Hebrews 7:12 - Change of Priesthood/ Change of law

[Judges1318]

The dietary laws seem to represent the spiritual lesson of not making ourselves unclean through fellowship with unclean people (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, 1 Corinthians 7:14).

I've never heard that analogy concerning the dietary laws, so I will need to look into it before I comment.

It's right there in Acts 10.

11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three a men are looking for you.

And Peter himself points this out in the very next chapter:

"9“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

11“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them." - Acts 11:9-12

See it?
The unclean creatures represent people.
The law against eating unclean foods signified not having intimate contact with unclean people who will make you unclean and unfit to approach God in worship.
(The 'eating' of unclean food is what signifies the intimate nature of contact. This is not about casual association with unclean people, because if it included that Paul says you'd have to leave this world-1 Corinthians 5:9-10.)

 

[Judges1318]

This connection between unclean foods and people helps us to understand why specific animals are unclean, like the pig. In and of itself the pig can not make you unclean. It signifies the person who's snout is firmly dug into the earth in search of and consuming the things of the world, and who can't even appreciate the value of a pearl and tramples it underfoot in his relentless search and longing for the things in the world.

In general, it is bottom feeders and predatory 'animals' (people) that are forbidden by the Lord. They are unhealthy being full of all kinds of toxins and preying on our lives. Don't make yourself unclean by having intimate contact with them. So saith the Lord. But, for example, you get saved while married to an unsaved spouse God declares them clean for personal and intimate contact, otherwise (you and) your children would be unclean:

"14For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." - 1 Corinthians 7:14

 

[Judges1318]

Hey, @Deuteronomy , look at Peter being led astray and forgetting all about his awesome vision he had from the Lord:

"11When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray." - Galatians 2:11-13

And, @JaumeJ , in reference to your post #13, I think this separation of the Jews from the gentiles would have continued without Paul's insight and correction of them in the matter. But I have to admit it's ironic that perhaps Paul's misunderstood teachings have caused the gentiles to separate themselves from the Jews.

 

[Judges1318]

And under this new Priesthood the blood of the sacrifice is applied internally.
That was not allowed under the old.
I think this points to how under the old system the blood of animals could not affect a change internally in a person.

Hey, @Dino246 , did you get that I was referring to being able to eat the blood of the sacrifice under this new Priesthood?
You probably did.
I just didn't want to open up a can of worms by coming right out and saying that we eat the blood of the sacrifice in this New Covenant. But the people of God were forbidden by law from doing so in the old. Which as I pointed out, signifies that the law can not affect a change internally in a person. Only in the New Covenant where the worshiper consumes the blood of the Sacrifice is that blood applied to the inner man affecting a change there and not just in the outer man.

"13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, c so that we may serve the living God!" - Hebrews 9:13-14

And this goes back to this idea of 'eating' meaning intimate contact with a person.
When we fellowship with people we take them into us and are influenced by them.
And so it is with Christ who through our relationship with Him by the Spirit have tasted that the Lord is Good.

 

[lightbearer]

Even if we limit the law that Christ is talking about to the context of Matthew 5, 6, & 7 we have this:

38“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ h 39But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." - Matthew 5:38-39

Jesus, in anticipation of the fulfillment that must occur before a jot or a tittle could pass from the law teaches us to not obey Leviticus 24:19-20 when we have been wronged:

19Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury." - Leviticus 24:19-20

We can't deny that's more than just a jot or tittle of the law passing from the law. So we know the fulfillment that must occur before that can happen has occurred. And I suggest the fulfillment that occurred is the coming of Christ and his death and resurrection. He is the eye for eye, tooth for tooth penalty that the law demands. And so this is an example of where the demands of the law are met by Christ so that we are released from those demands. In his wisdom, God made a way through Christ to allow a passing away of the law, releasing us from that law, without violating that law.

"Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God"- 1 Corinthians 1:30

It is not that simple my friend,
God has set the baseline, a standard, Jesus. And this was what Jesus exemplified in and through Himself.

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am Jehovah.
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
(Lev 19:18 34 KJV)

Due to Our hardheartedness, lack of His Love, His Spirit he he made concession,

19Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury."

