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NASB | Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents].' [Rom 3:24-26] |
Bible Question: Can you explain what Hebrews 8 means regarding the covenant with Moses? Some tell me that even though it speaks of Jesus as the fulfillment of law that this only means as far as forgiveness of sins. They say that everything else in the old testament is still to be followed because God never changed any of his laws and since Jesus said he did not come to do away with the laws? |
Bible Answer: In order to understand Heb. 8, you must read chapters 1-7 because Heb. 8:1 begins with "The point of what we are saying is this: . . ." How can we understand the "point" of chapter 8 without reading what lead up to it? The first 4 chapters discuss the superiority of Christ's person over the prophets; over the angels in His deity and humanity; over Moses in His work and person. Chapters 4-10 discuss the superiority of His work: His priesthood, His covenant, His sanctuary and sacrifice. Chapter 8 deals primarily with Christ's covenant being superior to the Mosaic covenant, i.e. the Law. Verses 6-9 state: "But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs (the priests of vv 4-5) as the covenant of which He is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord'." Verses 10-12 tell us what that new covenant is: "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Then verse 13 reveals God's view of the old covenant: "By calling this covenant ‘new,' He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." What was the purpose of the Law? Gal. 3:19, 24-25 tells us: "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator"; "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Before you allow people to put you under the obligation of keeping the Law, I suggest you consider these few verses: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal 3:10); "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all;" (James 2:10); "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16). Lastly, Romans 10:3-4: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Be sure to read Acts 15. Certain men of Judaea and a group of Pharisees said the Gentile Christians of Antioch had to be circumcised AND keep the law of Moses in order to be saved. (Notice Peter's words in v. 10 concerning the Law.) But they were wrong in their requirements, as you'll see when you read the entire chapter. God bless you as you continue your life in the Lord Jesus Christ. BTW, have you ever taken a Concordance and looked up all the references pertaining to your new life, i.e. being "in Christ" and what that entails? It's awesome! |