Jesus: The Believer's Hope, Pt. 2

Hebrews 6:18-20 showed us that our hope in Jesus, our superior Priest. Throughout Hebrews, this Hope relates to believers in three ways.

“Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” – Hebrews 3:5-6

Confidence and boasting in our hope of Jesus Christ provides evidence that we are members of God’s house. In Hebrews 3, Christ is being contrasted with Moses in that Moses was a faithful steward in God’s house, but Christ is the faithful Son over God’s house. Those who are in the house of God have hope in Jesus Christ which proves that they are not like the Israelites who hardened their hearts and tested God.

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 6:19

Jesus Christ is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” Why is Jesus Christ our sure anchor? Because He has gone behind the curtain, into the presence of God as our forerunner and made satisfaction to God for our sin. His work before God as Priest is what gives stability and security to our lives now. No matter what trial or temptation or suffering meets us, Christ has offered one sacrifice for our redemption. When we have been forgiven, nothing in this life has power over us to hurt us. Jesus Christ, our superior Priest who sacrificed Himself on our behalf is the sure and steadfast anchor in whom we place our hope.

“For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” – Hebrews 7:19

Jesus Christ is the better hope “through which we draw near to God.” Holiness has always been required to see God (12:14), but perfection could never come through the Mosaic Covenant (7:19). The hope of the believer under the Mosaic Covenant was continually in the promise of a Savior who would make ultimate satisfaction to God for their sins. Verses 19 establishes Jesus Christ as the cause by which we draw near to God. Drawing near to God was possible in the Old Testament only by faith in what the Sacrifice would do, but today, the action of the Sacrifice is in the past. We rejoice in experiencing in reality what Old Testament saints rejoiced to experience by faith. Ephesians 2:18 describes this drawing near as having “access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Under the Mosaic Covenant, the ordinary Jewish person did not have direct access to the presence of God – that was reserved for their human mediator the high priest on the Day of Atonement. The Gentile did not even have the human mediator of the high priest – their mediator (the Jewish nation) failed woefully in pointing the Gentiles to God. But Jesus Christ’s sacrifice opened direct access to God for each one of His people. Today we do not need a human mediator (prophet or priest) to talk to God for us or to communicate God’s will to us. Jesus Christ is our superior Priest by which we are continually “drawing near” to God.