We'll begin our reading in verse
17, read down through verse 22. This is the section on the priesthood
of Christ. It's a long one in Hebrews. Naturally, we can't read it all.
But in chapter 7, Verse 17 through verse 22. Verse 22 contains our
text. My subject today, the suretyship
of Christ. Christ, the surety of the New
Testament, what that means. All right, verse 17. For he testified
thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. God does the testifying, Christ
is the one spoken to. For there is very a disannulling
of the commandment going before, for the weakness and the unprofitableness
thereof. For the law made nothing perfect. but the bringing in of a better
hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as
not without an oath he was made priest, for those priests were
made without an oath, but this with an oath by him that said
unto him, the Lord swear will not repent, Thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament. And that's our study. That's
our text of the day, the surety ship of Christ. One of my favorites. And today, I'm happy that we
are to revisit a grand old doctrine of the scripture that has much
to do with our great salvation. However, in our day, it has been
lost, set aside, and buried under the rubble of freewillism and
religious psychology, where religious hucksters are going about trying
to sell Jesus, as it were, under the highest bidder. Now that
grand old doctrine is that of the suretyship of Christ our
Lord. And he has made a surety of the
covenant, but he's made a surety in an irrevocable way, as we
will consider later in our study. Now I must tell you, this is
the only time that that particular word is used in all of the New
Testament, though the truth of it is present as to what Christ
did as a surety. So the Old Testament readers
were familiar with the work and the office of a surety. So when Paul writes that under
the Jew, they perfectly understand what it is that a surety is about. But the question then comes into
our mind, how does one get a surety? How does one get one that acts
as surety for them? Who is it that needs a surety? And why is it that they need
a surety that might act in their behalf? But first, concerning
the fact that the word is only one time in all of the New Testament,
it does not diminish the importance of the work and the office of
Christ as a surety, and it does not lessen the significance of
it that it is one time only in the New Testament. I might make
a comparison and remind us that John 3, 16 is in the Bible only
one time, and yet to many, It is the most important verse in
all of the scripture. And now me thinks that John Owen,
who wrote on these things and did as well as anyone that I've
ever read, was right when he said, that the mention of it
only one time does not deflect it at all because it was under
divine inspiration as much as those things that are mentioned
as many as twenty times in the scripture. I'll repeat, the Jewish
readers of this epistle were very familiar, they knew well
the work and the purpose of assurity and that from its use the frequent
use of it in the Old Testament scripture. Thus the author had
no need to explain unto them what a surety was and how it
worked. So the question then comes, what
is a surety? And I mean in the scriptural
sense of the word. And John Gill pointed out that
it had a couple of meanings. It meant near, and it meant hand,
like the palm of the hand in the Old Testament scripture.
Owen understood it as the palm of the hand, to deliver into
the palm of the hand, or to put into the palm of the hand, because
we read about striking hand. And we also read about one who
becomes surety for another and mixes themselves up together
in behave of another. Some say that the word means
bail, that is B-A-I-L. to bail one out of their present
situation. A sponsor is how some other would
define it. We might call it in our day a
cosigner or a guarantor, one that cosigns on the note or an
expense with another who has no credit of their own and are
considered to be a risk as to the fact of them being able to
pay the debt. So as an example, And you might
have done this, especially if you're an older parent. You might
have cosigned for a child when they first were young and getting
their credit established. Maybe they wanted to go buy their
first car, or they got married, or they bought a house, or something
of that nature. While all is well that ends well
for them, there have been cases where the parent has been responsible
to pay the debt of the child because they did not or they