 

[Dino246]

Hey, @Dino246 , did you get that I was referring to being able to eat the blood of the sacrifice under this new Priesthood?
You probably did.
I just didn't want to open up a can of worms by coming right out and saying that we eat the blood of the sacrifice in this New Covenant. But the people of God were forbidden by law from doing so in the old. Which as I pointed out, signifies that the law can not affect a change internally in a person. Only in the New Covenant where the worshiper consumes the blood of the Sacrifice is that blood applied to the inner man affecting a change there and not just in the outer man.

"13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, c so that we may serve the living God!" - Hebrews 9:13-14

And this goes back to this idea of 'eating' meaning intimate contact with a person.
When we fellowship with people we take them into us and are influenced by them.
And so it is with Christ who through our relationship with Him by the Spirit have tasted that the Lord is Good.

Yes, I caught it, thanks. I hadn't thought through the implications of it though.

 

[Judges1318]

It is not that simple my friend,
God has set the baseline, a standard, Jesus. And this was what Jesus exemplified in and through Himself.

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am Jehovah.
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
(Lev 19:18 34 KJV)

Due to Our hardheartedness, lack of His Love, His Spirit he he made concession,

19Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury."

I can't tell if you're saying there is no change in law, just a new revelation of old law (like what John talks about), or if the law has changed.

Maybe you could just address the Hebrews 7:12 verse.
We have a new Priesthood.
Has the law changed to accommodate this new Priesthood?
If so, how?
If not, why not?

 

[JaumeJ]

If people who claim they live in grace would jst read the Word and study all of it, theymay have peace with what remains of the law according to Jesus, Yeshua. Until then these individuals are under the law themselves for they do not see what our Savior accomplished with thelaw nor which remain. Yes, there are laws making up love which should be onthe hearts of all who have receive the Holy Spirit, but it seems there are so many grace-only folks all to willing to be judge, jury and executionr of any who believe we should truly believe the teachings of Jesus Christ, Yeshua. My prayers are for all souls.

 

[Judges1318]

Yes, there are laws making up love which should be onthe hearts of all who have receive the Holy Spirit, but it seems there are so many grace-only folks all to willing to be judge, jury and executionr of any who believe we should truly believe the teachings of Jesus Christ, Yeshua. My prayers are for all souls.

I couldn't agree more.
God said these laws would be on the hearts of his people in the New Covenant, yet so many claim they don't have to be.

 

[Blik]

Yes, when a law is fulfilled and remains fulfilled there is no further fulfillment necessary. That's exactly how and why the people of God have been released from the law. But there is one requirement of the law that does not remain fulfilled...

"8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." - Romans 13:8

I don't see how you can say that fulfill means release. Christ made the law whole and finished, His salvation that He gives is part of the law. Christ did not stop that breaking the law means death, it still does unless we take the broken law we do to Him with repentance for Him to purify us. Through Christ we are released from death by the law, but we are still to look to the law for our salvation because Christ is part of God's law, our strength, our guidance.

 

[Dino246]

This connection between unclean foods and people helps us to understand why specific animals are unclean, like the pig. In and of itself the pig can not make you unclean. It signifies the person who's snout is firmly dug into the earth in search of and consuming the things of the world, and who can't even appreciate the value of a pearl and tramples it underfoot in his relentless search and longing for the things in the world.

In general, it is bottom feeders and predatory 'animals' (people) that are forbidden by the Lord. They are unhealthy being full of all kinds of toxins and preying on our lives. Don't make yourself unclean by having intimate contact with them. So saith the Lord. But, for example, you get saved while married to an unsaved spouse God declares them clean for personal and intimate contact, otherwise (you and) your children would be unclean:

That doesn't explain why camels were "unclean".

It's easy to make an argument for any particular creature. I haven't yet seen a coherent argument that explains why all unclean creatures were designated as such.

 

[Dino246]

I don't see how you can say that fulfill means release. Christ made the law whole and finished, His salvation that He gives is part of the law. Christ did not stop that breaking the law means death, it still does unless we take the broken law we do to Him with repentance for Him to purify us. Through Christ we are released from death by the law, but we are still to look to the law for our salvation because Christ is part of God's law, our strength, our guidance.

