Hebrew 6:20
where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
When we think of priesthood, we tend to think of the Jewish temples built by Solomon and king Herod in which priests serve in performing sacrifices. The first Jewish priest was Moses' brother Aaron who are descendants of Levi who is the one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Later, priests serving in the temple were required to be descendants of Aaron. However, an earlier and a more prominent and everlasting priesthood is not in the order of Aaron but Melchizedek. The Bible does not give a lot of information about Melchizedek, we only know from the book of Genesis that he was both a king and a priest of the most High God in Salem, without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life (Hebrews 7:1-3). There has been many speculations about the person of Melchizedek. Some said that he Was the preincarnate Christ Himself, and some said that he was a normal person but with family genealogy not recorded and revealed in the Bible. But, the important revelation about Melchizedek is that he is a type, or a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ who is both King and High Priest of God forever (Psalm 110:4). The Jewish ancestor Abraham met Melchizedek after successfully rescuing his nephew Lot, in the battle against king Kedorlaomer and his allies. Melchizedek went out to welcome Abraham, gave blessings to him and Abraham gave one tenth of his possessions to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20).
Psalm 110:4
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
Genesis 14:18-20)
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator [e] of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Hebrews 7:1-3
1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
Hebrews 7:11, 18
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
The Perfect Priesthood In God's Plan
Jesus came to save mankind from sins. Jesus is the Son of God (2 Peter 1:17) but took the image of a human being and lived among us. He was tempted in every way humans were tempted and yet committed no sin and demonstrated His righteousness in light of God's holiness (Hebrews 4:15). He deserves all the glory, honor and blessings from God. Instead, he bored the shameful and painful punishment on the cross as a sacrifice in order to redeem all sinners who believe in Him (1 Peter 2:24). Of course, Jesus did it according to His own accord although it was a painful struggle for Jesus who foreknew the insults, tortures and pain to be afflicted on His body as manifested in His prayer (Mark 14:36) at the night He was arrested and sent to trials and crucifixion. Jesus was willing to take up these sufferings out of His great love and mercy to save sinners from the bondage and destruction of sins, restore the relationship with God and receive eternal life and blessings. Jesus, being the High Priest brings us to God not by blood of animals, but by the most precious sacrifice: His own sinless body pleasing and acceptable to God as a redemption price of all sinners. The punishment that brought sinners peace was upon Him (Isaiah 53:5). This is the real and infinitely valuable sacrifice that God pleases and the sacrifice was done once and is good for all sinners who believe in Jesus, past, present and future (Hebrews 10:10; John 3:16-18).
2 Peter 1:17
For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
Mark 14:36
"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Hebrews 10:10
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
John 3:16-18
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
The Permanent Priesthood In God's Plan
Jesus is the source of life. To Him, there is no limit of time because He is the Alpha and Omega. His priesthood will also last forever according to God's plan (Hebrews 7:20-22, 24-25).
Therefore, our salvation will be guaranteed and last forever because Jesus is the mediator through Him we may obtain God's forgiveness of sins and God's gift of eternal life as He says in John 3:16. We who trust in Jesus will receive His grace and blessings forever.
Hebrews 7:20-22, 24-25
20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
"The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
'You are a priest forever.' " 22Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
The Effectiveness of Jesus' Priesthood
The salvation from the bondage and destruction of sins through Jesus is not merely a symbolic gesture, but practically effective. Firstly, Jesus paid for the penalty of sins required by God fully. Secondly, sinners will be cleansed, liberated and refreshed with a new life free from the bondage of sins because the Holy Spirit will live in the new believers' hearts and make them new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) and live the lives that according to God's words because the Holy Spirit is at work constantly in the believers' heart (Hebrews 10:15-16) and bear fruits that glorify God (Galatians 5:22-23). Previously, the high priest would perform an annual ritual of sacrifice in the temple for the sins of himself and the people he represented. This was only an infrequent, indirect, symbolic act. Now, since Christians have the Holy Spirit living within, it is appropriate to call the body of a Christian a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:18). Thirdly, Jesus lives forever, and so is His priesthood such that the redemption and salvation from sins are guaranteed forever. We know of lifetime warranty of certain products given by manufacturers who are very confident in their quality of their products. Although the warranty is good it will end someday anyway due to the limited lifespan of the owners. Moreover, the warranty will carry some limited conditions and will disappear should the manufacturers go out of business. But, the grace of redemption and salvation that Jesus gives comes with eternal lifetime warranty because both the persons who are redeemed and Jesus Christ live forever. There are no limited conditions. The only thing requires is to believe in Jesus Christ as our savior (John 6:28-29, John 7:38-39, John 14:26).
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Hebrews 10:15-16
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16"This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds."
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
John 6:28-29
28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 7:38-39
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 14:26
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Jesus' Offer and Service of Priesthood Is Free But Infinitely Expensive
Through Jesus' work as the High Priest and the offer of His own life as a sacrifice, sinners may receive salvation. Jesus did this out of His grace.
