Sunday, August 5, 2018

August 5, 2018


The Blood of Christ


“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”  Heb.  9:11-14

The author of Hebrews states the truth that Jesus Christ came as our high priest and to serve in the capacity of a better priesthood, in the order of Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was not only a priest, but also a king – pointing the way to Jesus.    

As our high priest, Christ went through the better tabernacle; the heavenly tabernacle that was foreshadowed in the Tabernacle of Moses.  Jesus entered by His own blood, as both the sacrifice and the one bringing the sacrifice.  He entered once, doing so on the cross, and shed His blood, the blood better than that of sacrificed animals.  The blood of animals provided for temporary atonement and according to Heb. 9:13 that blood provided for an outward cleaning.  The blood of Jesus however, provides for permanent atonement (it only had to be done once) and His blood cleanses the conscience of the followers.

Friends, this is a major difference.  We are inwardly cleansed by the blood of Jesus, when we give Him permission to enter every area of our lives.  He goes to the hurting places, wounded places, broken places, and the essence of who we are as people.  That is what it means to have our conscience cleansed.  In each one of those places our Savior applies His blood to clear away hurts, heal brokenness and woundedness, and restore us to rightness in our relationship with God and our relationships with others.

Our conscience is the part of us that knows the difference between right and wrong, especially as we grow in our relationship with God.  It is a connection point between the Holy Spirit and our spirit and is the part of us that reproves sin and approves the righteousness of God in Christ.   Because of the blood of Christ that cleanses our conscience, though we will be brought under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, we do not have to allow ourselves to become stuck in condemnation.  Such conviction of sin in our lives is temporary if we keep a short record of accounts.  Condemnation can be indefinite and very damaging to our soul, affecting our thoughts, words, and behaviors.

Heb. 10:19-22 reinforce these key points.  We have confidence in Christ and so can enter the heavenly Most Holy Place (anytime), as the body of Jesus was the veil and His blood was the new path for His followers to take to access the presence of God.  Christ is the high priest over the whole house of God, far greater than the high priests in the tabernacle of Moses.  So we can draw near to God, because the way has been made for us by Jesus’ body and blood.  We come to the very presence of God with full faith, in order to have our conscience cleansed and our bodies washed. 

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