Have you ever seen all of the “new and improved” products in stores? I have to be honest, I’m a bit cynical. I often wonder if they are really all that new or improved. Or is it just a small change, then a change in packaging to create a desire to try it? However, there is one thing that I can guarantee is “new and improved.” It is the new covenant, which is in Jesus’ blood. Hebrew 8:7 says, “For it that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.”
The writer of Hebrews is continuing to show how Jesus is better. He is better than the angels, Moses, and now Jesus is better than the old covenant. The writer clearly tells us that if the Law could save us, then there would have been no need for Jesus to come to the earth to die on the cross and rise from the dead. For those who believe that they can be saved by their works, the fact that Jesus came to the earth, died, and rose again speaks against your belief. The apostle Paul would say that if we could save ourselves, then Jesus died in vain. Clearly there was a reason that Jesus came and died. The reason is that you and I could never save ourselves. What does this mean for us?
The biggest takeaway from this verse and this chapter is where we should get our identity from. So often, we get our identity from what we do. Yet, it isn’t what we do that commends us to God. Instead, it is faith in what Jesus has done in our place that commends us to God. Therefore, we need to learn to have our identity in who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and who He says we are. When Jesus is enough, it removes my desire to perform in order to be loved. I know how easy it is to be in an identity crisis. Let Jesus free you from that today. No longer trust in yourself or what you do. Instead, trust in what Jesus has done for you as the reason you are saved. And know that even on days when you mess up real bad, you are still loved and accepted because of Jesus’ death and resurrection on your behalf.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin