Our Resurrected High Priest by PETER AIELLO for Charisma News
Paul tells us in 1Corinthians 15:17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins.” The resurrection of Christ is essential for freeing us from the slavery that the law of sin imposes on us and that we are born with.
The basis for the resurrection of Christ has its beginnings in the Old Testament book of Genesis. The resurrected Christ was prefigured by Melchizedek who was “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.”1 Because of this, Jesus’ High Priesthood in heaven is of the order of Melchizedek. His name means king of justice or righteousness. Melchizedek was king of Salem which means peace. He was the king of righteousness and the king of peace. The Melchizedek priesthood of Christ is based on the power of an endless life, and not on a human commandment.2
Jesus’ different order of priesthood required a different law associated with it by which we could draw near to God. There was no perfection available from the Levitical priesthood in spite of its animal sacrifices; therefore, the Levitical High Priest in Jerusalem wasn’t able to do this for the people because the prior sacrifices were insufficient, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”3 Jesus could not be a High Priest of the Israeli tribe of Levi because He was born of the tribe of Judah which was the royal tribe and not the priestly one.4 Also, Jesus would not have been a priest on earth because there were already priests that offered gifts at that time according to the Mosaic Law.5
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God took an oath that Jesus would be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.6Jesus did not take this upon Himself. God foreordained that Jesus would live forever: which He did after He shed His blood, died, and resurrected. This ensured an uninterrupted ministry after His death. After Jesus completed His time on earth, He resurrected and ascended in order to live on to be our High Priest in heaven. The Levitical high priests died and were replaced. Hebrews 7:24-25 says of Jesus: “But this man, because he continues forever, has an everlasting priesthood. Therefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost those that come to God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.” This became possible because of Christ’s resurrection. Christ was suitable for this because He was unstained by sin; and was given a place of honor in heaven as a result. The Levitical high priests had to offer daily sacrifices for their own sins as well as those of the people. Christ offered up Himself to God once, holy and blameless. Christ was perfect, and was appointed High Priest by God’s oath, and not by ancestry and human appointment. 7
