What do the accounts of Melchizedek in Genesis, Psalm 110, and Hebrews teach us about our Priest and King?

Abraham’s story reminds us God has always demanded faith and patience of those who would follow him.

God promises to preserve His people, to grant them grace that they might persevere in love and service of Him throughout the course of their lives. So how do we reconcile this teaching with Paul’s warnings in Hebrews about apostasy?

Unfortunately, the insistence that Christianity is Good Advice and not merely Good News has been routinely distorted to justify all kinds of misbehavior. Today we study the subject of Christian maturity.

In the first verses of Hebrews chapter 10, the theme of this section of the book is presented. The levitical priests were a type of Jesus, our exalted priest.

On what must our perseverance be based? On the power of our will? Or on the help of our great and compassionate High Priest?

“Human beings have a secret instinct that drives us to seek external distraction and occupation, and this is the result of our constant sense of misery. We have another instinct, which comes from the greatness of our original nature. It tells us the only true happiness lies in rest…” (Blaise Pascal)

The rest promised to Israel as they sought the Promised Land serves as a type, pointing to the ultimate Rest provided to those who prove diligent in seeking after God. There will come a time when the strenuous push to persevere is completed; when our sanctification, now begun, ends in glory.

Perseverance reveals the legitimacy, the truth of our faith. It is not as though perseverance makes our faith genuine; we don’t somehow merit salvation by holding fast to Christ. May it never be! Rather genuine faith perseveres – perseverance reveals that what we’ve got is the real thing.