called Him Teacher and Lord in John 13, Jesus told them they were correct in calling Him that. So, He spoke to them as Teacher in Luke 18 and as the Savior. Jesus’ life, in the days soon after that lesson, would teach them by example what following Him required. This explains why Jesus reminded them if they gave up everything, including their homes and families, for the sake of the kingdom of God, then God would give them even more than they sacrificed for His purposes. Jesus’ example of sacrifice and submission to the Father’s purposes, to provide the sacrifice for the sin judgment of each person, would replay in their minds and spirits the rest of their lives. It would show them how, why, and of whom they would imitate (Ephesians 5). They would follow Jesus’ example because of their love for God and for people. The disciples received redemption like any other person who trusts in Jesus. They gave their hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits to God in submission because of love for Him and His purposes and because of love for people, so they could hear about the redemption from sin Jesus provided and grow to know and become more like Him daily.

With Ephesians 5:21, Paul emphasized the new meaning of submission. He said it was part of being imitators or Christ. Just as Jesus submitted to God’s plan to live and die as the sinless sacrifice and payment of the judgment of humanity’s sins, so Christians can submit to God, too. Jesus knows people cannot submit their willful and rebellious nature to God or people in their own power. His Spirit, which He gives to live in each Christian, enables the person to be as He is. Like Jesus submitted Himself to God for His purposes, though it would cause Him immeasurable physical pain and departure from His heavenly home, Christians can submit to God’s purposes of love for Him and others through His indwelling Spirit. They can do it because of reverence of Him as the One having authority over them as Teacher, Savior, and Son of God.

Jesus told the disciples what the prophets had spoken in the Old Testament about the Son of Man dying for the sins of all people, then rising to reign in heaven. Christians’ following Christ’s example by being imitators of Him in word, thought, and action would occur because of who Jesus made them to be upon their belief in Him. He would enable them to do these things for the sake of God’s kingdom by His filling them with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Christians will desire to imitate Christ because of their love for God and for all people.

Blessed are the children of God. They will experience persecution, slander, and sometimes death, yet, see God. Yes, thought that young lady. No matter what I will face as I imitate Christ, I will see God. My greatest blessing is God Himself.

 “Be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 [NASB])

Love with a Pure Heart

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22 [NASB])

Peter, when he wrote his letter to the Christians of Asia Minor, which is Turkey today, did not, with the beginning clause, say they could love fervently in their own strength. He understood the sin nature of each person. Peter knew no person was holy, but all are sinners. This means each person could love no other person with the fervency and purity of God without being changed by faith in Jesus Christ. A person loves oneself more than other people. Still, Peter did not say it was impossible to love with a pure heart. Instead, Peter reminded these Christians how they could understand they could love fervently from their hearts.

Peter, in this chapter, appears to give many commands on how to be a Christian and assurances to realize one is a Christian. Yet, if we carefully read the complex sentences of this chapter, we will understand how we can know we have a pure heart with which to love other believers. Going backwards up the verses in the chapter, Peter said believers have their hope, conduct, and faith in God.

How can people realize their hope is in God? From verses twenty to twenty-one, Peter listed ways a person can recognize this in themselves. He said if a person believes in Jesus Christ as the Savior sent from God as planned from the foundation of the world, and that God raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, then you can know your faith and hope are in God. Because this believing person is in a faith relationship with God because of Jesus, the person is being made more into the likeness of Jesus and has the love of God living in him or her.

Notice, within verses seventeen through nineteen, Peter wrote about a second attribute of Christians. Peter said believers conduct themselves in reverent fear of God while on earth because Jesus purified them with something more precious than gold or silver. Christians act and think right because of the reverent fear/awe they have for God, because He is righteous and judges fairly. Jesus purified them with His own blood by dying for their sins. His great love gave the greatest sacrifice. Christian lives should copy Jesus’ love. They can show His love through the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ. A Christian conducts his or her life in a way that reflects Jesus, His love and sacrifice for God and other believers.

Peter said people can be holy because Jesus, their Savior, is holy (vs. 16). Verses thirteen through sixteen remind the Christians in Asia Minor of the holiness, purification, Jesus gives each person who believes in Him. Believers can, with the Spirit’s help, prepare their minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix their hope completely on the grace Jesus gave to them at His revelation, and conform themselves into the image of Christ. By Jesus, they will be holy in their behavior. Holy behavior is living as Christ lived, in love and service to people. People who live like Jesus, act upon the faith God gave them to believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation and have His Spirit in them to transform them into His image and exuding His attributes. Holy living expresses itself in pure and fervent love.

