high priest of the good things

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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high priest of the good things

Hebrews 9:11-28 (JDV)

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation),
Hebrews 9:12 he entered the most sacred place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained permanent redemption.
Hebrews 9:13 You see, if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, purifying those who are defiled, make sacred for the purification of the flesh,
Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the permanent Breath offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?
Hebrews 9:15 That is why he is the mediator of a new covenant so that those who are called might receive the promise of the permanent inheritance because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 9:16 Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established.
Hebrews 9:17 You see, a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living.
Hebrews 9:18 That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.
Hebrews 9:19 You see, when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and purified the scroll itself and all the people,
Hebrews 9:20 saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded to you.
Hebrews 9:21 Similarly, he purified the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.
Hebrews 9:22 According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:23 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the sky to be purified with these sacrifices, but the sky things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews 9:24 You see, Christ did not enter a sacred place made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into the sky itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.
Hebrews 9:25 He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sacred place yearly with the blood of another.
Hebrews 9:26 Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the universe. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of failure by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for humans to die once but judgment will come after this,
Hebrews 9:28 in the same way also Christ, having been offered once to bear the failures of many, will appear a second time, not to bear failure, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

high priest of the good things

The image of Christ’s birth as the opening act of a three‑act drama captures the movement of redemption with clarity. The incarnation was not an isolated miracle but the beginning of a story that stretches from Bethlehem to Calvary and finally to the clouds of heaven. Hebrews 9:28 gathers the final two acts into a single sweeping statement: Christ appeared once to bear the sins of many, and he will appear again to bring salvation in its fullness. The cross and the second coming stand together as the two pillars on which the believer’s destiny rests.

The second act—Christ’s sacrificial death—was the decisive moment in which he carried the failures, guilt, and rebellion of humanity. His offering was once for all, never to be repeated, because it accomplished what no other sacrifice could. It removed sin at its root, satisfied divine justice, and opened the way for reconciliation. Everything that follows in the Christian life flows from that finished work. The resurrection that followed was not temporary, symbolic, or partial. It was permanent. Death no longer had any claim on him, and because his resurrection life is permanent, the removal of sin for those who trust him is also permanent. Nothing can undo what his blood has secured.

The third act—his return—will reveal the full effect of what the cross accomplished. The resurrection and glorification of believers are guaranteed because they are tied to the resurrection of Christ himself. What happened to him will happen to those who belong to him. The temporary, fragile existence of the present age will give way to a life that shares the permanence of his own risen life. Salvation will not merely be forgiveness experienced in the conscience but transformation experienced in the body. The high priest who bore sin will return as the king who perfects his people.

This permanence is one of the great treasures secured by Christ’s priestly work. The old covenant could offer cleansing that faded, sacrifices that needed repeating, and rituals that never reached the heart. Christ offers a salvation that endures, a life that cannot be corrupted, and a future that cannot be lost. The believer’s hope rests not on shifting circumstances but on the unchanging priest who has already completed the work of atonement and will one day complete the work of redemption.

The story has begun, the decisive act has been accomplished, and the final act is certain. The permanence of Christ’s resurrection guarantees the permanence of the salvation he gives.

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the time of the correction

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the time of the correction.

Hebrews 9:1-10 (JDV)

Hebrews 9:1 Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sacred place.
Hebrews 9:2 You see, a tabernacle was constructed, and in the first room, which is called the place for sacred things, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves.
Hebrews 9:3 After the second curtain was a tent called the most sacred place.
Hebrews 9:4 It had the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets outlining the covenant.
Hebrews 9:5 The glorious cherubs were above the ark overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things point by point now.
Hebrews 9:6 With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry.
Hebrews 9:7 But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the failures the people had committed in ignorance.
Hebrews 9:8 The Sacred Breath was making it clear that the way into the most sacred place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing.
Hebrews 9:9 This is a parable about the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience.
Hebrews 9:10 They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings obligatory until the time of the correction.

the time of the correction.

