I have been intrigued by the fact that the two major truths of our Eternal Salvation, Justification by faith in the perfect Work of the Father's propitiatory sacrifice for us, His Beloved Son, and secondly the Son's perpetual Eternal Ministry as our great High Priest, His ever living to make to make Eternal Intercession for us, that is as the Eternal Satisfactory Man Who dwells in the Presence of the Father and we in Him, both have their Biblical root in two seemingly obscure events. Justification by faith is rooted in a nobody being called out of a pagan land, given the promise of blessing all the nations of the earth while being married to a barren woman. Is that any way to start a nation? Genesis 12:1-5. And immediately, Abraham exhibits his unbelief in his lie regarding Sarah as his sister. And then we have Lot and his move to Sodom, and in this "glorious" context, our next foundational faith event occurs. Abraham rescues Lot, saves Sodom in a great victory. Enter the mysterious King of Salem, Melchizedek. And He is so important to our faith that he isn't mentionioned again until that prophetic Psalm 110, that Glorious prophecy of the LORD says to David's Lord, that He will be made a victorious King and then verse 4, prophesies that this King will also be a King/Priest like that obscure Melchizedek of Genesis 14:8-20.
And then we come to Genesis 15 and God's restatement of the promised blessing, descendants as the stars of the sky! "And he believed in the LORD and he counted it to him for righteousness. And upon his faith, God "cut" the covenant, sealed in blood his covenant with Abraham. And what follow is a glorious story of mighty faith and victory! Hardly! What follows is a history of unbelief, first Abraham and Sarah's, and then in their descendants. In the midst of this failure, there are a few faithful bright spots, but not many. But it is this one event, Genesis 15:6, that the Apostle Paul builds his airtight case for Justification by faith in Romans 4 and declares the fulfillment of that promise in 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that seed only which is of the law, but to that see which is of the faith of Abraham, WHO IS THE FATHER OF US ALL." And then Paul draws upon on Abraham's faith event in his defense of Grace to the Galatians in 3:6-29, amplifying many points, explaining that seed promise was the all about the Seed, Christ. In Romans 4:10-11 clearly showing that Abraham's faith preceded his circumcision, "And he received the sign (mark) of circumcision as a seal, as a testimony of the the faith which he BEFORE being circumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though the be not circumcised..........." Every circumcision in the nation should have shouted, "my being part of the family of Abraham requires faith! My natural blood line is not enough." All of that from Genesis 15:6!
And that brings us back to the event that directly precedes it in the Genesis history of our faith righteousness--Melchizadek! God establishes his Law in Israel, raises up a priesthood to administer this perfect religious system, and yet, Melchizadek is not it's source or description. The Levitical priesthood was never intended to be more than a shadow, a testament to the futility of a human priesthood. As in Israel's wandering & meanderings, so to in the priesthood, there are shadows and types, examples for us upon whom the ends of the world has come. (1 Cor. 10:11) But it is not until the glorious exposition in Hebrews of the mysterious Melchizedekian priesthood, and our Melchizedek, from the tribe of Judah, not Levi, that our salvation is truly found secure in our Great High Priest, the one Who rules from a throne of Mercy and Grace in His grand perfection as the Perfect Sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! As stated before, Paul says He is the Seed of Abraham meant in the Promise of God, and Praise God, He is our Victorious King/Priest promised in Psalm 110! "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore HE IS ABLE TO SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST those who come to God through Him (John 14:6), since He Lives Forever to make intercession for them!!!" Our inheritance is never found in the Levitical priesthood. It is always and only found in our Melchizedek! That will be our focus from here on out.
And then we come to Genesis 15 and God's restatement of the promised blessing, descendants as the stars of the sky! "And he believed in the LORD and he counted it to him for righteousness. And upon his faith, God "cut" the covenant, sealed in blood his covenant with Abraham. And what follow is a glorious story of mighty faith and victory! Hardly! What follows is a history of unbelief, first Abraham and Sarah's, and then in their descendants. In the midst of this failure, there are a few faithful bright spots, but not many. But it is this one event, Genesis 15:6, that the Apostle Paul builds his airtight case for Justification by faith in Romans 4 and declares the fulfillment of that promise in 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that seed only which is of the law, but to that see which is of the faith of Abraham, WHO IS THE FATHER OF US ALL." And then Paul draws upon on Abraham's faith event in his defense of Grace to the Galatians in 3:6-29, amplifying many points, explaining that seed promise was the all about the Seed, Christ. In Romans 4:10-11 clearly showing that Abraham's faith preceded his circumcision, "And he received the sign (mark) of circumcision as a seal, as a testimony of the the faith which he BEFORE being circumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though the be not circumcised..........." Every circumcision in the nation should have shouted, "my being part of the family of Abraham requires faith! My natural blood line is not enough." All of that from Genesis 15:6!
And that brings us back to the event that directly precedes it in the Genesis history of our faith righteousness--Melchizadek! God establishes his Law in Israel, raises up a priesthood to administer this perfect religious system, and yet, Melchizadek is not it's source or description. The Levitical priesthood was never intended to be more than a shadow, a testament to the futility of a human priesthood. As in Israel's wandering & meanderings, so to in the priesthood, there are shadows and types, examples for us upon whom the ends of the world has come. (1 Cor. 10:11) But it is not until the glorious exposition in Hebrews of the mysterious Melchizedekian priesthood, and our Melchizedek, from the tribe of Judah, not Levi, that our salvation is truly found secure in our Great High Priest, the one Who rules from a throne of Mercy and Grace in His grand perfection as the Perfect Sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! As stated before, Paul says He is the Seed of Abraham meant in the Promise of God, and Praise God, He is our Victorious King/Priest promised in Psalm 110! "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore HE IS ABLE TO SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST those who come to God through Him (John 14:6), since He Lives Forever to make intercession for them!!!" Our inheritance is never found in the Levitical priesthood. It is always and only found in our Melchizedek! That will be our focus from here on out.
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