Hebrews 9: 14 Commentary

The writer of Hebrews compares the two Covenants to prove that the New Covenant is better & more effective than the First Covenant.God’s plan of salvation was through the blood of Jesus Christ.The word “blood” occurs not less than 12 times in Chapter 9.Both the Covenants were ushered in by the blood.But Christ’s blood does what the blood of the animals sacrificed under the Old Covenant could not do.
The Old Covenant has its root with Abraham to whom God had promised that he would be father of many nations.The circumcision was the condition.(Gen17:
4-13).It continued with Isaac& Jacob.God made the covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt into the wilderness.But they broke it.The First Covenant consisted of ordinances,rituals& ceremonies.But it did not give freedom from sin & its consequences.Jeremiah has prophesied in Jrr.31:31-34 about the establishment of the New Covenant which contains seven aspects of God’s promises.
(i)I will put my word in their inward parts
(ii)(I will) write it in their hearts
(iii)I will be their God
(iv)They shall be my people
(v)They shall teach no more everyone his neighbor and everyone his brother, saying know the Lord,for they shall all know me from the least of them into the greatest of them.
(vi)I will forgive their iniquity
(vii)I will remember their sin no more.
These prophesies were fulfilled in Christ.These prophesies were highlighted in Heb.8;10-13 and abbreviated in Heb.10:16-17
The death & resurrection of Christ inaugurated the New Covenant.Because of the death of Christ & His ministry as High Priest,our hearts are cleansed by the blood of Christ.(Heb.10:19-22.The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins.(1 John 1:7).Our sins are forgiven and will not be remembered.Faith in the blood of Jesus acts as a cleansing agent to purge our conscience from dead works.When our conscience is cleansed,we are able to live according to the ways shown by the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Because we are cleansed,we are having boldness to enter into the presence of God.(Heb.4:16;10:22;13:15).The priests of the Old Covenant ministered at the Golden Altar of Incense,Table of shew bread & Golden Candlestick.We are New Testament priests.We have got the privilege to have fellowship with God through prayer and meditation of the Word of God under the illumination of the Holy Spirit.We are privileged to do the noble ministry of intercession.(1Tim.1:1,2).God uses the believers in Christ to carry out the Good News of salvation to others and to be vessels of blessings to others.We become partakers of the kingdom of God and are obliged to serve Him with reverence and fear.(Heb.12:8)We are expected to obey God and serve Him faithfully.

By Alexander (wrote 499 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 7/2/2008 09:27 am

1)”Christ through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God”
The red heifer to be offered as sacrifice must be without spot,without blemish & must have never worn a yoke.It must be killed outside the camp.(Num.19:3).Under the Mosaic Law,the animals chosen for sacrifice must be without blemish &without spot.(Ex.12:5;Lev.22:19).Jesus is sinless.
Heb.7:26.He “is holy,harmless,undefiled,separate from sinners..”
Heb.4:15.He “was in all points tempted as we are,yet without sin ”
1 Pet.1:19…”But the precious blood of Christ,as a lamb without blemish and without spot .”
Heb.13:12.Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,suffered without the gate ”
“Through the eternal spirit”-Read Rom.1:5;1 Tim.3:16;1 Pet.3:18…The atonement is complete because of the resurrection of Christ.
2)”how much more shall the blood of Christ”
i)Forgiveness of sins through his blood-(redemption through his blood)
-Eph.1:7;Col.1:14;Rev.1:5;5:9
ii)”Justification by his blood” Rom.5:9 “Much more than being now justified by his blood”
iii)Reconciliation through the blood”-Col.1:21;Eph.2:13
Through the atonement,all the demands of the law were met for us -to be reconciled with God.
iv)Sanctification through His blood.-Heb.13:12;1 John 1:7,1 Cor.6:11
(3)”Purge your conscience from dead works”
Purge means i)made physically or spiritually clean (iii)Law for a wipe out (an offense)-Oxford Dictionary
Heb.1:3 “He had by himself purged our sins sat down at the right hand of God.”The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse us completely.Our conscience is cleansed.Our sins are washed away.
Isa.1:18..”..Though your sins be as scarlet,they shall be white as snow,though they be red like crimson,they shall be as wool.”
The blood of Jesus saves us completely and permanently.
We are delivered from good works to do good works.(Heb.6:1;Mark 7:21-23;2 Tim 3:1-5;gal.5:19-21;Tit.2:14;Eph.2:10).
4)”To serve the living God”
Under the Mosaic Law,when a person happened to have contact with a dead body, he was defiled & he could not have relationship with the children of Israel until he was made ceremonially clean by following the provision in the Law.Because of our sanctification through the blood of Christ,we got the privilege to serve the living God.(1 Thes 1:9;Rom.12:1,2;1Pet.2:5;
Heb.13:12,15)

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By Alexander (wrote 499 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 6/29/2008 07:35 am

Eternal redemption has been obtained for us not by the blood of goats & calves but by the blood of Jesus Christ.Jesus entered in once unto the holy place to get that.(Heb.9:12).We find the word”once” occurring again & again in the Scriptures to stress the fact that Jesus Christ has offered the perfect sacrifice.
Heb.7:27…..for this he did once,when he offered up himself
Heb.9:26….but now once in the end of the world,hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself
Heb.9:28.So Christ was once offered to bear sins of many,and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Rom.6:10 For in that he died,he died unto sin once:
Heb.10:10.By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ,once for all.
One offering(one sacrifice)is efficacious:Heb.10:12.But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,sat down on the right hand of God./Heb.10:14:For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
The blood of goats &bulls and ashes of a heifer sprinkled on them who are ceremonially unclean, sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.(Heb.
9:13)But it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats shall take away sin.(Heb.10:4).These sacrifices are example& shadow & type.(Heb.8:5).
They point forward & prepare people for reality.The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was perfect.(Heb.10:6,7,9,10).Christ’s offering is efficacious.The blood of Jesus cleanses the inward man also.Our consciences are made clean by His precious blood.The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is superior to animal sacrifices in that He has put away sin debt forever.Jesus gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.(Tit.2:14).The issue of sin is dealt with once for all.The stain is removed completely by the blood of Jesus Christ.Read 1 John 1:7.The slate is clean.our sins are forgiven.(Eph.1:7)
No further sacrifice is needed.Reconciliation with God is made.We can have fellowship with Him.we can serve Him with pure conscience.We are made as priests to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
(1 Pet.2:5).We can have fellowship with other believers in Christ with gladness & singleness of heart like the early Christians.(Acts 2:46).What a privilege we have all because of the sacrifice made by our Lord for us!

By Alexander (wrote 499 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 6/28/2008 16:56 pm