Christ Manifested in the Flesh, Jesus Christ as High Priest

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Heb. 2:17.

The children partook of flesh and blood, therefore He Himself had to share in the same.

For in that Jesus Himself partook of flesh and blood, He was tempted like the rest of us who also have flesh and blood. He suffered, being tempted. Therefore He is also able to aid those who are tempted. Verse 18.

Jesus partook of flesh and blood in order to become our High Priest. It wasn’t angels that He helped—it was the seed of Abraham. Jesus came to save sinners. He wasn’t thinking of the angels; they don’t have flesh and blood like us. In order to save us who have a flesh, Jesus Christ needed to be manifested in the flesh. No one before Jesus had overcome in the flesh, but it was in the flesh that He overcame, and the pangs of death could not keep Him in Hades. God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand. Acts 2:33. In other words, we have a High Priest at the Father’s right hand, the Messiah. God had sworn to David by an oath that the Christ, the fruit of his loins, would sit on his throne. Therefore David prophesied of Him, that His soul would not be left in Hades, nor would His flesh see corruption. Acts 2:30-31.

Seeing that Jesus had flesh and blood like us and was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin [without committing sin] Heb. 4:15, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In the days of His flesh, Jesus overcame by His Holy Spirit in order to empower us to overcome. As a result there are special promises for all those who overcome. See Revelation 2:7, 17 & 26 and 3:5, 12 & 21. No one can say that we cannot overcome; the Scriptures tell us explicitly that we can overcome. The question is: What does it mean to “overcome”? It doesn’t mean that we are perfect, nor does it mean that we are finished with our sanctification. No, it means that I am faithful to the light God has given me, and that I walk in the light as He is in the light. When I receive a greater extent of light, I agree with the new light, and then the blood of Christ can cleanse me to a deeper degree. We live a victorious life when we continuously go forward on this way.

In the course of this walk, Jesus is our merciful and faithful High Priest. He understands us completely because He, too, walked in flesh and blood and has suffered, being tempted. This is of great comfort to us, because if He had had a different flesh and blood than we have, then His overcoming would not have been so great. If we faithfully follow Jesus in His footsteps, then the mystery of godliness, “Christ manifested in the flesh,” will become a tremendously great help, comfort, and joy to us. But to those who do not love God and therefore do not keep His commandments, “Christ manifested in the flesh” is of no benefit. They would again and again prefer to avoid doing God’s will because their love of their lusts and their life in this world is greater than their love for God. Because of this, the forgiveness of sins is all they need. They certainly have no use for Jesus as a High Priest and Mediator of a new covenant. For them Jesus is only a sacrifice for sins that sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, just like the sacrifices in the old covenant. We, on the other hand, need Him in order to be saved from everything that was impossible for the law. Year after year the people were reminded of their sins, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.

“‘Then I said, “Behold I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.”’”

He takes away the sacrifices and establishes something new, namely, doing God’s will. Heb. 10.

Therefore God’s will is also our sanctification.

In the new covenant God has put the laws into our hearts, and He writes them in our minds. Heb. 10:16.

These laws are always in accordance with His will and the Scriptures, which are a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. As we progress from a smaller to a greater degree of light, God writes these laws in our minds. The fundamental law lies in our heart, and the laws God writes in our minds by this greater light will always be in accordance with the fundamental law in the heart.

The new and living way into the Holiest goes through the veil, that is, His flesh. When we have been baptized by one Spirit to become one body with Him, and flesh of His flesh, then the new way that was first consecrated through His flesh will, by obedience and faithfulness, be consecrated through our veil, that is, our flesh. Thus He has become “the Way” for us. We are His house, and we have a High Priest over this house of God, a mediator for the new covenant. Where He went we know, and the way we know, for we have been enlightened by the Helper.

If anyone is looking for another way than the new and living way through the flesh, it is quite simply because he loves his life in this world more than God and the laws He has written in our hearts and minds. This leads to dryness in the assembly and in the daily life. Crushed olives, on the other hand, bring light into hearts and into the congregation; this creates spirit and life, salvation and peace. We believe, therefore we speak. This is our experience, and because of this we seek to spread this light and blessed knowledge of God.