However, we should take notice that we should not abuse God's grace because it is freely given to the whole world. Instead of being grateful to God's amazing grace, some people think of the grace of God is cheap. Actually, God's grace is infinitely expensive and it costs God's only Son who is being God by nature to come to the world in the flesh and be insulted and died on the cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Salvation grace is given to us as a free gift simply because it is the love and mercy of God. After all, no one has what it takes to obtain it by his or her own means. Jesus take up the cost for all sinners.
The purpose of salvation is to set free sinners from the bondage and destruction of sins. It never means to provide a protective shield for sinners such that they may stay in sins. For it is a direct contradiction to God's nature to coexist with sins because light and darkness cannot coexist (1 John 1:5). Therefore, the Bible warns us that if sinners do not accept God's salvation grace with a sincere heart and true faith, they have not really believed in Jesus and the sacrifice that Jesus made will not cover their sins (Hebrews 10:26-27; Jude 1:4). As a matter of fact, even the demons believe God's existence and even know of His words as the devil tempted Jesus even by quoting the Bible but of course not in a right way. Jesus answered this temptation by applying God's words correctly (Luke 4:9-12). This reminds us that how much we should study and put God's words into our hearts. This is the act of walking with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25) and this is the privilege, blessing and spiritual weapon that God gives to His children (Ephesians 6:17). Believing in Jesus has the connotation of obedience in Jesus' words which implies a changed attitude towards and the repentance of sins. This is not the same as the belief of the demons who rebel against God's words and authority and were condemned and waiting for judgement (James 2:9).
Philippians 2:6-8
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
1 John 1:5
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
Hebrews 10:26-27
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Jude 1:4
For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Luke 4:9-12
9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Ephesians 6:17
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Believers' War Against Sins
Although Christians or believers in Jesus are born again with new spiritual lives, the old self within the believers is not completely dead yet. In fact, the sinful old nature is fighting against the new life God has given to all believers in Christ Jesus. Even apostle Paul was no exception (Romans 7:21-23). But, we should understand the difference between the struggle of a non-believer who has no Holy Spirit within and a believer who does. The non-believer acts according to his or her instincts, values, understandings and conscience which may vary from person to person but definitely do not meet God's holy standard. A Christian who is born again child of God, however, has God's laws in his or her heart and the new nature in Christ will be glad to live according to God's laws. However, the old nature is waging war against the new nature. And Christians will not enjoy and be peacefully to live according to the old nature. In fact, Christians will groan and cry out when they realize of any manifestation of the old nature in their lives (Romans 7:24). This is also the evidence of a person who has been saved by God for he or she does not live according to the old sinful nature but the new spiritual nature (Romans 8:5). If Christians fall and sin, they will be condemned by the Holy Spirit and quickly repent and ask God for forgiveness and the grace of forgiveness will be bestowed through our High Priest Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9, 2:1).
Romans 7:21-23
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
Romans 7:24
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Our High Priest Is Identified With Us
Our High Priest Jesus showed His love and mercy not remotely but in person (Hebrews 4:14-16). He is by nature God but took the image of man and lived among us. Therefore, it makes His representation of mankind as a High Priest all the more relevant and qualified. This is what Apostle John means by Word became flesh drilling among us full of grace and truth (John 1:1, 14) for Jesus came to teach us the way to live, to offer Himself on the cross to redeem us, and through Him sinners are forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit and an abundant new life. His resurrection shows us that we who trust in Him will too resurrect like Him and have eternal life. Notice that in the world today, people try to enforce religious states of false gods and doctrines while some nations enforce separating church and state. The priesthood of Melchizedek is a combination of both the office of High Priest and King. Likewise, Jesus Christ is both king and priest in combine which is the future system of the kingdom of God.
Hebrews 4:14-16
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
John 1:1, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Conclusion
There is no longer any need to perform temple rituals because Jesus has already completed the atonement work once and for all required by God. After all, the Old Testament temple rituals were only the images of the real atonement works Jesus completed. It was completed when Jesus said "It is finished." on the cross (John 19:30). The curtain of the temple separating the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom at the same moment (Matthew 27:51) signifying that all who trust in Jesus may come to God. In the past, only a High Priest under the Aron system was selected once a year to enter the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices for himself and for his people he represented. As a matter of fact, the temple was completely destroyed by the Roman Soldiers in A.D. 70. Therefore, it is an act of rejection of Christ's atonement work for salvation of mankind when one insist on performing the Old Testament rituals.
The old has passed and the new has come, believers of Christ can now receive the real blessings of new life God gives to all through Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus has died and resurrected, believers' old lives have died and resurrected into new lives. This achieves the amazing purpose of salvation due to God's grace and love. Jesus is the permanent High Priest through Him we may eternally receive God's grace, and abundant life. He who made the promise is faithful and trustworthy (Hebrews 10:23, 4:16). Therefore, we can put our trust wholly in our High Priest Jesus Christ. There are still many people in the world bounded by sins and separated from God. Believers in Christ are also given the
glorious privilege and responsibility to witness and bring people to God through faith in Jesus. Therefore, believers in essence are also priests for they become the medium between God and sinners with Jesus being the High Priest. This is the meaning of life of every believer that is to participate in the Holy Priesthood (1 Peter2:5, 9), and this is exactly the way of life of worship pleasing to God (Romans 12:1).
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Matthew 27:51
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
1 Peter 2:5, 9
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.