July 2

Hebrews 7:22

By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Jesus was our surety, our co-signer, our guarantor. He took on Himself the responsibility for our indebtedness and guilt, and as a consequence he had to pay the price of our sin against God. In old England, if you were surety for someone else’s debt and could not pay, you went to jail. Under the Old Testament, or Covenant, each person was responsible for keeping God’s Law. Since we all have miserably failed, and broken God’s law, God made a NEW Testament ( or a NEW covenant ), with Jesus standing in OUR place. The full burden of our responsibility to honor and obey God’s law fell on Jesus. Since WE were guilty, and the wages of sin is death, Jesus paid the price of our sins by suffering and dying on the cross in our place. The old Covenant of the law could not save us because we were guilty under the law. So “Jesus was made a surety of a better testament.” If you TRULY receive Jesus as your surety, (or Savior) your guilt is transferred to Him and Jesus’ righteousness is transferred to you. “For He hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor.5:21. Now a warning. God is not mocked. He that despised the Old Covenant died without mercy by stoning. “Of how much more severe punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29.

Commentary by Francis L. Harris

"...what must I do to be saved?" Acts 16:30