As we discussed in yesterday's devotion, it is apparent that the recipients of the Hebrews were being deeply challenged in their faith and the writer to the Hebrews wants to reinforce them to hold on. While he has offered so many instances in which Jesus is greater than their old covenant, he also offers another comfort. They can go to the Lord.

We can see many instances where the Israelite people throughout their history have been insecure in approaching the Lord. Why wouldn't they? After continuously forgetting the Lord their God and serving other gods and worshipping them, facing the consequences therein, it develops a degree of fear. However, there is a healthy fear of God that draws people to His feet in security, but there is also a fear of God that causes people to step back from Him. You may have experienced insecurity like this before. I know I have. Nevertheless, the writer to the Hebrews reinforces some important language. They are new.

Fortunately, our Christian faith is not dictated by our emotions. The fact is that those who are in Christ Jesus have in fact been sprinkled clean by His blood. Being washed and made pure in His sight, the writer to the Hebrews reinforces the fact that they can come boldly to the throne of grace. They are not alone in this fight and can come before God. So the same it is for you. Better yet, the writer to the Hebrews reinforces another lesson that Israel had to learn repeatedly. God is faithful. He who promised is faithful and will deliver on His promises.

So what then? The call is for them to hold fast their confession of hope to the end. This means they need to remember their hope. I extend this call to you as well. Remember that hope that God has given you and know that He is faithful to the end. This lesson is just as solid for the original audience as it is for us today.

What lesson do you see for the original audience?

We have addressed all throughout the book of Hebrews what kind of state the readers were in. It was dire and it was uncomfortable. The risk was high and it left them having to ask if the reward was genuinely worth it. I am sure many of us have gone through it before as we reflect on old patterns of our past. "How bad is it actually?" We might ask ourselves. And when faced with life or death, some of those things might become significantly more persuasive. The nature of the enemy is that he is crafty, unlike any other beast of the field. If there is one thing we can trust, it is that the enemy is at work with trying to destroy the faith of those who claim Jesus.

The writer to the Hebrews, being starkly aware of this, has thus presented his case. The conclusion has been arrived at in multiple different faucets and the argumentation is hardly finished. But the point that we reach here is a pivot of encouragement to lay hold of one's faith. Their lives are threatened, yes, but the greater risk is their faith. The instruction of verse 23 holds everything together. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering..." This is spoken to a people who may very well let go. And the writer of Hebrews will continue to reinforce this point.

Not everything is sunshine and rainbows in our faith! And the lessons this section provides may very well reinforce us as we also endure our own trial and tribulation. If the enemy plotted against them, it would bring him the utmost of joy to watch us crumble as well. Let us take to the message that is given and see what the book of Hebrews is telling us. I pray we may have eyes to see and ears to hear.

What connection are you seeing?

After addressing the reality that Jesus truly is better, we enter into an application passage that holds a lot of gold for us. Rather than the audience simply hearing and understanding these things, there is a direct way this ought to impact the readers' lives. To begin, the writer addresses how we can enter in to the Holiest of All by the blood of Jesus and through a new and living way. The reader is instructed then to draw near to God with a heart in full assurance of faith. Part of the ability to draw near in faith is also the result of our hearts and evil consciences being sprinkled clean by the blood of Jesus. It is that very fact that opens up the next line of application.

The writer to the Hebrews exhorts and encourages the audience to remain in the faith. He encourages that they hold fast to their confession of hope without wavering. He rightly places their hope and reminds the audience that Jesus is faithful. Beyond the individual's faith, he also encourages them to stir up one another to love and good works. He reminds them to not forsake the gathering of the saints. Noting how others have begun to do so, even more the author to the Hebrews encourages them to continue to exhort each other.

There are a lot of application points and lessons in this short little passage. I pray that our hearts and minds can be prepared to reflect on the depth of what the Lord has for us in this. What observations are you making in the passage? 

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
-Hebrews 10:19-25

Reflecting upon this reality that we have been made pure, I want us to sit and meditate on the work that Jesus has accomplished for us. Take 15 minutes this morning and give Him thanks for how He has made you pure and holy in His sight.

There is a book I am reading called Holiness by Grace by Bryan Chapell. It stands to be one of my favorites on the subject of holiness. We often put far too much emphasis upon ourselves and our inability to work out what the Lord has worked into us. We do this so much so that we can nullify the reality that God has in fact purified us. He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. This gives us an incredible ability to live from a place of holiness instead of for it.