The worship and ministry of the old covenant shaped the entire spiritual imagination of Israel. Everything they knew—sacrifices, priests, rituals, sacred spaces—belonged to a system that could only deal in shadows and copies of something greater. These practices were God‑given and meaningful, but they were never designed to bring lasting transformation. They could cleanse the flesh, but not the conscience. They could symbolize forgiveness, but not secure it. They could point toward redemption, but not accomplish it. The worshiper remained unchanged at the deepest level because the system itself was temporary and anticipatory.

With the coming of Christ, Hebrews declares that a “time of correction” has arrived. The word carries the sense of reformation, straightening, setting things right. Christ’s appearance, his atoning death, and his entrance into the true heavenly sanctuary mark a decisive turning point in God’s redemptive plan. What the old covenant could only foreshadow, Christ has fulfilled. What the old system could only hint at, Christ has accomplished. The correction is not a minor adjustment but a complete realignment of worship and service around the finished work of the Son.

Because of this, worship is no longer bound to guilt, fear, or ritual repetition. The conscience can be cleansed. The heart can be freed. Service to God is no longer an attempt to manage sin but a response to forgiveness already secured. The worshiper stands before God not with the anxiety of unfinished atonement but with the confidence of a salvation completed once for all. The shadows have given way to the substance. The copies have yielded to the reality.

Yet Hebrews also reminds readers that the correction, though decisive, is not yet complete. Christ’s atonement has inaugurated a new era, but the fullness of freedom awaits his return. The promise of permanent rest still lies ahead. The believer lives in the tension between what has already been accomplished and what will one day be revealed. The conscience is cleansed now; the world will be made whole then. The worshiper is freed from guilt now; creation will be freed from corruption then. The correction has begun, but its final expression awaits the appearing of the One who secured it.

This raises a searching question. The shadows remain available, and many still try to serve God through systems of self‑effort, ritual habit, or lingering guilt. But the real thing has come. Christ has opened the way into a worship marked by freedom, cleansing, and confidence. The invitation is to step fully into this time of correction, leaving behind the shadows and embracing the reality secured by the Savior.

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the real thing

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the real thing

Hebrews 8:1-13 (JDV)

Hebrews 8:1 But the main point of these sayings is: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the sky,
Hebrews 8:2 a minister of the sacred places and the true tabernacle that was pitched by the Lord and not a human.
Hebrews 8:3 You see, every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.
Hebrews 8:4 So if he were on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts as the law commands.
Hebrews 8:5 These serve as a copy and shadow of the sky things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. You see, God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the model that was shown to you on the mountain.
Hebrews 8:6 But Jesus has now obtained a more valuable ministry, and to that degree, he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has received legal status based on better promises.
Hebrews 8:7 You see, if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no place for a second one.
Hebrews 8:8 But finding fault with his people, he says: See, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah –
Hebrews 8:9 not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. I showed no concern for them, says the Lord, because they did not stay with my covenant.
Hebrews 8:10 You see, this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Hebrews 8:11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them.
Hebrews 8:12 You see, I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their failures.
Hebrews 8:13 By the saying “a new covenant”, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.

the real thing

The comparison between a vast digital library and the possession of only a handful of physical books captures the heart of the argument in Hebrews. Digital copies can be read, searched, highlighted, and used with great benefit, yet they are not the originals. They are accurate, useful, and often beautifully formatted, but they remain copies—reflections of something real that exists elsewhere. They point to the original, but they are not the original.

This is precisely how the writer of Hebrews describes life under the old covenant. The tabernacle, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the rituals, and the laws were all real in their own way, but they were not the ultimate reality. They were shadows—accurate, God‑given, purposeful shadows—but still shadows. They were copies of something greater, hints of a covenant that had not yet arrived. The old covenant could teach, warn, cleanse ceremonially, and point forward, but it could not accomplish the final work of redemption. It was preparatory, temporary, and anticipatory.

