Do Not Go Beyond God's Revelation About Jesus

We are discussing the very difficult chapter 7 of Hebrews. Our focus during the past two postings has been upon the writer's comparison of King Melchizedek to Christ.

He (Melchizedek) is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. - Hebrews 7:3 ESV (cf. Gen. 14:18-20)

Melchizedek is not a descendant or child of Abraham. Yet he receives "a tenth of the spoils" from Abraham (Hebrews 7:4). In a sense, you might say that the priestly clan of Levi and his sons were present when Abraham gave Melchizedek those tithes. They were, after all, descendants of Abraham inasmuch as they were one of the 12 tribes descended from Abraham's grandson Israel (Jacob). Consequently it is also proper to say that the priests (Levites) were inferior in rank to Melchizedek since they paid tithes through Abraham (Hebrews 7:6-10).

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. - Hbr 7:9-10 ESV 

It follows then that Melchizedek who was both priest and king is superior in rank to Levi. This is why Christ is correctly compared to Melchizedek. Christ is also both priest and king, but descended from the tribe of Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing having to do with priests. So in King David's words,

The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Psa 110:4 ESV

Now if you have hung with me this far—and with this letter to the Hebrews—you know that we must settle the question of Jesus' humanity. We've already recognized that He is and was the holy Son of God from all eternity, begotten (not created) before all created things. By Him and from Him all things were created.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. - Jhn 1:1-3 ESV

But He is also true Man, born of the Virgin Mary.  He must be fully and completely human (descended from Adam) if He is to stand under God's judgment upon Adam and his progeny.

For as in Adam all die . . . - 1Cr 15:22 ESV 

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- - Rom 5:12 ESV

So the huge and seemingly impossible challenge: how can the Christ who is the holy Son of God from all eternity be also the Son of Man who will die our death and not inherit the sinful nature of His human father Adam?

Answer: the Virgin Birth !

And here is where where some attempt to explain Jesus' ancestry by resorting to our current understanding of the creation of a human. They speak about cell mitosis and meiosis, the 23 pairs of chromosomes that are needed for new human life, the development of human blood, etc. They go on to explain that Jesus inherited Adam's nature, but not his sinfulness. This, they say, is because

. . . the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. - Lev 17:11 NIV

But that single Bible verse does not speak about Adam's sinful nature. Any attempt to make it say that is an example of reading things into a text.  I am very leery of this sort of thing and you should be as well, because such a use of God's Word goes far beyond what the Word has revealed about the mystery of the Incarnation. The Apostle teaches us humility as he writes,

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. - 1Ti 3:16 NIV

The primary points to be remembered:

• In Christ God has appeared in human flesh
• Christ's incarnation was accomplished through the Virgin Mary
• Whether Mary remained a Virgin is an open question, despite the view of the Roman Catholic church and others that she remained a Virgin even in giving birth to Jesus
• Jesus was of Adam's race according to the flesh (see especially his lineage in Luke 3:23-38 and Matt. 1:1-17)
• Though Jesus was born of the "Seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3), he did not inherit Adam's sinful nature

Beyond this we must not go. You may harbor private opinions and conclusions, but we must not attempt to make God reveal details about Jesus' birth that He has chosen to keep to Himself. Questions of when Jesus' human spirit or soul were created will also remain a mystery that is not revealed. The question about when or how any human soul is created is another question that has long been argued and tossed about. I'm not going to open it up here either. 

For now let us concentrate upon the primary facts lifted up by Hebrews 7. Jesus is our permanent and eternal priest. He is holy, blameless and pure, exalted above the heavens. He sacrificed Himself for our sins, once for all mankind. It is finished.We have a Great High Priest who pleads for all of us sinners before the judgment throne of God. In Him we are forgiven and secure. To Him be all glory. 

More on this as we go further into this wondrous letter. 

It All Depends On Jesus' Resurrection

I notice a strange and awesome thing as I continue to read the letter to the Hebrews. The writer looks at the Old Testament Scriptures as if they are a record of God the Father having a conversation with His Son. In other words, he seriously believes that God is speaking through these words and has been from the time they were first written. This is not at all how many view the O.T. Bible in our day. Listen to what the writer says about Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." - Hebrews 5:5-6 ESV

That first quote is from David's psalm.

"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. - Psa 2:6-7 ESV 

The Apostle Paul referred to that psalm in his sermon to the Jewish synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia, a city on the Mediterranean coast in the southwestern part of modern Turkey (Acts 13:16-41). In his sermon he points out that Jesus was the direct descendant of King David. The promise spoken to David about a King on Mt. Zion or Jerusalem has now been fulfilled. David was not that king. He lived for a time and died. Who then is the Son who would be the permanent king on Zion, God's holy hill? Who is the promised Anointed One (Messiah)? Answer: Jesus! This has been confirmed by Jesus' resurrection from the dead. That too was promised in Psalm 16, also written by David, but ultimately not about David. It was rather about David's greater Son, Jesus. It did not refer to David, because David died and his body did see corruption. But Jesus' body did not see corruption.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. - Psa 16:10 ESV

Jesus lives! His resurrection was confirmed by hundreds and hundreds (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Paul himself saw and spoke with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19 and retold in Acts 22:6-21 and 26:12-18). This Jesus is indeed the promised Christ and the Son begotten by the Father before the creation of all things. The Nicene creed puts it this way:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him, Paul continues, comes freedom and forgiveness of sins. This freedom is not possible by keeping the law of Moses. It is only possible by putting your trust and faith in Jesus. He is the great  eternal high priest who pleads forever before the Father's throne on behalf of those who put their faith and hope in him. He is both the priest and the sacrifice offered upon the cross, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. 

That too was promised in another of the psalms of David that speak about the Messiah who rules from Mt. Zion forever as both king and priest.

The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Psa 110:4 ESV

Melchizedek was the strange king to whom Abraham gave gifts after he returned from rescuing his nephew Lot. The Hebrews letter will discuss this further in chapters 6 and 7, 

The wonder of all these quotes from the psalms is that they were and are fulfilled in Jesus. The truth of this statement is Jesus' return from the dead, his resurrection. This is what we Christians celebrate each Sunday. On the first day of the week we recall that Christ is risen. If he is not risen then everything we believe and all that we proclaim is empty and meaningless. Then there is no forgiveness and no hope of our own resurrection. Then the Scriptures are not true. In one of his letters to Corinth Paul puts it like this. 

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. - 1Cor 15:12-19 ESV

No other religion, no other religious system, no one else can make these outrageous claims and back them up. Only Jesus died and rose again. Only Jesus' body saw no corruption. Only Jesus is the eternal high priest. We'll have much more to say about this as we continue our study of this wonderful epistle. And as we do, we'll affirm again and again that Christ is risen indeed!