Believe it or not, most of us have likely developed some form of insecurity around our faith and trust in that insecurity to keep us on the straight and narrow. Some of us have likely confused the fear of the Lord with that insecurity. The issue with that is that I see those who fear the Lord have security as the result. And insecurity is a horrible path to security. For once you become secure, you no longer have insecurity to defend you. It leads to an unstable path of uncertainty. Scripture teaches a guaranteed hope that the believer ought to hold on to. And that hope declares that God has already loved us, continues to love us, and will love us. It teaches that we have been made right in His sight. Even when we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. And now we belong to Him.

Imagine for a moment that money actually became no object to you. Let's say you received a multi-billion dollar inheritance. How different would your life be? For many of us, money becomes a stressor very quickly. When you are driving and your car starts making weird noises, the thoughts that go through our heads often include how expensive that sound sounds. When the monsoons hit and you hear the sound of rain coming through your roof, the concern becomes what it will take to fix it. Many of us live life worried about money in some capacity. But what if it truly were no object to you. How different would your life be? Instead of living for that, you get to live out of that. You are not living to become a millionaire. You are already a billionaire. Take this in concept and apply it to your faith. You are not living for the sake of being approved by God. You are living as one that is already approved.

As your mind starts to wrap around this, I trust that the Lord will reveal what this Christ-life looks like, but I want to give you a head start on the first response. Give God thanks.

What application are you implementing?

I cannot help but pause on the above verse. It is so critical to the current state of the believer that I would be remised if I did not give it the time due.

By one offering. Jesus. The only offering that was fully sufficient to purify His people. He offered Himself wholly and entirely to the humiliation and subjection of wicked forces to show Himself approved to the Father, wherein He still now sits, ever living to make intercession on our behalf. He endured the pain and persecution from the very people He aimed to save. Being as innocent and holy as one could ever be, He laid Himself down as a spotless lamb to bear the full weight and consequences of our sin. In so doing, He purified His people to Himself.

He has perfected forever. His work is proven sufficient in a way that bulls and goats never could be. He perfected His people forever. "But wait! Aren't we still just a bunch of sinners?" I reject that notion. Though I do not believe that means we no longer have the capacity to sin,I do believe we no longer have the obligation to the dominion or consequences of sin. Spiritually, you are regenerated. You are perfected in the sight of God. When He looks upon you and remembers the blood of Jesus shed for you, He sees not the despicable nature of your sin. He sees instead the purity of His Son. It may sound controversial to you, maybe even blasphemous, that you are as perfect in His sight as you will be for all eternity. "But I still struggle with sin!" And I am glad you brought that up...

Those who are being sanctified. We are still in a process. "I thought you said we were perfected forever." Indeed, I did. And indeed you are. But we must understand the ontological nature of man. At one point, you were spiritually dead. Life was breathed into you at conversion and you were made perfect in the sight of God. We are, as I believe, tripartite people. We are spirit, soul, and body. Your spirit is perfected as you are justified. You still have a soul that was tainted by sinful flesh and this is what must be renewed and sanctified. And at the end, when the Lord Jesus returns and this mortal puts on immortality and this corruptible puts on incorruption, you will be glorified in your body. We have been saved. We are being saved. And we will be saved.

So what does this mean for the believer? Well, it means that we are not looking to prove ourselves to God and earn His grace and mercy by our own merit. It means we are not living for a status of holiness, we are living out of having already been made holy. This is what many in the faith call the Christ life. We are freed by the blood of Jesus and have access to grace by faith. So as we believe upon Him, we must also believe that He has already accomplished what was required of us. The life we then live, we live by faith in the Son of God who love us and gave Himself for us. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God. The beauty of this relationship is a lesson I find critical for every believer to have established in their lives.

What lesson are you taking away?

There is something that the law was designed to be inefficient with. The law was effective for highlighting sin and acting as a tutor for those who had not known what was right or wrong. The commandments, judgments, and statutes were effective at reminding the people of the Lord their God and the fact that He pulled them from the land of Egypt. The sacrifices in like manner showed the people the price of sin. It was forever a representation of the consequences of wickedness. But it was entirely ineffective at removing sin.

