Jesus, Our Great High Priest

Series: The Book of Hebrews: Jesus is Better

The Works of Christ

Jesus, Our Great High Priest

43 min

Series: The Book of Hebrews: Jesus is Better

The Works of Christ

Jesus, Our Great High Priest

43 min

Why would you want to go back to types and shadows when the real thing is here? The author of Hebrews poses this question as he highlights Jesus’s work as our great high priest—a priest who passed not just through an earthly curtain but through a heavenly one, who descends from the line of Melchizedek, who far surpasses the priesthood of the Jerusalem temple. In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Nick Brennan continue their discussion of the book of Hebrews, grounding our confidence in Christ’s work on our behalf, by which we’re able to draw near to God’s throne of grace.

Quote:

“We have a high priest who hasn’t passed through the curtain on earth to minister for us—who, by the way, has to first sacrifice for his own sins and then for the people. We have a great high priest who totally sympathizes with us, who is in all points like us, yet without sin. He passed through the heavens, that curtain that the earthly curtain was made to look like—that copy—he passed through the actual original. Jesus, the Son of God. Because of that, let’s hold to our confession. Our High Priest happens to be human so he sympathizes with us; and he’s God, so he can save us.”

Michael Horton


Dig Deeper + Check Out This Month’s Offers:

The Old Testament in the Book of Hebrews

Free download written by Dennis Johnson

The ‘Better’ Is the Best: Essays on the Book of Hebrews

Free physical booklet (international requests will receive a PDF download)

Divine Christology in the Epistle to the Hebrews

Book by panelist Nick Brennan

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Bob Hiller is the Senior Pastor of Community Lutheran Church in Escondido/San Marcos, California. He is the author of Finding Christ in the Straw and the content editor for The Craft of Preaching (1517).

Justin S. Holcomb, PhD, is an Episcopal minister and professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than twenty books on numerous topics, including abuse, biblical studies, and theology. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, coauthored the award-winning children’s book God Made All of Me, God Made Me in His Image, and God Made Babies. You can read more from Justin at justinholcomb.com and connect with him on Twitter @JustinHolcomb.

Michael Horton (Ph.D., Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Coventry University) is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California and Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Sola Media.

Series • 12 Episodes

The Book of Hebrews: Jesus is Better

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White Horse Inn

An Introduction to the Book of Hebrews

On this edition of the White Horse Inn this hosts will begin a new eight part series through the book of Hebrews. What his the basic message of this epistle and how does it point to Christ as our final prophet, priest and king? Joining the panel for the first few programs in this series […]

White Horse Inn

Greater Than Angels

Why did so many first century Jews come to the conclusion that Jesus was divine? What Old Testament texts did they appeal to? Did they view Jesus as a kind of angelic being or as God in human flesh? On this program the hosts will discuss these questions and more a they continue their exploration […]

White Horse Inn

Greater Than Moses

What is the difference between the new covenant that Jesus inaugurated and the old covenant established at Mt. Sinai? How was this new covenant foreshadowed in the laws of Moses, and how does all of this relate to our understanding of law and gospel? On this edition of the program the hosts will discuss these […]

White Horse Inn

Christ Our Eternal High Priest

How are does a person become right with God? Throughout the Old Testament, a person was commanded to go before the Levitical priests and offer sacrifices. But these could never actually take away sin, since they needed to be repeated year after year. But now, Christ has brought us near to God by becoming for […]

White Horse Inn

Were Jews Expecting a Divine Messiah?

On this edition of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with New Testament Scholar Craig Evans about messianic expectations in first century Judaism. Their conversation focuses on an important find among the Dead Sea Scroll collection known as the Melchizedek Scroll. It contains multiple parallels to the book of Hebrews. Craig Evans is the author […]

White Horse Inn

A Superior Covenant

What are the differences between the old and new covenants, and why does the author of Hebrews say that the first covenant has now become obsolete? How was the new covenant hinted at in the writings of the Old Testament prophets? Joining Mike, Kim, and Rod to discuss these issues is Nancy Guthrie, who is the author […]

White Horse Inn

The Eternal Sacrifice

According to the book of Hebrews, Christ obtained an eternal redemption for his people by means of his own blood. In other words, the entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament, and even the temple itself, was a kind of place-holder which awaited the arrival of the true lamb of God who would take away the […]

White Horse Inn

Persevering Faith

Can believers lose their salvation? How should we think of faith in the first place? Is it merely a blind leap? Why is Jesus referred to as “the author and perfecter” of our faith? On this program the hosts, along with Nancy Guthrie, will discuss these issues and more as they wrap up their series […]

Jesus is Better

Jesus is Better

What’s better than Jesus? What about the angels, Moses, the Levitical priesthood, and the blessings and promises of the old covenant? In the first few chapters of Hebrews, the author highlights these contrasts, pointing to the glory of Christ and his work on our behalf. His claim that Jesus is better sets the groundwork for […]

Jesus, Our Hope

Jesus, Our Hope

The Book of Hebrews contains some of the most difficult passages in Scripture—warnings that cause people to feel fearful and lack assurance. How—in the face of such grave warnings—is Jesus our hope? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Nick Brennan look closely at two particular warning passages […]

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