DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A BETTER HOPE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A BETTER HOPE

"For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God." (Hebrews 7:18-19)

The Book of Hebrews highlights the better covenant instituted by the Lord Jesus when He said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). The Old Covenant had its purpose but it was weak and unprofitable because could never make a person perfect. Only the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb could provide cleansing from sin.

The Old Covenant was a foreshadow of the New Covenant. It included many types and shadows that prefigured and pointed the way to the New Covenant. The shedding of the blood of Sacrifice for sin was perhaps the main one, because it pointed to the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb – the Lord Jesus – who not only covered sin but cleansed it.

That gives us a better hope – that we can draw near to God and be in His presence. God is holy and righteous and no one can come into His presence with the stain of sin. As the Psalmist wrote, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart ..." (Psalm 24:3-4a). In the Old Covenant, the only one who could come into the Holy of Holies – the place where God's presence was on this earth – was the high priest, and that only once a year. Everyone else was excluded from entering into God's presence. None of us is good enough to come into His presence. But because of Christ, we can draw near to God. We, by faith, come to God in the holiness of Christ. This hope is not only in this life, but the hope of eternal life where we will be in God's presence forever.

Without this hope, life would be miserable. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we have something to look forward to when this life is over. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable" (I Corinthians 15:19). Our true hope is heaven in God's presence for eternity.

Love, Dad