Peter explained this hope, reverent conduct, and holiness given by belief in Jesus Christ enable believers to love each other. These attitudes and actions come from Jesus’ attributes. Since these Christians to whom Peter wrote obeyed the truth and had their souls purified by faith in Jesus, they had available within them the capacity to love brethren sincerely. Pure (holy) and fervent love from their heart occurred because they were born again through Jesus. John reiterated this in 1 John 4:7-14 when he wrote Jesus enables believers to love each other because love comes from God.

John, in 1 John 4:9-10, leads us to understand more about God’s love. He said because of God’s love, He sent His Son into the world “that we might live through Him.” God loves people before they love Him. He showed it by sending His love to all people through Christ. Jesus’ love is not just for believers. His love is for all people. Jesus died for all people. John stated this in John 3:16 when he said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” [NASB] Jesus loves all people. As His disciples, Christians have this same attribute of love from Jesus. Believers are to love all people. Just as Jesus’ love is pure and fervent, the love each Christian has from God to love other people is pure and fervent.

As children of God, Christians are to love fervently, passionately, and purely. They can do this because their faith in Jesus purified them, made them holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). Just as He is holy, He makes believers holy. Christians live in reverent awe of God, the one who redeemed them with His Son’s own blood as the sacrifice for their sins. Because of this great love of Jesus, they can love others with the love that flows from Him to them through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Christians can love all people because of their hope in God. Because they know God loves them, which they will see when Jesus returns to take them to His kingdom, they can show this unending love they received from Christ to all people. Peter explained each of these three points in 1 Peter 1:22-23.

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-23 [NASB])

Jesus came to the world to save all who would believe in Him. John 3:16 explains that. Jesus’ standard of love is the standard for each person who lives. This love is sincere and fervent and based on holiness, faith, and hope. It comes from the source of love, God. Love is one of God’s attributes. What should the extent of our love be? Jesus’ life and death modeled the answer to that question. He taught His disciples about it. Jesus said in John 15:12-13, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” [NASB] Should anyone read John 15:13 to mean Jesus said to love Christians only, Matthew 22:37-39 records Jesus’ deeper understanding of love. He said in these verses, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus loved and still loves fervently. Nothing can separate people from His love. Jesus loves purely. He is holy and no evil taints His love. Jesus loves completely, to the giving of His life so others can live. He gives each Christian, through His Spirit who dwells in him or her, His superabundant love so they can live out His love by loving each person they meet. Jesus does not restrict His love to certain people because of their skin color, politics, accent, physical attributes, income, health, education, or any human-defining category. God makes each person in His image. Jesus came to love and redeem all of us.

Jesus’ love is fervent, holy, and unending.

Our love for all people should be the same.

Jesus makes it possible for people to love as He loves by their becoming His disciples. Will you accept the redemption for your sins He offers to you? Today is your time to think about how you live life. Do you love all people equally without prejudice and stereotypes? Jesus does. He died for every person who has lived to give unending love and salvation to them. Jesus loves you and died for you. What will you say to Him today?

Reality

God loves

People rebelled

Prophets foretold

                                   Angels heralded

Shepherds followed

Wise men sought

                        Cattle lowed

Jesus was born

Angels sang

Shepherds bowed low

Wise men worshipped

Kings sought

People rebelled

Jesus taught  

healed  

forgave

People came

People rebelled

Jesus was crucified  

was sacrificed

---

Jesus redeemed

resurrected

ascended

God loves

gives grace  

offers forgiveness

   waits for you

People accept

People rebel

What will you do? 

Living Sacrificially: A Psalm 51:14-17 Devotional

Psalm 51:14-17

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;

then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips

that my mouth may declare Your praise.

¹⁶For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it.

You are not pleased with burnt offering.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken spirit and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

David recognized he was a sinner. He understood God as loving, kind, merciful, great of compassion, and omnipotent. David realized he sinned against God and only He could cleanse him from sin and guilt. He pled with God and asked for Him to purify him ceremonially and wash him spiritually. David asked for his joy and gladness be restored to him. He asked God to create a clean heart and renewed spirit within him. In the last devotional (vs. 11-13), David realized he was unworthy to live in God’s presence or to have His Spirit live in him. He asked God not to cast him away from Him and not to remove His Spirit. Besides asking for a re-created heart and renewed spirit, David pled to God to restore the joy of his salvation. He wanted to live his life knowing he did not deserve God’s forgiveness, but could know and have hope he was God’s child and would forever be with Him.

