Letters to the Church

With the outpouring of the Gift of the Spirit, beginning on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced . The Apostle Paul calls the Gift of the Spirit the “ Promise of the Father ,” and he links the promised Gift to the Abrahamic covenant . The promises to Abraham and “ his Seed ” find their fulfillment in the New Covenant inaugurated by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

Christ’s priesthood is superior since it rests on his endless resurrection life and God’s oath, the priest after the order of Melchizedek – Psalm 110:4. The  Letter to the Hebrews  compares the superior word God has “ spoken in His Son ” to all past revelations, including those “ spoken in the prophets .” The former prophetic “ words ” were true but partial and preparatory. God has unveiled His definitive “ word ” in Jesus, who alone “ achieved the purification of sins ” and thereby became the High Priest of his people.

The promise of the Spirit is vital to the redemption of humanity and the New Covenant of God with His people . The New Testament connects the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ Blessings of Abraham ,” the promise that God would bless the nations through the Great Patriarch. The Spirit is the gift believers receive “ through the hearing of faith .” It is part of the covenant promises given to Abraham that find their fulfillment in the “ New Covenant ” established by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The Gift of the Spirit is part of the New Covenant, and the first fruits of the New Creation and the gathering of the nations .  The history of Israel includes national sins that caused her expulsion from the Land of Canaan. However, God foresaw her failures and determined to institute a new covenant, one energized and characterized by His Spirit. This covenant included the salvation of the nations and would culminate in the “ New Heavens and the New Earth ” at the end of the age. With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the Age of the Spirit had commenced in earnest.

Jesus is the true Sanctuary of God that was foreshadowed in the ancient religious structures and worship rituals of the nation of Israel. He is the place where God’s presence and glory are found and the final High Priest who now mediates between Heaven and Earth for his people. The man from Nazareth is the real Tabernacle where Yahweh dwells and he was the Temple “ MADE-WITHOUT-HANDS ” destroyed by evil men but restored when God raised him from the dead.

The promises, types, and shadows of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled by the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth . An accusation commonly heard in popular preaching is ‘Replacement Theology.’ This seemingly dreaded label is hurled against anyone who claims a promise from the Hebrew Bible made to Ancient Israel finds its fulfillment in Jesus and his Church, but the term misses the point of the New Testament – Fulfillment , not Separation or Replacement .

The Gift of the Spirit is clear evidence that a person has been justified by God and made a part of His covenant people. In Galatia, “ false brethren ” were preaching “ another gospel ,” one that claimed Gentiles must be circumcised to “ complete ” their faith. Paul would have none of it, and he appealed to the presence of the Spirit among uncircumcised Gentiles as proof positive of their justification and acceptance by God.

With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations of the Abrahamic Covenant commenced . The “ Promise of the Father ” is the Gift of the Spirit, which the Apostle Paul links to the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises made to the Patriarch are fulfilled in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ. The bestowal of the Spirit on his Assembly on the Day of Pentecost marked the commencement of the “ Last Days ,” the Age of the  Spirit when the promises of God are  achieved . Because of his Death and Resurrection, Gentile believers become full heirs of the Covenant along with believing Jews.

The New Testament links the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ Blessings of Abraham ,” the promise that God would bless the nations through the Great Patriarch. The Spirit is the gift believers receive “ through the hearing of faith .” It is part of the covenant promises given to Abraham, and Peter connected this gift to the “ blessings ” for the nations during his sermon on the Day of Pentecost.

The definitive “Word” that God has spoken “ in the Son ” surpasses all past revelations made in “ the prophets ,” including Moses, the Great Lawgiver. Jesus of Nazareth exceeded every one of his predecessors. He alone “ achieved the purification of sins ,” therefore, he “ sat down ” at the right hand of God and inherited “ all things .” Moreover, his exaltation signaled the commencement of the “ New Covenant .”

The eighth chapter of  Hebrews  highlights the incomparable benefits believers receive under the New Covenant inaugurated by the death of Jesus. If the fulfillment of the promises arrived in him, especially in his Death and Resurrection, returning to the incomplete revelations of the past means embracing the glimpses and “ shadows ” of the “ coming good things ” rather than the substance provided by the Son of God.

The  Letter to the Hebrews  is built on a series of comparisons that demonstrate the superiority of the word that God has “ spoken in ” His “ Son ” over every past revelation “ spoken in the prophets .” The former prophetic “ words ” were true but partial and preparatory. But now, “ upon the last of these days ,” God has unveiled His definitive “ word ” in one who is a “ Son .” That “ word ” is complete and superior to all others since Jesus alone “ achieved the purification of sins ” that is so vital to His people.