"Out With the Old in With the New"

By Russ Earl

            Things new are always brought in for a specific reason. Things that are old must be replaced. Laws that are now longer in effect also are updated. Consider Hebrews 7:12 which says "For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law."

            The priesthood was changed out of necessity, because the priesthood was changed so was the law. It was changed because a new priest an eternal priest was being appointed, appointed by God. In verse 16 the Bible states "who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life." Christ came as the new priest being appointed by God. He was the new priest who started the new priesthood and brought in the new law.

            The old law or old commandment is annulled because of its weakness and it being unprofitable (Hebrews 7:18). We read of the same thing being done in Colossians 2:14. Where it says "having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." The Old law was taken away, and the new priesthood was put into effect, that being Christ is our High Priest. He is our better High Priest and our compassionate High Priest.

            Christ is High Priest forever. Why? He is eternal, He is chosen of God, and He is a better High Priest than all those before. He is the perfect High Priest for us and for the world that so desperately needs Him.

            Why is Christ appointed as the new high priest? Christ can sympathize with us and our constant temptations. Hebrews 4:15 says "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Christ is the righteous and better high priest. Christ is a priest without sin who doesn't have to make atonements for His sins and then ours. He made atonement one time and for all of mankind.

            So why does is the old done away with? It doesn't meet the needs of mankind. Christ meets the needs of mankind. Christ meets the needs of those who have sin in their lives. The old law could not remove sin. The old priesthood could not remove sin. The sins were only rolled ahead or place on the "escape goat" until Christ came to remove all sins for all time. Only by His perfect and complete sacrifice did the sins of the world have a chance of being removed. We have only the chance of them being removed because we still must be willing to recognize our sins and to repent of them before they can be removed and forgiven.

            It was time for the old to be done away with and for the new to come into effect. This could not happen until Christ had made His sacrifice and died on the cross for us. The new law and new covenant of Christ was not put into effect until His death on the cross.