The original audience ought to have understood the reality that God is the only one who could pardon sin. Natural means could not issue such pardon. Sin is greater than man insofar as man can do nothing to remove his own sin. The spiritual weight of wickedness exceeds man's capacity to do something about it other than turn away from it. Those in creation made lower than man could not rightly accomplish the removal of something so great. The wages of sin is death, and that consequence awaited all mankind. The Son of God then was sent to make the impossible possible.

God, being greater than sin, has the only prerogative to establish holiness and righteous in a people that abandoned Him so. In sending His Son, He rendered the old rule of requirements obsolete by achieving what the old rule never could. This is the primary lesson that is being taught to this audience. What the law could not accomplish, Jesus did by coming in the likeness of sinful flesh and put it away once for all. By the blood of Jesus, and His blood alone, could mankind be washed clean of their sin.

What lesson do you see for the original audience?

There is a shadow of the good things to come. It is at this point that the writer to the Hebrews brings the hammer down. Everything has led to this moment. One after another, he has drawn distinctions of the limitations of the law and how it pales in comparison to Jesus. Now that all of that has been drawn, it is time to come out and and say it. The law bears no substance. The substance is Christ. The solutions found in the law are insufficient to accomplish what Jesus accomplishes.

The connecting piece comes out of Psalm 40:6-8. Those things that were established in the law did not result in the pleasure of God nor in the removal of sins. But, again, Jesus accomplishes this. It is a lesson that is important for the believer to realize that we truly can be and are pleasing to the Lord because of the sufficiency of the work of Christ. To the audience that is receiving this, the question arises, "What are you going back to?" Should they make that choice and depart from Jesus, they only return to the same work that was insufficient for the Lord.

I want to draw our attention back to the very beginning of Hebrews. The tone was immediately set that Jesus would be better in comparison to anything. He was better than Moses, better than the prophets. His covenant is better than the old. His law of grace surpasses the Law of Moses. In every way, shape, and form, Jesus is proven better than anything the reader, even today, would draw back to.

This is why the imagery of the shadow is so critical. Just like your own shadow outlines your form, so does the law outline the form of Jesus. Still, Jesus is the substance therein that casts the shadow. We can look upon the law and find grace. We can look upon the sacrifices and find Jesus. We can examine all that was spoken in the law and the prophets and find that Jesus is all throughout it. We now have the substance. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. The connection, then, is a broad one. For at this moment, the writer to the Hebrews draws the entire picture together with one bold move. And it shows that the law could never accomplish what Jesus does.

What connection are you seeing?

The writer to the Hebrews draws some important distinctions between what Jesus offers and what the Old Covenant offered. Spoiler alert: it is drastic.

The Old Covenant, formed by the Laws given from God to His people, are related to simply being a shadow of the good things to come, and those things are found in Christ. To exemplify how drastic this comparison is, I invite you to simply consider your own shadow. What is the shadow? It is just evidence that you are there. What substance does a shadow have? Truly, nothing. The substance is yourself. Your shadow has no personality apart from you, has no existence without you, and does not live or function as a being in any capacity. The difference between the Old and New Covenants and Jesus and the Law are as drastic as a man and his shadow.

The theme that is revealed is that the law could never take away sins, but Jesus does. The prophets even highlight how the sacrifices that were offered were not truly pleasing to the Lord. It is an old theme that continues to stand out to me that God desires obedience. He desires mercy. That first law is removed that the second may be established. It was the will of God that we would be sanctified by the blood of Jesus instead of a continuous offering of bulls and goats that could never truly accomplish these things.

The sins that could not be washed away by the continuous sacrifices of the priests are now washed away in Jesus. Our lawless deeds are remembered no more. We are set free from them. The confession we have in Jesus presents something truly transformative. You status before God becomes forever changed. So the writer of Hebrews is encouraging the reader to hold fast to that fact. The old could never do what is done by the new.

What observations are you making in this passage?

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
 
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’ ”

8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
 
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
-Hebrews 10:1-18

Any time we are looking to do something to engage deeper with the Lord, there is no doubt that the enemy seeks to hinder our moves toward the Lord. Let us then prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare in prayer. Pray that the Lord would help you carve out time to spend with Him and that He would remind you of Him throughout the day. Take a few minutes simply to enjoy His presence today. Lastly, pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ as they do the same.

