CHRIST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD FOR US

Heb. 9:24 ... "Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." 

     A priest is one who has been appointed to officiate in holy things unto God on behalf of others. This sacred service is usually performed in a special place, called a "sanctuary," because the Deity has set it aside for that purpose. In the Mosaic system there was an order of priests, restricted to the tribe of Levi, who were appointed by God to officiate in holy things unto Him on behalf of all the other people of Israel, (Heb. 5:1-4). "There are those who offer the gifts according to the Law, who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things," (Heb. 8:4b-5a). These were the Levitical priests who performed their duties within the Tabernacle, (and later in the Temple), which was divided by an ornate curtain into two rooms. The first of them was exactly twice the size of the other. The larger was called the "Holy Place," and the smaller the "Holy of Holies," that is, the "Most Holy Place." Only the High Priest was allowed to pass the curtain and enter the Most Holy Place, (Heb. 9:6-7). And then he was allowed to enter only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, in order to atone for the sins of the people during the previous year, (see Lev. 16).

      The featured text above, Heb. 9:24, is contrasting Christ and His priesthood with that of the Mosaic system. Christ is God's last and eternal High Priest. He is far superior to the aggregate of all the high priests who served under the Law, (Heb. 5:5-10; 7:12-28; 8:1-6; 9:1-28). He, too, performs His sacred duties before God on behalf of Christians in a specially designated place. But whereas the Levitical priests functioned in the Tabernacle or Temple, constructed of earthly materials by human hands, Christ officiates "at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man," (Heb. 8:1-2). The Hebrew tabernacle, or later the temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod, were only "a mere copy of the true one." That is, they were only weak physical reflections of that celestial Sanctuary where Christ represents His people unto God face to face.

      But what is the practical significance unto us today of the superiority of Jesus' high priesthood and of the Sanctuary beyond the mere recognition of its place so far above the Mosaic prototypes? The answer to this most relevant question is well supplied in the following chapter in this statement, "Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith," (10:21-22). Because Jesus is our perfect High Priest, we as Christians are endowed with an assurance that is full, such as no other religious people have ever had. In our faith we are confident that Jesus can represent us unto the Father until the end of this age and will, even then, present us unto His Father as acceptable children purified by His blood, clothed in His perfect righteousness, and sealed for salvation by the impression of His name upon our souls.

      Hebrews 9:24 is an especially meaningful verse to every disciple of Christ, for it is pregnant with comfort, exhortation, and hope. As the Levitical high priest entered once each year into the Holy of Holies with the blood of animals to atone for the sins of Israel, Jesus as our superior High Priest "through His own blood ... entered the holy place [heaven itself] once for all, having obtained eternal redemption," (Heb. 9:12). Notice the significance of the word "eternal." The blood offered by the Mosaic priest was effective for only a year, but the blood offered by Christ in His priestly office is effective forever. This is because it was "His own blood," not the blood of bulls or goats, which could not atone for human sins, (Heb. 10:3-4). Having obtained forgiveness for our sins with His blood, Jesus presents us unto God as souls whom He will accept. Also, Jesus as our High Priest is an intercessor through Whom we may make our petitions to the Father with assurance that He will listen, consider, and grant them according to His will to our best interests.

I WILL BE THEIR GOD

Heb. 8:10b ... "I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 

      In the second chapter of Genesis we are told that God created the man and woman and placed them in a "garden toward the east, in Eden." Translated from a Hebrew word meaning "delight," Eden was nothing less than a paradise on earth. In addition to the physical beauty, comfort, and pleasure of this physical expression of God's love for the human pair He had created in His own Image, we recognize another and very wonderful expression revealed in the words, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day," (Gen. 3:8). It seems that God came down at certain times into the garden in some form of manifestation, here indicated as the "sound (or voice) of the Lord God," in order to "walk" in closer proximity to the man and woman. Could this indicate one of God's motives in creating man, namely, that He might have an intelligent being with whom He could enjoy meaningful fellowship? That God sustained this motive is probably the foundation for the statement, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 

      In the course of time, however, man's disobedience to God's will disrupted this unique fellowship. As the secured perimeter of the garden protected man from earth's dangers outside, the law God gave them to obey protected them from the ravages that inevitably come with "the knowledge of good and evil," (Gen. 2:17). It must have been a terrible disappointment to God that man devalued his familiar communion with Him to the point that he easily transgressed God's will in order to gain access to forbidden knowledge, (Gen. 3:22). It must have also been a most sorrowful experience for God to withdraw His presence from the corrupted pair and expel them from the exclusive home He had so lovingly designed for them. But divine disappointment and sorrow do not obstruct justice in the court of God. And thus we read, "He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life,"(Gen. 3:24).

