• The Greatness of Christ’s sacrifice
The
second aspect of the reformation is the greatness of Christ's sacrifice that is being offered and so, inasmuch
as God testifies that Jesus Christ is forever priest according to the order of
Melchizedek, and remains a priest continually, the offering offered to God by
Melchizedek is also perpetual. This is made evident and supported by scriptures
which states that; “…Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; He
was the priest of God Most High, and He blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram
of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hands” (Genesis 14:18-20).
When
Moses was about to make the tabernacle, remember, he was divinely instructed
saying; “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain” (Hebrews
8:5).
Although
they were serving the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, the offering
which they offered to God, and regarded by the Lord as “My offering, My food
for My offerings”, were symbolic to the bread and wine offered by Melchizedek.
The
offering they offered comprised of, a Lamb which represented Jesus Christ, the
Lamb of God, Who indeed was slain and foreordained, before the foundation of
the world, but was manifest in these last times for us, as the High Priest: Its
grain offering which was a mixture of fine flour mixed with pressed olive oil,
as the unleavened bread; and the wine as its drink offering.
In
instituting the New Covenant Jesus took bread blessed it, broke it, and gave it
to His disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup
and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For
this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins” (Matthew 26: 26-28).
This
new covenant became in force only after the death of Jesus Christ, since where
there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the
testator, for a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power
at all while the testator lives.
According
to the scriptures, “Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and
sacrifices, therefore it is necessary (indispensable) that this One (referring
to Jesus Christ) also may have something to offer” (Hebrews 8:3).
Jesus
Christ entered the most Holy place not with the blood of goats and calves, but
with His own blood once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. “For if
the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this
reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, by means of death, for the
redemption of the transgression under the first covenant, that those who are
called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:13-15).
The
flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, represented by the bread and wine, is the
offering which Melchizedek the Priest of the Most High God, offers to the
Father continually on behalf of the sins of the people, and this is the better
hope we have by which we draw near to the Father because, “This is the message
which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him
is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as
He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:5-7).
The
once and for all which Jesus with His own blood obtain eternal redemption for
humanity signifies that, once and for all there is a perfect offering that can
purge our conscience from sin and dead works to serve the living God and to
present us holy, blameless and irreproachable in the sight of God.
To be continued
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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