8:10If our heart is not changed, following God’s rules will be unpleasant and difficult. We will rebel against being told how to live. The Holy Spirit, however, gives us new desires, helping us want to obey God (see Philippians 2:12, 13). With a new heart, we find that serving God is our greatest joy.
Life Application Study BibleHebrewsChapter 8
Hebrews 8
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 2098, 2099, 2100
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
8Hebrews 8
Christ Is Our High Priest
1Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor be- BA 4:3: 2:17: side the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2There he ministers in the heavenly 4:14; 6:20; 7:26; Tabernacle.* the true place of worship that was built by the LORD and not by human hands. on 3And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must Ba ont make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there 8:3 already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. 5They serve in a system of wor- Heb 5:1 ship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting $25 44 05. 40: 26:30 ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything Col a ie according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”* ee 6But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old 8:6 priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on Heb 7:22; 9:15: better promises.; 7:25 Or is able to save completely. 7:26 Or has been exalted higher than the heavens. 8:2 Or tent; also in 8:5.
it cost him his life and painful, temporary separation from hisFather (Matthew 27:46;
7Peter 1:18, 19).Because Jesus died once for all, he brought the sacrificialsystem to an end. He forgave sins—past, present, and future.The Jews did not need to go back to the old system becauseChrist, the perfect sacrifice, completed the work of redemption.You don’t have to took for another way to have your sinsforgiven—Christ was the final sacrifice for you.7:28 So much is attributed to Jesus in this chapter that it mightappear that there is nothing you need to do, or can do, to makesalvation a reality for you. And that is true. Jesus has done it all.Nothing you do can improve his work. Nothing you do adds toGod's acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice.So how do the benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice become yours? Youaccept the gift of salvation by faith, trusting entirely in Jesus forsalvation. You can do that now through a simple prayer: “DearGod, I trust in Jesus alone. Please forgive my sins through him,and give me the eternal life secured by him. Amen.”8:4 Under the old Jewish system, priests were chosen only fromthe tribe of Levi, and sacrifices were offered daily on the altar forforgiveness of sins (see 7:12-14). This system would not haveallowed Jesus to be a priest, because he was from the tribe ofJudah. But his perfect sacrifice ended ail need for further priestsand sacrifices.The use of the present tense, “there already are priests whooffer the gifts,” indicates that this book was written before A.D. 70when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, ending the sacrifices8:5 The pattern for the Tabernacle built by Moses was given byGod. It was a pattern of the spiritual reality of Christ’s sacrifice,and thus it looked forward to the future reality. There is no Taber-nacte in heaven of which the earthly one is a copy, but ratherthe earthly Tabernacle was an expression of eternal, theologicalprinciples. Because the Temple at Jerusalem had not yet beendestroyed, using the worship system there as an example wouldhave had a great impact on this original audience.
7If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a secondcovenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:“The day is coming, says the LORD,when I will make a new covenantwith the people of Israel and Judah.
9This covenant will not be like the oneImade with their ancestorswhen I took them by the handand led them out of the land of Egypt.They did not remain faithful to my covenant,so I turned my back on them, says the LORD.
10But this is the new covenant I will makewith the people of Israel on that day,* says the LORD:I will put my laws in their minds,and I will write them on their hearts.I will be their God,and they will be my people.
11And they will not need to teach their neighbors,nor will they need to teach their relatives,*saying, ‘You should know the Lor.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,will know me already.
12And I will forgive their wickedness,and I will never again remember their sins.
13When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It isnow out of date and will soon disappear.ore
Textual footnotes
- a
- 8:5 Exod 25:40; 26:30.
- 8:10 Greek after those days.
- 8:11 Greek their brother.
Life Application Notes 3 notes
8:10,11Under God’s new covenant, God’s law is inside us. It is no longer an external set of rules and principles. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ's words, activates our conscience, influences our motives and desires, and makes us want to obey. Now doing God's will is something we desire with all our heart and mind.
8:13Some of the Jewish believers were clinging to the obsolete old ways instead of embracing Christ's new covenant. All the joy of newfound faith and all the relief of fresh forgiveness had given way to a kind of boredom that was never supposed to be. Growth had stopped. What should be done if this happens to you? Realize that life in Christ is never complete. Heaven promises completeness; until then, growth is the normal pattern. Growth often endures seasons of drought and drabness. That's also normal. Think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. The key to growth includes daily devotion to Christ through Bible study and prayer. Perhaps you need to intensify your study and find helps that provide more substance. Perhaps you need to grow by engaging in new areas of service that express your faith. Seek God for how he would have you keep growing in your faith.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 2099
THE OLD AND NEW COVENANTS Like pointing out the similarities and differences between the photograph of a person and the actual person, the writer of Hebrews shows the connection between the old Mosaic covenant and the new Messianic covenant. He proves that the ld covenant was a shadow Of the real Christ. i"
Reference 8:3-4 8:5-6, 10-12 8:5-6, 10-12 8:6 8:8-9 9:1 9:7 9:9-10 9:11-14; 24-28 9:22
The Old Covenant under Moses Gifts and sacrifices by those guilty of sin Focused on a physical building where one goes to worship A shadow Limited promises Failed agreement by people External standards and rules Limited access to God Legal cleansing Continual sacrifice Forgiveness earned
The New Covenant in Christ Self-sacrifice by the guiltless Christ Focuses on the reign of Christ in believers’ hearts A reality Limitless promises Faithful agreement by Christ Internal standards— a new heart Unlimited access to God Personal cleansing Conclusive sacrifice Forgiveness freely given Completed by Christ's death Available to all
Application Christ died for you God is directly involved in your life Not temporal, but eternal We can trust God’s promises to us Christ has kept the agreement where people couldn't God sees both actions and motives—we are accountable to God, not rules God is personally available God's cleansing is complete Christ’s sacrifice was perfect and final We have true and complete forgiveness Christ's death can be applied to our sin Available to you
9:24-28 Repeated yearly
Available to some