Govett’s observation captures this contrast with clarity. The covenant inaugurated at Sinai was temporary, marked by the blood of animals and administered by priests who themselves were mortal and sinful. Its very structure testified to its limitations. But Christ’s covenant is of a different order. It is inaugurated not with the blood of bulls and goats but with the blood of the Son of God. It is grounded not in temporary ritual but in the eternal life of the resurrected Christ. Because his life is indestructible, the covenant he mediates is permanent. It does not fade, expire, or require replacement. It is the real thing—the substance to which all earlier shadows pointed.

To speak of the covenant as “eternal” is not to say that it stretches endlessly backward in time, but that it is not subject to decay or replacement. It is permanent, final, and complete. Nothing more is needed because nothing more could be added. Christ’s death and resurrection have established a covenant that accomplishes what the old covenant could only symbolize.

This raises a deeply personal question. If God has provided the real thing—an unchanging covenant secured by the blood of his Son—then the only fitting response is to embrace it. The shadows have served their purpose. The copies have pointed the way. The true covenant stands open, offering forgiveness, reconciliation, and life grounded in the eternal work of Christ.

Govett, Robert. Christ Superior to Angels, Moses, and Aaron: a Comment on the Epistle to the Hebrews. 1884. p. 494.

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once for all time

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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once for all time

Hebrews 7:15-28 (JDV)

Hebrews 7:15 And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
Hebrews 7:16 who did not become a priest based on a legal regulation about physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life.
Hebrews 7:17 You see, it has been testified: You are a priest permanently according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:18 You see, the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable
Hebrews 7:19 (since the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
Hebrews 7:20 None of this happened without an oath. You see, others became priests without an oath,
Hebrews 7:21 but he became a priest with an oath made by the one who said to him: The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest permanently.”
Hebrews 7:22 Because of this oath, Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Hebrews 7:23 Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office.
Hebrews 7:24 But because he stays permanently, he holds his priesthood without replacement.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 7:26 You see, this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the sky.
Hebrews 7:27 He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do – first for their own failures, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself.
Hebrews 7:28 You see, the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected permanently.

once for all time

Unlike the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant, Christ’s offering stands alone in its completeness. The entire sacrificial system depended on continual offerings because none of them could finally resolve the problem of guilt. Every animal placed on the altar pointed to sin but could never remove it. The worshiper left forgiven in a ceremonial sense, yet the conscience remained aware that the deeper issue had not been cured. The cycle continued year after year, generation after generation, because the blood of animals could not accomplish what the human heart most needed.

Christ’s sacrifice breaks that cycle. His offering was not one more sacrifice added to the long line of rituals. It was the sacrifice toward which every earlier offering had been pointing. When he gave himself on the cross, he did so as the perfect, sinless representative of humanity. His obedience was flawless, his righteousness complete, and his life freely given. Because of who he is and what he accomplished, his death required no repetition. It was once for all time—final, decisive, and sufficient.

This once‑for‑all offering means that the guilt of sin no longer needs to be carried. The burden that could never be lifted by human effort or religious ritual has been taken up by the Savior. His blood does not merely symbolize cleansing; it accomplishes it. His death does not merely gesture toward forgiveness; it secures it. The conscience that once trembled under the weight of failure can now rest in the certainty that the debt has been paid in full.

To allow him to atone for sin is to acknowledge that no other remedy exists. It is to trust that his sacrifice is enough—enough to cover every failure, enough to reconcile the sinner to God, enough to provide a righteousness that cannot be earned. This righteousness is not a moral achievement but a gift, clothing the believer in what Christ himself has accomplished. It is the righteousness of God, given through the Son who bore sin’s penalty and rose in victory.

Because his offering is complete, the way to God stands open. Because his righteousness is perfect, the believer stands accepted. And because his sacrifice is final, the life of faith can move forward in confidence, no longer trapped in guilt but grounded in grace.