could not. And they smarted for it, and
that's what Solomon said, they shall smart for it if they become
a surety. But we see something else about
the suretyship of Christ our Lord, and that is He is the surety
of a better testament or covenant, if you please. His suretyship
is in direct connection and relation unto the New Testament or the
covenant that God has made. And notice, The apostle called
that covenant better, of a better covenant or testament, better
than the other, better than the first, better than the old. Now, there's a little confusion
about the word covenant and the word testament in the New Testament,
but it is the same word, whether it's translated testament or
covenant, And you find it about 20 times in the book of Hebrews
alone that the author used it and it's translated either covenant
or testament being one and the same word, whether it refers
to the old and the new or the first and the second. as he calls
them, in chapter 8 and chapter 9 of the book of Hebrew. Now, a covenant or a testament
is a disposition, a will, or a contract, and is in the form
of a covenant or a testament. It sets in order the things that
are to be done in connection with the covenant. And it means
to dispose of by a testamentary disposition. And that's what
a testator does. We also read of the purpose of
God in the New Testament in regard. This means a setting forth. God's purpose is that he has
set forth and intention. And we read, for example, in
Ephesians 3 and verse 11, that his purpose is eternal and that
it is in Jesus Christ. You have that great passage from
Paul. In 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse
9, of his own purpose and grace in Christ Jesus before the world
ever began. In Romans 8, 28, we read, of
being called according to the purpose of God, who works all
things after the counsel of his own will. And one more, in Romans
9 and verse 11, of the purpose of God according to election,
and that it might stand. Now before the world, before
time, Before creation, the Holy Three, the Father and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit made a covenant between themselves. And the covenant
was made principally in and through the Son. as we read there in
Ephesians 3, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord. That has to do with the calling
of the Gentile in that text. He was made the head of the elect. They were chosen in him and were
given unto him. And this required him to become
incarnate, to assume human nature without any sin or depravity,
partake of flesh and of blood, that he might be made like unto
his brethren, and bring many sons to glory that you have in
Hebrews chapter 2. Now in the Hebrews epistle we
read of Christ and the new covenant and he has three distinct and
particular relationship under that covenant. I'll mention them
quickly. Number one, he is the mediator
of a better covenant. Hebrews 8 and 6 and 9 and 15
and 12 and 24. He's the mediator of that covenant. Now, what is a mediator? A mediator
is a go-between. He's a middleman. He's a reconciler. One who stands between two, who
have been a strain for some cause or another. So there is a mediator. Now the second of it, he is a
testator. We find that in Hebrews 9 and
verse 16 and 17. For we read there, for a testament,
same word as covenant, requires a testatare that it might go
into force. It refers to one who dies leaving
a valid and a legal will which disposes of their possession
of their property or of their inheritance that they might pass
to those according to their goodwill and pleasure. This last testament
is the will of a person concerning their goods when they are passed
or dead or have deceased. Otherwise, it is of no force
while they are living. It requires the death in order
that the inheritance might pass to the heir. And thirdly, in
our text today, Jesus is the surety. He's the mediator, he's
the testator, and he is the surety of the better covenant. And of
course, all three of these offices are related to and function and
are performed by Christ as our great high priest. He is the
great high priest of the covenant, and as such, mediator, testator,
and also surety. Now, let's focus today on the
surety ship of Christ. What is it? What does it mean?
Who needs it? How do we get him? And so forth. We read that he was made surety,
made, M-A-D-E. Now the word made does not imply
a forced suretyship upon one who is unwilling. It does not
imply a force, but a constitution. He was made, he was constituted
a surety. he became the surety of the covenant
or the testament. And that was in two ways, by