As I consider yesterday's lesson of waiting upon the Lord, one of the natural questions that arises is how to wait upon the Lord? If we were to compile all the texts where this theme is discussed, we will see different expressions of what it looks like. In some instances, it is simply an exercise of trust and knowing that the Lord will in fact show up. So we need not try to achieve the will of God on our own. We rely on His timing. I think of Abraham and Sarah. They failed to wait upon the Lord in trust and took matters into their own hands. The child of the flesh did not produce the promises of God.

Other instances involve something that our culture naturally struggles with. Slowing down.

10Be still, and know that I am God
-Psalm 46:10a

If I were to consider my greatest hinderances on waiting on the Lord I would find distraction to be a foremost issue. It appears to be extremely common as well. As I have mentored, discipled, or simply had conversations with other believers, it seems that the vast majority of us struggle with distraction. As very well intentioned believers, we sit down for Bible study and immediately get distracted from what we were originally setting out to do. Suddenly we have run out of time and the requirements of life pressure us to move on and take care of other things in our lives.

There are two points of action I want to implement. 1) Carving out time daily for the Lord apart from distractions. 2) Fostering an attitude of being still and knowing He is God throughout my day.

Carving aside time may be a difficult measure for many of us. We are already far too busy. I am reminded of an old acronym for busy - Being Under Satan's Yoke. The enemy loves making us too busy. We get so many things occupying our minds that when we finally do sit down to have Bible study, our minds are set on other things. This is why my second point of action is necessary.

If I am to foster an attitude of being still and knowing He is God throughout the day, then I am looking for more opportunities to sit with the Lord. We all have those things that we are drawn away to. It may be a moment on our phones or looking for entertainment. We might be trying to slip away to talk to someone we care about. Perhaps we are looking to slip away simply for a moment of silence. What if the Lord was the one we were slipping away to? When we have this mindset we actively look for moments we can spend with the Lord. No when we sit down in carved out time with Him, He has already been on our mind throughout the day. We are ready to receive what He has for us in that time.

While that may be application I am eager to implement, what application are you doing?

There is an attitude throughout Scripture that emphasizes waiting upon the Lord. There are many elements that play into this attitude. Hope, trust, and patience are all themes that the original audience would have recognized. In fact, this whole attitude of eagerly waiting for the Lord would have stood out.

As I have studied through the Old Testament, I have often given pause to the many moments where waiting upon the Lord is brought into the conversation. One of the things that stands out to me is the result of waiting upon the Lord. Let me give an example.

Those who wait upon the Lord have their strength renewed! There is a promised reward for those who wait upon the Lord. This is the same for the passage in Hebrews. As we eagerly wait for the Lord, there is a promise for His return. Amazingly, we see His faithfulness in these moments in Scripture. When God's people wait for God, God shows up. All throughout Scripture we will find promised blessing for those who wait upon the Lord. The question is, do we wait upon the Lord?

What lesson are you taking from today's passage?

To the original audience, the words that are shared by the writer of Hebrews would be reminiscent of their current times. They know sacrifice. They know the price of blood. They understand the need for the high priest and the intercession that takes place on their behalf. All of these would ring bells of familiarity that draws the reader to a different school of thought. It is not simply that all of these previous things are done away with. They are fulfilled in Christ.

Many have noted that the word fulfilled has less to do with being all done, but more to say it is brought to its fullest capacity. It is like if you are to fill up a tank of gas. The tank doesn't disappear because it has been filled. It is at its fullest capacity. So the same here. The people of God are not left without sacrifice, the cleansing of blood, or a mediator who goes between them and God. The role is now filled to the fullest capacity. The sacrifice was needed only once. The payment of blood is sufficient for all. He now ever lives to make intercession on our behalf.

This spells incredible news to the reader. The payment has been handled. At any point, the individual can come before the Father because of the work of the Son. The mediator they now possess is not held by the typical limitations of man who need to offer continuous sacrifices for themselves in their own impurities. Jesus is perfectly pure. His concern isn't Himself. His concern is us. There is an active mediator in Jesus Christ.

What lesson do you see for the original audience?

