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Hebrews: Is It Written In Your Heart?
Adult Bible Classes, May 15 & 18 - Hebrews 8
The Hebrew writer spends much time in the first couple chapters of the book discussing how Jesus is superior to prophets, angels, Moses and priests. The author comes to the conclusion that we have a High Priest at God’s right hand who is both a Minister and Mediator of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:1-2).
Our High Priest renders service to the Father in heaven and not on earth. He is able to mediate for us due to His ability to be the perfect sacrifice and to be the guarantor of a better covenant; as it says in Hebrews 7:22, “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.”
The lesson to be learned from the next chapter of Hebrews is that we are under a better covenant, that is not written on a tablet of stones, but on the hearts of His children. Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” We have a responsibility to understand that it isn’t enough to have Bible verses hanging on our walls or to post our favorite passages on social media--they must be written on our hearts!
Truly, living as a child of God is far more than just going through the motions. As the last part of Hebrews 8:10 tells us, we have an opportunity to have a relationship with God. In Old Testament times, you were born a Jew and thus a follower by birth; but in today’s times, you have to decide to follow the new covenant from your heart.
We are truly blessed to live in a time that is under the new covenant. It is easy to take that for granted or to think that simply going through the motions will allow us to be in a right relationship with God. Let us all understand that our High Priest is with the Father to mediate on our behalf and that we must continue to be the priests we are called to be while we are here on earth (1 Peter 2:9).
We welcome one and all to attend our adult Bible studies this week (10 a.m. on Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday). Here are a few additional questions to ponder as we prepare to take in God's word together this week:
- What purposes do "copies and shadows" serve? (Hebrews 8:5)
- What are the better promises upon which our relationship with God is built? (Hebrews 8:6)
- Why is Hebrews 8:13 written in the present progressive tense? How can this verse help us understand the situation which the original audience of Hebrew Christians was experiencing?