What came next, in verse thirteen, begins a multi-verse reaction to God’s forgiveness, re-creation, restoring, and renewing of David. David, out of love for God, stated what he would do. He would teach others who rebelled against God about Him and His ways so they would be converted – turn back to God from their rebellion against Him.

With verses fourteen through sixteen David told God he would show his love to Him through specific actions. Because of God’s delivering him - rescuing him and snatching him  – from bloodguiltiness - from sin and its death penalty, he would joyfully sing of God’s righteousness, declare His praise, and offer his humble and broken being for God’s plans and purposes. David said he would sing and tell everyone about God and His righteous being, justice, and forgiveness. He would declare his own salvation from sin, guilt, and death by God (vs. 14). We read David did this in Psalm 35:28 and 71:15. In both these verses he declared God’s righteousness and salvation, both of which he was unable to fathom the depth. Do we show our love of God? Is it a visible testimony so others can know God, too?

Next David continued to state what he would do because of God’s righteousness, justice, and forgiveness (vs. 15). He asked God to open his lips to declare His praise. David wanted to express what God did for him and who God is. This speaks of the literal interpretation. Metaphorically, “lips” refers to the shore or edge of rivers and seas and “mouth” refers to a river, sea, or well. From this, we realize David’s praise and declaration of God would have no end. What he said would be just the beginning and did not encompass the entirety of Who God truly is. God is boundless; David loved Him and could spend each of his days praising and telling about Him and still would never finish speaking of God. In Psalm 71:15, he could not know the sum of God. Do we run out of things to say about God? Can we talk about God every day and never get to the end of who God is? Are we willing to spend our days praising Him?

With verse sixteen, David recognized no ritual animal sacrifice was acceptable to God for providing permanent salvation from sins. God does not delight in the death and sacrifice of animals, otherwise David would have given it. What we own - our possessions - will not testify to our realization of our smallness and unworthiness of righteous, forgiving, and saving God. To make an adamant point, David repeated this and said, “You are not pleased with burnt offerings.” Do we today try to offer something physical and fleeting to God hoping it is enough to show our gratefulness to Him?

David recognized nothing he could give God would be enough. He realized only by giving himself – his whole being created and restored by God – to God could his gratitude, love, and devotion be most shown to Him. This requires recognition of God worthiness and our unworthiness. It compels us to give that which is most dear to us – our lives, that which is eternal because of God’s forgiveness and salvation given to us. David acknowledged this in verse seventeen when he said, “The sacrifices acceptable to God are a broken spirit; a broken spirit and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” “Broken spirit and contrite heart” speak of David’s sorrow for sin and humble and thoroughly penitent approach to God. This broken spirit is a person’s crushed will, that which a person uses to decide, one’s temperament, and one’s choices - right or wrong. The person realizes what he or she has done or thought is crushed because of recognizing God and His ways. That person renders him or herself crumbled by his or her sin in the presence of almighty God. The contrite heart speaks of a broken or crushed inner man because of recognition of sin and unworthiness. Both these phrases refer to a person who is broken with sorrow for sin and humble and thorough penitence before God. This person recognizes God’s greatness and salvation as opposed to his or her sinfulness and finiteness. The person realizes he or she has nothing worthy to give to God in gratitude and love that is sufficient for what God did in his or her life except to give back his or her greatest possession – his or her life.

The sacrifices we give to God, all we own, came from God. They are fleeting and nothing more than possessions. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and everything in the created world. Our God-made saved and eternal selves are greater than anything we have to give back to God in thanks and praise. David said this; his life was the greatest sacrifice he could offer, and he chose to give it back to God as a living testimony of word and action.

Have you come to the place where you realize there is nothing you can give God that is adequate to free you from sin, guilt, and death? Sin requires justice. Penitential confession recognizes God, His greatness, and His power to forgive and save forever. Our response to Him should be love for Him. David shows us love for God should lead us to live out in word and action praise and worship of God and obedience to His ways. How has your walk with God been today? Did your words and actions speak of God so others would note it and learn more about and praise Him, too? True love for God should be evident in our obedience to Him.

