Hebrews | Reading Plan + Study QuestionsSýnishorn

HEBREWS 8

NOT ON STONE, BUT IN THE HEARTS + MINDS OF BELIEVERS

The author describes the priests as shadows and copies of heavenly things. The men who served as high priests were faithful examples of Jesus, providing hope and anticipation that God would send a perfect, sinless priest.

The law served the purpose of exposing sin. Because the Israelites could not keep the law, they were able to acknowledge their need for a Savior. When Jesus arrived, He established a better covenant, one that was a solution for sin. The law highlighted the need for salvation, which Jesus ultimately provided.

Remembering God’s promises to redeem the people of Israel and send a Savior, the author emphasizes how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises. Because God has responded to humanity’s need for a Savior, the new covenant is able to replace the old covenant. Jesus’s commands to love God and love one another have replaced the many Jewish laws. Quoting Jeremiah 31:31–33, the author recalls God’s promise to bring a new, better covenant to His people. Instead of writing the law on tablets, like the ten commandments written in stone, God will write His law on the hearts and minds of believers. Through Jesus, God will be merciful to believers and no longer count their sins against them.

STUDY QUESTIONS

What purpose does the law hold today? Is it still useful to believers?