From Hebrews: The Speaking of God and the Eternal High Priesthood
Orientation
Many approach God as if He were distant, accessible only through rituals or earthly mediators, leaving the soul without a sure anchor.
- God is not silent; He has spoken finally and fully in His Son.
- Earthly religious systems provide only shadows and distance, not direct access.
- Our hope must be anchored in heaven, not in what can be seen or performed.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:1-2)
— Hebrews 1:1-2
Clarification
The warnings in Hebrews are not about losing salvation, but about forfeiting the superior access and living hope found only in Christ by reverting to obsolete systems.
- The context is Jerusalem's impending destruction, a sign the old covenant was finished.
- Turning back to ritual or law is a rejection of the new and living way Christ opened.
- The loss is of fellowship and confident access, not of eternal life.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (Hebrews 10:19)
— Hebrews 10:19
Structure
God's oath established an eternal priesthood in Christ, according to Melchizedek, which grants direct access to His presence, surpassing the temporary Levitical system.
- The Melchizedekian priesthood is founded on God's oath, not human lineage.
- This eternal priesthood provides a living hope anchored within the veil of God's presence.
- Christ's sacrificial death opened the way, making the holiest place accessible to all believers.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:19-20)
— Hebrews 6:19-20
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core argument of Hebrews is that God’s speaking in His Son establishes a heavenly reality that renders the earthly Old Testament system obsolete. This is not progressive improvement but a definitive replacement. The theological move is God’s oath, which establishes the seed of David as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. This creates an eternal priesthood that transcends the temporal, sin-referencing Levitical priesthood. The Levitical system was the ‘problem’—it could never bring perfection or direct access. The Melchizedekian priesthood is the ‘solution’ founded on a divine oath, resulting in a living hope anchored within the veil. Christ’s sacrificial death is the means, effecting the opened veil. The result is direct access to the holiest place for all believers through His blood—a new and living way. The warnings, in their historical context, exhort believers not to revert to the old covenant (the contrast/problem) and thus forfeit this superior access and hope (the negative outcome). The positive outcome is perseverance in the new covenant reality. Paul’s category of ‘law versus promise’ is in view: the oath (promise) establishes a priesthood of grace, surpassing the law-based priesthood.
Integration
Your anchor is not your performance, your understanding, or your feelings. It is Christ Himself, who has entered on your behalf. The veil is open. Your access to God’s presence is secured by God’s own oath and Christ’s finished work, not by your perseverance. The living hope is yours because He is your High Priest. There is no pressure to advance or maintain this access; it is held firm by the One who is a priest forever. Rest here. Christ is your anchor, your hope, and your way into the holiest. Any voice that calls you back to ritual, distance, or earthly mediation is a call away from the speaking of God in His Son. You are safe within the veil.