Hebrews 8
The first followers of Christ were Jewish. After his death and resurrection, they continued to follow his teaching and on the Day of Pentecost, they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. After a while, others begin to call them Christian because they were acting Christ-like. They still considered themselves Jewish, but they were Jewish Christians. They had no desire to stop being Jewish. However, the world around them was forcing them to make a choice. The Jewish leadership was telling them that they could not be Jewish if they insisted upon being Christian. If they chose to remain Jewish, they would have to give up their faith in Christ and denounce him. If they chose to remain Christian, their Jewish family, friends and neighbors would break relationships with them. They wanted to have right relationships with the people in the world around them, but having a right relationship with God was more important. They chose Jesus. Having made that choice, they still had many choices to make. They knew that the Jewish religion had been part of God’s plan for the salvation of humanity. Now that they were following Jesus, how much of the old did they need to keep, and how much did they need to replace with the new?

Chapter 8 explains to them why God has replaced the old covenant with a new one. The old covenant forgave the sinner, but did not change them. The new covenant results in a new birth. The ministry of Jesus results in Christians having a change of heart and mind. God’s Holy Spirit comes to live within, and we know God, not just through words on a page, or the written law. We know God because we live in his presence, and he lives within us. Choosing Christ means some will reject us. Choosing Christ requires letting go of the old. Choosing Christ results in our learning to walk and talk in a new way. No matter how good your life, following Jesus will be better.