Hebrews 7:19
"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better (there’s that word better) hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
What in the world is he talking about? This whole system now of this Grace of God which goes out to the whole human race. This Gospel by which the Age of Grace believers are saved, "that Christ died for our sins, and that He was buried and that He rose again from the dead the third day," and that we were seen as being IN Him by our trusting GOD, as we see in I Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 10:9-11. That isn’t limited to any one group of people. And that is the Better system that has now been introduced, not just to the Hebrew, but to the whole world under that order of our High Priesthood who is in the likeness of Melchizedek the priest of "the Most High God." Especially for those who have passed from death into His Eternal Life and Light. And remember that all mankind starts out in the state of death as we all begin life separated from God and His Divine Kingdom by our sin nature.
We have got the greatest message the world has ever known. That no one is left out. Anyone who can simply recognize their need first in redemption and then salvation and first become receptive unto being a believer of it, can enter in to Life Eternal and enjoy all the blessings of this Priest, Melchizedek, because He is now the Priest of "the Most High God" interceding for us, in the Covenant of Grace, the man Christ Jesus.
Remember, we’re talking about the priesthood of Melchizedek. And always remember, too, that the Epistle of Hebrews is written primarily to Hebrews, to Jewish people. Not that we can’t learn from it. There’s a lot in here that is so apropos, even for us in the Age of Grace. When Jesus came into this world, He both spoke and walked in a way that revealed God’s truth. He was the “living Word” or the Word made manifest. And He came to lead all of God’s called-out children into the same Kingdom-life– the life that Adam lost at the Fall.
The Scripture says that everyone “of the world” is now in darkness and under the sway of the devil. (1 John 5:19) The reason is quite simple: They are still following the self-seeking and self-exalting ways of the devil. We can therefore say that everyone who is still living by the maxim, “Save yourself” {where self – “self-will or “self-determination,” “self-seeking,” and “self-sufficiency” – is still at the center of your thoughts and actions} is still under the sway of the devil.(1)
If, as a Christian, you are still living for your own desires, and even trying to correct your selfish desires by human effort, you will find that you are still under a bondage to your self-centered nature. The end result, as it was for the Jews, will be “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” (Rom. 10:2)(1)
These religious people of old wanted to save themselves and produce their own righteousness for God. But they were unwilling to die to their self life. They therefore rejected the Kingdom-life they could have received from Jesus Christ by taking His way of the cross.(1)
The Jews were deceived by Satan. Not realizing that godliness is the result of God’s activity in man, and “being ignorant of God’s righteousness,” they attempted “to establish their own righteousness.” (Rom. 10:3) Their desire for independence and self-sufficiency prevented them from being able to see the light of the true Gospel. In effect, they rejected our Lord’s message because they did not want to die to their flesh-life and become vessels of “the righteousness of God.” (v. 3) And, unfortunately, there are many people in the church today who are still rejecting Christ {His way of the cross} for the same reason.(1)
These Hebrew people (like the Jerusalem church - and I don’t think this was written to the Jerusalem church but another one like it) and these other Jewish congregations that were scattered throughout the Roman Empire who had embraced Jesus as their Messiah. They had grasped that much, but they were still keeping the Law. They were still hanging on to so many of the tenets of Judaism and that’s so obvious as you saw in the study examples of Acts. How that Peter had said:
Acts 10:14
"But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean."
Why not? Because he was a good law-keeping Hebrew. And when he got to the house of Cornelius he hedged and he said:
Acts 10:28a
"And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation;…"
Well, why? That was all part of Judaism. And then when you get on over to Acts chapter 22 and Paul is rehearsing his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul makes the statement:
Acts 22:12
"And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there."
(1) Are quotes taken from Major W. Ian Thomas' book "The Mystery of Godliness".
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