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Articles 2021-2023
Scripture tells us that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham (Hebrews 7:4 - 7). If God’s word had not explicitly said so, it is doubtful that we would have come to such a conclusion on our own by reading the Genesis account. After all, Abraham was the friend of God and the father of all who believe. How is it possible that any of his contemporaries could be greater in God’s eyes than him?
We tend to see as greater those who have/had the most visible influence on others. For example, we look to the time of the early Church and see Paul, the apostle, as probably the greatest of the saints of that era. The reason? We see something of his relationship with the Lord and then how God used him in impacting the lives of so many for His sake. And then also, we take into consideration the innumerable lives that have been helped, blessed, and changed through his writings in the Scriptures. Only a blessed few down through history were used by God in writing his inerrant word.
And yet we simply do not have the right to definitively come to our above conclusion. Only God has that right. We clearly do not know if perhaps there were a few, or even many, hidden from our view who on their knees lived in such an intimacy and obedience with the Lord and so pleased Him that Heaven’s joy was more massively increased through them than any other. Jesus said that greatness was not found in visible ministry but in humility and in serving others (Matthew 18:4; 23:11). Again, maybe Paul was the greatest in God’s eyes from that era. But that would be for Him to determine.
And so, Heaven’s testimony is that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham.
In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
The Jews paid tithes to the sons of Levi for the sake of the ministry in God’s house. But the Scriptures here show us that the whole Levitical system actually tithed through Abraham to Melchizedek. From the lesser to the greater. And now, because Melchizedek lives on as his priesthood finds its fulfillment in Christ and in His ongoing role as high priest, the Levitical system is simply done away with.
Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?
The word perfection (Greek, TELEIOSIS) has to do with completeness, full maturity (i.e., God’s people coming into everything that was in His heart when He called us). The above verse informs us that we would never realize the fullness of His intent by trying to keep written external laws and offering the sacrificial blood of animals to cover our sins. God had something greater in mind than what could be realized through the Old Testament temple system. In fact, His plan predated it. It seems that Melchizedek had been on the scene before Abraham even showed up.
Obviously, Jesus did not satisfy the Levitical requirements for priesthood in the temple system. He was not even from the proper tribe (Hebrews 7:12 - 14).
And to further make his point that perfection could not be realized through the Law, in the following verses, the writer states that Jesus’ priesthood is not based on a legal requirement about physical ancestry but on His indestructible life.
And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”
Here was God’s promise to His Son. When Jesus on earth read the above quote in Psalm 110, He saw that His priesthood would be based on and guaranteed by His indestructible/eternal life. Nothing, neither the intransigence of the Jewish religious system nor the might of the whole Roman Empire could nullify Heaven’s plan. The same promise holds true today. No principality, power, or political system can withstand what is emerging on earth through the successful intercessory ministry of Christ.
For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
When the Lord brought us to Himself, He birthed hope in us. And it was a better hope than could be found under the temple system. We were now part of something coming out of heaven, rooted not in the strength of man nor dependent on our being born into a specific nation/tribe/family, but rooted in the indestructible life of the One who called us. And it was all based on an oath that the Father had made to His Son.
And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER’”); so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
The Father had made a promise/an oath to His Son guaranteeing Jesus’ eternal priesthood. And as a result, Jesus in His life, death, resurrection, and ongoing intercessory role has become in Himself the guarantee of the ultimate success of Heaven’s new covenant with His people. And it is a better covenant on a better foundation. Though the former priests kept growing old and dying, this One abides forever (Hebrews 7:23 - 24). Notice the result.
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
(Hebrews 7:25 NKJV)
One main theme of the Book of Hebrews is that we must draw near to God (Hebrews 4:16, 7:19, 10:22, 11:6). If we will do so, our Lord is able to save us, to make us whole and complete to the uttermost. What the Law with its accompanying Levitical priesthood could not do, He not only can do, but He will do as we draw near to Him.
How much was lost through Adam’s sin in Eden? And how much was and is yet to be regained through Calvary? Too many think simply in terms of our going to heaven when we die or what Jesus will accomplish at His return. But God is in the process of making a statement to the nations based on Christ’s present intercessory ministry as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. And He is in no hurry.
Paul asked the question that if the Law came with glory, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious (2Corinthians 3:8 NKJV)? Notice that he was looking to the future. What would come out of the work of the Holy Spirit in the coming generations would bear and reveal much more glory than was ever found in the Old Covenant. Earlier, Peter had quoted the prophet Joel that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17). Heaven’s interruptions of human history would continue, and they would not be haphazard but strategic and would culminate in what God had always intended when He first made man. He would save us to the uttermost.
But what does that “uttermost” look like corporately? Paul tells us that there is a measured stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). That fullness, i.e., that which fills out the expression of His headship is His corporate body (Ephesians 1:23). And He has given the five ministries listed in Ephesian Chapter 4 to serve His people that we might mature into an integrated oneness that reveals accurately the singular mind of Christ. Considering where we are today, such a result will be nothing short of miraculous. But the Church of Christ is supposed to be a miracle, not an organization. And it seems that we still have a bit of a distance yet to go.
May the Lord Jesus continue to raise up among us genuine New Testament apostles and prophets along with the other ministries who have no agenda but Christ. And may He through His high priestly ministry bring forth His statement to the whole earth – a bride without spot or wrinkle, a full-grown corporate body revealing Christ, a people saved to the uttermost. The nations will yet see the full expression of what was in God’s heart when He started this project.
Donald Rumble – January 2021
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