As broad as the connections are, to the Hebrew reader, it would be tremendously significant, as well as specific. It is important to remember that the Bible has no filler. It requires no filler. The details can draw a lot of significance for us. The specific reference that is being made in Hebrews draws us back to Exodus 24. Let us take a look at the passage and see how the details mirror each other and draw further significance in Christ.

Leviticus 17 also emphasizes the sanctity of blood. It states, "11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’" (Levi. 17:11). Critically, the text highlights the specificity of what Jesus had truly accomplished. The things made with hands needed to be cleansed. The hands themselves needed to be cleansed. Everything was tainted by the Fall and corruption in the world. That is, until Jesus entered the womb of a woman by way of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Sinless One, was the sacrifice that truly cleansed all that needed to be cleansed. He was able to enter the true tabernacle, the eternal dwelling place of God. The work He thus could perform is one that bears significant spiritual weight.

As we can see in verse 8 in the passage above, it was the spilling of blood that sealed the covenant. Similarly, Jesus' blood sealed for us a new covenant. "28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28). As Hebrews 8 further emphasized this new covenant, Hebrews 9 shows how it was sealed. The blood of Jesus was sufficient to bring in that new covenant that far outshines the old. Once again, the message proves that Jesus is better.

What connections do you see?

This week's passage focuses on a particular subject. Jesus' death was necessary. By way of looking at the law, the writer to the Hebrews emphasizes an important realization - Christ had to die and His blood had to be shed. He discusses how things were purified. Water, scarlet wool, and hyssop would commonly be used for purification. More specifically, when it would come to hyssop, they would dip the hyssop in the blood of bulls and goats and sprinkle the objects or the people with the blood to cleanse them. The point of this explanation comes in verse 22 where it says, "22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22).

The emphatic point to follow is that all of those things were simply copies of things to come. If they were copies, then what was copied? We find a clear answer in Hebrews. It was a copy of the heavenly things. And now Jesus is not serving in the earthly capacity. In the cleansing of His own blood, He has entered into heaven where He appears in the presence of God for us. Unlike the earthly priests, He does not need to come continuously offering Himself as a sacrifice. For He has entered once and that work has been accomplished.

More good news comes about! This is not simply a testimony of what has already happened, but the consequences of it for us as believers today. And even more than that, the chapter finishes with a promise. Jesus is coming back. He is not coming back for the remission of sins, for that has been accomplished. He is coming back for the fullness of salvation for His people. What a day that will be...

What observations are you making?

16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
 
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
-Hebrews 9:16-28

Take 10-15 minutes and write out what you have been forgiven of. Make it personal. Make it specific. It may feel very vulnerable and scary. Don't worry, you're not going to keep it around. Once you have written that out, dispose of it. Burn it. Shred it. Tear it up. Whatever you need to do, let it be done and recognize that this is the work that Jesus has accomplished for you. As you submit those things to the Lord, give Him praise.


    1      Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
    Whose sin is covered.
-Psalm 32:1

As I have recounted more of my testimony in these past couple of weeks, I cannot help but examine the response given in Scripture by those who have been healed, restored, or made new. I want to draw our eyes to an event that happened with Jesus and I will build my application around it.

There were 10 who were healed by Jesus. All received the healing and went their way. But one of them, and only one, returned. He saw he was healed. He remembered crying out with a loud voice to be restored by Jesus and he was. This Samaritan of all people ran back and cried out once more with a loud voice praise to God. He fell on his face at Jesus' feet and gave thanks.

You who are healed, restored, and made new; you who are forgiven, will you come back to your Savior and give Him praise? This is the response I long to have expressed in my life. I have been restored by Jesus! I have been forgiven! I have been cleansed! My Master has freed me from the bondage I was in. He healed me from the condition of my sin and released me from the inevitable conclusion of it. My application today is one of thanksgiving.

What application are you implementing today?

Do you have a clean conscience? As much as this is an invitation to the original audience, it is also an invitation for us. The blood of Jesus is sufficient for so much more than just an idea of forgiveness. It actually washes our sin away.

We tend to have a rough concept of this, mostly due to how we handle forgiveness in our culture. I remember this so much as a child. I would do something wrong, I would get in trouble, and then I would be forced to say sorry and whoever I am apologizing to would be forced to say they forgive me. None of it ever felt all that genuine, but as I matured, those sorrys became more genuine. It was hard to tell if the forgiveness was genuine.

