SACRIFICES UNDER MOSES' LAW WERE INSUFFICIENT The blood of the law was not sufficient to cleanse men of sin. The law was just a shadow, or vague outline, of the good things that were to come under the new covenant. Since it was not the image, or true body, the law and its sacrifices could not contin... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST, THE BETTER SACRIFICE Since Christ, the better sacrifice, was needed to cleanse man, He came into the world saying the words of Psalms 49:6-8. David recognized burnt offerings did not fulfill his needs. Milligan notes the exact quotation in the King James Version had the words, "ears hast tho... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST IS NOW SEATED AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND The many priests of the old covenant stood performing sacrificial duties day after day. The desired result of cleansing from sin was not attained. In contrast, Christ only made His sacrifice once and sat down with His work completed. There was no need for num... [ Continue Reading ]
ENTERING HEAVEN THROUGH THE VEIL OF CHRIST'S FLESH Clearly, Christians should have confidence they will one day enter heaven. They are able to enter, not through a lifeless law, but through a living Christ. The only way to enter is through the torn veil of Jesus' flesh. The Christian has a Great Pr... [ Continue Reading ]
HOLDING FAST THE CONFESSION OF HOPE A home in heaven is the sincere hope of every Christian. The writer encouraged his readers toward faith in the one who promised such a home. He urged them to hold fast to Christ and His teachings since He is the object of the Christian's confession of faith. As C... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES AND FAITH At his birth, Moses' parents displayed a great faith in God. They knew Pharaoh had commanded all male children be thrown in the river, but they hid their son three months (Exodus 1:22; Exodus 2:1-3.) God rewarded their faith by allowing their son to be spared (Exodus 2:4-10). When Mo... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DANGER OF WILLFUL SIN Forsaking the assemblies was a willful sin which, along with other willful sins, pushed away the sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, there was no more sacrifice available to the one who did such. Instead, he could only look forward to judgment and eternal damnation. Lightfoot... [ Continue Reading ]
BELIEVING TO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL Just as he did in chapter 6, the writer turned to encourage the Hebrew brethren. He wanted them to remember the days of persecution they previously endured. This was because they had turned from being children of darkness to being children of light. They had beco... [ Continue Reading ]