Surety of a Better Covenant

By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
Hebrews 7:22

          “Better” is a key word in understanding the Epistle to the Hebrews. Although the words appear a total of 34 times in ten different New Testament books, it occurs 13 times in 12 verses in Hebrews. Here, Christ is presented as better than the angels and offers us a better hope, better promises, a better sacrifice, and a better resurrection. The Savior is also a surety of a better covenant, whatever that means.

          Let’s start with a better known word, covenant. The idea is an agreement or contract. The Old Testament was a pact between God and the descendants of Israel. In the arrangement, God would provide a land for their inheritance, protect them from their enemies, and bless them with prosperity. The Jewish people, for their part, promised to obey God’s law and worship Him at a designated place. However, in the end, they refused to do their part, so the whole agreement broke down.

          That’s when Christ came offering a better covenant based on better promises. This new deal was for everyone, not just the Jewish people. It allowed God to unilaterally take care of the sin problem by transforming the sinner into a child of God with changed actions and attitudes. All people had to do was believe that Christ conquered sin by dying on the cross. They needed to sign the contract by agreeing with God that what He said was true.

Now comes the part that few people understand. Jesus is the Surety of a Better Covenant. He’s the guarantee that the deal is going to go through. He’s the signing bonus, the proof that everything in the rest of the contract (i.e. eternal life, home in heaven, spiritual blessing, etc.) will be honored. The Savior already died on the cross for mankind’s sin; that was the hard part; all the rest is easy by comparison. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Christ is faithful and true because He is the Surety of a Better Covenant.