Hebrews 7:12

Hebrews 7:12

A royal and holy priesthood

Let’s make sure that we have grasped exactly what these profound verses are telling us. There is no place for a priesthood in the church, for Christ Jesus has taken the role of Melchizedek and He alone acts on behalf of His people, by His Holy Spirit. The apostles believed this and made no attempt to resurrect the old ways, for them the days of robed mediators, altars, annual feasts and ritualistic religion were over, now every believer was a priest, and at the head of us all is Yeshua, the one authentic mediator between man and God. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5. 

Not only that, but the priesthood is now comprised of all believers in Jesus Christ, we are all priests together in His church! “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9. 

There is an important question that remains, do we have access to this King / Priest and will He receive us when we approach Him? If that query still remains, I suggest that we read the whole of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and there we will discover just how special we are and how amazing is the call and the status that the Lord has credited to us, His holy priesthood. Listen again to the words of Peter, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him - 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.” 1 Peter 2:4-5. We are not only priests before the Lord God, but we are also called to make spiritual sacrifices to Him, be it our time, our money, our bodies, even maybe, our lives! 

Returning to verse 12, it opens up a whole new treasury of truth in just a few simple words. Remember that this epistle was written primarily to Jews and some of them had a question that troubled them deeply; if the Aaronic system of priests has been changed, then surely the Law must be changed also? The Law was the foundation of Israel’s religious life; the activity of the priesthood was mainly bound up in seeing that God’s Law was fulfilled to the very letter! Without the priests and their daily rituals there was no purpose to the whole system, there was no forgiveness of sins and no means of making reparation to God. How would the people cope if they had no official mediators and no means of approaching the Lord? The answer is profound. Instead of stone tablets and large parchments full of written instructions, God has chosen to write His laws on the hearts of all who believe in Him. And the law is not so much about obedience that relies on rewards but about love for the Lord God and for one another. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33

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