Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Christ Is Superior to Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, focus your attention on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. ² He was faithful to the one who appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in God’s whole house. ³ In fact, Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses, in the same way that the builder of a house has more honor than the house. ⁴ For every house is built by someone, and God is the one who built everything.

⁵ Moses was faithful as a servant within God’s whole house by testifying to the things that would be spoken. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. We are his house, if we hold on firmly^[a] to our confidence and the hope about which we boast until the end.^[b]

Do Not Harden Your Hearts

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

¹² Watch out, brothers, so that there is not an evil, unbelieving heart in any of you that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become people who share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firmly until the end. ¹⁵ As it is said:

¹⁶ Who was it who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all those who left Egypt, led by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was God angry for forty years? Surely it was with the ones who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness, wasn’t it? ¹⁸ And about whom did he swear an oath that they would not enter his rest, if it wasn’t concerning those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

Some Will Enter God’s Rest

4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be fearful that any one of you may be judged to have failed to reach it. ² In fact, we have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united in faith with those who did listen. ³ Indeed, we who believe are going to enter his rest.

It happened just as he vowed when he said:

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way:

⁵ And again in this statement:

⁶ Therefore, since it is still the case that some do enter this rest, and yet those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not enter because of disobedience, ⁷ God again set a certain day, namely, “today,” when he later said through David, as quoted before:

⁸ For, if Joshua had given them rest, then God would not have spoken later about another day.

⁹ So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. ¹⁰ For the one who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God rested from his work. ¹¹ Therefore, let us make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to the point of dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, even being able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from him, but everything is uncovered and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we will give an account.

Jesus Is Our High Priest

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest, who has gone through the heavens, namely, Jesus the Son of God, let us continue to hold on to our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. ¹⁶ So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Our High Priest Is Like Melchizedek

5 To be sure, every high priest is chosen from the people and is appointed to represent the people in the things pertaining to God, so that he may offer gifts, as well as sacrifices, for sins. ² He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also weak in many ways. ³ And for this reason he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people.

⁴ No one takes this honor on himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. ⁵ In the same way, Christ did not take the glory of becoming a high priest on himself, but God said to him:

⁶ He also said the same thing in another place:

⁷ In the days of his flesh,^[k] he offered prayers and pleas with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. ⁸ Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. ⁹ After he was brought to his goal, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him, ¹⁰ because he was designated by God as a high priest, like Melchizedek.

Milk or Solid Food

¹¹ We have much to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, because you have become too lazy to listen. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the beginning principles of God’s word all over again. You have become people who need milk, not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who lives on milk is not acquainted with the word of righteousness, because he is still an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food is for mature people, who have their senses trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil.