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WHAT HAS RELIGION DONE FOR MANKIND?
Paul proves this vital point and adds : "Also, to the extent that it was not without a sworn oath, (for there are indeed men that have become priests without a sworn oath, but there is one with an oath sworn by the one that said respecting him, `Jehovah has sworn, and he will not feel regret : "You are a priest forever,"') to that extent also Jesus has become the one given in pledge of a better covenant ." (Hebrews 7 :20-22, NW) By being born as the Son of David Jesus became the permanent Heir of the covenant God made with David for the everlasting kingdom . By being sworn into God's priesthood and offering up a perfect human sacrifice Jesus was made a High Priest like Melchizedek, king of Salem, hence a Royal Priest . His followers, his spiritual brothers, are made royal priests with him . They are what the new covenant over Jesus' sacrifice results in . 14 Hence when Jesus was baptized by John to symbolize he had quit the carpenter work at Nazareth and was dedicating himself to do God's will as written for him in the sacred Scriptures, Jesus had a most important assignment of service set out for him by God. To carry it out faithfully would be real worship of God, true religion according to God's revealed will . To test his resoluteness to do this he was at once led by God's spirit into the wilderness . There the Serpent, Satan the Devil, tried to swerve him from his course by an appeal to fleshly appetite and love of selfdisplay . But the Tempter failed to stir up such things in Jesus . 14 . So from then on what would be real worship of God for Jesus, and how was his devotion to it tested at the start?