From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 33 of a series. Read part 32.

No human priesthood or earthly religious system can bring about your eternal salvation. Only the One who is "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" can "save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

As we have seen, during His earthly ministry Jesus identified Himself as the One who is spoken of in Psalm 110 as the "priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek". He is the cosmic Prince of Peace who was prefigured by the one whose earthly title was "King of Salem" or "King of Peace." Jesus has brought "peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20).

The "Anchor of the Soul"

The Messiah's priesthood "after the order of Melchizedek" makes Him unique among all the priests of history. How is this so? We find the answer in the Hebrews chapter 6 beginning at verse 13, through the end of chapter 7:

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

The "hope" of all which the writer speaks, as verses prior to this explain, in based upon the oath of God to Abraham to save a people who would be his spiritual seed. And as the Holy Spirit tells us through Paul in Galatians,

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.... For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:16, 26-29)

We must note that "baptized into Christ" means, literally, "placed into Christ." This speaks not of water baptism but of our spiritual union with Christ having been crucified, buried, and raised with Him. And so Paul continues,

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:16, 26-28)

Messiah's Unique, Personal, Perpetual Priesthood

This is the great hope of which the writer to the Hebrews speaks in chapter 6, "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." The inspired writer then recounts the historical record of Melchizedek:

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

For the priests of the Levitical order, genealogical records were vitally important. A man needed to be able to demonstrate that he was of the seed of Levi in order to minister in the tabernacle and temple service. But in Melchizedek God truly gave one who is of a different priestly order, whose service is by unique, direct Divine appointment and not by right of Levitical descent.

Melchizedek is said to be "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life." Because he was a man this is true symbolically and not literally. The Holy Spirit presents to us a man who foreshadows the extraordinary personage of the Messiah who was to come as a man without a human father, who in His deity is eternal and therefore "without mother," and is likewise without physical descendants. Therefore His priesthood does not pass through a human genealogical line. It is His uniquely, personally, and perpetually.

The writer to the Hebrews further emphasizes this by describing the superiority of Melchizedek even to Abraham, our father in the faith, and to his great-grandson Levi:

Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

The inspired writer then brings us to the great point of all these things:

Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.

For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: "The Lord has sworn and will not relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek'"), by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 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.

In Whose Priesthood Are You Trusting?

The Levitical priesthood was itself only a type and a shadow of the promised Messiah. It was "a shadow of things to come, but the substance [literally, the bodily fulfillment] is of Christ (Colossians 2:17).

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 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. 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 [i.e., made fully qualified as priest] forever. (Hebrews 6:19-7:28)

Dear reader, is Jesus the Messiah your High Priest in the throne room of Heaven? No human priesthood or earthly religious system can bring about your eternal salvation. Only the One who is "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" can "save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

Next: The Prince of Completeness

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