      Nevertheless, God still loved His creatures and continued to desire the fellowship with them that He had enjoyed in Eden. Consequently, He began to take measures to overcome the effects of sin which alienated man from Him. First, He built a unique nation from a specially chosen ancestor, Abraham, whom He called from Ur in Babylonia. He then fixed His favor upon this nation and its commitment to Him in the Mosaic covenant. The essence of the covenant was engraved upon stone tablets, which were enshrined in a sacred chest guarded by an order of sanctified priests. In the fulness of time, however, He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, though the Son Himself never sinned, (Heb. 4:15). Christ was given to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin, conclusively condemning sin in the flesh, (Rom. 8:3). Releasing from the power of sin every man who will respond to Christ's sacrifice with faith and obedience, God has made it possible for His original fellowship with man to be renewed. To confirm this reunion, He established a new covenant with man; not one engraved on tables of stone, but one written on the living tables of human hearts; not one enshrined in a sacred box, but one implanted in their minds. Now He can again "be their God,and they [can] be [His] people." 

      To learn of God's desire to fellowship in lovingkindness with man and of the measures He has taken over the centuries to fulfill this desire ought to have the most profound effect upon anyone who will consider it. Discovering that we can actually become "God's people" and look up to Him as "our God" should fill our lives with meaning, purpose, and value such as we would never know otherwise.

BRINGING IN A BETTER HOPE

Heb. 7:19 ... "For the Law made nothing perfect ... [but the] bringing in of a better hope [did], through which we draw near to God."

      The Law of Moses was not an end in itself, but the means to an end. Paul disclosed God's purpose for giving the Law in this statement, "What was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come," (Gal. 3:19 NIV). Sin, having entered the world through the transgression of Adam, grew steadily in prevalence and depravity until it affected everyone with ever increasing power, (Rom. 5:12). Something was needed to withstand this malign progress until God was ready to send a Power not only able to withstand it, but to overthrow it in total victory.  So, the Mosaic Law was given to mold the nation of Israel into a community properly fashioned to receive the Christ and then present Him as Savior to all other nations, (Gal. 3:23-25). When this great purpose had been achieved, as it indeed was in the successful completion of Jesus' ministry, the duration of the Law's authority was concluded. For He Himself proclaimed, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished, (Mat. 5:17-18),  Jesus therefore did not come to negate the purpose of the Law, but much the rather to bring its long-ordained purpose to fulfillment. During the period of its jurisdiction it accomplished all that God had designed it to do. By this criterion "the Law is holy ... and righteous and good," (Rom. 7:12). Nor could it have been otherwise, since it was God's conception and revelation. Nevertheless, it could not justify a sinner, (Rom. 3:20a), although it was able to condemn his sin, (Rom. 3:20b).

      The Law, therefore, could never perfect a sinner and present him to God as one of His children,  But Heb. 7:19 proclaims that the "bringing in of a better hope" can successfully accomplish this wonderful goal for us. The reference is clearly to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is called "a better hope" because it was "enacted on better promises," (Heb. 8:6, where it is called "a  better covenant," in contrast to the Mosaic Covenant). Hope originates with the conception of an idea that some kind of good is going to be realized, and such an idea is often the extension of a promise from someone who is believed to have the power to produce that good. The greatest promise made in the Law was that God would send a Prophet superior to Moses, (Dt. 18:15-19). By this Prophet, the Lord would establish "a new covenant" able to perfect man's knowledge of God and unite God with His people, (Jer. 31:31-34). In Christ this promise was fully actualized, and God has extended further amazing promises -- that we can receive forgiveness of our sins, become sons of God and citizens in His eternal kingdom, share in the final triumph of good over evil, and be granted eternal life in heaven with our Savior.

      The "new covenant" from God, (Jer. 31:31), is the Gospel of Christ, which alone has the power to save the lost soul of anyone who will accept it with faith, (Rom. 1:16).  It will liberate him from the bondage of sin, (Rom. 6:17-18), reconcile him to God, (II Cor, 5:18-19), and establish him as a beloved servant of God, (Rom. 6:22). The Gospel of Christ is the good news (to euanggelion) announced from heaven, greater than which we had not previously received nor than which we shall again receive on earth, (Luke 2:9-11). To fail somehow to take note of this wonderful message and respond to it is also to fail to grasp the greatest opportunity that ever comes before a person. But the one who recognizes the superior value of the gospel, accepts it in faith, and obeys it with sincerity is committing his life to God, toward whom he is being drawn near (cf. Jas. 4:8) by its power working within him day by day as he reconfirms his faith and serves with loving devotion.