Jesus the Surety

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." (Hebrews 7: 22 KJV)

"Surety" is from the Greek word "eggyos" and means, according to Strong, "a surety, a sponsor."

Vine said the word "primarily signifies "bail," the bail who personally answers for anyone, whether with his life or his property (to be distinguished from mesites, "a mediator")."

"As the Surety, He is the Personal guarantee of the terms of the new and better covenant, secured on the ground of His perfect sacrifice."

A "legal" definition is - "Surety is the person who guarantees certain performance by some person to another person where by accepting the responsibility for the due performance of the agreement for which he stood as surety. If the person responsible for the performance fail to accomplish his duty, the surety is responsible to compensate it."

Bonding is a way of assuring payment or performance of something. Thus a "guarantor" or "surety" is one who "undertakes to answer for the payment of a debt or the performance of a duty of another in case of the other's default or miscarriage."

"And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time." (Genesis 43: 8-10 KJV)

"Surety" is from the Hebrew word "arab" and means, according to Strong,

"to pledge, exchange, mortgage, engage, occupy, undertake for, give pledges, be or become surety, take on pledge, give in pledge."

Thus, Jesus is the believer's "Guarantor," his "Pledger," his spiritual "Insurer," his bondsman and bailman.

"My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth." (Proverbs 6: 1, 2 KJV)

"It is a rash and inconsiderate entering into suretyship that is here cautioned against; doing it without inquiring into, and having sufficient knowledge of the person engaged for; and without considering whether able to answer the obligation, if required, without hurting a man's self and family; otherwise suretyship may lawfully be entered into, and good be done by it, and no hurt to the surety himself and family." (John Gill)

"He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure." (Proverbs 11: 15 KJV)

"Or in "breaking shall be broken", ruined and undone; he engaging or becoming a bondsman for one whose circumstances he knew not; and these being bad bring a load upon him, such an heavy debt as crushes him to pieces...our Lord Jesus Christ became a surety for us when we were strangers, and he smarted for it, he was bruised and wounded for our sins; but then he knew our circumstances, and what the consequence would be, and became a surety on purpose to pay the whole debt and set us free; which he was capable of doing: without being broken or becoming a bankrupt himself; for he was not broken, nor did he fail, Isa 42:4." (Gill)

"A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend." (Proverbs 17: 18 KJV)

"With his friend's creditor, and becomes surety for him; and thereby acts a very unwise part, and shows himself to want understanding, by taking such a step, which may prove the ruin of himself and family: for though a man may and should love his friend at all times; yet he is not obliged, under a notion of friendship, to injure himself and his family, or to run the risk of it; if he does, it is a plain case he wants wisdom and discretion." (Gill)

"Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me." (Psalm 119: 122 KJV)

"The psalmist was, in a like case with Hezekiah, oppressed; and therefore desires the Lord would undertake for him, appear on his side, and defend him, Ps 38:14; and if God himself is the surety of his people, and engages in their behalf, they need fear no enemy. What David prays to God to be for him, that Christ is for all his people, Heb 7:22. He drew nigh to God, struck hands with him, gave his word and bond to pay the debts of his people; put himself in their legal place and stead, and became responsible to law and justice for them; engaged to make satisfaction for their sins, to bring in everlasting righteousness for their justification, and to preserve and keep them, and bring them safe to eternal glory and happiness; and this was being a surety for them for good." (Gill)

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." (Hebrews 7: 22 KJV)

"Or "covenant", for the word signifies both; and what is intended may be called both a testament and a covenant; a testament, because it is founded in the good will and pleasure of God, and respects an inheritance bequeathed by God the Father to his children, which was confirmed and comes to them by the death of Christ the testator; and a covenant, it being a compact or agreement made by the Father with Christ, as the representative of all the elect; in which promises and blessings of all sorts are provided and secured for them in him; and is called in Scripture a covenant of life and peace, because these are things concerned in it; and is commonly by men called the covenant of grace, because it springs from the grace of God, the subject matter of it is grace, and the end of it is the glory of God's grace: now this is better than the covenant of works broken by man, and which exposes him to the curse and condemnation of the law; or than the covenant of the Levitical priesthood, by which was no perfection; and the form of administration of it under the Gospel dispensation is better than that under the law, for it is now revealed more clearly, and administered without types, shadows, and sacrifices; and the extent of its administration is larger, reaching to Gentiles as well as Jews; and besides, it is now actually ratified and confirmed by the blood of Christ, which is therefore called the blood of the everlasting covenant: and of this testament or covenant Christ is the "surety"; the word signifies one that draws nigh: Christ drew nigh to his Father in the council of peace, and undertook to be the Saviour and Redeemer of his people he substituted himself in their place and stead; he interposed between the creditor and the debtor, and became surety for the payment of the debts of the latter, and so stood engaged for them, and in their room: Christ is not the surety for the Father to his people, but for them to the Father; as to satisfy for their sins, to work out a righteousness for them, to preserve and keep them, and make them happy; which is an instance of matchless love." (Gill)

Friend, are you spiritually insured? Does Christ stand in your place as a "Guarantor" to the law for your failures to keep it?

To be one to whom the promises were made, one must be a "child of God," and a recipient of the blessings of the New Covenant by faith in Christ Jesus. For, as the apostle said, "you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3: 26 KJV)