Articles
The Melchizedek Factor
by Gordon Enger
It’s interesting to hear discussions about keeping
God’s commandments. In most cases, it seems almost like
God set out to make up rules which were supposedly impossible
to keep and then later changed his mind to allow those very
same rules to be ignored. Following is an example of a discussion
concerning one of the aforementioned rules concerning “unclean
foods.”
“Christ didn’t do away with the law. He said
that he had not come to do away with the law in Matthew 5:17.
What Christ did was to fulfill the dietary law.”
“What exactly does fulfill mean?”
“It means Christ didn’t do away with it, he fulfilled
it so we don’t need to be concerned with that law anymore.”
“Let me see if I have this straight. What used to be
a sin before Christ’s death, eating a ham sandwich for
example, is no longer a sin?”
“Well, uhhhh….”
“Let me ask the question another way. Was it a sin
to eat a ham sandwich in the Old Testament?”
“Uhhhh ……….. Yes.”
“So now in the New Testament era it’s no longer
a sin to eat a ham sandwich?”
“Right, you can eat ham because Christ fulfilled the
dietary laws.”
“Well, let me ask you another question. What other
laws did Christ fulfill?”
“Since Christ was raised from the dead on Sunday, the
Sabbath was changed to Sunday.”
“Are you trying to tell me that the unchanging God
changed his mind about the Sabbath too? And we’re supposed
to go to church on Sunday?”
“Christ set the pattern for us to worship on Sunday
so we’re not obligated to obey the Sabbath command.”
“Alright now, just to clarify this issue about the
seventh day Sabbath, are you telling me that the one thing
which caused God to allow the enemies of Israel to take them
captive, the one thing which caused God to disperse Israel
among the nations as punishment for desecrating his Sabbaths,
is no longer an issue with God?”
“Yes that’s true. Christ fulfilled the Sabbath
law.”
“So the day that God set aside and sanctified is no
longer set aside?”
“That’s right. The law of the Sabbath is fulfilled
in Christ.”
“So the unchanging, immutable God changed his mind?” What
other laws did Christ fulfill? Did he fulfill the commandment
against murder?”
“Yes, he fulfilled all the law.”
“In other words, it was a sin to murder in the Old
Covenant but now, since Christ fulfilled the law, it’s
no longer a sin to murder?”
“That’s not true, it is a sin to murder.”
“Well what’s the difference between murder and
the dietary law? You said the dietary law was fulfilled so
we can eat anything with impunity, and now you’re telling
me we still have to obey the law about murder?”
“Yes, of course. The laws that were restated in the
New Covenant are the only ones we need to obey.”
“So now you are telling me that the restated laws are
still in effect?”
“Right”
“I thought you previously said all the law had been
fulfilled. I guess fulfilling the law in some cases was not
sufficient so it is still necessary for us to obey some of
the law.”
“Yes. The law against murder and adultery and so forth
were restated in the New Testament.
“If a law is not restated we don’t need to be
concerned about it? Those laws which are not restated have
been fulfilled and can be ignored, is that correct?”
“Yes”
“What about bestiality? Is that a sin?”
“Of course.”
“It was not restated in the New Testament and according
to your own words it would not be a sin.”
“Uhhhhh…….”
“It seems to me that you use the word “fulfilled” to
separate out the rules you don’t like. At the very least
the ones you have been accustomed to violating.”
“Well, let me ask you a question. If the law is still
in effect, how can Christ be our High Priest since he is not
a Levite?”
“That’s a fair question. It seems that in God’s
unchanging plan to redeem creation back to himself, he had
that all figured out. When we go back to the story of Abraham,
we discover he was counted as righteous because of his obedience
in following God. There is a recounting of an incident in his
life when he encountered Melchizedek.
Four kings captured Abraham’s nephew Lot along with
his possessions. One who had escaped came and reported the
matter to Abraham. When he heard that his relative had been
taken captive, he called the 318 trained men born in his household
and went in pursuit. During the night he divided his men to
attack them and he routed them. Abraham recovered all the goods
and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together
with the women and the other people.
After Abraham returned from defeating the four kings, he
had an encounter with Melchizedek, king of Salem. Melchizedek
brought out bread and wine. It is said of him that he was priest
of God Most High. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Afterward, Abraham
gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. Most theologians believe
Melchizedek to be a type of Christ, both king and priest. A
good many believe it was in fact Christ.
The book of Hebrews tells us that Christ is a high priest
after the order of Melchizedek. In chapter seven of Hebrews
we are told about Melchizedek that “This man, however,
did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth
from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without
doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one
case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other
case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say
that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham,
because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the
body of his ancestor.”
The question of whether the law is still in effect since
Christ is not a descendent of Levi becomes a moot point when
we consider that the law was in effect when the high priest
of the Most High God, Melchizedek, blessed Abraham. It is said
of Abraham in Genesis 26:5, “…because Abraham
obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees
and my laws.”
The law was in effect before Levi when the high priest was
Melchizedek and the law is in effect after Levi with Christ
becoming the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The
better covenant is the New Covenant because it has a better
promise, that is to say, the Torah will be on the heart, which
requires a priest who can change the heart of stone into a
heart of flesh.
The fault with the Levitical priesthood is that they themselves
were sinners and earthly being unable to change the hearts
of the worshippers. They were mortal and could not write the
Torah on the heart.
Christ, on the other hand, being the embodiment of the Melchizedekian
priesthood is without sin. He is heavenly and able to change
hearts. Also, he is eternal with the ability to write Torah
on our hearts. This is the very premise of the New Covenant. “The
time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will
make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their
forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of
Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband
to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant
I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares
the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write
it on their hearts.”” (Jeremiah 31:31-33)
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his
commands are not burdensome.” I John 5:3..
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