What do your words and actions say about God today? It may be time for you to return to God and let Him re-create your heart and renew your spirit.

What will you choose to do? Will you live sacrificially today?

Hebrews 10:1-6, 9-10 A Devotion

1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.

3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,

4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;

6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

9 Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.

10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [NIV]

The Law God gave to Moses and the Israelites in the Old Testament was given to lead people to God, never to save them. The writer of Hebrews said this and Jesus confirmed it in these verses.

Hebrews 10 says the same sacrifices offered endlessly year after year cannot make a person perfect (sin free). If it did make a person perfect and sin free, then there would be no need for sacrifice after sacrifice. A person’s guilt is not wiped away with ritual sacrifices, nor is their sin. Those sacrifices of the Old Testament were just reminders of sin.

Jesus said, “With burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.” Therefore, The Father created a body for His Son to indwell and sacrifice. He was the perfect sacrifice that lasts forever, because the Son rose from the dead to be alive again. So His sacrifice for sins lasts, because He is part of the everlasting Godhead.

Jesus said this in verse nine when He said, “Behold I have come to do your will.” It was God’s will to provide a better sacrifice than that of bulls and goats that had to be sacrifices over and over. He provided the ultimate and perfect sacrifice, the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice lasts forever because He rose from the grave to live forever. Because of that, His sacrifice covers all sin for all time.

From this, we learn we cannot provide the sacrifice to cover and take away our sins. Our sacrifices would be finite. So, we can do nothing to be cleansed from our sins. What we can do is accept by faith the grace God offers to us by His love and through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. We cannot save ourselves from sin and death, but Jesus can and did. You have only to accept it by faith.

And what is faith? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” [Hebrews 11:1]

Will you believe and stop striving to save yourself?

God’s Love: Exceedingly Abundant Beyond Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3

Let us do a quick review. In Ephesians 1, we found that Paul addressed his letter to the Ephesian Christians, Gentile believers, and to “faithful followers.” This letter is meant for every Christian. Paul told us that God loved each of us before He created the world. He made a plan for us to return to Him since before the creation of the world. Ephesians 2 tells us through Christ, God made His children, every Christian, into one body where Jesus Christ is the head. Jesus Christ made this possible by fulfilling the Law and its ordinances. Because of that, He removed the barrier or wall between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Now in Christ, we are under one covenant, the Messianic covenant. Hence, we are established together as part of the foundation of Christ’s church with the saints who went before us and with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. Being under a new covenant and in one body together whether Jew or Gentile is the great new idea in Ephesians 2 that Paul taught. None of this, though, is about us. God is the focus. He created us. He fulfilled His covenant through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. He calls us to return to Him. He grows us into His temple by building us together. We do nothing toward making the Messianic covenant, nor did we do anything to earn such loving-kindness from God.

            In Ephesians 3, Paul taught about the mystery that God revealed through Christ, that Gentiles are fellow heirs of the promise in Christ Jesus (vs. 6). Paul told them and us that God revealed His mystery, which was unknown in other generations, to His apostles and prophets in the Spirit. God’s plan from the beginning was to bring everyone back into relationship with Himself. From the Old Testament, we find that God chose a group of people, the Israelites, to be His chosen people. You can find this in Jeremiah 24:7, 31:33, and 32:38 and Ezekiel 11:20, 34:30, and 36:28. In the fulfillment of His covenant with the Israelites through the offering of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the sin sacrifice, God created a new covenant and revealed His mystery - He calls all believers His children.

            Let us go back to understand better. At the beginning of this chapter, Paul explained that he yielded himself as a captive/bond servant of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles. Jesus’ call of Paul on the Damascus road revealed to Paul that Jesus sent him to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul said he received God’s grace to be a steward for and to the Gentiles. God disclosed this revelation to him and told him His mystery that God included Gentiles as those who are called to return to Him, not just Jews.

Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members belonging to the body of Christ (Ephesians 3:4, Romans 11:25, and Colossians 1:26-27). God did not reveal this mystery before, but revealed it to the His apostles and prophets in the Spirit. As fellow heirs, Gentiles have right to the inheritance with other believers in Christ. Because they are fellow members of the body of Christ and fellow partakers, they share in the promise of Christ Jesus through the Gospel, salvation – an eternal relationship with God and eternal life. As Christians of Gentile background, we are given the grace of God to become fellow heirs, partakers, and members of Christ’s body with other believers, Jewish and Gentile (vs. 5-6).