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Melchizedek

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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Melchizedek

Hebrews 7:1-14 (JDV)

Hebrews 7:1 You see, this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings,
Hebrews 7:2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace.
Hebrews 7:3 Fatherless, motherless, without genealogy, having neither start of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he stays a priest forever.
Hebrews 7:4 Now consider how great this man was: even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him.
Hebrews 7:5 The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people – that is, from their brothers and sisters – though they have also descended from Abraham.
Hebrews 7:6 But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
Hebrews 7:7 Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior.
Hebrews 7:8 In the one case, men who will die receive a tenth, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives.
Hebrews 7:9 And in a sense Levi himself, who receives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abraham,
Hebrews 7:10 you see, he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Hebrews 7:11 You see, if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron?
Hebrews 7:12 You see, when there is a transfer of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well.
Hebrews 7:13 You see, the one these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar.
Hebrews 7:14 You see, it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests.

Melchizedek

Jesus’ connection to the tribe of Judah placed him outside the qualifications of the Levitical priesthood. Under the old covenant, only descendants of Aaron could serve at the altar. The law itself made this explicit. Judah produced kings, not priests. From a purely Mosaic standpoint, Jesus had no pathway into priestly service. His lineage disqualified him from every ritual duty associated with the tabernacle and temple.

Yet Hebrews insists that Jesus is not only a priest but the great high priest. This is possible because his priesthood does not arise from the old covenant system at all. It belongs to a different order—older, deeper, and far more significant. The writer turns to the mysterious figure of Melchizedek to make this point. Melchizedek appears in Genesis without genealogy, without recorded beginning or end, and without any connection to the Levitical line. He is both king and priest, ruling in righteousness and peace. His priesthood is not inherited, regulated, or limited by the law. It stands apart from the entire Levitical structure.

The key moment comes when Abraham, the patriarch of Israel and the ancestor of Levi, gives Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils. This act is not incidental. It is a recognition of superiority. In the ancient world, the lesser gives tithes to the greater. Abraham’s offering acknowledges Melchizedek’s higher status. And because Levi descends from Abraham, the Levitical priesthood is, in a sense, contained within Abraham’s act. The writer of Hebrews argues that Levi, still “in the loins” of Abraham, symbolically paid tithes to Melchizedek. This means the entire Levitical system is subordinate to the priesthood Melchizedek represents.

Jesus belongs to that superior order. His priesthood does not depend on genealogy but on the power of an indestructible life. His qualification comes not from tribal descent but from divine appointment. The resurrection confirms that his priesthood is eternal, unbroken by death, and untouched by the limitations of the old covenant. Where the Levitical priests served in a system marked by weakness and transience, Jesus serves in a priesthood marked by permanence and perfection.

The tithe Abraham offered to Melchizedek becomes a theological signpost. It points beyond the old covenant to a greater priesthood—one that predates the law and surpasses it. Jesus stands in that line. His ministry is superior because it is grounded in God’s eternal purpose, not in the temporary structures of the Mosaic system. Through him, access to God is opened in a way the old covenant could never achieve.

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reasons to be secure

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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reasons to be secure

Hebrews 6:13-20 (JDV)

Hebrews 6:13 You see, when God made a promise to Abraham since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself:
Hebrews 6:14 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.
Hebrews 6:15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.
Hebrews 6:16 You see, people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them, a confirming oath ends every dispute.
Hebrews 6:17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath,
Hebrews 6:18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the throat, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
Hebrews 6:20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner because he has become a high priest permanently according to the order of Melchizedek.

reasons to be secure

The exhortation in Hebrews to move beyond the foundation assumes something essential: believers can grow only when they are secure. A soul that is constantly circling the basics, anxiously checking whether the foundation is still intact, cannot rise into the maturity God intends. The writer knows that spiritual infancy often springs from fear—fear of drifting, fear of failing, fear of not truly belonging to God. When assurance is weak, attention remains fixed on the starting point. But when assurance is strong, the believer is freed to build.

The passage offers three reasons that such assurance is not only possible but expected.

