Hebrews: A Better Covenant with God
Hebrews 7:20-22 - Jesus is our surety, our bondsman, our guarantee!
“And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,
“The Lord has sworn
And will not change His mind,
‘You are a priest forever’ ”);
so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.”
Hebrews 7:20-22 NASB1995
The word “better” permeates Hebrews. I studied it in a previous devotional and by the time we finish this dive into the epistle of Hebrews, the word κρείττων or kreíttōn will have occurred twelve times! It means more excellent, more advantageous, more useful. A better covenant is guaranteed by the eternal priest Jesus!
Here is what Charles Spurgeon says about this covenant and the guarantee, as quoted in Precept Austin:
We are absolutely certain that the covenant of grace will stand because the Redeemer has come into the world and has died for us. The gift of Christ is a pledge that the covenant, of which He is the substance, cannot be dissolved. Christ has been born into the world, God Himself has become incarnate. That is done and can never be undone; how can the Lord draw back after going so far? More, Christ has died: He bears in His flesh today the scars of His crucifixion. That also is done, and can never be undone.
The priests of the house of Aaron were poor sureties of the former covenant, for they could not keep it themselves. But Christ has kept the covenant of grace; He has fulfilled all that was conditional in it, and carried out all that was demanded on man’s part. It was conditional that Christ should present a perfect righteousness and a perfect atonement; He has effected this to the full, and now there is no “if” in it. The covenant now reads as a legacy, or a will—the will of God, the New Testament of the Most High. Christ has made it so, and the very fact that there is such a person as Jesus Christ the Son of Man living, bleeding, dying, risen, reigning, is the proof that this covenant stands secure.
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Learned men have fought each other very earnestly over this word [covenant]. Some say that it means “testament”; others answer that in the Septuagint Greek it is used as the interpretation of the Hebrew word that signifies “covenant.” I feel quite sure that the combatants are both right. I am always glad when I can conscientiously take both sides in a battle. I do so in this instance, because it matters nothing which of the two conquers, though it would be a loss for either side to be defeated. The word means both testament and covenant. God’s covenant of grace has had the conditional side of it so completely fulfilled that it has virtually become a “testament,” or a deed of free gift, in which the one party is a donor and the other has become simply a receiver.
Though the economy of grace is a covenant under one aspect, under another it is no covenant, now requiring something from each of two parties, but it has become a testament or will as to its practical result. The first covenant was temporary: it was meant to be so. It was meant in part to teach the coming covenant, and in part to show the weakness of man and the necessity of divine grace, but it was never meant to stand. This covenant of which Christ is the surety stands forever and ever. The everlasting hills may bow, and the heavens themselves be rolled up like a worn-out vesture, but God’s covenant shall stand forever and forever while Christ its surety lives.
When people buy something of value or invest in something, they want some assurance or guarantee of performance or protection against loss. We buy extended warranties on cars or appliances. We have underwriters for insurance that pledge that coverage will be available if something happens (loss, theft, fire, etc.). A company that offers guarantees or sureties on a product or investment and then reneges on the promise of those things will be in court very soon and then out of business.
Let’s do a word study on guarantee from the Blue Letter Bible lexicon:
Guarantee comes from the Greek adjective ἔγγυος or éngyos, (Strong’s G1450) meaning pledged, a surety, a bondsman, a sponsor.
God Himself is the sponsor of the guarantee of the better covenant through Christ. He has pledged an oath against Himself and sworn that the eternal priest found through the Son is the better (actually, best) guarantee for those seeking redemption. If we can’t trust the most holy and trustworthy infinite Creator, who can we trust?
I also like this commentary from Enduring Word:
a. He was not made priest without an oath: The priesthood of Jesus was established with an oath. It is recorded in Psalm 110:4: The LORD has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
b. They have become priests without an oath: The high priest of the order of Aaron was appointed by heredity, not by personal character or an oath of God. Not so with Jesus and the priestly order of Melchizedek. God even sealed His choice by an oath.
