Reading: Hebrews 8-10
But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second (Heb. 8:6-7). In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13).
It can be comforting to believe that we have options in life. We have been conditioned since childhood to always have a contingency plan in place for any significant situation to increase our chances for success in the event of unforeseen complications. The idea of relying on a fallback plan had become very attractive to the Jewish Christians to whom the Book of Hebrews was first addressed. Persecution of Christians had reached an all-time high, and there were those amongst them who had begun to believe that the cost of following Christ was too steep. They felt it would be safer to return to the old ways and honor God in the manner of their ancestors. This, they reasoned, would be good enough, as it was still a path that had been prescribed by God.
The writer of Hebrews was tasked with convincing them of the danger inherent to this way of thinking. Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me (John 14:6). With the coming of Christ, the placeholder was no longer necessary, and the first covenant had been retired. Gone was the ability for sin to be ritually covered and atoned. Jesus had taken on His person the entirety of all of mankind’s transgressions, past, present, and future, and the only way to free oneself from the chains tying one to those transgressions was to accept the cleansing power of His shed blood. There was no contingency plan—no going back. Either you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, or you were lost.
This is as true today as it was then. The Old Testament records the details of God’s first Covenant with man, but it does so only so that we might learn of the fullness of His presence. He wishes us to be able to look backward and recognize Christ from the moment of creation, and to that end, He has given us the totality of His Word. At no time and in no way is He offering us a choice of how to obtain salvation.
There will be times that following the teachings of Jesus will place us at odds with the world in which we live, times that we, just like the early Jewish Christians, might be tempted to take a less ‘controversial’ path, one that is more in line with modern societal mores and values. This is a temptation that we must resist. There is ONE Covenant standing between God and Man, and ONE way, and only ONE way, that we can avail ourselves of that Covenant. All other paths lead to death.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved(Acts 4:10-12).
Thought for Today: There is no alternative path to heaven; God has marked for us the only road.
Cross Reference:For Heb. 8:5: See Ex. 25:40. Heb. 8:8-12: See Jer. 31:31-34. Heb. 9:20-21: See Ex. 24:8. Heb. 10:5-7: See Ps. 40:6-8. Heb. 10:12-13: See Ps. 110:1. Heb. 10:16-17: See Jer. 31:33-34. Heb. 10:30: See Deut. 32:35-36. Heb. 10:37-38: See Hab. 2:3-4.
Word Studies:8:10 New Covenant = I will . . . write them in their hearts, in contrast to the Old Covenant – written in stone; 9:2 candlestick = lampstand; 10:33 gazingstock = object of public ridicule; 10:36 patience = steadfast endurance, trust; 10:39 perdition = state of being eternally lost.
Pray for Bible Pathway Printer:Pollock Printing, Nashville, TN • Country: Libya (6,244,174) North Africa • Major Languages: Arabic, Italian, English • Reports of arrest and imprisonment on the basis of religious belief • 97% Muslim; 3% Christian • Prayer Suggestion: Remember that God hears and answers our prayers (Is. 65:24).