I remember many instances through my life where I would realize my wrong, either on my own, or by the Lord, or by being confronted with it. I would offer a genuine apology, they would offer forgiveness, and then we would keep talking about it. Forgiveness never felt like it actually accomplished anything other than the other person acknowledging my apology. This translated into how I viewed forgiveness in Scripture. It was not a release from sin. It was an acknowledgement of my apology. So what would I do? I would try to repent better and deeper. I would continue to dwell on my sin and face a wrecked conscience before God. The grace of God is so much more than our efforts to exemplify this to one another. God's forgiveness is conclusive. It genuinely removes the sin from us.

How amazing is it that we serve a God who offers such a depth of forgiveness? We are not so deeply defined by our sin as we think. We may have to deal with earthly consequences of our actions, but because of the blood of Jesus, we can stand with a clean conscience before God. Now that is amazing grace.

What lesson are you taking away?

This may be something that has existed beneath the surface for the entire argument thus far, and it will continue to. But beneath the surface of the argumentation is an invitation for the audience to submit to this.

While the original audience were likely already believers, there was the draw to run back to the new. It may have been the case, likely for many of us, that we have not really drawn the comparisons as needed to see how Jesus truly fulfills all. The author of Hebrews is extensively doing so as an invitation for the audience to remain in Christ.

You can almost picture the author of Hebrews ushering a crowd of Jewish believers, "Come and see! Look at what Jesus does! See how His promises are better!" In a very similar way to how apologetics can help confirm our faith, Hebrews is doing that exact thing with these Messianic believers. They have something so much greater in Jesus. They would not just be ceremonially clean and have a sacrifice for sins committed in ignorance. They would even have their consciences cleansed from dead works. They would be purified by the purifying work of Jesus to the highest extent. They would actually be pure, through and through, before the living God.

The invitation is almost too grand to comprehend! There is a promise of freedom. There is a promise of rejoicing. There is a promise of purity. Above all, there is a promise of a restored relationship between man and God.

What lesson are you seeing for the original audience?

This passage takes some time explaining the tabernacle and how the priests would serve in those capacities. More than likely, the intended audience would have some knowledge concerning all of these elements and the priestly duties performed. Nevertheless, each of these elements are no doubt emphasized for a purpose. The purpose is to get the audience to think of each of these elements in light of Christ, for each element testifies of yet another ministry Christ fulfills.

As the author of Hebrews delves deeper into the priestly duties, once again he does so with the intent of revealing how Jesus performs those better and to a greater degree. The audience would have had an understanding of the covering of sins that animals sacrifices could provide, but not a washing away of them. That came about by Jesus and by Jesus alone.

But what is the connection actually being made? This goes back to when the author talked about this being a better covenant built upon better promises. Now they are being directly compared. It is no longer anecdotal. It is no longer simply a call back to a time when Jeremiah testified of a new covenant. It is actually comparing them. One had a priest who had to offer sacrifices for himself. The other has a Priest who offered Himself as a spotless lamb. One could not touch the conscience and only sanctified to the purifying of the flesh. The other washes even our own consciences clean. These are now the better promises.

What connections are you seeing?

The writer to the Hebrews takes time breaking down some of the differences between the old and the new covenant and what pertains to those.

The old covenant had an old tabernacle where ministry was taken place. He describes the different parts of it and explains that each one of those things bears significance, as indicated by the statement that they cannot speak in detail of it at that point. After giving a brief description of what exists in the tabernacle, the writer to the Hebrews explains the service of the priests and high priests in it. He explains that it bore limitation. The high priest would have to offer sacrifices for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance. All of these things were symbolic, the author claims, as the gifts and sacrifices offered could not wash his conscience.

Enter in Jesus. The author explains a major difference between Jesus and the high priest of the old. He enters into a heavenly tabernacle, not made with hands. He didn't enter in with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood. He draws a comparison that if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer could sanctify for the purifying of the flesh, how much more should the blood of Jesus prove effective? He offered Himself without spot. And so Jesus can do something that no other could do. Where there was limitation within the old to cleanse one's conscience, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cleanse one's conscience from dead works to serve the living God. As such, He is the Mediator of the new covenant. By Him, those whoa re called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. It truly is a better covenant, established on better promises.

What observations are you making?

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
-Hebrews 9:1-15