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a. Jesus has become a surety: The ancient Greek word translated surety (egguos) described someone who gave security, who cosigned a loan to guarantee payment, or put up bail for a prisoner. Jesus Himself is the guarantee of a better covenant.
b. A better covenant: The Old Covenant had a mediator (Moses), but no one to guarantee the people’s side of the covenant. Therefore they continually failed under it. But the New Covenant – a better covenant – has a cosigner to guarantee it on our behalf. Therefore, the New Covenant depends on what Jesus did, not on what we do. He is the surety and we are not.
c. Covenant: The word used for covenant (the ancient Greek word diatheke) is not the usual term for “covenant” (syntheke). The literal meaning of diatheke is closer to the idea of a “testament” in the sense of a “last will and testament.” Perhaps the writer is trying to stress that while a covenant might be thought of as an agreement that two equal parties arrive at, the testator dictates a testament. The “agreement” under which we meet with God through Jesus is not something we have negotiated with Him. He has dictated the terms to us, and we will accept or reject the terms.
d. By so much more: This much more – the overwhelming superiority of Jesus Christ – proves He is worthy and able to be our guarantee, our cosigner of a better covenant.
So what are the terms and conditions for this testament or covenant if we accept it? Is there fine print that we must scrutinize with a magnifying glass and do we stumble over many clauses and conditions? Do we have to watch what we eat or drink or what kind of clothing we wear? Do we have to memorize the many laws brought forth in the book of Leviticus? Do we have to perform many works of righteousness to finally be allowed to be covered under this agreement? Do we have to pay indulgences or be baptized first or read the entire Bible? Here is the answer:
Gotquestions.org has a nice answer about who can be saved and includes a prayer that invokes this covenant in Christ:
The Bible says that, if salvation were based on our own efforts, no one could be saved: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Psalm 143:2 adds, “No one living is righteous before you.” Romans 3:10 affirms, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
We cannot save ourselves. Instead, we are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8–9 teaches, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are saved by God’s grace, and grace, by definition, cannot be earned. We do not deserve salvation; we simply receive it by faith.
God’s grace is enough to cover all sin (Romans 5:20). The Bible is filled with examples of people who were saved from sinful backgrounds. The apostle Paul wrote to Christians who had formerly been living in a variety of sinful conditions, including sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, greed, and drunkenness. But Paul tells them that, upon salvation, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
The apostle Paul himself had been a persecutor of Christians, approving of the death of Stephen (Acts 8:1) and arresting Christians and throwing them into prison (Acts 8:3). He would later write, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:13–15).
God often chooses to save unlikely candidates to serve His purposes. He saved a thief on a cross with only minutes to live (Luke 23:42–43), a persecutor of the church (Paul), a fisherman who had denied Him (Peter), a Roman soldier and his family (Acts 10), a runaway slave (Onesimus in Philemon), and many others. There is no one beyond God’s ability to save (see Isaiah 50:2). We must respond in faith and receive His free gift of eternal life.
Who can be saved? One thing is for certain—you can, if you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior! If you are not certain you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can respond right now in prayer. Saying a prayer is simply a way of declaring to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ as your Savior. There are no magical words that result in salvation. It is only faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection that can save us. If you understand that you are a sinner and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ, here is a prayer you can pray to God:
“God, I realize I am a sinner and could never reach heaven by my own good deeds. Right now I place my faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son who died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”
This is THE most important investment opportunity of your lifetime! Do not miss the ultimate guarantee from the eternal priest and Savior!
My next devotional examines Hebrews 7:23-25 - He is able to save forever!
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I am eternally grateful for my eternal salvation through the eternal guarantor of redemption and grace! Amen.
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 12/11/2025 to review commentary for Hebrews 7:20-22.
G1450 - engyos - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb95). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1450/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 12/11/2025 to answer the question, Who can be saved? © COPYRIGHT 2002-2025 GOT QUESTIONS MINISTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED