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15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. ~ Hebrews 9:15-22
Today, we return to our study of the book of Hebrews which is primarily about how the New Covenant fulfilled the Old Covenant which foretold of the coming of the Messiah. All through the Old Covenant, God pictured for us His Son as the coming Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. When the Lord Jesus Christ hung on that cross, the Father ratified or confirmed by authoritative consent the gift of salvation to sinful man.
In v.15 of today's passage we read, "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."
Christ became the believers "mediator" when He hung and died on the cross. It was there on Mount Moriah the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for man's sin. At that moment, He then opened our way to God. His death on that cross was the primary act of mediation that opened the possibility of us enjoying a personal relationship with our Creator and Friend!
The Old Testament priest could have never become our Savior-Priest because he was fallen and the veil was always there. He could never mediate between God and man fully. The Lord Jesus became the perfect Savior-Priest, bringing men to God through His perfect life and death. He removed the barrier of sin by paying the wages of sin which is death.
In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living."
If there is a will, the guy who gives the will has got to be dead or the will isn’t applicable. As long as the guy is alive, we can’t collect the inheritance. God offered eternal inheritance through the will of His Son's death for all who believe. But we cannot receive the inheritance until the One who gave the legacy dies. This is the point of these two verses.
The Greek translated "will" is diathēkē, used throughout the New Testament of a covenant between two who are not equals. This means God makes the rules and we either receive the free gift or not. A will is not a bargain between two people, it is something made out by one person, and the other person either takes it or leaves it. God has promised an inheritance and that inheritance depends upon the death of the One who made it in order for it to be received. A will cannot operate until the One who made it dies; therefore, the Lord Jesus had to die to release the will of God to men.
In v.18 of today's passage we read, "This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood."
The shedding of the blood of Christ ratified God's will that man may believe in His Son as our Savior. And the confirmation came from the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The Lord Jesus had to die to release the will of God. And, He had to be raised form the dead in order to make God's will operative.
In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."
Both the Old and New Covenants were put into effect by blood. The blood proved the death, thereby enforcing and enacting the will of the One who died. According to Leviticus 17:11, it was necessary for blood to be spilt and applied, because it proved death. It also was given for atonement. For without it, there could be no forgiveness for sins.
In v.21 of today's passage we read, "In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies."
The rites of the Old Covenant continually looked forward to their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. They were only types and shadows of what was to come in Him. They actually did nothing but anticipate His fulfillment of these things.
In v.22 of today's passage we read, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
Even the Abrahamic Covenant was sealed by blood. In Genesis 15:9-10, we read, "9 God said to Abram, 'Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' 10 And he brought him all these, and cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half."
Long before God gave the Old Covenant to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave Abraham a covenant. When God established His covenant with Abraham, He sacrificed animals. It was through the death of those innocent animals that God was saying to Abraham that His standard was blood or death for sin. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you." The shedding of the blood of the Jesus Christ made it possible for His atoning death to bring new life to the willing.
There is nothing else that can atone for sin but the blood of Christ. The only way to enter into God’s presence and into participation in Christ's New Covenant is by trusting solely in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith in God's promise that His shed blood on the cross was sufficient for the forgiveness of our sin is what grants us the status of sonship with God. The forgiveness of God was the costliest experience for the Lord Jesus. He gave all He had, and because He gave it all, we can rest assured that we no longer bear the responsibility of our sin.
In Revelation 4-5, we are given a glimpse into the original Tabernacle in heaven. There are many similarities there between the heavenly Tabernacle and that of the Old Testament. There is one difference though. There will be no more sacrifices in heaven and in eternity because the Lord Jesus died once and for all for the sin of man. He did that when He came to earth the first time as our Savior. Sin and death has been conquered by His death on the cross.
