Heb 9:13-14 | KingComments | STEP | . The first word “but” indicates that what now follows is a contrast with what is written in the previous part. The word “Christ” presents the Person by Whom the whole earthly service, which is described in the previous verses, has lost its right to exist. The earthly service has not made any man perfect in conscience ( ) and also hasn’t brought a perfect situation ( ). The only One Who is able and Who will indeed do that is Christ. He has appeared as High Priest to guide His people into the rest of the promised millennial kingdom of peace. In that kingdom of peace, which is the future world, He will reign and bless His people with the “good things” . These good things “to come” exist in everything that will please the Messiah when He reigns. You recognize these good things in the bread and the wine with which Melchizedek met Abraham ( ). We have now already received the good things that are still to come for Israel: the eternal salvation, redemption, inheritance, covenant, a perfect conscience, free access to the heavenly sanctuary, fellowship with God. For the believing Hebrews and for you Christ has already appeared as High Priest. To us His service is not connected to an earthly sanctuary characterized by weakness and imperfection, but to the heavenly sanctuary. The heavenly sanctuary is greater and more perfect than the earthly one. That heavenly sanctuary and the service He performs there, is not the result of men’s work. In no way it is connected to the first creation. Therefore that sanctuary and the service that takes place there is guaranteed inviolable from any form of corruption, thus securing the blessing. With that blessing Christ as the true Melchizedek will soon come out of the heavenly sanctuary to His people on earth. . The writer uses again the most powerful words in order to absolutely exclude any possible chance of the slightest doubt concerning Christ and His work. The assurance of the blessing is in the “own blood” of Christ with which He entered the holy place. That also stands opposite the earthly service with its animal sacrifices of which the blood could not take away sins ( ). How could the blood of animals ever possibly take away the sins from men ? Christ entered the holy place to be there forever. His blood that was shed once for all eternally keeps its value and power. The work is finished and its value can never change. Because He always remains there, the access has been opened once for all and therefore we always have access to God in the light. We can enter, because Christ entered and we are able to enter because we are perfect in conscience. He has obtained “eternal redemption”. That redemption concerns the believers of all times. Even the whole universe will partake of it. It is about the rights that He as the Son of Man, Who will soon rule over the world to come, has obtained. Through His sacrificial death He has laid the foundation for the redemption of all believers and of all things ( ). The blood that forms the foundation is now in the sanctuary. The blood has eternal value and therefore the redemption is also an eternal redemption. Redemption goes further than forgiveness . Forgiveness deals with our sins and it means that God doesn’t impute our sins to us anymore because they have been removed by the Lord Jesus. Redemption deals with our own selves. It removes us from our former situation and brings us into a whole new position, connected to Christ. . The writer wants to present the contrast between the cleansing rituals in the Old Testament and the cleansing by the blood of Christ with more emphasis. The blood of goats and bulls is connected with the day of atonement ( ). The ashes, mixed with the water of purification, came from the red heifer ( ). These means were literally applied on the body of a person who had become unclean by a sinful manifestation or contact. By the sprinkling with the prescribed means that person became clean again. That cleansing concerned only his body, but on that basis he was allowed to be among God’s people again. It did not say anything about his innermost being. These means also had to be used again when the person committed a sin again. The cleansing was only temporary. . The blood of Christ and its functioning and the result of it are completely different. As far as heaven is above the earth, as far is the distance of what Christ has done and the value of His blood beyond the earthly cleansing rituals. In that way the Holy Spirit was present in each aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross and of His whole preceded life. The Lord Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit ( ); He was anointed by Him ( ); He was led by Him ( ) and He acted through Him ( ). Here we read that He “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God”. The value of the blood of Christ is that great because this blood is from Christ Who has offered Himself to God and that through the Holy Spirit. He is seen here as Man, Who, for the sake of all people who would believe in Him, offers up the sacrifice to a holy and righteous God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ was an Offeror Who was able to offer a spotless sacrifice to God, because He was perfectly clean, righteous and without sin. He was the Offeror and the Sacrifice, Whose blood was brought into the sanctuary. And that’s the point here. The result is that the conscience of the believer is cleansed from “dead works”, through which he is now able “to serve the living God”. Dead works are all works that are not done in fellowship with the living God, but from one’s own idea about serving God. Therefore, serving the living God is opposite to dead works. ‘Serving’ here has the meaning of serving as a priest. On the basis of the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus offered to God in Himself, all believers are now able to bring offerings to God. They serve God by honoring Him. The believers bring worship in spirit and truth ( ) by telling God what they have seen in the sacrifice of His Son. All things will be judged by the question: ‘What does God, the Living One, think about it?’ The living God has no interest in ‘church attendances’ as such, but sees if there is any interest in His Person. Imagine that someone visits you, but only pays attention to the way your house is decorated and doesn’t look at you at all. That’s the way many people deal with God and His service. They do not realize that the Lord Jesus offered Himself to form a company of worshipers who would be able to draw near to God in the sanctuary with a fully cleansed conscience. . This drawing near to God was impossible under the old covenant. To make that possible a new covenant was necessary. This new covenant concerns Israel and Judah and still has to be made with them, but God has already appointed and revealed the Mediator. This One has accomplished the work on which the fulfillment of the promises could be based. The sacrificial death of Christ delivers us from the transgressions of the old covenant and is the foundation for receiving the blessings of the new covenant: “the eternal inheritance”. The transgressions under the first covenant could not be removed by the sacrifices under the first covenant. But the blood of the new covenant that was shed through the death of Christ, has completely blotted them out. They don’t press like a burden on the believer anymore, which is the case with those who remain connected to the old covenant. He who is connected to the Mediator of the new covenant, is redeemed from the transgressions. They are “those who have been called” and are able to receive the eternal inheritance on the basis of that redemption. It is a great privilege to belong to the called ones, which also includes the receiving of the eternal inheritance. There can be mention of an eternal inheritance because the atonement is perfect. Sin has been removed and will be completely removed from the sight of God in accordance with the nature and the nature of God Himself. Christ, the Mediator ( ), mediates between a holy God and the defiled man. Moses was also a mediator, but then of the old covenant. But he didn’t die for the people. As a sinful man, neither could he. What Christ did, He did not do in connection with the old covenant, for within that system there was no room for true cleansing and service. The service of Christ is connected with a new covenant. That makes everything totally different and perfectly certain. Now read Hebrews 9:11-15 again. Reflection: Which aspects of Christ and His work do you find in these verses?