God's appointment and by his willing consent. By God's appointment
and the willing consent of Christ, he became the surety of the covenant. Now, if we might get a better
handle on Christ's suretyship, let's lay a foundation reaching
back into the Old Testament and the practice of the people and
the thing surety in the scripture. It's very familiar and frequent
in the Old Testament. But first let me say, there are
two examples There may be more, but I want to mention two. There
are two prominent examples of suretyship in the scripture,
and here they are. Number one, Paul in that little
book of Philemon in the New Testament. Paul became a surety for Onesimus. Now, Onesimus had been a slave
of Philemon, and he had run away and had evidently stolen some
of his goods as he went away from his master. And in that
little book, in verse 18, And verse 19, Paul, by the providence
of God, his path had crossed with Onesimus, he had heard the
gospel, he had been converted under the ministry of Paul. Now
Paul would send him back to Philemon as a brother in Christ. But Paul says this, he pledged
to reimburse for what Onesimus owed unto his master. He said then, if he owes you,
put that on my account. I, Paul, will repay it. So Paul became a surety for Onesimus
and the debt that he owed. There's a second one and this
one is the principle of first mention in the scripture and
is found in Genesis chapter 43 and it's when Judah, one of the
sons of Jacob, pledged himself to be the surety of their little
brother Benjamin unto their father Jacob. Now Judah pledged, let
him go with me, for Jacob had resisted that fearing the loss
of another son. But Judah persuaded the father
by saying this, Let the lad go with me. I will be surety for
him. Of my hand shall you require
him." That is, I will be responsible for him, for whatever befalls
him, good or evil. And if I bring him not unto you
again, let me bear the blame, that is the guilt, forever. If he's lost to you, if he disappears,
if he doesn't come back, if I don't bring him back, let me bear the
blame and have the guilt forever. So the question then is, Paul's
offer of suretyship concerned a monetary debt. It would be money. Judah's offer
of suretyship was for a person. the life and well-being of that
person. His own brother, a young lad
and tender, who was dearly beloved by the Father. So Paul for money
and Judah for a person. So what then is the nature of
the suretyship of Christ? For whom or what is he a surety? What is the extent of the surety
ship of Christ? What has he pledged to do or
to pay in regard to under the covenant? Who is he surety for? Who is the beneficiary of a surety
ship? In whose behalf has Christ become
a surety? Now, before we answer that, let
us seek the counsel of the wise Solomon, who wrote in the Old
Testament on the risk of becoming a surety. Solomon said, don't
do it. It's not a good deal. Avoid it
if you can. And he strongly counsels against
becoming a surety, whether friend or stranger. And you can read
a passage on that. It's found in Proverbs chapter
6, verse 1 through 5, Solomon's view and opinion of suretyship. Now, here's some points that
he makes in that passage of the scripture. In verse 2, he said
that a vocal pledge to be surety is a snare. You have been entangled
in a net, in a snare, if you have given a pledge of surety
ship. And then in verse 4 and 5 he
stresses, oh how he stresses, the urgency of seeking Not to
fulfill, but to be dismissed as a surety. To be released from
the obligation of a surety. He even said, don't rest, don't
sleep, don't close your eyes until it is done. For he said,
it's kind of like a deer in the crosshair of the bow of the hunter's
arrow. Or it's like a bird in the net
of a trapper. other verses that deal with surety
ship, all of them from Solomon, all of them in Proverbs are these. Proverbs 11, 15, 17, 18, 20,
16, 22, 26, and 27, 13. All of those putting forth the danger are becoming a surety. And Solomon
keeps on bringing it up and counseling, don't do it. Let me give you
a personal note and experience. Take a minute. A couple of years
ago, a man came to me and he said, I found a van. I want to buy a good deal, $1,800.
The man wants me to get a cosigner. Would you cosign for me? Well,
he told me the transmission don't work, the van won't run, and
he wanted me to cosign for $1,800. And I said, listen, this man
didn't have two quarters to rub together that I'm talking about.
And I answered him, I said, Solomon said, don't do it. And I wouldn't
do that. You'd put your neck in a noose.
