Art Toombs Ministries
Online Bible Commentary
The Superiority of Christ to the Priesthood
Hebrews 7:23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. (NKJV)
This passage concludes the subject of the superiority of Christ to the priesthood that began at Hebrews 4:14. In past commentaries we have looked at the superiority of Christ to the prophets, the angels, mankind, Moses, and Joshua. Christ is superior to the priesthood in at least five ways.
The Apostle Paul begins with “Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing” (v. 23). First, Christ is superior to the priesthood because He has a permanent priesthood.
There were “many” priests of Israel (v. 23a). There were eighty-four high priests and many more lesser priests in the history of Israel.
The priesthood of men ends with their death (v. 23b). The office changed hands with each death. Continuity and uniformity was spotty at best.
Paul continues with “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood” (v. 24). Unlike those priesthoods of men, since Christ lives forever His priesthood is “forever” (v. 24a).
Christ’s priesthood is never subject to change or ineffectiveness, as was that of the priesthoods of men (v. 24b). Christ never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Next, Paul writes “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (v. 25). Secondly, Christ is superior to the priesthood because He is able to save completely.
Because Christ lives forever, He is able to save completely those who come to God through him (v. 25a). The literal Greek translation for this phrase is “from this And to save to perfection He is able the ones drawing near to Him through God”.
The meaning is that as we draw nearer to God we also draw nearer to Christ’s perfection. In other words, our high priest, Christ, saves us from the power of sin.
He intercedes for us with the Father in Heaven (v. 25b). The Greek word translated “intercession” was sometimes used of bringing a petition before a king on behalf of another.
The present tense of the Greek verb indicates that this is a continual, or repeated, action. Christ is always interceding for us.
He is our only High Priest, our only intercessor. He is the only One who has the ear of the Father. Neither angels, nor saints, nor finite beings have that power to intercede with the Father.
Paul continues with “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens” (v. 26). All men must be represented before the Father by a high priest. Christ is that high priest. He is “fitting for us”, meeting our every need (v. 26a).
Thirdly, Christ is superior to the priesthood because He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens (v. 26b). Human priests meet none of these qualifications.
Next, Paul writes “who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (v. 27). Fourthly, Christ is superior to the priesthood because he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, for his sins and the sins of the people (v. 27a).
Christ is sinless, and He sacrificed Himself “once for all” (v. 27b) on the cross. Sacrifices for sin are no longer required. The human priesthood is obsolete.
In closing, Paul writes “For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever” (v. 28). Lastly, Christ is superior to the priesthood because He was appointed by an oath from God, and not from the law.
The law appointed men, who are weak (v. 28a). Also, the oath “came after the law” (v. 28b).
The oath replaced the law. The New Covenant of Christ replaced the Old Covenant, the law. The oath from God appointed Christ, “who has been perfected forever” (v. 28c).
So, Christ is superior in all ways to the human priesthood. Paul is impressing upon the Hebrew Christians to whom he is writing that Christ is superior to all tenants of Judaism. He is encouraging them to endure in their Christian faith, and not to return to Judaism.
In the same way, Christ is superior to everything we encounter in our lives today. He is superior to all religions and ideologies.
He is superior to all governments and heads of governments. He is superior to all challenges and problems in our lives.
He is our High Priest and we can go to Him with any problem we may have because He is superior to that problem. He is the solution to every problem in life.