22By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
This is a very enlightening truth here the writer of hebrews gives the people of God. That Jesus was made a surety of a better testament. heb 8:
6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
The words testament and covenant are the same..its the greek word:
diathēkē:
a compact, a covenant, a testament
The word compact is interesting because it contains the ideal of an agreement..see english dictionary def:
An agreement or a covenant. See Synonyms at bargain
So Jesus christ here is involved in a agreement, a pact, a covenant which He became surety to..
The english definition for surety is:
- One who has contracted to be responsible for another, especially one who assumes responsibilities or debts in the event of default.
So the Lord Jesus christ, in the agreement and stipulations of the everlasting covenant, was a surety for the inquites of Gods people or sheep..heb 13:
20Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
This covenant was established and confirmed before of God [elohim] before the world began..within the Godhead or Trinity and is called Gods eternal Counsel else where..or The Counsel of peace..
acts 2:
23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
4:
28For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
eph 1:
11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
heb 6:
17Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
again this counsel is the outworking of a predeterminate plan of redemption amongest the persons of The Godhead..
The question is this, in light of wahts been posted. When did The Lord Jesus christ become a surety or responsible for the sins of the elect ?
heb 10:
7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
I come as it is written of me in the volume of the book..what book ? The book of Gods purposes or the book of the covenant..ex 24:
8And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
See how this typifed what the triune God had established in the everlasting covenant, the sprinkling of the blood on the covenant people lets look at 1 pet 1:
2Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
This serves to indicate that the salvation of the elect was according to an everlasting covenant of arrangement amongst the triune God..
1 pet 1:
19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
This serves to show that, Jesus christ became the surety of the covnenat and the people for whom He was responsible, the Sheep, before the foundation of the world..
Now this being the case, the sins of the elect, or the sheep, were never their responsibility, no it wasnt, they had been remitted from the death of their sins [eternal death] because The Lord Jesus christ was their surety. Yes He was responsible to God the Father for the injury that our sins had brought upon Gods offended Law..
So His burden was satisfying Gods Law for the iniquities of the sheep, this is what He left heaven for..
matt 15:
24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
jn 6:
40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day
So these verses and there are more, should vanquish any doubt that Jesus christ left heaven, to die for sins..now here is the neglected truth of the gospel,..
That is, because Jesus christ was made a surety for sin for the sheep, then this means, their sins were not imputed to them, but unto christ their surety..
Thats right, the sins of the elect are not imputed to the sheep, but the sheperd..2 cor 5:
19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
So you see, its impossible for the sins of the elect to have ever condenmed them, except for one thing..one thing may have happened that would have been a sure sign that the sins of the elect did condemned them..and that would have been if christ never would have risen from the grave..Thats right says paul, if christ had not risen, then we are still in our sins..1 cor 15:
17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
But halieuia, Christ did rise from the grave, and this confirms that the sins of the elect had been taken out of the way, that Jesus christ, faithful to the suretyship of the better covenant, has been successful in saving all Gods sheep from their sins..
The holy Ghost now applies this salvation to all the elect of God..because of the sucess of the surety of the sheep..
isa 53:
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
May God be merciful to His sheep, for christ sake, amen..