I would have paid that $1,800 had I been foolish enough to
do that. And let's not let this thought
slip our mind, that what Solomon warns against becoming warns
against the danger and the consequences of it saying, don't do it. Our Lord Jesus Christ did it. He became a surety, and not for
one and not for two, but for a multitude which no man can
number. And true to Solomon's prediction,
he smarted far. He suffered. He entered into
distress. He met calamity because he was
a surety of the covenant. Now concerning the surety ship
of Christ, he is the surety of a better covenant. He was made
so by God, but not against his will, but willingly, and that
with an oath of swearing. It is irrevocable. You are a
priest forever, and therefore surety forever. He's not surety,
however, of the whole world, but of the people under the better
and the everlasting covenant. Let me put this thought in your
mind. Suretyship is particular. It is particular. It is for definite
and specified individual. And what is required of him as
our surety? What does he answer for? Certainly
not our worldly debts, not our house note, certainly not our
worldly debt, but our sin. He has made himself surety for
our sin. For two things there are about
suretyship. Number one, the one in need of
a surety is unable to answer or to pay or to give what is
required. He cannot or she does not have
the means to pay it or to answer the debt. If so, they would not
need assurity. If they had the means to pay
it or to answer it, they would have no need of an outside surety. Then the other thing about suretyship
is that the one becoming a surety must be able to answer all the
liabilities included in the suretyship. Whatever it is, whatever the
amount, they must be able to surpass being able to handle
that liability. As far as the surety ship extends,
they must be able in what we might call civil surety ship
in our day and in our time. But Christ assumed a spiritual
surety ship that one connected to the everlasting covenant and
the children which God had given unto him called in Hebrews 2
and 16 the seed of Abraham he took hold of the seed of Abraham
not hold of the seed of angel but of the seed of Abraham for
them he is a surety. So let's consider now the person
of our surety. The person of our surety. Although he was first made a
surety before the world ever began in the covenant of grace,
while yet in his pre-incarnate state, when the covenant was
ratified, between the Trinity, but yet the fulfillment of his
surety ship or the performance of it, if I may use that word,
it will for him to be engaged to do it required the incarnation. It required a proper constitution
of the person of the surety that he might act as such. First of all, he must assume
true humanity. To be our surety, to answer the
debt, He must assume true humanity, consisting of true humanity,
both flesh and blood, body and a human soul, and be born of
a woman. He must be true man, that he
might assume a proper kinship unto his brethren, to be like
Boaz in the book of Ruth, a kinsman redeemer, a close relative, a
near kinsman, Ruth 3 and verse 9. Secondly, the humanity of
Christ must also be impeccable. It must be without sin. It must
be without any taint of depravity. He must be what Herman Witches
described as a righteous and holy man without a spot of sin,
end quote. It is not enough to say that
he did not sin. Now, a lot of people say that.
People say, well, Christ didn't sin, but at the same time, they
believe that he could have or that it was possible for him
to have sinned. But the truth is, he must be
one that could not sin. He must be impeccable so that
it was impossible that sin enter him or deprave him in any way. For he was what? Luke 135 that
holy thing born of Mary he's called the Son of God and he
knew no sin 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 17 through 19 and then thirdly
not only is Must he become flesh? Not only must he have impeccable
humanity, but he must be both God and man in hypostatic union. He's God and man in the one person. Two natures, one person was our
Lord. So as to the one and only mediator
between God and men, 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5. Now as he did that, he kept his
deity in full, though it was somewhat veiled according to
his good pleasure. so that carnal men who saw our
Lord in the flesh took Him to be a man by nature and a Jew
by nationality, while in His human appearance there was no
beauty in Him that we should desire Him." Isaiah 53 and verse
2. He did not glow with a bright
light as He moved among men, and yet was He God manifest in
the flesh. 1 Timothy 3 and 16, meeting every
qualification for suretyship that was involved. And it's important
that we realize that the suretyship of Christ is a part of his office
as mediator of the covenant, and also of his being priest
after the order of Melchizedek, and not after the order of Aaron. And with this, by a word of oath,
you are a priest forever. after the order, that is, after
the arrangement or the rank or the character of Melchizedek. And here, Hebrews 7 and verse
11, and not be called after the order of Aaron, but of Melchizedek. When we read the words in Hebrews
7, 22, by so much Was Jesus made a surety of a
better connection? We see that there is a connection
with what goes before in the passage. In verse 20, we have
the word inasmuch. Then in verse 22, we have that
word by so much. was he made a surety of a better
testament. The difference between the two
orders, the Levitical and the Melchizedekian, that one was
put in office by an oath and the other without an oath. You are a priest forever. Where's that great text? Psalm
110 and verse 4. The Lord has sworn and will not
repent. Thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. And Paul quotes this. at least
nine times in the book of Hebrews. At least nine times he refers
to that oath of swearing in Psalm 110 and verse 4. Now we read
something about Melchizedek way back in Genesis chapter 14 Verse
18 this man Melchizedek was priest of the Most High God He met Abraham
returning from the slaughter of the king and he's identified
as the priest of the Most High God and he blessed Abraham in
Genesis 14 and verse 19 when Abraham in return reciprocated
by honoring Melchizedek by giving unto him a tenth, a tithe, of
the spoils that he had taken in the rescue of Lot. Genesis 14, 20, Hebrews 7, verse
2, and verse 4. The author makes a point. How
great was Melchizedek? Well, Abraham, our father, paid
tithes unto him, recognized him as a God-ordained priest of the
Most High God, because priests have a commandment to take tithes,
he said in Hebrews 7, the first part. And Abraham paid tithes
to Melchizedek, and that put a mark of honor from Abraham
upon that man. Now, how does the priesthood
of Christ favor the priesthood of Melchizedek? How is he a priest
in the order or the likeness of Melchizedek and not a priest
after the order of the Levite? Wherein is the great difference
in that? So, the key that opened this
question are two. One, the oath of God. The Lord
swore and will not repent. He will not be of another mind.