Paul said God made him a “minister (one who executes the commands of God) according to the gift of God’s grace” (vs. 7). He is a minister for God because God chose him to receive His grace, not because of his (Paul’s) worthiness. Paul was a minister for God by God’s power working within him. He acknowledged God gifted him and empowered him to be His minister/servant. Paul felt his duty keenly. He said, “To me, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery, which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things” (vs. 8-9). God gave Paul His grace to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation to the Gentiles. Paul said he was to preach about God’s unfathomable riches. These riches have an unknowable beginning and end, so they cannot be fully comprehended (vs.18 – 19). The riches, according to Paul in others of his letters are kindness, tolerance, patience (Romans 2:4), forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), and strength of power through His Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). Since we are dealing with Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we will narrow God’s riches to forgiveness of sins and power through the Spirit. Paul said, too, he was to make known what is the dispensing of the mystery (how God will administer His salvation to Gentile and Jew). God did not reveal this mystery until He called Paul to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. God made Paul a steward/dispenser/minister of this Gospel. The Greek word oikonomia is what is translated as administer or dispense. God called Paul to do this, dispense of/proclaim God’s grace, which God hid in Himself. Remember, God chose each of us to be in a relationship with Him before He created us (Ephesians 1:4), before the Abrahamic covenant. Hence, He chose all people to be in relationship with Him before He formed the world. The Messianic covenant returned us to that status.

God calls every person to return to Him through Jesus Christ, not just Jews. By revealing His mystery then, God revealed His manifold (many and varied) wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (vs. 10). Ephesians 6:12 calls these the world forces of darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness. Colossians 2:15 says God will disarm rulers and authorities and will have the head rule over every dark force. Paul said God’s wisdom is greater than anything one can think or imagine. He had this mystery planned from before the foundation of the world. God’s wisdom will disarm all the dark rulers and authorities and He will rule over them. This was according to the eternal purposes, the purpose of the ages, which God formed and carried out in Christ as Lord. We can have fearless confidence, cheerful courage, and confident access through faith in Him (vs. 12). Remember the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 is “faith is the conviction of things hoped for and the assurance of thins not seen.” We can approach the throne of God because of His forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ and our giving Him control of our life as Lord. Paul said this in Ephesians 2:18, “For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. We know He will accept us and be with us.”

Paul did not stop with telling the Gentiles of their acceptance into the family of God through Jesus Christ, God’s mystery. Paul prayed five things for them from God’s riches, His abundance. He prayed they would not lose heart, faint, at the tribulations he endured for their glory (vs. 13). This glory came because of his and God’s opinion of them - they are loved by God. Paul prayed they would be strengthened with power through the Spirit in the inner man, the soul and conscience. This he prayed so that Christ would inhabit and govern their hearts and souls through faith (vs. 16-17). Paul prayed they would be rooted (fixed and established) and grounded with a firm foundation in love so they could have the full ability to comprehend (learn, understand, and take hold of) along with the saints who went before them what is the breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s love for them. Job spoke of this unfathomable and immeasurable-ness of God’s love in Job 11:7-9. He said, “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? They are as high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? It’s measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.” You cannot know even the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven, which God created, so how can you fully comprehend God and His love? Paul said in Ephesians 3:19, the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. The love of Christ is exceeding knowledge. The final prayer request of Paul’s for the faithful followers is that they “may be filled up to all fullness of God” (vs. 19). Our English word fullness translates from the Greek word pleroma. Pleroma is the abundance or being fully filled with the presence, power, agency, and riches of God and Christ. Paul prayed the believers would not lose heart, would be strengthened with God’s power in their soul, would be able to comprehend the depths of God’s love, would know the love of Christ, and would be completely filled with the presence of God and His abundance.