First, salvation rests on the promise of God. The writer anchors hope in the unchanging character of the One who speaks. God does not make casual promises. His word is not tentative or experimental. When he declares his intention to save, that declaration carries the full weight of his eternal purpose. The promise is not fragile, nor is it dependent on human strength. It is rooted in the God who cannot lie and who never abandons what he begins. This alone provides a foundation strong enough to support a lifetime of growth.

Second, God not only promises—he guarantees. The language of Hebrews emphasizes that God confirmed his promise with an oath, stooping to human weakness by adding a second layer of assurance. Promise and oath together form what the writer calls “two unchangeable things.” This double assurance is meant to quiet the trembling heart. God binds himself to his word so that those who seek refuge in him may have strong encouragement. The guarantee is not for God’s sake but for the believer’s. It is given so that faith may rest, breathe, and mature.

Third, the believer’s confidence is strengthened by the presence of a permanent high priest. Jesus has entered the inner sanctuary—not the earthly copy, but the heavenly reality. His priesthood does not end, weaken, or pass to another. He intercedes continually, representing his people before the Father with a righteousness that never fades. His presence in the sanctuary is the living proof that salvation is secure. The anchor of hope is fastened not to human performance but to the unchanging ministry of the Son who stands in the very presence of God.

With these three assurances—promise, guarantee, and priest—faith is liberated from fear. The foundation is firm. The call is to build, to grow, and to move forward into the fullness God desires.

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leaving the foundation

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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leaving the foundation

Hebrews 6:1-12 (JDV)

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, let us let go of the first word about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith focused on God,
Hebrews 6:2 teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead ones, and permanent judgment.
Hebrews 6:3 And we will do this if God permits.
Hebrews 6:4 You see, it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the sky gift, who share in the Sacred Breath,
Hebrews 6:5 who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age,
Hebrews 6:6 and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.
Hebrews 6:7 You see, the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God.
Hebrews 6:8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned.
Hebrews 6:9 Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation.
Hebrews 6:10 You see, God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the care you demonstrated for his name by serving the devotees – and by continuing to serve them.
Hebrews 6:11 Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end,
Hebrews 6:12 so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

leaving the foundation

A. B. Bruce’s insight helps clarify what Hebrews means when it urges believers to “leave the elementary teachings” and press on to maturity. The language can sound as though the foundational truths of the faith are being abandoned, but that is not the writer’s intention. Bruce explains that these foundational principles function like the base of a building. A builder does not reject or discard the foundation once it is laid. The foundation remains essential, permanent, and indispensable. But a builder does not linger at the foundation indefinitely. The purpose of a foundation is to support something greater. It is meant to be built upon.

In this sense, “leaving” the foundational principles means moving beyond the earliest stage of Christian experience—repentance, faith, cleansing, and the basic doctrines that first brought a person into the life of Christ. These truths remain precious and necessary, but they are not the whole structure. A life that continually circles back to the beginning, never advancing into deeper obedience, richer understanding, or fuller devotion, becomes a Christianity that is stationary and unprogressive. Bruce notes that such a pattern has always existed: believers who remain forever at the starting line, always rehearsing the basics, never pressing into the maturity that those basics were meant to support.

The writer of Hebrews confronts this tendency because it stunts spiritual growth. God’s intention is not merely to bring people to repentance but to shape them into mature disciples whose lives reflect the character and endurance of Christ. Growth requires movement. Maturity requires building. The foundation of the gospel is secure, but it is not the entire house. God desires a life constructed upon that foundation—one marked by perseverance, discernment, deeper knowledge of Christ, and a faith that withstands pressure.

This call to grow is both challenging and hopeful. It acknowledges that remaining at the elementary stage may feel safe, familiar, and less costly. Yet it also insists that God has more in mind. The life of faith is meant to expand, strengthen, and deepen. The foundation laid at conversion is the beginning of a lifelong construction project. God invites believers to rise from infancy into maturity, to build upon what he has already established, and to become the living structure he intends—a life shaped by Christ, grounded in truth, and growing toward fullness.