He will not alter. He will not change. You are a
priest in perpetuity. And the second one is the key
word forever. A priest forever. Evermore. without end, from now
on. In other words, his priesthood
will have no end. He is a priest forever. Now, neither of these applied
unto Aaron or to any of his sons. For Hebrews 7.23, look at it. They were not suffered. They
were not allowed. They were not permitted. They
were prevented. from continuing as a priest,
what from? Health, age, no, by reason of
death. They died. Every one of those
priests has died, one after another. Death reigned over that succession
of Aaronic priesthood. For that reason, there were many
priests, Hebrews 7 and 3, one after another. Like the Pope,
El Papa dies, and they have to get another, and just keep on
going. Well, the priest died, and so
they had to get another. a succession of priests, none
served in perpetuity. And none of them ever were made
a priest with this oath. You're a priest forever. While Christ, on the other hand,
has his priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Let's read Hebrews 7 and verse
3. and try not to sensationalize
it beyond its meaning. But it's discussing Melchizedek
here. And look what the author says
about him. Not only was he king of Salem
and priest of the Most High God, but without father, without mother,
without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of
life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest
continually. Now, which is the most important
statement in that? And I say it's the last one.
Abideth a priest continually. Continually or as we look at
this particular place here in Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 3
Melchizedek and Every Jew priest every Jew priest had a genealogy
he had to have Every Jew priest had to have a genealogy to serve
and that's why I'll just throw this in when the temple was destroyed
and all the genealogies were burned and destroyed and No one
could ever be a high priest again. The genealogies are gone. But
Melchizedek had no genealogy. And that's what this means, I
think, in verse 3. While every Jew priest had a
genealogy, his parents are either not known or they are not named. There is no record of his birth
or of his death. He was not Christ. And he was
not the very Son of God, for he is made like unto the Son
of God. And in verse 4, he is called
a man. This man, Melchizedek, verse
6, his pedigree or descent was not counted from the sons of
Levi. He was not at all genealogized,
as Owens put it. He neither succeeded another
priest, nor did his priesthood pass on to another priest after
him. And so it was, he was a priest
before the Levitical order was ever established. But so was
Christ in the eternal decree of God. And in each case, and
get this, both of them were the only priest after their order,
that is of their kind. Both of them, Melchizedek and
Christ, were the only priests of their kind. So Christ has
a priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Now look at Hebrews
7 and verse 16. Who is made Christ? Not after
the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless
life. Now look at 7 and 24. This man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Now what do we read in the end
of verse three? Abideth a priest continually. Melchizedek, the only one of
his kind and the only one of his sort. So here's the point.