To finish this section of his letter to the Ephesians and other faithful followers, Paul offered a benediction of praise to the Father and Son in verses 21 and 22. He said, “Now to Him, the One who is able to do far more than we can ask or think, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Paul returned to his words in chapter 1 when he said “to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” He spoke of the exceeding abundantly in chapter 1. In chapter 3 Paul added the word “beyond,” which comes from the Greek word huperekeina. Huperekeina means super, beyond what we can think. This word used in one other place in the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 10:16. The ability to do this beyond our imaginings is according to the power that is working within us, God’s power. The word “power” in Greek is dunamis, from which we derive our word dynamite. “Works” is the Greek word energeo and means operates. Energeo is from where we derive our word “erg.” So, this part of the verse can read “according to the dynamo that is erg (working) within us.” This dynamo does not derive from ourselves, but from the exceeding abundant fullness of God and Christ within our souls. The glory Paul gave here was to God. He stated this in the rest of the chapter, “To Him is the glory (magnificence, excellence, dignity, and grace) in the church (the assembly of believers) and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

God is the one who receives the glory, we are not. He is the one with the unfathomable and immeasurable love. God is the one who chose us and created us from the beginning. He is the one who provided the perfect sacrifice for our sins. God is the one who calls us to return to Him. He is the one who fills us completely to an exceeding overabundance with His power through His Holy Spirit. God chose to love each of us, Jew and Gentile, and calls each believer to be in His household as fellow heirs and partakers of His promise. We can do nothing to earn His love and we could do nothing to offer the sufficient sacrifice that fulfilled the Mosaic covenant. We are the created and the recipient of God’s love. We are the receiver and God is the initiator and perfector. Notice in verses 18b-21, the verb is present tense when referring to God. These verses tell us there is no limit to God’s love. God is always present and active. In verses 16-18b, Paul spoke to the followers as recipients when he used the word “may.” The Gospel is not about us, but about God, His unfathomable love, His sacrifice, His calling to us, and His glory.

God still calls to His creation today. He calls them to return to His love. God provided the perfect sacrifice with the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the covenant humankind could not fulfill because of their limited ability and power.

God will keep calling for you to return to His love. His whole purpose for creating you was to be in a love relationship with you.

Will you trust Him and return to Him today?

The Greater(est) King-Priest

Hebrews 7 

While living in a world of different religious thoughts, people confront you with the question of the reality and sufficiency of God’s salvation. I know many religions that do not even believe in Jesus and His deity. There are those religions that do, though, but they skew the Gospel. I began studying more intently on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ because of these off-shoots of Christianity so I could give a very well researched and biblical response to people who have been deceived by these skewed gospel presentations. This study has taken me through both the Old and New Testaments, looking at the old and new covenants. The next few blog posts are my thoughts on Jesus as High Priest, King, and sufficient sacrifice. I gladly accept any comments you may have on this topic and will try to write back to each of you. Let us begin our study with Hebrews 7. I will be using the New American Standard Bible. I encourage you to have your Bible beside you as you walk through these studies with me.

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually . 4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law ), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron ? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of Him, "YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK." 18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect ), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, "THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ' "); 22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens ; 27 who does not need daily , like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.

            Verses 25-28 are the crux of this chapter, but no one can understand completely the power of them without the first twenty-four verses, which explains how Jesus’ priesthood, like Melchizadek’s, is greater than that of all other priests of God. This then explains how Jesus’ sacrifice is better than that of other priests. We must begin with Melchizadek.

            The writer of Genesis mentioned Melchizadek in Genesis 14:18-20. His name means king of righteousness. He was the king of Salem, the city later renamed Jerusalem. Salem means peace, so Melchizadek was the king of peace. Abraham recognized him as a priest of God and gave him a tenth of his takings from his battle with the kings who conquered Sodom and took his kinsman Lot captive. Melchizadek brought bread and wine to Abraham and he blessed Abraham. Melchizadek, a lesser man, blessed Abraham, who is greater because of God’s promise to him (Hebrews 7:6-7). This king, Melchizadek, is, thus, considered a priest-king (blessing others, accepting tithes, and giving wine and bread). King David and the writer of Hebrews used Melchizadek as a type for describing the Son of God, Jesus Christ, not just because he was a priest and king, but because his genealogy was not known and his birth and death were not known. He appeared to be eternal so the Israelites considered that his priesthood went into perpetuity. Another reason the Israelites considered Melchizadek a greater priest than the Levitical priests is the argument that since Abraham gave him a tithe, the Levites, as descendents who were still in the loins of Abraham, also gave him a tithe. For these reasons, the writer of Hebrews and King David considered Melchizadek’s priesthood greater than the Levitical priesthood and made him a type of the king-priest the Messiah would be.