‏ Hebrews 9:13-14

Christ, High Priest and Mediator

Heb 9:11. The first word “but” indicates that what now follows is a contrast with what is written in the previous part. The word “Christ” presents the Person by Whom the whole earthly service, which is described in the previous verses, has lost its right to exist. The earthly service has not made any man perfect in conscience (Heb 9:9) and also hasn’t brought a perfect situation (Heb 7:19). The only One Who is able and Who will indeed do that is Christ.

He has appeared as High Priest to guide His people into the rest of the promised millennial kingdom of peace. In that kingdom of peace, which is the future world, He will reign and bless His people with the “good things”. These good things “to come” exist in everything that will please the Messiah when He reigns. You recognize these good things in the bread and the wine with which Melchizedek met Abraham (Gen 14:18).

We have now already received the good things that are still to come for Israel: the eternal salvation, redemption, inheritance, covenant, a perfect conscience, free access to the heavenly sanctuary, fellowship with God. For the believing Hebrews and for you Christ has already appeared as High Priest. To us His service is not connected to an earthly sanctuary characterized by weakness and imperfection, but to the heavenly sanctuary.

The heavenly sanctuary is greater and more perfect than the earthly one. That heavenly sanctuary and the service He performs there, is not the result of men’s work. In no way it is connected to the first creation. Therefore that sanctuary and the service that takes place there is guaranteed inviolable from any form of corruption, thus securing the blessing. With that blessing Christ as the true Melchizedek will soon come out of the heavenly sanctuary to His people on earth.

Heb 9:12. The writer uses again the most powerful words in order to absolutely exclude any possible chance of the slightest doubt concerning Christ and His work. The assurance of the blessing is in the “own blood” of Christ with which He entered the holy place. That also stands opposite the earthly service with its animal sacrifices of which the blood could not take away sins (Heb 10:4). How could the blood of animals ever possibly take away the sins from men?

Christ entered the holy place to be there forever. His blood that was shed once for all eternally keeps its value and power. The work is finished and its value can never change. Because He always remains there, the access has been opened once for all and therefore we always have access to God in the light. We can enter, because Christ entered and we are able to enter because we are perfect in conscience.

He has obtained “eternal redemption”. That redemption concerns the believers of all times. Even the whole universe will partake of it. It is about the rights that He as the Son of Man, Who will soon rule over the world to come, has obtained. Through His sacrificial death He has laid the foundation for the redemption of all believers and of all things (Col 1:19-22). The blood that forms the foundation is now in the sanctuary.

