Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

6 So let us go on to grown-up teaching. Let us not go back over the beginning lessons we learned about Christ. We should not start over again with teaching about turning from acts that lead to death and about believing in God. ² We should not return to the teaching of baptisms,^[a] of laying on of hands,^[b] of the raising of the dead and eternal judgment. ³ And we will go on to grown-up teaching if God allows.

⁴ Some people cannot be brought back again to a changed life. They were once in God’s light. They enjoyed heaven’s gift, and they shared in the Holy Spirit. ⁵ They found out how good God’s word is, and they received the powers of his new world. ⁶ And then they fell away from Christ! It is not possible to keep on bringing them back to a changed life again. For they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others.

⁷ Some people are like land that gets plenty of rain. The land produces a good crop for those who work it, and it receives God’s blessings. ⁸ Other people are like land that grows thorns and weeds and is worthless. It is about to be cursed by God. It will be destroyed by fire.

⁹ Dear friends, we are saying this to you. But we really expect better things from you that will lead to your salvation. ¹⁰ God is fair. He will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people. And he will remember that you are still helping them. ¹¹ We want each of you to go on with the same hard work all your lives. Then you will surely get what you hope for. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who have faith and patience. They will receive what God has promised.

¹³ God made a promise to Abraham. And as there is no one greater than God, he used himself when he swore to Abraham. ¹⁴ He said, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^{[c] 15} Abraham waited patiently for this to happen. And he received what God promised.

¹⁶ People always use the name of someone greater than themselves when they swear. The oath proves that what they say is true. And this ends all arguing about what they say. ¹⁷ God wanted to prove that his promise was true. He wanted to prove this to those who would get what he promised. He wanted them to understand clearly that his purposes never change. So God proved his promise by also making an oath. ¹⁸ These two things cannot change. God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in heaven. ²⁰ Jesus has gone in there ahead of us and for us. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek.^[d]

The Priest Melchizedek

7 Melchizedek^[e] was the king of Salem and a priest for the Most High God. He met Abraham when Abraham was coming back after defeating the kings. When they met, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. ² And Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had brought back from the battle. First, Melchizedek’s name means “king of goodness.” Also, he is king of Salem, which means “king of peace.” ³ No one knows who Melchizedek’s father or mother was.^[f] No one knows where he came from. And no one knows when he was born or when he died. Melchizedek is like the Son of God; he continues being a priest forever.

⁴ You can see that Melchizedek was very great. Abraham, the great father, gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything that Abraham won in battle. ⁵ Now the law says that those in the tribe of Levi who become priests must get a tenth from the people. The priests collect it from their own people, even though the priests and the people are both from the family of Abraham. ⁶ Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi. But he got a tenth from Abraham. And he blessed Abraham, the man who had God’s promises. ⁷ And everyone knows that the more important person blesses the less important person. ⁸ Those priests get a tenth, but they are only men who live and then die. But Melchizedek, who got a tenth from Abraham, continues living, as the Scripture says. ⁹ It is Levi who gets a tenth from the people. But we might even say that when Abraham paid Melchizedek a tenth, then Levi also paid it. ¹⁰ Levi was not yet born. But Levi was in the body of his ancestor Abraham when Melchizedek met Abraham.

¹¹ The people were given the law^[g] concerning the system of priests from the tribe of Levi. But they could not be made spiritually perfect through that system of priests. So there was a need for another priest to come. I mean a priest like Melchizedek, not Aaron. ¹² And when a different kind of priest comes, the law must be changed, too. ¹³ We are saying these things about Christ. He belonged to a different tribe. No one from that tribe ever served as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴ It is clear that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah. And Moses said nothing about priests belonging to that tribe.

Jesus Is Like Melchizedek

¹⁵ And this becomes even more clear. We see that another priest comes, who is like Melchizedek.^{[h] 16} He was not made a priest by human rules and laws. He became a priest through the power of his life, which continues forever. ¹⁷ In the Scriptures, this is said about him:

¹⁸ The old rule is now set aside because it was weak and useless. ¹⁹ The law of Moses could not make anything perfect. But now a better hope has been given to us. And with this hope we can come near to God.

²⁰ Also, it is important that God made an oath when he made Jesus high priest. When the others became priests, there was no oath. ²¹ But Christ became a priest with God’s oath. God said:

²² So this means that Jesus is the guarantee of a better agreement^[i] from God to his people.

²³ Also, when one of the other priests died, he could not continue being a priest. So there were many priests. ²⁴ But Jesus lives forever. He will never stop serving as priest. ²⁵ So he is always able to save those who come to God through him. He can do this, because he always lives, ready to help those who come before God.

²⁶ So Jesus is the kind of high priest that we need. He is holy; he has no sin in him. He is pure and not influenced by sinners. And he is raised above the heavens. ²⁷ He is not like the other priests. They had to offer sacrifices every day, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. But Christ does not need to do that. He offered his sacrifice only once and for all time. Christ offered himself! ²⁸ The law chooses high priests who are men with all their weaknesses. But the word of God’s oath came later than the law. It made God’s Son to be the high priest. And that Son has been made perfect forever.