            The Jewish arguments for the priesthood and the Law occur in verses 11-21. Several arguments arise in these verses, but the first is that if the Levitical priesthood was adequate to provide sufficient atonement for sins, why would Jehovah have spoken in the Old Testament about the need for a new covenant that comes through a better priesthood? (See Jeremiah 31:31-34.) Why would this priest not be from the tribe of Levi? The answer lies in the argument of Hebrews 7. Through the Law, the Levitical priests received their roles and authority. Since the Law could not save people from their sins, but served to point people to God, the sacrifice dictated by the Law was not enough and the priesthood called for by the Law was not enough. So, the holy, perfect, and sufficient priest would not come from the line of Levi. The new priest came not because of the law of physical requirement (from the tribe of Levi), but according to the power of indestructible life (vs. 16). The new priest came with power over life and righteousness. King David said this priest would be according to the order of Melchizadek (Psalm 110:1-4). Zechariah the prophet said the priest who was coming would bear the honor and glory of the only begotten of the Father. He would be a priest upon the Father’s  throne and the counsel of peace would be between the two offices – Priest and King (vs. 6:13). This only begotten of the Father, His Son, is greater than the Levites. He brought a holy, pure, and perfect sacrifice and with it a new covenant. He is not time bound. These attributes made the Israelites remember Melchizadek, who was before the Levitical priests ordained by God.

            Verses 18 through 19 speak of how the priesthood of Christ sets aside the earlier covenant of God with the Israelites because of the weakness of the Mosaic covenant. Its weakness did not come from God, but from sinful humanity who did not keep their agreement, which they made in their covenant with Yahweh. Because of human inability to keep their side of the covenant, the covenant was useless. It could not give them unbroken relationship with Yahweh or eternal life. The Law made nothing perfect. The Law made people aware of their sin, but did not make them perfect. Paul said this very succinctly in Romans 3:20 and 7:7 and in Galatians 2:16 and 3:21. Luke spoke of it in Acts 13:39. The Law was not adequate to bring redemption for human sins, but only to point out sinfulness and point them to God. Humankind can only be made perfect and just by the holy, pure, and perfect priest, Jesus Christ. With the greater Priest and King, who brought in a change of and better covenant, came a better hope with joyful expectation of eternal salvation.

            Something that must be noticed in verses 21 and 22 is that God made an oath to Israel and He does not renege on His oaths. Moses, Samuel, and Paul each attested to this in their writings, Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, and Romans 11:29. What God promises, He fulfills. God promised a better covenant and it would have to be administered by a better Priest. He brought His Priest in through an oath (of a better covenant), but the Levitical priests were not required to make an oath when they became priests. He promised to bring a Savior to the world and this Savior became our great High Priest and King. God’s promises have never been void and He fulfilled this promise, as well, unlike Israel who did not fulfill their promise/oath with God in the Mosaic covenant. Jesus is the fulfillment of the oath/promise and He is the guarantee and surety of a better covenant. This better covenant does not need humans to do anything, which makes it a better covenant. Humankind is not faithful to their oaths. What God pledges He fulfills.

            The writer of Hebrews gave examples of how Jesus Christ is the greater Priest. In verses 23-24, the writer said there were many priests before Christ who could not bring full redemption and perfection from sinfulness to sinlessness. Each time the priests interceded for the people, they first had to cleanse themselves from their own sins with sacrifices. They, too, were unclean. Jesus never sinned though tempted. Second, the writer stated the Levitical priests had to repeatedly offer sacrifices of rams and bulls for the Israelites because they continued to sin and continued needing to be cleansed to be in God’s presence. Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect the first time and no other sacrifice is needed for those who believe in Him. Third, the Levitical priests died throughout the centuries. Men crucified Jesus, but He defeated death and returned to life three days later. The priests sprinkled the blood of the sacrificed animals over the people (see Exodus 24:8). Likewise, Jesus’ blood confirmed the new covenant. The idea and promise of a new covenant was not a surprise to Israel. Jeremiah spoke of God’s promise about it in Jeremiah 31:31.

