It is abundantly clear that sacrifices offered by imperfect men never have and never will be sufficient to remove sins. In fact, even under the Old Testament—a revelation from Almighty God—the sacrifices of bulls and goats only reminded people of their sins. Note, the sins were not “rolled forward” as some wrongfully conclude. Rather, they were reminded of their sin and the need for a sacrifice to take it away…and that the animals did not do the job because they had to be offered again and again.

Instead, Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for sins. He was divine and God prepared a body for Him. He came to do the will of God, “by which will we have been sanctified.” The sacrifice we offer now is our body as a living sacrifice to God; both in gratitude and duty (Rom. 1:1, 2).

In Hebrews 9:23-28, shows animals were sufficient for the earthly tabernacle and ministry of men, but not for the heavenly. Jesus had to offer His blood in the Holy Place, heaven. He did this before God for us, that is, on our behalf; once and for all.

Jesus appeared the first time to put away sin. The second time He will come apart from sin—not to bear man’s sin again, but to give us eternal salvation. Notice, this is for those who “eagerly wait for Him.” Are we eagerly waiting?

Jesus Christ is the true high priest now. In contrast to the Levites who ministered in a physical tabernacle/temple made with the hands of men, Jesus ministers in the true tabernacle—the church—built by the Lord.

The Old Testament system was merely a copy and shadow of the real and genuine. And, as Moses was required to follow the pattern given by God, so are we. If it was important to do so for the “shadow” it is that much more important for the substance.

Notice again the writer states Jesus is the Mediator of a “better” covenant established on “better” promises. We are way better off than folks under the Law of Moses.

Jehovah took an oath that Jesus would be a priest in the order of Melchizedek. This was superior to the way Levitical priests were appointed. And, thus, “Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.” The covenant is superior just as His priesthood is.

His priesthood is unchangeable because He is eternal. The priests under the old covenant died. Jesus, being immortal, does not need replacing.

Because of the exceeding greatness of His priesthood and its unchangeable nature, Jesus is able to save to the uttermost. He can completely save the worst of sinners—not almost, partially, or just barely—but completely. How thankful we ought to be for this.

Finally, His one sacrifice was sufficient to all for all time. There is power in the blood…power to save even me.

Hebrews 6:13-20, is all about the faithfulness of God. The contrast is the fickleness of some men (Heb. 6:1-12). God is not this way.

When God made a promise to Abraham, He meant it. Nothing could or would stop Him from keeping it. The Savior was sent into the world. He gave His life for us; to take away our sins. Now we have an anchor for our soul.

Jesus is in heaven, ruling and reigning at the right hand of God. He is our advocate before the Father. No matter what happens in life, our faith in Him cannot be taken away or the blessing promised stolen. As we maintain our confidence in Him, we are assured of His blessings and the promised rest. So, the troubles of life are troublesome, but they do not move us away from the promise.

Hebrews 3:1-6 tells us three things about Christ.

1. Christ is the Apostle of our heavenly calling. He is the one sent by God to call us to redemption and heaven. Jesus is the ambassador for God.

2. Christ is the High Priest of our heavenly calling. He is the one who offered the ultimate sacrifice and the one who stands between us and God.

3. Christ is a faithful Son over the House of God. The Father has turned over authority to the Son who rules the house with complete fidelity.

We are part of the house of the Son if—big if—“we hold fast.”

Another point of interest, at least always to me, is Hebrews 3:4, “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.” Men understand this principle when it comes to buildings, homes, cars, towers, etc. However, too many see the infinitely more complex and diverse universe as an astronomical accident. How can this be? Willful ignorance and denial.

If I believe a log cabin in the woods was built by someone, then I must believe the home of humanity was built by Someone. If not, I am dishonest.

Hebrews 1 establishes the deity of Jesus. Hebrews 2, particularly verses 5-18, shows His humanity.

Hebrews 2:1-4, tells us the law given by our Lord is not something to be dismissed out of hand, treated like it is from man, or even hold it on the same level as the Old Law delivered by angels. Rather, it is the Law of Christ given by the Son of God through His hand-picked representatives. It was confirmed by miracles and is preserved for us to this day.

The Son of God, though greater than the angels, was made lower than them. He came to this earth to sacrifice Himself; “that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). He died for all, not a few elect. He died to redeem us from our sins.

The writer also interweaves the idea that His humiliation led to His exaltation. He was crowned with glory and honor. All things are subject to Him; save death which will happen in the end (1 Cor. 15:22-28).

May we ever be thankful for a triumphant, self-sacrificing Savior.

For the record: We cannot fully explain how it could be that a being was both divine and human at the same time. We cannot explain how our soul dwells in our body. However, we believe both because the Bible lays out evidence for both.

Hebrews 1:1-14 focuses on Jesus Christ.

He is the One through whom God speaks to us today (1:1, 2). We are not disciples of Moses or John the baptizer…or the pope, Billy Graham, or Joel Osteen. Our devotion is to Christ alone.

Jesus is greater than the angels, contrary to the doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is above them and has a unique relationship to God the Father; He is His Son, possessing the same nature (1:5). The angels worship Jesus; hence He is superior to them (1:6). They are His servants (1:7).

The Father referred to the Son as “God” in Psalm 45:6, 7 (1:8). With a statement like this, how can anyone deny the deity of Jesus?

The point of Hebrews 1:10-12 is that Jesus is the Creator (Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17). It is God that created the universe (Gen. 1:1). Therefore, Jesus is God; that is, He possesses the nature, qualities, characteristics, power of deity. He was not and is not an ordinary man or an amazing being like angels. He is far greater than any and all. He is no less than God the Son.

May we be ever mindful of the One we serve—His truly awesome nature and place of honor.

Christians are soldiers of Christ. The New Testament is filled with imagery of war, battle, and fighting. It is not a carnal war, but a spiritual one (2 Cor. 10:3-5). In Ephesians 6:10-24, Paul gives a detailed description of the armor we are provided to fight and win the war.

Christians generally have done a good job of knowing about the different pieces of armor: truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, word of God. These need to be understood and used.

What we have failed at more often than not—generally speaking—is prayer (Eph. 6:18). It is the element that helps us don the armor, fight the fight, receive the strength, and press on. Paul requested the prayers of the Ephesians that he may speak boldly in teaching the gospel. How often do we pray, really pray, about the battles we are fighting?

If we will put on the armor of God and pray always, there is nothing that can stand in our way or stop our final victory.

Four classes of people are addressed in Ephesians 6:1-9: children, parents, slaves, masters. While the latter two are not part of our society, the principles of the relationships still apply to employees and employers or anyone doing a job for someone else.

If we would teach and heed the things in these passages, our homes and nation would be much better off. And, if the home is right it is hard to see how the workplace would not be right.

One thing I do want to especially note is that most Christians I know—the overwhelming majority—are very conscientious about their jobs and the work they do. We are an honorable bunch. It reflects well on members of the Lord’s church that the community and those we work with and for know our reputation. Let us leverage that influence to help lead people to Christ.