That's a misunderstanding of "fulfillment". If you pay the last penny on a mortgage, it is "fulfilled". Why would you keep making payments?

We do not look to the law for salvation (perhaps you do?); we look to Christ. The law does nothing but condemn. Christ is not "part of God's law"; He is God.

 

[Absolutely]

The backdrop or prism we look through concerning God and man in relationship is;
Holy God / sinful man

The bible says the law was perfect. Even though it was perfect man could not obey it, so it became a instrument of revelation(revealing sin).

So the dilemma continued up until Jesus.

The first priesthood of a covenant was in innocent blood,but a necessity of continual shedding. And that shedding always pointing to the next/new covenant of God and Man through the God-Man or kinsman redeemer.

The law remains. It remains for those outside the new covenant. It will remain until the restoration of all things Peter preached on in acts.

We are not "keepers of the law" we are now family and of His household . Sons.
Obedience is From Indwelling and inward....not outward obedience splitting hairs on sabbath activity and such.

That is why it says "work out your own salvation in fear and trembling"

And why it says concerning certain liberties "...for the weaker brothers, it is sin"

 

[Blik]

That's a misunderstanding of "fulfillment". If you pay the last penny on a mortgage, it is "fulfilled". Why would you keep making payments?

We do not look to the law for salvation (perhaps you do?); we look to Christ. The law does nothing but condemn. Christ is not "part of God's law"; He is God.

Scripture tells us that Christ is part of the law. It is a policy of the Lord (a law) that for salvation the law is that it is given by faith, we cannot earn it through our obedience.

 

[Dino246]

Scripture tells us that Christ is part of the law.
Chapter and verse, please.

It is a policy of the Lord (a law) that for salvation the law is that it is given by faith, we cannot earn it through our obedience.

That's a convoluted way of putting it, and strikes me as excessively focused on law.

 

[Blik]

The backdrop or prism we look through concerning God and man in relationship is;
Holy God / sinful man

The bible says the law was perfect. Even though it was perfect man could not obey it, so it became a instrument of revelation(revealing sin).

So the dilemma continued up until Jesus.

The first priesthood of a covenant was in innocent blood,but a necessity of continual shedding. And that shedding always pointing to the next/new covenant of God and Man through the God-Man or kinsman redeemer.

The law remains. It remains for those outside the new covenant. It will remain until the restoration of all things Peter preached on in acts.

We are not "keepers of the law" we are now family and of His household . Sons.
Obedience is From Indwelling and inward....not outward obedience splitting hairs on sabbath activity and such.

That is why it says "work out your own salvation in fear and trembling"

And why it says concerning certain liberties "...for the weaker brothers, it is sin"

I agree that the law is from inward. Love is the core of all law. But I don't think that looking to the specifics of the policies of the Lord (the law) is splitting hairs.

Taken from the description of law in the psalm describing it (119) it is all riches, tells of God's ways, wondrous, the way of truth, gives liberty, a comfort, gives understanding, a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path.

 

[Judges1318]

That doesn't explain why camels were "unclean".

That's why I said 'in general', lol.

I don't know enough about camels to comment.
I just know they're nasty creatures.

And I've wondered why ducks were not declared unclean.
If a pig became a bird it'd be a duck.
I have several of them.

 

[Absolutely]

The new covenant was never intended to be a partial commitment . The son of God killed on a cross,then asking us to die also.
We want 10% giving instead of giving all.
We want secular living instead of sacrifice.
We want our will mixed in with his will.
We want our way instead of letting the other person win.
We build our earthly kingdoms instead of his eternal kingdom.
We embrace this temporal and ignore the eternal.

The new covenant is a radical giving up and divorce of this world and a 100% commitment to a new king.

Americans are oblivious. Myself included.

 

[Judges1318]

we are still to look to the law for our salvation

Don't know exactly what you mean by that.
Do you believe that we are made righteous by the works of the law?

 

[Blik]

Don't know exactly what you mean by that.
Do you believe that we are made righteous by the works of the law?

The law is the policies of the Lord. All that Christ is is part of this policy. It is not a policy of the Lord that He makes us righteous through our works but God's policy is that we are made righteous through our faith in what Christ does for us.