Hebrews Review Continued

The next thing that we learn from the book of Hebrews is that in Christ we have a greater high priest than we did under the old sacrificial system under the law of God.  The high priests, before Christ came as our eternal High Priest, were limited in what they could do.  They could only offer limited atonement for the sins of the people through the sacrifice of animals.  They really did not have unlimited access to God.  The old sacrificial system was like the law given to Moses.  They were signs of obedience to God, but neither could bring salvation because of the sins of the people.  Christ was and is the only acceptable sacrifice for sins, and as such, He becomes our heavenly High Priest.  We not only do not need to go to God through anyone else, but I would say that we cannot go to God through anyone else.  We may have people praying for us, which is good, but ultimately, we must go to God through a personal relationship with Christ.  I stated that Christ is our eternal High Priest, because He was always the only way to salvation.  The plan of salvation was completed even before the giving of the law.  Salvation through Christ was never an alternate plan.  It is the plan that was put in place from the beginning.  Since God gave people free will, He always knew their potential to fail to follow Him.  Yet, God loved us enough to create us with a free will.  God wants us to serve Him, not because we have no choice in the matter, but because we do.  This is why in the book of Hebrews it is called so great a salvation.  The only way for salvation to have any meaning is if every person has a choice about accepting it through faith.  If some people are predestined to salvation and others predestined to everlasting punishment, then Christ's death would have been unnecessary.