"There Are Far Greater Things to Come Than Any We Leave Behind"

What a wonderful week it has been. The new semester at KI is in full swing, and it's hard to believe we've just completed our fourth week. Graduation is a mere 2.5 months away, and the learning process has been intense, to put it mildly. This week we took a long look at the book of Hebrews which is, in my opinion, the most theologically dense book of the New Testament save Romans. I had always been a little confused and a little in awe of this mysterious thirteen chapter letter, written by an unknown author to a varied audience of Jewish peoples. As one theologian famously said, “Only God knows who wrote Hebrews.” Yet the councils on biblical canonicity, the groups that met to decide which books were deemed inspired and thus to be included in the Bible we have today, gave little or no argument as to the validity of the book. Why? Because it's so good. It clearly connects the Old Testament sacrificial system with the New Testament system of Christ's sacrifice once for all people that eliminated the need for these temporary sacrifices for God's people. Here are a couple of new lessons I learned from the text this week, I hope you're encouraged as I was. Go read Hebrews. Do it now.

1. The Old Testament sacrificial system was never intended to be anything other than a shadow of the day God would come and fulfill His plan, not just to cover the sins of mankind, but to remove them entirely. We see the sacrificial system inaugurated in Genesis when God provides temporary coverings of animal skin for Adam and Eve after they attempt to cover themselves in the shame of their sin. Later, after the giving of the Mosaic law, the Jews elected a high priest, who would enter the inner part of the temple (the dwelling place of God), known as the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. He would make a sacrifice his own sins and for the sins of all Israel, in order to preserve the people's covenant relationship with God. Yet God said from the beginning, that what He desired from His people most was their hearts. The outward signs his people gave as signs of obedience- sacrifices, circumcision, etc. were to be merely symbols of an inward change.
   
   
2. God is so faithful. He knew the people would need to sacrifice time and time again because they would always violate His law. Hebrews says that “without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins.” Yet God made a promise that one day, a New Covenant would come that would be better than the old- the laws written on stone tablets would be written on the hearts of His people. That day came at the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.
   Exodus 19:10-11 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. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
   
   
    Peace and blessings y'all. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the Institute, what we're learning, or about God's Word. I'd love to help!