Christ has an intransmissible priesthood after the order of
Melchizedek. He got it not by succeeding another
man, nor will he be succeeded by any other. He continues ever
and only in the office of a priesthood. Thus he is the surety of the
covenant in order to guarantee the salvation of the covenant
people, to those chosen to everlasting life, those elect to answer their
debt, to pay all that we owe before God the righteous judge,
redeem all of those given into his hand. God may require them
of him. He must bring them to God. All of God's little Benjamins
he will bring unto God, for he is bound up with them as their
surety. Now, this requires him. to be
made sin, to endure the curse of the law in our behalf. In other words, to use a theological
term, to make full satisfaction, to give himself and shed his
blood as a ransom, and to require or to perform everything that
is required, so that they that are called might receive the
promise of eternal inheritance. Now the elect, though they are
elect, owe a debt which they cannot pay. They have nothing
to pay. They have no means to pay their
debt. The wages of sin is death. And that debt must be settled
to God's satisfaction and justice. And so satisfaction is required. And Christ became surety, if
I may use the expression again, for all of God's little Benjamin
to give a full satisfaction for them and to have them in his
hand and keep them safely. Herman Witsch has put it this
way, quote, surety ship consists in there that Christ in our place
and in our stead did by his obedience and his suffering and his death
satisfy divine justice." He did that as our surety. He mixed
himself up with his people, and he mixed himself up with his
people in such a way that his suffering and his death was the
satisfaction for their sin. It satisfied the justice of God
and fulfilled the law of God, that his sins, that he died for
their sin as their willing surety. is not imputed unto them, but
righteousness is imputed unto them who are in Christ and who
believe, as Paul teaches in Romans chapter 4. Now ponder this. What reason beside Christ being
our surety of the covenant. What reason, what other reason
could we possibly give for Him having to bear our sin? He is
our surety. What other reason is there that
God has imputed unto Him the sins of the elect? Why else should God make our
sin to light upon Him according to Isaiah 53 and 6, or make Him
sin for us according to 2 Corinthians 5, 19 through 21, or to make
His soul an offering for sin, Isaiah 53 and verse 10, or deliver
Him up for us all, Romans 8.32. He spared not his son, but delivered
him up for us all. Why? Because Christ pledged himself
as a surety of God in behalf of the elect. For suretyship
is not forced, but is freely assumed. A surety must be capable
and he must be able of performing all that may be required of him
in so said suretyship. And that without destroying his
own honor or credit or ruining his standing. A surety must be
able to do that. He must be able to satisfy the
debt that he's liabled himself for without destroying himself. And sometimes suretyship can
do that. Some have lost all. for becoming
surety to guarantee the debt of another. And it is failed,
and they have lost all. But Christ, and I say this shouting,
hath and to spare. Christ hath no shortage of answering
our debt. He hath ability, and he hath
wherewith and that to spare, so that he is none put out. are lessened by acting as a surety. Again, I want to quote Witsius,
quote, Christ could without injury undertake such a surety ship
for he had power to take up his life again, unquote. John 10
and verse 18, power to lay it down, power to take it up again. Now, in closing, a point or two. We reject the doctrine and the
teaching of those like the Sassanians of old and others. They said
that Christ's suretyship consisted only in this. They said Christ
was only a surety for God that the promises made would be fulfilled. Not a surety for the people to
God, but a surety from God unto the people to be assured that
the promises would be kept. A guarantee that promises that
God had made would be kept. But let me remind us of this. God needs no surety. What need hath God of a surety? Because of the suretyship of
Christ in our behalf, before God, complete satisfaction has
been made for our sin. We owe nothing. The debt is paid,
and it is paid in full. In fact, Paul said to the Colossians
in chapter 2, the bill of indictment is nailed to his cross, it's
torn up, it's done away. The bill of indictment is gone. For the law has had its full
satisfaction, because Christ, when he suffered and died, was
acting as the surety of the elect, not acting for himself, but for
them for whom He assured it, to give them right and title
to eternal life, for He was performing a surety ship in our behalf. But it was not universal, not
a universal surety ship. When we go back to Judah, remember
what Judah did? All the brothers went. He only
pledged himself surety for Benjamin, not all of them. but for Benjamin. Only for them, Genesis 43, 8
and 9. Even though Joseph was holding
another brother, Simeon, in Egypt. In Genesis 42, 24, and 36, he
kept one of the brothers to assure that they would come back. So
Christ's suretyship is definite and particular. It is for specific
named individuals. They are his brethren. They are
the saints. They are the elect of God. And for them, he purchased an
inheritance and died as a testator that we might receive the inheritance.
He restored our standing before God, and like Boaz of old, raised
up the name of the dead that they live. And I close by reminding
us once again, suretyship is particular. One person. One called, whatever. Not everything,
not everybody, but for one named and stipulated. Are you a surety
if you are one? And thank God Christ is our surety. He paid our debt. There's nothing
to owe, nothing left to pay. It's paid in full. So the grace
of God shed in our heart, therefore gives us right and title to the
full inheritance purchased by Christ, left us through his death. Thank God for his surety ship
we couldn't get by without.