The blood has eternal value and therefore the redemption is also an eternal redemption. Redemption goes further than forgiveness. Forgiveness deals with our sins and it means that God doesn’t impute our sins to us anymore because they have been removed by the Lord Jesus. Redemption deals with our own selves. It removes us from our former situation and brings us into a whole new position, connected to Christ.

Heb 9:13. The writer wants to present the contrast between the cleansing rituals in the Old Testament and the cleansing by the blood of Christ with more emphasis. The blood of goats and bulls is connected with the day of atonement (Lev 16:3 ; 14-15). The ashes, mixed with the water of purification, came from the red heifer (Num 19:9). These means were literally applied on the body of a person who had become unclean by a sinful manifestation or contact. By the sprinkling with the prescribed means that person became clean again. That cleansing concerned only his body, but on that basis he was allowed to be among God’s people again. It did not say anything about his innermost being. These means also had to be used again when the person committed a sin again. The cleansing was only temporary.

Heb 9:14. The blood of Christ and its functioning and the result of it are completely different. As far as heaven is above the earth, as far is the distance of what Christ has done and the value of His blood beyond the earthly cleansing rituals. In that way the Holy Spirit was present in each aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross and of His whole preceded life. The Lord Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35); He was anointed by Him (Acts 10:38); He was led by Him (Lk 4:1) and He acted through Him (Acts 10:38). Here we read that He “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God”.

The value of the blood of Christ is that great because this blood is from Christ Who has offered Himself to God and that through the Holy Spirit. He is seen here as Man, Who, for the sake of all people who would believe in Him, offers up the sacrifice to a holy and righteous God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ was an Offeror Who was able to offer a spotless sacrifice to God, because He was perfectly clean, righteous and without sin. He was the Offeror and the Sacrifice, Whose blood was brought into the sanctuary. And that’s the point here.

The result is that the conscience of the believer is cleansed from “dead works”, through which he is now able “to serve the living God”. Dead works are all works that are not done in fellowship with the living God, but from one’s own idea about serving God. Therefore, serving the living God is opposite to dead works.

‘Serving’ here has the meaning of serving as a priest. On the basis of the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus offered to God in Himself, all believers are now able to bring offerings to God. They serve God by honoring Him. The believers bring worship in spirit and truth (Jn 4:24) by telling God what they have seen in the sacrifice of His Son.

All things will be judged by the question: ‘What does God, the Living One, think about it?’ The living God has no interest in ‘church attendances’ as such, but sees if there is any interest in His Person. Imagine that someone visits you, but only pays attention to the way your house is decorated and doesn’t look at you at all. That’s the way many people deal with God and His service. They do not realize that the Lord Jesus offered Himself to form a company of worshipers who would be able to draw near to God in the sanctuary with a fully cleansed conscience.

Heb 9:15. This drawing near to God was impossible under the old covenant. To make that possible a new covenant was necessary. This new covenant concerns Israel and Judah and still has to be made with them, but God has already appointed and revealed the Mediator. This One has accomplished the work on which the fulfillment of the promises could be based. The sacrificial death of Christ delivers us from the transgressions of the old covenant and is the foundation for receiving the blessings of the new covenant: “the eternal inheritance”.

The transgressions under the first covenant could not be removed by the sacrifices under the first covenant. But the blood of the new covenant that was shed through the death of Christ, has completely blotted them out. They don’t press like a burden on the believer anymore, which is the case with those who remain connected to the old covenant. He who is connected to the Mediator of the new covenant, is redeemed from the transgressions. They are “those who have been called” and are able to receive the eternal inheritance on the basis of that redemption.

It is a great privilege to belong to the called ones, which also includes the receiving of the eternal inheritance. There can be mention of an eternal inheritance because the atonement is perfect. Sin has been removed and will be completely removed from the sight of God in accordance with the nature and the nature of God Himself. Christ, the Mediator (Heb 12:24), mediates between a holy God and the defiled man. Moses was also a mediator, but then of the old covenant. But he didn’t die for the people. As a sinful man, neither could he. What Christ did, He did not do in connection with the old covenant, for within that system there was no room for true cleansing and service. The service of Christ is connected with a new covenant. That makes everything totally different and perfectly certain.

Now read Hebrews 9:11-15 again.

Reflection: Which aspects of Christ and His work do you find in these verses?