LORD, we want to be more.

Bruce, Alexander Balmain. The Epistle to the Hebrews: The First Apology for Christianity; an Exegetical Study. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark) 1899.

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we must be weaned

Posted on August 15, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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we must be weaned

Hebrews 5:11-14 (JDV)

Hebrews 5:11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is hard to explain since you have become too lazy to understand.
Hebrews 5:12 And you see, by this time you ought to be teachers, but you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.
Hebrews 5:13 You see, everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness because he is an infant.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature – for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

The author of Hebrews pauses his argument because he recognizes a painful reality: the community he is addressing has not grown as they should. Deffinbaugh captures this moment well. The writer has been unfolding a profound vision of Christ’s priesthood, drawing from Scripture, temple imagery, and the rich heritage of Israel’s worship. Yet he suddenly stops, aware that his readers may not be prepared to grasp what he is saying. He compares their condition to that of a child who can handle only milk. Milk is appropriate for infancy, but it cannot sustain a growing body. Solid food is necessary for strength, maturity, and endurance. The image is simple, but the implication is sharp. These believers had remained spiritually underdeveloped far longer than was healthy.

Their immaturity was not due to lack of teaching or lack of opportunity. It was the result of a quiet contentment with the status quo. They had settled into a pattern of faith that required little sacrifice and avoided conflict. To press deeper into Christ would have widened the gap between them and their Jewish families, friends, and communities. Growth would have meant tension. Devotion would have meant loss. Remaining spiritually childlike was easier than facing the cost of maturity. The writer grieves this, not because he expects perfection, but because he knows that a faith unwilling to grow becomes a faith vulnerable to drifting, compromise, and eventual collapse.

This condition is not unique to the first century. Many believers today find themselves in the same place. The call to deeper obedience, clearer conviction, and fuller devotion often collides with relationships, expectations, and comforts that feel too costly to surrender. Spiritual infancy becomes a refuge from the demands of discipleship. Yet the writer of Hebrews insists that growth cannot occur without a decisive break from whatever keeps faith stunted. Just as a child must eventually be weaned from milk to thrive, believers must be weaned from patterns, attachments, and fears that prevent maturity.

The question is not meant to shame but to awaken. Growth requires movement. Maturity requires nourishment. Devotion requires courage. The invitation is to step away from the things that keep faith small and to embrace the solid food of deeper trust in Christ.

LORD, we are ready to press the issue by walking away from the things that are keeping our faith immature. We know that for growth to happen, we must be weaned.

Deffinbaugh Robert L and Mark L Strauss. Hebrews Thru Revelation: Wisdom for Today and Forever. Barbour Pub 2008. p. 29.

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the source of permanent salvation

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the source of permanent salvation

Hebrews 5:1-10 (JDV)

Hebrews 5:1 You see, every high priest taken from among humans is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for failures.
Hebrews 5:2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray since he is also surrounded by weakness.
Hebrews 5:3 Because of this, he must make an offering for his own failures as well as for the people.
Hebrews 5:4 No one takes this privilege on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was.
Hebrews 5:5 In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him, You are my Son; today I have become your Father,
Hebrews 5:6 also says in another place, You are a priest permanently according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:7 During his fleshly life, he offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Hebrews 5:8 Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.
Hebrews 5:9 After he was perfected, he became the source of permanent salvation for all who obey him,
Hebrews 5:10 and he was declared by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

the source of permanent salvation

Jesus shares the full reality of human life. His incarnation was not a symbolic gesture but a genuine entrance into the conditions, limitations, and pressures that shape human experience. He knows the complexity of human motives, the frailty of human resolve, and the weight of human sorrow. Nothing about human weakness is hidden from him or foreign to him. When failure occurs, he understands the tangled mixture of fear, desire, confusion, and temptation that leads to it. That understanding does not excuse sin, but it does mean that the Savior approaches sinners with compassion rather than disgust.

