Interpretation of the Bible / Hebrews 8:6

The Bible verse we just read is a statement about the role of Jesus Christ as the mediator of a better Covenant and a better ministry. The writer of Hebrews emphasizes the superiority of Jesus Christ’s ministry over the ancient priests because His ministry is based on “better promises.”

This leads to a natural question: What are these “better promises”? What makes Jesus’ Covenant superior to the Old Covenant?

Better promises in the New Covenant

In the Old Covenant, the covenant between God and His people was based on the Law of Moses. God’s people had to keep a series of laws and rules in order to be in God’s presence and receive His favor. However, the Law could not save anyone; it was only a shadow of the perfection that was to come in Jesus.

At the same time, the Old Testament could not forgive all kinds of sins, but instead reminded the believer that he was still imperfect and in need of something more.

In contrast, the New Testament establishes a relationship based on the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself, through His death and resurrection, completely fulfilled the Law for us and set us free from sin and death.

The promises of the New Covenant are eternal life, complete forgiveness of sins, salvation, and a personal relationship with God.

The ministry of Jesus Christ as mediator

Jesus Christ is our mediator because it was He who made possible the union between God and man through His sacrifice on the cross. This means that in order to be in the presence of God, no human intermediaries such as priests or even the Law are needed. Instead, we can approach God directly through Jesus Christ, who reconciled us to God through His death and resurrection.

The ministry of Jesus Christ is superior to that of the ancient priests because they had to make sacrifices over and over again to atone for the sins of the people. On the other hand, Jesus Christ made the final and sufficient sacrifice, which means that we can be assured that our sins are completely forgiven.

Furthermore, Jesus Christ is our High Priest who intercedes for us in heaven, which means that we will always have access to God's grace and forgiveness.