The writer wants to summarize many of the thoughts he has been sharing with his readers so he draws their attention to what he calls the “main point.” Verses 1-5 reveal this message to be that Jesus Christ is the greatest High Priest and is superior to any Old Testament system. The Old Testament law (given in Exodus and Leviticus) was only a foreshadowing of what would be completely fulfilled through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In brief, the Old Testament law called for animal sacrifices which represented the need for death to satisfy the punishment for sin; however, this law could never remove sin. The writer has already revealed a need for a perfect High Priest as well as a perfect sacrifice which would erase sin and those needs were met through Jesus Christ. Now, He has become the “Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises,” meaning He goes before God on behalf of man (8:6). Man can only approach God on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. If the Old covenant (Old Testament sacrificial system) would have been perfect there would be no need for a new one (8:7); however, since it was not, God established a new one (8:8-12). This covenant will be “in their minds” and written “on their hearts.” The old covenant was largely outward but this new covenant would be inward. God was establishing Himself as a personal God who would dwell in the hearts of man and “be their God” and they would become His people (8:10). Along with this everyone would know Him, from small to great, and He would be “merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds.” With the introduction of the new covenant, the old one would cease and the Levitical system would be “obsolete.” We truly have a God who is personal and desires more than anything to have an intimate relationship with us. If we come to Him through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, He will forgive sin and provide mercy to those who are in need.
Dear God, thank You for being my God. Help me to know You more.
Our pastor is preaching today on this passage. A question we as believers hear often is this. “Does grace mean that I can now sin as much as I want?”. The question is misdirected for the reality is that as a Christian I sin far more than I want to. Praise God for the clean slate and unlimited grace He bestows on his children and never again remembering our sin. Heb 8:12.
You make great points, Lew. I always fall back on Romans 6 when discussing this subject. We shouldn’t continue in sin in order that grace will abound. We should render ourselves dead to sin but alive to Christ!