Since Jesus returned to life after His crucifixion and always exists, His sacrifice is always available for those who have faith in Him, not that He must offer more sacrifice, but that His one-time sacrifice is enough and will exist throughout eternity for those who, by faith, believe in Him (vs. 25). He does not have to offer another sacrifice. His once-for-all sacrifice is adequate to redeem people from all their sins of the past and any they may do in the future. The intercession spoken of in verse 25 is entugcano in Greek. It means to meet with a person for conversation, consultation, or supplication. It means to pray or entreat someone to help another person. Verse 25 says Christ prays to and entreats the Father to help His children as they live on earth so they stay strong in their faith, have their needs provided, and know His love and presence. Christ’s intercession is not added atonement to save humankind. Intercession is His conversation with the Father on the behalf of His children, those who believe in Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, he spoke of them being more than conquerors. In verse 33, Paul said God justified, made a person perfect. He then asked in verse 34 who can condemn believers since Jesus Christ who died and is sitting on the right hand of the Father is interceding for them. Notice, a person is justified fully and completely redeemed/atoned for before Christ intercedes for him or her. This intercession that Christ does is entreating the Father to send aid to keep the believers strong in their daily walk, be it for their trials or daily needs. Hebrews 9:24 states again, Christ entered heaven, not a temple made of human hands, and speaks to the Father for us.

Summing his thoughts in the chapter, the writer of Hebrews reiterated the salient points of the argument. Read again verses 26-28. He described this high priest as holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. No high priest of the Levitical priesthood could say he was any of these. They had to atone for their own sins before they could atone for the sins of the Israelites. This “holy” is hosios in Greek, which means pure, free from sin. “Innocent” is akakos, which means without guile or fraud, harmless, free from guilt. “Undefiled” is amiantos, which means not soiled, deformed or debased and does not have its force impaired. “Separated” is chorizo, which means to divide or remove one’s self. “Exalted” is hupselos, which means high and lofty in influence and honor. To be a high priest, one is assumed to be holy, innocent, undefiled and separated from sin. The writer added these words after “high priest” for emphasis. Additionally, to be holy, an attribute related only to God’s being, means to be innocent, undefiled, and separated. No human is holy and so no human can be the priest who provides full atonement for sins. Only God is holy and only God can give complete cleansing and atonement/redemption from sins. Another attribute of God is that He is exalted. He is high and lofty in influence and honor. No other person can be exalted because of their being/personhood. Their position can make them due to be revered, such as a king or queen of a nation, but none is exalted because of who they are, their being. The Triune God is each of these and is able then to be the perfect/righteous Priest and King. None of the Levitical priests was perfect and clean from sin. The Israelites considered Melchizadek, of all priests of God, a type of priest who was like the Christ, not born in the Levitical priesthood and appointed by God. Christ does not need to daily offer up sacrifices for sin, like the Levitical high priests, first for themselves and then for the people, because He is holy and He sacrificed once-for-all (complete when done the one time) when He offered up Himself. The blood of rams and calves, creatures of creation, are not enough to cleanse us for eternity. (See Hebrews 9:12.) These animals are not eternal and their blood cannot cleanse or remove sin or guilt for all time. It took the eternal, holy, all-powerful God to take away the sins of all humanity for all time. He is beyond time and the Creator of time. His sacrifice is completely sufficient to remove the sin of humankind. Christ, the perfect Son of God, is the perfect sacrifice - eternal, all-powerful, and holy. This all-powerful, all-redeeming Son of God does not need to offer sacrifice repeatedly. His one sacrifice is adequate to cleanse sin forever. He rules eternity and His sacrifice is greater than any humans can offer in their finite lives. His sacrifice is enough. Hebrews 10:14 says this more succinctly, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” One offering, one sacrifice, because of its perfection and the perfection of the Priest, is all that was needed forever.

The writer of Hebrews completed his thoughts in verse 28, “For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.” Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law and its requirements for redemption and atonement for sin. As the High Priest of God and the Son of God, His sacrifice was perfect and complete. His Priesthood is holy. God provided the perfect High Priest and the perfect sacrifice to remove our sins from humankind forever. His oath, His promise, to humanity is fulfilled. Nothing more is needed from humankind other than belief in Jesus Christ, no good works or deeds. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Lamb who came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Now and forever, He sits at the right hand of God in heaven interceding for us with the Father for our needs.

            As we come to the end of this chapter, we must each decide for ourselves who we believe Jesus Christ to be. Is he just a man born over 2000 years ago? If so, you have no hope for anything beyond your meager years on earth. Is he a prophet? If so, you will die looking beyond the gift given by God 2013 years ago in the form of an infant. Is He the Great High Priest and King? Your belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God gives you eternal forgiveness for your sins and a life forever in heaven with God. It is your decision. You must be the one to choose to believe in Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews laid it out plain so that everyone would know the truth. I pray you have seen the truth in your heart and now believe in Jesus Christ, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

**Strong's New Testament Greek Lexicon was used in this post.