Posted on 12/02/2020 6:59:30 AM PST by metmom
"The point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb. 8:1).
Since Jesus serves as our High Priest, we have access to God.
Access to God was always a problem for the Jewish people. Exodus 33:20 declares that no man can see God and live. Once each year, on the great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the Jewish high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, where God's presence dwelt in a unique sense, to approach God on behalf of the people.
God's covenant with Israel was the basis for their communion with Him. And the sacrificial system that accompanied the Old Covenant gave the people an outward act to represent their inner repentance. But their sacrifices were incessant because their sin was incessant. They needed a perfect priest and sacrifice to provide access to God permanently. That's exactly what Jesus was and did.
Hebrews 10 says that Jesus offered His body as a sacrifice for mankind's sins once for all, then sat down at the right hand of the Father (vv. 10, 12). That was a revolutionary concept to Jewish thinking. A priest on duty could never sit down because his work was never done. But Jesus introduced a new and wonderful element into the sacrificial system: one sacrifice, offered once, sufficient for all time. That was the basis of the New Covenant.
Our Lord's priesthood is permanent and perpetual: "Because He abides forever, [He] holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:24-25). That's the central message of the book of Hebrews.
It wasn't easy for the Jewish people to accept the need for a new covenant. Most rejected Christ outright. Similarly, many people today reject His priesthood, supposing they can gain access to God on their own terms. But they're tragically mistaken. Jesus Himself said, "No one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6).
Suggestion for Prayer
Praise God for receiving you into His presence through His Son, Jesus Christ.
For Further Study
Read Hebrews 10:19-25, noting how God wants you to respond to Christ's priesthood.
Studying God’s Word ping
Thank you.
Notice Christ says no one comes to the father but through Me. No other intercession is needed or effective. We are wonderfully blessed to approach the Throne of Grace directly. Christ has done this for us praise His Name forever!
"No one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6).
Sounds like Marcionism
Yes Christ knows that walking with God was always His mission, free us from the learned dead and teach us to walk with as a sign of understanding His Word, man has read too much and walked too little..the purpose of the Bible was not to answer all our questions, God our Father reserves that for himself, it was to get us to believe He is with us. No priest needed, believe in the living God of Isreal in Christ we approach the throne as children..His way is not mans..
Jesus is the One who says He is the only way to the Father. The entire OT points to Christ and His salvation. I don’t see how you get marcionism out of that. Are you accusing Christ of heresy?
I'm says parts of the Christian Bible map to Marcionism. The passages here do. Much of Paul's letters do.
Marcion taught that the God of the Old Testament was the author of evil, oppressive, and a lesser and distinct entity from the God of the New Testament who exhibited love and forgiveness. This is a Gnostic idea where lesser gods are involved in the world, and the true supreme God is far above, inaccessible... He argued that there were two gods — a creator and a redeemer. The former was the god of the Old Testament, who was evil and capricious. The latter was the god of love and redemption, whom Jesus Christ revealed." (https://carm.org/what-is-marcionism)
Are you aware that Christians accept the entire JEWISH Old Testament as Divinely-revealed truth, that we believe in ONLY one, true God revealed in three "persons" - Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Marcion was a heretic who demonstrated his ignorance of the WHOLE Bible and leaned towards Gnosticism. I don't see how you could accuse Paul of teaching the same thing. Please elaborate.
Because Marcion's Canon included 10 of Paul's Letters.
Even satan quoted Scrioture and twisted it’s meaning. That does not mean Scripture is wrong, just the person trying to impose their interpretation
on it.
A point Jews have been pointing out to Christians for two Millenia.
It will soon be very clear to all who Jesus Christ is. I have the privilege of falling to my knees to call Him Lord and Savior before it is too late. I pray my Jewish brethren will as well
So, are you admitting that your initial statement really didn't have anything to do with the topic Jesus: Our High Priest - DEVOTIONAL but was intended to pit Jewish Freepers against the Christian ones? Maybe you didn't know this, but threads labeled as "Devotional" are closed to debate of any kind per the Religion Moderator's rules Religion Moderator. If you want to open a thread to discuss WHY Christians don't accept the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah, go ahead. I'll be glad to explain it.
And Catholics; too.
You keep referring to this. What are the verses?
Dang!
What have I done with my Catholic statement above?
Perhaps after the Catholics or the Jews read the opening title and words; they'll not continue reading comments anyway.
Who knows. I guess we'll find out later today...
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