Because of this, returning to him for mercy is never an act of presumption. It is a response to the very role he was given. His priesthood is not an honorary title but a divine appointment. The Father called him to stand between heaven and earth, representing humanity before God and revealing God to humanity. As the great high priest, he carries the wounds of human life and the righteousness of divine life in one person. His sympathy is not sentimental; it is rooted in lived experience. His holiness is not distant; it is exercised on behalf of those who cannot save themselves.

This priestly ministry includes both truth and grace. He never minimizes sin or treats it lightly. His purity exposes the seriousness of rebellion and the devastation it brings. Yet the same purity makes forgiveness possible. Because he remained faithful where all others failed, he can restore those who come in repentance. His obedience provides the righteousness that sinners lack. His sacrifice removes the guilt that sinners cannot erase. His intercession sustains those who are weak and faltering.

The permanence of his priesthood is central to this hope. Unlike the priests of old, whose ministry ended with death, his priesthood is eternal. His resurrection established a priesthood that cannot be interrupted, diminished, or replaced. The salvation he provides is not temporary or fragile. It is permanent because it rests on his unchanging life and perfect obedience. Hebrews affirms that he “became the source of permanent salvation to all who obey him,” meaning that his saving work is complete, enduring, and effective for all who entrust themselves to him.

In this way, the Savior who understands human weakness is also the priest who secures eternal redemption. His compassion invites the weary to return, and his authority guarantees that those who come will find mercy, cleansing, and restoration.

LORD, thank you that you have provided a source of permanent salvation for us.

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boldly go

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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Hubble Sees an Aging Star Wave Goodbye by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

boldly go

Hebrews 4:14-16 (JDV)

Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the sky – Jesus the Son of God – let us hold fast to our confession.
Hebrews 4:15 You see, we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without failure.
Hebrews 4:16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of favor with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

boldly go

Approaching the throne of God with boldness is never a natural instinct. The human heart, when honest, recognizes its own darkness. There is an instinctive recoil at the thought of standing before the One who is infinitely holy, infinitely pure, and infinitely just. The contrast between divine majesty and human frailty exposes everything that is broken, selfish, and unclean. Scripture repeatedly shows that when people encounter even a glimpse of God’s glory, the immediate response is fear, trembling, or a sense of unworthiness. That reaction is not weakness; it is the sober recognition of reality. Fallen humanity cannot, by its own virtue, stand confidently before the Almighty.

Yet the gospel introduces a truth that transforms this instinctive dread into humble confidence. The invitation to draw near does not rest on anything produced within human nature. No one approaches God because of spiritual achievement, moral consistency, or religious devotion. The boldness described in Hebrews is not self-generated courage. It is the settled assurance that access to God has been secured by another. Christ’s obedience, righteousness, and sacrificial death form the only foundation on which anyone may stand before the Father without fear.

This means that every barrier created by sin has been addressed in the person and work of Jesus. His sinlessness covers human guilt. His obedience answers human rebellion. His blood satisfies divine justice. His resurrection declares that the way into God’s presence is open and permanent. Boldness, then, is not presumption; it is faith resting on the finished work of a perfect Savior. The trembling conscience finds peace not by ignoring sin but by acknowledging that Christ has borne its full weight.

God’s mercy is not a fragile hope or a tentative possibility. It is guaranteed because it flows through the Son who perfectly fulfills the Father’s will. The throne that once represented judgment becomes, through Christ, a throne of grace. The believer’s confidence is not rooted in personal worthiness but in the unchanging worthiness of the One who intercedes. Approaching God becomes an act of trust in Christ’s sufficiency rather than an attempt to prove one’s own.

In this way, boldness is both reverent and joyful. It recognizes the holiness of God while resting in the righteousness of Christ. It acknowledges human unworthiness while embracing divine mercy. It enters the presence of God not with arrogance, but with gratitude for a Savior whose obedience opens the way.

LORD, awake in us the heart of the prayer warrior.

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